My Musings

The Eternal Battle

2011-07-05T23:09:00.002+05:30

The other day, my six-year old Sunshine told me about the eating habits of his friend. This other child was a non-vegetarian, and apparently he described his food with a lot of enthusiasm. I saw that my son's eyes were shining, and asked him if he would like to eat that too. He replied with a nod and a bright smile.
At that moment, you could have felled me with a fork. Raised in a family of strict vegetarians and married into one, it has never occurred to me to eat anything other than vegetarian. When we were young, the "Eww" factor kept us from eating NV. During college days, I used to try to convert non-vegetarians to vegetarianism. But later, with more reading, I learned to be tolerant of, and accept others eating that kind of food.

Actually, non-vegetarianism is not new to sanātana dharma, and from old texts, it does not look like it was forbidden for Brahmins, either. In the famous story of sage Agastya getting rid of vātāpi, it is evident that he ate vAtApi,in the form of a goat. In the kathāsaritsāgara, there is the story of a brahmin, a servant in a merchant's house, who desired to eat meat -aamisha, and it is just one such example in our literature (On an aside, people who constantly complain that the learned brahmins sitting on high horses kept others away from knowledge should spare a look at classics like kathāsaritsāgara to get a more real and complete picture - but that should be a topic for a separate post). In fact, a story from the same classic explicitly mentions that sanātana dharma endorsed violence and therefore bauddha-dharma was better, because it preached peace and non-violence. If one wants examples from sacred texts themselves, it is very clear that animals were used in various yajñas (horse during aśvamedha and goat during somayāga), until religious leaders like Madhvācārya advocated the use of images of animals made of flour (piṣṭa-paśu).In fact, the manusmṛti says the following about eating animals for food -
'pravṛttireṣa bhūtānāṃ nivṛttistu mahāphalā' |, meaning that this was the tendency of living beings, but abstinence would be greatly beneficial.

Having said all this, this is my view of vegetarianism. Even if all the śāstras of the universe espoused non-vegetarianism, I would not eat non-vegetarian food. For the simple fact that I would be taking the life of another animal to satisfy not just my hunger but also my palate. Our ancestors had a simple reason to resort to eating animals - that of non-availability of food. When people did not know how to grow their own food, it made sense to eat the animals they got by hunting. This reason does not hold during the present time and age. As R says, a person can eat an animal if you kill it. If you can stomach the killing, you can stomach the kill.

Secondly, the animals in the feedlot are treated in a very inhuman way. Not just in crowded ranches abroad, but even in our non-violent country. Chickens, still alive, are often seen packed in metal boxes, with no space to stretch their wings. It is not a rare sight to see live chickens dangling from the handlebars of bicycles. I am sure the situation is no better for other animals in feedlots. Cows in dairy farms are probably treated better, but apparently they are also fed hormones, so that more milk is produced. Also there was this news about artificial insemination for cows. The question is, for how long can we get away with this kind of cruelty to animals?

The third issue is that of resources. Non-vegetarian food consumes a lot of resources. It makes collective economic sense to become vegetarian, or at least, reduce the consumption of non-vegetarian food. Not to mention the health benefits. Other factors being equal, a vegetarian is less likely to develop heart disease than his/her non-vegetarian counterpart. If this is not reason enough for continuing to being a vegetarian, I do not know what else is.

To come back to my Sunshine, I told him that non-vegetarian food was not really healthy and that we did not make it at home. Luckily, that evening, there was this program on Discovery, about catching sharks for their fins (shark-fin soup is apparently a delicacy). It was a bloody (sorry!) gruesome sight - the way the shark was caught, its fins were cut off, and it was thrown back into the water to die (if it was not dead already). My son was watching this too - and R asked him if he would like to do that to any animal. The shocked child replied "No", while I turned away, grinning. For a few more years, us parents can still influence him, at least in the matter of food.

2011-01-04T13:57:00.001+05:30

Wishes for the coming year...

May the Sun shine bright on Life's winding path
To show us thorns and flowers
May He give us the strength to weed out
The thorns, and leisure to smell the flowers.

May the Earth bless our eyes with her beauty,
And our bodies with her green bounty.
May we tread soft on her fragile cloth
For, without her, we are naught.

May the Moon temper us with her sweet, soft light,
That we may not lose sight, even at night
May the stars always guide us from their heavenly homes
That we may never wander far, away from our homes

May the new year bring cheer all around
From the humble farmer to those who don the crown.

Happy New Year, everyone!

At home? Not Quite!

2010-02-15T09:54:00.013+05:30

“Oh, this one is just two years old!” cries the enthusiastic lad standing outside my home, looking at me with intense eyes. I am woken from my slumber and am a little irritated, but I look at the kid with interest. He looks like he has newly learnt subtraction. They learn all these things (why, even about us) at a place they call school.
“Isn’t he beautiful, Papa?” exclaims the child, peering at me with his bright eyes. I simper and say “Come on, kiddo! I know we all look the same to you!” The boy is thrilled to hear me growl, and his father is beaming at his son’s enthusiasm.
* * * * * * * * * *
A wet sun smiles from behind the clouds. I like this weather and this time of the day. I like the visitors that come at this time. They are fresh and enthusiastic. Some people even make notes. Though we are separated by grilles and walls that would not give way even if I rammed against them with all my strength, my life has been woven inextricably with the humans. The visitors are my life now.

The stories that Mother used to tell me, all contained the same kind of moral – do not stray into unknown places, do not eat food unless you have caught it, but each time I ignored her. I used to be a very curious baby, and was quite a handful. I am still paying for my curiosity – that was what got me here, the point of no return. And then she used to tell me horror stories about humans, about how we were made to perform rope-tricks and jump through fire-circles just to amuse them. Oh, Mother, if you knew that this place is not even remotely like that! You sure did know a lot, you had seen a lot of the world, but I assure you that this place that you called a circus was only in your imagination!
* * * * * * * * * *
I come out of my world of thoughts and take a walk in the backyard. My shadow gets shorter on the ground painstakingly made to mimic a forest. A cloud hides the sun and I am able to look up at the vast blue dome above, dotted with white and light-grey clouds. Back in the forest, we could only catch glimpses of narrow strips of the sky, slightly wider strips when we were wading in the water. But here in the zoo, I can trace the path of the sun from one side of the sky to the other. Looking at the Sun, some of my friends here can even say when the people stop visiting for the day.

My neighbor Belli, a fine female, beckons to me. We share the same spacious backyard. The poor thing was born in captivity, and has never seen a forest. I tell her about large pools where we can wade to our hearts content (“you can actually swim?”) and about tall trees (“you mean, taller than this?” indicating a mango tree that grew nearby). She listens, wide-eyed, my only friend in the whole world. “Hi!” I cry out. She responds with a growl and walks towards me. She brushes her head against mine, her way of greeting me. She points to a loudly dressed lady carrying a small baby, pointing at us excitedly. "If I could kill, I would kill that woman over there, if only to stop her from staring at me like that" she says, looking at her. "But I won't, because I can't" and smiles a little sadly. Somehow, Belli cannot understand the concept of killing to eat, and cannot stomach the fact that I have killed before. How can any self-respecting tiger pounce on a helpless animal and kill it, asks she. "I would not do it" she affirms, "not if I were dying of hunger". I retort "Oh, but you have hardly ever died of hunger; you have always gotten something to eat daily!” Belli refuses to back down. “Oh, but don’t you realize what you are doing to the poor thing? You have probably killed a mother deer who was still feeding a baby – have you ever thought how forlorn the baby would be without its Mom? Why, look at you! Can you tell me you don’t miss your Mom? ...” So goes her lecture. The loudly dressed woman is forgotten by my dear non-violent friend.
“There’s lunch!” Belli announces. I turn my head and see the big green noisy animal (bigger than an elephant!) bringing us our lunch. Humans are so scared of us that they just leave our food someplace for us to get it. "They do not know about non-violent tigers like you", I tease Belli. She smiles. We part for lunch.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Really, one of the best parts of living in a zoo is that we get food regularly, without worrying if our teeth and nails are sharp enough, or about the time when they do become too blunt for us to hunt. Tigers like Belli who do not know a world apart from the zoo even tend to be non-violent, unlike me and my Mother. We were fierce. Mother taught me how to draw my nails in and walk noiselessly, how to wait silently for the prey to get near, and how to time my jumps. Oh, the thrill when I caught and killed a deer!
I still remember that night. The whole forest was shining in the glory of the full moon. I was almost a year old, but had not yet hunted on my own. I walked noiselessly with Mother by my side. And then I smelled my favorite food- deer. It was a young buck lying under the cover of a shrub, about to sleep. He probably smelled me as I drew near, for he started and stood up with a jerk. One glance to the left told him that his end was near. He tried to get away from me. I pounced on him (mercilessly, would Belli say?). A couple of jumps and I was on him. He struggled and tried to hurt me, but I held on to his neck tightly with my teeth. A few seconds, and it was all over. I had earned my first meal.
I was tired, and bruised where the antlers hit me. My beaming Mother came and gently licked it. That made the pain go away, really. Joy in the fact that I was an independent little cub and relief in the fact that she would no longer have to hunt for four, danced on Mother's face. Suddenly I felt all grown-up and important. The deer was fresh and tasty back there, unlike the food that we get here. I confess, I have never come across any tiger that felt a pang in its heart when it was about to kill. The idea that Belli presented to me was completely new. The memory of the smell of deer makes my mouth water, even after two months in the zoo. I walk wearily to my lunch of beef.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
My nap is rudely interrupted by the loud clanking of the door of my cell. I look up to see the friendly person who opens my mouth and examines my ears and all that. They call him “Doc”, funny name it is, for a funny man. I look at the big thorn in his hand and sigh. I know that is for immobilizing me if they think I am becoming dangerous.
I let Doc do the check-up. There is another person with him today and he is watching Doc impatiently with a frown, hands in his pouches. After what seemed like ages, Doc patted me with a satisfied smile and left. Later in the day, I asked Belli who the other person was. She said he was called a ‘researcher’. Then a shadow passed over her face. She shook her head, and said “I don’t like him”. I told her I did not like him either. He made one’s flesh creep. “You don’t know him”, she said. “They sometimes take us away to do what they call experiments... It is not nice”. Then, she became a little more cheerful, and said “At least we are not in the circus! Here we sleep and jump when we want to. Those poor things do not even have that luxury!” So, this place called circus existed, after all! My head was reeling.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
The days in the zoo are very tiring. My limbs ache to jump long distances. The water in the excuse for a pool that we have here does not even come up to my stomach, forget swimming in it. I go and wet my legs in the water and look up. There are people, people and more people. Some look at us with wonder, some without any interest, some with pity, and almost all of them are afraid of us. Afraid of letting us go nearer to them than we are now. Belli tells me often that zoo is better for a tiger than forests, because apparently we live a little longer in zoos than in forests. Ah well…
* * * * * * * * * * * *
My Mother never stopped us from exploring. When we were very young, we used to stay close to Mother, to be safe. I, being just a little more adventurous than the average tiger, would stray more than I was allowed to. And see where it brought me!
Should curiosity and exploration stop at a certain stage? What can we say about humans, who have given themselves the supreme authority to rule, maim and kill other animals? If the humans had shown us some consideration a few decades ago, the likes of me would not have to languish in this place that is practically a prison. Belli tells me often about a captive tiger that lost a fight against a bull. A couple more months in the zoo, and I will not be able to combat a lamb, let alone a grown bull. Just to live a couple of years more, do I need to sacrifice my tiger-ness? All around me in the zoo, I can see animals that are striped and sharp-toothed, but I cannot see even one tiger. I will also cease to be one soon.

Happy New year

2010-01-01T11:24:00.007+05:30

It has been so many months since I blogged, that I really do not know where to begin. My last post was at the beginning of the last Hindu new year, and I suppose I ought to pick up from where I left last. So, here's wishing us all a very happy, prosperous and productive new year 2010!

The reason for my not blogging all these months is that I was too lazy to blog. All through last year, I have been trying to sort my priorities. My children, job change (that is yet to happen) and moving to a new home kept me fairly busy. I did not get any significant reading done either. On the whole, I have been doing a lot of running, without getting anywhere. I really hope that I can reflect on 2010 with much more satisfaction than on 2009.

There are many things that I would like to blog about - the over-intervention of the medical field in our daily lives (some personal experiences there), global warming and how we are making it worse, the Samskrita Bharati Shibiraabhiyaanam (where responsibilities were thrust on my reluctant shoulders)- the list goes on... I hope to give a readable shape to my thoughts soon.
So long, then!

ಯುಗಾದಿಯ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು

2008-04-08T14:28:00.004+05:30

Most of the ideas here are cliched, but I could not resist this poem when I saw my little Biyadiya's face when he ate the bEvu-bella his Grandfather gave him.

ಹೊಸ ವರುಷದ ಹಬ್ಬದಂದು
ಪುಟ್ಟ ಚೆಂದದಿಂದ ಮಿಂದು
ತಂದೆಯಿತ್ತ ಬೇವು-ಬೆಲ್ಲ
"ಒಲ್ಲೆ" ಎಂದನು ||

"ನೈವೇದ್ಯದ ದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಿ ಮಧುರ
ಪಾಯಸವೋ ಮತ್ತು ಸಿಹಿಯು
ಬೆಲ್ಲವೊಂದು ಮೆಲ್ಲೆ ಸಾಕು
ಬೇವು ನನಗೆ ಬೇಡವು"

ಎಂಬ ಮಾತ ಕೇಳಿ ತಾಯಿ
ಮುದ್ದು ಮಗನ ಬಳಿಗೆ ಸಾರಿ
ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಪೇಳ್ವೆನೆಂದು ಬಗೆದು
ಪುಟ್ಟನಿಗಿಂತೆಂದಳು

"ಬೆಲ್ಲದ ಜೊತೆ ಬೇವನುಣುವ
ಅರ್ಥಪೂರ್ಣಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯ-
-ದರ್ಥವನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಯೊ ಮಗುವೆ
ಕೇಳು ನನ್ನ ಮಾತನು

ಬೇವಿನ ಕಹಿ ಬೆಲ್ಲದ ಸಿಹಿ
ಸೇರೆ ಮೈಗರೋಗತೆ
ನೋವಿನ ಕಹಿ ನಲಿವಿನ ಸಿಹಿ
ಸೇರೆ ನಮಗೆ ಪೂರ್ಣತೆ

ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯದ ಸವಿಯ ಮುಂದೆ
ನಿಯಮ ಕಹಿಯೆನಿಸಿದರೂ
ಎರಡರ ಸಮತೋಲನವೇ
ರಕ್ಷೆ ನಮಗೆ ತಿಳಿ ಮಗು

ಬಿಸಿಲು ಬಹಳ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿದಾಗ
ಮಳೆಯು ಕೂಡ ಸುರಿವುದು
ಅಂತೆಯೆ ಸುಖ ಬೇಕೆಂಬಗೆ
ಕಷ್ಟವಂತು ತಪ್ಪದು

ಸ್ವಾನುಭವದ ಮೂಸೆಯಲ್ಲಿ
ಬೇವು-ಬೆಲ್ಲ ಕರಗಿಸೆ
ದೊರೆವುದೆಮ್ಮ ಮನಕೆ ಶಾಂತಿ
ಸಮಾಧಾನವೆಂದಿಗೂ"

ಮಗುವಿಗಮ್ಮನಂದ ಮಾತು
ನಮಗೆ ಕೂಡ ವಿಹಿತವು
ಬೇವು-ಬೆಲ್ಲ ಸೇರಿ ನಮ್ಮ
ಬದುಕಾಗಲಿ ಪೂರ್ಣವು ||

ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಯುಗಾದಿಯ ಹಾರ್ದಿಕ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು !

ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು ಧೀಮಹಿಮೆ

2008-03-17T08:39:00.006+05:30

ಇಂದು ಮಾರ್ಚ್ ೧೭ನೆಯ ತಾರೀಖು, ಕಳೆದ ಶತಮಾನದ ಒಬ್ಬ ಮಹಾದಾರ್ಶನಿಕ-ಕವಿ-ಋಷಿಯಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ಡಿ.ವಿ.ಗುಂಡಪ್ಪನವರ ಜನ್ಮದಿನ. ಡಿವಿಜಿ ಎಂದರೆ ನಮಗೆ ನೆನಪಿಗೆ ಬರುವುದು ಅದ್ಭುತವಾದ ಬರೆವಣಿಗೆ, ಆಳವಾದ ಒಳನೋಟ, ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕವಾದ ಮನಸ್ಸು, ಜೊತೆಗೆ ರಸವತ್ತಾದ ಮಾತು ಮತ್ತು ಹಾಸ್ಯ. 'ಬಾಳಿಗೊಂದು ನಂಬಿಕೆ', 'ದೇವರು', 'ಮಂಕುತಿಮ್ಮನ ಕಗ್ಗ', 'ಜ್ಞಾಪಕಚಿತ್ರಶಾಲೆ' ಮುಂತಾದ ಕೃತಿಗಳು ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಪಾಲಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಆದರ್ಶಗಳನ್ನು ಸೂಚಿಸುವುದರ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಜೀವನದ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವನ್ನೂ ಬಿಂಬಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. "ಆಹಾ, ಆ ಕಾಲ ಎಷ್ಟು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿತ್ತು, ಕಳೆದುಹೋಯಿತಲ್ಲ" ಎಂದು ಕೇವಲ ಪರಿತಪಿಸದೆ ಈ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಆನಂದದಿಂದಿರಲು ಮಾರ್ಗವಿದೆಯೇ ಎಂಬ ವಿಚಾರದೆಡೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಯೋಚನೆ ಹರಿಯಲು ಪ್ರೇರಿಸುತ್ತವೆ ಇವರ ಕೃತಿಗಳು.

ಡಿವಿಜಿ ಅವರ 'ಮಂಕುತಿಮ್ಮನ ಕಗ್ಗ'ವಂತೂ ಅವರಿಗೆ 'ಆಧುನಿಕಗೀತಾಚಾರ್ಯ'ನೆಂಬ ಬಿರುದನ್ನೂ ತಂದು ಕೊಟ್ಟಿದೆ. ಕಗ್ಗವು ಜೀವನಕ್ಕೆ ಒಂದು manual ಇದ್ದಂತೆ. ಒಂದೊಂದು ಪದ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಸ್ವಾರಸ್ಯಕರವಾದ, ವಿಚಾರಪ್ರಚೋದಕವಾದ ಮತ್ತು ಜೀವನಕ್ಕೆ ಉಪಯುಕ್ತವಾದಂಥ ವಿಷಯಗಳು ತುಂಬಿವೆ. ನನಗೆ ಬಹಳ ದಿನಗಳಿಂದ ಡಿವಿಜಿ ಅವರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಏನಾದರೂ ಬರೆದು, ಈ ದಿನ ಅದನ್ನು ಪೋಸ್ಟಿಸಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಆಸೆಯಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ಅದು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ, ಕೆಲವು ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ ಬರೆದ ಈ ಲೇಖನವನ್ನೇ, ಕೆಲವು ಬದಲಾವಣೆಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದಿಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ.

ಕಗ್ಗದ ಒಂದು ಪದ್ಯ ಹೀಗಿದೆ:

ಶ್ರೀಯನಾಯುವ ಬಲವ ಜಯವ ಬೇಡಿರ್ದೊಡಂ
ಗಾಯತ್ರಿಯನೆ ಪರಮಮಂತ್ರವೆಂದಾರ್ಯರ್
ಧೀಯಂ ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸೆಂದನುದಿನದಿ ಬೇಡಿದರು
ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು ಧೀಮಹಿಮೆ ಮಂಕುತಿಮ್ಮ || ೫೪೬ ||

ಅರ್ಥ: ಆರ್ಯರು ಸಂಪತ್ತನ್ನು, ಬಲವನ್ನು ಅಥವಾ ಜಯವನ್ನು ಬೇಡಲಿಲ್ಲ; ಗಾಯತ್ರಿಯನ್ನೇ ಪರಮ ಮಂತ್ರವೆಂದು ತಿಳಿದು 'ಬುದ್ಧಿಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸು' ಎಂದು ಅನುದಿನವೂ ಬೇಡಿದರು. ಬುದ್ಧಿಯ ಮಹಿಮೆ ಏನೆಂದರೆ ಅದು ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ತರುತ್ತದೆ.

ಈ ಪದ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಡಿವಿಜಿಯವರು ಸಂಪತ್ತು, ಜಯಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಧೀ ಅಥವಾ ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಕರ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಆರ್ಯರು ಎಂದರೆ ತಿಳಿದವರು. ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಪತ್ತನ್ನು ಗಳಿಸಲು, ಜಯವನ್ನು ಗಳಿಸಲು ಸಹ ಮಂತ್ರಗಳು ಇದ್ದರೂ ಇವೆಲ್ಲಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠವೆಂದು ತಿಳಿಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿರುವ ಮಂತ್ರವೆಂದರೆ ಗಾಯತ್ರೀ ಮಂತ್ರ. ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ತಿಳಿದಂತೆ, ಗಾಯತ್ರೀ ಮಂತ್ರದ ನೇರ ಅರ್ಥ "ಎಲೈ ಸೂರ್ಯನೆ, ನಮ್ಮ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸು" ಎಂದು.

ಈ ಪದ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಖ್ಯವಾದ ಪದಗಳು ಧೀ, ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸು, ಮತ್ತು ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು. ಮೂರರ ಬಿಡಿ-ಬಿಡಿ ಅರ್ಥಗಳನ್ನು ವಿಚಾರಿಸಿ ನಂತರ ಒಟ್ಟು ಅರ್ಥವನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಯಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ಪಡೋಣ.

ಮೊದಲಿಗೆ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು ಎಂದರೆ ಏನು ಎನ್ನುವುದನ್ನು ನೋಡೋಣ. ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಅರ್ಥ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದರ ಜೊತೆ ಪ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನೂ ನಾವು ತಿಳಿಯಬೇಕು. ಕಠೋಪನಿಷತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಮಂತ್ರದ ಭಾಗ ಹೀಗಿದೆ.

ಅನ್ಯಚ್ಛ್ರೇಯೋನದುತೇವ ಪ್ರೇಯಃ
ಉಭೇ ತೇ ನಾನಾರ್ಥೇ ಪುರುಷಂ ಸಿನೀತಃ |
ತಯೋಃ ಶ್ರೇಯ ಆದದಾನಸ್ಯ ಸಾಧು
ಭವತಿ ಹೀಯತೇ ಅರ್ಥಾತ್ ಯ ಉ ಪ್ರೇಯೋ ವೃಣೀತೇ ||

ತಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಅಂಗೀಕರಿಸಲೆಂದು ಹತ್ತಿರ ಬಂದ ಶ್ರೇಯೋ-ಪ್ರೇಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಅಂಗೀಕರಿಸಿದವನಿಗೆ 'ಸಾಧು' ಅಥವಾ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಪ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಅಂಗೀಕರಿಸಿದವನು ಗುರಿ ತಪ್ಪುತ್ತಾನೆ ಎಂದು ಇದರರ್ಥ. ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು ಎಂದರೆ ಶುಭ, ಮಂಗಳ ಮತ್ತು ಏಳಿಗೆ. ಗುರಿ ತಪ್ಪಿಸುವುದು ಪ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಏಳಿಗೆಯನ್ನು ಉಂಟುಮಾಡುವುದು ಏನು ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ವಿಚಾರಿಸುವುದು ಮನುಷ್ಯನಿಗೇ ಬಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದು. ರಾಮನಿಗೂ ರಾವಣನಿಗೂ ಒಂದೇ ಮಾರ್ಗ ರುಚಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ, ಸರಿ ಹೊಂದುವುದೂ ಇಲ್ಲ, ಅಲ್ಲವೇ?

ನಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದಿನ ಪದ ಧೀಃ ಎಂಬುದು. ಧೀ ಎಂದರೆ ಬುದ್ಧಿ. ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದರಿಂದ ಕೆಟ್ಟದ್ದನ್ನು ಬೇರ್ಪಡಿಸುವ ಶಕ್ತಿ. ವೇದಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ವಾಗ್ದೇವಿ ಅಥವಾ ಸರಸ್ವತಿಯನ್ನು ಯನ್ನು "ಧೀನಾಮವಿತ್ರೀ" ಎಂದು ಸ್ತುತಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಎಂದರೆ 'ಬುದ್ಧಿಯನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸುವವಳು', ಅಥವಾ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳುವುದಾದರೆ 'ಬುದ್ಧಿಯು ನಾಶವಾಗದಂತೆ ಅನುಗ್ರಹಿಸುವವಳು' ಎಂದು. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಲಲಿತಾಷ್ಟೋತ್ತರದಲ್ಲಿ ತಾಯಿಯನ್ನು 'ಸರ್ವೋಪಲಬ್ಧಿಹೇತುಶ್ಚ ಬುದ್ಧಿನಿಶ್ಚಯರೂಪಿಣೇ' ಎಂದು ವರ್ಣಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಬುದ್ಧಿಯು 'ಸರ್ವೋಪಲಬ್ಧಿಹೇತು'- ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ಪಡೆಯಲು ಕಾರಣವಾಗುವುದು. ಇದರ ಅರ್ಥ ಬುದ್ಧಿರೂಪಳಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ಪಡೆಯುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾರಣಳಾಗಿರುವವಳು ಎಂದು. ಕೇವಲ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯಿಂದಲೇ ನಾವು ಐಹಿಕ, ಆಮುಷ್ಮಿಕ ಫಲಗಳನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯ. ಒಂದು ಸೋಜಿಗದ ಸಂಗತಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಅದು ಏನೆಂದರೆ ಬುದ್ಧಿಪೂರ್ವಕವಾಗಿ ನಾವು ಮಾಡಿದ ಕೆಲಸಗಳಿಂದ ನಮಗೆ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸೇ ಆಗುವುದು. ಇದು ನಿತ್ಯಸತ್ಯ. ಭಗವದ್ಗೀತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ದೇಹವೆಂಬ ರಥಕ್ಕೆ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯೇ ಸಾರಥಿ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದೆ. ಎಂದರೆ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯ ಸಾಹಾಯ್ಯದಿಂದಲೇ ನಮ್ಮ ಕೆಲಸಗಳೆಲ್ಲ ಆಗುವುದು. ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಕೈಕೊಟ್ಟರೆ ಅದರ ದುಷ್ಪರಿಣಾಮಗಳು ಅನೇಕ.

ಮೊನ್ನೆ ಒಂದು ಉಪನ್ಯಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೀ ತೇಜೋಮಯಾನಂದರು ಒಂದು ಕಥೆಯನ್ನು ಹೇಳಿದರು. ಒಬ್ಬ ಮನುಷ್ಯ ಇದ್ದನಂತೆ, ವಿಪರೀತ ಮುಂಗೋಪಿ. ಅವನು ಸ್ನೇಹಿತನಿಗೆ ಹೇಳಿದನಂತೆ "ನೋಡಯ್ಯ, ನನಗೆ ಕೋಪ ಬಂದರೆ ಯೋಚನಾಶಕ್ತಿಯೇ ಹೊರಟುಹೋಗುತ್ತದೆ" ಎಂದು. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ ಉತ್ತರಿಸಿದನಂತೆ "ಇಲ್ಲವಯ್ಯ, ನೀನು ಯೋಚನೆ ಮಾಡದಿದ್ದಾಗಲೇ ನಿನಗೆ ಕೋಪ ಬರುವುದು" ಎಂದು! ಇದರಿಂದ ಏನನ್ನು ಕಲಿಯಬಹುದು ಎಂದು ಯೋಚಿಸೋಣ. ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಒಂದು ಕ್ಷಣ ಕೈ ಕೊಟ್ಟರೂ ಅದರಿಂದ ಆಗುವ ನಷ್ಟ ಹೆಚ್ಚು. ಬುದ್ಧಿ "ಬೇಡ" ಎಂದಿದ್ದನ್ನು ಮನಸ್ಸು, ದೇಹಗಳು ಮಾಡಿದರೆ ಅಥವಾ ಬುದ್ಧಿ "ಮಾಡು" ಎಂದಿದ್ದನ್ನು ದೇಹಮನಸ್ಸುಗಳು ಮಾಡದಿದ್ದರೆ ಅನುಶಯಪೂರಿತವಾದ ಹಿನ್ನೋಟ ತಪ್ಪದು! ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಯಾವಾಗಲೂ, ಎಲ್ಲ ಕಡೆ ಬುದ್ಧಿಗೇ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಪ್ರಾಶಸ್ತ್ಯ.

ಇನ್ನು ಉಳಿದ ಪದ "ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸು" ಎಂಬುದು. ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಕ್ರಯಕ್ಕೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕುವ ಅಥವಾ ಬೇಡಿದರೆ ಸಿಗುವ ಸಾಮಗ್ರಿಯಲ್ಲ. ಹಣ ಕೊಟ್ಟು ಪುಸ್ತಕವನ್ನು ಕೊಳ್ಳಬಹುದು, ಆದರೆ ಅದರಿಂದ ಏನನ್ನು ಕಲಿಯುತ್ತೇವೆ, ಹೇಗೆ ಕಲಿಯುತ್ತೇವೆ ಎಂಬುದು ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣವಾಗಿ ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಅವಲಂಬಿಸಿದ್ದು. ಎಯ್ನ್ ರ್‍ಯಾಂಡ್ ನ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳನ್ನು ಓದಿ ಕಮ್ಯೂನಿಸ್ಟ್ ಆದವರೂ ಇರಬಹುದು, ಕಾರ್ಲ್ ಮಾರ್ಕ್ಸ್ ಅನ್ನು ಓದಿ ಕ್ಯಾಪಿಟಲಿಸ್ಟ್ ಆದವರೂ ಇರಬಹುದು! ಬುದ್ಧಿಯನ್ನು ದೇವರೂ ಸಹ ನಮಗೆ 'ಕೊಡಲು' ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ; ಕೇವಲ ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸಬಹುದು, ಅಷ್ಟೆ. ನಮ್ಮ ಸುತ್ತಮುತ್ತಲಿನ ವಿಷಯಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಓದುವ ವಿಚಾರಗಳು ನಮ್ಮ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯನ್ನು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದಕ್ಕಾಗಲಿ, ಕೆಟ್ಟದಕ್ಕಾಗಲಿ ಕೇವಲ ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. ಅದರಿಂದಲೇ ಡಿವಿಜಿಯವರು ಇಲ್ಲಿ "ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸು" ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

ಈ ಪದ್ಯದ ಒಟ್ಟು ಅರ್ಥವನ್ನು ಈಗ ವಿಚಾರಿಸೋಣ. ಕಠೋಪನಿಷತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಮುಂದಿನ ಮಂತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ "ಶ್ರೇಯೋ ಹಿ ಧೀರೋಽಭಿ ಪ್ರೇಯಸೋ ವೃಣೀತೇ" ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದೆ. ಎಂದರೆ, ಧೀರ ಅಥವಾ ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತನು ಪ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು, ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಆರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾನೆ ಎಂದು. ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮವಾಗಿ ನೋಡಿದರೆ, ಈ ಪದ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಡಿವಿಜಿಯವರು ಹೇಳಿರುವುದೂ ಅದನ್ನೇ. ಬುದ್ಧಿಯಿಂದ ಅಥವಾ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯ ಅನುಮತಿಯಿಂದ ಸಂಪಾದಿಸಿರುವುದೆಲ್ಲವೂ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಕರ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ನಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನದ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ಹೆಜ್ಜೆಯಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ನಾವು ವಿಚಾರ ಮಾಡಿ, ನಮಗೆ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದನ್ನು ಉಂಟುಮಾಡುವುದನ್ನೇ ಆರಿಸಬೇಕು.

ಕಗ್ಗದ ಒಂದೊಂದು ಪದ್ಯಕ್ಕೂ ಅರ್ಥವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿ ಅಧಿಕ. ಇಂಥ ಕೃತಿಯನ್ನು ನಮಗೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟ ರಸಋಷಿಗೆ ನಮೋ ನಮಃ.

Tagged!

2008-03-14T14:06:00.005+05:30

Hip Grandma has tagged me to list five posts of mine on the following subjects:

Family
Friends
Myself
My love
Anything I like.

Now, I have written only some fifty posts till now in spite of being on Blogger for more than three years. I do not have posts that satisfy some categories. However, I will do this tag, bending some rules - hey, rules are meant to be broken, right?

Family: I do not remember doing a post on my family, ever. I mention them randomly, but I have not dedicated a post to them, thus far. So, I will instead list the post that I wrote about our family trip to Maharashtra. And yes, I still have to finish the series.

Friend: 'Diamonds are a girl's best friends' says a wise guy. 'Books are man's best friends' says another. I tend to agree with the latter. I have done quite some posts on books, but this, this , this and this are my favorites. The last two posts are in Kannada.

I have my fair share of friends (in flesh and blood), and am proud of being their friend. However, my oldest and steadiest friend is Meera, a very well-read young lady, and great person to talk to.

My love: Ahem. Did I say I love books? And yes, I have professed my love for < Malnad and Kalidasa too. Does that count? Because I have not written even a single post about my husband. Most of my posts pass through his QA tests and most of his posts pass through mine (which probably explains why I like his posts way better than mine?). And no, I am not at liberty to disclose who he is...

Anything I like: This is the easiest one, by far. I like poetry, music, books and many other things. These are my favorite posts.
The AavaraNa controversy (in Kannada)
Elysium on Earth
A great story I had read as a child

I now tag December Stud, Krupa , Poppins Mom, Bit Hawk , Suptadeeptiand anyone else who would like to do this tag.

Here is Bhadradri...

2008-02-25T13:50:00.000+05:30

On more than one occasion, I have seen that nothing moves my little child as much as music does. With both his grandmothers teaching music and his parents humming away all the time (and admonished all the time for not practising), one could say that he has had a good exposure to music. When he was a very young baby, playing Nagaraj and Manjunath's violin would soothe him even during the worst colic-related tantrum. As he grew up, 'shuddha brahma parAtpara rAma'became one of his regular lullabies. With watching and listening to the Baby Einstein videos, came introduction to Western music also. Some of our young cousins and our driver have taken care to expose him to the new Kannada movie-songs too. But what has really amazed me is his love for the Bhadrachala Ramadaasa kritis.

Actually, the credit for making Biyadiya fall in love with the Bhadrachala Ramadasa kritis, goes to R. He started singing 'palukE bangAramAyena' to him, a few months ago, and he loved it. Then, one day, to quiten him, I played the song from the internet to him. Needless to say, he enjoyed it, background music and all. And one day, the cassette happened to appear right next to the tape-player (hey, I'm nothing if not lazy!), and I played it for him. That has gradually become a ritual. On seven days out of ten, he asks me to play the cassette at bedtime. Initially he used to wait for his favorite songs - palukE bangAramAyena and pAhi rAmaprabhO, but now he listens to all of them with rapt attention.

Being of a nature not so steady as his in matters such as these, I got bored of listening to the cassette over and over again. But of late (from the past four or five days), after I really started paying attention to the lyrics and the music, I have begun to enjoy the music almost as much as my little bundle of joy does. Ramadasa's poetry is wonderful. The sentiments expressed in each song is not just devotion to the Lord, but longing for a parent and the familiarity of a friend. For example, in 'ikShvAku kula tilaka', Ramadaasa asks

'kaliki turAyi meluvaka chEyisti ramachandra
kulukuchu tirugedavO evarappa sommani rAmachandra'. (Rama, I got a nice crown made for you. You are flaunting it like it is your Father's jewel!) Continuing, he says

'bhaktulaMdarini paripAliMcEDi sree rAmacaMdra
neevu kshEmamuga sree rAmadAsuni Elu rAmacaMdra'
This beautiful mix of sentiments - of viewing the Lord as the protector, a parent, a brother and a friend whom you can admonish, is what makes these compositions so dear and close to the heart.

In my opinion (fervent, as I have been on a high dose of Ramadasa for the past few days), these kritis are more egalitarian and down-to-earth than the great saint Tyagaraja's kritis. (Tyagaraja composed many, many more kritis than Ramadasa, so really, they ought not to be compared.) And of course, nearly half of the credit for making these songs so likable, goes to Dr.Balamurali Krishna. The music composition is just impeccable, and I defy any musician to compose the tune better than him. His rendition of these kritis is also superb. The forlornness experienced in 'E tIruga nannu' (nAdanAmakriyA), the confidence exuded in 'takkuvEmi manaku rAmuNDokkaDuNDu varaku'(sUryakAnti), the slyness in 'nannu brOvamani cheppavE' (kalyANi) are all brought out beautifully.

For me and little Biyadiya, it is musical heaven, almost every night!

Sringeri - God's own abode

2008-01-29T17:25:00.000+05:30

grahEShu dhAriNI ramyA tatra ramyA dharAdharAH |
abhibhUtAsmi tatrApi pashchimAdrErvishEShataH ||

ग्रहेषु धारिणी रम्या तत्र रम्या धराधरा: ।
अभिभूतास्मि तत्रापि पश्चिमाद्रेर्विशेषतः ॥

I have professed my love for the hills and valleys of Malnad in an earlier post. No place in the world I have visited hitherto, has moved me as much as malenaaDu has. I read Kuvempu's 'malenADina chitragaLu' and similar works with greed. The reason is not just that the place is beautiful, it is something much more than that, something that I cannot put my finger upon. Though my trips there have been short, they influence me in undescribable ways. I always get the feeling that I am visiting home, during my travels to that area.

It was, therefore, with great enthusiasm (tempered with a little apprehension because my little son was to accompany us) that I prepared for our weekend trip to Sringeri. As Mother Sharada willed it, we did not get tickets for the Rajahamsa bus, and we had to take the ordinary bus which was euphemistically called an express. After a slightly uncomfortable journey, we alighted near the Sharada temple, the cold breeze biting into our hands and faces.

Sringeri is a place made famous by Shri ShankarAchArya. Legend says that the Acharya, during his travels, saw a cobra sheltering a pregnant frog from the heat of the Sun, on the banks of the Tunga river. He established the dakShiNAmnAya peetham, and made SureshwarAchArya, one of his chief disciples, the head of the peetham. Shri Bharatitirtha, an eminent scholar, is the present pontiff, and comes from an unbroken line of highly accomplished aacharyas.

There are two main temples in the complex. One is the temple dedicated to Mother Sharada, and the other one is the Vidyashankara temple. Vidyashankara temple was got constructed by Vidyaranya, the preceptor of Harihara and Bukka. The temple architecture is a beautiful icon of Shaiva-Vaishnava harmony, with imposing sculptures of the dashaavataaras along one half of the temple walls, and sculptures of Shiva on the other half. The inside of the temple is extremely soothing and peaceful. Biyadiya liked this temple the best, probably because he got to test his climbing skills (the steps are a little steep for a kid).

Of course, this is only the religious face of the Shankara matha (I hate calling it mutt). Borrowing words from Jane Austen, I can say that I have never seen a place for which Nature has done more, or where natural beauty has been so little counteracted by an awkward taste. The lamps in the Narasimhavana (the grove next to the temple), are all solar. Right next to it flows the beautiful but dangerous Tunga river. The fish in the river are taken care of by the matha. Needless to say, this was the little one's favorite part of the trip! There is a deer park nearby, also maintained by the matha. And the biggest attraction for me in all the temples of Udupi and South Canara, is the food. Hot and fresh and yummy. Before you know it, the plate is empty and you are left waiting for the next item, in spite of the serving being superfast and the helpings large. Even my son, the slowest and most picky eater I have seen till now, liked the food. An added aspect at the Shringeri Matha is that the food is cooked mainly using solar energy. It behooves us to take this leaf out of the Shrimatha's book!

After a brief rest in the afternoon, we left for a place called Hariharapura, a short distance away from Sringeri. Hariharapura houses another famous matha and a temple, whose main deity is Narasimha.

But the best attraction of Hariharapura has to be the Prabodhini gurukula . We crossed a small suspension bridge with a breathtaking view, to reach the gurukula. It is a gurukula in every sense of the word, with affectionate teachers (as far as we saw them) and lively children. Though I have my own reservations about residential schools, I really liked this gurukula. The students of the gurukula are taught organic farming and yoga along with Physics and Chemistry and the Vedas and fine arts. Not to mention discipline. There is an icon of Lord Krishna, sculpted by the students and worshipped by the students. The names of the classes are also interesting - ShraddhA, mEdhA, prajnA, etc., all very desirable qualities. Many of the gurukula's students have gone on to study various branches of Sciences and Arts. A few continue their studies at the Veda Vijnaana Gurukula near Bangalore, and join Prabodhini Gurukula as Acharyas. This school also conducts summer camps for children aged 13-14 years.

From Hariharapura we went to Kigga. Kigga is a very small town, recently in the news for Naxal activity. The Sun was already setting by then. The orange rays of the Sun played with the green leaves to create a heavenly effect. The temperature had fallen by this time, and it was very pleasant. How anybody can dare to disturb the peace of these small hamlets, is more than I can comprehend. Kigga has the temple of Rishyashringeshwara, the form of Shiva worshipped by the deer-horned sage, Rishyashringa. A rare and unexpected treat awaited us by the time we exited the temple. It was already dark by then, and power went off. We just happened to look up, and the night-sky was revealed to us in all its glory. For us city slickers, this kind of a view is as exciting as sighting a UFO.

Much can be said about the beauty of the Sringeri and the nearby hills. We did not pass by the Charmudi ghats this time. We could have possibly included Horanaadu or Agumbe, but after a terribly hectic one-day trip to Madurai last month(I was dreaming of Saravana Bhavan, but all of us had to settle for a banana and a couple of kODubaLes each, because we did not have time to dine!), we played it safe and stuck to Sringeri and a couple of the places that were very near, and enjoyed every minute of it.

R says that I love the place so much because of the novelty (I was brought up in Bellary, and live in Bangalore), but I refuse to believe that. Maharashtra did not inspire me with the same kind of devotion and awe and love, even though the beautiful Bhimashankar situated amidst the Sahyadri range is worth more than just a visit.

Our return journey was a day-journey. Biyadiya and some of the others fell asleep as soon as we got into the bus. I picked up my book to read, but shut it within two minutes. I could read the book any other time, but these hills and valleys would elude me for at least another year or two. The diversity of the flora struck me as I looked out of the window. Sometime I have to trek in these parts, just to observe the plants. I am sure that such a thing is not going to happen soon, but till then, I have memories of this trip to keep replaying in my mind.

Bhai-Bhai

2008-01-03T12:23:00.000+05:30

The other day, we went to a nearby park with little Biyadiya. This one, near my house, is frequented by all nearby kids, including kids from nearby construction sites who do not know any language other than Tamil. It is a great experience to watch all these kids treating one another as just playmates, no strings attached.

That evening, there were two kids, who were evidently Muslims. The boy was young, five or six years old, with a skullcap on. The girl was slightly older, and wearing a worked-on red churidar. Both of them were conversing in Urdu. Now there are three slides in the park, one for big kids and two that are more toddler-friendly. While my little one is not scared of slides, he is usually reluctant to actually slide. This girl held him while he slid down, like the protective elder sister. The boy then tried to climb up the slide, but his big toe got stuck in a hole on the slide (did I mention that this park is maintained by the BDA?). He started crying. R tried to take his toe out, but it was stuck tight. The girl then cried "arey, Allah ka naam le ke nikaalo, aa jayega!". After some struggle, the toe came out, and everybody was happy.

I was amazed at the girl's maturity. She was helping kids onto swings and merry-go-rounds, held on to little Biyadiya because he was not comfortable sliding down the slide. She was but only slightly older than the boy, but had already taken on the role of a nurturer, a person who was capable of comforting others. One may say that girls are wired that way, but this one was extraordinary. She was far too intelligent, nay, mature for her age. What would she grow up to be? Would she grow up to be a Benazir Bhutto or a Taslima Nasreen? I wondered about the boy, too. Would he look up to his sister as he did now? And the other kids - would they (including my son) treat these two kids as somehow different when they grew up? I, an adult with reasonable sensitivity and intelligence, was thinking so much about the girl just because she was a muslim. This, in spite of knowing about cases of women-abuse in my own community!

Now, before people start accusing me of looking at people with colored glasses, let me make it clear that I have had, and still have muslim friends. And I think that it was much easier for us to befriend people from other religions, than it is for today's kids. Some boundaries are vanishing, but other, more unsurpassable boundaries are rising.

The truth hit me hard when we listened to some older children (probably 10-12 years old) talking in another park. One was asking another "Hey, what caste is yours?". When we were young, we were taught that asking about another's caste was wrong. I am definitely going to teach my children the same thing, but with so many divisive forces around us, is it possible?

ಕಾಳಿದಾಸ - ೨

2007-12-06T12:52:00.000+05:30

ಹಿಂದಿನ ಕಂತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಿದಂತೆ ಕಾಳಿದಾಸ ಧರ್ಮದ ಸ್ವರೂಪವನ್ನು, ಅದರ ವಿವಿಧ ಆಯಾಮಗಳನ್ನು ತನ್ನ ಕಾವ್ಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲವೆಡೆ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾಗಿ, ಕೆಲವೆಡೆ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮವಾಗಿ ಚಿತ್ರಿಸಿದ್ದಾನೆ. ಧರ್ಮವಿರುದ್ಧವಾಗಿ ನಡೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಪಾತ್ರಗಳು ಇಲ್ಲವೇ ಇಲ್ಲ ಎನ್ನುವಷ್ಟು ಕಡಮೆ. ಇದು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಅಸಹಜ ಎಂದೆನ್ನಿಸಿದರೂ ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಬಹಳ ಹಿತವನ್ನು ಕೊಡುವಂತಹ ವಿಷಯ.

ಶಕುಂತಲೆಯನ್ನು ದುಷ್ಯಂತ ಮೊದಲ ಬಾರಿ ನೋಡಿದಾಗಲೇ ಅವಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮೋಹವುಂಟಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಅವಳು ಮುನಿಕನ್ಯೆ, ಪರಿಗ್ರಹಕ್ಕೆ ಯೋಗ್ಯಳೋ ಅಲ್ಲವೋ ಎಂದು ಅವನಿಗೆ ಸಂದೇಹವುಂಟಾದರೂ,
'ಅಸಂಶಯಂ ಕ್ಷತ್ರಪರಿಗ್ರಹಕ್ಷಮಾ ಯದಾರ್ಯಮಸ್ಯಾಮ್ ಅಭಿಲಾಷಿ ಮೇ ಮನಃ' (ಈಕೆ ನಿಸ್ಸಂಶಯವಾಗಿ ಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯನನ್ನು ಮದುವೆ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಯೋಗ್ಯಳು. ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಧರ್ಮಪರವಾದ ನನ್ನ ಮನಸ್ಸು ಇವಳಲ್ಲಿ ಆಸಕ್ತವಾಗಿದೆ)
ಎಂದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾನೆ. ನಂತರ ಅನಸೂಯೆ-ಪ್ರಿಯಂವದೆಯರನ್ನು ಶಕುಂತಲೆಯ ವೃತ್ತಾಂತದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ವಿಚಾರಿಸಿಯೇ ಮುಂದಿನ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆಯನ್ನಿಡುತ್ತಾನೆ (ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾರಣಗಳು ಎರಡು.
೧. ಹಿಂದಿನ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿರಕ್ತರಾದ, ಯೋಗ್ಯಕನ್ಯೆಯರು ಮದುವೆಯಾಗದೆ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮವಾದಿನಿಯರಾಗುವ ಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯವಿತ್ತು. ಶಕುಂತಲೆ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮವಾದಿನಿಯಲ್ಲವೆಂದು ತಿಳಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು ಒಂದು ಅಂಶ.
೨. ಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯರು ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣಕನ್ಯೆಯರನ್ನು ಮದುವೆಯಾದರೆ ಅದು ಪ್ರತಿಲೋಮವಿವಾಹ. ಅವರ ಸಂತಾನ ಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯರಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ, ಬದಲಾಗಿ ಸೂತರಾಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಶಕುಂತಲೆ ಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯನಾದ ಕೌಶಿಕ ಮತ್ತು ಅಪ್ಸರೆಯಾದ ಮೇನಕೆಯಿಂದ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದುದರಿಂದ ಅವಳು ಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯನನ್ನು ಮದುವೆಯಾಗಲು ಯೋಗ್ಯಳು).

ಸನಾತನಧರ್ಮದ ಅನೇಕ ಆಯಾಮಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಆಶ್ರಮವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯೂ ಒಂದು. ಹೇಗೆ ಮನುಷ್ಯ ಶೈಶವ-ಯೌವನ-ವಾರ್ಧಕ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಹೊಂದುತ್ತಾನೆಯೋ ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಸಹಜವಾದ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಚರ್ಯ-ಗಾರ್ಹಸ್ಥ್ಯ-ವಾನಪ್ರಸ್ಥ ಎಂಬ ಆಶ್ರಮಗಳು ನಿಯತವಾಗಿವೆ.

ರಘುವಂಶದ ಆರಂಭದಲ್ಲಿ ರಘುವಂಶದವರ ಸದ್ಗುಣಗಳನ್ನು ಬಣ್ಣಿಸುವ ಒಂದು ಕುಲಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೀಗೆ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾನೆ.
ಶೈಶವೇSಭ್ಯಸ್ತವಿದ್ಯಾನಾಂ ಯೌವನೇ ವಿಷಯೈಷಿಣಾಂ |
ವಾರ್ಧಕ್ಯೇ ಮುನಿವೃತ್ತೀನಾಂ ಯೋಗೇನಾಂತೇ ತನುತ್ಯಜಾಮ್ ||
'ಶೈಶವದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿದ್ಯೆಯನ್ನು ಅಭ್ಯಸಿಸಿ, ಯೌವನದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಷಯಗಳನ್ನು ಇಚ್ಛಿಸಿ, ವಾರ್ಧಕ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುನಿವೃತ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಕೈಗೊಂಡು, ಅಂತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಯೋಗದಿಂದ ಶರೀರವನ್ನು ತ್ಯಜಿಸುವವರ (ವಂಶವನ್ನು ಕುರಿತು ವರ್ಣಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ).

ಮೇಲಿನದು ನಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದಿರುವ ಆದರ್ಶ. ಶೈಶವದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಜನೆ ಮಾಡದಿದ್ದರೆ ಎಷ್ಟು ತಪ್ಪೋ, ಯೌವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಗೃಹಸ್ಥರಾಗದಿರುವುದೂ ಅಷ್ಟೇ ತಪ್ಪು. ಇನ್ನು ವಾನಪ್ರಸ್ಥದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹೇಳುವುದಾದರೆ ಈಗಿನ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಅದೊಂದು ಆವಶ್ಯಕವಾದ, ಮುಖ್ಯವಾದ ಆಶ್ರಮ. ವನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಹೋಗಿ ವಾಸ ಮಾಡುವುದು ಈಗ ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೂ ವಯಸ್ಸಾದಾಗ ಶಾಂತಚಿತ್ತರಾಗಿ ತತ್ತ್ವಜಿಜ್ಞಾಸೆಯನ್ನು ಮೈಗೂಡಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು ಆರೋಗ್ಯದೃಷ್ಟ್ಯಾ ಹಿತಕರ, ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕದೃಷ್ಟ್ಯಾ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಕರ.

ವರತಂತುವಿನ ಶಿಷ್ಯನಾದ ಕೌತ್ಸ ರಘುಮಹಾರಾಜನ ಹತ್ತಿರ ಗುರುದಕ್ಷಿಣೆಯನ್ನು ಬೇಡಲು ಬಂದಾಗ ರಘುವು ಅವನನ್ನು ಕುಶಲ ವಿಚಾರಿಸುವಾಗ ಹೀಗೆ ಕೇಳುತ್ತಾನೆ.
ಅಪಿ ಪ್ರಸನ್ನೇನ ಮಹರ್ಷಿಣಾ ತ್ವಂ ಸಮ್ಯಗ್ವಿನೀಯಾನುಮತೋ ಗೃಹಾಯ |
ಕಾಲೋ ಹ್ಯಯಂ ಸಂಕ್ರಮಿತುಂ ದ್ವಿತೀಯಂ ಸರ್ವೋಪಕಾರಕ್ಷಮಮಾಶ್ರಮಂ ತೇ||
(ನಿನ್ನ ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಜನೆಯಿಂದ) ಪ್ರಸನ್ನನಾದ ಮಹರ್ಷಿಯಿಂದ ಮದುವೆಯಾಗಲು ಅನುಮತಿಯನ್ನು ಪಡೆದಿರುವೆ ತಾನೆ? ಎಲ್ಲರ ಉಪಕಾರವನ್ನು ಮಾಡಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗುವ ಎರಡನೆಯ ಆಶ್ರಮವನ್ನು ಕ್ರಮಿಸಲು ಇದೇ ನಿನಗೆ ಸಕಾಲ!

ಮೇಲಿನ ಶ್ಲೋಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಎರಡು ಅಂಶಗಳು ಮನನೀಯ. ಒಂದು - ಗೃಹಸ್ಥಾಶ್ರಮವನ್ನು 'ಸರ್ವೋಪಕಾರಕ್ಷಮ' ಎಂದು ವರ್ಣಿಸಿರುವುದು. ಗೃಹಸ್ಥರು ಕೇವಲ ತಮ್ಮ ಕುಟುಂಬದ ಸೌಖ್ಯವನ್ನು ಗಮನಿಸಿದರೆ ಸಾಲದು. ಬೇರೆಯ ಆಶ್ರಮದವರ ಪಾಲನ ಗೃಹಸ್ಥನ ಮುಖ್ಯಕರ್ತವ್ಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು.
ಹಾಗೆಯೇ, ಇಲ್ಲಿ ತುಂಬ ಮಾರ್ಮಿಕವಾದ ಪದ 'ಸಂಕ್ರಮಿತುಂ'. ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಕ್ರಮಿಸುವುದು ಎಂದು ಈ ಪದದ ಅರ್ಥ. ಇಲ್ಲಿಯ ಧ್ವನಿಯೇನೆಂದರೆ, ಈ ಆಶ್ರಮ ಕೇವಲ ಒಂದು ಮಾರ್ಗ, ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೆಲೆ ನಿಲ್ಲಲಾಗದು ಎಂದು. ಗೃಹಸ್ಥಾಶ್ರಮವನ್ನು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಕ್ರಮಿಸಿದರೆ ಅದೇ ವಾನಪ್ರಸ್ಥಕ್ಕೆ ದಾರಿಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.

ಹಾಗೆಯೇ, ಶಕುಂತಲೆ ಪತಿಗೃಹಕ್ಕೆ ತೆರಳುವಾಗ ತಂದೆಯನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಹೋಗಲಾಗದೆ ದುಃಖಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಗ ಕಣ್ವ ಹೇಳುವುದು ಇದು
ಭೂತ್ವಾ ಚಿರಾಯ ಚತುರಂತಮಹೀಸಪತ್ನೀ ದೌಷ್ಯಂತಮಪ್ರತಿರಥಂ ತನಯಂ ನಿವೇಶ್ಯ |
ಭರ್ತ್ರಾ ತದರ್ಪಿತಕುಟುಂಬಭರೇಣ ಸಾರ್ಧಂ ಶಾಂತೇ ಕರಿಷ್ಯಸಿ ಪದಂ ಪುನರಾಶ್ರಮೇSಸ್ಮಿನ್ ||
ಬಹಳಕಾಲ ಭೂಮಿಯ ಸವತಿಯಾಗಿ (ಎಂದರೆ ರಾಜ್ಞಿಯಾಗಿ), ಎದುರಿಲ್ಲದ ದೌಷ್ಯಂತ (ದುಷ್ಯಂತನ ಮಗ)ನಿಗೆ ಕುಟುಂಬದ ಭಾರವನ್ನು ಅರ್ಪಿಸಿ, ಗಂಡನ ಜೊತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮತ್ತೆ ಈ ಶಾಂತವಾದ ಆಶ್ರಮಕ್ಕೇ ಬರುತ್ತೀಯೆ.

ಕೇವಲ ಒಂದೇ ಶ್ಲೋಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಣ್ವರು ಶಕುಂತಲೆಗೆ ಅವಳ ಈಗಿನ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯವನ್ನೂ, ಮುಂದಿನ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯವನ್ನೂ ಎಷ್ಟು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಿದ್ದಾರಲ್ಲವೆ?

ಇನ್ನು ಆಶ್ರಮವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಎರಡು ಮಾತು. ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಚರ್ಯ ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಜನೆಗೆ ಮೀಸಲಾದುದು. ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಜನೆಗೆ ತೊಂದರೆಯುಂಟುಮಾಡುವ, ಭೋಗಾಸಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನುಂಟುಮಾಡುವ ಎಲ್ಲ ವಿಷಯಗಳೂ ವಸ್ತುಗಳೂ (ಸುಗಂಧ, ತಾಂಬೂಲ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ) ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಚಾರಿಗಳಿಗೆ ನಿಷಿದ್ಧ. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಗಾರ್ಹಸ್ಥ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಷಯಸುಖಗಳ ಅನುಭವದ ಜೊತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅತಿಥಿಸತ್ಕಾರ, ನಿತ್ಯಾಗ್ನಿಹೋತ್ರ ಮುಂತಾದ ಕೆಲಸಗಳಿಗೆ ಪ್ರಾಶಸ್ತ್ಯ. ಅನಂತರ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ದೊಡ್ಡವರಾದ ಮೇಲೆ ಸಂಸಾರದ ಭಾರವನ್ನು ಅವರಿಗೊಪ್ಪಿಸಿ ಆತ್ಮಚಿಂತನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಲ ಕಳೆಯುವ ವಾನಪ್ರಸ್ಥಾಶ್ರಮ.

ವರ್ಣಸಂಕರಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಆಶ್ರಮಸಂಕರ ಮನುಷ್ಯನ ಮೇಲೆ ಮತ್ತು ಸಮಾಜದ ಮೇಲೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಪರಿಣಾಮ ಬೀರುತ್ತದೆಯೆಂದು ನನ್ನ ಭಾವನೆ. ಸಂಕರವೆಂದರೆ ಒಂದು ಆಶ್ರಮದವರು ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಆಶ್ರಮದವರ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ತಮ್ಮದಾಗಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು. ಇಂದು ಹೈಸ್ಕೂಲಿನಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ವಿಚಿತ್ರಪ್ರಲೋಭನೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಒಳಗಾಗಿ, ಅವರ ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಜನೆ ಸಮಾಧಾನಕರವಾಗಿ ಇರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಚಿಕ್ಕ ವಯಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಶಿಸ್ತು-ಸಂಯಮಗಳನ್ನು ಕಲಿಯದ, ಬೌದ್ಧಿಕವಾಗಿ, ಆರ್ಥಿಕವಾಗಿ, ಮಾನಸಿಕವಾಗಿ ಸಬಲರಾಗುವ ದಾರಿಯನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಯದ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಬೆಳೆದು ಹೇಗೆ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಗೃಹಸ್ಥರಾಗಬಲ್ಲರು? ಹಾಗೆಯೇ, ತೃಪ್ತಿಯಿಲ್ಲದ ಗೃಹಸ್ಥಜೀವನವನ್ನು ಕಳೆದವರಿಗೆ ನೆಮ್ಮದಿಯ ವಾನಪ್ರಸ್ಥಾಶ್ರಮ ಪಲಾಯನದಂತೆಯೇ ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆಯಲ್ಲವೇ? ತಮ್ಮ ಮೇರುಕೃತಿಯಾದ 'ಮಹಾದರ್ಶನ'ದಲ್ಲಿ ದೇವುಡು ರವರು ಒಂದು ಸುಂದರವಾದ ಮಾತನ್ನು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ -'ವೈರಾಗ್ಯವೆಂದರೆ ಬೇಡವೆಂದು ನೂಕುವುದಲ್ಲ, ಸಾಕೆಂದು ವಿಮುಖವಾಗುವುದು' ಎಂದು. ವಾರ್ಧಕ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ತೃಪ್ತಿಸಮಾಧಾನಗಳು ಬರಬೇಕಾದರೆ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಶೈಶವ-ಯೌವನಗಳು ಆವಶ್ಯಕ. ಹಾಗಾಗಿ, ಒಬ್ಬ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯ ವೈಯಕ್ತಿಕ ಮತ್ತು ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಜೀವನ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿರಬೇಕಾದರೆ ಆಶ್ರಮವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯನ್ನು ಯಥಾಶಕ್ತಿ, ಯಥಾಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಕಾಪಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು ಆವಶ್ಯಕ.

|| ಇತಿ ಶಮ್||

ಕಾಳಿದಾಸ - ೧

2007-11-21T17:26:00.000+05:30

(ಈ ಲೇಖನ ನೆನ್ನೆ ಬರೆದದ್ದು)

ಇಂದು ಉತ್ಥಾನದ್ವಾದಶೀ. ದೀಪಾವಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಉಳಿದ ಪಟಾಕಿಗಳನ್ನು ಸುಟ್ಟು ಸಂಭ್ರಮಪಡುವ 'ಕಿರುದೀಪಾವಳಿ'. ಕೃಷ್ಣ-ತುಳಸಿಯರ ವಿವಾಹವನ್ನು ಸಂಭ್ರಮದಿಂದ ಆಚರಿಸುವ ದಿನ. ಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯರೀತ್ಯಾ ಇದೇ ದಿನ ಅನಾಮಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ಸಾರ್ಥಕಗೊಳಿಸಿದ* ಕವಿಕುಲಗುರು ಕಾಳಿದಾಸನ ಜನ್ಮದಿನ.

ಕಾಳಿದಾಸನ ದೇಶ-ಕಾಲಗಳ ಕುರಿತು ನಮಗೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ. ಅವನು ಕುರುಬನಾಗಿದ್ದು, ನಂತರ ಕಾಳಿಯ ಪ್ರಸಾದದಿಂದ ವರಕವಿಯಾಗಿ ಭೋಜರಾಜನ ಆಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ಎಂಬುದು ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧವಾದ (ದಂತ?)ಕಥೆ. ಇದಾವುದೂ ಐತಿಹಾಸಿಕವಾಗಿ ಸಿದ್ಧವಾಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಸ್ವತಃ ಕಾಳಿದಾಸನ ಕೃತಿಗಳಿಂದ ಅವನಿಗೆ ಉಜ್ಜಯಿನೀನಗರ ಅತಿಪ್ರಿಯವಾಗಿತ್ತು** ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ಆಧಾರವಾಗಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡು ಅದೇ ಅವನ ವಾಸಸ್ಥಾನವಾಗಿತ್ತು ಎಂದು ತೀರ್ಮಾನಿಸಬಹುದು, ಅಷ್ಟೇ.

ಕಾಳಿದಾಸನ ಧರ್ಮಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆ ಅನ್ಯಾದೃಶವಾದದ್ದು. ಶೃಂಗಾರಕವಿಯೆಂದೇ ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧನಾದರೂ ಶೃಂಗಾರಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ ನಮಗೆ ಅವನ ಕಾವ್ಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣುವುದು ಒಂದು ಉತ್ತಮವಾದ, ಪಾಲನೆಗೆ ಯೋಗ್ಯವಾದ ಜೀವನಾದರ್ಶ ಹಾಗೂ ಗಂಭೀರವಾದ, ಉದಾರವಾದ ಅಂತರ್ದೃಷ್ಟಿ. ಶೃಂಗಾರ ಹೇರಳವಾಗಿ ಇರುವುದಾದರೂ ಆ ಶೃಂಗಾರವೂ ಧರ್ಮಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆ ಮತ್ತು ಉದಾರತೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಪೂರಕವಾಗಿಯೇ ಇದೆ. ದುಷ್ಯಂತ-ಶಕುಂತಲೆಯರ ಪ್ರಣಯವಾಗಲಿ, ಔಶೀನರಿಯ ತ್ಯಾಗವಿರಲಿ, ಕಣ್ವರಿಗೆ ಶಕುಂತಲೆಯನ್ನು ಕಳುಹಿಸುವಾಗ ಉಂಟಾಗುವ ದುಃಖವಾಗಲಿ, ದಿಲೀಪನ ತಪಸ್ಸಾಗಲಿ ಕೌತ್ಸನ ಪ್ರಸಂಗವಾಗಲಿ, ಎಲ್ಲೆಡೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾನವೀಯತೆ-ಉದಾರತೆಗಳೇ ಕಾಣಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. ಒಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಬೇಕಾದರೆ, ರಘುವಂಶ-ಶಾಕುಂತಲಾದಿ ಕೃತಿಗಳು ಸುಖದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುದವನ್ನು ನೀಡಿ, ಕಷ್ಟದಲ್ಲಿ ದೃಢತೆಯ ನೆಲೆಯಾಗಿ ನಿಲ್ಲುವ ದಾರಿದೀಪಗಳು.

'ಉಪಮಾ ಕಾಲಿದಾಸಸ್ಯ' ಎಂಬ ಶ್ಲೋಕಪಾದ ಸರ್ವವಿದಿತ. ಆದರೆ ಅದೇ ಶ್ಲೋಕದ*** ಇನ್ನೆರಡು ಗುಣಗಳೂ (ಅರ್ಥಗೌರವ, ಪದಲಾಲಿತ್ಯ) ಸರ್ವಥಾ ಕಾಳಿದಾಸನಿಗೂ ಸಲ್ಲುತ್ತವೆ ಎಂದು ನನ್ನ ಭಾವನೆ. ಕಾಲಿದಾಸನ ಉಪಮೆಗಳಂತೂ ಮನೋಹರವಾಗಿ, ಕೇಳಿದೊಡನೆಯೇ "ಆಹಾ" ಎಂದು ಅನ್ನಿಸುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡುವವು.

ಮುಂಬರುವ ಕೆಲವು ಕಂತುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ಕಾಳಿದಾಸನ ಕೃತಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ (ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಶಾಕುಂತಲ ಮತ್ತು ರಘುವಂಶ) ನನಗೆ ಕಂಡ ಸ್ವಾರಸ್ಯಕರ ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಬರೆಯಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.

*ಪುರಾ ಕವೀನಾಂ ಗಣನಾಪ್ರಸಂಗೇ ಕನಿಷ್ಠಿಕಾಧಿಷ್ಠಿತಕಾಲಿದಾಸಾ |
ಅದ್ಯಾಪಿ ತತ್ತುಲ್ಯಕವೇರಭಾವಾತ್ ಅನಾಮಿಕಾ ಸಾರ್ಥವತೀ ಬಭೂವ ||
- ಹಿಂದೆ ಕವಿಗಳ ಎಣಿಕೆ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಗ ಕಿರುಬೆರಳಿನಲ್ಲಿ (ಅಂದರೆ ಮೊದಲು) ನಿಂತದ್ದು ಕಾಳಿದಾಸ. ಈಗಲೂ ಅವನಿಗೆ ಸದೃಶನಾದ ಕವಿಯ ಅಭಾವದ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದ (ಉಂಗುರದ ಬೆರಳಿಗೆ) 'ಅನಾಮಿಕಾ' ಎಂಬ ಹೆಸರು ಅನ್ವರ್ಥವಾಯಿತು!

** ಸ್ವಲ್ಪೀಭೂತೇ ಸುಚರಿತಫಲೇ ಸ್ವರ್ಗಿಣಾಂ ಗಾಂ ಗತಾನಾಂ
ಶೇಷೈ: ಪುಣ್ಯೈರ್ಹೃತಮಿವ ದಿವಃ ಕಾಂತಿಮತ್ಖಂಡಮೇಕಮ್|
ಮೇಘದೂತದಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುವ ಒಂದು ಶ್ಲೋಕಾರ್ಧ.'ಸ್ವರ್ಗದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದು, ಪುಣ್ಯ ಕಡಿಮೆಯಾಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದಂತೆ ಭೂಮಿಗೆ ಬರುವವರು ತಮ್ಮ ಉಳಿದ ಪುಣ್ಯದಿಂದ ಸ್ವರ್ಗದ ಒಂದು ಸುಂದರವಾದ ಭಾಗವನ್ನು ಇಳೆಗೆ ತಂದಂತಿದೆ!' ಎಂದು ಕಾಳಿದಾಸ ಉಜ್ಜಯಿನಿಯನ್ನು ವರ್ಣಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಅವನಿಗೆ ಉಜ್ಜಯಿನಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಅಷ್ಟು ಪ್ರೀತಿ!

*** ಉಪಮಾ ಕಾಲಿದಾಸಸ್ಯ ಭಾರವೇರರ್ಥಗೌರವಮ್ |
ದಂಡಿನಃ ಪದಲಾಲಿತ್ಯಂ ಮಾಘೇ ಸಂತಿ ತ್ರಯೋ ಗುಣಾಃ ||

Animal Rights? Who Cares?

2007-10-30T10:27:00.000+05:30

I have long been an advocate of animal rights. Probably even to the extent of Menaka Gandhi. When we were young, my sister and I used to take butterflies with broken wings and place them on flowers, childishly hoping that they would drink nectar from them. Now that I am an adult, I do not indulge in such things, but my concern for animals remains.

Yesterday, an eagle got shocked from the live wire near my window at work. A colleague and I called the Animal Rights Fund. We saw good advertisements about it on the web. And boy, was it a mistake! I had to leave early yesterday, and my poor colleague was at our workplace when the guys from ARF came. Apparently, they were rude and horribly uncaring about the bird. The details are too gory for me to go into them again, but the bird finally got scared and fell from the stairs and died.

Are all "non-profit" organizations like this? I am just writing this to get the anger out of my system. Okay, we do not expect them to be perfect gentlemen, but they should at least have a little concern about the creatures they have made their mission to save!

Our Journey Northward and Back - II

2007-10-23T10:43:00.000+05:30

Our next visit was to Shani Shinganapur. When I was a child, I had seen a program on TV, about this place. The presiding deity of this place is Shani, whose icon is unsheltered from wind and rain. The beauty of this place is that there are absolutely no doors to any building in the village. And there have never been any thefts or robberies. In fact, the no-door policy has been so scrupulously followed that there are no doors even to the toilets! Swami Vivekananda had once remarked that the life of India was her religion. Nothing moves the average Indian more than religious faith and fervor. The doorless toilets were a testimony to this fact.

From Shani Shinganapur we went to Ellora, stopping briefly at Bibi ka Maqbara. Ellora was something out of a dream. "Unbelievable" and "Magnificent" only begin to describe the temples. We first went to the Jain caves, which are located atop a hill. One could see that the sculptors paid a lot of attention to detail. For instance, Indra and Kubera were always shown being a little on the fatter side. From the size of the temples, it is evident that they were not just used for religious purposes. Near the temple of Kailasanatha, there is a beautiful waterfall. There is a lookout point built in the temple, from where one can have a fine view of the waterfall. There are also stone steps leading to the small lake formed by the waterfall. To me, this was a classic example of understanding Nature, using it to the fullest, but not defiling it. I wondered how this place was, a thousand years ago on the day of a fair, say. It was probably teeming with devotees, noblemen, dancers and shops, the what-have-yous. Will a tourist, thousand years hence, visiting, say Vidhanasaudha, also wonder the same way? Only Time will tell.

From Ellora, we came to Ghrishneshwar, my first Jyotirlinga. The sanctum was crowded, it was hot and we were tired. The temple itself is pretty recent, but the concept of jyotirlingas has been in Indian lore for more than a thousand years. The beauty of jyotirlingas is that they are distributed all over India, like the Shaktipeethas . There are other groups of temples which are located within a few hundred miles of one another, like the navagraha temples and the panchabhUtasthalas in Tamil Nadu, but these places do not inspire the same kind of awe in me.

The next day was reserved for Shirdi. We roamed the whole day in the temple complex (which, IMO, comprised the whole village in Sai Baba's time), Dwarakamai and a couple of other small temples. After the darshan, we went to get some udhi. The procedure is this. You go in a queue, and each person gets one small packet of udhi. As far as my knowledge goes, udhi cannot be bought anywhere. People go in the queue a few times, to get as many udhi packets as they want. Biyadiya saw this and probably thought that it was expected of him, too. He rushed between the railings, and since he is too short to reach the counter, peeped in through the door and asked "udhi ideya?". The good-humored man behind the counter gave him a packet too. We all had a good laugh.

That same day, we left for Tryambakeshwar, the second jyotirlinga in our list. We spent the night at T., and early next morning, we had the darshan. The temple is very beautiful, situated amidst lush green hills, from where the river Godavari takes her birth. Soon after darshan, I had my first batata vada, which was to be my staple diet for the next couple of days.

Our next destination was Nasik. There are about nine temples there, but the place that moved me the most was the river Godavari. Till we got to the very edge of the river, I felt like we were going to enter another temple. Then suddenly, there were steps leading to the water, children bathing and throwing water on one another playfully. Little Biyadiya wanted to go and play in the water, too. He stood on the first step that had water and jumped about until his trousers were wet and muddy. Godavari was really dirty, but beautiful in its own way. I got goosebumps at the thought that Sita had, once upon a time, bathed here. I repeated the line "janakatanayA-snAna-puNyOdakeShu" to myself umpteen times while performing a short puja and let a lamp adorned with flowers, float on the water. Who cares what Karunanidhi says? Sita existed, and still exists in the hearts of billions of Indians! My thoughts went on similar lines, until Biyadiya pointed at the diving kids and cried "Takeshi's castle!" and brought me out of my reverie.

I took in as many sights as I could, trying not to miss anything, but eighty percent of my faculties were engaged in keeping Biyadiya from wandering too far from us. (He is perfectly at home with large crowds and he loves anything connected with water - takes after me and not his Dad, in that aspect.) While traveling in Washington, D.C., I had seen a lady who had two kids tethered to her. I had found it a little odd at that moment, but two days into this trip, I was wondering if I could find a tether that would be easy on both our tummies. It is another matter that I could not find one, but brought Biyadiya safely back to Bangalore.

In the next part of this series, I will write about the Ashtavinayaka temples and Bhimashankar and our journey back.

Our journey northward and back - Part I

2007-10-11T13:24:00.000+05:30

I am not a great traveler. Though I have my share of devotion towards God and my country and love for other countries, I prefer to sit on my armchair and read about them, rather than taking the trouble of actually visiting them. Shirdi, Nasik , the jyotirlingas, Shivneri fort - I had read about all of these places, but if not for my parents' coaxing, I do not think I would have budged from Bangalore. Finally, after two full months of planning, our trip to Maharashtra happened last week. R, Biyadiya and I, my parents, my brother and grandmother, and my sister's family formed the group of travelers (=pilgrims).

The first leg of our journey was by train. I love traveling by trains. For one and a half years, when I was working in Madras, I travelled by train almost every weekend. However, one big difference from those journeys to this one, was the length. Journey from Bangalore to Chennai takes about 7 hours. This journey took nearly twenty hours. While the Bangalore-Chennai journey does not interfere with one's bath and breakfast timings, this one definitely did. R and I did not want to eat before taking bath, but were forced to eat some food to sustain ourselves.

The closest little Biyadiya had ever been to a train other than Thomas, was when he had once waved at it from a distance of more than one hundred meters. The second we got into our seats, he stated wailing pitifully, asking to get off. I knew that there would be some resistance, as he had shown earlier that he disliked bus-travel also. But half an hour after the train started moving, R, my father and a policeman ("rona nahin!"), were successful in calming him down. He gradually took to the train so much, that he actually did not want to get off the train, when we reached Kopargaon!

I hail from Bellary, as I have said elsewhere. The vegetation in those parts of Karnataka is mainly the 'jaalimuLLu' plants. The fields are usually sown with chili and jowar. Now, I have not visited North Karnataka in quite a while, and it was really nice to see those same things again. My eyes feasted again on the stony hills and the black soil. Shirdi and the surrounding places are also what we can call 'bayaluseeme', unlike Pune and its surroundings, which is more like malenaaDu.

At Shirdi, The cleanliness of the premises and the discipline at the temple and at Bhaktanivas, which is the travelers' lodge, were very impressive. There are a few colorful fountains at the entrance to the temple. Both of us (my little one and I) were quite taken by them and spent a long time in front of them. Since elderly people are let in without adherence to the queue, with an escort, my Mother who was worried about Biyadiya, bade me go with my grandma and finish my darshan. It was a very rewarding experience.

For two full months, we had debated on whether we could take little Biyadiya for the trip. Finally, the Great Man at Shirdi made us take him. And we never regretted it once. The only problem for him was food. He is as picky an eater as I am, and sourcing food for us was R's biggest worry throughout. I did not find the idlis and dosas of Maharashtra palatable. Biyadiya agreed with me and went on a hunger strike. I had to then buy Cerelac for him, to keep his energy levels (and mine) up. However, Maharashtrians make Vada pav and Batata vada, which are tasty even when eaten at roadside stalls. I succumbed to those, and hunger pangs did not bother me a lot, afterwards. An interesting thing about the hotels there, was the 'upvaas' menu. I did not try it out at all, but was impressed to see that there was somebody paying enough attention to their upvaas, even while traveling.

This trip was the longest one we have undertaken in at least five years. Since I wish to do it justice, I will continue the travelogue in the next one or two installments.

ಸರ್ವೇಷಾಂ ರೋದನಂ ಬಲಂ!

2007-10-10T14:43:00.000+05:30

ಕರ್ಣಾಟಕದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವ ರಾಜಕೀಯ-ನಾಟಕ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಗೊತ್ತಿರುವಂಥದ್ದು. ಅಧಿಕಾರ ತಮ್ಮೊಬ್ಬರದ್ದೇ ಸ್ವತ್ತು ಎಂದು ಅಂದುಕೊಂಡವರಿಂದ ಇನ್ನೇನು ತಾನೇ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸಬಹುದು?

ಇಷ್ಟೆಲ್ಲದರಲ್ಲಿ, ನನ್ನ ಗಮನ ಸೆಳೆದಿದ್ದು ದೇವೇಗೌಡರ ಹೆಂಡತಿಯ ಅಳಲು. ದಟ್ಸ್ ಕನ್ನಡದ ಒಂದು ವರದಿಯ ಪ್ರಕಾರ, ಎ ದೇವೇಗೌಡರ ಪತ್ನಿ ಚೆನ್ನಮ್ಮನವರು ಜೆಡಿಎಸ್ ನ ಶಾಸಕರಲ್ಲಿ "ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಸೇರಬೇಡಿ. ನೀವು ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಸೇರಿದರೆ ನನ್ನ ಪತಿ ಉಳಿಯುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ನನ್ನ ಮಾಂಗಲ್ಯ ಉಳಿಸುವ ಶಕ್ತಿ ನಿಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿದೆ" ಎಂದು ಅಂಗಲಾಚಿದರಂತೆ. ಇನ್ನೊಂದೆಡೆ ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿಯವರ ಪತ್ನಿ "ನಮ್ಮ ಮಾವನವರ ಮಾತು ಕೇಳಿ ನನ್ನ ಗಂಡ ಹಾಳಾಗಿಹೋದರು" ಎಂದು ಬಿಕ್ಕುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರಂತೆ. ಇದೇ ವಿಷಯವಾಗಿ ಇದ್ದ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಸುದ್ದಿ ಏನೆಂದರೆ ಗೌಡರು "ಅಧಿಕಾರ-ಹಸ್ತಾಂತರವಾದರೆ ನೇಣು ಹಾಕಿಕೊಂಡು ಸಾಯುತ್ತೇನೆ" ಎಂದಿದ್ದು, ಹಾಗೂ ರೇವಣ್ಣ "ತಂದೆಯ ಸಾವಿಗೆ ನೀನೇ ಕಾರಣನಾಗುತ್ತೀಯೆ" ಎಂದು ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿಯವರನ್ನು ಹೆದರಿಸಿದ್ದು.

ಬಹುಶಃ ಭಾರತದ ಸಿನಿಮಾಗಳಂತೆಯೇ ಭಾರತೀಯರಾಜಕೀಯದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ emotional blackmail ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆಯೋ ಏನೋ!

Cobwebs, Cobras and Luck

2007-09-26T09:52:00.000+05:30

The other day, the main door of our house happened to be closed for an unusually long time in the evening. I happened to be the first one to open the door, and walked straight into a cobweb. I "Ewww!"ed and went hastily inside, wiping my face and neck. My Mother-in-law saw this and said "You know, walking into cobwebs is supposed to be very lucky". I felt a little better. (No, cobwebs are not common in our house :D)

But that got me thinking. I am not aware if this happens in other cultures also, but some very unpleasant things are regarded as lucky in India. Take, for example, the sighting of a cobra with its hood raised. That is supposed to be a very good thing to happen to somebody. Of course, I assume that this works only if the person keeps his/her head and walks away from it and not towards it, in reach of its fangs! There are loads of other such superstitions(?) about not-so-pleasant things, like squint-eyes and wisdom teeth growing at awkward angles.

I wonder what the reason is, behind this. I can think of one explanation. It is probably just a way to make a person feel better about an unpleasant experience. Imagine what it would do to the morale of the squint-eyed person if someone referred to him as, you know, the lucky one! Suppose somebody is shaken because of his encounter with a cobra, what is a better way to console him than to say "You know, you're really lucky!"?

That said, what is luck? We wish others luck before exams and before weddings. We carry lucky pens that hardly write and wear lucky dresses that are ragged. And at home, I am not allowed to watch any cricket match when India is playing, because that's supposed to be bad luck for the Indian team. I really wonder how much more presumptuous we can get, thinking that one person watching or not watching India play can influence their victory or defeat.

Is it a good idea to make Team India visit the Snake Park before their upcoming match against Australia? :))

What the Indian wore

2007-09-13T11:21:00.000+05:30

When I was reading Aram's comments on an old post, I felt that I had to write something about dressing, however ill-qualified I am to write about good dressing. I am like Bertram Wooster writing 'What the well-dressed man is wearing', while wearing a bright red cummerbund. However, here goes...

The celebrated commentator on Kalidasa's works, Mallinatha, was once teased by a few urchins about his tattered clothes. Immediately Mallinatha retorted "kim vAsasA chIkiri-bAkirENa ... vaiduShyamekaM viduShaam sahaayam" (= what if the clothes are tattered, ... knowledge is the only companion of the learned). Clothes, though often derided as superficial and a token of vanity in both men and women, reflect the culture of the society.

Even from very ancient times, the traditional dress of the Indian male has remained unchanged. A dhoti and an uttareeya are enough to dress him elegantly. Some men wear turbans and other head-dresses, but I do not know if it is common. Shaving the head of all hair except a tuft called shikhe, is required. This is mostly the mark of professional priests, these days. But folks at ISKCON also sport a shikhe. I know of a gentleman in the US who crops his hair regularly, but leaves a few hair intact.

The distinction between a brahmachaari and grihastha in the matter of dress, itself is a nice thing to know. In the uddhava gIta in the twelfth skanda of the Bhaagavatam, some rules are laid down for the brahmachaari to follow. A brahmachaari is not supposed to shave his beard or moustache, not supposed to look at himself in the mirror and not apply perfume. In short, he is not supposed to pay any attention to how he looks. His sole aim should be to learn. (My Mom actually enforced this rule of no-alankaara on us when we were students, though we were girls!) Only after he completes his education, when he becomes a snaataka (graduate), is he to pay attention to his dress.

As far as I know, the grihastha is required to be clean-shaven and should always wear the uttareeya (the upper garment). The uttareeya can be worn in different ways - put on the left shoulder and wrapped around the chest from below the right arm, so that the right shoulder* is exposed, or draped around the shoulders so that the back is covered. Some people tie the uttareeya around their waist, because it is convenient.

In the olden days, it was necessary to wear clothes that were not stitched (asyUta-vastra). DVG, in his 'vaidika-dharma sampradAyastharu' remembers Chandrashekhara Avadhaani, tying up all the torn places in his dhoti, because stitching was not allowed. Even now, some people follow the no-stitching rule, but it is restricted only for times when religious ceremonies have to be performed.

As it is to be expected, women even in the olden times were fond of adorning themselves. Hardly any sanskrit poem is bereft of the description of women's dresses. Kalidaasa mentions lip-paint (OShTharAgaH) in Vikramorvsheeyam. In both Raghuvamsham and kumArasambhavam, he describes incompletely dressed ladies rushing out to see the newly-weds, Aja and Indumati in the former and Shiva-Parvati in the latter. In the fourth act of shaakuntalam, he describes various garments and jewels that the trees of the forest brought forth, to adorn Shakuntala.

When it comes to clothes, unlike the men's, women's dress has undergone a lot of change. In the olden days, women also used to wear un-stitched clothes. As far as I know, it used to be a three-piece garment. But now, the traditional dress is the sari and a blouse. While dhotis are worn in the same way throughout India, there are at least ten different ways to wear a sari. In Karnataka itself, we have the Kodagu type, the North-Karnataka-type of kacche and the usual city-way. Bengalis, Tamilians, Maharashtrians all wear their sarees in distinctive ways. While women in many parts of North India cover their heads with their pallus, South Indian women (except in North Karnataka, I guess) do not. This custom is probably because of the weather, or because of repeated invasions of North India by outsiders.

To quote a cliche, change is the only constant thing in life. Old costumes give way for new ones, which give way for newer ones. Fashion should always follow comfort. But it is always nice to reminisce about old costumes, just like old times. While we cannot relive old times, we can still wear the old costumes, right?

*The right shoulder is regarded as the place where Gods enter the body at birth. A part of the first samskaara, jaatakarma, is medhaajanana, where the father touches the right shoulder of his just-born, before the umbilical cord is cut. Supposedly, this will make the child follow the tradition of the father. This information from Devudu's mahaadarshana.

Jaiajaiavanti, Dvijavanti and Dikshitar

2007-09-04T10:16:00.000+05:30

Hindustani and Carnatic raagas are often easily distinguishable. While Carnatic raagas use all kinds of gamaka (kampita, jaaru and flat notes without gamaka), Hindustani music has more of jaaru gamaka and flat notes. This difference in the nature of the raagas itself, however, has not prevented Carnatic musicians from adopting Hindustani raagas and viceversa.

Muttuswami Dikshitar, a revered name in Carnatic music, belonged to a family of glorious experimenters, whose creations thrive even to this day. His brother, Baluswami Dikshitar, brought violin to Carnatic music as a side-instrument (pakkavAdya). His father, Ramaswami Dikshitar, created Hamsadhvani, an extremely popular raga. Muttuswami Dikshitar's erudition in Sanskrit, Shrividya, Vedas, Astrology and many other branches of knowledge, resulted in some of the finest compositions in Carnatic music. 'akshayalinga vibho' of Shankaraabharana, 'maanasa guruguharUpam bhaja re' in Anandabhairavi, 'mInAkshi me mudam dEhi' of pUrvikalyANi and a few other kritis of his are my favorites. And I added a new favorite to my list just today. 'chetaH shrI bAlakrishnam bhaja re' is a very beautiful kriti by Dikshitar. It is set in Dvijaavanti, the Carnatic adaptation of the Hindustani raga Jaijaivanti.

When I heard the name 'jaijaivanti', I could not place it immediately. Then a google search told me that the song 'manmohana bade jhoothe' from the movie 'Seema', was set in the same raaga. (Is it coincidence that today is Krishnajanmaashtami, and all the songs I come across are related to Lord Krishna? Incidentally, 'manmohana...' is also one of my favorites.) It is a night raaga, born from the Khamaj thaat. The scale is (from http://www.surdhwani.com/mus_raga.html)
Sa Ri2 Ga2 R2 Sa Dha2 Ni2 Pa Ri2, Ga3 Ma Pa, Ni3 Sa
Sa Ni3 Dha2 Pa, Dha2 Ma, Ga3 Ri ga2 Ri2 Sa

The modern Dvijavanti is a direct derivative of the raaga jaijaivanti. However, Dvijavanti (named thus because of two 'jai's in the name) as conceived by Dikshitar, though said to be derived from Jaijaivanti, resembles not only jaijaivanti but also sahana in some places, and yadukulakaambhoji in some others. The result is a mellifluous melody which leaves one with longing for the divine child of Yashoda. (I could not find the scale for Dikshitar's Dvijavanti. Will post as soon as I find it.)

In the kriti 'chetaH shrI balakrishnam', Dikshitar has used the mood from all the three ragas in a masterly way. The first line of the charaNa, 'navanIta-gandhavAha-vadanam' (= one whose mouth smells of butter), the svaras are arranged in such a way as to remind one of cold breeze. Not a wind, not a tempest or a storm, but just pleasing, soft and cool breeze. In fact, this is the greatness of Dikshitar. The mood of his music always enriches the mood of the sahitya, and viceversa.

My salutations to Dikshitar and his Dvijavanti on the day of Gokulashtami.

You Are Free... You're Not...

2007-08-30T15:39:00.000+05:30

Years ago, when I had fancied myself to be a right-winger and slightly authoritarian, I took an online test that assessed my political inclination. I was a little surprised at the results. I was a right-winger, but so much to the center that it did not matter; and I was a libertarian!

I am all for law and order and discipline. People need a physically, mentally and spiritually safe place to live. But it is wrong for anybody to assume that to make other people feel good, one has to keep bending over backwards and accede to every wish of the other party. This is true in all cases, whether it is the case of travelers in a train shutting up because a co-traveler takes unkindly to their conversation, or the case of Vande Mataram not being sung in schools because a certain group of people is not comfortable with it. A compromise has to be worked out, but it is a crime against oneself if he/she genuinely believes that others matter more than oneself.

I am a huge fan of Ayn Rand and her philosophy. I believe that one exists and needs to exist for oneself only. Even if we avow that we are doing something to please somebody, finally it is our own gratification that will result out of it. Indeed, the line "आत्मनस्तु कामाय सर्वं प्रियं भवति" from the BrihadAraNyakopaniShat can be construed to mean that. And to take it further, if an action brings unhappiness to oneself, it is wrong. Oh, yes, you will be called 'selfish' if you ascribe to this philosophy, but in the end you will end up being much better, and of much value to the society.

I know I am treading controversial ground here. For eons, we have been taught to be accommodating. But how right is it to ask people to give up their comforts for others' sake? Consider this scenario. Suppose I am a pianist, and a writer lives next-door. The writer complained everytime I started playing the piano? Should I give in each and every time and let him write? In some situations it is easy to draw a solid line and say that it is trespassing on the liberty of the other person if that line is crossed. Al Qaeda's recent statement that it is their legitimate right to attack Delhi and Moscow, belongs to this category. In umpteen other situations, very fine lines divide liberty from lawlessness and discipline from oppression.

During the French Revolution, the oppressed lower classes of the society revolted against the aristocracy, and put many of their oppressors to death by guillotine. The royal family, aristocrats and supporters of the aristocrats alike were killed. But the revolters became bloodthirsty after that and started killing for flimsy reasons (the whole revolution is superbly described by Charles Dickens in 'A Tale of Two Cities'). What started out as a fight for liberty became lawlessness and chaos. And I think that the reason for this was the failure to see liberty as it was, as a right as well as a responsibility.

As with all things, liberty also comes with certain costs and some responsibilities. As one becomes more and more independent, far less people tend to guide him. He is on his own, and must rely on his own experience to wade through the ocean of life. And of course, he should be responsible enough to not topple others' boats while enjoying his swim. And it will be better for others, if he takes up the additional responsibility of helping others sail, if not swim like him...

Really, are we free?

ಕೆಟ್ಟ, ಕೆಡುತ್ತಿರುವ ಕನ್ನಡ

2007-08-29T11:00:00.000+05:30

ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ಮಿತ್ರರೊಬ್ಬರು ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿದರು "ಏನ್ರಿ, 'ಸಾಫ್ಟ್‌ವೇರ್' ಗೆ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಏನು ಹೇಳ್ತಾರೆ?" ಎಂದು. ನಾನು "ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ" ಎಂದು ಉತ್ತರಿಸಿದೆ. ಅವರು ಎರಡು ಕ್ಷಣ ಯೋಚಿಸಿ "'ಅಭಿಯಂತ' ಎಂದರೆ ಇಂಜಿನಿಯರ್ ಅಲ್ಲವೇನ್ರಿ?" ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಿದರು. ಹೌದೆಂದೆ. ಆಗ ಅವರು "ಹಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ ನನ್ನ ವೃತ್ತಿಯನ್ನು 'ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ-ಅಭಿಯಂತ' ಎಂದು ನಮೂದಿಸಬಹುದೆ?" ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಿದರು. ನಾನು ಅವಾಕ್ಕಾದೆ.

ಕನ್ನಡಭಾಷೆ ಬಹಳ ಸೊಗಸಾದ, ಮುದ್ದಾದ ಭಾಷೆ. ಆದರೆ ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ಕೇಳಿಬರುತ್ತಿರುವ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಸೊಗಸು ಕಾಣಿಸುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ. ವಾರ್ತಾಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಾಗಲಿ, ದೂರದರ್ಶನದಲ್ಲಾಗಲಿ ಕಾಣ/ಕೇಳಿಬರುವ ಕನ್ನಡ ಬಹಳ ಸಲ ಸಹನಶೀಲೆಯಾದ ಕನ್ನಡ-ತಾಯಿಗೇ ಅಳು ಬರಿಸುವಂತಿರುತ್ತದೆ.

ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತ ಮತ್ತು ಕನ್ನಡಪದಗಳನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಸಿ ಮಾಡುವ ಸಮಾಸ ಅರಿಸಮಾಸ. ಕುಮಾರವ್ಯಾಸನ ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಲ್ಲಲ್ಲಿ ಅರಿಸಮಾಸಗಳ ಪ್ರಯೋಗವಿದೆ ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಪ್ರತಿದಿನ ಬೆಳಗಿನ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದು ಎರಡು ನಿಮಿಷ ಓದಿದರೆ ಹೊಸ ಹೊಸ ಅರಿಸಮಾಸಗಳು ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ರಾಚುತ್ತವೆ. ಕುಮಾರವ್ಯಾಸ ಅರಿಸಮಾಸಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿದ ಎಂಬುದನ್ನೇ ಪ್ರಮಾಣವಾಗಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡು ಸಿಕ್ಕ ಸಿಕ್ಕ ಪದಗಳೆಲ್ಲಕ್ಕೂ ಸಮಾಸ ಮಾಡಲು ಹೊರಟರೆ ಸರಿಯೇ? 'ಸದ್ಬಳಕೆ', 'ಸಂಪರ್ಕ-ಕೊಂಡಿ' - ಒಂದೇ ಎರಡೇ? ಇವು ವ್ಯಾಕರಣರೀತ್ಯಾ ಅಶುದ್ಧವಷ್ಟೇ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಕೇಳಲು ಸಹ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಕೇಳಲಾದರೂ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ ಒಪ್ಪಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬಹುದೇನೋ...

ಸಮಾಸಗಳದೊಂದಾದರೆ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ವಿಶೇಷಣಗಳದ್ದು. ಅನೇಕರ ಬರೆಹಗಳಲ್ಲಿ "ಬುದ್ಧಿಮಾಂದ್ಯ ಮಕ್ಕಳು" ಎಂಬ ಪದಪುಂಜ ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆ. ಮಂದ ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಇರುವವರು ಬುದ್ಧಿಮಂದರು. ಬುದ್ಧಿಮಂದರ ಭಾವ ಬುದ್ಧಿಮಾಂದ್ಯ. ಹೀಗೆ ಬುದ್ಧಿಮಾಂದ್ಯ ಒಂದು ನಾಮಪದ. ಈ ಪದ "ಮಕ್ಕಳು" ಎಂಬ ಪದಕ್ಕೆ ವಿಶೇಷಣವಾಗಲು ಹೇಗೆ ಸಾಧ್ಯ? ಪ್ರೊ. ಜಿ. ವೆಂಕಟಸುಬ್ಬಯ್ಯನವರು 'ಅಂಗವಿಕಲ' ಎಂಬ ಪದಕ್ಕೆ ಬದಲಾಗಿ 'ವಿಕಲಚೇತನ' ಎಂಬ ಪದವನ್ನು ಸೂಚಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಹಾಗೆ ಸೂಚಿಸಿದಾಗ ಅವರು ಪ್ರಾಯಃ ಅನ್ಯಮನಸ್ಕರಾಗಿದ್ದರೇನೋ. 'ಅಂಗವಿಕಲ'ರ ಅಂಗ(ಗಳು) ಮಾತ್ರ ವಿಕಲ. ಆದರೆ ವಿಕಲಚೇತನರ ಮನಸ್ಸು-ಬುದ್ಧಿ-ಆತ್ಮಗಳೇ ವಿಕಲ!(ಚೇತನ = soul , mind L. ; n.consciousness , understanding , sense , intelligence) ಆಂಗ್ಲದ 'differently abled' ಎಂಬ ಅರ್ಥ ತರಲು ಹೋಗಿ ಇದು ಎಂತಹ ಆಭಾಸವಾಯಿತು! ಕನ್ನಡದ ಎಲ್ಲ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಈ ಪದಗಳು ರಾರಾಜಿಸುತ್ತವೆ ಎಂಬುದು ದುಃಖದ ಸಂಗತಿ.

ಇದೇ ತೆರನಾದ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ "ಪ್ರಾಧಾನ್ಯತೆ", "ನೈಪುಣ್ಯತೆ" ಮುಂತಾದ "ತೆ" ಗಳದ್ದು. ಪ್ರಧಾನನ ಭಾವ ಪ್ರಾಧಾನ್ಯ, ನಿಪುಣನ(ಳ) ಭಾವ ನೈಪುಣ್ಯ. 'ಪ್ರಧಾನ' ಮತ್ತು 'ನಿಪುಣ' ಎಂಬ ಪದಗಳಿಗೆ 'ತೆ' ಎಂಬ ಪ್ರತ್ಯಯ ಸೇರಿಸಿ ಪ್ರಧಾನತೆ ಮತ್ತು ನಿಪುಣತೆ ಎಂದು ಬೇಕಾದರೆ ಹೇಳಬಹುದು. ಈ ಪ್ರಯೋಗದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶೇಷಣಗಳಾದ ಪ್ರಧಾನ ಮತ್ತು ನಿಪುಣ ಎಂಬ ಪದಗಳು ನಾಮಪದಗಳಾಗುತ್ತವೆ. ಈಗ ಈ ಪದಗಳಿಗೆ - ಉದಾ. ಪ್ರಾಧಾನ್ಯ ಎಂಬ ಪದಕ್ಕೆ "ತೆ" ಎಂಬ ಪ್ರತ್ಯಯ ಸೇರಿಸಿದರೆ "ಪ್ರಧಾನನ ಭಾವದ ಭಾವ" ಎಂಬ ಅರ್ಥ ಉಂಟಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. 'ನೈಪುಣ್ಯತೆ' ಕೂಡ ಹಾಗೆಯೇ. ಇದನ್ನು ಅರ್ಥೈಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ನನ್ನ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ವಿಫಲವಾಗಿ ಇದನ್ನು ಅಪಶಬ್ದಗಳ ಗುಂಪಿಗೆ ಸೇರಿಸಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ನೀವೇನಂತೀರಿ?

ಇನ್ನು ಜಾಹೀರಾತುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೇಳಿಬರುವ ಕನ್ನಡದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ. ಹಿಂದೆ ಉತ್ಪನ್ನಗಳು ಕಡಿಮೆ ಇದ್ದುದರಿಂದಲೋ ಏನೋ, ಜಾಹೀರಾತುಗಳು ಕಡಿಮೆ ಇರುತ್ತಿದ್ದವು. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಯೋಗಿಸಿದ ಭಾಷೆ ಕೂಡ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿರುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. "ನನ್ನ ನಲ್ಲನ ಹೊಲದಲ್ಲಿ..." ಎಂಬ ರೇಡಿಯೊ-ದ ಜಾಹೀರಾತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಶಬ್ದಾಲಂಕಾರವೂ ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆ. ಆ ಜಾಹೀರಾತುಗಳ ದರ್ಜೆ ಅದು. ಆದರೆ ಇಂದು? ಪುನಃ-ಚಿತ್ರೀಕರಣ ದುಬಾರಿಯಾದುದರಿಂದ ಹಿಂದಿಯಲ್ಲೋ ತಮಿಳಿನಲ್ಲೋ ಇರುವ ಜಾಹೀರಾತನ್ನು ಡಬ್ ಮಾಡಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ನಮ್ಮವರು ಅದೇ ರಾಗಗಳಿಗೆ ತಮ್ಮ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯವನ್ನು ಜೋಡಿಸಿ ಅದನ್ನು ಪ್ರದರ್ಶಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಕನ್ನಡದಂತೆ ಒತ್ತಕ್ಷರಗಳು ಹಿಂದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಲ್ಲವಾದ್ದರಿಂದ ಈ ಜಾಹೀರಾತುಗಳು ಕರ್ಣಕಠೋರವಾಗಿರುತ್ತವೆ. ಅದೇ ಸಂಗೀತವನ್ನು ಇಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡು ಇನ್ನೂ ಚೆನ್ನಾದ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯವನ್ನು ಅಳವಡಿಸಿ ಹಾಡಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿದೆ. ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗೆ "ಬೆಸೆದಿರಲಿ... ಜೀವನದಾ-ಸಂಪರ್ಕ ಕೊಂಡಿ" ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು 'ಬೆಸೆದಿರಲಿ ಜೀವನದ ಮಧುರ ಬಾಂಧವ್ಯ.." ಎಂಬುದಾಗಿಯೋ, ಅಥವಾ ಇನ್ನೂ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿರುವ ಪದಗಳನ್ನು ಬಳಸಿ ಹಾಡಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲವೇ? ಈ ಕೆಲಸ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಕಷ್ಟ, ಆದರೂ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಸೊಗಸನ್ನು ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಅಷ್ಟಾದರೂ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ಪಡಬಹುದು ಎಂದು ನನ್ನ ಭಾವನೆ.

ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ಒಬ್ಬ ಹಿರಿಯರು ಸಖೇದರಾಗಿ "ಕನ್ನಡದ ಆಯುಷ್ಯ ಇನ್ನು ಎಪ್ಪತ್ತು-ಎಂಭತ್ತು ವರ್ಷಗಳಷ್ಟು ಮಾತ್ರ ಎಂದು ಅನ್ನಿಸುತ್ತದೆ" ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದರು. ಈಗಿನ ಕನ್ನಡದ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ ನೋಡಿದರೆ ಅವರು ಹೇಳಿದ್ದು ನಿಜವೆಂದೇ ಅನ್ನಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ನಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಕನ್ನಡನುಡಿಯ ಆಯುಷ್ಯವನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸಲು ನಾವೇನು ಮಾಡಬಹುದು?

ಇದನ್ನೂ ಓದಿ:
Random ramblings: ಎಷ್ಟು ದಿವಸಗಳಾದವು ಬರೆದು!!

Drums and Camphor, Rice and ...

2007-08-21T15:19:00.000+05:30

I was eating a peaceful lunch in the lunch room today, talking about mundane things that afflict employees everywhere. It was then that I heard the sound of drums beating in a simple rhythm. I did not give much thought to it, until the drum-beating crowd sounded like they had made a stop right in front of our office. I walked to the window to see what it was. There was an open lorry, with the icon of a Goddess, bedecked with jewels and adorned with flowers. A couple of people were holding umbrellas above Her head. I thought that it was the traditional aarati, and I was instantly reminded of my days in Madras. Every now and then, processions of Gods used to be taken on our road. There used to be naagaswaram playing beautifully. The house-fronts would be cleaned, and adorned with rangolis. We used to take camphor, fruit and coconuts and perform pooja. But this procession wasn't just that.

There was a water tank leading the lorry. God's path has to be clean, so these guys had ingeniously brought a tank along, with its faucet open. Drums were beating loudly and rhythmically. A couple of youngsters were dancing and looked like they were drunk. A man spread banana leaves side by side on the ground, right in front of the lorry. A couple of women served rice and some more dishes on them. A girl removed agarbattis from the wrapper, handed them to the chief priestess (?) and threw the wrapper on the roadside. I remained watching, mainly to see whether these guys would clean up as they left. On hindsight, I think that was too much of an expectation.

Agarbattis were burnt. Camphor was lit. There was real devotion and seriousness on the faces of the people standing around the lorry. The drum-beating then reached a feverish tempo. Two sheep were dragged in front of the lorry. That was the limit for me. I could not stomach it anymore. I just walked back to my seat. A while later, the beating of the drums stopped.

I have spent quite some time in small and large towns of Karnataka. Every year, in B__, there used to be the annual festival of the Mother Goddess, and animal sacrifice used to be a regular part of the proceedings. I do not know if it continues, though. During my tenth standard I lived in H___, another town. And exactly before my exams, cholera broke out. The folks there thought that it was because the Mother Goddess was angry. Therefore, to propitiate her, a festival was organized. Some thirty buffaloes, a lot of sheep and innumerable chicken were sacrificed. The devotees were not at all worried about cholera spreading even more because of their unhygenic practices.

Is there a law that bans animal sacrifice? Yes!

Hair = extension of the umbilical cord?

2007-08-16T11:08:00.001+05:30

Little Biyadiya is one person I want to write about all the time, but I check myself. I am not comfortable about writing about someone that close. But I really could not keep myself from writing this one.

I have always felt a pang whenever he crossed one of his milestones. When he started solids, when I first left him at home and went out for a couple of hours, when he wanted to hold his cup of milk himself while drinking... The most recent one was cropping his hair.

His chaula was performed way back in April, when we had gotten a small amount of hair removed. I was postponing the real haircut, partly because I liked the look and the sweet smell of his dishevelled hair in the morning and partly because he would become a big boy after the haircut. But maintenance of his hair was becoming a big problem with him refusing to let us comb and tie them into a ponytail. So, his first haircut happpened yesterday.

Yesterday was an Independence day of a different sort for him. His head and face now look larger. And I confess that I preferred the old look better. And I want to confess that I might not oppose if he chose to have shoulder-length hair in future, as a youth, really!

Sacrifice vs. Righteousness

2007-08-14T12:56:00.000+05:30

Concern for fellow-beings sets apart sajjanas from others. As a Sanskrit proverb goes,
मृदुलं नवनीतमीरितं नवनीतादपि सज्जनस्य हृत् ।
यदिदं द्रवते स्वतापनात् परतापात् सतां पुनः ॥
"Butter is said to be soft, but the sajjana's heart is softer. Butter melts only when it is heated, but the heart of the sajjana melts (even) when others are in
difficulty".

Years ago, there was a very short story in the Kannada magazine, Mayura (I think). The protagonist was a poet, very poor but large-hearted man, like the sajjana in the above shloka. His child was ill, and the whole family was clothed in rags. Our poet was at the end of his wits. At this juncture, he received an unexpected sum of money as a fee (as far as I remember). Then there was a knock on his door. A poor man had come to ask him for help; he wanted to get his daughter married and did not have the money. Our poet gave him all the money he had, and he walked away happily. The poet then told his wife, "What could I do? I have a poet's heart!" ("ನಾನೇನು ಮಾಡಲಿ? ನನ್ನದು ಕವಿಹೃದಯ"). The wife accepted his decision.

Even back then, I had a question. How could the heart that melted at the plight of the poor man, not melt at the sight of his own sick child?

A few days ago, December Stud said in a comment, that all of us are selfish, or should at least be selfish to a certain degree. That struck me as being true, and I got thinking about the various stories of self-sacrifice that appear so often in our mythology and literature. I then realized that I have never liked the extreme self-sacrifice that is, as a rule, praised to the Heavens.

What Jimutavaahana did, was against dharma, in my opinion. As the king, his duty was to protect all his subjects, but he chose to protect Shankhachuda alone, because he was there at the right time and place. His sacrifice had a good result, in that Garuda stopped harming naagas any further, but suppose it had gone unnoticed? True, Jimutavahana was a vidyaadhara and a bodhisattva. But I think I would have had far more respect for him if he had fought and subdued Garuda like a true Kshatriya. (I did not like naagaanandam, the play written by Harsha, either... Well, that's the topic for a separate post).

We have a more realistic view of sacrifice and kshatriyadharma in the Mahabharata. When Kunti offered to send Bhima with the food for Bakasura, even Yudhishthira, the epitome of righteousness, did not approve of the act (as far as I remember). However, this had a good result too; Bhima killed Baka. What appealed to me here was the "down-to-earth-ness" of Yudhishthira.

Sometimes, the idea that self-sacrifice always brings about good results, is comforting. At other times it is disturbing. Finally, it all comes down to doing the right thing, and not just sacrificing. But just how can we decide if what we are doing is right?

Another poem for chitrakavana

2007-08-08T10:38:00.001+05:30

ಈ ಬಾರಿಯ ಚಿತ್ರಕವನದ ಹದಿಮೂರನೆಯ ಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಮುಕ್ತಕವನ್ನು ಬರೆದಿದ್ದೇನೆ.

वीथीतटेष्वुशितमस्तु सुरालये वा
चीनाम्बरं धरतु वाथ विदीर्णचीरम् ।
अश्नातु मृष्टमनिशं किल वा कुभैक्ष्यम्
माता सदैव सुतलालन एव तृप्ता ॥

ರಸ್ತೆಬದಿಯಲ್ಲಿರಲಿ, ಸುರರ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿರಲಿ, ಚೀನಾಂಬರ ಧರಿಸಿರಲಿ, ಹರಿದುದನ್ನುಟ್ಟಿರಲಿ, ಮೃಷ್ಟಾನ್ನವುಣ್ಣಲಿ, ಭಿಕ್ಷೆಯನು ಭಕ್ಷಿಸಲಿ,
ತಾಯಿಗೆ ತೃಪ್ತಿ ಸಿಗುವುದು ಮಗುವಿನ ಲಾಲನೆಯಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಅಲ್ಲವೇ!

ಜೀವನಯಾತ್ರೆಯು ಸಾಗುತಿದೆ

2007-08-02T17:39:00.000+05:30

ಚಿತ್ರಕವನದ ಹನ್ನೆರಡನೆಯ ಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಬರೆದ ಎರಡು ಮುಕ್ತಕಗಳು

೧.
ಜನ್ಮಜನ್ಮಗಳ ಸಹಚರರಿವರು
ಜೀವನಯಾತ್ರೆಯ ಪಯಣಿಗರು
ಬಾಳಿನ ಸಂಜೆಯ ಸೊಬಗ ಹೀರುವರು
ಜೊತೆಜೊತೆಯಾಗಿಯೆ ನಲಿಯುವರು

೨.
ಕಣ್ಣಲಿ ಸೋಡ ಇದ್ದರೇನಂತೆ
ಚೆಲುವು ನೋಡುವರ ಕಣ್ಣಲ್ಲಿ!
ಅವರ ಕಣ್ಣಿಗಿವರೆಂದೂ ತರುಣಿಯೆ,
ಇವರ ಕಣ್ಣಿಗವರೂ ತರುಣ!

Harry-puraaNa

2007-07-27T17:53:00.000+05:30

I am an unabashed fan of Harry Potter. Not so much of a fan (my priorities have, er... changed now) to leave aside all other things and keep reading till I finish the book, but enough of a fan to prebook, buy and read as soon as possible. The narration is tight, the stories riveting and the characters are immensely loveable.

Today I had lunch at a relative’s. A few of us were discussing excitedly about ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’. (No, I still have not finished it. I have been terribly busy these couple of weeks and let R read it first.) An Uncle, G, heard our conversation and said “You would not read with so much interest if ‘baalanaagamma’ or ‘paataalabhairavi’ were released, you want only a western Harry Potter”. A couple of other elders joined in. The youngsters’ voice of protest was drowned in the elders' complaints about how today's kids loved "foreign" books and foreign everything. All this stemming from an innocent discussion about Harry Potter.

Let me make one thing clear first. I am all for preservation of Indian culture. Nobody who knows me can say that I do not read Indian books. I am pretty well-informed about our puranic and vedic lore. And it really irritates me when some people, writers included, rant that the HP series is not good, just hyped by the media. G was of the opinion that the sole reason for the popularity of HP was because of the publicity by the media. I think that the media-hype will work for the first volume and probably even the second. Beyond that, it is solely the writer's capability and the books' quality that makes the book popular or not popular.

I think I have complained elsewhere in my blog, that kids hardly read these days. They are so full of video games and the TV, that reading books other than their textbooks is somewhere at the end of their list of love-to-do things. This is if reading does find a place at all, in such a list. In this scenario, the one series that has taken many kids and adults back to reading is the Harry Potter series. They have made reading 'cool'. The books, even if they can be read very easily, are well-thought out. And since they are pretty voluminous, I think they tend to make other big books less intimidating, in the long run.

True, we have other, better books even in India. But let us not grudge Rowling her well-deserved popularity. She has given us a wonderful series of books; let's enjoy them!

ಶಚೀಹತ

2007-07-23T10:01:00.000+05:30

ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ಒಂದು ಮೀಟಿಂಗಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಳಿತಿದ್ದಾಗ, ಅಲ್ಲೇ ಮೇಜಿನ ಮೇಲಿದ್ದ ಮಾರ್ಕರ್ ಅನ್ನು ಕೈಗೆ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ನೋಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೆ. ಅದರ ಮೇಲೆ Shachihata ಎಂದು ಬರೆದಿತ್ತು. ಈ ಹೆಸರು ಜಪಾನೀಯ ಹೆಸರೆಂದು ಅನ್ನಿಸಿದರೂ, ನಮ್ಮ ಭಾಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಏನು ಅರ್ಥವನ್ನು ಕೊಡಬಹುದೆಂಬ ಯೋಚನೆ ಬಂದಿತು.

"ಶಚೀಹತ" ಎಂಬ ಸಮಾಸವನ್ನು ಎರಡು ರೀತಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿಡಿಸಬಹುದು. ಒಂದು ತೃತೀಯಾ ತತ್ಪುರುಷ-ಸಮಾಸ, 'ಶಚ್ಯಾ ಹತಃ' - ಶಚಿಯಿಂದ ಹತನಾದವನು ಎಂದು. ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಪಂಚಮೀ ತತ್ಪುರುಷಸಮಾಸ, "ಶಚ್ಯಾಃ ಹತಃ" - ಶಚಿಯ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದ ಹತನಾದವನು ಎಂದು. ಹತ ಎನ್ನುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತದಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನಾ ಅರ್ಥಗಳಿವೆ. "ಹಾಳಾಗಿದ್ದು" ಎಂಬ ಅರ್ಥವೂ ಒಂದುಂಟು. ಮೊದಲನೆಯದಕ್ಕೆ, ಎಂದರೆ ಶಚಿಯಿಂದ ಹತನಾದವನ ಉದಾಹರಣೆ ನನಗೆ ಸಿಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ಶಚಿಯ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದ ಹಾಳಾದವರು ದೊರೆತರು.

ವೇದಗಳ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಇಂದ್ರ ಇಂದ್ರಿಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಸ್ವಾಮಿ. ಅವನ ಪತ್ನಿಯಾದ ಇಂದ್ರಾಣೀ ಅಥವಾ ಶಚೀ, ಇಂದ್ರಿಯವಸ್ತುಗಳಿಗೆ ಅಧಿದೇವತೆ. ಒಂದರ್ಥದಲ್ಲಿ "ಶಚೀಹತ" ಎಂದರೆ ಇಂದ್ರಿಯವಸ್ತುಗಳಿಂದ ಹಾಳಾದವರು ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಬಹುದಾದರೂ ಈ ಅರ್ಥ ನನಗೆ ಅಷ್ಟು ರುಚಿಸಲಿಲ್ಲ.

ಪುರಾಣಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುವ ಒಂದು ಕಥೆ ಹೀಗಿದೆ. ವೃತ್ರಾಸುರನನ್ನು ಸಂಹರಿಸಿದ ಇಂದ್ರ ಆ ಪಾಪವನ್ನು ನಿವಾರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು, ಹತ್ಯೆಯಿಂದ ತಪ್ಪಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಅಡಗಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಲೋಕವು ಅನಿಂದ್ರವಾಗುವುದನ್ನು ತಪ್ಪಿಸಲು ದೇವತೆಗಳು ಧರ್ಮಿಷ್ಠನಾದ ಮಹಾರಾಜ ನಹುಷನನ್ನು ಕರೆತಂದು ಇಂದ್ರನನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅಧಿಕಾರಮದದಿಂದ ನಹುಷ ಶಚಿಯನ್ನು ಬಯಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಪಲ್ಲಕ್ಕಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಿರುವಾಗ ಬೇಗ ಹೋಗೆಂದು ಒಬ್ಬ ಋಷಿಯನ್ನು ಒದ್ದಾಗ ಕ್ರುದ್ಧನಾದ ಆ ಋಷಿ "ಅಜಗರನಾಗು" ಎಂದು ನಹುಷನನ್ನು ಶಪಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ನಹುಷ ಅಜಗರನಾಗಿ ಭೂಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬೀಳುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಮುಂದೆ ಊಟಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಭೀಮನನ್ನು ಹಿಡಿದು, ಯುಧಿಷ್ಠಿರ ಅವನನ್ನು ಬಿಡಿಸಿದಾಗ ಅವನಿಗೆ ಶಾಪವಿಮೋಚನೆಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. 'ಶಚೀಹತ' ಎಂಬುದು ನಹುಷನಿಗೆ ಅನ್ವರ್ಥನಾಮವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.

ಇದೇ ಕಥೆಯನ್ನು ಹಿರಿಯ ಲೇಖಕರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ದೇವುಡು ನರಸಿಂಹ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಿಗಳು 'ಮಹಾಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯ' ಎಂಬ ಸುಂದರ ಕೃತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಭಿನ್ನವಾಗಿ ಮೂಡಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ನಹುಷನೇ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಮಹಾಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯ. ವೇದಕಾಲದ ಇಂದ್ರನಿಗೆ ಸಲ್ಲಬೇಕಾದಷ್ಟು ಮರ್ಯಾದೆಯನ್ನು ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುತ್ತಲೇ, ಮಾನವನಾದ ನಹುಷನನ್ನೂ ಇಂದ್ರನಿಗೆ ಸಮಾನವಾಗಿ ಚಿತ್ರಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶಗಳೇನೋ ಮೇಲೆ ಹೇಳಿದಂತೆಯೇ, ಆದರೆ ಪಾತ್ರಗಳ ಉದ್ದೇಶಗಳು ಮಾತ್ರ ಬೇರೆಯವು. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನಹುಷ ಏಕಪತ್ನೀವ್ರತಸ್ಥ. ಇಂದ್ರ ಮರಳಿ ಬಂದಾಗ ನಹುಷನಂಥವನು ಇನ್ನು ನಮಗೆ ರಾಜನಾಗಿರುವುದಿಲ್ಲವಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ದೇವತೆಗಳೂ ಮರುಗುವಷ್ಟು ದೊಡ್ಡ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ ಅವನು. ಹಳೆಯ ಇಂದ್ರನಿಗೆ ಅಧಿಕಾರವನ್ನು ಮರಳಿಸುವ ಮುಂಚೆ ಅವನು ಮಾಡದ ಒಂದು ಕೆಲಸವನ್ನು ಮಾಡಬೇಕೆಂದು ಸಂಕಲ್ಪಿಸಿ ನಹುಷ 'ಸಪ್ತರ್ಷಿಶಿಬಿಕಾರೋಹಣ'ವನ್ನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಸಪ್ತರ್ಷಿಗಳು ಹೊತ್ತ ಶಿಬಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ಏರುವುದು 'ಸಪ್ತರ್ಷಿಶಿಬಿಕಾರೋಹಣ'. ಮಹಿಮಾನ್ವಿತವಾದ ಪಲ್ಲಕ್ಕಿಯಾದ್ದರಿಂದ ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಳಿತವರು ಸಮಾಧಿಸ್ಥರಾಗಿಯೇ ಇರಬೇಕು. ಸಮಾಧಿಯಿಂದ ಕದಲಿದರೆ ಭ್ರಷ್ಟನಾಗುವುದು ನಿಶ್ಚಿತ. ಮುಂದೆ ಹೀಗಾಗುವುದೆಂದು ತಿಳಿದಿದ್ದರೂ ನಹುಷನೇ ಶಿಬಿಕಾರೋಹಣವನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿ, ಶಾಪವನ್ನೂ ಸಮಚಿತ್ತನಾಗಿ ಧರಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ.

ನನಗೆ ಭಾಸ ತನ್ನ 'ಪಂಚರಾತ್ರ'ದಲ್ಲಿ ಮತ್ತು ರನ್ನ ತನ್ನ 'ಗದಾಯುದ್ಧ'ದಲ್ಲಿ ದುರ್ಯೊಧನನನ್ನು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯವನಂತೆ ಚಿತ್ರಿಸಿರುವುದು ಇಷ್ಟವಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ 'ಮಹಾಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯ'ದಲ್ಲಿ ನಹುಷನನ್ನು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಪಾತ್ರವನ್ನಾಗಿ ಚಿತ್ರಿಸಿರುವುದು ಬಹಳ ರುಚಿಸಿತು. ನನ್ನ ಪೂರ್ವಗ್ರಹಗಳೇ ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾರಣವಾದರೂ, ಕೇವಲ ಒಂದು ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಯಿಂದ ನೋಡಿದರೂ 'ಮಹಾಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯ' ಒಂದು ಉತ್ತಮೋತ್ತಮವಾದ ಕೃತಿ.

ದೇವುಡು ಅವರ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಗಳ ಶೈಲಿ ಇತರರ ಶೈಲಿಗಿಂತ ಭಿನ್ನ. ಅವರ ಭಾಷೆ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಭೂಯಿಷ್ಠವಾಗಿ, ಅರ್ಥಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಕಷ್ಟವೇ ಎಂದೆನ್ನಬಹುದು. ಅವರು ಹೇಳುವ ವಿಷಯದ ಬೋಧೆಯಾಗುವುದು ಇನ್ನೂ ಕಷ್ಟತರ (ನನ್ನ ಪತಿ ಹೇಳುವಂತೆ, ಅವರ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯನ್ನು ಓದುವ ಬದಲು ಯಾವುದಾದರೂ ಉಪನಿಷತ್ತನ್ನೇ ಓದಬಹುದು!). ಆದರೆ ಅವರ ಭಾಷೆಯನ್ನೂ, ವಿಷಯವನ್ನೂ ಅರ್ಥ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡರೆ ಆಗುವ ಆನಂದ, ಸಿಗುವ ತೃಪ್ತಿ ಮಾತ್ರ ಅನನ್ಯಸಾಧ್ಯ. ಅವರು ಬರೆದಿರುವ ಅನೇಕ ವಿಷಯಗಳು ಸಾಧನೆಯಿಂದ ಮತ್ತು ಅನುಭವದಿಂದ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಗೋಚರವಾದವು ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ನೆನೆದರೆ ರೋಮಾಂಚನವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ವಸ್ತುಗಳನ್ನೂ ಸಂದರ್ಭಗಳನ್ನೂ ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಕಟ್ಟುವಂತೆ, ಅಲಂಕಾರಯುತವಾಗಿ ವರ್ಣನೆ ಮಾಡುವಲ್ಲಿ ಇನ್ನಾರೂ ದೇವುಡು ಅವರನ್ನು ಸರಿಗಟ್ಟಲಾರರು.

ದೇವುಡು ಅವರ ಇತರ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳು 'ಮಹಾಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ' (ವಿಶ್ವಾಮಿತ್ರ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮರ್ಷಿಯಾದ ಕಥೆ), 'ಮಹಾದರ್ಶನ' (ಯಾಜ್ಞವಲ್ಕ್ಯರು ಶುಕ್ಲಯಜುರ್ವೇದವನ್ನು ಪಡೆದು 'ಸರ್ವಜ್ಞ'ನೆಂದು ಪುರಸ್ಕೃತರಾದ ಕಥೆ), ಮತ್ತು 'ಮಯೂರ' (ಮಯೂರವರ್ಮ ಪಲ್ಲವರನ್ನು ಸೋಲಿಸಿ ಕದಂಬರಾಜ್ಯಸ್ಥಾಪನೆಗೈದ ಕಥೆ - ಈ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯನ್ನು ಚಿತ್ರೀಕರಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ ಶತಕೋಟಿಶಃ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದೆಯೆಂದು ನನ್ನ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯ). ಮೂರೂ ಉತ್ತಮವಾದ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಗಳೇ. ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳನ್ನು ಓದಿ ಮುಗಿಸಿದಾಗ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲುಳಿಯುವುದು ಶಾಂತಭಾವ.

ಒಂದು ಮಾರ್ಕರ್ ನ ದಯೆಯಿಂದ, ನನ್ನ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲೂ ಈಗ ಇರುವುದು ಶಾಂತಭಾವ!

Corporate responsibility

2007-07-17T03:00:00.000+05:30

I do not watch serials on TV, but recently I happened to watch a few minutes of the kannada serial 'Minchu', directed by T.N. Seetharam.

What was going on was this. X, the managing director of a company, has an assistant Y. Now, there is another person Z, who is in need of money for her daughter's wedding, and approaches the finance department of the company for assistance. Z has already taken a housing loan and is still repaying it. Because of that, the finance department agrees to loan only a small amount of money. Z approaches Y, who takes her case to the MD and convinces the MD to increase the loan amount.

Okay, this was just an instance in a TV serial. But it was directed by Seetharam, and we can be sure that he thought it out well, before bringing it on screen. No one can deny that a company is responsible for its employees. But there is only so much anybody can do for anybody else. Even when it is possible, it is not right to cross those limits. What if all the employees of the company (or even half of them, for that matter), ask for loans, for genuine reasons? What would X have done?

Being complacent that someone higher-up is going to bail one out of all difficulties is bad. Unfortunately, I guess that is how we humans are wired (I sometimes wonder if it is just an Indian trait!). Some people always expect that rich companies help mend the bad roads, help government-run schools, and generally donate money generously for all causes.

Recently, I read an article that I received by email, written by Ravi Belagere. It was an open letter to Sudha Murthy. I respect Ravi Belagere a lot for his views, but this article struck me as very odd. Apparently M.P. Prakash, our erstwhile Dy. Chief minister, told Ravi Belagere that he asked all the IT majors to donate money for the development of infrastructure and various other things, and apparently all of them replied that "they would get back on this issue", but have not gotten back since then.

That is not all. Belagere rants about how all flyovers are near the IT offices, how the rich IT companies do not care about the necessities of the farmer whose land was destroyed by floods and about poor children who do not have access to education, how Bangalore became so very costly because of the IT companies.

To an extent, what he says is true. There is too much immigration from other parts of India to Bangalore. Cost of living is escalating. Rents have touched an all-time high. The traffic-situation is abysmal. Rather than spend evenings quietly with books, the youth prefer to hang out at malls. Ask any highschool kid, he/she wants to be a software engineer and nothing else. It is like they do not have any rolemodel in any other field. Good teachers, scientists and the like are hardly to be found. These developments are not good.

But how wise is it to blame the IT industry for everything? Businesses are there because they are in demand. An IT company exists because there are sponsors and shareholders and customers. And people work for IT companies because they pay them enough money to give good education to their kids and build bigger houses. Even IT companies get tax subsidies from the government because they generate revenue and create more wealth. Engineering colleges hiked their fees because of the high salaries the students may get once they finish their education.

And it is not like the IT companies do not do anything for the society. At R's company, there was this quarterly event where each person of the team was paired with a kid from a nearby government school. At the end of the event, R gave him his phone number, and asked him to call if he needed any help. True, such events are few and far between, but that is a start, and a good one at that. RSS has a few orphanages and schools ('anaatha shishu nivaasa', 'aruna chetana', etc) that thrive on donations by 'Professionals in Seva'. The Infosys Foundation has also done a lot of social work.

As harsh as it may sound, companies are answerable to their shareholders, and that is how their policies are made. M.P Prakash cannot complain against global companies without plugging the corrupt holes in his own ministry.

ತುಂಟ ಕರಡಿ ತನ್ನ ತಮ್ಮನಿಗೆ ಹೇಳಿದ್ದು

2007-07-11T12:20:00.000+05:30

ಚಿತ್ರಕವನ ದ ಒಂಭತ್ತನೆಯ ಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಬರೆದ ಪದ್ಯ.

ಕಿಟಕಿಯ ಸರಳುಗಳಾಚೆಯ ಜಗವದು
ಎಷ್ಟು ಸುಂದರವು, ನೋಡಿದೆಯಾ?
ಚಿಗುರಿದ ಮರಗಳು, ಅರಳಿದ ಹೂಗಳು
ಕರೆದಿವೆ ನಮ್ಮನು, ಕೇಳಿದೆಯಾ?

ಮಾವಿನ ಮರದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಜೇನನ್ನು
ಸವಿಯಲು ಸಹಚರನಾಗುವೆಯಾ?
ಹಲಸಿನ ಹಣ್ಣನು ಮೆಲ್ಲನೆ ಬಿಡಿಸುತ
ಮೆಲ್ಲಲು ನೀ ಜತೆಗೂಡುವೆಯಾ?

ನಿದ್ದೆಯ ಹೊತ್ತಲಿ ನೀರಲಾಡಿದ್ದು
ಅಮ್ಮಗೆ ನೀನೇ ಹೇಳಿದೆಯಾ?
ಪಕ್ಕದ ಹಳ್ಳಿಯ ಜನರ ಕೆಣಕಿದ್ದು
ಅವಳಿಗೆ ಕೋಪವ ತರಿಸಿದೆಯಾ?

ನಮ್ಮ ಚೇಷ್ಟೆಗಳು ಮೀರಿದವೇ ಮಿತಿ?
ಚಿಣ್ಣರ ಮೇಲೆಯೆ ಹಠ ಸರಿಯಾ?
ಕೂಡಿ ಹಾಕಿಹಳು ಅಮ್ಮನು ನಮ್ಮನು
ಏನ ಮಾಡುವುದು, ಯೋಚಿಸೆಯಾ?

'Complications' by Atul Gawande

2007-07-05T13:06:00.000+05:30

Writing about books has two positive results and one negative. The positive results first. One -I never run out of subjects provided I keep on reading new books, and two - suppose I want to remind myself of this book, say a few years later, I can just read this review of mine. I have often felt the need for the latter. The negative result - I will be writing about things I have not experienced personally. Many of the ideas will not be my own. But I am willing to take that risk. Henceforth I plan to write about all the interesting books I read. I hope to intersperse the "book-review posts" with other subjects, but let that be for now.

The latest book I read, 'Complications' written by Atul Gawande, was very, very interesting, and it is an understatement. I have been interested in the medical field for as long as I remember. When I go to the doctor either as a patient or as the patient's relative, I am informed. I usually have a fair idea of the side effects of the medicines prescribed. However, after reading 'Complications', I realized how inadequate all that was. It was an epiphany. I trust a couple of doctors implicitly, and the fact that they too can be fallible, is scary, but true. The book talks about mistakes that even good doctors might make, and that wee bit of extra cautiousness that has often saved patients' lives.

Gawande writes with the clinical precision and detachment capable only of a surgeon. And yet there is humanity, there are the intense emotions that even doctors experience. There is not a dull chapter, or even a dull sentence in the book. It could be called delightful, if the subject were not so morbid and serious.

I remember freaking out when I went to the hospital at an unearthly hour and saw the young, inexperienced duty doctor instead of my usual gynecologist. One cannot deny that more experience makes better doctors. And age does matter. Most people I have met are more comfortable with old, experienced doctors than younger doctors with sophisticated degrees. Gawande states an instance where experience came in real handy. A patient came in with a reddened and swollen leg. All the indications were pointing toward cellulitis, a common but treatable infection. But just weeks ago, Gawande had lost one of his patients to necrotizing fasciitis, a rare and fatal bacterial infection that can be treated surgically, only in the very initial stage. (These bacteria, usually strains of streptococcus A, can enter the body through a "wound" as small as a pinprick.) His experience made him order a biopsy and his fears were indeed true. The patient had most of the tissue removed from her leg, but she survived. What would have happened to her if the doctor did not have this kind of an experience earlier? Would the warning bells have sounded even then? It is really hard to say!

There is also this matter of statistics. Cellulitis is a common infection. And about 5% of the cases, thought to be cellulitis at first, turn out to be necrotizing faciitis. Does this help the doctor make a decision on whether the patient in front of him right then has one or the other? Can a good doctor assume that exactly 5 out of a hundred cellulitis-patients that see him have the flesh-eating bacteria? No! Statistics are there to just comfort and/or caution, but they can never be used as a guideline.

From the days of Hippocrates and our own Sushruta, Medical Science has been improving. But newer technology has its own costs. I remember feeling elated when I read about "laparoscopic cholesystectomy" in my high school days. I thought of all the lives that would be saved because of the new technology. The thought that never came to me till I read "Complications" was the learning curve of the doctors. Gawande describes a laparoscopic cholesystectomy (the removal of the gall bladder) that he performed. Only after reading that did I realize how complicated it was, how difficult it was to learn new techniques. Doctors, like all others, take time to learn. But unlike us engineers, their experiments are with life; the stakes are high. One mistake, just half a second of haziness while wielding the scalpel can kill. Okay, I may be exaggerating, but the point is that doctors are responsible for the most precious things in this world.

And they deserve that responsibility. Risks have to be taken if lives are to be saved. Gawande talks about an unusual surgery, the gastric bypass surgery. (There was a report about this surgery in this week's 'Health' supplement of the Indian Express). In this surgery, the stomach is stapled, thereby reducing its size, and about a metre of the small intestine is bypassed, so that less food is absorbed. This is the best cure now available for morbid obesity. I mean, just think of the capability of one four-hour surgery! Many people are leading healthy and happy lives because of the surgery. So, at some point, a decision has to be made. For doctors, however, difficult decisions have to be made all the time.

In the Indian tradition, we say that one should trust the doctor completely. Indeed, it is said that the result is proportional to our trust. From a psychological perspective, this makes complete sense. Though *all* our illnesses are not rooted in the mind, many of them are. Therefore, trusting the doctor is important. But how far do we go? Ultimately it is our own body we are talking about. In Kannada they say 'ಹೊಸ ವೈದ್ಯರಿಗಿಂತ ಹಳೆ ರೋಗಿಯೇ ಮೇಲು', which is true to some extent (My grandma used to do this. She had diabetes, and whenever she ate an extra sweet, she would take a little more of her diabetes medication, without consulting the doctor!). There should be a sort of a compromise between the doctor and the patient as to who listens to whom, to what extent.

'Complications' got me started on thinking about a related thing. There are happy endings and sad endings. But, isn't 'Life' mysterious? A person who has four heart attacks may survive and thrive, whereas another may die of a pinprick. A pacemaker can help an ailing heart, a ventilator can substitute the lungs and a dialysis machine, the kidneys. What is the nature of that "one thing" that keeps all these and more working together in so much harmony that if one organ fails, all the others gradually fail, too. I am delving into Philosophy here, but isn't that a question worth considering?

The story of King Kusha

2007-06-28T17:24:00.000+05:30

Love is wonderful. No, I am not moonstruck, but pondering as usual. The thing is, I was cleaning up some stuff, and happened to see the Amar Chitra Katha comic version of the story of King Kusha. The story triggered some thoughts, and here I am.

For people not in the know, here is the story. It is taken from the Jataka tales. King Okkaka was heirless. Indra granted him two sons as a boon, one wise but ugly and the other handsome but foolish. Sheelavati, the queen asked for the wise one to be born first, and so King Kusha was born. Later, Jayampati, the beautiful child, was born.

Kusha finished his learning quite soon. When his parents asked him to get married, he thought that no princess would agree to get married to a ugly youth like him, and hit upon a ruse to ward off the impending proposals and refusals. He carved a beautiful image of a woman, and asked his parents to find somebody who looked exactly like her. He was confident that they would not be able to find a woman as beautiful as his carving. But he was mistaken. Padmavati, the daughter of Sagala was found and married to Kusha on one condition - the new couple were not to see each other for some time. Padmavati loved to hear him play the veena, and imagined that he had an artist's handsome face.

Kusha could not hide his face long from Padmavati. As soon as she found out that her husband was not the handsome prince she had hoped for, she left for her parents' house. Thither followed Kusha. He became a potter's apprentice, made a beautiful pot with Padmavati's picture on it, and sent it to her. She recognized his work and threw the pot away. He then became the royal wicker-worker's apprentice and sent his work to her, but she rejected that too. He then became a cook at the palace, with the hope that he could at least see her often. She was unrelenting, but Kusha toiled in the royal kitchen, waiting for her to accept him.

Finally, Indra decided to help him. He sent a message to seven different kings in Sagala's name, saying that since his daughter (hey, Indra was a great forger!) had left Kusha, he would marry her off to them. Seven kings with seven armies came to Madda (that was the kingdom of Padmavati). Padmavati's father was now alarmed. Giving Padmavati to any one king would mean war with the other six, and he was just not prepared for it. Padmavati now saw the situation she was in, and appealed to Kusha to help her. Kusha settled matters by offering his seven sisters-in-law to the seven kings. Kusha and Padmavati lived happily ever after.

Now, that was the story. I have a question. I am sure some women, in their vanity, do not consider not-so-good-looking men as worthy of companionship, in spite of their other virtues. But would any man do so much for a woman who has scorned him repeatedly? I have read of men and women who do anything and everything to get to their loved ones back. Rama fought the entire army of Ravana to win Seeta back. In Kalidasa's drama, vikramorvasheeyam, Pururava performed penance for winning Urvashi. One can find umpteen instances like that in other cultures also. In Greek mythology, we have the search for Cupid by Psyche and the pining of Penelope for Ulysses. But in all such stories there is this one common thing - of mutual love that is nourished by longing and even by separation.

Well, I do not want to dissect the story any further and play spoilsport. Do let me know if you liked it :)

Of Poverty, Perseverance and Dharavi

2007-06-21T10:32:00.000+05:30

It is not uncommon to see people seeking alms in Bangalore. Today, while coming to work, I saw a woman with a child in her arms, begging at a traffic signal. It was not a pretty sight. The baby, probably about six months old, was blissfully asleep in its mother's arms. I usually do not give money as alms, but this time I gave what small change I had, knowing well that what I gave was not sufficient even for one meal of the baby.

Did the Mother have a choice? I tried to give her the benefit of doubt. Hers was probably a genuine case. She was probably not skilled in anything, and had the burden of the child to bear. But I have this feeling that there are always jobs available for the industrious and those who really want to work to make ends meet. Why, then, do people resort to begging? I am inclined to think that it is the "man-with-the-twisted-lip -syndrome", as harsh and insensitive as it may sound.

There was a time when 'ಕರತಲಭಿಕ್ಷಾ ತರುತಲವಾಸ:' was regarded highly, when poverty in terms of food, clothes and money was almost synonymous with the richness of the mind and intellect. But this is not that kind of a time. If one is reasonably intelligent and industrious, he/she can find a job (much better than begging), that might fetch enough to ward away hunger. In the olden days, one-sixth of honestly-earned money was supposed to be given off as charity. True, giving money away as charity is good for the giver, but does it not make one section of the society totally dependent on the favors of another? Won't that breed class distinction and class-wars?

I contrasted my experience with this article on Sepia Mutiny, about the Dharavi slum. I had read about the Dharavi slum a couple of years ago in the Kannada magazine, Taranga. And the picture I got from that was that of a dirty slum filled with frustrated people, as one sees in some movies. But this article was a real eye-opener for me. The slum is dirty alright, but the people are industrious, and becoming prosperous. The reason for this is their enthusiasm and spirit, that enable them to fight against all odds.

Apparently there are more than five-thousand one-room factories and many cottage industries in the two sq. km. area of Dharavi, whose collective annual turnover is a whopping 1 billion dollars! If that is not amazing, I don't know what is! Apparently they still do not pay taxes properly, but let us not think about it for now. 85% of the households have a television and 56% have a gas stove... A funny thing, as an aside - do 29% of the slum-dwellers think that the TV is more necessary than a gas stove? Oh, and 21% of the people own telephones. A really good number for a shantytown!

I can give other examples too. A lady used to work as a domestic help in my Grandmother's house. She worked in a few houses everyday for a few years and got her children (two boys), educated. Both of them did their B.E. The younger one lived in Canada for some time and made a lot of money. Now they all live in their own, big house with cars and other luxuries. One can say that Lady Luck was on their side, that the sons were intelligent and all that, but would they have become so successful if they did not have that strong desire to succeed, and if they had not worked so hard? To reiterate a point I feel very strongly about - if one really wants something (and perseveres), the whole universe will conspire in helping him achieve it.

The work-hard-and-sell-hard concept worked for the residents of Dharavi. Will it work for this woman and her child I met? And so many other men, women and children who have to beg for their living? Or rather, will they let it work for them? I fervently hope so, in spite of having a man like this at the helm.

'The Alchemist' By Paulo Coelho

2007-06-15T10:55:00.000+05:30

Just today, I finished reading 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho. The book has garnered a lot of praise from all over the world as life-changing and illuminating. I partly bought the book because I wanted some illumination, and partly to see if it really deserved so much praise. After reading it, I must say that I did find that the praise was well-deserved, and that it was really a book that I could learn from.

'The Alchemist' is the story of Santiago, a shepherd and his quest for a treasure he dreamt about. The book is about following one's dreams, both literally and figuratively. The alchemist guides the boy towards the realization of his dream, and teaches him quite a few things on the way, the most important lessons being perseverance and faith (reminds me of shraddha and saburi).

When I started reading through the book, I was unimpressed. There were, of course, precious nuggets thrown about liberally even from the beginning, the most memorable one for me being "When you really want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you achieve it". But the story itself seemed a bit weird. It felt like of those stories which seem to happen in another dimension altogether, much like Voltaire's "Princess of Babylon". And at times, I felt that I was reading a cross of Stephen Covey and Kahlil Gibran. But gradually, as I read on, I was appreciating the book more and more. I could see myself looking at the sand in the vast expanse of the desert, feeling the wind whisper to me about my dreams.

The boy's name is mentioned only once in the entire novel. Except for that one time, he is always referred to as "the boy". I think that that was because Coelho wanted to make it everybody's book. We are all like the boy; we dream of treasures. But we are not as daring, in that we are content with just dreaming and doing nothing about it. And though Santiago was more a youth than a boy, he is referred to as the boy because he was willing to be guided, without any hesitation. Though he had the help of the decision-making stones, he made his own decisions. This combination of two qualities - the eagerness to be taught and the ability to make decisions, was the reason for the boy's success.

As I do often, I could not help comparing the world-view of Coelho with that of Vedanta. More than once, it struck me that the "Soul of the World" was parabrahma, from where everything originates and to which everything goes in the end. Though Coelho is a practising Catholic, his thoughts about the "Soul of the World" appear distinctly advaitic in nature, when he says "he realized that his Soul was the Soul of the world". Most of his insights seem to stem from his own experiences. In his twenties, Coelho encountered a stranger who first appeared to him in a vision, and then in real life. This had a powerful effect on him, and he then wrote 'The Alchemist', which has a profound effect on us.

There is one very insightful story in the book that I really liked. A boy once went to a wise man to learn the secret of happiness. The wise man gave him a spoon with two drops of oil, and asked him to look around his beautiful castle. When the boy returned, he asked him whether he saw how beautiful his castle was. The boy replied that he could not, because he did not want to spill the oil in the spoon. The wise man asked him to go again and admire the castle and its grounds. The boy did what he was told, and came back, full of admiration for the beauty of the castle. But now, he was so engrossed in looking outside, that the oil was gone! The wise man then told him "The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon". I liked this concept very much. It is the middle-path that is always the best. I am reminded of DVG's poem, one of my favorites.

ಎದೆ ಮಾರುವೋಗದೊಡೆ ಕಣ್ ಸೊಬಗನುಂಡರೇಂ
ಹೃದಯ ಮುಯ್ ಕೇಳದೊಡೆ ನಲಿವ ಸೂಸಿದರೇಂ |
ಕದಡದಿರ್ದೊಡೆ ಮನವ, ತನು ಸೊಗವ ಸವಿದರೇಂ
ಮುದ ತಾನೆ ತಪ್ಪಲ್ಲ ಮಂಕುತಿಮ್ಮ ||

For people who care to learn something from the book, it gives one that much-needed gentle nudge towards one's goals. And the hope that even if we make mistakes searching for our guide like the boy did initially, we will find our alchemist waiting for us somewhere...

ಋಜುವಾದ ಮಾತು

2007-06-05T12:02:00.000+05:30

ಈಚೆಗೆ ಸುದ್ದಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರುವ ವಿಷಯ 'ಆವರಣ'ದ ಮತ್ತು ಭೈರಪ್ಪನವರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಯು. ಆರ್. ಅನಂತಮೂರ್ತಿಯವರು ಮಾಡಿದ ಟೀಕೆ. ಯು.ಆರ್‍.ಏ ಅವರು ಮೊದಲು ಮಾಡಿದ ಟೀಕೆಗೆ ಸ್ಪಂದಿಸಿದ ಅನೇಕಜನ ವಿವಿಧಾಭಿಪ್ರಾಯಗಳನ್ನು ವ್ಯಕ್ತಪಡಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ವಿಜಯಕರ್ಣಾಟಕವನ್ನೂ, ಕೆಲವು ಸುಹೃದರ ಬ್ಲಾಗ್ ಗಳನ್ನೂ ಓದುವ ನನಗೆ ಭೈರಪ್ಪನವರ ಪರವಾಗಿಯೇ ಇಲ್ಲಿನ ಸ್ಪಂದನಗಳು ಇದ್ದದ್ದು ಅಚ್ಚರಿ ತರಿಸಲಿಲ್ಲ. ನನ್ನ ನಿಲುವೂ ಕೂಡ ಸುಮಾರು ಹಾಗೇ ಇದೆ.

ಅನಂತಮೂರ್ತಿಯವರ ಭಾಷೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನನಗೆ ಮೊದಲಿನಿಂದಲೂ ಮೆಚ್ಚುಗೆ-ಗೌರವಗಳಿವೆ. ಬಹಳ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಬರೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆದರೆ ಒಳಹೊಕ್ಕು ನೋಡಿದರೆ ಅವರದು ಸತ್ತ್ವವೇ ಇಲ್ಲದ ಬರವಣಿಗೆ. ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾರಣ ಅವರ ಪೂರ್ವಗ್ರಹಗಳು. ಅವರ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನೈಜತೆ ಕಾಣಸಿಗದು. ಒಂದು ಕಥೆಯನ್ನು ಹೇಳುವಾಗ, ಅದು ಪಾತ್ರಗಳ ಕಥೆಯಾಗಿರಬೇಕು. ಪಾತ್ರಗಳು ಲೇಖಕನ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ ಅವರ ಕ್ರಿಯೆ-ಭಾವ-ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯಗಳು ಲೇಖಕನವಲ್ಲದೆ ಅವುಗಳದೇ ಆದರೆ ಅಂಥ ಕಥೆ ನೈಜ ಎನಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಅನಂತಮೂರ್ತಿಯವರ ಬರೆಹಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಗುಣ ನನಗೆ ಕಾಣಲಿಲ್ಲ. ತಮಾಷೆಯೆಂದರೆ ಅನಂತಮೂರ್ತಿಯವರು ಭೈರಪ್ಪನವರನ್ನು ಈ ವಿಷಯವಾಗಿ ಟೀಕಿಸಿರುವುದು!

ಭೈರಪ್ಪನವರ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕವಿತ್ವದ ಆರ್ದ್ರತೆ ಇಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ಅನಂತಮೂರ್ತಿಯವರು ಹೇಳುವುದನ್ನು ಒಪ್ಪುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಅವರ ಭಾಷೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಗ್ರಾಮ್ಯ. ಆದರೆ ಭೈರಪ್ಪನವರ ಬರೆಹಗಳು (ಅನಂತಮೂರ್ತಿಯವರೂ ಒಪ್ಪುವಂತೆ) ಅದು ಹೇಗೆ ಅಷ್ಟು ಜನಪ್ರಿಯವಾದವು? ಒಂದಂತೂ ನಿಜ. ಸತ್ತ್ವಹೀನಕೃತಿಗಳು ಒಮ್ಮೊಮ್ಮೆ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧವಾಗಬಹುದಾದರೂ ಸರ್ವಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಒಂದು ಕೃತಿ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧವಾಗಬೇಕಾದರೆ ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಅಂತಃಸತ್ತ್ವ, ವಿಚಾರಶೀಲತೆ ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕತೆಗಳು ಇರಬೇಕು. ಭೈರಪ್ಪನವರ ಕೃತಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಗುಣಗಳಿರುವುದರಿಂದ ಅವರ ಕೃತಿಗಳು ಅಷ್ಟು ಜನಪ್ರೀತಿಯನ್ನು ಗಳಿಸಿವೆ. ಕೆಲವರು ಆರೋಪಿಸಿರುವಂತೆ ಭೈರಪ್ಪನವರು ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠತೆಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರತಿಪಾದಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಹಾಗೆ ನೋಡಲು ಹೋದರೆ ಅವರು ಯಾವ ವಿಷಯವನ್ನೂ ಪ್ರತಿಪಾದಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾತ್ರ ನಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದಿಟ್ಟು ಉತ್ತರದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನಾವೇ ಯೋಚನೆ ಮಾಡುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇದು ಉತ್ತಮಲೇಖಕನ ಗುರುತು. ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗೆ, 'ದಾಟು' ವಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅಂತರ್ಜಾತೀಯ ವಿವಾಹಗಳ ಬೇರೆಬೇರೆ ವಿಧಗಳನ್ನು, ಬೇರೆಬೇರೆ ಜಾತಿಯವರಿಗೆ ತಮ್ಮ ಜಾತಿಯ ಮತ್ತು ಅನ್ಯಜಾತಿಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಇರುವ ಭಾವನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಕಥೆಯ ಹಂದರದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಣೆದು, ಈ ವಿಷಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಉತ್ತರಗಳನ್ನು ಕಂಡುಹಿಡಿಯುವುದು ಅವರವರಿಗೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದು!

ಹಾಗೆ ನೋಡಿದರೆ ಭೈರಪ್ಪನವರ ನಿಲುವು ಹೀಗೆಯೇ ಎಂದು ನಿಖರವಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಬಲ್ಲ ಪುಸ್ತಕ 'ಆವರಣ'. ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯದೃಷ್ಟ್ಯಾ ಇದು ಭೈರಪ್ಪನವರ ಉತ್ತಮಕೃತಿಯೆಂದು ಖಂಡಿತ ಹೇಳಲಾಗದು. ಆದರೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ವಿವರಿಸಿರುವ ವಿಚಾರಗಳು ನಮ್ಮ ಇಂದಿನ "ಸೆಕ್ಯುಲರ್" ಜನತೆಗೆ ಅಗತ್ಯವಾಗಿ ತಿಳಿಹೇಳಬೇಕಾದವು. ಸತ್ಯದ ಸಮಾಧಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಸುಳ್ಳಿನ ಗೋಪುರವನ್ನು ಕಟ್ಟಲು ಹೊರಟಿರುವವರು ನಮ್ಮ ಇಂದಿನ ವಾಮಪಂಥೀಯರು. ಆಗಿರುವ ದುರಂತಗಳನ್ನು, ಹತ್ಯಾಕಾಂಡಗಳನ್ನು "ಆಗಲಿಲ್ಲ" ಎಂದೂ, ಆಗದ ಆಕ್ರಮಣಗಳನ್ನು "ಆಗಿದೆ" ಎಂದೂ ಸಾರುತ್ತಿರುವ, ಅದನ್ನೇ ನಂಬಿರುವ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗಳು. ಒಂದು ಕೋಮಿನವರ ಮನಸ್ಸಂತೋಷಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಕೋಮಿನವರನ್ನು ತುಳಿಯುವ ಮನಸ್ಸುಳ್ಳವರು. ಹಿಂದೂ-ಮುಸ್ಲಿಮರ ಸ್ನೇಹ ಭಾರತೀಯರಾದ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಬೇಕಾದುದು. ಈ ಸ್ನೇಹ ಸತ್ಯದ ಬುನಾದಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ ನಿಲ್ಲಬೇಕೆಂಬುದು ಭೈರಪ್ಪನವರ ಮತ. ಹೌದು, ಇಸ್ಲಾಂ ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿರುವಷ್ಟು ಬೇರೆಲ್ಲೂ ವರ್ಣರಂಜಿತವಾಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ಇನ್ನೂ ಮುಸ್ಲಿಮರಲ್ಲಿ ಬಹುಪತ್ನೀತ್ವ, ಮೂರು ಬಾರಿ ಹೇಳುವ ತಲಾಕ್ ಜಾರಿಯಲ್ಲಿದೆ. Uniform Civil Code ನ ಕನಸು ಕನಸಾಗಿಯೇ ಉಳಿದಿದೆ. ನಮ್ಮ ವಾಮಪಂಥೀಯರಿಗೋ ಇದು ಹೀಗೆಯೇ ಉಳಿಯಲಿ ಎಂದು. ಕಾಲಕ್ಕನುಗುಣವಾಗಿ ಮುಸ್ಲಿಮರೂ ಬದಲಾಗುವುದು ಬೇಡವೇ? ಹೌದು, ಕಬೀರ್, ಶಿರ್ಡಿಯ ಸಾಯಿಬಾಬಾ ಮುಂತಾದ ಕಾರಣಜನ್ಮರ ಜನ್ಮ ಮತ್ತು ವೃದ್ಧಿ ಇಂತಹುದೇ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆಯಿತು. ಆದರೆ ಇದನ್ನೇ ಮುಂದಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡು "ಮೊಗಲರ ಆಳ್ವಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಂದೂಗಳು ಎಂದಿಗಿಂತ ಸಂತೋಷವಾಗಿದ್ದರು" ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದರೆ ಅದನ್ನು ಒಪ್ಪಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆಯೇ? ಔರಂಗಜೇಬ ಜೆಸಿಯಾ ವಿಧಿಸಿದ್ದು ಸುಳ್ಳಾಗುತ್ತದೆಯೇ?

ಮೂರ್ತಿಯವರು ತಮ್ಮೂರಿನ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನಗಳನ್ನೆಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ಜೀರ್ಣೋದ್ಧಾರ ಮಾಡಿಸಿದ್ದು ಮಿರ್ಜಾ ಇಸ್ಮಾಯಿಲ್ ಸಾಹೇಬರು ಎಂದು ಮಾತಿನ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಹೇಳಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ನಾನು ಇನ್ನೂ ಬಹಳಷ್ಟು ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗಳನ್ನು ಕೊಡಬಲ್ಲೆ. ಬಿ ಆರ್ ಚೋಪ್ರಾ ರವರ "ಮಹಾಭಾರತ್" ಧಾರಾವಾಹಿಯ ಸ್ಕ್ರಿಪ್ಟ್ ಬರೆದದ್ದು ರಾಹಿ ಮಾಸೂಮ್ ರಾಜಾ. ಹಿಂದಿಯ "ಬೈಜು ಬಾವ್ರಾ" ಚಿತ್ರದ 'ಮನ್ ತರ್‌ಪತ್ ಹರಿ ದರ್‌ಶನ್ ಕೋ ಆಜ್' ಗೀತೆಯನ್ನು ಬರೆದಿದ್ದು ಶಕೀಲ್ ಬದಾಯುನಿ, ಸಂಗೀತ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕ ನೌಷಾದ್ ಮತ್ತು ಹಾಡಿದ್ದು ಮೊಹಮ್ಮದ್ ರಫಿ. ಆದರೆ ಇವರೆಲ್ಲರನ್ನೂ ಔರಂಗಜೇಬನನ್ನೂ ಹೋಲಿಸುವುದು ridiculous. ಭಾರತೀಯಮುಸಲ್ಮಾನರನೇಕರನ್ನು ನಾವು ನಮ್ಮವರೆಂದು ಕಂಡುಕೊಂಡಿರುವಂತೆಯೇ, ಹಾಗಿಲ್ಲದವರ ವರ್ತನೆಯನ್ನು (ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನಲ್ಲ) ಖಂಡಿಸಬೇಕು. ಈ ದುಷ್ಕೃತ್ಯಗಳು ಹಿಂದೆ ಆಗಿವೆ ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ಒಪ್ಪಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು. ಆಗಲೇ ಸುಭದ್ರಸಮಾಜದ ನಿರ್ಮಾಣ ಸಾಧ್ಯ. ಹೀಗೆ ಆಗಬಾರದು ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುವವರಿಗೆ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿ ಇಲ್ಲವೆಂದೇ ಹೇಳಬೇಕಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.

ಅನಂತಮೂರ್ತಿಯವರು ಮ್ಯಾಕ್‌ಬೆತ್ ಅನ್ನು ಷೇಕ್ಸ್‌ಪಿಯರ್ ನೋಡಿರುವ ರೀತಿಯನ್ನು ಉದಾಹರಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. (ತನ್ಮೂಲಕ ಔರಂಗಜೇಬನನ್ನೂ ಮನುಷ್ಯನನ್ನಾಗಿ ನೋಡುವ ತಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಆ ಮಹಾಕವಿಯ ಜೊತೆ ಹೋಲಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ!) ಷೇಕ್ಸ್‌ಪಿಯರ್ ಮ್ಯಾಕ್‌ಬೆತ್ ನನ್ನು ಮನುಷ್ಯನನ್ನಾಗಿ ನೋಡಿದರೂ ಅವನು ಮಾಡಿದ ಕೊಲೆಯನ್ನು ಮರೆಮಾಚಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ಆವರಣದ ಬಹುತೇಕ ಟೀಕಾಕಾರರು ಔರಂಗಜೇಬ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನಗಳನ್ನು ನಾಶ ಪಡಿಸಲಿಲ್ಲವೆಂಬುದನ್ನೇ ಒರಲುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅಥವಾ ನಾಶಪಡಿಸಿದುದನ್ನು ಈಗೇಕೆ ಹೇಳಬೇಕು ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ತದ್ವಿರುದ್ಧವಾಗಿರುವ ಜರ್ಮನರ ವರ್ತನೆಯನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ. ನಾಜಿಗಳು ಯಹೂದ್ಯರ ಮೇಲೆ ನಡೆಸಿದ ಹತ್ಯಾಕಾಂಡವನ್ನು ಜರ್ಮನರುಎಂದೂ ಮರೆಮಾಚಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಅವರವರಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂದು ಶಾಂತಿಯಿದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಗೆ ಆಗಲಿಲ್ಲವಾದ್ದರಿಂದ ಹಿಂದೂ-ಮುಸ್ಲಿಮರ ನಡುವೆ ಇರಬೇಕಾದಷ್ಟು ಸೌಹಾರ್ದ ಇಲ್ಲವಾಗಿದೆ. ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾರಣ ಯಾರು?

ಗುಪ್ತರಾಗಲಿ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರಕೂಟರಾಗಲಿ ರಜಪೂತರಾಗಲಿ ಮೊಗಲರಾಗಲಿ ಮರಾಠರಾಗಲಿ, ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಕಟ್ಟಿ ಬೆಳೆಸಿದವರು. ಅವರೆಲ್ಲರಲ್ಲಿ ಗುಣಗಳಿದ್ದಂತೆ ಅವಗುಣಗಳೂ ಇದ್ದವು. ನಾವು ಗುಣಗಳನ್ನು ಒಪ್ಪಿಕೊಂಡಂತೆಯೇ ಅವಗುಣಗಳನ್ನೂ ಒಪ್ಪಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು. ಇಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೆ ಚರಿತ್ರೆಯ ಮೂಲ ಉದ್ದೇಶಕ್ಕೇ ಕೊಡಲಿಯೇಟು ಬೀಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಹೊಸ ಚಿಗುರು ಹಳೆಯ ಬೇರಿನಿಂದಲೇ ಬರುವುದು. ಬೇರು ಸುಳ್ಳಿನದಾದರೆ ಗಿಡವೂ ಸುಳ್ಳೇ ಅಲ್ಲವೆ?

What a man!

2007-05-30T09:38:00.000+05:30

There are few people who deserve the above exclamation, and Sir C.V. Raman is one among them. I just finished reading "Raman and his Effect" by Dr. G. Venkataraman, and it has left me dazzled by one of the most brilliant gems India has produced. I knew next to nothing about Sir C.V before I read this book. I knew that he was a great scientist, knew about his work on acoustics and a little about the Raman effect. What I did not know about the man was his ego, his passion for Science, his love for India, his admiration for roses and minerals and diamonds, and his ego...

Raman is most celebrated for the discovery of the Raman effect . The story of its discovery is interesting. On his way back from his first ever trip abroad, Raman saw the blueness of the Mediterranean sea and wondered why it was. At that time, it was thought that the sea reflected the sky, and the particles in the sea-water absorbed light themselves. The accepted theory was that together, they gave large water bodies their characteristic blue color. But now, Raman had his own doubts. He always carried useful instruments with him, and he made some experiments right there, on the steamer. He then concluded that the water molecules were scattering the light incident upon them. During scattering, the frequency of the light altered, giving rise to the blue colour of the ocean. Raman Effect was thus discovered, and now has its applications in optical communication and analysis of materials, among others.

Perhaps lesser known is the work Raman did on Acoustics. He discovered how the mridangam and the tabla could generate actual musical notes, unlike other drums. He poured fine sand on the instruments immediately after striking them, and by observing the patterns formed by the grains, made fascinating discoveries about the harmonic nature of sounds produced by these instruments.

As a scientist, Raman had to be content with the less-than-adequate amenities he was provided. He was a true engineer. When there were no electric lights in the institute, he used sunlight for his optical experiments. That was Raman, never daunted by mundane, practically un-solvable problems such as poor infrastructure. His solution was simple - supplement the lack of infrastructure with the brilliance of the mind!

Raman's ego was proportional to his brilliance as a scientist. This mammoth-sized-ego was probably justified, probably, because he really was one of the best physicists of the time... After successfully completing the interview for the Assistant Account General's position at Calcutta, Raman said -"I took one look at all the candidates there and knew that I was going to stand first", and indeed he did. And what can you say about the confidence, nay, ego of the man who reserved steamer tickets to Europe in July for the Nobel awarding ceremony, even though they were only going to be announced in November!

There are a few other interesting anecdotes in the book, a couple of which I would like to share. A small boy once asked Raman if he was not ashamed of his turban, while travelling abroad. Raman then related this experience of his. When in London, he attended a lecture of Ernest Rutherford's. He happened to reach the place a little late, and was looking for a seat in the benches at the back. Rutherford then addressed him by his name, and invited him to come and sit in the front. He had recognized Raman because of the Madrasi turban! How could he be ashamed of his turban when it had served as a mark of identification? Another anecdote goes thus. While at IISc, Raman gave a problem in Spectroscopy to his student. The next day, he found the student sitting dejected. When asked why, the student replied "Another person is working on the same problem at UK. He has a 100 kW light, whereas I have only a 10 kW light". To this, Raman retorted "It does not matter, put a 100 kW brain on it!". Simple, ain't it?

In addition to being a great scientist, Sir C.V was also appreciative of Nature's beauty and bounty. He loved to collect diamonds and other crystals (in keeping with his passion for
optics). He grew a variety of flowers both at home and at Raman Research Institute. He states "I regard as the greatest feature of the world Nature herself. She is the supreme artist; she creates forms of beauty, loveliness and color, unsurpassable..."

I hope I have given at least a snippet (however small it may be), of the man who was perhaps as wonderful a person as he was a scientist, inspiring respect and awe in millions of seekers of knowledge. As I am writing this, my head bows in reverence to his great intellect. Little wonder that we celebrate February 28th as the National Science day. That was the day when Raman announced his Raman Effect to the world.

A note about the book itself. This book is one of a series, 'Vignettes in Physics', written by Dr.G. Venkataraman. The author received the Padmashri for the popularization of Science. 'Vignettes in Physics' satiates the curiosity of the ordinary reader and arouses interest in those serious about Physics. The author fondly calls it the "Junior Feynman series". Though this is the first book in this series that I have read seriously, I feel that it is excellent for people like me - who really want to delve deeper into Physics but do not have the time to study the Feynman lectures. Other books in this series are about the Chandrasekhar limit (Note: Raman was Chandrasekhar's uncle), QED, Bhabha, Saha, Quantum theory, etc. I am quite sure that each and every one of them will be an interesting read.

Atonement by Ian McEwan

2007-05-15T17:08:00.000+05:30

This past couple of weeks, I have really been pondering about wars. I happened to read Ian McEwan's novel, "Atonement", and it put into perspective wars, big and small. Till now, I have felt sorry for most of the wars I have read about, in a sort of distant way - the world wars, the Civil war and their aftermaths. Even the Indian war of independence, for all the patriotic feelings it generated in me was - well, just a statistic. What mattered was who lost and who won, and how many people were killed. This book changed the statistics to something very personal. Each person who died in all these cataclysms was some body's husband or wife, lover, sibling or parent. To an extent, the movies "Life is Beautiful" and "Border" try to do it too, but "Atonement" is in a class by itself.

Atonement is the story of Briony, a thirteen-year old girl in 1935. How her precocious imagination brings about a crime, and how she atones for it, is the backbone of the novel. The story itself is simple. What makes the novel so very enjoyable is the lyrical words used by McEwan. He has a great gift for words, and is capable of painting pictures with his pen. Pictures so real that we are transported to a different time and place, and made to feel the characters' emotions as our own. Another great point about Atonement is its naturalness. All events happen one after the other in natural succession. We do not see McEwan thrusting his ideas upon any of the characters, though they are the products of his imagination. We always feel that the characters speak and act of their own accord, not because McEwan wills it.

Perhaps what impressed me most in the novel, was the description of WWII. Robbie Turner, one of the main characters in 'Atonement', is recruited by the English army and sent to fight for France. But the English army cannot match the German onslaught, and a retreat is ordered. While getting to Dunkirk from his station, he witnesses much destruction. He sees a child's leg, just a leg dangling from a tree, and it makes him sick. He tries to rescue a mother and her child from German bombing, but fails. There is hopelessness, death and distress everywhere. The soldiers smoke to keep hunger away, and water is scarce. The taunts and concern of his companions, the attitude of soldiers desperate for food, drink, rest and love make a deep impact on him, and us. The mind boggles when one thinks of the enormity of the carnage caused by the second world war. So many lives lost, so many hearts torn asunder because of the fancies of just one madman who happened to be ambitious and powerful! I used to consider the 'peace and no change' concept simplistic, but since reading this book, I have almost become a pacifist (contrary to my liking). Now, when I think about war, I see the dangling leg of a child in my mind's eye, and it really hurts.

'Atonement' was also in the news for wrong reasons. McEwan was accused of plagiarism . This accusation notwithstanding, I loved the chapter on the nurses' work. Service to the patients while not minding their own physical difficulties is what they learn during probation. They wear neck-biting uniforms, inhale disinfectants all day and their identity is reduced to just a badge...

McEwan uses the name 'Turner' for Robbie throughout the war-description. At the hospital, the nurses are not allowed to reveal their first names to the patients; it is an unwritten rule. That is how war and death are. First names and personal details, emotions, ideas and everything else that make one human life distinct from another are completely obliterated. One just becomes one of many, just a statistic.

There is one aspect of war, positive to some. That is economic revamping. Some businesses thrive during war and after war (I suppose that is why wars are made!). I started wondering about the ethics of manufacturing chocolate bars to distribute in the army (and actually wanting the war to happen, so this chocolate-bar-business may thrive), but I did not get anywhere. I go one way, and it is communism that I detest. And the other way does not look good either. My question is, where does the layperson stand, when it comes to issues like this? Is a person allowed to be selfish? If so, how selfish can (s)he be, without transgressing ethical and moral boundaries? This is a question that does not have an answer.

'Atonement' is a great novel. It is a serious book, definitely worth a serious read. I did not particularly like the ending, though. It leaves one with a calm but yet sinking sort of feeling, and my Indian mind would have been more at ease if the ending were a little more cheery. But perhaps it is just as well... When life itself ends in tragedy so many times, why shouldn't a novel?

Malnad Trip

2007-05-03T23:33:00.000+05:30

It is amazing how something as common as a cool breeze (refreshing, but common nevertheless) can take one on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. It happened to me when I was returning from work today evening. It was very cloudy, and considering the weather for the past few days, it was very cool. I was sitting in the car, looking at the trees passing us by on either side. And suddenly I realized how cool it was today, just like it was when I visited Malnad, a few years ago.

I have acknowledged elsewhere, I think, that I have this strange affinity towards malenaaDu. My trips were few and short, but when walking around there, I have felt at least as local as the locals themselves. I feel that every tree and every rock there speaks to me in a language that I understand. The rain (this trip, the one I enjoyed most, was in June and it was raining hard) could deter others from venturing out, but not me. A part of my mind has lived there, enjoying and worshipping the pristine beauty of the hills and the valleys of malenaaDu every day, before I even saw the place for the first time.

We went to Kukke Subramanya first and the same evening, we went to Dharmasthala. Thence we went to Beltangadi via the picturesque Charmudi ghats. We then went to Horanaadu and from there, to Sringeri. It was then back-to-Bangalore from there. The interesting thing about this trip was not so much about the deities and the temples in the places we visited. That was there, of course, but what is making me nostalgic is the route we took. We happened to take local buses everywhere. I did not want to hire a private vehicle, because then I would remain an outsider. This cost us some time, but it was worth it. A couple of the drivers of the buses stopped at some places, to let me take photographs.

The beautiful Malnad becomes greener and more beautiful during the rainy season. The already thick forests become thicker. The hills and the trees bathe, now in the pouring rain and then in the sunlight. When it rains, it is hard to even see one's hands. The roads are lined on either side with thick trees, a la wooden grills. Clouds rest languidly in the verdant valleys, unwilling to rise up. Here and there, one sees solitary houses. Every couple of kilometres, there is a small, often shy waterfall. Ah... if any place on Earth can be called Elysium, Malnad should be one of the contenders.

A couple of lines from a poem of Prof.Nissar Ahmed's, come to mind -
ಈ ಘಳಿಗೆಯೆ ಮೈ ತಾಳಿತು ಎನುವಂತಿದೆ ಲೋಕ
ಇಡಿ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಯೆ ಸೊಗವಾಂತಿದೆ, ಸಮಯವೇ ನಸು ನಿಂತಂತಿದೆ
ಬಾ ಮಾಡಿಸು ಕಣ್ಮನಗಳಿಗಾನಂದದ ಅಭಿಷೇಕ
I do not know if I can make another trip like this ever again, in spite of my yearning. All I have now are the wonderful pictures, enshrined in my mind. I do not think that I can ever forget them.

Tata makes cars that cost under $2500

2007-04-24T13:24:00.001+05:30

A New Set of Wheels - Sepia Mutiny

I happened to read this interesting article on Sepia Mutiny. Cars are becoming cheaper and cheaper. This article on Thatskannada gives some interesting information about JRD Tata, and how he wanted everybody to be able to own cars (please look at the end of the article).

However, coming back to this piece, one line caught my attention:

"Forbes quotes consultants at Roland Berger as estimating that it would
cost as much as $4,000 on top of Tata’s $2,500 price to engineer the
car to meet U.S. safety and emission regulations, transport, pay
tariffs, market it, pay lawyers and other warranties"

What *is* this! If it is for the US, cars need to be engineered to meet U.S safety and emission regulations! I have absolutely no problem with that, but should we not think about safety and cleaner technology ourselves? Just travel for half an hour in any of Bangalore's roads, and you will not want to travel anywhere, ever again. For the millions of hapless commuters, vehicle emission has become regular breakfast and snack.

And it is not totally the Government's fault. Suppose they pass more stringent emission-regulation laws, the public will somehow get around the "problem" by bribing the authorities and getting an emission certificate. Auto drivers and BMTC drivers will go on strike. Some buses will be burnt and the law will be repealed. There, that's the end of all reformation.

I am wondering if we can do anything other than complain...

Global warming - India Today's article by Raj Chengappa

2007-04-19T13:58:00.001+05:30

Yesterday, I happened to read an alarming article, 'Apocalypse Now' by Raj Chengappa, in India Today. There were 'sister-articles' about what is wrong with the monsoons and melting glaciers. As I read the article, I started feeling queasy in my stomach. If we do not take control of the pollution-situation right now, we are literally going to be in a soup (of very salty water, dead aquatic animals and industrial waste), what with the sea level rising because of global warming. How is this for starters - there was a picture of the Gateway of India, half submerged in the sea. Or these statistics, I quote - "379 parts per million is the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the highest in 6,50,000 years, and 2035 is the year when the Himalayan glaciers may totally disappear, causing catastrophic disruptions". We will be paying the price for decades, if not centuries of harm that we have inflicted on Mother Earth.

Raj Chengappa quotes Syed Iqbal Hasnain, a professor of glaciology, who saw that the snout of the gangOtri glacier that feeds Ganga had developed huge fractures and crevices along a 10-km stretch, which indicated large-scale ice-melts. The professor also saw that the temperature was an average five degrees Celsius higher than last year's. According to the professor, this kind of deterioration is unprecedented. He (Prof. Hasnain) says: "If the rate continues, we could see much of the Gangotri glacier and others in the Himalayas vanish in the next couple of decades."

Heavens! Where would we be if the Gangotri glacier disappeared? The fertile plain fed by Ganga would be only a memory, while North India would become a desert! Our monsoons have already become erratic, and no one would be surprised in the least, if the above scenario were to be seen soon. If this article is not a terrifying wake-up call, I do not know what is.

As it is, I rant enough and I do not want to write about the other horrifying statistics given in the article. Chengappa gives some simple suggestions on how we can help reduce global warming, in our own small way. Here goes: (My comments are preceded by 'P:')

1. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact flourescent lamps.
2. Use solar devices to heat water for bathing. P: I think this is very popular already. I would like to add solar cookers and solar inverters to the list. Visit the india-solar mailing list on yahoo groups.
3. Construct green (=environmentally friendly) buildings. P: Some suggestions: Use hollow bricks so it does not get too hot or too cold in the house. Result- you save on cooling and heating. Have skylight(s), so you don't have to turn on electric lights till late in the evening. Position windows so that you get maximum light out of them. Use eco-friendly paints. Grow plants in and around the house.
4. Turn off computers when not in use. Apparently they consume as much energy as three 60-W bulbs (P: I did not know this!!). So, avoid the standby mode.
5. Switch off the lights when not in use.
6. Conserve water. Use sprinklers or drip-irrigation devices for watering lawns or growing crops. P: I have read that this works for home gardens too. Can't wait to try it out.
7. Check your tyre-pressure often to save fuel.
8. Buy energy-efficient appliances.
9. Prepare for disaster: Dengue and Diarrhoea cases are expected to rise. Ensure that your local hospitals are well equipped to handle the imminent crisis so that recovery is quick and there is minimum loss of life. P: Folks, if this does not scare you, you're not human.
10. Buy fuel-efficient cars. For every litre of petrol consumed, about four kg of carbon dioxide gets injected into the atmosphere. P: Reva tops my list of favorite cars.
11. Walk, do not drive. If you must drive, combine a lot of chores. P: You will benefit from the exercise, and will help the environment too.
12. Reduce air-travel.
13. Good quality shower heads ensure the flow of water is low but efficient, thereby conserving energy.
14. Consume less. P: The most difficult thing in this consumer-driven age.
15. Don't waste water.
16. Recycle
17. Switch to wind power. P: Dunno how this can be implemented.
18. Shun plastic bags. P: If you do have plastic covers, reuse them as many times as you can. In the US, almost all shops have this system of returning carry-covers back to the store itself. Something like that can be started here also.
19. Use public transport. Push the government to improve public transport facilities. P: Using the public transport - another hard thing to do. Pushing the government - much harder. What do we do?
20. Save paper.
21. Rationalize price of electricity. ...haul up politicians for indulging in populism and educate villagers on the virtues of paid power. P: Virtually impossible
22. Plant trees: Make it a point to plant and take care of as many trees as you can.
23. Switch to bio-fuels.
24. Demand clean technology. ...get the government to persist on developed countries to sell clean technology to India cheap... P: Again, very hard to do.
25. Let others know. P: I am doing my part by writing this post :)

I agree with the author on most of the twenty-five points. The only thing that seems impossible to do is persuading the government to do anything. They are more interested in increasing reservation quota and fighting with the opposition. It is totally in *our* hands to make our situation better. It is more we-have-to-do-it, than we-can-do-it.
In addition to the above 25, if you have any more suggestions, please share it with me, and also the readers of India Today.
Thanks.

Mallinatha

2007-04-10T17:23:00.000+05:30

Kalidasa is regarded as kavikulaguru (=the preceptor of the clan of kavi-s). Almost as famous as Kalidasa in the literary circles, is Mallinatha, who has written commentaries regarded very highly by scholars, upon Kalidasa's works.

There is this little-known story (which is, in all probabilities, a legend, ದಂತಕಥೆ) about Mallinatha that I would like to share. I concluded that it was little known, because I could not find references to that story on the internet. I had read it long back, in a Kannada book for children.

Mallinatha was a pampered youth from a rich family. He was made to learn under capable teachers, but he was too lazy to be competent at learning, and abandoned his studies soon. He grew into a handsome youth and since he was from a rich family also, he was in high demand as a son-in-law. He was finally married to a very learned woman.

Mallinatha's wife noticed soon that her husband was too un-knowledgeable for her liking. When one day, Mallinatha praised the beauty of a flower lying on the road-side, she remarked "Of what use is its beauty? Since it does not possess fragrance, it cannot be used for worship". These words stung Mallinatha, and he resolved to restart his learning.

He enrolled himself in a gurukula, and began his studies. For a married youth who had passed his life thitherto in nothing but luxury, life in a gurukula was really hard, but he did not mind that. His guru had instructed his wife, the gurupatni, that mallinatha had to get neem oil instead of ghee, with his meals. Mallinatha was so engrossed with his studies, that he did not notice that he was being served neem oil daily. Because of his assiduous efforts, he made progress in his studies by leaps and bounds.

One day, while he was having his meals with his guru, he noticed that there was something wrong with his food. He said to the gurupatni "Mother, the food is bitter today!". The guru who was sitting next to him, smiled and patted his back, and said "Your education is complete today. You may go home now". He then explained to the puzzled Mallinatha that all during his stay at the gurukula, he was being served neem oil and that he had not noticed it at all, till then.

Mallinatha went back home to the joy of his wife and parents, and wrote the famous commentaries on Kalidasa's works.
The story does not end here. The next part of the story is from Dr.R.Ganesh's "kavitegondu kathe".
Seeing that her husband was now a very learned man, Mallinatha's wife asked him to write a poem about her. After much coercion, mallinAtha wrote a poem, likening her to shoorpanakhaa (रामवैरिभगिनीव राजसे !)
Mallinatha's wife was irritated by this description of her, and was waiting to get back at her husband. Now, in his commentaries, Mallinatha had the habit of writing "ityarthaH" (=this is the meaning), "iti bhAvaH"(=this is the import). He used to be so engrossed with his work, that he used to use these words even during normal conversation. When, one day, Mallinatha asked her what was for lunch, she replied
इत्यर्थ-क्वथितं चैवेतिभाव-तेमनं तथा
सज्जीकृतेद्य भुक्त्यर्थं तुष्यतां भवदाशयः ।
"There is boiled ityartha, majjigehuLi called iti bhAva. Have this lunch and be satisfied!"
Mallinatha was justified in being proud of his wife!

Tiruvannamalai

2007-04-09T10:48:00.001+05:30

Tiruvannamalai had been on our must-visit-soon list for a long time. We had planned several one, two and three-day trips, but none of the plans came into action. This weekend, however, we did not plan a lot, and just left for Tiruvannamalai early in the morning. It is just over two hundred kilometers from Bangalore, a good three and a half hours' journey. The road is good. For some distance it is very good, but as one nears T., it worsens. However, it is much, much better than the roads of Karnataka.

Tiruvannamalai (tiru-aruNa-malai = shrI aruNAchala) houses the shrine of Lord aruNAchalEshvara and apItakuchAmbA . Siva is said to have appeared here as a mountain of fire, to test Brahma and Vishnu. Therefore, the tattva here in this lingam is that of fire. Part of the temple (a thousand-pillar-hall and the kalyANi) has been built by our own Krishnadeva Raya.

In the praakaaram of the temple, there are other small temples of shiva, like kAlahastIshvara, jambukEshvara, etc. I was thrilled to see a small shrine of kAlahastIshvara. The story of tiNNanar is one of little biyadiya's favorite bed-time stories. I took him to that shrine and showed kaNNappa to him. I do not know how much he understood, but as I said, I was thrilled.

I have one problem with the temples of Tamil Nadu. They are all beautifully built with stone, but have been un-beautified by paints of various glaring colours. Look at Tiruttani or Kalahasti or any other temple, they are all painted blue and green and red and what not. In my opinion, the temples would look much better and 'cooler' if they were not painted. However, to each, his own...

The hill Arunachala is really beautiful. It is revered as Lord Shiva himself. On the hill, a saint called 'arunagirinaatha' (I am not sure of the name, and I could not find any reference on the web) is still supposed to be performing tapas, much like babaji in the Himalayas (remember Rajnikant's movie baba?). Parikrama or circumambulation of the hill is supposed to be equivalent to circumambulating Shiva himself. We just went around Arunachala by car.

Almost as famous as the Arunachaleshvara temple is the aashrama of shrI Ramana Maharshi.It is a beautiful aashrama. My husband was saying that one should go there for the silence. Coming to think of it, it was not really that silent. People were talking, the peacocks and peahens were shouting at each other (peacocks are called kEkI in Sanskrit, because of their characteristic sound) and there were vehicles passing on the adjacent road. But the place is so calm that one can hear oneself thinking. I guess that is what one would expect out of a place like Ramanashramam.

Ramanashramam has two attractions - one is Shri Ramana himself and the other is the peacocks. There are many peacocks here. A couple of peacocks even spread their feathers and it was a treat to the eyes, especially for a first-timer like me. Little biyadiya followed a peacock everywhere it went, and finally gave it up.

This was an unforgettable trip. True, we could not find good hotels there, and it was sweltering (hey, the tattva here is fire, after all), but aruNAchala is one place I will want to visit again and again (hopefully for regular parikramas...)

Time Travel

2007-04-02T13:35:00.000+05:30

Okay, this happens to me whenever I am reading about/working with non-causal systems. I start thinking a lot about time-travel. Wouldn't it be great if we could travel back in time and set right many of our wrongs? Or if we could travel to the future and see how our great-grand children would look? Practicalities aside, it is an amazing concept.

Time-travel has been a pet subject for sci-fi movie makers, for a long time, and it does not seem to get old at all! There used to be this series telecast on the Sci-fi channel. A man is tossed from one body to another body and another, all in different times, so that he can set right the wrongs done by other people, and finally return to his own body to the present. He has only one friend throughout this exercise - Al (I think), who appears to him as a hologram. It was an enjoyable series. Fi, yes, but Sci? I should think very little Science was involved :)

And there are those gadgets that have invited a lot of speculation but have always eluded serious research for practical reasons - the time machines. H.G. Well's book 'Time Machine' was even made into a movie starring Guy Pearce. I still have to read the book. A more famous movie and a personal favorite involving time machines, is the 'Back to the Future' trilogy. Who can not love the bungling 'Doc' and the spirited young Michael? And there is another good movie called 'Frequency', where a man communicates with his father from the past and saves his parents from fatal accidents. Even the famous 'Star Trek' has a few episodes on time travel. Coming to Indian cinema, we have 'Aditya 369' which is a pretty good movie too.

There is this theory about how time-machines may work. I had read it someplace, years ago. The events happening on the earth can be seen from the Sun eight minutes later, because the light from the earth takes eight minutes to reach the Sun. So, if you can travel faster than the speed of light (Ah, there is that limit again!), you can 'view' the events that happened eight minutes ago, first hand. There is no way of checking it because we still have not found a way to travel faster than light. And interfering with the past still cannot be explained.

Traveling to the future only gets trickier. There is absolutely no explanation that even remotely makes sense, of how one can travel into the future. Some argue that there are millions of futures etched out for you, and you just pick one each nanosecond of your life. Keep choosing futures one after another and - well, you can travel to the future! However, this argument is not even worth considering. There are just too many unknowns in the equation.

Theoretical physicist Kip Thorne suggests that wormholes, which are allowed by the laws of Theoretical Physics, can be used for traveling in time. Something that comes from an eminent physicist like him cannot be disregarded. But we have to continue being in the present, and see what direction research takes.

As far as I know, the concept of time-machines and time-travel is quite recent. I have not come across that in Indian or Western mythologies that I have read. From all practical observations, our conclusion is that Time flows only in one direction. That is what our ancients also seem to have thought.

That is the sensible thing to think, too. As a subhAShita goes -
गतशोकं न कुर्वीत भविष्यं नैव चिन्तयेत्
वर्तमानेषु कार्येषु प्रवर्तन्ति विचक्षणाः ।

Steinbeck ತರಿಸಿದ ಯೋಚನೆಗಳು

2007-03-30T13:34:00.000+05:30

ಸುಮಾರು ದಿನಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ ನಾನು ಓದಿದ ಒಂದು ಪುಸ್ತಕ John Steinbeck ಬರೆದಿರುವ To a God Unknown ಎಂಬುದು. ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಮನುಷ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಅವನ ಪರಿಸರದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಇರುವ ಅವಿನಾಭಾವಸಂಬಂಧವನ್ನು ಬಹಳ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಚಿತ್ರಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಮುಖ್ಯಪಾತ್ರ ಜೋಸೆಫ್ ಎಂಬುವವನು ತನ್ನ ತಂದೆಯನ್ನು ಒಂದು ಮರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಡುಕೊಂಡು ಅದನ್ನು ಪೂಜಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ವಿಗ್ರಹಾರಾಧನೆ ಮತ್ತು "ಪೇಗನ್" ನಂಬಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ವಿರೋಧಿಸುವ ಅವನ ಅಣ್ಣ ಆ ಮರವನ್ನು ಸಾಯಿಸಿದ ವರ್ಷವೇ ಅವರಿರುವ ಸ್ಥಳಕ್ಕೆ ಕ್ಷಾಮ ತಲೆದೋರುತ್ತದೆ. ಇನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಹೇಳಿದರೆ ಪುಸ್ತಕವನ್ನೋದುವ ಆಸಕ್ತಿ ಕಡಿಮೆಯಾಗಬಹುದೆಂಬ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದ ಹೇಳುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.

ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಮುನ್ನುಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿರಣ್ಯಗರ್ಭಸೂಕ್ತದ ಕಾವ್ಯಾನುವಾದವನ್ನು ಬರೆಯಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಆ ಸೂಕ್ತದ "ಯಾವ ದೇವರಿಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಹವಿಸ್ಸು ಸಲ್ಲಲಿ?" ಎಂಬ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಯೇ ಇಡೀ ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಬೆನ್ನೆಲುಬು. ಇಲ್ಲಿಯ ಪ್ರಕೃತಿವಿವರಣೆಯನ್ನು ಓದುತ್ತಿರುವಾಗಲಂತೂ ಒಂದು ಸುಂದರ ಪದ್ಯವನ್ನು ಮೆಲುಕು ಹಾಕುತ್ತಿರುವ ಅನುಭವವಾಯಿತು. ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿದರೆ ಖಂಡಿತ ಓದಿ.

ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಗುಂಗಿನಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಾಗ, ನಮ್ಮ ಭಾರತೀಯರ ಹಬ್ಬಗಳು, ಮತ್ತು ಮಿಕ್ಕ ಆಚರಣೆಗಳು ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸಂಬಂಧವನ್ನು ಗಟ್ಟಿಗೊಳಿಸಲು ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ಸಹಾಯಕಾರಿ ಎಂಬುದು ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಬಂದಿತು. ಪ್ರಾಯಃ ನಮ್ಮದು ಪುರಾತನಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯಾದ್ದರಿಂದ ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಪೂಜೆ ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿದೆ. (ಮಿಕ್ಕ ಪುರಾತನಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಗಳು ಇಸ್ಲಾಂ ಮತ್ತು ಕ್ರೈಸ್ತಮತವೆಂಬ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಅಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊಚ್ಚಿಹೋಗಿವೆ.) ಹಿಮಾಲಯವಾಗಲಿ, ತಿರುಮಲವಾಗಲಿ ಅಥವಾ ಇಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಪಕ್ಕದ ರಾಮದೇವರ ಬೆಟ್ಟವಾಗಲಿ, ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ಪೂಜಾರ್ಹ. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ನದಿಗಳೂ ಮರಗಳೂ ಸಹ ದೈವತ್ವಕ್ಕೆ ಏರಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿವೆ. ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಗಿಡಮರಗಳ ಪೂಜೆಯಂತೂ ಸರ್ವೇಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ. ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಎಂಥ ಕಿಷ್ಕಿಂಧೆಯಂಥ ಮನೆಯಾದರೂ, ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಚಿಕ್ಕ ತುಳಸಿ ಗಿಡ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಶ್ವತ್ಥವೃಕ್ಷದ ಪೂಜೆಯಂತೂ ಕಾಂಪೌಂಡ್ ಇರುವ ಪ್ರತಿ ದೇವಾಲಯದಲ್ಲೂ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ.

ಆದರೆ ಈಗ ಒಂದು ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ. ಸೂರ್ಯ, ಮರ, ಬೆಟ್ಟ, ಗುಡ್ಡ, ನದಿ, ಸಮುದ್ರ ಮುಂತಾದುವನ್ನು ದೇವರೆಂದು ಪರಿಗಣಿಸುವ ನಮಗೆ ಪರಿಸರದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಕಾಳಜಿ ಒಂದಿನಿತೂ ಏಕಿಲ್ಲ? ಪರಿಸರಕ್ಕೆ ಹಾನಿಯುಂಟುಮಾಡದೆ ಬದುಕಲು ನಮಗೆ ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲವೇ? ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನಗರಪಾಲಿಕೆಯು rain water harvesting ಅನ್ನು ಕಡ್ಡಾಯ ಮಾಡಿದೆ. ಇದರ ವಿಷಯವಾಗಿ ಒಬ್ಬರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಚರ್ಚಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಗ ಅವರು "ರೂಲ್ಸ್ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಇಂತಿಷ್ಟು ಆದರೆ ಸಾಕು, ನಿಜವಾಗಿಯೂ ಮಳೆನೀರಿನ ಕೊಯ್ಲು ಮಾಡುವವರು ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಜನ ಇಲ್ಲ" ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದರು. ನನಗೆ ಇದನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿ ಬಹಳ ಬೇಸರವಾಯಿತು. ಇನ್ನು ದಟ್ಟವಾದ ಹೊಗೆಯನ್ನು ಬಿಡುತ್ತಾ emission check certificate ಪಡೆಯಲು ಕೈಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಣ ಹಿಡಿದು ಹಲ್ಲು ಗಿಂಜುವುದು - ಇಂಥ ಪ್ರಕರಣಗಳು ಭಾರತದಂತಹ ದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾತ್ರ ಕಾಣಸಿಗುವುದನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದರೆ ವ್ಯಥೆಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.

ನಾವೊಬ್ಬರು ಅಂಥ ತಪ್ಪನ್ನು ಮಾಡುವುದಿಲ್ಲವೆಂದು ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಬ್ಬರೂ ನಿಶ್ಚಯಿಸಿದರೆ ಸಾಕಲ್ಲವೇ?

A good way to save trees and widen roads

2007-03-20T09:37:00.000+05:30

This Saturday, we visited our village. The traffic was bad, as usual. The heat added to our discomfort. One thing that was very noticeable was the dwindling number of trees on the highway. Yes, roads are necessary, but is there a way to keep the trees and widen the roads?

It struck me today when I was coming by bus on North Road. I saw that trees had grown on the tar road. It was wonderful (though how the roots are able to breathe, beats me). I felt very happy and thoughtful, and that is the reason for this post.

I have not been to Mysore a lot, but I have immensely enjoyed the few visits that I have made. A relative's house was right opposite the court. It was a beautiful place. There was a jackfruit tree in their compound... it was just heavenly. Well, anyways, the point that interests us is that on the road adjacent to their house, trees have been used as a sort of a divider. It is wide, and I remember that there are even benches under the trees, so one can actually sit in the middle of the road and watch the traffic go by. (My last visit to this relative's place was eight years ago, so I do not know the state of affairs now. I only hope that the trees remain.)

There is a similar system near my house in Bangalore, too. A park has been constructed right in the middle of the road. The park runs all the way along the road, and is really a sight for sore eyes.

When I saw the trees on North Road and thought of the park near my house, I heaved a sigh of relief. All is not lost...

Public Transport

2007-03-07T09:39:00.000+05:30

I love taking public transport. Even in the US, though it was extremely time-consuming, I used to love taking the local bus to school. To get to know a place, one has to take the public transport and walk in busy roads. One gets to see a lot of different kinds of people, and the experience is just great (of course, when you have the time).

I had made friends with a jazz musician and a bus driver, of name Ron ___. He was a Christian American, but of middle-eastern descent. And the point was that he had visited India and Bangalore. I still cherish my long talks with him. We used to discuss Politics, Religion, culture and what not. The local transit in the Bay Area has a service for senior citizens, called VTA Paratransit or something. One day, I asked Ron what that was. He could not hear me properly in the din, and asked me excitedly - "Are you asking me about Paramahamsa Yogananda?". He had actually read 'Autobiography of a Yogi' and said he would lend it to me. Now I was flat. It was really amazing. When we left the US for good, he gave me a CD of 'Yonder Tree' by Gino Vanelli.

I remember the time when I explained the meaning of the red dot on my forehead to an American. Another time, early in the morning, a drunk lady took my book (Oppenheim and Schafer) from me, turned the pages, and remarked - "Do you really understand all this? You must be very smart", and then pointing to her husband/boyfriend, also drunk, said "He has been to college... he might understand this", and then turning to him, said "Don't you, ____?". I was scared! I have not seen many drunk people, and this was like, totally unexpected! I mean, it was early in the morning, and these people were fully drunk! It was nice when they returned my book and said "Good luck", though.

Public transport is not always pleasurable. I have had my share of bad experiences. But sometimes, one can think about the bad experiences later and laugh at them.

One day I was taking 32 to school. Most of us in the bus were foreigners - South Asians and Chinese and Vietnamese. The driver was black. Now a blonde lady got in. Once she settled in her seat, she started mouthing expletives towards people of other races. It was *bad*. The driver got very irritated and told her that if she did not stop, she'd have to get off the bus. Well, she did not, and was made to get off the bus.

Public transport in Bangalore is a wholly different sort of experience. A few days ago I took a BMTC bus to my place of work. A couple of women with a framed photograph of the Mother Goddess, were in the bus. These women are, for all practical purposes, beggars. They show the Goddess's photograph to people and say "give something to please Her". The women did not have money to buy the tickets. The poor conductor was demanding ticket-money from them, and a young girl shouted at him "ರೊಕ್ಕ ಇಲ್ಲ ಅಂದರೆ ಏನ್ ಮಾಡಕ್ಕಾಗತ್ತೆ? ಗೊತ್ತಾಗಾಕಿಲ್ವ ನಿಂಗೆ?"I had half a mind to pay for their ticket, but the other half prevented me from doing so. Finally the conductor exempted them from buying tickets. Or, rather, he was forced to.

It takes all sorts to make a world!

Thoughts on Valentine's day

2007-02-14T14:26:00.001+05:30

It is Valentine's day today and many millions of couples and wannabe couples are expressing their love for each other in many millions of creative ways. I, for one, do not believe in "celebrating" Valentine's day... I see its promotion by card-companies as a well-planned marketing strategy. I am not against it, either. If people want to express their love on a specific day, then so be it! If they want to celebrate their love all year-round, then let them!

Sepia Mutiny gives an interesting information. Apparently the perennial trouble-mongers, the Shiv Sainiks, want to marry off the couples that are seen together on V. day, if they are Hindu!. I could not contain my laughter for some time! When will they understand that Afghanistan should not be the model for our country? I am all for social health, but to have a healthy society, I think that it is necessary to have some minimum level of open-ness and personal freedom. (In the same article on Sepia Mutiny, there was another, more hilarious bit about some women's organizations working to thwart the sainiks in their attempts to disturb lovers, but let's not go there.)

Near my house, almost daily I see couples (I am sure they are not "just friends") standing and talking for hours together.. Once a policeman shooed a couple away, saying "ಏನು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಸು ಕೊಟ್ಟು ಕಾಲೇಜಿಗೆ ಕಳಿಸೋದು ಇದಕ್ಕೇನಾ?".. I had mixed feelings about this incident. On one hand, I felt that the kids did not need to be shooed away so rudely.. As long as they are not in the way of law and order, it is fine.. But, on the other hand, at 15-16 years of age, one usually does not find lasting loves. Gullible and insecure girls may become victims of malicious people, even if only emotionally. In that sense, it is good to have a sort of moral policing (how I hate the term!). At any rate, I am sure that the parents of the two kids would be grateful for the policeman, for giving them a good talking-to.

I think that a good way to solve this problem would be to accept dating as a fact of a teen's life (grrrr! To think that we returned from the US because we thought it was easier to bring up kids here!). Parents should keep track of who their children are talking to, and should set the limits for their kids, and most of all, believe in them. Yeah, yeah, I know this sounds too simple to be of any practical use, but we have to do something like this to keep our kids safe and our society healthy. Clandestine affairs have not done a lot of good to anyone.

I am worried about little biyadiya...

Karnataka Bandh

2007-02-13T14:54:00.000+05:30

Yesterday was Karnataka bandh, called by a few pro-Kannada activists. The news reports say that the bandh was total in many parts of Karnataka. In districts like Mandya and Mysore, where people are more emotionally tied to the river Kaaveri ( I do not like splling it Cauvery), there were some incidents of destruction of public property and violence, but it has been peaceful otherwise.
Near my home at Basaveshwaranagar, there was absolute silence. There were a few stray two-wheelers moving about, but otherwise, the roads were so deserted that children were playing cricket outside, without any hesitation. It was nice to see kids playing outside the house, for a change.
This said, was the bandh really necessary? I would accept a bandh as necessary if and only if I had a legitimate demand, and that demand was not even considered by the government. This bandh would have been necessary if the state Govt. were happy to abide by the orders of the tribunal. Now that the Govt. has already decided to appeal against the verdict, where was the necessity to do all that was done yesterday? Bandh is wrong, think of the implications on the economy! This was like cutting the nose to spite the face! Aren't there more effective ways to let others know the opinion of the public? Like hanging placards outside your houses/shops, etc? Writing about it to the almighty - newspaper? Non-violent protest-marches? I suppose asking people to think, would be too much!
Interesting read here -
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/feb132007/dhforum.asp

ತಮಿಳರೂ ನಾನೂ ಡಾ. ಸ್ವಾಮಿಯವರೂ

2007-01-30T16:37:00.000+05:30

ಕೆಲವು ದಿನಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ 'ತಮಿಳು ತಲೆಗಳ ನಡುವೆ' ಓದಿ ಮುಗಿಸಿದ್ದೆ. ಅದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಈಗ ಬರೆಯಲು ಪುರಸತ್ತು ಸಿಕ್ಕಿದೆ.

ಪಾಠ ಮಾಡುವವರು ಎರಡು ಗುಣಗಳನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದ್ದರೆ ಚೆನ್ನ. ೧. ವಿಷಯವನ್ನು ಮನದಟ್ಟಾಗುವಂತೆ ತಿಳಿಸುವುದು ೨. ಪಾಠವು ಕಲ್ಲಿನ ಹೊರೆಯಂತಿರದೆ ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿಗಳನ್ನು ರಂಜಿಸುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡುವುದು.

ಈ ರೀತಿ ಪಾಠ ಮಾಡುವವರು ಬಹಳ ಕಡಿಮೆ. ಡಾ. ಬಿ ಜಿ ಎಲ್ ಸ್ವಾಮಿಯವರು ಈ ಗುಂಪಿಗೆ ಸೇರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ವಿಷಯಪಾಂಡಿತ್ಯದ ಜೊತೆ ರಂಜನೀಯವಾಗಿ ಬರೆಯುವ ಕಲೆ ಕೂಡ ಇವರಿಗೆ ಸಿದ್ಧಿಸಿದೆ. ಇವರ ಹಸುರು ಹೊನ್ನು ಓದಿದಾಗ "ಅಬ್ಬಾ ನಮ್ಮ ಸಸ್ಯಶ್ರೀಯ ಅದ್ಭುತವೇ!" ಎಂದು ಅನ್ನಿಸಿತ್ತು. 'ತಮಿಳು ತಲೆಗಳ ನಡುವೆ' ಓದಿದಾಗ 'ಅಬ್ಬಾ ತಮಿಳರ ಭಂಡತನವೇ!" ಎಂದು ಅನ್ನಿಸಿತು. (ತಮಿಳರು ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು ಮನ್ನಿಸಬೇಕು. ಈ ಲೇಖನವನ್ನು ನೀವು ಓದುತ್ತಿರುವಿರಾದರೆ ಸ್ವಾಮಿಯವರು ನಿಮ್ಮಂತಹ ತಮಿಳರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತ.ತ.ನ ದಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೆದಿಲ್ಲವೆಂದು ಖಂಡಿತವಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಬಲ್ಲೆ).

ನಾನು ತಮಿಳುನಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ದಿನ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಇದ್ದಿದ್ದೂ ಮಹಾನಗರವಾದ ಚೆನ್ನೈ ಯಲ್ಲಿ. ಚೂರುಪಾರು ತಮಿಳಿನ ಜೊತೆ ತೆಲುಗು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಬಂದರೆ, ಬದುಕು ಸುಗಮವಾಗಿಯೇ ಇರುತ್ತದೆಯೆಂದು ಹೇಳಬೇಕು. ತಮಿಳುನಾಡಿನ ಬೇರೆಡೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣಿಸುವ ಭಾಷಾಂಧತೆ ಚೆನ್ನೈ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಎಂದು ಬೇರೆಯವರಿಂದ ಕೇಳಿ ತಿಳಿದಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಆದರೂ ಭಾಷೆಯ ದೆಸೆಯಿಂದ ನಾನು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಪಾಡುಗಳನ್ನು ಪಟ್ಟಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಪೂಜೆಗಾಗಿ ವೀಳೆಯದೆಲೆಯನ್ನು ಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಹೋದೆ. ನನಗೆ ತಮಿಳಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅದರ ಹೆಸರೇನೆಂದು ಗೊತ್ತಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಆ ಅಂಗಡಿಯಾಕೆಯ ಹತ್ತಿರ ಸುಮಾರು ಸಾಮಾನುಗಳಿದ್ದವಾದ್ದರಿನ್ದ ಬೆರಳಿನಿಂದ ತೋರಿಸಿ "ಅದು ಕೊಡು" ಎಂದೆ. ಆಕೆಗೆ ಅರ್ಥ ಆಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ತಿರುಗಿ ಕೇಳಿದ್ದಕ್ಕೆ "ತಮಿಳು ಕಲಿತು ಬಾ ಹೋಗು" ಎಂದು ಬೈದು ಕಳುಹಿಸಿದಳು. ವೀಳೆಯದೆಲೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟಳೋ ಇಲ್ಲವೋ ಮರೆತಿದೆ, ಆದರೆ ಬೈಸಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದು ನೆನಪಿದೆ.

ಮೇಲಿನ ರೀತಿಯ ಭಾಷಾಂಧತೆ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾದರೂ ಡಾ. ಸ್ವಾಮಿಯವರು ವರ್ಣಿಸಿರುವ ಭಾಷಾಂಧತೆ ಬೇರೆಯದೇ ರೀತಿಯದ್ದು. ತಮಿಳು ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ-ಚರಿತ್ರೆ-ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯ ಬಹುತೇಕ ಸಂಶೋಧಕರು ತಮ್ಮ ಭಾಷೆಯನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಬೇರೆ ಭಾಷೆಗಳನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಯಲು ಇಷ್ಟಪಡುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ತಮಗೆ ಬೇಕಾದ ವಿಷಯಗಳೇ ಬೇರೆ ಭಾಷೆಗಳ ಜರ್ನಲ್ ಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂದಿದ್ದರೆ ಅವನ್ನು ಓದುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ತಮ್ಮ ಥಿಯರಿಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಇವರಿಗೆ ಇರುವ ನಂಬಿಕೆ ನೋಡಿದರೆ ಧೃತರಾಷ್ಟ್ರನಿಗೆ ದುರ್ಯೋಧನನ ಮೇಲಿದ್ದ ವ್ಯಾಮೋಹ ನೆನಪಿಗೆ ಬರುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವರ ವಾದಗಳಾದರೂ ಎಂಥವು? "ತಮಿಳು ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರವಾಗಿ ಬೇರೆ ಭಾಷೆಗಳ, ಅದೂ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಭಾಷೆಯ ಸಂಪರ್ಕವಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಹುಟ್ಟಿತು", "ತಮಿಳು ಎಲ್ಲ ಭಾಷೆಗಳಿಗಿಂತಲೂ, ಅದರಲ್ಲೂ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಭಾಷೆಗಿಂತ ಪ್ರಾಚೀನತರ", "ಕ್ರಿ.ಪೂ. ೧೦,೦೦೦ ರಲ್ಲಿ ತಮಿಳುಭಾಷೆಯ ಗ್ರಂಥಗಳು ಸಮುದ್ರದ ಪಾಲಾದವು, ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಅದರ ಹಳೆಯತನವನ್ನು ನಾವು ಪ್ರಶ್ನಿಸದೆ ನಂಬಬೇಕೇ ಹೊರತು, ಪುರಾವೆಗಳಿವೆಯೇ ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಬಾರದು", ಇವೇ ಮುಂತಾದ ರತ್ನಗಳು!

ಡಾ. ಸ್ವಾಮಿಯವರು ಹೇಳಿರುವಷ್ಟು ಭಾಷಾಂಧತೆ ತಮಿಳರಲ್ಲಿದೆಯೇ ಎಂಬ ಸಂಶಯ ಬರುವುದು ಸಹಜ. ನನ್ನದೇ ಅನುಭವ ಹೀಗಿದೆ. ನನಗೆ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾದ ಅಭಿಮಾನವೇ ಇದೆ. ಅಮೆರಿಕದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಾಗ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಭಾರತಿಯ ಕಾರ್ಯಕರ್ತ್ರಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದೆ. ಇದು ನನ್ನ ಜೊತೆ ಓದುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ತಮಿಳಳೊಬ್ಬಳಿಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಮತಾಂತರ ಮಾಡಲು ಬರುವ ಮಿಷನರಿಯ ತೆರ ಒಂದು ದಿನ ಅವಳು ನನ್ನ ಹತ್ತಿರ ಬಂದು ತಮಿಳು ಅನೇಕ ಸಾವಿರ ವರ್ಷಗಳಷ್ಟು ಹಳೆಯದೆಂದೂ, ಎಂಥದೋ ಜಲಪ್ರಳಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಗ್ರಂಥಗಳು ಕಳೆದುಹೋದವೆಂದೂ, ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಕ್ಕಿಂತ ತಮಿಳು ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಪ್ರಾಚೀನವೂ ಉತ್ತರವೂ (Comparative degree ಯಲ್ಲಿ 'ಉತ್ತಮ' ಕ್ಕಿಂತ 'ಉತ್ತರ' ಸೂಕ್ತವಾದುದು) ಆದದ್ದೆಂದೂ ನನಗೆ ಹೇಳಿದಳು. ಆ ಸಂಶೋಧನೆಯ ಜಾಲಪುಟಗಳನ್ನು ನನಗೆ ಕಳಿಸು, ನೋಡುತ್ತೇನೆ ಎಂದು ನನಗೆ ತೋಚಿದ ಬದಲು ಹೇಳಿದೆ. ಆಮೇಲೆ ನಾವಿಬ್ಬರೂ ಬೇರೆ ತರಗತಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇದ್ದಿದ್ದರಿಂದ ಅವಳ ಜೊತೆ ಮಾತನಾಡುವ ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶಗಳು ವಿರಳವಾಗಿ, ಈ ವಿಷಯ ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೇ ಮುಕ್ತಾಯವಾಯಿತು.

ಇಂಥ ಸಂಶೋಧನೆಗಳು ಬೇಸರವನ್ನೇಕೆ ಉಂಟುಮಾಡುತ್ತವೆ? ಬಾಯಿಗೆ ಬಂದ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ-ಪುರಾವೆಗಳಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಥಿಯರಿಗಳನ್ನು ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಸಿದರೆ ಭಾಷೆಯ ಬೆಳವಣಿಗೆಗೆ ಕುಂದುಂಟಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಭಾಷೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಅಭಿಮಾನ ತಪ್ಪಲ್ಲ, ಒಪ್ಪುವಂಥದ್ದೇ. ಆದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಇತಿಮಿತಿಗಳನ್ನು ನಾವು ಅರಿತಿರಬೇಕು. "ಪುರಾಣಮಿತ್ಯೇವ ನ ಸಾಧು ಸರ್ವಂ" ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಯಬೇಕು. ದೇಶಾಭಿಮಾನಭಾಷಾಭಿಮಾನಗಳು ಅಗತ್ಯಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾದಾಗ "ನಮ್ಮ ಭಾಷೆಯು ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರವಾಗಿ ಹುಟ್ಟಿತು"... ಮುಂತಾದ ಧೋರಣೆಗಳು ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹುಟ್ಟುವುದೂ, ಈ ವಿಷಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸತ್ಯಾಸತ್ಯಗಳ ವಿವೇಚನೆಯಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಹೋಗುವುದೂ ಸಹಜವೇನೋ. ಪಾಪ ತಮಿಳರನ್ನು ಏಕೆ ಅನ್ನಬೇಕು, ನಮ್ಮ ಕೆಲವು ಆಧುನಿಕ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಜ್ಞರೂ, ಇತಿಹಾಸಜ್ಞರೂ ಮಾತನಾಡುವುದು ಇದೇ ಧಾಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ. ಹುರುಳಿಲ್ಲದ ಬಾಲಿಶವಾದಗಳನ್ನು ಮಂಡಿಸಿ ಈ ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆಯೇ ಇತರರಿಗೆ ಅಸಡ್ಡೆ ಬರುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಹೀಗಾದಾಗ, ಆ ಭಾಷೆ-ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನಿಜವಾದ ಕಳಕಳಿ ಮತ್ತು ಅಭಿಮಾನವಿರುವವರಿಗೆ ತಲೆ ಚಚ್ಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳೋಣವೆಂದು ಅನ್ನಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.

ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ರೀತಿಯಾದರೆ ಸಂಗೀತದಲ್ಲಿ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ರೀತಿಯ ತಮಾಷೆ. ಸಂಗೀತದ ತ್ರಿಮೂರ್ತಿಗಳು ತಮಿಳುನಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಹುಟ್ಟಿ ಬೆಳೆದದ್ದು. ಆದರೆ ಅವರ ಬಹುತೇಕ ರಚನೆಗಳು ತೆಲುಗಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಮತ್ತು ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತದಲ್ಲಿ ಇವೆ. ತಮಿಳಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅಕ್ಷರಗಳು ಕಡಿಮೆ ಇರುವುದರಿಂದ ಮಿಕ್ಕ ಭಾರತೀಯ ಭಾಷೆಗಳನ್ನು ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೆಯುವುದೂ, ಬರೆದದ್ದನ್ನು ಅರ್ಥಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದೂ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಪ್ರಯಾಸ. ಈಗ ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗೆ, ಭಾರತಿಯರ್ ಎಂದು ತಮಿಳಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೆಯಲು பாரதியர் ಎಂದು ಬರೆದರೆ ಅದು ಪಾರದಿಯರ್ ಆಗಬಹುದು ಅಥವಾ ಪಾರತಿಯರ್ ಕೂಡ ಆಗಬಹುದು. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ, ತಿಳಿಯದ ಬೇರೆ ಭಾಷೆಗಳನ್ನು ಓದಬೇಕಾದರೆ ಊಹೆಯನ್ನೇ ಅವಲಂಬಿಸಬೇಕು. (ಗ್ರಂಥ ಎಂಬೊಂದು ಲಿಪಿ ಇದ್ದಿದ್ದು, ರಾಜಕೀಯಕಾರಣಗಳಿಂದಾಗಿ ಅದನ್ನು ಉಪಯೋಗಿಸದೆ ಇರುವುದು ಬೇರೆ ವಿಚಾರ.) ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತ-ತೆಲುಗು-ಕನ್ನಡದ ಕೃತಿಗಳು ತಮಿಳು ಸಂಗೀತಗಾರರ ಬಾಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಚಿತ್ರರೂಪಗಳನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತವೆ. 'ನಾರದ-ಬಯಗರ' ಎಂದು ವಿಷ್ಣುವನ್ನು ವರ್ಣಿಸಿದ್ದನ್ನು ('ಸಾರಸಾಕ್ಷ ಪರಿಪಾಲಯ ಮಾಂ' ಎಂಬ ಪಂತುವರಾಳಿಯ ಕೃತಿ) ಕೇಳಿ "ವಿಷ್ಣು ನಾರದನಿಗೆ ಯಾವಾಗ ಭಯ ಹುಟ್ಟಿಸಿದ?" ಎಂದು ಚಿಂತಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಗ ಹೊಳೆದದ್ದು - ಅದು ನಾರದ-ಭಯಹರ ಎಂದು! ಶುದ್ಧ ತಮಿಳಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹಕಾರವಿಲ್ಲ. ಈಗೀಗ ಹಕಾರದ ಸೇರ್ಪಡೆಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಆದರೂ ಮಾತನಾಡುವಾಗ ಮಹೇಶ ಮಗೇಸನಾಗುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಇದು ತಮಿಳಿನ ವಿಶೇಷತೆ ಎಂದು ಕರೆಯಬಹುದೇನೋ. ಆದರೆ ಸಂಗೀತವನ್ನು ನೂರಾರು-ಸಾವಿರಾರು ಜನರ ಮುಂದೆ ಹಾಡುವ ಕಲಾವಿದರ ಉಚ್ಚಾರಣೆ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ ಚೆನ್ನ. ಒಂದು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ವಿಷಯವೆಂದರೆ ಯುವ-ಸಂಗೀತಗಾರರ ಸಂಗೀತದಲ್ಲಿ ಉಚ್ಚಾರಣಾ-ದೋಷ ಕೇಳಿಬರುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲವೆಂದು ಕೇಳಿದ್ದೇನೆ.

ಕೇವಲ ಒಂದು ಹಾಸ್ಯಭರಿತವಾದ ಪುಸ್ತಕವನ್ನು ಓದಬೇಕೆಂದು ತ.ತ.ನ ವನ್ನು ಕೈಗೆತ್ತಿಕೊಂಡರೂ ನಿರಾಸೆಯಾಗದಷ್ಟು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಡಾ.ಸ್ವಾಮಿಯವರು ಹಾಸ್ಯದ ಮಧ್ಯೆಯೇ ವಿಚಾರಗಳನ್ನು ಹೆಣೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರ (ಬುರಂತರ ತಾಶರ) ಆರಾಧನೆಯ ಬಗೆಗಿನ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯ ಓದುತ್ತಿದ್ದರಂತೂ ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ಹುಣ್ಣಾಗುವಷ್ಟು ನಗು ಬರುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವರ ಹಸುರು ಹೊನ್ನಿನಲ್ಲೂ ಇದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಹಾಸ್ಯ ತುಂಬಿದೆ. ಈ ಹಾಸ್ಯ ಸಹಜವಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಘಟನೆಗಳು ನಿಜವಾಗಿ ನಡೆದವೇ ಇರಬೇಕು (ಹಸುರು ಹೊನ್ನಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುವ ಕತ್ತೆಗಳ ವಿಷಯ ಕೂಡ ನಿಜವಾಗಿ ನಡೆದಿದ್ದೇ?... ತಿಳಿದವರು ಹೇಳಿದರೆ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದು).

ಡಾ.ಸ್ವಾಮಿಯವರ ಇತರ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳಾದ "ನಮ್ಮ ಹೊಟ್ಟೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಅಮೇರಿಕಾ" ಮತ್ತು "ಕಾಲೇಜು ರಂಗ" ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ಅವನ್ನೂ ಓದಲೇಬೇಕು ಎಂಬಷ್ಟು ಡಾ.ಸ್ವಾಮಿಯವರ ಬರೆಹ ಇಷ್ಟವಾಗಿದೆ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಸಮಯ ಯಾವಾಗ ಸಿಗುತ್ತದೆಯೋ ತಿಳಿಯದು.

kathAmRita - The nectar of stories

2007-01-09T12:35:00.000+05:30

Recently, I read kathAmR^ita, A.R.Krishnashastri's Kannada precis-translation of the kathAsaritsAgara of sOmadEva, which is again a translation of guNADhya's bR^ihatkathA written in paishAcI. It was a jolly read, and mighty thought-provoking too. After I read it, I realized why Dr. Ganesh said that if one wanted to see celebration of life, it was in works like kathAmR^ita.

This was not my first reading of kathAmR^ita. I had read it when I was very young - probably in my third or fourth grade. My aunt saw me reading this book, and told my Mom about it - "She turned the page, and it was so dirty!!". I was then too young to glean anything from the stories I read... I just read them because they were stories. This time, though, it was different.

kathAmRita means 'nectar of stories'. The main story is that of naravAhanadatta, son of udayana and vAsavadattA, predicted to rule the vidyAdhara kingdom for one kalpa. udayana and vAsavadattA and their ministers are made immortal in bhAsa's plays 'svapnavAsavadattam' and 'pratijnAyaugandharAyaNam'. Both of them are based on bR^ihatkathA. The all-time classic pa~Jcatantra and vEtAlapa~JchavimshatI (the famous vikram and bEtAl) have their roots in the bR^ihatkathA. In fact, guNADhya's life-history itself (why he stopped using samskR^itam and took to paishAcI) is a very interesting story. The king of whom guNADhya was serving, outsmarted by his wife, wanted to learn samskR^itam as soon as possible. guNADhya said that he could teach him in 6 years, while vararuci, another celebrated grammarian of his time, said that he could do it in six months. guNADhya challenged him, saying that he would not use samskR^itam if he did it. guNADhya lost the bet and gave up samskR^itam. The slighted guNADhya left for the forest and met the pishAcha kANabhUti and heard seven stories of seven vidyAdharas. He wrote them in paishAchI language and took it to the king. The king, well versed in samskrt now, refused to read a work that was written in a lowly language. guNADhya then started reading his stories to the animals of the forest and destroying them in the fire. The animals absorbed in the stories, forgot eating and drinking. The king, surprised at the lean meat served to him, learned that guNADhya was the reason for the lean-ness of the animals. He immediately went to the forest to make peace with guNADhya. guNADhya was then reading out the last story, that of naravAhanadatta. The king obtained the manuscript of that story and made it famous in his kingdom.

In the kathAsaritsAgara, the characters in the main story relate stories of other characters who in turn relate others' stories and so on, like a stack. You keep pushing stories in and then pop them out. There are stories of merchants, kings, poor people, learned brahmins, thieves, fools, prostitutes, kulastrIs, yOginis, bEtALas, adventurers, devotees and what not. The diverse nature of the stories makes it extremely enjoyable. Only in a collection like kathAmR^ita can you find the story of a bOdhisattva immediately after the story of fools. This is, in a way, the great thing about kathAmRita. Nothing is embellished. There is no meaningless orthodoxy and sentimentality. Nothing is looked down upon. The importance of dharma is stressed, but it does not feel like dry preaching.

Tragedies are rare, almost non-existent in traditional Indian literature. In many stories of the kathAmRita, even partners who have died come back to life through the grace of some deity. The Indian mentality is really amazing. In spite of the hardships faced by men and women (at least in stories), they nurse the hope of a better future for themselves and their loved ones. No story ends in separation or death. Here, all journeys really end in lovers' meeting. If a son or a wife or a parent is lost in the beginning of the story, you can be sure that he/she/they will be found miraculously before the story ends. The same trait is seen in Indian cinema also. We are not used to tragedies, however convincing they may be. A while ago, I was reading Steinbeck's "Pearl", and was desperately hoping that the Sea-Goddess or something or someone would come and make the dead baby alive again. Yesterday, I was watching 'ondu muttina kathe', directed by Shankar Nag. It is an Indian adaptation of "Pearl". I found it very difficult to watch the movie, because of the horrible things that happen to Kino and his wife. It is my Indian upbringing, you see... Sorry for digressing, but the point I wanted to make was that the Indian mind is not comfortable with tragedies. Bhavabhuti, in his uttararAmacharitam, united sItA with rAma, though tradition says that sItA was absorbed by Mother Earth. Kalidasa does not end raghuvamsha with agnivarNa's death, but with the coronation of his unborn child. Endings of stories are similar even in kathAmRita. This is in stark contrast with western literature, where tragedies are very common. Even western religion is gloomy, in that the End of Days and the Judgement Day are given a lot of importance.

The very appealing thing about kathAmRita is that many of the characters are not black and white, but different shades of grey. This kind of characterization is really an achievement. Nobody can be fully evil or really angelic. This grey nature of humans is what makes life so interesting. That is what makes kathAmRita interesting, too.

One point I really want to write about is the extoling of dharma in the book. There are some principles like "ahimsA satyamasteyam brahmacharyam dhRutiH kShamA", that need to be followed always, everywhere. But as far as my understanding goes, social laws a few centuries ago (my sources are a few books that I have read and some discussions with people I consider very learned) were not as stringent as they are now. That is thankfully changing, but imo this change is making people rootless. What we need is a change for the better, while being rooted firmly. When it comes to inheritance rights and marital rights, Indian society was far advanced than it is now.

When I was reading through the preface of the kathAmRita, I was very angry with the way women were thought of. A woman is always expected to be obliging and pleasing and be pleased, and docile and what not. I do not know when this sort of thinking started, but when I read through kathAmrita, I found more instances of confident and free women than I did of docile women. Probably this was the way of the society then. They probably enjoyed much more rights than we do now. Was it because it was much safer then than it is now? I do not know! I do not want to dwell on this topic, for fear of being labelled a feminist.

A fitting end to the story is the going back of guNADhya and others to kailAsa. After all, after the joys and sorrows of life, that is the goal!

'A Little Cloud' by James Joyce

2006-12-22T10:09:00.000+05:30

Today I read a beautiful story called 'A little cloud' by James Joyce. It is one of the stories in his 'Dubliners'. I hope to write about the collection itself some other time, but this story touched me so much that I just am not able to keep myself from writing about it.
'A little cloud' is about a timid man named Chandler, working as a clerk at an office. The little cloud is brought on by an old acquaintance, Gallaher. Gallaher was a no-good youth who has made worldly fortune by working in the press. When C. meets G., he(C.) wonders why he did not go away elsewhere, and become a writer like (or better than) G., he being a man of better birth and education. He blames his timidity for his failures in life. He goes home, and regrets marrying his wife. He resents his son, a small baby, for not allowing him to read, and yells at him when he cries. And then he feels sorry for everything. The cloud passes.
The story itself is very simple, but touches one profoundly. I am sure many people go through the emotions C. did. I have, at least, and know some people who did, too. Jealousy is a very, very basic human instinct. So is exhibitionism. If you are expected to turn out bad, but you don't, you will want show people that they were wrong. That is a rule. And if you meet someone who turned out better than you, you'll want to be in his/her shoes. That's a rule too. It is like shopping for a saree. One can almost always gets a good pick if (s)he looks at what others are buying. (aside: I do not know if men experience the same thing... do they?)
Why is human nature like this? We always find the *necessity* to be better than our peers, to own bigger houses and faster cars and try to make our kids do better than theirs. Is it good? Is it bad? I do not know.. It is just a fact of life, and we have to live with it.

Joonu and civic sense

2004-07-30T07:07:00.000+05:30

Indians do not have civic sense! Sorry, I have to correct that. Indians do not have civic sense when they (I mean we) are in India. That is just a plain and simple fact. Outside our country, we are the best-behaved people.

I want to relate an experience I had a few years ago. I was travelling with a marriage party from Bangalore to Mysore. My aunt had prepared snacks and put them in small plastic covers for all of us to eat on the way. All of us ate them, and I saw that everybody was throwing the plastic covers out of the window of the moving bus. Now, I was and still am, conscious about such things. One reason is that it is dirty, and I will presently relate the second reason.

We were two neighbours in a not-so-populated place in Bangalore. There were two puppies of a dog, and both of us adopted each. After a while, our neighbour stopped keeping the dog in their house because they thought that it was somewhat dirty. Now, I am fond of all kinds of animals (a bit scared of them initially, though). I used to visit my place in Bangalore every few days, from Madras. Our dog and this dog (Joonu was his name) used to rush to welcome me when they saw me at the corner of the street. Once, when I came home, I realized that nobody was home and that everybody had gone to a relatives house. All this time, Joonu was with me. He was already kicked out of his owners' house and had nowhere to go. He walked with me while I was looking for an auto. All stray dogs were picking fights with him and he would respond to them. He desisted only when I called him off. I was feeling very sorry at his state. The breaking point was when I got the auto. He tried to get in. I told him to go away, and gave him some bread. Nevertheless, he still wanted to come with me. All he wanted was some company! Unfortunately, I could not, or thought I could not take him in an auto to my relatives' house! It is one instance when I have felt very emotional. Anyways, sometime after this, Joonu died because he ate a plastic cover thrown by somebody.

I was planning to make this a blog about civic sense, but look what I did! Anyway, getting back to where I deviated. I saw people throwing plastic covers, and collected them. Then I had an argument with this person, an educated and well-to-do man. He asked me why I was doing what I was doing. I told him that it was not right to throw plastic everywhere and that I would collect them all and dump them in a dustbin when we stopped. Then, my shortsightedness made me tell him that a dear dog of mine died because he ate plastic, and that many cows die every year because of the same reason. Then he said, "Look, it was the dog's karma that made him eat the plastic. Why should you worry about it?"...!! I did not know what to say. Now I can think of at least ten retorts, but I was just tongue-tied then!

We stopped at a place some two hours from Bangalore. I, with all the collected plastic covers and with a great sense of achievement, went to dispose of them in the way they were intended to. But I could not find a dustbin! There just was no dustbin! I just had to dump them on a garbage pile next to the road.

The question is whether we start collecting plastic, or arrange for dustbins first. If there are dustbins, people will dump garbage in the bins. But on the other hand, unless people start collecting plastic, there is no reason to have a dustbin! It is the chicken-and-egg problem.

Mission Saturn

2004-07-05T03:30:00.000+05:30

Mission Saturn: Catastrophe in waiting?

Boy, are these people for real? I cannot imagine how people can think (now, are these people really thinking?) like this. One astrologer mouths about the Cassini mission "Man will never reach there. He will be destroyed before that. He should not even attempt to build such enmity with nature and, least of all, with such powerful planets". Another's pearls of wisdom go like this "Those monitoring the spacecraft will definitely be affected". And I do not even want to go into the psyche of the journalist who thought that this was worth being published. There were a couple of astrologers who held a different view, but as always, imbecility of imbeciles outshadows sanity of normal people.

I believe in Astrology, but I believe more in Freewill. Astrology can probably give a direction to our lives, but what we make of it is left to US. I have seen some people with supposedly great horoscopes choosing to make their lives miserable and what is worse, succeeding there. The problem with Astrology is that it gives lazy people a convenient excuse for their misery. Hey, working is hard. Do not work; just blame the poor planets for being unsuccessful!

Coming to this news item, is the theory that shani is vindictive, excuse enough for stalling the mission?. The mission itself obviously requires enormous amount of work. My professor is working on the Cassini mission to Saturn, and I read some papers about it. It is really, really involved and one must be perseverant and really, really learned to do that stuff. And it indeed distresses me that the so-called astrologers actually say these things about the mission in an offhandedly and irresponsible way.

Recently, I was watching a program on PBS, about Galileo. Galileo had a lot of opposition from the church for supporting Copernicus's heliocentric theory. In a letter, Galileo said, and I quote "But I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason and intellect has intended us to forego their use and by some other means to give us knowledge which we can attain by them”. The same argument holds here. With all the technologies available today, let us expand our horizons. Let us know, or at least try to know everything there is to know about everything. Let us not lose the curiosity we had when we were children. It is a wonderful thing!

FrontPage magazine.com :: How the West Grew Rich by Dinesh D'Souza

2004-07-03T07:01:00.000+05:30

FrontPage magazine.com :: How the West Grew Rich by Dinesh D'Souza
ಈ ಲೇಖನದ ಲೇಖಕ "oreo" ಅಥವಾ "coconut" ಎಂದು ಖ್ಯಾತನಾದವನು. ಇದರ ಅರ್ಥವೇನೆಂದರೆ ಮೇಲುಗಡೆ ಕಪ್ಪು ಚರ್ಮವಿದ್ದರೂ ಒಳಗಡೆಯ ಯೋಚನೆಗಳೆಲ್ಲಾ ಯೂರೋಪಿಯನ್ನರ ತೆರ, ತಾನು ಯೂರೋಪಿಯನ್ನರಂತೆ ಎನ್ನುವ ಹುಸಿ ಹಮ್ಮು. ಇವನನ್ನು ಹೀಗೇಕೆ ಕರೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆಂದು ಈ ಒಂದು ಲೇಖನವನ್ನು ಓದಿದರೆ ಸಾಕು, ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಅರ್ಥವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.

ನನ್ನ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಒಂದು ಬ್ಲಾಗ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಜಪಾನ್ ಮತ್ತು ಭಾರತದ ಆತ್ಮವನ್ನೇ ಕೊಳ್ಳೆ ಹೊಡೆದದ್ದು ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಎಂದು ಬರೆದಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಈ ಮನುಷ್ಯನ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಆ ರೀತಿ ಕೊಳ್ಳೆ ಹೊಡೆದರೂ ಪರವಾಗಿಲ್ಲವಂತೆ, ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಅನಂತರದ ಪೀಳಿಗೆಗಳಿಗೆ ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ, ಡೆಮಾಕ್ರಸಿ ಮುಂತಾದ ಸೌಲಭ್ಯಗಳು ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷರಿಂದಲೇ ಅಂತೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿದ್ದು. ಈ ವಾದದಲ್ಲಿ ಹುರುಳೇ ಇಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ತಿಳಿಯುವುದು ಕಷ್ಟವಲ್ಲ.

ನಾನು ಬಹಳ ಜನರ ಜೊತೆ ವಾದಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ, ಭಾರತೀಯ ವಿಜ್ಞಾನದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ. ಬಹಳ ಜನರ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಜ್ಞಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಧನೆಯಾಗಿದ್ದು ಪಾಶ್ಚಾತ್ಯರ ಸಂಪರ್ಕವಾದ ನಂತರವೇ ಎಂದು. ಈ ವಿಚಾರ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪವೂ ಸರಿಯಿಲ್ಲ. ಭಾರತ ಕೇವಲ "ಶೂನ್ಯ"ವನ್ನು ಕಂಡುಹಿಡಿಯಲಿಲ್ಲ. Linear indeterminate equations ಎನ್ನುವ ಒಂದು ಜಾತಿಯ ಸಮೀಕರಣಗಳನ್ನು ಬಿಡಿಸುವ ಪದ್ಧತಿ ಮೊದಲ ಬಾರಿಗೆ ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ೧೨ ನೇ ಶತಮಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಡು ಹಿಡಿಯಲಾಯಿತು. "ಕುಟ್ಟಕ" ಎಂದು ಈ ಪದ್ಧತಿಯ ಹೆಸರು. ಆದರೆ ಈಗ ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ ಪ್ರಪಂಚದಲ್ಲಿ ಇದನ್ನು ಏನೆಂದು ಕರೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ ಗೊತ್ತೆ? "Diophantine Equations" ಎಂದು! ಹಾಗೆಯೇ Quadratic indeterminate equations ಎನ್ನುವ ಸಮೀಕರಣಗಳನ್ನು "ವರ್ಗಪ್ರಕೃತಿ" ಎಂಬ ಪದ್ಧತಿಯನ್ನು ಉಪಯೋಗಿಸಿ ಬಿಡಿಸುವುದೂ ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ಹುಟ್ಟು ಪಡೆಯಿತು. ಈ ಸಮೀಕರಣಗಳನ್ನು "Fermat Equations" ಎಂದು ಕರೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ! ಹೋಗಲಿ ಎಂದರೆ Fermat ಈ ಸಮೀಕರಣಗಳನ್ನು ಬಿಡಿಸಲೂ ಇಲ್ಲ, ಕೇವಲ propose ಮಾಡಿದ ಅಷ್ಟೆ! ಬೌಧಾಯನ ಸೂತ್ರ ಅಥವಾ Pythagoras theorem ಅಂತೂ ಸರ್ವವಿದಿತ. ಇನ್ನು ವರಾಹಮಿಹಿರ (೯ ನೇ ಶತಮಾನ) ಗ್ರಹಣಗಳ ಸಮಯಗಳನ್ನು ನಿಖರವಾಗಿ ಕಂಡುಹಿಡಿಯುವುದರಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಮಾರು ಮೊದಲಿಗ. ಇದನ್ನು ಯಾರಾದರೂ ನೆನೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆಯೇ? ಇಲ್ಲ! ಪ್ರಪಂಚದ ವಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ೮.೪ ಬಿಲಿಯನ್ ವರ್ಷಗಳು ಎಂದು ಪ್ರಪ್ರಥಮವಾಗಿ ಪ್ರತಿಪಾದಿಸಿದ್ದು ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ. Trigonometry ಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂಡ ನಮ್ಮ ಗಣಿತಜ್ಞರು ಸಾಧನೆಯನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿದ್ದರು. ಇವೆಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ತಿಳಿಯದಿದ್ದರೆ ಈ ಲೇಖಕನಂತೆ ignorant ಆಗಿರುತ್ತೇವೆ ಅಷ್ಟೆ.

ಇದೆಲ್ಲ ಸರಿ, ಆದರೆ ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾರತ ಬಹಳ ಹಿಂದುಳಿದಿತ್ತು, ಅದನ್ನು ಬ್ರಿಟಿಷರು ಉದ್ಧರಿಸಿದರು ಎಂದು ಬಹಳ ಜನರ ವಾದ. ಇದರಲ್ಲೂ ಹುರುಳಿಲ್ಲ. ೧೭ ನೇ ಶತಮಾನಕ್ಕೆ ಮುಂಚೆ ಬ್ರಿಟನ್ ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಂದುವರೆದಿತ್ತೆ? ಖಂಡಿತ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಬ್ರಿಟನ್ನಿನ Industrial Revolution ಗೆ ಹಣ ಮತ್ತು ಮೂಲ ಸಾಮಗ್ರಿಗಳು ಬಂದಿದ್ದು ಭಾರತ, ಮುಂತಾದ ದೇಶಗಳಿಂದಲೇ. ಈ ಮೂಲ ಸಾಮಗ್ರಿಗಳನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯಲು ಬ್ರಿಟನ್ ಅತಿನೀಚ ಕೃತ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಎಸಗಿತು. ಕೇವಲ cash crops ಅನ್ನು ಬೆಳೆಯುವಂತೆ ಆದೇಶಿಸಿ ಜನರಿಗೆ ಊಟವಿಲ್ಲದಂತೆ ಮಾಡಿತು. ಇನ್ನು ಹಣದ ಮಾತು: ರಾಬರ್ಟ್ ಕ್ಲೈವ್ ನ ಕೊಳ್ಳೆ ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ಮಿಲಿಯಗಟ್ಟಲೆ ಪೌಂಡುಗಳಿಗೆ ಮಾರಾಟವಾಯಿತು. ಈ ದುರಾಚಾರಗಳನ್ನೆಲ್ಲ ಮರೆತು DD ಯಂಥವರು ಅದು ಹೇಗೆ "ಪಾಶ್ಚಾತ್ಯರೇ ಪ್ರಪಂಚವೆಲ್ಲದರ ಒಳಿತಿಗೆ ಕಾರಣ" ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೋ ದೇವರೇ ಬಲ್ಲ.

ಇದು ಕೇವಲ ಭಾರತದ ಕಥೆಯಲ್ಲ. "White man's burden" ಎಂಬ ನೆಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲ ದೇಶಗಳಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಬ್ರಿಟನ್ ತನ್ನ ಸ್ವಾಮ್ಯವನ್ನು ಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸಿ ಸಂಪತ್ತನ್ನು ಕೊಳ್ಳೆ ಹೊಡೆದು, ಕ್ರೈಸ್ತ ಮತವನ್ನು ಬಲವಂತವಾಗಿ ಹೇರಿತು. ಈ ದೇಶಗಳಿಗೆ ಬ್ರಿಟನ್ನಿನಿಂದ ಸಹಾಯವಾಗಿದೆ ಎಂಬುದು ಸತ್ಯ. ಆದರೆ ಈ ಸಹಾಯದ ನೂರರಷ್ಟು ಈ ದೇಶಗಳಿಂದ ಬ್ರಿಟನ್ನಿಗೆ ಆಗಿದೆ ಎಂಬುದೂ ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಸತ್ಯ. ಬ್ರಿಟನ್ ಈಗ developed ದೇಶವಾಗಿರುವುದು ಭಾರತ ಮುಂತಾದ ದೇಶಗಳಿಂದ.

ಈಗ ನನ್ನ ಮುಂದೆ ಇರುವ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ - ಅಕಸ್ಮಾತ್ ಬ್ರಿಟನ್ ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶವನ್ನು ಆಳದಿದ್ದರೆ ನಾವು ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಂದುವರೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದೆವೇ? ನನ್ನ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಹೌದು, ಖಂಡಿತ. ಆದರೆ ನಮಗೆ ಅವಕಾಶವೇ ಸಿಗಲಿಲ್ಲವೇ!

Japan and India

2004-06-28T21:16:00.000+05:30

As I was watching the movie "Last Samurai", I sensed this uncanny similarity between our (Indian and Japanese) cultures. Though my knowledge of Japanese culture is limited to a couple of movies, a couple of visits to the Japanese sections of some good museums and some websites, I feel strangely one with this people; it is the kind of sense of oneness I felt with the Rajputs.

Perhaps what impressed me so much was their respect for honour. Probably, in my most subconscious mind, that is what I seek to achieve, and that is what endears these people to me. Being a woman, I identify myself with Rajput women. It is not just the Rani Padminis and the Rani Durgavatis, but the ordinary peasant women, the wives and daughters of warriors that inspire me to better myself constantly. To me, these are the epitomes of womanhood; affectionate, dutiful and proud. They make me proud of being a woman. And surprisingly, the woman Taka in the movie too, made me feel the same way.

When I browsed the www for articles on the Samurai and the Meiji revolution, I found many similarities between our situations through the centuries. We, Indians were a composite mixture of warring kingdoms and allowed Islam and the West to take advantage of us in the name of trade and modernisation, respectively. Consequently, we lost respect for ourselves and became worshippers of white skin. While I do not know if the Japanese are as rootless as we are, from my googling, I saw many articles that eulogised the Meiji revolution and few about the honourable ways of the Samurais. The supporters of the Meiji revolution have a lot in their favour. It is because of this revolution that Japan is a developed nation now. But my argument is that this revolution did not have to do away with all the great things that Japanese culture stood for, in the name of modernisation! Their counterparts in our country, the "liberal" leftists, also eulogise the British and Islamic invasions, saying that they are the reason we developed trade (we let every invader plunder our resources), we became modern (meaning that we learned how great the English were), and pluralistic (that is, we learnt to bend over backwards to please our pseudosecular "intellectuals"). From what I saw, the same is true of the Japanese too. The western countries took advantage of Japan and robbed its soul through meaningless modernisation. The same happened to India at the hands of the British. While Emperor Meiji helped the West in Japan, our own Rajas and Nizams did that in our country.

Before people accuse me of being an old fogy who loves to live in the past, let me make one thing clear. I am all for modernisation. But the modernisation should be meaningful. Any modernisation that makes us forget who we really are, is despicable. If modernisation provides food, water and education to families which could not afford them otherwise, it is good. But if the same modernisation makes these people think lowly of themselves it will have very bad consequences.

I can see the ill-effects of modernisation in India. Schools in India do not teach respect for Indian culture. I studied at a not-so-well-known school in Bellary, a large town. The name of the school was in Kannada. In this school, our prayers were all in English. Not one Samskrita shloka or a Kannada prayer was taught. We used to speak in English all the time. I love the English language, but I hate not knowing my own language. My parents taught me to love Kannada, but what about hundreds and thousands of other kids who studied in that school? If this is the state of Kannada in Bellary, what will it be in Bangalore? These days, when we visit MG Road, salespeople in shops do not respond to you unless you speak in English. Do we need this kind of rootless modernisation?

If people are educated only with facts and not biases, things will improve. Japanese should have been taught the greatness of the Samurai, along with the greatness of the West. We should have been taught about Aryabhata and Brahmagupta's theorems along with Pythagoras' theorem. I do not know the situation in Japan, but in India, barely 1% of the people know about these things. I sincerely hope that things change for the better.

End of Power on Sulekha

2004-06-23T12:30:00.000+05:30

The End of Power on Sulekha
I was reading the comments posted here, and some peoples' attitude shook me, really. Some of us weep for Kashmir, in spite of Article 370 and inspite of it being the biggest drain on the Indian taxpayers' money. And some more people want to divide India further, because NI is supposedly "holding up" the country's progress ! It really takes all sorts to make a world (or a country, in this case)!

Let me make one thing clear first. I am a South Indian. I am a proud Kannaditi and a prouder Indian. But, being a native of Bellary, which borders Andhra and is a place that has a lot of Telugu influence, and having lived in Madras for some time, I can really appreciate the plurality of our country. That is what India is. It is a plural society. I might be called a Hindutva fundamentalist for saying this, but the main thing that unites our country is the sanAtana dharma (don't call it Hinduism, please) and samskritam. Recently, at a Samskrita Bharati meeting here in the US, I saw people speaking all languages come together and converse in Samskritam(an 18-month old baby included), and pride welled up in my heart, for being a part of this amazingly diverse country that is India.

I still remember the time when my Mother was teaching us this patriotic song, 'bhAratIyaru nAvu endendu ondE'. There were tears in her eyes when she sang 'kAshmIradinda kanyAkumAriyavarege kaMgoLipa tAynADe prANakU migilemage'. Though I was too young to understand that emotion at that time, it left a lasting impression upon me. India is one single entity. The uneducated Bihari, the ultramodern employee at the posh MNC in Bangalore, the communist from WB, the truck driver in Punjab are all Indians first. We, as Indians, must do what is possible by us, to make the lives of each of these people better. I would try to convert the commie, not try to secede WB from India!

There could be one very influential reason why the NIs and SIs are the way they are. They faced many onslaughts from Islamic invaders. Until the sea-route was established, whoever invaded India, came through the North. This protected the South from the invaders, but changed the culture of the North Indians considerably. That is why we see NI women wear veils, but not SI women. Unfortunately, it was not just the culture that was changed, it was the complete attitude of the people. NIs are much more courageous and hardened than SIs. When SI was being ruled by the Wodeyars, NI was under the direct rule of the British. Because of prolonged tyrannic rule, peoples' expectation from the Government went down drastically. (Even after independence, we have not exactly had good governments.) That is why we see so much corruption in NI. People passed this attitude on to their offspring and they passed it on to theirs. It is nothing that good education cannot fix!

Blaming NI for the slow progress of our country is not fair. This is especially because NI also deserves a fair share of credit for SI's progress. Until we understand that we are Indians irrespective of the region we live in, our country will not progress economically or culturally.

Means and Ends

2004-05-23T09:08:00.000+05:30

I am a big fan of the comedy show 'The Simpsons'. Though it is a comedy show intended to make you laugh, sometimes the antics of Bart and the stupidity of Homer evoke some pretty serious thoughts in me. This is one such instance.

When Moe persuades an inexperienced H. to fight the heavyweight champion Dederick Tatum in a boxing match, he (Moe) says to H. "Look, Homer, you can win, all you have gotta do is visualise". Homer visualizes alright, not the fighting techniques, but the picture where he has defeated Tatum and is receiving the prize! Of course, that is the typical Homer Simpson. What scared me, was that I could see that I was also like him ! I am working on my Master's thesis right now. I am at the fag-end of the work. When I say to myself that I have to visualize and plan, the picture that comes to my mind is that of me submitting my completed thesis, getting a "Good work" certificate from my professor, telling all my relatives and friends about my work, etc. Rarely have I visualized working my butt off, though I think I do that!

gridhrasaras and pArijAta

2004-05-17T00:26:00.000+05:30

Once, when I went to our AcArya, He told us this story:
When Rama came to pa~NcavaTI for the first time, he met jaTAyu, a bird belonging to the gridhra species. On exchanging words, jaTAyu came to know that rAma was his friend dasharatha's son. He came to love the family very much, though he was unaware of their divine origin. And what is bhakti, but pure love? Pure love for someone who is dependent on us (say, a child who is dependent on its mother, or people who are dependent on their king) manifests itself as vAtsalya. Pure love for someone we consider higher than ourselves manifests itself as bhakti.

Coming back to the story. We all know that jaTAyu fought rAvaNa courageously to rescue sItA from him. However courageously jaTAyu fought, he was no match to rAvaNa. jaTAyu was severely wounded, and he fell to the ground. rAvaNa successfully kidnapped sItA.

After rAma and lakShmaNa returned from killing mArIca, they discovered that sIta was nowhere in the hut, and they started searching for Her. They met jaTAyu, who told them that sItA was abducted by a rAkShasa. jaTAyu died at the feet of rAma, and rAma gave him sadgati. Later, rAma found sItA with the help of vAnaras, and They were united.

We all know this much from the rAmAyaNa. There is another little-known story. At the place where jaTAyu died and obtained paramapadam, a small pArijAta tree sprang. It is on the shore of a lake named gridhrasaras, after jaTAyu. The following shloka is said about the lake and the pArijAta tree.

shrImad-gR^idhrasarastIre pArijAtamupAsmahe
yatra tu~Ngairatu~Ggaishcha praNatairgR^ihyate phalam

ये जनाः संस्कृतं पठितुं शक्नुवन्ति, तेषां कृते संस्कृतेन एव लिखामि ।

श्रीमद्गृध्रसरस्तीरे पारिजातमुपास्महे।
यत्र तुङ्गैरतुङ्गैश्च प्रणतैर्गृह्यते फलम्॥

This place has been on my to-visit list for a very long time.

What went wrong? What might happen?

2004-05-13T22:17:00.000+05:30

It's all over, the election results are out. Cong is in, NDA is out.

What could the BJP have done to retain power? I mean, just good governance is not enough in politics. I, for one, feel that the BJP lost because the people did not see any difference between BJP and Congress. As the RSS put it, the Beej diluted its ideology. Corrupt party-hoppers like Bangarappa joined the BJP. There was no mention of Article 370 and UCC in its manifesto. The BJP also tried to secure Muslim votes by (idiotic?) gestures such as increasing Haj subsidy and trying to be endorsed by none other than Imam Bukhari. Instead, they could have tried to educate the Muslims and make them think for themselves. I am of the opinion that any right-thinking patriotic Indian would never agree to have a Congress govt. and an inexperienced foreigner Sonia as the PM. Cong will be supported by the left, which makes the situation even more disgusting.

Picture this scenario. Sonia the PM, Laloo the HRD, Mulayam Defence minister.. For Heaven's sake, the woman (I mean SG) goes to UK and criticizes the Hindus of India! She cannot string two sentences in Hindi, the national language. She did not take Indian Citizenship until 1983. She and her husband took refuge in Italy when emergency was declared. Can it get any worse than this? I hope someone powerful has the sanity to suggest MM Singh's name for the PM-ship, or at least the FM-ship. Otherwise we will just go back to being another poor third-world country.

There were two articles on rediff that made me almost puke. Italy and Pakistan were celebrating the Congress's win! An Italian remarked that she would not be comfortable voting for a person of Indian origin (naturally!). But, happiness that Sonia was in this position was obvious from her talk (again, naturally!) Do we need more proof of our imbecility? I think India is just the right example for democracy's best and worst.

Somebody on a forum was remarking that he would leave India for good if Cong came to power. I love my country too much to even consider that a possibility. Here, Indians, welcome back to the days of Nehruvian Socialism, religious strife, reservation and unemployment. From our History books, we will start learning how Aryans were fiends who conquered India, and how Aurangzeb was the benevolent ruler who introduced the concept of religious equality to us uncivilized Indians. These are topsy-turvy times, indeed!

Importance of pronunciation and sAhitya in Classical Music

2004-05-11T11:10:00.000+05:30

I am learning Carnatic Classical Music (well, I used to learn for a long time, and will restart learning in the near future), and for me, Music is something that links human with God. Almost all the kritis and varNas sung are known both for their sangIta aspect and the sAhitya aspect. Then, why pray, are they sung with such a horrible accents that one cannot even figure out the lyrics, let alone enjoy them? With the exception of a few, musicians do not even *try* to pronounce words properly. For some time, I had completely stopped listening to vocalists because their mistakes were so glaring that I could not even appreciate the good parts in their music!

An example- an old CD of GNB's recordings had this in its index "Manasulonima" ... ! Is it so hard to figure out that it 'manasulOni' and 'marmamu' are two different words? I have heard a musician pronounce 'nArada bhayahara' as 'nArada bayagara'. 'One who dispelled the fears of nArada' became, to my Tamil-untrained ear 'One who created fear in nArada'!

I had once attended a concert of T.N. Seshagopalan, one of my favourite musicians. He sang a romantic aShTapadi in - tODi! The rAga tODi is good for dainyarasa, and certainly anything but romantic! His Todi is impeccable; I have not listened to any tODi better than his. But it would have been much more enjoyable if he had chosen a different composition, or sang the same aShTapadi in a different raaga like kAmavardhini!

A course in saahitya must be made mandatory for musicians. This will help them put more emotion or bhAva into their singing. For example, lines like "kaantamagu pEru ponditivi" in "paalinchu kaamaakShi" are filled with love and devotion for the Mother. The neraval should bring out this devotion and love. It is of no use otherwise. I have heard some 'good' musicians sing 'nagumOmu ganalEni' with an enthusiasm that puts an child high on espresso to shame ! The meaning of the pallavi of this kriti is 'Rama, how can you have a smiling face when you know about my suffering?' See what happens when the musician does not understand the lyrics? It is the confluence of sAhitya and sangIta that makes Carnatic music so beautiful. Unless musicians understand this, they cannot do justice to their music.

Intro

2004-05-11T10:59:00.000+05:30

This is just a test blog. My interests vary from Electrical Engineering and Physics and Philosophy to Politics and Music and movies, with a whole lot of subjects in between. Right now I am reading some stuff about how one can maintain an ecologically sound home. I am thinking of experimenting with solar cells but have not got much information to start working on them.