Beyond the Last Blue Mountain - A Life of J.R.D. TATA

Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (29 July 1904 – 29 November 1993) – (Could be avittam)

In the epilogue ‘He said that though at moments when his beloved ones had died he had said a word of prayer that their souls rest at peace, he had not prayed all his life, not for any other reason but that he felt the Creator of this world had so much to do that one did not intrude with small personal requests’ made me think about my never ending trivial prayers.

The message of his former company on his death on 29th November 1993

He touched the sky and it smiled.
He stretched out his arms
And they encircled the globe
His vision made giants out of
Men and organization

summed it all.

JRD Tata, the visionary man who took India forward, strengthened it and gave it its lasting foundations. To give alms is very easy, but to motivate that beggar, provide him a livelihood requires something beyond generousity and philanthropy. The fact that he wanted to die abroad, so that he would not bother people here; made him the epitome of a leader, against the present day politicians, and leaders for whom the state stops functioning, or riots break up. When I die, except for my eyes and any other organ that others might want to use, I would want to be incinerated in a jiffy, I would not want vultures or worms and rats nibbling this body, I think I will feed them with something else in my lifetime. It is no wonder that JRD did not like Zoroastrian funeral rites as well.

Part I Childhood and Youth

His passion for flying, made me go back to my dreams of travelling fast as well. I always liked the thought of flying, experiencing the high speed rush of air on my face and experiencing the thrill of speed, going zoom and zig zag in small planes up in the sky, used to envy the birds that they could fly. And came this science magazine when I was around 5th standard, believe it was a magazine 2020, that described the space ship accident where astronauts died in burning oxygen inside the space craft and I restricted my dreams to zooming fast in an open trax. Flying still brings the child in me, but my dream stops with enjoying a thrilling flight rather than pioneering an aviation industry, that JRD did in his time.

“What I remember most vividly is that we always seemed to be on the move, and that my lovely and cultured mother had to uproot herself every two years or so to find a new home – alternatively in France and in India”
He would feel bad, when his guests would add salt to his mother's french cooking. Reminded me couple of other son moonies who doted on their mothers.

JRD’s experience with Japanese typhoon, made me remember the only time, I experienced what I thought was an earthquake that turned out to be a tsunami on Dec 26th. 1918, aboard a ship, JRD spent learning typing on an old Remington machine. 82 years later, I learnt typing in Remington machine in women’s association building and later forced to key in question papers for my brother’s 12th board exams on dad’s insistence.

I was not comfortable with JRD’s poor chap remark on the Elkingon kid. I would not have joked on his embarrassment. He was 19 years old, when he lost his mother, who he had admired so much. So impressionable then. Young Jehangir being presented with a French racing bicycle suddenly reminded me of Harry Potter getting a fancy broom which was the awe of his school friends.

When the introduction of Steel Industry Protection Bill came in 1924, when JRD was 20, RD was going through turmoil. The crisis was at the highest when Sir Dorab pledged his entire fortune for 10 million towards the loan of 20 million to pay out the salaries and other needs.

There was a period in 1924 when a good friend of R.D. Tata would call on him every day to ask when he was going to close down the works. Each day R.D. would reply: Ask me again tomorrow. We will be able to manage for today….He went on dancing in the evening and mixed with friends. But when the children had retired to sleep, in the still of the night, Rodabeh recalls her father pacing up and down on the veranda of “Sunita” overlooking the Chowpatty. He was praying.

What tests a man’s greatness is not how he carries himself when the times are good, but how he carries himself when the whole world is against him. To keep going, amidst all odds, no matter what brought out my memories of crisis as well.

Jamshetji, appointed Peterson under his employment. The way he recruited Charles Page Perin and Perin’s recollection of that moment that says ‘I was dumbfounded, naturally. But you don’t know what character and force radiated from Tata’s face. And kindliness too.’ And that reminded me a favourite Abraham Joshua Heschel’s quote: 'When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people’

‘I had no inkling that I was not going to see him around…’ He was just 22. ‘His responsibility as the head of the family began to dawn on him’.

When JRD missed Cambridge and the book says - ‘Of this period of self-study Churchill said – First we shape our dwellings and then our dwellings shape us.’ Wish this society, did not play emphasis on formal education for suitable employment; let people come up based on their abilities rather than going by the certificates of formal education. Even when JRD was caught up with typhoid and paratyphoid, he read business magazines instead of resting. ‘I want to be worthy of Tatas.’ If I could inspire this for the small kids in my large family, then I can consider a part of my life worthwhile.

‘I like everything that is a little on the edge, on the verge of disaster – living dangerously…The car was the love of my life then’ sounded like my own words.

Reading about Humata, Hukhta, Hvarashta (Good thoughts, good words, good deeds) inscribed on Lady Meherbai’s mausoleum made wonder about Zoroastrian faith.

Part II Eyes on the Stars

“When asked what has been the most satisfying experience of your life? he replies instantly: ‘the flying experience has dominated. No other can equal the excitement of a first solo flight” for me the most thrilling one was when I raced over 100 kmph in my driving school’s trax after I had missed my college bus by matter of few minutes.

Speaking about his flying, JRD replies “The fact that you found yourself totally alone in the immense space made you feel very humble and made you see of what little consequence you were. And you identify God with the immensity of nature. These are the only times, I feel totally alone and was conscious of that loneliness.” Made me wonder about how truly small I am in the bigger scheme of things. Imagine how huge a solar system will be for that universe, where earth’s solar orbit is of the size of the existing atom’s orbit.

JRD’s issue of not sharing promised one third of aviation profit with Nevill made me reflect on Forrest Gump where Gump shared half the profit with the Bubba for just the idea of shrimping business.

It was really amazing to know that at 78, having just had a heart attack few weeks earlier, JRD actually repeated his inaugural solo flight and says “This flight of today was intended to inspire a little hope and enthusiasm in the younger people of our country that despite all the difficulties, all the frustration, there is a joy in having done something as well as you could and better than others thought you could.” True indeed, joy of achieving something is indeed has its own alluring charm, especially, when people say it is too difficult for you do it.

Part III Captain of the Industry and Patriarch

Speaking of aviation JRD says “With Air-India I was the creator. I was the founder so I could afford to make mistakes without undoing the good that was done by others in the past” made me think about Atlas Shrugged and the strike by the creative people.

JRD’s love for Other Men’s flowers made me go to poemhunter and search for “The Hound of Heaven.” After reading the first few verses, I decided, I will stick to Blake for now.

For almost half a century two men held the commanding heights of the Indian industry: JRD and “GD Birla” made me reflect on leaders who came without peers like Alexander and Ashoka; and those who came in pairs like say Gandhi and Hilter, cine actors MGR and Shivaji Ganesan, Rajni and Kamal, who brought in the contrast and complemented each other and yet had their own identity.

Wavell finds JRD supercilious which he mentions so. There are many instances in the book, where JRD’s high handedness comes to light. But beneath all that is the caring generosity, benevolence and the will to do good for the greater masses, by achieving something significant. Right from punching his brother and then regretting mon petit frère; JRD is kindness beneath a cloak of tasking pursuer of excellence.

“In a more general context JRD told me, ‘If I have any merit, it is getting on with the individuals according to their ways and characteristics. In fifty years, I have dealt with a hundred top directors and I got on with all of them. At times it involves suppressing yourself. It is painful but necessary… To be a leader you have to lead human beings with affection.” brings out the great leader in him.

Reading about the relations he had with Nehru, Gandhi and Patel, where he describes how he feels after coming from a conversation with them, made me curious about Patel. Had Patel been the prime minister, things would have changed so much.

JRD’s support for Ratan as in “when you are confident he will question you and grill you, but if you are fighting with your back against the wall, he will come and duel beside you” only demonstrates time and again the causes he took up and kingly manner of caring for his citizens, be it for a family member or an outsider.

The fact that JRD states to his driver “whom are you fooling” on keeping watch fast in order to be punctual reminded me of dad who was punctual to the dot. Even if he had made someone resign, he went out of his way to do something for the other person. It was indeed a pleasure to know JRD through Lala.

The Hour of God

source

Aurobindo (Aravinda Ackroyd Ghosh) August 15, 1872 - 5 December 1950. (Moola). I had to read this book to understand Involution/Evolution and Integral Yoga for an exam. This booklet is a collection of 24 essays, divided in 4 sections, published posthumously. This 124 page booklet had been lying in shelf for quite some time. Since Sugi was once a Senior Housie in JIPMER, Pondicherry this should have come home anytime after 2004. Am not agreeing or disagreeing with his philosophy or pitting them against other Indian or RoW philosophies. Just culling out few lines here and there in addition to my own ramblings.

The Divine Superman
The joy of the way is because that which is drawing thee is also with thee on thy path and the power to climb was given thee so thou mightiest mount to thy own summits …one who saw but through a veil and mistook the veil for the face…
Certitudes
To enter into relations with God is Yoga, the highest rapture and the noblest utility. To the materialist He disguises Himself in matter. For the Nihilist He waits ambushed in the bosom of Annihilation.

Initial Definitions and Descriptions
Yoga has 4 powers and objects, purity, liberty, beatitude and perfection.
Why shouldst thou hunger after departure from manifestation as if the world were an evil?...neither desire nor shun the world, but seek the bliss and purity and freedom and greatness of God in whatsoever state or experience or environment. …for all these ideas of world and not-world, of transcendence and immanence and relation are expressions of thought by which mind puts it own values on the self-manifestation of Parabrahman to Its own principle of knowledge and we cannot assert any, even the highest of them to be the real reality of that which is at once all and beyond all nothing and beyond nothing.

The Object of our Yoga
The object of our yoga is self perfection, not self-annulment.

Two paths:
1 asceticism – withdrawal from Universe – receives us when we lose God in existence
2 Effected by Tapasya – Perfection in Universe – attained when we fulfill existence in God

Aurobindo compares Buddha and Shankara. Both of them supposed world to be false and miserable and therefore escape from world was wisdom to them.

…the world is God, the world is Satyam, the world is Ananda; it is our misreading of the world through mental egoism that is a falsehood and our wrong relation with God in the world that is a misery. There is no other falsity and not other cause of sorrow.
यदाऽतमस्तन्न दिवा न रात्रिः न सन्नचासच्छिव एव केवलः |
तदक्षरं तत् सवितुर्वण्यं प्रज्ञा च तस्मात् प्रसृता पुराणी ||4.18|| Shvetasvatara Upanishad

When ignorance is gone, then there remains neither day nor night, no existence or non existence, but he alone the absolute and imperishable. From him proceeded the ancient wisdom. That savita is indeed worthy of adoration.

He quotes from Shvetasvara Upanishad - प्रज्ञा प्रसृता पुराणी
… the vedic meaning of Maya is not illusion, it is wisdom, knowledge, capacity, wide extension in consciousness… Omnipotent Wisdom created the world, it is not the organised blunder of some infinite dreamer… We also can enjoy this truth and bliss, called the Veda amrtam, Immortality, if by casting away our egoistic existence into perfect unity with His being we consent to receive the divine perception and the divine freedom.

The Entire Purpose of Yoga
He is also Absolute and Supreme Personality playing in the universe and as the universe; in the universe. Purpose is not to dispute this or that philosophy or religion… But to realise and become all of them, not follow after any aspect to the exclusion of the rest, but to embrace God in all His aspects and beyond aspect.

He mentions the 7 principles of existence as the basis of the world of Puranas (Satyaloka-world of highest truth/Being, Tapas-world of infinite Will/conscious force, Jana – world of creative delight of existence, Mahar-great world or supramental, Swar-pure unobscured mind, Bhuvar-world of pure vitality and Bhur-material world)

Lila of creation with Matter as lowest and Pure as highest form
1. Mind and Life stand upon Matter (Manas and Prana on Annam) and make the lower half of the world-existence (aparardha)
2. Pure consciousness and pure bliss proceed out of pure Being (Chit and Ananda out of Sat) and make the upper half of the world existence.
3. Pure idea (Vijnana) stands as the link between the two.

Our life on this earth is a divine poem that we are translating into earthly language or a strain of music which we are rendering into words. I kind of liked his choice of words.

• Under the conditions of mind, life and body, ahamkara is born
• the subjective or objective form of consciousness is falsely taken for self-existent being
• the body for an independent personality;

the one loses itself in us in its multiplicity and when it recovers its unity, finds it difficult, owing to the nature of the mind, to preserve its play of multiplicity. Therefore when we are absorbed in the world, we miss God in Himself; when we see God, we miss Him in the world.

He further goes on to state what is our business wrt Sat, Chit and Ananda. To come out of dualities and multitude and realize God in universe, transcendent of universe.
Parabrahman, Mukthi and Human Thought-Systems

Parabrahman being Infinite can be known in a way, so far as the symbols reveal it. Akin to mathematical infinity… but even the knowledge of the whole of symbols does not amount to real knowledge of the Absolute.

Aurobindo states, how different people reach different states as a result of their quest for release – Gods to Shunya, sushupti etc.
…to lust after becoming Parabrahman is a sort of luminous illusion or sattvic play of Maya, for in reality there is none bound and none free and none needing to be freed and all is only God’s Lila… (I badly need this pointer, because, i quit living and went on pondering about life and afterlife for ever. Have to just live now, paying heed to the inner calling - Svadharama as BG says)

… aim of our Yoga is jivanmukti in the universe, not because we need to be freed or for any other reason,……..we have to live released in the world, not released out of the world.
As with other philosophies, the indescribable is finally made – That is and we are that
Lining with Bacon’s read not to contradict…, Aurobindo calls for realization and experience alone are alone of importance. And not to bother about disputants questioning your system on the ground that is not consistent with this or that shastra or this or that authority…

The Evolutionary Aim in Yoga
He quoted BG 8.1, 3.35, 3.33 and proclaimed that the aim of yoga is Supernature; possess and enjoy nature as free and lord, svarat and samrat; being still a figure of humanity, a man among men...

Maya
What I liked the most was that he did not renounce the truth of Maya and perceived it as a partial explanation of existence. The way he analyzed Buddhist and Sankara’s view on Maya was intriguing. Now I understand, why many told me not to ever try Vipassana (its hollow body meditation etc). Learnt the meaning of new terms like Teleology.

As usual, i started intending to write, everything, i marked in the booklet, but once I completed my notes for the 2 questions, this too got impatiently shelved.

Astro analysis:
SJC
BarbaraPijan
Wonder what happened to his wife of 14, when they married at 28. A letter to her. He mentions India before Independence - a demon sucking blood from the breast of my mother (India). Enlightenment after 1year solitary confinement 1908-09.

few pics

Last Weekend - Agathaaivu

Vethathri Maharshi’s local chapter had sent mail a fortnight earlier. Yet, I managed to conveniently forget the first day of the classes and attended only the second day, forgoing the course fee (100/-) and certificate as well. I thought, why bother about certificate, it is the learning that counts, even if it is for 1 day. So from 9 to 4:30 I sat through the session.

Last year, when they taught us Suya sankalpa (Blessing yourself – for good health, adequate longitivity, enough wealth, fame, and true wisdom; this in addition to blessing others) I used to wonder, is this not a selfish prayer? I also happened to listen to my Libran neighbour, who remarked, that I was always seeking remedies, instead of accepting them and going forward. It suddenly made me wonder between accepting vs. giving in to life’s challenges and where to draw the line.

Yes’day’s classes gave me further clarity on having desires, setting goals. Other thoughts I had earlier were not to have desires, to surrender and that god would take care of things – take life as it comes. Yet another conflict was goal setting - working towards goal vs. Karmanye vadhikarasthe

Another struggle is to control anger. I usually take a shortcut – a mud path to reach hospital for physiotherapy. Just as I neared the playground, I found an old guy dressed in bright red t-shirt and beige pants urinating on the hospital compound wall. I could not help blast him mentally and realized my mistake only after I swore. My thoughts quickly went to 3-idiots and then I was thinking, if it was implemented, what would happen during rains? Anger – how to control it?

My Schoolmate’s Parents

In the session, I met a dignified old couple. The lady had a serene face, she must have been pretty beautiful when she was young, tall, lean, never stooping, a kind of assertion for independence and self-reliance. She wore her sari in a kind of carefree finesse. Her husband was kind of bald with receding white cottony hair; he sat on ground with difficulty, refusing a chair for his comfort. Parents who had centered their life around their children and not letting the pangs of an empty nest maul their face, once their kids went away. My prof once remarked to me as to how her only daughter had so much work for her whole family – ma’m, her husband and her in-laws. Grand mom packed her tiffinbox and snacks, grand dad assisted in project work and running errands, and ma’m had to be there to mentally support her during exams all night if needed, dad in picking dropping from school. Now that the child had gone to college and joined hostel, her in-laws don’t know what to do without their granddaughter, everyone felt so empty.

I kept looking at the couple once in a while during the class, for I was sitting on the last bench by the wall. Mom brought me lunch to the school where the sessions were being held and apparently mom knew this couple. They spoke about office and other things. The session got over on dot and I returned home to find sacks and buckets of green mangoes. Mom had apparently arranged to collect the mangoes through samy.

Later in the evening, at home over a cup of horlicks, mom said, the couple’s son went to China and had married a Chinese girl. The only guy who had done in that in our small locality was my school mate, a Republic day NCC cadet, who met his Chinese girlfriend in London. It seems they had a small reception here after their marriage. Now the parents are left all alone back in India, while their son is globetrotting.

I was thinking about my old mom and all old people. If it was like “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, what would happen? Why is that most people prefer baby that is not crying, and abandon their old parents and old ones? If parents lose all memories, it would be tasking, if old people kept on nursing old grudges and never forgave, even then it would be painful. All I can do now is pray for mom’s health and happiness.

My First Show in Rangashankara

Loonie Moonie

I met this cancerian RA after almost a year in Amrith Kalash. He was the one who introduced me to Mozart’s symphonies. I believe, some westerner listening to alapanais in carnatic music would feel the same – amusing, rather than soul stirring. He introduced me to Mecano – starting with ‘Hijo De La Luna’ and Russian – Kriknov Klinom Zhuravlinym (cry like cranes) last year. I had a moment of anger, reconciling with the Spanish song when I realized the Othello – Omkara like suspicion lingering in it.

So one evening, he shared some more foreign movies – French, Swedish, Chinese, Spanish and Polish, then I wondered, when I would have the time to watch them considering schedules. He suggested, why don’t we go to Rangashankara, but I was locked with PIs from 7-9 in koramangala, luckily nothing was slotted for that evening and so I said yes.

Our trip to Rangashankara

The whole day had been hectic with the prof’s work for which, I needed to go to the library, considering the wi-fi speed in the k-block. I reached 2 minutes late and AS sir along with his wife (who has done PhD in gynecology) bumped into us on the way. We sped away in sir’s car, which had child lock for the rear seats, so that meant, the prof or his wife had to open the door for us each time. We reached around 7:10 pm while the RA went about recollecting the drinking incident with VM sir for the Day 1 of 5 of the contemporary dance series. AS sir, kept on regaling us with his driving experiences in London and NY and how he would happily run over all those who shoved their vehicles, without following lane discipline and how he had actually run down a student on bike flat near the institute gate.

The Theatre Ambience

The crowd was pretty eclectic, couple of foreigners, gays (whom the RA was keen to point out), old classy aggies in casuals, MIT Sloan PhDs, my Theatre course instructor amongst others. There was a long queue leading up the curved black steps, while I took the lift and joined the three later in the hall. The screens were pitch black, with black speakers. After small talks, the announcement was that this was about the ‘reaction of the body.’

The performance by the Norwegian dancers

A lady dressed in casual parrot green and black shirt and pant, came in moving as if, she had an epileptic seizure at times. She flinged her hands and legs in every possible direction and moved all around the stage. Slowly the sounds of music trickled in, raising almost reaching a crescendo, and then meandering to various notes high and low. Slowly, another athletic lady joined in throwing her whole body in a reckless violence, falling now with a thud, moving her limbs as if she was trying to get up after an accident. There was a cute little nubile damsel with a bob cut, and another girl. Of the two guys, one was, constantly chewing a bubblegum on the stage, which was quite unbecoming. Once or twice there was some sort synchronization between a pair, which immediately dissolved into motley of mechanical, jerking movements.

The music died and the bubble gum guy, closed his eyes and started taking steps forward, almost tripping over the stage, when he suddenly said a loud piercing BOOM, that the crowd started sniggering. AS sir and his wife were continuously making loud comments ridiculing the whole thing, that many a times, my neighbour on the left started staring at sir.

The performers, changed tops in between. And a girl dressed in yellow came, acting as a puppet, pulling her own invisible strings. That was beautifully performed and her marionette like movements was quite amusing. Now, I know, why our theatre instructor made us do the things, we had to do in OAT. The lady who came in first acted as a bewildered leader while the rest followed her behind, trying to be nondescript. Casual interactions where everyone simply walks with great agility all over, quite close to each other, yet not touching each other and similar such theatre games.

In between some animal sounds were made, with the dancers, reacting as if they had been hurt, mauled and what not. Suddenly a shadow creature dressed like batman without the cape crept behind the performers, acting like their shadows.

After the show – 1 hr 10 minutes later

Once the show was over after 1 hr and 10 minutes on dot, the audience clapped while sir again made fun of the whole thing. He stated that he had to paid 200 rather 300 for watching this show. He said, he would come to Rangashankara again only after hearing at least 5 reviews. His first experience was ‘flowers’ apparently. This was the case of emperor’s clothes, where if you said, you didn’t like, you were not considered an intellectual.

Having learnt Bharatnatyam for 4 years, I simply love dance. I love watching the divinely melting, graceful movements of amazing dancers, brimming with bhavana. Of course, I do like energetic sensuous movements of Salsa or ethereal ballet, a belly/ hip dancing as well amongst other fast dances, but this was something, I was not quite used to. I don’t think I would spend time and money watching what they call contemporariness.

We had our dinner (ragi roti, akki roti, masala dosa, pineapple dosa, plain dosa) just opposite to Rangashankara where they were playing nice old hindi songs like mera jhutha hai japani. The waiter got us two ½ coffees even before we had finished our rotis but without sugar. So he got a replacement and did not charge for it in the final bill. AS sir started talking boisterously about abstract act, suggesting water as abstract coffee. The RA was saying how on day 1, the floor and the screen had Manhattan city streets being projected and how the solo performer had walked in the projected streets on stage. AS sir retorted that he could create a corporate finance course and just show only Manhattan pictures in it. Where was the action for the reaction to take place?

One thing, I had to admit, was their amazing body flexibility, halasanas amongst all other asanas that the Caucasians did seemingly with such an ease while trying to ‘react to something’ as they announced initially was really engaging. Sir dropped me back to campus and RA alighted past Shoppers Stop.

Anandmath

As kids, we were encouraged to write poems. We ended up with ridiculous rhymes – even on trivial issues like the first time, I fought with my best friend, elephants, birthdays for siblings and parents. My sister and brother would also compose loving rhymes and write them on b’day cards. Gone are the days of innocent creativity. Now no matter how much I rake my head, I can’t replicate the ease with which, I wrote a 6 stanza amusing rhyme which I composed when I was 10 years old.

So composing rhymes - we did. Singing other’s songs - we did. My sister and I used to sing in unison, while my dad drummed the tea poy to add some music. But I found only in novels like ‘A Suitable Boy’ where people composed rhymes spontaneously as a matter of conversation.

While going through Indian National Movement, I was curious to know about Vande Mataram and hence Anandamath. This will be more of an eisegesis. I downloaded the hindi translation from scribd. In Anandmath, the protagonists, the instigators breaking into singing now and then, kind of made the whole affair theatrical. Yet in those times, Vande mataram was THE, the song. It set the stage ablaze with other patriotic words like Tum Mujhe Khoon do... Yet to antagonize one section of the junta (muslims) till the very end was kind of discomfiting. Shanthi actually says to the englishman, we don't have enmity with you, it is the muslims we are targetting. Set in period of famine, oppression and exploitation by various factors, the confusion was understandable.

Kalyani chose not to eat till she saw her husband! What sanyasins - to lit fires to muslims’ houses, where young babies, women and old folk might be there? How could they wrongly identify their oppressors? What use of personal sacrifices with personal moral values citing larger causes? Yet, to realize that there were herbs to revive those who had taken poison or suffered fatal wounds in a battle is revealing. Bhavanand atoned for his misdemeanour, yet the leader of the brotherhood had to die with such open secrets. Nehru's story is well known, but i was surprised to see even Mahatma had wanted a spiritual marriage. Well history is mostly written by the victors, it is so hard to discern the truth.

Feisty Shanthi's childhood was quite a surprise. Her calmness in the face of her husband's mistaken infidelity, her physical and moral courage, yet towards the end of the battle, her lamenting like an ordinary woman, made Shanthi quite a lady. And Shanthi and Jeevanand were hailed as the exemplary couples. Well, wrongly channeled patriotism. Of course, being a minority in those days, they retaliated for the sufferings, yet it was towards the fag end that the author chose to reveal the futility of their efforts.

In school days, we sang this song numerous times, as part of prayers, competitions, classes, dramas. In Bengal, there is something about glorifying Shakthi - be it Ramakrishna Paramahamsa worshipping Kali, Aurobindo attributing all creative endeavours to The Supreme Mahashakthi (Mahamaya, Paraprakruti), or BC Chatterjee visualizing Mother India as Malayajasheethlaam, Shasyashyamalaam... etc.

In the this nationalist novel, wish the heros and Shanthi had directed their zeal and vigour in a better way.

Pingala

When we (sis, bro and i) were in Kendriya Vidyalaya, the school timings were from 9-3:30 pm. We used to come home make quick pepper omelette (I became a vegetarian only in 2005) and eat rice and some kolambu, watch Remington Steele, Different Strokes, Small Wonder, Who’s the Boss glued to the TV.

Those days, my vocabulary naturally was poor and I picked from the school library, Kamala Das’s Padmavati the Harlot and Other Stories. I was 12 years old then and did not know the meaning of the word. Of course, once in college, I had no compunctions reading Sheldons or Robbins after my initial shock. Harlot somehow got linked to Small Wonder’s Harriet in my mind.

I remembered Ida, Pingala and Sushumna nadis and the effect of pranayam on them. And I also bumped into the story of Pingala the 17^th preceptor of Datta in a spiritual website. After reading that, I was wondering, why do women marry in this material world? What does the wife seek in her husband? Of course, there are some lives united eternally from previous births, who happily rejoin again and again. I have seen 2 such pairs.

But otherwise, Pingala’s desire for companionship, pleasures and material security and how she comes out of her desire made me wonder. Some might equate this Grapes are sour.

Extracts from the site:

Once, after a long waiting at night for a man, Pingala became dispassionate. She reflected what madness it was to associate herself with her body. Unable to control her senses, she had lamented, all the while for a man who desired her body. She disgusted the miserable desire that someone would come and make her happy. She remembered eternal Hari and realized what a fool she was to think that if some man were to squeeze her body, she would get happiness. She realizes her delusion in beholding her body and its beauty, various structures covered by skin. There are 9 doors (9 doors was mentioned in Vidhurniti as well) and what comes out of them daily is filth. She thinks, how hard, she strove to beautify this thing called body. By loving these perishable things, what happiness does one attain? Finally she gives up desires and realizes happiness in total surrender to lord Hari.

This afternoon, my physiotherapist asked me if I was a pentecoste and why I was not wearing any ornaments. The truth was, I didn’t feel like left to myself. There are days, when I give up all desires, and take life as it comes – laze around. Yet there are days, when I schedule my hours and work out my plans. Suddenly now am shaky on Karmanye Vadikarasthe. Desires and goals. Got to re-read the explanations.

Bimbisara and Bindusara

I got into a Why me situation and queried my teacher. He just said, read Nitishastra. I thought it was Kautilya’s Nitishastra and read it. Later I learnt that my teacher had meant Vidhurniti, Nitis from Ramayan, Mahabharat.

As I was reading about Kautilya’s Nitishastra, and all about Chanakya, I remembered an episode where Chanakya, cut open the queen’s belly to save the prince. So I was googling for the prince’s name, but all I could remember was Bimbisara and nothing about him, came close to my recollections. Then at last, I went back to history and got my doubts clarified.

Bimbisara and his Son

Bimbisara from the pre-Mauryan era, had a son Ajatashatru. Some links mention that when the queen was pregnant with Ajatashatru, she had a craving for tasting king’s blood and Bimbisara cut his hand for the queen. Bimbisara in spite of all bad omens took utmost care of his son. Once as a child, Ajatashatru developed an abscess and was crying incessantly. Bimbisara, gently placed his son’s thumb in his mouth in order to soothe the child. The son fell asleep and the abscess burst open inside the kings mouth, yet Bimbisara swallowed the pus, so that the sleeping child is not disturbed.

When Bimbisara learnt, that Ajatshatru wanted to kill him to claim the throne, he freely gave up the throne. Yet Ajatashathru, imprisoned his father, starved him. Bimbisara had attained sotapanna (first stage of sainthood) thanks to Buddha and hence could walk meditatively for days without food. When Ajatashatru realized this, he ordered his father’s sole to be cut and filled salt and oil on the raw flesh. Bimbisara died a terrible death due to past karma.

Bindusara and his Mother

He was Chandragupta Maurya’s son and Asoka’s father. Chanakya used to mix small amounts of poison in the King’s food regularly so that the King could survive in case of any poison attack. Accidentally, his pregnant queen had the King’s food and swooned to death. Once Chanakya learnt this, he quickly got the queen’s belly cut open and got out the prince alive. Since a drop of poison had touched the baby, he was named Bindusara.

I was just wondering about the fate of the kings and queens. Patricide, murders what not.