Margazhi musings - 1

Margazhi, the chosen month, by none other than Krishna himself, definitely has the charm. Climate that makes even places like Chennai desirable and why beat around the bush, the ‘MUSIC SEASON’. This charm has definitely extended till Pondicherry and over the years I have always tried to squeeze in few December concerts into my schedule.

It was another music driven journey to Chennai and I ended up at one of the lovely places that belonged to the silk merchant. It was another busy morning with performers moving in and out, audiences flowing in a steady stream, the stalls and canteens being populated with visitors, I relished it all afresh after a year. Half an hour past the first programme, I had to come out to get tickets for the main performance that morning by the madisar clad woman and few others. I noticed one of the tickets had the seats numbered whereas this one in morning had entry on first come basis. A woman next to me earnestly asked”appo idhukkum number potu tharuvela” will you number the seats for this show too? After a long pause came a not so polite reply”oru oru programme um vera. Ticket vangitu pongo” each show is different. Just get your tickets and go. I would have only been surprised if it was anything else.

I had hardly few seconds to ponder over what happened as I already saw mamis queue up at the gates. Observing their creativity at queuing up, this time it was sitting in chairs close to the gates so that they can camouflage like rasikas attending the programme but when neared, they would unveil their identity with two words ”queue pinnala”. “This sabha charges the maximum for a ticket but waiting like this in spite of that is quite annoying” a lady said and almost everyone felt the same. Another guy told how tickets at the TTK road auditorium have to be procured as early as six in the mornings for which the queue math would suggest you to reach there by five!

 This civilized conduct transformed into stark barbarianism when the gates opened. After a hassle I entered the theatre and I was quite surprised to see the hall not even half full when the programme was about to start. A refute at one of the gates gave me the answer. There was loud blasphemy exactly at curtain raise. I saw some of the irate being pushed, gates were shut.

I have witnessed a very similar incident even last year and unfortunately I have got really immune to all this! When a group of people are so eager to attend the discourse (which also had a free entry the previous year and that was the confusion) what do you call that which prevented them from letting these people in?

The proportion of youngsters attending the festival season has dramatically increased. It is high time these organizations take steps to embrace the change. It is practically impossible for the working youth or outsiders to book the tickets in person one day prior and not to mention the early morning drill. Wouldn’t it be more welcoming if it was as easy as booking a ticket for a rock concert? All said and done, this is not going to deter me from attending any more concerts but I am keenly  looking forward for the time when the monopoly of these sabhas end and some transparency is brought into the system!

From Nolan to Narada

My immediate reaction after watching ‘Interstellar’ was nothing- plain nothing. I definitely did not like the movie for the very reason that it stirred hell a lot of questions inside me, beyond the limit I could take!

Just like a lot of us, I spent the following week googling terms like time travel, wormhole physics and so on. But the closer I got to understand some of these astrophysical concepts, I started realizing something even more surprising. It took weeks for things to slowly settle down and here is my take on the Nolan’s flick.

My penchant for Hindu mythology started with Dad’s bedtime stories. If not for one or two, I would have easily completed hearing the whole of Amar Chitra Katha series! And now I have all of them spinning inside my head. This one movie made me relate to each one of them in a totally different way. Its all there, from relativity to time travel, beautifully woven inside these stories yet so obviously starting at you!

The fact that Narada muni can transcend time and space, that he appears simultaneously in the present, past and future had been reiterated in many instances. One of the greatest of sages he is, if not for the unfortunate portrayal in many of the movies as a conflict seeker and a gossip monger.

Once when Vishnu and Narada was having a spacewalk, Narada requested him to explain Maya. "Of course my true devotee, but before that can I get some water?" Vishnu thought it was time he gave Narada a taste of samsara Narada immediately descends down to earth but as he steps into the first house he comes across, the beauty of a girl there captivates him. As he approaches to speak to her, he understands that she is interested in him too. They end up marrying to each other and soon children enter their life one by one. As this goes on for a while, one day their house gets flooded with heavy rains. Children about to drown and wife not in a position to be saved too, Narada is helpless as he cries out “Narayana”. Suddenly truth hits him like a thunderbolt. He reaches where he started only to realize that only seconds have passed since he spoke with Vishnu. “Have you got any water Narada?” Vishnu smiles.

“But this has not been proved. How can you use folklore on par with scientific evidence?” My colleague asked me as we were having a chat at the base of Azhagar hills. Whatever said and done, that profound understanding of science existed among ancient Indians is far beyond obvious. May be it might take another fifty to hundred years to prove it with what we call science. I would rather not wait all the way to accept something, which appears very implicit right now. Hinduism is not just religious philosophy but a very scientific way of life. This was my answer.

NB: Thanks Santha, bestie, for the title inspiration.

A scar on the face of Paris

“How do u like our new glass pyramid?” General Bezu Fache asks Robert Langdon.

 “Its magnificient” he says and starts explaining that it’s a modern architectural marvel that has 333 pieces of glass placed perfectly into a pyramid.

“A scar on the face of paris” he interjects as he takes him into the Louvre. Too bold a line that would feel like a needle prick even as we read it. It expresses the hatred that people who loved old parisian architecture had, on its modernisation.

I enjoyed Pondichery more than what Piscine Molitor Patel did in Life of Pi – Afterall I have been spending this full quarter of my life in that town. Irrespective of its names: Vedapuri, puducherry, it was always pondichery to me (pronounced ‘pondhishery’). My fascination grew up from school days listening to everyday stories of my octogenarian French tuition masters – on how Pondicherry used to be, the French political and social system, from hospitals to markets.

“The original general hospital was called “Hotel-Dieu” literally meaning hotel of god…” “my father was a pharmacist, he used to make tablets by hand using powdered medicine” “everything in pondy was planned perfectly, streets had shops that sold just one particular commodity -  like all the shops that sold cosmetics were lined up in the Nehru street end ” and there was a new one in every class of  ‘Monsieur’ Bernard Venance. Combined with his enthusiasm, these stories were a perfect feast to my imagination.

This passion got more into an obssesion making me collect all the little tit bits of information I hear. I ended up taking my friends and family on heritage walks across the town. I used to drill their heads with the ellipse shaped plan of old Pondichery with the canal dissecting It into an unequal two, the two clock towers at the foci(one was removed as it hindered public transport near the market-gandhi street crossing), the larger part of the ellipse being further demarcated into the tamil and the muslim quarter.

Then there came the three invaders – to scar the face of Pondicherry. They sprouted like mushrooms. Those just-another-skip-away liquor shops to begin with. It has nothing to do with me abhorring drinking but their proliferation changed the way we saw Pondicherry - accept it.

In the meantime we witnessed all our cinema talkies getting knocked down one by one – slowly but very alarmingly – to accommodate the luxury hotels, the next set of invaders. The first one excited us, the third and fourth one did not attract much attention and to see the fourteenth such hotel popping up now is annoying.

It was a get-together with mom’s colleagues in 90s at this new ice-cream shop.  It was called Baskin 35 Robbins and tasted very different from the Arun ice-cream we grew up with till then. But, just after a year or two it closed down. Pizza corner came then, stood much adversity and established business somehow. ‘That was all folks’ till years back, when pondy saw another sea change. Loads and loads of brands, from jewellery to textile to fast food, more trying to fit in everyday, suffocating this little town. We love KFC zingers, our moms love GRT and Alukkas, not to forget the day long shopping at kumaran stores and pothys, but we all liked Pondicherry without them J

NB:

I found this interesting link when I was looking out for the second pic

http://old.auroville.org/journals&media/avtoday/archive/2004-2009/2004-03/plan_pondicherry.htm

The story of a river

Viewing something from the perspective of science and religion simultaneously– I remember the 3D glass they gave at movie theatres in the 90s, with a red and a green filter, totally contrasting sides only to give a greater depth.

Few days back, I watched a detailed video description of the Ganges from its origin till confluence along with sites of religious importance by Velukkudi swamy. I got goosebumps when he said “gangaya paathale punyam”, I felt so accomplished. Sooner my attention was grabbed by this study by IIT Delhi and Newcastle university which has revealed the prolific spread of the blaNDM-1 gene in the Ganges river bed especially during months of mass religious gathering.

This New Delhi Metallo-betalactamase resistance gene is what made the shocking headlines sometime back when it was first detected in the capital city. The gene has now been found to be more common among residents of such holy cities by the side of the Ganges and transmitted to other pilgrims via fecal contamination of the river. You take a dip in the holiest river in India only to get a dose of diluted shit with a potential superbug - Irony at its best! Not to mention the sugar-coating in the discussion of the article that they do not suggest avoiding religious gatherings in such places and this contamination is probably due to overloading of sanitation facilities.

The last time I stood by the Ganges was three years back at Varanasi. The pungent smell and the sight of people openly defecating literally made me puke that day. And it was the common sense in me that won over religion and I left the place without the ceremonial dip and just wished I never went again. I can’t help mentioning the collection of some 300 odd photos I came across in a blog showing the not-so-picture-perfect side of Varanasi – dead and putrefied bodies (human indeed) some floating on the river and some just by the side of pilgrims – I could not stand 50! The blog looked like in Chinese but if I were to choose a topic - “Do you call this the most sacred place in India?”

Continuing viewing through the science lens, only the exponential transmission of this gene has been documented. Whether it translates into an increase in the causalities due to a multidrug resistant infection has not yet been substantiated. Its only a matter of few years as the gene can easily tunnel into a clinically significant bacteria and make it super-resitant.

My religion relentlessly tries to convince me about the holiness and the sacredness of the Ganges. Used by Brahma to wash the feet of Vishnu, the waters gathered up and flew into a ferocious river that was controlled in Shiva’s hair lock and was later released into land following the penance of Bhagiratha. Touched by all three of the trinity, it gains its utmost importance in Hindu literature. Majestic aarthi is conducted in the riverbanks everyday where thousands gather with songs and praises for Ganga ma. She is the one who washes the sins of everyone but still remains pure for eternity.

The Ganges - my sketch

I would not debate about her glory. I salute her and bow to her but for the dip part - I would think twice!

spirituality Vs Religion - Are we reluctant to draw the line ?

I pulled this from another blog and I was equally surprised! Now, that’s n advertisement in the US without even a name in it! Googling to my curiosity, I recently found that 'Jaggi' came from his full name - 'Jagadish Vasudev'. What sounded profound and ethereal to me till then, started looking so mortal!

I have been to the place and have read the mystic’s writings, some were totally mind-blowing! But there are also other things I was not so comfortable with, during my visit to the yoga center.

Siddarth(actor) asks him in a conversation “Is there an employment option in India as a spiritual guru?” Though he brushed it off brilliantly, don’t we all know the answer? And who else but we are guilty for creating such a market?

The proportion of we, youngsters who flock to decorated temple-likes are definitely much more than what we see in temples. Can we deny? Even God has to be packed in attractive covers to get sold?

Why can’t we listen to people who can make us think differently without jumping to worship them and start ‘religonising’ their views? And then start controversies, blow them out of proportion and have a sense of achievement about it? Is it their mistake to remind us to chat Krishna nama, to look into our own thoughts, to mediate and practice yoga? Moreover enormous projects of social importance have been undertaken by these ashrams, where the country’s policies failed. But why can’t we just stop it there?  Why do we have to look every such person as a panacea to all our problems?

The time we start extrapolating a spiritual concept is when we end up with a non-religious organization being uncomfortably changed to ‘mostly-hindu’, globalized religious worship, still not wanting to change the non-religious tag! This is exactly what made me feel out of the place. Just spirituality would have been perfect, but again, this sells better!

Both as a religion and a way of life, being so profound and undoubtedly scientific in most of its ways, nothing is lacking that has to be told new! I can say this so definitely even with the minutest idea I have on the Bhagavad Gita and some other spiritual literature. There have been and still are great orators who give the essence of spiritual literature in the most understandable way and who let us interpret it for ourselves. They believe that all that is needed is only repeating what has already been told.

   Whether the choice is spirituality or religion, the road is well laid and ways very well documented, why cant we stop running in the lookout for god men, rather just listen to people and walk on?

Just another name for a holiday?

Festivals are just turning to be names of holidays - invariably meaning a day-off for a sleep that can compensate for a full week’s work and probably a movie after you get dizzy sleeping the whole day. Does Diwali and pongal even mean anything to us nowadays?

It all started when my brother and me decided not to burst   crackers this time when mom and dad wanted atleast a few for the sampradaya. What actually is Diwali sampradaya?

Enlightment from a recent vishaka hari’s concert – Krishna fought Narakasura, freed the 16,100 ladies from his prison (eventually ended up marrying them) and his return to dwaraka was celebrated with lights.  Probably there were no crackers at that time. Thanks Krishna :D

 By the way, shifting to the next issue – with the risky environment which is many-a-times life-threatening, child labour which is now ‘reportedly’ reduced -  are we the ones who are actually feeding these companies ? Those workers there definitely aren’t putting through blistered and burnt hands as a service to mankind but sheer food ! What difference are we making by shunning crackers?
 Whatever it may be - I’ve just lost the interest and already seeing so many around in my boat -  Raise your hand if you are in the league !

 And finally, wen I see these sweet boxes, my mind flies 10 years behind – I see grannies of our family sitting together discussing the sweets to be made, rolling dough, mommies at the frying pans and we getting the privilege of tasting the freshly fried yum-yums :D I only laugh wen we buy sweets and even worse…just mix up from different boxes and give it again to few more. Makes sense? I think no!

 An interview featuring Nasser is worth mentioning. It was shot by a local tele channel and was not broadcasted for the reason that he vehemently refused to wish pongal wen he was asked to do so. ‘‘All pongal means is harvest for the farmers- what are we gonna do sitting in the couch, eating sweets and wishing pongal to each other? When the farmers are actually suffering from poor returns ?”. Makes senseJ

 Lets probably get all the negative thoughts out of our minds, fill it with light heartedness and share love with family and around and celebrate a festival the way it should be J