Why the push n shove?

 In our area, there is a Shri Rama temple. Each Ram Navami, there is a "janmotsav." When it comes to taking the 'prasad' distributed by the 'guruji', most all present rush n create a mini stampede like situation. Everyone is shoving everybody else aside, jostling like mad, none is ready to wait, to stand in a queue. Nobody is there to make the crowd behave itself like devotees, and not like savages! 

Nothing unique about this scenario. Last year, I was in the Tulshibaug Ram Mandir at the same time. Aai loved Shri Rama. She used to recite the 'Ram Raksha Stotra' with great devotion. Her 'Bhajani Mandal' used to perform during the 'Chaitra Navratra'. Hence my attendance in her memory. The scenario inside the Tulshibaug temple was no better than the rush in the lane out there in the peak hours!

Look at the annual palakhi procession. Except, may be, for the designated 'palakhi mandali', the rest is sheer chaos. People push like hell to reach near the 'paduka'. Horrible is the condition of the poor horses. A hyper sensitive animal, it is touched by thousands anywhere anyhow. On the cart driven by the bullocks, there is a huge load. I absolutely admire all these poor animals for their tremendous tolerance and patience.

As for the actual 'wari', it is like the crazy current of a mad river in terrible spate. People push each other like anything. Food items are distributed at all sorts of places. A huge crowd gathers, though the push n shove show continues. Old folks slip on the banana peels. None is bothered. 

Is it so very difficult to prepare barricaded routes so that the Wari procession can continue faultlessly, and the onlookers can pay their obeisance to the 'padukas'? Why not give the food items to the 'dindi' head who distributes them to his 'dindi' at the stage when all stop to rest a little? If you give bananas, why not give a paper bag for the skins to be discarded?

The same push n shove scenario is very much the 'done' stuff during the annual Ganesh immersion procession. Why, even at Tirupati Venkatesh Balaji temple, beyond the 'Garud Stambha', it is such a push, shove, ram, thrust scenario that a stampede is eagerly awaiting to happen! 

A similar free for all is the sick scenario in the narrow most lanes leading to the unique temples at Yamunotri, Kedarnath, and on the narrowest bridge leading to the Badrinath campus with Alaknanda, just two or three feet below, roaring its fury at this madness! Is everybody awaiting a Himalayan blunder?

The authorities MUST act before some huge tragedy takes place. People must be made to follow barricaded routes. Why incur the deities' wrath, given such uncouth 'darshan'?!? Merely mad mob mentality!

Pratima@Honestly, the scene is no different from the horrible crowd attacking  the poor local trains during the rush hours in Mumbai! And we call ourselves devotees, even when it is difficult to call such crude behaviour human(e)!

Quote of the day:                                                          Says Seneca: "Do you ask me what you should regard as especially to be avoided? I say, crowds; for as yet you cannot trust yourself to them with safety."

Word of the day: Mob mentality                                 Mob mentality or herd mentality is a psychological phenomenon where individuals adopt the behaviors, beliefs, or actions of a larger group. Driven by a desire to fit in and a loss of personal accountability, people in a crowd may abandon critical thinking and moral responsibility.

Singing the Pasaydan

 At 9 this evening, many Puneites and even others, who might have the link, would sing the "Pasaydan." Sure I am interested in as well as excited about the project. 

Why so? Okay, let me explore the issue. It is Sant Dyandeva who has enunciated this great prayer for the welfare of the world and for the abundance of peace and serenity. In my opinion, Sant Dnyaneshwar is one of the greatest reformers. I do most sincerely think that he is not only a great philosopher, but he also offered a great new direction to society.

He was the first to translate the Sanskrit "Bhagwad Geeta"  in to the then local folk language. Likewise, his other writings, too, make the great knowledge of the Vedas and the Upnishads accessible to the common man. The great poet and the superb communicator that he was, he uses apt images, perfect symbols that relate to daily lived life to 'translate' the great thought in to relatable concepts. 

This wonderful contribution, which promotes equality and  knowledge for all,  should require at least some six lifetimes. He managed it within a short span of hardly twenty-one years. Unjustly ill-treated, horribly harassed, horridly hunted literally, yet this brilliant young man prays for the welfare of the world. 

That is "Pasaydan", the core of his humane thought and 'holi'stic vision. His prayer is that the wicked should not only get rid of their villainy, but there should be such a sea change (with-n-) in their hearts that they should follow the right(rous) path. Yet his essential prayer is that each should get what he wants. It is this ambrosia that he is celebrating in this heart felt prayer. 

Truly the most humane vision imbued with divinity itself is the "Pasaydan," the final prayer for profound peace, at the end of "Dnyaneshwari". Fully I support and heartily I participate in this most welcome programme. Looking forward to 9 o'clock! 

Pratima@ I adore n revere the great Sant Dnyaneshwar so much that the ideological warfare n party politics around such an event hardly matters to me.                                                 Anyways, emptily parroting secularism without having consulted either the texts or without having understood the context of "Pasaydan" is vain cynicism for me. For sure, I know how and when such terms entered the Preamble, and I do know to quite some  extent, having read in some depth the history of  secularism, what it actually means beyond party politicking which in the current context holds no meaning for me, given the international realities as well. 

Quote of the day:                                                            Says Epictetus,"All religions must be tolerated... for every man must go to heaven in his own way."

Word of the day: holistic                                                 Holistic means emphasizing the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Rather than analyzing individual components in isolation, a holistic approach examines complete systems, how they interact, and how they affect one another.

B(l)anking Operations

 On one of the statuses shared on the WhatsApp, there was this passionate plea about the lunch break poor poor poor bank employees are not allowed! Hugely sarcastic it was about how people spend hours looking at a JCB machine digging a road!! Acrimony itself it was about the bank clients not being able to fill forms!!! 

Yes, absolutely agreed that a lunch break is the legitimate right of the righteous bank employees. Yet most all clients who come to the branch are employees somewhere, too! Why cannot there be a simple solution of staggering the lunch break so that at least two windows remain open. 

As it is, most of the times, all the counters are never ever functional. If the branch is under-staffed, it is not the customer's fault, right? But, no, except for their personal favourites with whom they are busy  chatting, simpering, carrying on personal transactions, bank employees are rudeness incarnate. They look at people as if they do not exist at all.

Personally I sure do wait it out utmost patiently if I have the misfortune of reaching a bank branch exactly when the lunch break begins. Yet this gentleness never is reciprocated. Except for an honourable exception or two, nobody is as rude as a bank employee, the lowest to the highest per branch. Practically everybody would agree with this universally acknowledged fact. 

In the AI era, with huge computerisation, at any branch office, one spends hooooours for the simple most operation. Moreover, many client operations are anyways machine operated or managed online. Their mistakes, they would never ever accept. But gang up against a client, sure they would. Why must a bank be blank when it comes to basic, decent, straightforward communication? Commerce colleges sure need to work on their students' spoken skills! 

Pratima@ Recently, in a private bank, I was told that I opened an account which I never ever did. I showed them their own documents, but to no avail. When I asked for the details of that fictitious account, they would not share it! Some authority, eh!                                                             Yet another bother is the "helpful" liaison officer who calls up any time, but is never available when needed. Honestly, attendance must be a MUST in commerce and management colleges, and communication skills should be a subject taught every semester both at the UG and PG levels! 

Quote of the day:                                                         "Communication is the solvent of all problems, and is the foundation for personal development," says Peter Shepherd.

Word of the day:                                                          Irritation, frustration, vexation, frustration = Every branch of any bank! 

Decorating the deity

 In Aai's memory, we have instituted a prize in her school in Pandharpur. The teacher in charge sends the Vithoba pics now and then. In the status mode, moreover, I daily get the pics of the Kolhapur Ambabai, and often of the Datta Palakhi as well as of the Omkareshwar temple, Ujjain. 

At the very first sight, what strikes me the most is the aesthetics. The daily 'deco' of the deity is an absolute "dekho". On special occasions, be it the festivals such as Dasara/Padwa or the national days such as August 15/January 26, the idol is so beautifully decorated that is indeed is a divine vision. 

I love the anthropomorphism involved in the process. Come Ashadhi Devshayani Ekadashi, and Vithoba gets a pillow! It is believed that the Lord takes rest during the Chaturmas. No, it is not superstition. It is a unique oneness with the deity which anyways has been part of the Marathi Bhakti tradition, beginning with Sant Dyandeva. 

When it comes to the drape of Rukmini, personally, I adore the way the Ambabai idol is decorated. It is simply a beauty. The unique sarees are so draped daily that it is a visual treat, an ocular feast. On special occasions, the adornment is literally beyond  belief. 

Throughout the Wari procession and from the Ghat Sthapna till Dasara, Aai used to watch on the television the entire process of the daily puja. I hence know the lovely process of decorating the deity in quite some detail. Incidentally, the original idol of Ambabai has very kind, gentle, soft eyes. That is the only bit of embellishment I am rather uncomfortable with. 

Though I do not know in detail the way the Mahankal or the Gangapur Dutta idols are embellished, I sure would like to assert that decorating the deity is an art form. I think it is learnt in a hereditary way. Or it could be on the job as one progresses from the junior to senior priesthood. I would not know. 

Sure, the notion of godhead is an abstract concept. Yet such rituals lead the devotee, who may not always be a philosopher, in a more focussed way towards the divine. Hence this appreciation of this unique art. 

Pratima@ I must, however, admit that I love the Vithoba idol the most when it adorns the simple "tulshi" garland. 

Quote of the day:                                                           "We lack a direct access to God. Hence we worship the idol." Anonymous. 

Word of the day: deity                                                 A deity is a supernatural being, such as a god or goddess, that is worshiped by people who believe it possesses divine powers. 

Some colourful context

 Gray is the colour of the day at present. With jet black clouds pouring down disasters here, there and everywhere, darker than night appears the daily destiny. No amount of chatter about 'chai n bhajji' cheers up, what with ugly deaths dime a dozen. 

In such a shady context, how colourful it is to know that July is the month world wide designated for celebrating water colour painting! Sure, brush pens and paint pens are less messy. Undoubtedly, acrylics dry faster. 

Yet nothing matches the lyricism of  water colours. The shades one can manage through water colours are unbelievable. Even the brush behaves better with water colours. Brush strokes are easier with water colours, though, sure, like everything else, practice, in painting, too, makes the artist perfect. 

Well, July is officially designated as the 'World Watercolor Month' by a global charitable celebration founded in 2016 by Charlie O'Shields of 'Doodlewash'. Whatever be your level of proficiency, why not develop it a notch higher by taking up the challenge of a painting per day; at least one per week? 

Simple patterns such as flowers or outlines of cityscapes would do, too, right? With all sorts of dark news making days dirtier, why not thus beautify the mindscape? 

Pratima@ If you cannot spare the time to paint a water colour, how about at least a dekko at a few? Online resources are aplenty. For all you know, some AI site might even be painting one for you! 

Quote of the day:                                                           "If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced." That is some encouragement from Vincent van Gogh! 

Word of the day: palette                                             A palette is primarily a flat board used by artists to hold and mix paints. By extension, the term refers to the specific range of colors an artist may use in his/her oeuvre. 

Aamrikn English!

 As unique as the country is the language, the American English! A curious mix it is. In a way, it carries the remnants of the Restoration era old seventeenth century English of the Pilgrim Fathers. Seasoned it is with all the advances, material, technological, not to forget the mix-in of n by other European immigrants, and the Black and the Hispanic inputs. 

It has its own grammatical rules. It need not follow the prim n proper stuff, the stiff upper lip Brit English. An easy to understand n remember example could be the 'do support' for negation and/or question formation. Ask an American "Have a light?" He/she might  think that you are too formal. MUCH WORSE, you would  be corrected with the 'do support'. The American version of a question in case you want a lighter would be "Do you have a lighter?" 

A unique feature of American English is that simplifies spellings. "Metre" becomes "meter", for instance. "Colour" changes to "color". All  "-ise" endings convert in to the     "-ize", and thus become internet friendly. 

Vocabulary wise, it chooses to be quirkily, uniquely American. An example or two can be lorry (not truck), gas ( for petrol), gas station (for petrol pump), elevator (for lift), and so on. 

Unusual is its pronunciation. "Awesome" becomes "aaasum", for instance. "Aaaful", right? Aamerikans drawl a lot, too. The "r" and the "d" that emerge as connectors are unique, too. 

In brief, be Aamerikan, speak Aamerikan! 

Pratima@ It could be argued that the vast difference between the spoken, the pop, the slangy and the literary/the high culture varieties of language as  varied usage is a typically American phenomenon, of course, very soon exported all over the rest of the world. 

Quote of the day:                                                       "England and America are two countries separated by the same language." So opined  George Bernard Shaw.

Word of the day: slang                                                The slang is the highly informal vocabulary used in casual conversation that falls outside standard, conventional language ambit. It is constantly evolving, often is specific to certain age groups, subcultures, or regions, and is primarily used to build group identity. It expresses emotions colorfully.                         

America turns 250!

 America and old?!? That, too, two hundred n fifty years old!?! Somehow it does not fit in with the world wide mental image of America, an ever bubbling fount of energy, vivacity, and drive, right? Yup, in the life of a continent, eh, country, two fifty years is absolutely pittance, anyways.

And, oh, yea, sure, under the 'Don' dynasty, the sesquicentennial, the inevitably aging, the kinda middle-aged tag may match somewhat. So feels the radical left. And, oh, yes, not to forget that this 'quarter millennial' et al America is the new, White, 'star- spangled' America! The Aboriginal America is ancient, though currently almost wiped out. 

America is this dream land, the land of the aspirational because it initiated itself precisely in that very mode. In Charles II's excessively permissive regime, the Puritans, harassed harshly for their religious rigour, aspired for a New Eden which they found across the Atlantic. 

With the ropes for a return, anyways never wished for, and now washed away across an ocean, the Protestant work ethic made the "New England" a "Temple on the Mount". Waves of emigrés followed, enriching the "log cabin to the White House" royal road to success, provided you had it in you, and were ready to work hard, some contemporary proof being the Silicon Valley. 

In other words, America is more an "i-dea." I should know. Why? Well, without ever stepping even a foot on that soil, I can explain why n how it has been "a giant stride for mankind." 

Well, I have met the American spirit in the writings of the Founding Fathers. I have found America in Lincoln's life. I have known the cruelties of the slave trade and the darknesses of the black lives from the most enriching texts by  Harriet Beecher Stowe to Ngozi Adiche, and very many others of her ilk. 

Just as I have rejoiced in Nature with an Emerson and a Thoreau, with a Whitman, I have known the loss of "Captain, Oh, my Captain." A Hawthorne, a Melville have guided me in to the hidden depths of the human spirit, while countless twentieth century authors have helped me understand the underbelly of the American dream. How many names to count/enlist!?! Instead, better to swear by their immense insights, right? 

Teaching "American Literature", "Immigrant Writings", "World Literature", it indeed is an enormously educative process with the safety net of the vicarious pleasure/presence, moreover. Be it American Hollywood movies or the music scenario, learning America, warts n all, is immersing oneself in a unique language of being and becoming. 

Sure, the coke n burger kind of TNC's price n prove the typical American capitalist, consumerist, expansionist tendencies, not to forget the 'deep state'. Yet there is no denying the fact that America is tolerant enough to graciously accept a Chomsky-ian critique of manufactured consent, and/or its versions.

It is this "I"-dentity that would forever make America an ever expanding land, nay, 'space', of exploration! Happy Birthday, America! With all your quirks, your oddities, your complexes n kinks, you tend to amuse n attract forever! May you live long, and without any further wrong(s) to the rest of the world! 

Pratima@ The American "Circus"  is  best portrayed by the Presidents. The list, of both the best and the worst ones, is so big that it can overflow a few blogs! Unforgettable, however, are their unique editions of the MAGA mantra, right? 

Quote of the day:                                                         "America. It is the only place," says Thomas Wolfe, "where miracles not only happen, but where they happen all the time." And of "ALL'' varieties, shapes, sizes n shades they are! 

Word of the day: super                                              "Super" is a versatile term meaning excellent, extreme, or superior. As a prefix, it means extreme, above, beyond.  Best describes a land obsessed with the superman, thinking itself to be the supercop with super-machines of all sorts, space crafts to guns that 'rock', both in Iran and in every school in each gulley. "AWESOME", in brief!