It was like all evenings in Bangalore when I thought of going to the parlour for a threading. You see, I had missed it last month. And felt that aaj nahi tho agle mahine and till then I would be looking like Krur Singh of Chandrakanta mega serial and so set on this journey taking along my daughter Srujana who was all the while glued to the Idiot Box watching Chota Bheem.
As we were walking along, I holding her nimble fingers tightly clasped in my palm, we heard the evening prayers Salatu-l-Isha of Muslims. An expected small query came pouting up. “Amma, who is praying?” I told her as we all pray God in a Puja room or temples, Muslims pray in mosques. I felt very much happy that I had answered her query in the simplest way she could comprehend. Rather, the “I” in me reigned arrogantly.
No sooner had I answered it, it was followed by another query. “Amma, where are Muslims?” Now, this seemed a bit awkward question, especially when we were walking along the street. The “I” in me had again started feigning its hood. I replied, “As we live, they live by us, as our neighbours”. Felt great for being a good English and Social Studies Teacher.
My turn of introspection was slowly turning on when she hit the final target asking, “Amma, who are Muslims?” Now, how would I answer this? How do I tell the characteristic features of a Hindu and a Muslim or whatsoever community she was asking. Would she understand? How would a five year old understand? I felt, the age factor and my explanation would be a mismatch. Or, would it be followed by another query and another query?
While I was in a fix, I recalled that some years back she had studied in a Pre- Nursery school, and I replied, “ Srujana, chinna, do you remember you had a class teacher by name Ghazala mam, well she is a Muslim”. For that instance, I felt that distinguishing mark or a change or pattern in name would help her to at least figure out faintly. But what astounded me most was her reply.
“Amma, she is not a Muslim. She is my mam”. The conviction and truth in her voice shook me. I felt really ashamed of self. The child as a human and Indian in her had spoken the unconquerable truth that we are all ONE. And my definition of defining my neighbours was all but hollow. We need to permanently park our egos, self esteem packages and cover it up with more practical truths.
We, as elders always draw LOC between us and amongst us. It was what my daughter made me realize a “Spiritual Landscaping” where I needed to water my beliefs in being a human was much more important and vital rather than defining them in words or History text books or in the cases of Ram Janma Bhoomi issue. Enveloping all this, I would like to say is, all we need is to till our hearts with more of priming, pulling, and pushing worth the belief that we will be the best as HUMANS rather than Hindus or Muslims.
A sideway glance at life is always important, because we truly need the exercise to absorb the lesson life attempts to show us.
What do you say and feel?
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Dark Sheep
“In the end we are all separate: our stories, no matter how similar, come to a fork and diverge. We are drawn to each other because of our similarities, but it is our differences we must learn to respect.”
And only Marriage promises to respect our partners with their differences.
As a student of Criminal Sociology, Live In Relationships destroy the fabric of society which is built by culture, traditions, mores respect for each other as one holds in a sacred relationship called marriage. It can certainly give a green licensed signal to venture into a realm of tasting different flavours of SEX, but there isn't any promiscuity promised. Rather it is a relationship which is always lurking in dark shadows of fear and insecurity. Rather it is a relationship which is always lurking in dark shadows of fear and insecurity.
Wise but not foolish to go into a social formatting of relationship called marriage which z built on the edifice of Share, Care and Bear - responsible factors to make the society work on smooth lines.
And only Marriage promises to respect our partners with their differences.
As a student of Criminal Sociology, Live In Relationships destroy the fabric of society which is built by culture, traditions, mores respect for each other as one holds in a sacred relationship called marriage. It can certainly give a green licensed signal to venture into a realm of tasting different flavours of SEX, but there isn't any promiscuity promised. Rather it is a relationship which is always lurking in dark shadows of fear and insecurity. Rather it is a relationship which is always lurking in dark shadows of fear and insecurity.
Wise but not foolish to go into a social formatting of relationship called marriage which z built on the edifice of Share, Care and Bear - responsible factors to make the society work on smooth lines.
NOSING AROUND A NOSE
O!! Congratulations….sir. You’ve a grandson…..child is so cute & his nose is so straight & so fine…lucky sir”. These words roused me from my sadistic state. I was not in myself as since morning my daughter had been experiencing labor pains. Nurse was referring to the nose of the baby so specially as if no other organs are worthy of mention.
Why…for a minute I imagined…yes…how absurd the face would be without that! The face would look as smooth as a pancake. The nurse’s nose reference, in the bliss of solitude, made me ponder deeply. My head & heart demanded a treat for it & the courteous hands had to award that.
If we muse at the placement of the nose with two hairy hollow nostrils on the face we feel, it is centrally & majestically located over the thick line of mustachios, under the two eyes providing a support for the double arch of the eyebrows. On its capital the forehead, the store-house of hidden written document of the predestined ups & downs, clicks & slicks of our life. From the aesthetic point of view also the nose is supreme.
In view of its prominent position nose is a kind of witness or evidence of a person’s character. It is capable of expressing two functions at once---that of smell & a kind of speech. When I say a kind of speech I remember the people expressing their disgust. How expressive.., isn’t it?
Whenever a man is in a mood of anger or robust quarrelling it is expressed by his nose with its dilated nostrils. You must have people heard saying—“Don’t expand your nose. I haven’t done anything wrong & denouncing”. It is very much certain that nose plays its role in expressing love, in pressing entertainment & impressing critical remarks.
John Brophy in his book ‘The Human Nose’ says that “One which nose often provokes ridicule from unkind observers & humiliation in those who consider themselves unfortunately dealt with by nature, is the nose”? The long nose, the hook nose, the bulbous nose are the part of stock-in-trade of comedians in plays & jokers in circus who are the most favorite of children. Napoleon preferred people with big & long nose in the officorial cadres when he wanted any brainy work done. Zoology doesn’t anything on this.
Nose is the lovelier & ever vigilant part of the face. We can’t imagine a human face without a nose.., can we? I call ever vigilant, coz other parts of the face….eyes sleep, mouth closes, ears deafen but the nose is always on duty… The nose is so mischievous that it instigates the tongue if it senses any aromatic delicacy. It orders the hands to close it if there is any bad odour…for sometimes that bad odour creates a sense of nausea & makes the stomach vomit. So isn’t it an active organ?
The nose is an endeared part of a face for a woman. The nose ring on their nose speaks a lot of the feminine grace. The nose ring that Rajasthani woman wear is called ‘bhulak’ which is attached to both the nostrils.
The nose-stick incident turned the miserly & greedy Srinivas into Purandara Dasa distributing all his wealth amongst the poor & the needy. Our literature would not have been enriched without Purandara Dasa’s meaningfully devotion padas & kirtanas.
During my school days, once I’d a fun with a nose. My maternal brother used to visit us often. During his visit to us he used to sleep in my room. I used to be disturbed in my studies & sleep by his terrible snoring, a tuneful serenade. I made a plan to get rid of him. One day, I took a cotton wick & slowly inserted in his nostrils. There was such a burst. A big burst, don’t ever ask!!! From that day whenever he sees me he screws his nose indicating that he would pay me through my nose one day or the other.
The other day I was telling my friend not to quarrel with his family members & how he should help them to help themselves. CHUT…was the retort… “Don’t poke your nose in to my affairs”. I began to wonder at this expression as how it came into usage. Is it coz, the face comes first in that case & the nose its protruding part would be the first naturally!!
The nose is a symptomatic expressor of certain disorders or infections of the stomach---a red nose indicating indigestion, scratching of nose indicates worms infected stomach. Running nose with coryza is the cold affected nose.
Once when all the friends were talking, the talk turned on Jayant while telling about his loose morals one of my friends laid a finger on the nose. I didn’t follow, tube light I’m. Many days later I could sense that the sign meant a man keeping a whore.
The nose has to pay the penalty if the mind goes wrong. In Ramayana, Shrupanka got her nose cut by Laxman when she expressed her desire to marry him. While walking if legs go wrong and mind goes off first the nose gets injured and thus pays penalty for their folly. How noble!!! In some parts of our villages wanton women are called nose less, obviously referring to the habits of husbands who cut off the noses of their infidel wives.
My wife always complains about my nose as she can’t give surprise dishes full of aroma, for I readily smell everything. Surprise & suspense will be missing. That is why she jokes whether I’d been a police Alsatian dog in my previous birth... Sometimes she has complimented too when I told her about seething milk, rice & dal on the gas having put & forgotten.
The ‘nose’ has enriched the linguistic expressions in almost all languages. The Expression ‘Paying through the nose’ may be traced in the 19th century when the Irish were compelled to pay tribute to their Nose conquerors or suffer a slit nose. History tells us that there was once a nose tax of a penny nose in Sweden. ‘To do a thing on nose’ is a phrase for punctuality in modern American English. Some English words have typical nasal sounds in eaten, mutn, gotn..Etc.While I was giving final touches to my talk my wife came to me & reminded that we should go into temple, for it was an auspicious day. I told her that I was busy writing an essay on nose without seeing her. My daughter shrieked and told me, “Papa, see, see, and mummy has twisted her nose at your work”. Then I turned to my wife and told my daughter, “She’s right…let her do, Pinky…for I’d promised a nose stick on our first marriage anniversary. Though silver jubilee of our marriage anniversary falls this year, I’m not bale to keep up my promise….Poor me”. Pinky kept quiet simply nosing at me for being a defauler. “This year I must get her a diamond nose-stick somehow. I’ve to honor her really beautiful long & straight nose”. Pinky shouted, “Mummy…three cheers to your nose”...I put my pen down with a satisfaction of nosing around the nose.
Why…for a minute I imagined…yes…how absurd the face would be without that! The face would look as smooth as a pancake. The nurse’s nose reference, in the bliss of solitude, made me ponder deeply. My head & heart demanded a treat for it & the courteous hands had to award that.
If we muse at the placement of the nose with two hairy hollow nostrils on the face we feel, it is centrally & majestically located over the thick line of mustachios, under the two eyes providing a support for the double arch of the eyebrows. On its capital the forehead, the store-house of hidden written document of the predestined ups & downs, clicks & slicks of our life. From the aesthetic point of view also the nose is supreme.
In view of its prominent position nose is a kind of witness or evidence of a person’s character. It is capable of expressing two functions at once---that of smell & a kind of speech. When I say a kind of speech I remember the people expressing their disgust. How expressive.., isn’t it?
Whenever a man is in a mood of anger or robust quarrelling it is expressed by his nose with its dilated nostrils. You must have people heard saying—“Don’t expand your nose. I haven’t done anything wrong & denouncing”. It is very much certain that nose plays its role in expressing love, in pressing entertainment & impressing critical remarks.
John Brophy in his book ‘The Human Nose’ says that “One which nose often provokes ridicule from unkind observers & humiliation in those who consider themselves unfortunately dealt with by nature, is the nose”? The long nose, the hook nose, the bulbous nose are the part of stock-in-trade of comedians in plays & jokers in circus who are the most favorite of children. Napoleon preferred people with big & long nose in the officorial cadres when he wanted any brainy work done. Zoology doesn’t anything on this.
Nose is the lovelier & ever vigilant part of the face. We can’t imagine a human face without a nose.., can we? I call ever vigilant, coz other parts of the face….eyes sleep, mouth closes, ears deafen but the nose is always on duty… The nose is so mischievous that it instigates the tongue if it senses any aromatic delicacy. It orders the hands to close it if there is any bad odour…for sometimes that bad odour creates a sense of nausea & makes the stomach vomit. So isn’t it an active organ?
The nose is an endeared part of a face for a woman. The nose ring on their nose speaks a lot of the feminine grace. The nose ring that Rajasthani woman wear is called ‘bhulak’ which is attached to both the nostrils.
The nose-stick incident turned the miserly & greedy Srinivas into Purandara Dasa distributing all his wealth amongst the poor & the needy. Our literature would not have been enriched without Purandara Dasa’s meaningfully devotion padas & kirtanas.
During my school days, once I’d a fun with a nose. My maternal brother used to visit us often. During his visit to us he used to sleep in my room. I used to be disturbed in my studies & sleep by his terrible snoring, a tuneful serenade. I made a plan to get rid of him. One day, I took a cotton wick & slowly inserted in his nostrils. There was such a burst. A big burst, don’t ever ask!!! From that day whenever he sees me he screws his nose indicating that he would pay me through my nose one day or the other.
The other day I was telling my friend not to quarrel with his family members & how he should help them to help themselves. CHUT…was the retort… “Don’t poke your nose in to my affairs”. I began to wonder at this expression as how it came into usage. Is it coz, the face comes first in that case & the nose its protruding part would be the first naturally!!
The nose is a symptomatic expressor of certain disorders or infections of the stomach---a red nose indicating indigestion, scratching of nose indicates worms infected stomach. Running nose with coryza is the cold affected nose.
Once when all the friends were talking, the talk turned on Jayant while telling about his loose morals one of my friends laid a finger on the nose. I didn’t follow, tube light I’m. Many days later I could sense that the sign meant a man keeping a whore.
The nose has to pay the penalty if the mind goes wrong. In Ramayana, Shrupanka got her nose cut by Laxman when she expressed her desire to marry him. While walking if legs go wrong and mind goes off first the nose gets injured and thus pays penalty for their folly. How noble!!! In some parts of our villages wanton women are called nose less, obviously referring to the habits of husbands who cut off the noses of their infidel wives.
My wife always complains about my nose as she can’t give surprise dishes full of aroma, for I readily smell everything. Surprise & suspense will be missing. That is why she jokes whether I’d been a police Alsatian dog in my previous birth... Sometimes she has complimented too when I told her about seething milk, rice & dal on the gas having put & forgotten.
The ‘nose’ has enriched the linguistic expressions in almost all languages. The Expression ‘Paying through the nose’ may be traced in the 19th century when the Irish were compelled to pay tribute to their Nose conquerors or suffer a slit nose. History tells us that there was once a nose tax of a penny nose in Sweden. ‘To do a thing on nose’ is a phrase for punctuality in modern American English. Some English words have typical nasal sounds in eaten, mutn, gotn..Etc.While I was giving final touches to my talk my wife came to me & reminded that we should go into temple, for it was an auspicious day. I told her that I was busy writing an essay on nose without seeing her. My daughter shrieked and told me, “Papa, see, see, and mummy has twisted her nose at your work”. Then I turned to my wife and told my daughter, “She’s right…let her do, Pinky…for I’d promised a nose stick on our first marriage anniversary. Though silver jubilee of our marriage anniversary falls this year, I’m not bale to keep up my promise….Poor me”. Pinky kept quiet simply nosing at me for being a defauler. “This year I must get her a diamond nose-stick somehow. I’ve to honor her really beautiful long & straight nose”. Pinky shouted, “Mummy…three cheers to your nose”...I put my pen down with a satisfaction of nosing around the nose.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Journey towards Knowledge and Eternity- Venu Temple
A travelouge about Incredible India, with a brief historical perspective with research and Faith
It is 29th May. Unlike our expectation and prediction, our Journey towards Sanctity remains shrouded in mystery about his Providence. The much awaited travel happened. And I was not myself when our journey towards Venu Gopal Swamy Temple started, we taking a diversion from Tataguni after NICE Road, Bangalore moving speedily ahead towards Ramanagara. Who doesn’t know Ramanagara “The City which was terrorized by Gabbar Singh of Sholay in 1980’s”. The rocky terrains repeatedly echoed “Kitne aadmi the?”
Reminiscing the Jai, Veeru and Basanti characters, the Khodays vehicle carried us to Chennapattana, the Land of Alice in Wonderland, which plays with a number of toys fostering the innocence and catering to all sections of children’s loneliness in the form of its varied Hathi, Ghoda, Jhula and many more.
Waving a sweet bye for the childhood years, we were moving towards Mandya - The Home of Ambi(Kannada Cine Actor)
Sky kissing Coconut trees, Mango groves laden with green mangoes, Green paddy fields, the intoxicating aroma of Jaggery licked our nostrils, as our vehicle did a mild handshake with the rough unstretched red muddy roads of Pandavapura. Yes, it is aptly said when, India lives and breathes in its and through its Gramas or “Villages”. Being a metropolitan citizen, I was mesmerized seeing the untouched, calm, serene life of Pandavapura.
The curves, turns, humps, bumps, roller coaster rides on these roads came to a sudden halt when the vehicle stopped by the ancestral house of Khodays, where a lonely creeper of green pumpkin had spread lazily among the bushes. Mallikarjun, our driver bestowed us with all the information of Khoday’s ancestral house lying in shambles.
A few miles away, we were mystically transported to the Shri Venu Gopal Swamy -The Peninsular Temple surrounded by the back waters of Kaveri. This temple majestically and royally stood before us saying that the innovative archaeologist who unearthed HIM is none other than Shri Hari Khoday!!
The temple being re-inovated
The very temple speaks, saying time and again of its ancient history when it got submerged under the Kaveri waters. It was as though every stone has its rich rejuvenating story to talk about its Re-Origin.
It was last seen in the original location during the tenure of S. M. Krishna as the Chief Minister, which was also a period of drought and the KRS had gone dry, exposing its underbelly of slush, silt, muck and the ancient remains of the all - stone temple, that was submerged under the backwaters of KRS. Because the temple was built entirely with stone, it stood steady under the water for over seven decades without getting ravaged or dissolved.
Some inscriptions.
The Prakruthi Manthana had made rest Venu Gopal Swamy Temple under the sheets of waters. The construction of Krishna Raja Sagar Dam began with much fervor way back in 1911. As the construction progressed under the guiding light Sir. M. Vishweswariah, the temple, sunk under the waters of Kaveri.
More than 30 villages were taken to have the reservoir of KRS dam. Below is the photo taken when the water level of the reservoir went down.
A stone used during those days to prepare batter.
Kauvery River (KRS Backwaters)
The millionaire liquor baron and industrialist decided to re - locate the temple built entirely in stone and preserve it for posterity, after 74 years of its disappearance into the Kannambadi waters.
Shri Hari Khoday the Liquor Baron as he is rightly called sought the approval of the then Honorable CM S.M.Krishna and expressed his desire to unearth the ancient temple back !! This miracle task was accomplished by him in a matter of 13 days. A selfless man as he is, used all his resources (60 tractors, 2, JCB’s and a Crane was used. Adding to these machineries a voluminous Human Resource of 2000 labourers joined their hands in accomplishing this feat.
The temple stands in all its granite glory waiting to be enhanced and completed which may last for some more months. It is a feast to mortal eyes or those who seem to look out for innovative divineness. For a moment, I thought to accomplish such a feat a divine grace with indomitable strength is a blessing to complete this immense, gigantic, extensive plan of the temple back to its originality.
The view from the temple of the KRS reservoir and the dam is really heavenly, with greenery at the far ends, and the sheet of water shimmering like bits of broken pearls and fragments of diamonds in the golden rays of the setting sun, when I was there. Some of the pictures I took during the visit are published here.
It is 29th May. Unlike our expectation and prediction, our Journey towards Sanctity remains shrouded in mystery about his Providence. The much awaited travel happened. And I was not myself when our journey towards Venu Gopal Swamy Temple started, we taking a diversion from Tataguni after NICE Road, Bangalore moving speedily ahead towards Ramanagara. Who doesn’t know Ramanagara “The City which was terrorized by Gabbar Singh of Sholay in 1980’s”. The rocky terrains repeatedly echoed “Kitne aadmi the?”
Reminiscing the Jai, Veeru and Basanti characters, the Khodays vehicle carried us to Chennapattana, the Land of Alice in Wonderland, which plays with a number of toys fostering the innocence and catering to all sections of children’s loneliness in the form of its varied Hathi, Ghoda, Jhula and many more.
Waving a sweet bye for the childhood years, we were moving towards Mandya - The Home of Ambi(Kannada Cine Actor)
Sky kissing Coconut trees, Mango groves laden with green mangoes, Green paddy fields, the intoxicating aroma of Jaggery licked our nostrils, as our vehicle did a mild handshake with the rough unstretched red muddy roads of Pandavapura. Yes, it is aptly said when, India lives and breathes in its and through its Gramas or “Villages”. Being a metropolitan citizen, I was mesmerized seeing the untouched, calm, serene life of Pandavapura.
The curves, turns, humps, bumps, roller coaster rides on these roads came to a sudden halt when the vehicle stopped by the ancestral house of Khodays, where a lonely creeper of green pumpkin had spread lazily among the bushes. Mallikarjun, our driver bestowed us with all the information of Khoday’s ancestral house lying in shambles.
A few miles away, we were mystically transported to the Shri Venu Gopal Swamy -The Peninsular Temple surrounded by the back waters of Kaveri. This temple majestically and royally stood before us saying that the innovative archaeologist who unearthed HIM is none other than Shri Hari Khoday!!
The temple being re-inovated
The very temple speaks, saying time and again of its ancient history when it got submerged under the Kaveri waters. It was as though every stone has its rich rejuvenating story to talk about its Re-Origin.
It was last seen in the original location during the tenure of S. M. Krishna as the Chief Minister, which was also a period of drought and the KRS had gone dry, exposing its underbelly of slush, silt, muck and the ancient remains of the all - stone temple, that was submerged under the backwaters of KRS. Because the temple was built entirely with stone, it stood steady under the water for over seven decades without getting ravaged or dissolved.
Some inscriptions.
The Prakruthi Manthana had made rest Venu Gopal Swamy Temple under the sheets of waters. The construction of Krishna Raja Sagar Dam began with much fervor way back in 1911. As the construction progressed under the guiding light Sir. M. Vishweswariah, the temple, sunk under the waters of Kaveri.
More than 30 villages were taken to have the reservoir of KRS dam. Below is the photo taken when the water level of the reservoir went down.
Kauvery River (KRS Backwaters)
The millionaire liquor baron and industrialist decided to re - locate the temple built entirely in stone and preserve it for posterity, after 74 years of its disappearance into the Kannambadi waters.
Shri Hari Khoday the Liquor Baron as he is rightly called sought the approval of the then Honorable CM S.M.Krishna and expressed his desire to unearth the ancient temple back !! This miracle task was accomplished by him in a matter of 13 days. A selfless man as he is, used all his resources (60 tractors, 2, JCB’s and a Crane was used. Adding to these machineries a voluminous Human Resource of 2000 labourers joined their hands in accomplishing this feat.
The temple stands in all its granite glory waiting to be enhanced and completed which may last for some more months. It is a feast to mortal eyes or those who seem to look out for innovative divineness. For a moment, I thought to accomplish such a feat a divine grace with indomitable strength is a blessing to complete this immense, gigantic, extensive plan of the temple back to its originality.
The view from the temple of the KRS reservoir and the dam is really heavenly, with greenery at the far ends, and the sheet of water shimmering like bits of broken pearls and fragments of diamonds in the golden rays of the setting sun, when I was there. Some of the pictures I took during the visit are published here.
Some more nature's gift.
The temple now stands regaining its glory and divinity step by step, still waiting for the Red Carpet Welcome. I present before you, the divine shots of this Temple.
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