Consolation

 When an elderly person in her/his mid- or late-eighties, why some people might even draw the line at mid- or late-seventies, passes away, it is almost customary to maintain that 'good, the old tired body did not have to suffer a lot'. It is almost as if long life, quite common these days, gets associated with woes, worries, wounds, and what not.

This common form of consolation, I do agree, may convince the head, the brain, the intellect.  Yet just scratch a little, and underneath lies this heart that very easily bleeds, this mind that more easily is wounded, this soul that never ever easily accepts the absence!What to do with them?

 That room, that corner of the room, the bed, and most importantly, that never ever to be repeated kind touch, loving glance, everything hurts, and continues to hurt. Why, there are days of wild regret for every minor most, but now deeply remembered, mistake, some error of omission by you by sheer oversight.

Mourning continues to keep a vigil in an innermost corner of your being. Nothing, your remembrances of the happy times together, your memories of the very many positivities of the dear departed, some very intense moments that enriched you both, nothing can ever displace that forever tender spot which can get worried open any moment a similar situation arises!

Time flies away, life goes on, routine has to set in. And, yet, the hurt heart refuses to heal. The deep void never ever fills. Honestly, real consolation never ever happens!

Pratima@ Happy masks always hide deep wounds that can wrench open, and easily at that, whether or not the rest of the materialistic world may/not understand the plight.

Oh, 'the tender grace of a day that is dead will never come back to me'! Wrote Tennyson. Accepted, Indeed! Completely, totally, inalienably!

As students, as teachers!

 There are certain professions in which the success rate absolutely depends on the receiver's abilities. Sure, each and every profession is a kind of give and take. Yet certain professions depend absolutely on the excellence of the doer. Let me give you an example. The I/T industry, for instance. Herein your own coding excellence alone matters.

On the contrary, some professions depend more on the receiver.  A few examples may suffice. An artist, for example, performs better if his audience is not of the wafer crunching variety.  The artist performs excellently ALWAYS, yet if the audience is the cognoscenti, the artist's performance excels.

A teacher, on the contrary, is always only as good or as bad as his/her students. Even if the teacher is excellent knowledge wise, brilliant communication wise, if the students are so-so or ordinary, his/her entire teaching capacity goes down the drain! The students' calibre decides the teacher's success rate!

If the teacher is ordinary and/or mediocre, students always have other alternatives to become knowledgeable, such as the apps, the Google sites, the AI 'agents', and so on. In other words, students pass in spite of the extremely poor/mediocre abilities of the teacher. In other words, unlike every other profession, the end result of the teaching profession is independent of the main agent! As many worthy/unworthy students, as the teacher's success rate.

There ARE ugly pressures, moreover, on a teacher. For an imaginary 'success' profile, the institute wants 'everybody' to pass. Even if the teacher may refuse, students at the border line are pushed to the next year by all the authorities concerned.

Parents these days are funny, too. They often over-indulge their ward who is arrogant, rude, ill-behaved, ignorant, and yet has an attitude! Such stupid students want teachers to be clowns who 'entertain' them! 

The teacher, especially if she/he is very good at the subject, has a knack for teaching, but is not 'political' in any senses of the term, is always rendered invisible. Hence the argument, as students, as teachers!

Pratima@The worst authorities are highly political, openly casteist, have a herd mentality, that is,want every one else to be minions in to their group, and are the worst at their subjects. Such people ruin both, the 'discipline' and the institutions.

 

Unity in Diversity

 Very soon would begin the month of Shravana in Maharashtra. Many people observe a number of "vrat" in this month. Often, these rituals mean restrictions on food/eating and drinking. On Ashadhi Amavasya, the last, the no-moon day of the month, people indulge in a splurge of non-veg parties with drinking binges that find them in the drains. The day is hence called "gatari amavsya", the no-moon day of rolling in the drains. 

Once the Shravan begins, there is no non-veg, no liquor. It is supposed to be a month of purification. There are "Satyanarayana puja" in the public sphere and in private spaces, that is, at home/in families. Many people would read a holy text, and so on.

Down south around the same time, though  slightly a little earlier, begins the month of Karkideyam. Throughout this month, in most all homes is read the "Ramayana".  So it is also known as "Ramayana Masam." A wonderful idea indeed to make the common man pious, rooted in his traditions, and by implication, a better player in the public sphere, given the ideal of Prabhu Ram.

In our country bursting at the edges with population, there is an urgent need of such a grounding. Due to such an empty hobby as reel-making  which gives a still more mediocre and hollow reputation (why, there are sites which write your books for you, which publish any empty verbosity as literature, and such people dare to call themselves 'authors'), the societal space has become extremely vacuous, and such corrections are truly the need of the hour!

Pratima@Gone case are the parents who choose to ignore such crass behaviour of their wards which one day is going to land them, the children, in solid trouble. But who cares? So long as people get their cheap high's, any weirdness is okay!

Truths transcending time!

 Do people read the classics? I am not so very sure. Forget the Sanskrit greats such as the plays and poems by Kalidasa, for instance. How about Shakespeare? Do you think people read him these days?

Well, honestly I do not think so. As for the post-graduate English literature students, mostly, they no longer depend on the Google either. It is all the A.l. stuff! As for the other type(s) of readers, this rather famous author in Marathi could be the role model. He has written a book on western literature. Every page therein is a very loud declaration, indubitable proof of the sad but obvious truth that he has not touched even with a barge pole any author, any text mentioned  in his book!

As for Shakespeare, this wonderful person invents a kiss in 'Hamlet' that the prince of Denmark shares with his mother! True, the play does have a latent Oedipal tension. Sure, however, there is no physical intimacy between the mother and her son. 

Forget such horrible anomalies which are botched up summaries. The common man should read the original texts of Shakespeare's plays because they are full of truths transcending time, that is, there is  useful advice, too. "Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none" can be an example. In very simple English, an important truth, " be generous, but trust wisely", is revealed. "Listen to many, speak to a few" is yet another example. And, yet, he makes fun often of such 'wise saws', too! Such a complex vision is the real gift great authors often share!

Pratima@Personally, I am against such a utilitarian attitude to literature which, in my opinion, is a unique aesthetic experience with ethical undertones wherein every word is a gem that shines with beauty and vision.

The Return of the Native

 Yes, sure, the title of our blog is directly borrowed from one of Thomas Hardy's superb  novels, and, undoubtedly, one of my favourite ones. Thomas Hardy IS a great novelist, and his novels can move the cynical most. I should know as I taught "Jude, the Obscure" to successive batches of M.A. students for whom "sub golmaal hai, bhai...", well, less said, the better! Yet the worldiest of them all was shaken to the core, and unaffectedly, that I can sure vouch for, when I related the Jude plight to the immediate Indian context.

Well, that is not our theme today. Let not the word 'native' in the title delude you the typical way either. No, our blog is not going to repeat the favourite rant these days against the "Macaulay putras/putris".

Rather, the title refers to Subhanshu Shukla's safe and sound return to terra firma after a brief stay at the International Space Station. For me, it IS one of those historic moments for us "natives" as we were dubbed by the colonisers. Yet again gets proven the fact that we are as good as our wor(l)d. Remember that cartoon when first we decided to fire satellites in to the space?

This return, precise, on time (unlike the much, much delayed return of the ABCD Sunita Williams from the ISS) proves that it might be a short stay for this astronaut, but it is a huge, giant, long visit of a native, to quote Neil  Armstrong the 'native' way. Hence the title, the re-turn of the native!

Pratima@While the whole nation cheered, tears flooded his mother's, and father's, eyes. Well, I do know this feel as my brother, a Merchant Navy Officer, would go on these looooong assignments. In those days without either satellite phones or the internet enabled communication, every letter posted weeks ago, reaching months later, meant much, a silent heart-felt prayer of thanks, and all the best wishes that no ocean could ever wash out!

Stress skills, too?!?

 However much you may try 'not to be', you have 'to be' on a few inevitable groups. Except for a very few and truly original ones that delight you, most message material is a re-send of re-hash received from other groups, right? 

Yet you do not mind looking it up if it is a video made of clips from an interview of Dr. Hiremath for "Amuk-Tamuk", especially as you may not be watching the 'to do' channel. Yes, interesting is this much re-sent clip. Dr. Hiremath discusses in it his own life which adds to the authenticity as well as sincerity of the stuff.

Dr. Hiremath, the famous cardiologist, narrates herein the story of how his father cured himself after a heart attack at fifty-two. The triune technique that the celebrated heart-specialist son continues to teach others is: proper diet, (right amount of) exercise and most importantly, de-stressing, off-loading/delegating responsibilities.

Though all the three matter much, in my opinion, the last one is the (he)art of heart (for that matter, any organ, why, the entire life itself) care. It is stress that kills. At times, though it might skill, too. 

I should know. Well, when I was absolutely all alone, on my own, in the dicey context (as absolutely anything life threatening can happen any moment there) in the mighty Himalayas, I was perfectly okay. No fever, no cold, no cough, stomach under total control.

Back at home, I fell ill, properly. High fever for the first few days (it took almost a week to subside), cough-n-cold that still continues, slight stomach upset. Yes, I have gulped down all the necessary medicines. Yet, I do think that the real reason why I thus fell ill is because I know subconsciously that help IS nearby. My brothers are just a call away though, of course, I have not bothered them except keeping them in the info loop. 

Stress, in other words, can skill, too. It need not always kill, right? May be, stress, which, possibly, gets self-regulated subconsciously, is a survival technique? Hope I get a chance (of course, not as a patient!) to unravel this mystery with the great cardiologist some day. Yet, right now, multiple self-observations in very many contexts, on very many occasions make me believe that stress can skill, too! 

Pratima@I did wonder though, I must confess, that, this time around, it must be the pure air in the Himalayas that saves one from illness. However much one may care for home, sweet home, Pune pollution leaves a lot to be desired, right?

Ah, yes, I need to read the Dean Penish book, too, that Dr. Hiremath refers to during the discussion.

Flash of a Fiction

 Flash fiction! No, nothing to do with the Texas floods. Rather, a unique narrative it indeed is! Creates a whole world with minimum words! Maximum impact with minimum prompts!

Let us begin with the most repeated/respected example, full of a sense of loss and grief, supposedly by Ernest Hemingway.

 "For Sale: Baby Shoes. Never used." 

Now Yours Truly is going to try her hand at a few examples, and in different genres!

1) The Suspense Thriller cum science fiction

"The only woman in the universe sat all alone in the space station. Suddenly, a 'Space-Ex' careened close, its gravitational pull all amiss."

2) The Terror Tale 

"Deep Trench. The fish feasted on her eyes. She woke up."

3) The Existential "Absurd" Tale

"Thunder and lightening. All was foul. On her fair cheek froze, forever, a tear. Like the South Sea pearl."

4) The Indian Writing in English

"It was the Ganesha Immersion Day. Holding the idol close to her chest, our youngest cried her heart out. At the doorstep, all the elders chuckled."

5) Historical Romance cum tragi-comedy

"Yes, dear, bring me the brightest diamond from India," shouted Mrs.Wicksham as John, her husband, stood at the deck of the departing ship. She wiped her tears with and blew her nose in the 'fairy hanky' he last got her from Africa. Luckily, she had managed to get it from Jack's room the night before."

Pratima@ Ah, yes, you must have noted the allusions, quite ironic though,  right?!!? That is what happens when a student of literature tries her hand at micro fiction. Oh, yes, these could be the beginnings of a proper tale or two, though not always with a moral, okay?

Forts as the Force

 Shivaji Maharaj is considered an ideal leader for very many reasons. It can, however, be argued that his forts, like his famous guerrilla technique, are the real force that strengthened his nascent kingdom.

These forts are built brilliantly in the rugged ranges of the Sahyadri. Not only can they be not seen/accessed from the foot of the high hills, but often they are also not visible/traversed unless one reaches quite near the main gate. As a result, they are extremely well guarded against the  main enemy then, the mighty Mughals spreading their tentacles in the South of India.

How they could have been constructed in those days without any cranes or crushers is itself a wonder. Yet they are perfect examples of both, a powerful military garrison, and a civil center for the families. From water storage to markets, they are brilliant examples of construction excellence.

The other two types of forts, those built on plains and those built to develop the seafaring might of the kingdom, especially against the foreign marauders, are also considered examples of the foresight and fortitude of Maharaj's astuteness as a ruler.

I have not visited either of these two types. I have hiked up a few of the hilly forts though. The sad decline of these marvels due to the ravages of time, the silly comments 'etched' on the ruins, the ugly use of these for vulgar parties by revellers, the resultant mounds of waste, especially of plastic, would hurt the sentiments of any sensitive and sensible person.

 The unmistakable encroachments and the extremely problematic religion-based politicking behind such built-up areas are, moreover, two more worrisome concerns.The ASI rules as well as the indifference of successive governments could be further deterrents behind the deterioration of these wonders. 

It is hence a great news to read that twelve of these forts are now UNESCO heritage sites. Both, the state and the central, governments deserve our heart-felt gratitude for this worldly (in possible senses of this term)  honour as the maintainance of these historic wonders would now be much better. These would now be world wide centers of attraction for both researchers as well as tourists which would be revenue sources as well.

Indeed, it is a truly nice feel that future generations would now meet these wonders not only in the pages of textbooks but also as present realities singing paeans to a great past!

Pratima@ Forts were a force behind the Maratha kingdom. Due to their being declared as UNESCO heritage sites, they would continue as a force in the future as well. Our forts, our pride!

Janiye kaisa tha woh kalakar jisko mila bhar bhar ke dedh sara pyar

 Remember that great song of grief, loss, disappointment seasoned with the disdain for the heartless and feckless world? Yes, from the title of our blog onwards, I am referring to that ultimate anthem of lost love, "jane woh kaise log the /jinke pyar ko.." Why so? Well, our blog today is a tribute to the great genius, Guru Dutt, whose unparalleled film "Pyasa" thus captures the desolation of a poet deserted by the wily world.

In this centenary year of his birth, Guru Dutt, celebrated the world over for his sensitive films such as "Pyasa" and "Kagaz ke Phool" that explore the loneliness of the abandoned-n-distant/distraught artist, deserves such a celebration. Indeed sad is the fact that this director, who gave us the first film noir with a finesse that was absolutely world-class, is not the talk of the town in 2025! Hope Modiji would read my blog, and, may be, a stamp is issued in Guru Dutt's honour!

I am a devout fan of the Guru Dutt oeuvre. Indeed what tremendous variety! He has to his credit the genre, pretty rare in Hindi films, the film noir like "Baazi", for instance. Yet this thoughtful and sensitive soul could direct breezy comedies, intense love triangles, the typical Bollywood types, but with a richness that was absolutely unparalleled. Remember "Aaar-Par", "Jaal", "Mr. and Mrs. 55", "Chaudhavi ka Chand", for instance?

His legacy, much admired abroad as well, is great because of his 'finds', too. It is only an extraordinary artist who recognises and celebrates others' talents. Be it Dev Anand as an actor/director, Abrar Alvi as a script-writer, V.K.Murthy as a cinematographer, Johnny Walker as a comedian-cum- support system of the lone-n-distant protagonist he himself personified, and, of course, Waheeda Rehman, one of our finest and most beautiful and graceful actresses. Oh, yes, ''Kagaz ke Phool" is the first cinemascope film in Bollywood. 

No wonder, the typical Bollywood bonanzas such as song-n-dance sequences come alive in his films that refuse to be the formula types. A trained dancer, this actor/director/author/cinematographer was a power-house of brilliant talent that expressed humane depth as well. So sad that he is not much remembered in his centenary year. He sure would have been hurt deep down though he would have exposed the worldly ruthlessness with yet another "ye duniya agar mil bhi jaye to kya hai?" Rest in peace, Sir, despite such "wakt ka sitam", because there ARE aficionados who may not be chatterati, but are cognescenti enough to admire deeply your superb contribution, the agony of a brilliantly talented but much ignored genius!

Pratima@ I wrote an analytical and detailed piece on "Pyasa" for the celebratory volume by the Hyderabad Film Club. Well, I did feel quite happy that the volume was released by his artist-sister, Lalita Lajmi, who sat next to me throughout the function, followed by a film screening.

 

Botching up with lies!

 Why is it that people lie through their teeth? See, I do not mind it if it is for their self-aggrandising. Sure, it could be to hide some weakness within. Psychologists often argue that those who hate themselves within would always boast a lot in public. It sure is sad. At least, it does not harm someone else, right?

The problem arises when lies are spouted to consciously  harm, displace, malign an innocent person just because that person's very presence is an indirect comment on your existence, right? Suppose, you are a teacher, and you are very poor, at best, are mediocre, at your subject. Moreover, you cannot speak well, that is, neither correctly nor effectively. 

In such a scenario, what should you be doing? Well, if you had an iota of conscience, you would work on your content, your hold over the language, right? Especially because anyways, you get both, a quite hefty salary and a long vacation very often, right? 

If, however, you were born and brought up without conscience, what would you do? Consciously create some ugly plan full of lies that can be easily exposed by even a child? Sad are the people who for their own selfish ends would, and do, help you!

Well, such sick dastards are present in institutions. May be, that is why institutions that once had a great name crumble!?! Much worse, such creeps could be the fulcrums of joint families whom they have in the past so obliged that their dishonourable lies are the word of law for the whole gang!

What should the victim do? For one thing, the victim should realise that subtle and in cahoots are the ways of such people. The nexus they weave is apparent, and yet is not exactly easy to prove. Hence the victim should be clean and innocent, but extremely wary because such mafia are very good at acting in a way whose cause-n-effect chain is obvious, yet difficult to establish.

The victim should, moreover, be wary of the past, present, future motives and endeavours of such hoodlums so that they cannot harm viciously, however much they would try, and in unison, through contacts, nearby and far afar.

Best of all, though, it is to believe in the fact that justice reigns supreme in this universe, and the vicious will be paid in their own coin sooner, and not later!

Pratima@The most important lesson that the victim must learn, however, is never ever to be like these perpetrators of subtly heinous crimes, never ever to botch up innocent realities with vicious lies!

Guru Purnima

 Every Guru Purnima, it is a very happy feel when students, whom one taught more than a decade earlier, too, make it a point to write (an extremely feel-good) message to me. Yes, one does try in one's own way to provide that much needed succour to the young souls, at times at a rather low, nadir point of their  (given the youth) emotional life.

That sense of gratitude is their goodness. From every batch, from each student I  meet, I, too, try to learn something special, something unique. In that sense, I am a firm believer in Dattaguru who could find a guru in everybody and everything.

Despite the kind messages by my students, I, do feel that "guru" is a nobler idea. A guru indeed gives a vision, opens our eyes to truth, right? A guru teaches you humility. At Mana village, for example, Ganesha himself is ready to accept dictation from a great  "Kavi", Guru Vyas. That humility, that grace, that perception are the real gifts of a guru.

Of course, Nature, in its multitudinous forms, too, is a guru.  The best Guru's are our parents, too. On this auspicious day, here is a deep bowing to all of them! 

Pratima@ Gurus, who are merely outwardly gurus, but lie, cheat, double-deal are an insult to the very concept, however much full of piety they pretend to be!

"You and your welfare and safety first"

 Yes, "You and your welfare and safety first". That was the feel of the braveheart, Baji Prabhu Deshpande. Some  three hundred and fifty years ago, in July 1660 to be precise, he fought utmost bravely and intelligently to save the life of Shivaji Maharaj, and in the process, the nascent Maratha kingdom.

In the Pavan Khind (a pass in the Western Ghats, then known as Ghode Khind), with his three hundred soldiers, he managed to finish off the wicked and wily plans of the mighty Moghuls, a troop of at least ten thousand. Why, he himself, even when his head was cut off treacherously, continued to fight off the enemy, and that, too, with two swords in two hands!

He fought the difficult battle most intelligently as well, with the special smart guerrilla technique associated with Shivaji Maharaj and his followers. Initially, hence, Shiva Kashid was sent off in a palaquin to hoodwink the enemies. In the meanwhile, the king was dispatched to the safety of Wishalgad, a fort nearby. Till he could hear the artillery blast indicating the safe arrival of his king at the fort, he, even his dead body, continued to fight and ward off the enemy away from his king.

What huge commitment, both for his king and the concept called "swarajya"! Well, in my opinion, in our lives, too, there is a Baji Prabhu who wards off every trouble in our way, and at the cost of his every, small to big, comfort. SURELY, in my life, there WAS one such superb individual. Yes, you guessed it right. My father!

 I do feel that our fathers are our Baji Prabhu Deshpande's! In fact, I wrote a poem to that effect. Our happiness, our comfort, our achieving our goals is all that matters to that unique individual. He can fight any battle, most heroically and in the most committed fashion so that the final victory is ours! No 'pass' can fail this Baji Prabhu in our individual lives. Every day is hence Fathers' Day in my opinion! 

Pratima@These days, there is an ugly and cheaply casteist reference to "Anajipant". Well, very important it is to remember his contribution, too, and far more necessary it is to never ever forget the very many Baji Prabhu's who adorned the reign of Maharaj!

Animals are the 'love'liest

 Have you watched that cutest and sweetest video from Thailand? Lek Chailert, the lady who initiated the "Save Elephants" movement there, has shared it. It seems that she took shelter under a mushroom shaped arbor as it started drizzling. She was singing along. The entire herd of elephants thronged the place, attracted by the sound. Fa Mai, a cow elephant, felt worried that Lek might get hurt, and kept protecting her with her trunk.

What a lovely, that is, both full of love and beautiful, gesture! What tremendous emotional intelligence and maturity! Most human beings completely and totally lack either of these emotions, eaten up as they are by competitiveness, one-up-man-ship, viciousness, cruelty, self-centered-ness, wickedness; oh, the list is endless! Why waste words on such negativities? Well, the wonder of wonders is that such beasts call poor animals names!

Let me give you another example. My brother has a beagle. As the breed is very cute and smart, everyone likes him a lot. Yet Tashu has a special fund, a great reserve, of love for me. When I go to my brother's place, his joy is unbounded. When I am about to leave, he stares most mournfully. With his nose jutting out of the grill of the balcony, he keeps on looking at me as long-n-far and as much as he can.

Well, for the five or six hours that I am there, he has to play with me. He is all the time hovering around, keeping me constantly in sight. Indeed, like children, animals understand and reciprocate the language of love, and that, too, without any expectations of any return gifts! No wonder, the very memory of that gentle, innocent visage is such a calming balm. Long live the love of animals!

Pratima@At Mana village in the "Devbhoomi", there is "swarg-rohini", the final path to heaven the Pandavas took. There are (rather garish, gaudy and glitzy golden) statues of all the Pandavas and Draupadi about to tread that path, the road of no return. Leading them all is the statue of a dog who, according to the legend, was the only one to accompany Dharmaraj till the end! Sure I remembered Tashu, Jimu, our dogs, and that friend of mine at Yamunotri. 'Dog', read the other way round, is 'god'!

Fare well, Weather

 Does the title of the blog surprise you? Well, 'fare' as a verb means to do, to behave. Let me give you an example. 'How did you fare in the exam?' means 'did you do well in the exam?'. If it is indeed the way the verb fares, the title must surprise you, right?

Well, I read a news item, and it did not fare well with me. It described the extremely bleak weather in the 'devbhoomi', Uttarakhand. Especially were mentioned the districts Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri and Haridwar. It was stated that the rivers are in full spate, and there are landslides galore.

It indeed made my heart bleed. I have recently been there. As luck would have it, neither a drop of rain nor a single boulder from a landslide disturbed my journey. In fact, each one of these districts, despite all the corrosions, both natural and man-made, fared really well throughout my journey. 

Indescribable was their beauty. At every twist and turn that went in to the making of the narrow strip of the road, a newer and lovelier vista would open up. My mind, my vision, my imagination are filled to capacity with those lovely, truly divine visions. My ears can still hear both the gentle murmur and the giant roar of those rivers, tributaries of Bhagirathi/Ganges,  who were at times like a bubbly brook, at times a regular deep stream. Honestly, the mountains and the rivers really felt like friends, long lost but now forever united, eternally together.

It is hence difficult to read that thunderstorms, cloudbursts, boulders due to landslides are destroying that noble beauty full of divine peace. Sure, the climate there IS tough, quite a bully whose rough moods can change any nano second. Human beings, moreover, are adding their own  disturbances. Why, there are houses that are almost built mid-stream!

One knows all the causes. One regretfully accepts, too, that one cannot single-handedly do much to prevent the loss, and yet this mind of mine, this hurt heart, this seared soul of mine refuse to just read the news item, and clean forget it. The only supplication from the bottom of my being is to the Lord who SURELY listens to the fervent prayers, and protects all the wonders one genuinely cares for. Amen!

Pratima@ If such are my worries, imagine the tensions of people surviving there day in and day out. Real bravehearts!

Panduranga

 Panduranga, known as Vithoba in Prakrit Marathi, has been described, praised, venerated most beautifully by Marathi saints. Today let us look at his description by the great Adi Shankaracharya.

At Kedarnath, one of the most beautiful sights, besides the Kedarnath Temple itself and the Bheemshila protecting it beyond all rational explanations, is the Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi sthan. There is a lovely statue of this young monk who literally rejuvenated the moribund Vaidic "sanatana dharma".

Shankaracharya has written a beautiful stotra, a hymn so to say, praising and venerating Vitthala, that is, Panduranga. In his attempt to quail the in-fighting between the two major sects, that is, the Shaivaites and the Vaishnvaites, the arch philosopher of Advaita, calls Panduranga "parabramha lingam", and yet continues to praise him as an avatar of, a manifestation of Vishnu.

Actually, that is the real core of Vithoba's existence. The great Marathi saint, Dnyaneshwar, too, repeatedly presents him thus. The idol, mostly adorned with the Vishnurup, has a crown which has the typical Shiva iconography. Incidentally, in a way, in the Marathi folklore, he absorbs the form of the 'local' deity as well.

The great Shankaracharya praises Panduranga's divine beauty and grace, his captivating smile (which always lingers in his every pic which I get to see every morning as the Headmaster of Aai's school sends it as a token appreciation of the prize instituted in Aai's memory), his Krishna like bluish dark brilliance, his splendour comparable with the autumn moon.

There are lovely references to the jewels that add to the Lord's beauty. Why, the great Acharya refers to the beautiful flute the Lord plays, and whose lyrical melodious sweetness is repeatedly referred to in the Marathi bhakti poetry.  

More than that, Pandurang is "anandkand", that is, the root cause of bliss. The stotra does refer to the Pundarik legend. The core of the stotra, however, is the description of the Lord as "tribhangi", that is, the guide beyond the three doshas, of the three stages of dhyata, dheya, etc. 

Shankaracharya's Pandurang, however, is radically relevant because he explains the idol putting his hands on his waist. The great Acharya argues that this position signifies that the ocean of the world and its multiple ebbs and flows are merely up to the waist, and hence easily vincible. Thus this Lord, the supreme abode of Kaivalya, is the god of gods in this stotra that the Acharya wrote for his ailing mother. 

The lovely lilt of the melodious Sanskrit in the stotra adds to the divine praise in the sholkas which are simply unforgettable. Thus, Pandurang, the elder brother of Lord Venkatash at Tirupati, absolutely comes alive in this symphony of a stotra!

Pratima@In the Pandurang Stotra, we meet the "sagun", that is, the physical form, of the bramhan, that leads us towards the "nirgun", that is, the idea(s), the ideational realities!

Rituals

 Aai was from Pandharpur, while Papa was from Kolhapur. Like my brothers, I, too, am born in Pandharpur. I never ever forget the fact that as a baby, I must have been first put on the feet that were once touched by the great Shankaracharya, and my favourite most saint, Sant Dnyaneshwar. 

Hence watching the Vitthal Mahapuja in the morning wee hours of Ashadhi Ekadashi has been a ritual religiously followed since 2005 when I came to stay with Aai in our Mukund Nagar home. I used to wake up exactly at 2.30 a.m., wake Aai up, and if she wanted, make a cup of tea for her before the transmission of the puja began. 

 She used to watch on the t.v. the warkari procession from day one onwards. Hence watching this early morning maha pooja was a joy for her. I, too, love to watch it. That is what I did until just now.

Watching the poojari decorate the idols of Vithoba and Rukmini is a pleasure. In my opinion, it is a minor art. Look at the Rukmini idol. Making such a beautiful but small little idol wear a nauwari saree is indeed quite some skill. 

During the Navratra, Aai used to watch the entire evening aarti sequence of the Kolhapur Mahalaxmi. Indeed it is an art, this decking up the idol in a rich but holy way. Why, I like the way the priests apply the chandan/sandalwood paste to the idol's forehead, and stick the tulashi patra to the forehead of the idol. The idols literally come alive in a jiffy.

Sure it is anthropomorphism. It hardly matters to me though. I love the love of the devotees for the "sagun/sakar" murti which takes them to the "nirgun, nirakar." Without such touches, may be, theology would be truly  cut-n-dry, and beyond the common man. 

This morning, the Lord in bluish-purple tunic really looked like the "Dark God" Krishna whose manifestation he is. More about him in the blog tomorrow for Ashadhi Ekadashi.

Pratima@i cannot help watching the Kedarnath valley/temple at least for a few minutes every day. Today, the entire valley was diffused in dark clouds, like the Shiva himself, while Mandakini was roaring past, like the Bhagirathi from Shiva's locks.

Luckily July 5, the much predicted doomsday, is past without any destructive tsunami. Let it be so. Let nature's rituals not be harsh this year, or ever. Let the divinity continue to tolerate human frolics, foolishnesses, frivolousness fondly! 

Memories

 Once you have been to the Himalayas, you just cannot let go (of) the journey. The travel/travail continues to tug at your heart strings. Look at me. It is more than seven days that I am back from the Chardham Yatra. Yet every moment is still alive.

Why is it so? In my case, may be, it is due to illness. I am still not exactly okay. I was absolutely fine during those fourteen days. Now though, my body refuses to get back to normalcy. But it is not just the illness. 

Personally my opinion is that the journey continues to hold one in thrall because of the life threatening dangers one escaped due to sheer luck. I had decided that everyday I would spend a few minutes thinking of that travel. Well, I do not even have to look at any videos. The news every day is full of the Chardham Yatra.

Unfortunately, however, the news is always negative. The Yamunotri parents who lost their daughter in a split second to a landslide, the landslides at Janakichatti, at Gaurikund, at Sonprayag, the devotees complaining of the horse-wallahs, the terrible traffic jams sure to last hours on end, only wails and complaints one gets to hear whenever one tries to access the Chardham yatra news.

May be, hence, one cannot thank enough one's lucky stars that saved one from each one of these horrid terrifying horrors. At Yamunotri, there WAS a conscious attempt of the Indore variety. Even when I overcame it, there WERE conscious horse stampedes in the way of my pony. The incident at Kedarnath while waiting for  the special pooja, the Maan village incident, and many more, each time one felt as if people had accepted money for such unfair treatment, though it IS difficult, nay, almost impossible, to provide any proof for such bribing. Well, the company agent, who repeatedly said that 'everything is money game here' openly boasted that he "CAN reserve each and every palakhi in advance" if he so wished!

Just as I wonder at my own naivete in believing people, I cannot thank enough all that is Great, Good, Glorious in this infinite universe for making my journey so safe that storms, landslides, traffic jams, each and every thing that could go wrong, happened ONLY after I was happily and safely out of the venue.

Though such sad memories linger, they immediately vanish the moment one remembers the gorgeous Himalayas. My Himalayan journey was indeed a great, grand and gratifying success so much so that the minute I close my eyes, the beautiful sights/sites I captured moment by moment in my short term and long term memory re-emerge!

Beyond such sheer luck, what must be done to make the yatra memorable for everybody? First and foremost, the obvious corruption must be controlled. Shame on those who can be corrupt in such a scenario! Yet platitudes cannot be a genuine help in the real time world, right? The government must wake up to its duties. There have to be systemic changes.

First and foremost, there MUST be a control on the number of devotees allowed up the dangerous treks whose railings on the ravine sides must be rebuilt any number of times they break due to landslides, given the fragile ecology/geography of the region.

At the foot of, at the entrée point of all these divinities, strict government control must be exercised. Every 'yatri' going up must be identified, whichever mode (s)he chooses. The ghode-wallahs, the palakhi-wallahs, the pittu/kandi-wallahs who take the devotees up must be counted. The Aadhar cards of everybody up there in the mountain ranges must be with the authorities at the time they begin the trek up, and must be returned only when they return to that entry point. I am sure, such strict measures are taken for all the hiking/trekking expeditions, right? Why not here, too?

Thus the revellers who trek up for making reels/videos will be controlled.  People would know that there IS some check on, some observation of their behaviour. The moment the number is thus controlled, the narrow paths would stop being so dangerous. Should there be a very heavy entry fee? May be, yes. Thus, may be, people would stop thinking of "doing Kedar" et al as sheer time-pass!

The Himalayas are very young but very wise. The Divinity must not be tarnished due to irresponsible human behaviour!

Pratima@Unless such strict measures are put in to place, I WILL NOT recommend the Chardham Yatra to anyone 

Why not to eat?

 Just two days away from the Devshayani Aashadh Ekadashi on Sunday, tomorrow happens to be "Kande Navami". Beyond tomorrow, for four months, till Dev Diwali, we would not use either onions, brinjals, or garlic.

Aai was from Pandharpur. She felt rather strongly that the Chaturmas should be followed, and I always respected each of her opinions, every one of her structures/strictures. The tradition continues even now.

Why not to eat these veggies? In my opinion, the religious restrictions often are a way to avoid health hazards, especially according to the Ayurveda. These are the "tamasic" food items that alleviate the passions, it seems. It is believed that the "chaturmas" is health wise so unique that even the Lord goes off to sleep. So the "Devshayani Ekadashi". Hereafter, there is always a pillow behind the idol's nape!

I do not know enough, but onion, brinjal, and garlic increase the "vat" and the "kapha" "tatva" in the body which would be bothersome in the monsoon which, despite the global climate change, still happens to be from June to October.

Personally, I do not need such justifications. If a minor restriction honours the memory of my parents and their simple wishes, I have absolutely no issues following a practice! In a way, it sure adds finer contours to one's character, right?

Pratima@Restrictions are not a handcuff. Wherever we are, in the corporate office or in an academic space, we have to follow certain rules and regulations about our dress code, food patterns, et al. Why not follow them at home to please our elders in a simple way? Why not  not eat onions/garlic/brinjals for just four months, right?

Media Trial!

 I do know that this blog, risque in all senses of the term, may not exactly make me popular. Well, something within me says though, that it MUST be attempted. Yes, I am referring to the Sonam saga!

While it was getting unravelled, I was in the Himalayas. Hence the intensity of the danger,  may be, I can understand absolutely intimately. The treks and trails are so tough-n-dangerous that neither a supari-killer nor a pistol nor a hatchet is required, believe me, if you are keen on finishing off someone!

 Sure, many of the horrendous details of the case I would not know then. One IS quite cut off from such uglinesses, and, yes, one enjoys that grand feel the Himalayas provide in abundance, despite the obvious dangers constantly lurking around you everywhere!

Now, happily and safely back in Pune, with that story constantly being thrown in to one's face ( I am sure the frequency must be much less now!), I have been thinking 'through', rather than 'about', it. Nothing seems to make sense to me. Many, much much too many, doubts cloud my mind.

May be, I am too avid a reader of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple and Vyomkesh Bakshi and Narayan Dharap, and types. Somehow though, it confuses me that the so-called double-dealer, the much vilified Sonam is not allowed a single word. It is all the police version, as reported by the media. Forget her legal denying it in the court.

Logically and/or psychologically, if she were indeed such a scheming vamp, would she commit such an obvious crime for which she clearly would be caught? Crime fiction tells us that she would be far more calculating, right? What possibly could be the motive which according to crime narratives drives the characters. NOTHING seems so very attractive about the so-called paramour, Raj, whose mother and sisters were crying their hearts out. They appeared very simple people, not possibly up to much artifice. Neither of the friends of either co-accused ever mentions any 'shadi'  and the 'second mangalsutra', et al 

Sure, I have not gotten in to all the finer details. The very contours of the roughly known narration appear very curious to me. Makes me wonder if "hawala" money or some business deals/interests etc is involved in the murder for which she is being scapegoated 

I find it equally curious that the dead husband is being projected as a saint, if not a god! His mother, unlike the so-called lover's poor mother, always appears on the screen with fancy danglers in her ears, and in good drapes! In the initial videos, she repeatedly says that punishment must be given to whosoever has done it! Indeed, is it business interests of either family that are the real culprits? Otherwise, the Oscar for excellent acting must go to Sonam this year.

Sure, it cannot be a love triangle. In many of the marriage videos, she appears very happy, participating actively in the rituals, too. That Raj fellow appears more an insignificant use-n-throw cog in the wheel, too. There IS something more to this mystery. Of course, I have not bothered to read the details, as I find the entire circus disgusting.

I think, the media are encroaching much too much in to private lives, and unthinkingly. With the tidbits thrown in by baseless gossip and the police, who, may be, want to keep their agenda under wraps, the media have already decided the plot, the culprits, the victim. Roles are too nicely-n-neatly distributed to appear authentic! 

Simple details like the dead body being carried away so far from the scene of crime, and that, too, in such a hilly terrain are difficult to unravel as the place has a proper secure bridge,too. Accountability and/or authenticity, in brief, does not seem to matter much to the media. Incidentally, the victim, too, was video-shot chatting with the perpetrators.

Without any fancy feminist positioning, one constantly gets the gnawing suspicion that there is something much more to this media trial. God alone knows what truths would tumble out during the actual court proceedings. Hope the media would report those aspects of their own current clumsy reporting of  scandal-mongering. They sure would, I suppose, but only if some other screaming headline were not to obsess them then.

Pratima@ Truth will be, and is, out, however much the powerful and the monied might try to push it under the carpet!

Doctors' Day

 July 1! A truly remarkable day indeed. Exactly half a year is already over. Time to hurry up, right? July 1 is important for yet another reason. It is the Doctors' Day. From the childhood period onwards, doctors are the 'bogeymen' of our lives. In every possible sense of the term. In most families, for instance, mothers quieten their unruly small ones with "keep quiet, eat this up, go off to sleep fast, etc, etc; otherwise, Doctor Uncle will give you a bitter medicine or a big injection or keep you in the hospital" etc etc. Despite this, they carry the weight of our health throughout our lives.

Being a doctor IS tough. Just look up the sheer size of 'Gray's Anatomy', and you would know what I mean. Want to do your B.A.M.S.? Get to know your Sanskrit real well in addition, okay? True, every academic discipline is tough. The NET JRF/SRF for English Literature, for example, had a success rate of exactly one per cent. Now, with the MCQ pattern, it is slightly better, that is, tops four per cent!

Yet, I would say that a doctor's life is far, far tougher. Unlike a C.A., who is 'playing' (in all senses of the term, and especially the negative ones) with numbers, a doctor is dealing with human lives. In a way, (s)he is learning and de-learning and re-learning every day, and on the job. Don't you believe me? Remember the COVID days? Much worse, try to forget the Mangeshkar Hospital frenzy circa March/April, 2025!

However much crazy jokes may laugh at doctors, they ARE indispensible in life/death situations. They alone can save us often. After parents, if there is any one who can give life, it is doctors. Sure, teachers/lecturers, too, do so at many, many stages of our lives. Even then, no comparison at all with doctors' absolute yeoman services.

Are not there mal-practices in the medical field? Of course, there are! 'Cuts' of all sizes, real to figurative, exist in this field, too. There are many reasons behind such ugly stories, and none of these is justifiable either. Yet, a sincere, a genuine doctor, like a committed teacher, can alone save you, and in the process, (s)he alone can heal both your mind and body.

May be, hence the regret for the sad decline of that wonderful institution called 'family doctor'. Often, patients literally considered them gods incarnate. Faith, anyways, is a great healer. In today's world of super-specialisations and corporate hospital culture, 'doctor uncle' is almost a fairy tale. Believe me, it existed!

Aai wanted me to be a doctor. Once, as a twelve year old, I had painlessly managed to get out a cockroach that had entered her ear canal, following the flower string she was wearing while asleep. She was confident I would make a very good doctor. Her local doctor, too, always said that I have all the makings of a good doctor. Well, during the last decade of her life, I was her caregiver, a close assistant of all her doctors, and now a full-fledged doctor for myself. She has thus saved me all those huge medical bills. Oh, yes, I WILL be a practising doctor, at least of alternative therapy. For sure. Here is wishing myself all the best!

Pratima@Since precision matters when it comes to being a doctor, please note that it is "Doctors' Day", a generic reference, and NOT "doctor's day", an individual indicator. Happy Doctors' Day yet again!

A sincere C.A., too, can be the doctor of the financial health of a family, whether individual or business. May their tribe grow, as Leigh Hunt said of Abou Ben Adham, a genuine, selfless philanthropist!