Bharatiya Chitta Manas and Kala at 25

Feb19th 2018 will mark the 96th birth anniversary of late Gandhian Historian Sri. Dharampal. This year also marks the 25th year since the publication of one of his most important works, the Bharatiya  Chitta Manas and Kala. 

In several ways, Dharampal in this particular work talks about the need to create an Indian View of the World. He also severely criticizes the western and modern ways of the Indian State, Scholars and Education in very strong terms in this article that was originally published in Hindi and subsequently translated and published by the Centre for Policy Studies in English in 1993.

"the attempt at imitation the world and following every passing fad can hardly lead us anywhere. we shall have no option in the world till we evolve a conceptual framework of our own", says Sri. Dharampal in this major work.

We take the time of 25 years later to look at some of the most significant questions that Dharampalji poses in this text once again starting from the 5th of February 2018. We will pose every day one of the several challenges that he poses in this work.  The idea behind this effort is for us to reflect whether we have moved any further on these questions 25 years hence. Such an reflection perhaps is a most desirable response and homage one can pay to Dharampalji.  

Increasingly, the thoughts and views of Sri. Dharampal seems to be becoming more and more relevant as does the thoughts and of views of his idol, Gandhi. This is particularly so for those involved in Indian political and social action. 

I invite those who are concerned with the Indian society and those who are even mildly interested in the social challenges to do follow and participate in this joint homage to Dharampalji.

The Dharma of the Expert!

The advent and domination of modern technology today extends from our daily domestic use all the way to national defense and international communications.

However, whenever there are questions being posed by the modern technology such as the Nuclear Power Plant in Koodankulam or the introduction of Genetically Modified Crops, we find that even the best among us don’t have a framework or approach that is clear and easy to understand. Question such as “what is the limit to the usage of modern technology?”, “how do we measure its benefits as against its harms?” and more importantly, “when to reject modern technology?” are not always eliciting a clear response from intellectuals, leaders and even scientists and technocrats. We find that they are unable balance their professional interest against the common interest for humanity.

If there was a question as to ‘whether the healthy and peaceful life of our people is important or having a advanced technology based Nuclear power plant is important?’, most of us will find it easy to choose the former. Similarly, if the question was ‘do we need a technology such as Genetically Modified crops which cannot guarantee its long term health or environmental impact for short term gains?”, we would obviously choose to reject the technology.

Such simple posing of questions on issues of public welfare seems to elude the ‘experts’ whom the government often listens to in taking important technology issue based decision. “Public Ignorance”, “Un-Scientific Approach”, “Fear Mindset”, “Unnecessary Fear”, etc., are the kind of terms often adopted by those who are aware of the technology, the ‘experts’ to refer to people like us who are unaware of these technologies. Then do we submit the genuine concerns of the 99% of people like us to the ‘expert’ knowledge of the 1% of them? Majority of our people often are happy to adopt such a venture, ‘after all they are so well educated’, ‘they should know better’, ‘isin’t it scientifically valid?’ and several other questions are often posed within our societies and communities to accept the verdict of the 1% or even less of ‘expert’ knowledge against our own common sense.

How do we as a society decide on issues that may have long term disastrous impact? What is our responsibility towards the future generations? Should we be even concerned about the future welfare or are we to be limited in our concern with current challenges? Can we limit our responsibility to our own personal life, aggrandizement of wealth, asset creation and eventual demise as someone who couldn’t think beyond their immediate personal life? Is that all? – these could be some of the thoughts in the minds of those who are seeking and thinking beyond their own personal lives and care for society.

Some of us may be inclined to look at the past, to see how our ancestors made decisions on common welfare of humanity beyond their times. To analyze and understand the different approach they adopted towards such human conflicts, after all we are not the first ones to face such a situation.

In our culture, every vocation has been guided by the ‘dharma’ of that particular vocation in its social engagement. To feed everyone and ensure no one goes without food is the dharma of the farmer, to ensure no one falls sick in society is the dharma of the traditional doctor, to elevate human mind through aesthetics is the dharma of the artist, to not merely produce clothing, but in the process also determine some social customs was the dharma of the weaver, to create wealth for the entire community was the dharma of the trader, to sustain the beauty of the language was the dharma of the poet, to maintain peace, order and sense of security was the dharma of the king and to maintain an higher aspiration and bearing in society was the dharma of the religious leaders. Thus practitioner of every vocation had a dharma or a social contract that guided their engagement with the larger society.  It is an amazing society that could draw a code of conduct and behavior to so many vocations and sustain the society for a long period of time.

What would be the dharma for the ‘experts’ of modern technology today? What are the guidelines by which they determine whether to recommend a nuclear power plant or a genetically modified crop?

“That which is felt as a being truth and for the befit of all by a mind that is uncluttered is called dharma” defines an old scripture. So, “can we see the truth of the claims behind the nuclear technology? Is it really the only solution that can provide the required electricity that is for the beneficial of humanity? Can the technology and its consequent electricity provide human beings true happiness and contentment?” these can be some of the questions on nuclear energy. Similarly, “is the pest management best solved through such an expensive technology? don’t we have cheaper and simpler ways of controlling the same pests? whom does the real benefits of the GM technology serve?” may be some of the question on the genetically modified crops.

When an expert says that the radioactivity is within the permissible limits from a nuclear power plant for human beings, the question arises as to what are the other radio waves that are impacting our lives in the daily basis, what if some of us are less healthy than others and fall ill even for lesser doses of the waves? Similarly, when experts state that the GM crops are ‘substantially equivalent’ to that of naturally grown crops and they are more or less similar, we see that the experts are resorting to a newer language to explain away the inadequacies of the technology which cannot state the truth in simple language because the truth maybe contrary to the sense of security they want to communicate.

We know from history that experts denied that smoking causes cancer for several decades before conceding that it does. What was public knowledge and concern took the experts several decades of studies to arrive at to state a simple truth. The Bhopal emission victims even today have not found justice, but, importantly, the experts who pronounced the factory safe have had it easy while the victims and their families have suffered beyond generation.

In an era where our lives are often dictated and dominated by so many products of technology that we use and we are driven by these expert opinions, it is important that the Dharma of the Expert is defined, articulated and practiced. One does not find any such practice among experts, there doesn’t seem to be a compelling reason for the ‘experts’ to adhere to any code or dharma today. Unfortunately, our society has elevated such ‘experts’ and ‘scientists / technocrats’ into a demi-god status. It indicates the status of the society today that it can elevate persons with low code of conduct or ethics to a high status in society.

Many of us pride our children being educated in higher levels of technical or scientific education without providing the required ethical code of conduct that could differentiate them from being a better practitioner of a vocation against a harmful practitioner of the vocation. We have to stop the culture that celebrates, “my son/daughter will be a good engineer or doctor” and starts to celebrate “my son / daughter will be good ethical practitioner of his / her vocation”, unless we do such celebration, we can at the best bemoan the lack of ethics and at worse become its victims in coming times.  It is time that we choose either being passive consumers of the ‘expert’ knowledge pervading our lives in a million ways each day or place an active demand of ethical behavior in the experts, we start to understand and demand the dharma of the expert.

this is a rapid translation of an earlier article I had written for a tamil magazine

Blessings during festivals as a responsibility of the Elder

"What do you do on Deepavali Day?", I had asked an Elder of the Chettinad region. At that time he had just relinquished his post as the Chair of their multi-million conglomerate. 

"My wife and I normally are up early in the morning, have our morning ritualistic oil bath, visit the temple of Kapaleeswar Temple (a Shaivite temple that their family had been the patrons of for several generations) in Mylapore. On our return we have some breakfast and from about 9 till 2 we receive younger guests who come to us for seeking blessings", he responded. "It is important for us to stay and be available for youngsters seeking blessings on that day", he added. 

While seeking blessings from Elders during times of festival is a fast disappearing tradition in India, several such Elders and a few communities seem to practice it as their solemn responsibility. 

I know of one senior theater artists (alas is no more) who kept a collection of five rupee coins with him always. He chanted a few lines of goodness blessings for each person who sought it and then gave them the five rupee coin as a token of his blessings. I know people who retain it as a talisman, since his demise it has gained in value, carries as it does the memory as well. Seetharam thatha, our own 97 year old well wisher, always has a few envelops of 'prasad' from some temples, these along with a small change is his blessing, thereby adding a divine edge to his blessings.

My father's cousin and his wife live all by themselves in a flat in Chennai. He is in his mid-80s and his wife in late 70s. Both of them have several health problems and all their children and grand children live abroad. They moved about with crutches in the modest flat and ordered most of their needs over phone and are highly dependent on several functionaries being available (and phone lines working) for their daily needs even. While visiting them to invite them for a family function, I asked him about the trouble of living with no younger help. His response was insightful, "You see, when we grow old, our role is to be available to bless youngsters. To be available to our relatives and friends here and attend whatever functions we are invited for, to bless people wholeheartedly, that gives us satisfaction. We think this is very important, hence prefer to live here at least during the festive parts of the year"! When does this responsibility come into someone? and what gives people this responsibility? Another getting-to-be Elder remarked once, "at some point you start to accept people seeking blessings, it is a recognition that you are now an Elder, few accept it gracefully".

It is amazing that the Elders find so much purpose to be ambassadors of goodwill and thereby ensure that their contribution is maintained in strengthening  relations that build the social fabric. It is a rich society which can have a large number of Elders willing to spare time for the youngsters, to Bless, to share their goodwill, to pronounce good wishes beyond what is borrowed from digital sources and to spread warmth and love. 

I have seen the transition of this tradition of seeking blessings and getting together  giving way to exchanging sweets alone. People far off get an opportunity to merely send messages over email, text or be content with long distant calls. The generation today in their peak productive life are also the ones with the responsibility to transmit this custom from the previous to the next generation, needs to practice it to understand its meaning. To this generation, any festival, such as Deepavali, is another 'holiday' and all holidays are meant for oneself and not for others. While we are often busy planning holidays at home in front of idiot boxes and get away's to pursue packaged ideas of festival, taking that extra effort to seek blessings is a way to pass on a tradition that is valuable both personally and socially.  

Happy Deepavali.

annam bahu kurvita tat vratam...

the following story I had written first appeared in the Positive News website and since then has appeared elsewhere. I wanted to post it here as I felt that what Venkatraman practices is so much in line with what majority of Indians believe and articulated beautifully in one of the scriptures as 'annam bahu kurvita tat vratam', meaning, 'creation and sharing of food in plenty is an austerity'. 

perhaps in times when there was plentiful food for all, it was practised differently, in difficult times the same is practised in a different manner, Ramalinga Adigalar, a sage who lived in central tamilnadu, has famously told his followers that the only service they can do is to feed the needy (his period coincides with the colonial infused hungry times), so, several of his followers till date continue to keep as their life motto - to feed people, willing, voluntarily, in plenty and as a responsibility to humanity! 

unfortunately, such acts are not considered when governments and others think of food security of the millions!

ram

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subsidizing quality food!

Venkatraman, Erode, Tamizhnadu - manages a small eatery close to a hospital in Erode town of Tamizhnadu. One day an attender to a patient walked in and asked foridlies for Rs.10/-, as he had no idlies, Venkatraman offered to give them dosa instead. The lady attender refused and left, saying that there were three of them attending to a patient and they may get more idlies to share than dosas between themselves as they could not afford more than Rs.10/- on their food. 

Struck by the poverty of those who attend to the patients in the hospital and utilizing his proximity to the Government Hospital, Venkatraman came up with an idea, he started to offer 30 tokens for the attendants to the poor patients every day in the hospital. These people are supplied a meal for Rs.1/- (a normal meal even in the smallest of restaurants will cost Rs.20/- and in Venkatraman's eatery costs Rs.30/-) and the quantity of the meal will be sufficient to feed at least two. This he does everyday, saying that it is within his capacity to feed those 30 people in a notional cost (normally about 300 people visit his eatery, so that adds to about 10% of his visitors, he is subsidizing). This he has been doing it for the last four years. He also offers 20% discount on food prices to any physically challenged and blind person who visits his eatery. 

How does he select his beneficiaries? 'We visit the wards, at times we know by the look of those who come to our place to buy food. We prefer to support the attendants of those families where the bread winner of the family is in hospital for a long duration and there is no active earning to support. Normally such poor families run out of their savings with the first week and run out of credit options, which is only the employer, within two weeks. If the bread winner has to take long to recover, then, they are most helpless even amongst the poor. The hospitals feed the patients, but, no one will feed the poor attender which will be the wife of the bread winner in most cases', he says. 'We also look for signs of wealth when we visit, if we notice lots of jewellery or mobile phones, we politely refuse and take back the token from them', he adds.

Does he get any outside support? 'Not much, but, sometimes, people give me Rs.100/- or 50/-, some people can't afford to support a full meal in orphanages or old age homes on their birthdays or some other such important days, for such people, it is easier to give whatever they can afford to us. We write their name in a board in our eatery to ensure that their donation is acknowledged', he says. He is not from any wealthy family, has wife and two daughters to support. He says he started this impulsively as consulting others would have lead to only confusing advise,  'I didn't start this with any support in mind, nor have registered any NGO for this. It is our duty to support the needy. My wife is fine with this and I believe in God and know that doing good to others can never lead us to any harm', he says. 

His motto - 'if everyone in their area of work can help just a few under privileged in their own way, there will be no one begging in the streets, it is in our hands and independent of what vocation we are in'. 

You can meet Venkatraman at - AMV Homely Mess, 78/100, Powerhouse Road, (near Nallasami Hospital), Erode - 1. 

Source/Contact: J. Prabhakar, Coordinator, NDSO - Ennangalin Sangamam, a network of volunteers in Tamizhnadu

Posted in: http://positive-news-india.blogspot.com/2011/05/positive-initiatives-tamilnadu.html

Param, is a pre-fix in Tamizh language that denotes anything superior, elevating. 

Param / Positive News is printed about 90% in Tamizh and 10% English currently out of Chennai in Tamilnadu.

It is free, write to us for your copy. 

Celebrating guruhood

Republished from http://mypreciseramblings.blogspot.com/2010/10/celebrating-guruhood.html

Celebrating guruhood

This Vijayadasami post is to celebrate the tradition of "guruhood", and all the gurus I have had and those I continue to have, and acquire.

Gurus are people who actually seek you out. And then proceed to take over your life in ways as never before and never after. They give you all of themselves, their time, heart, thought, opportunities, challenges, provocations, work, more work, laughter, tears, food... they might even grow and cook it for you. They might throw in free massages as well. And of course, knowledge. Mind you, you didnt ask for all of this, no sir! You will resist in overt and covert ways, you only wanted to learn sanskrit, or music, or maths and in fact not even now, sometime in the near future... So sometimes you will hem and haw, other times you will fight and struggle upfront, or even try and use strategic ways to only just take what you want and quit the place. But you underestimate your opponent. In true martial artist alias guru style, they will ignore you, swat away your tantrums like pesky mosquitoes and with great love give you what you need. Or what you think they think you need! I havent figured that one out yet.

The thing is these people are life teachers. They show you how they take on life, how to live. But the best part is, they don't look at it this way. When they see you, they dont see you the way you perceive yourself, they are equipped with long sight as far as you are concerned. They see you as your potential actualised, and are constantly pushing you towards that vision. The details of that vision might change, but that doesnt matter. Their work is to push, provoke, challenge, raise, support and season you. Sometimes they will drag you kicking and screaming too. No newfangled notions of individuality and choice here, my child!

I have heard it being said that for true learning to happen, both the seed (teaching / ideas) and soil (student/ taught) should be okay. (As an aside, it is interesting that the teacher as an entity is not mentioned) And so, if the student is the soil, I have come to believe that the fertility of the soil is FAITH. And this faith lends reverence to the process of learning, and facilitating learning. It is my experience that my gurus never really taught me, they have always been facilitating my learning and this is my greatest blessing till date. If faith is at the heart of this process, then the gurus become wish fulfilling trees. Their energy and engagement with you is at the level of a spontaneous perception and insight, a no-mind plane where they facilitate not just your learning, but your well-being and happiness in life. Then you will find them giving you all sorts of stuff that you need, right at the time that you need them, without ever really talking of any of it. There is a communication that happens without the minds participating at all. This can happen at various levels of intensity and understanding, and gurus can be for a season or a lifetime. But come to you they surely do, and if you are armed with faith and you hand over that weapon as well to them, they will make something out of you, or help you make something of yourself. Go figure that one.

One last thought: even if the faith is there, the fight is there too. The seasoning and the molding happens in and through this process of resistance and struggle. And my gurus might call it my arrogance, when I say that the fight seasons them too. They are learning in the process too, and a true guru is more aware of it than the student. So, fight with faith!

Roadside Aam Panna at Varanasi and a World View

Recent times most of our restaurants have stopped supplying water free of cost. It is a regular question in several restaurants to ask, 'mineral water or ordinary water?', looking down upon you with scorn if you choose the later. Some of the more advanced ones have stopped supplying water altogether, forcing all customers to either buy water or just do without it.

I was in varanasi last week as the mercury slowly ascended in this pilgrim town, with the heat starting to tell, several local solutions too were marking their presence in the crowded bazaars. I found this amazingly composed elderly lady on a roadside push cart selling 'aam panna' a tangy, spicy local dish that is a natural coolant to the body. As my local guide started to tell me about the benefits of aam panna, she joined him, 'you should not drink water directly in this heat after being in the sun for long', she said, 'that is why this aam panna, this is good for the body and cools it down, now, drink some water on top of this and you will see that your thirst disappears', she added as she topped my empty glass with plain water from a mud pot. As I finished that in a couple of gulps, she wanted to know whether I would want more water.

I was struck yet again by these road side vendors and their care for the customers they may never meet again...she got paid the paltry amount she charged for the aam panna...she wanted to pass on some gyan along with it free and she had no qualms about sharing so much more water with us free of cost. And, it didn't do me any harm (for those sceptics who may say, 'you don't know where the water comes from') and instead made me feel a lot better.

Preparing for Death

I got the following mail from a friend of mine, Vinaya Natarajan, and wanted to share it on this blog:

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"So here we were in Osaka on Sunday night. We had bought something called a Kansai Thru Pass that let us roam around Osaka, Kyoto and Nara. Japan is truly a great place. We found the people very respectful, the place very clean, modern and rich in history. Most of our time was spent in visiting the temples, which were quite different to the Indian ones. For one, they were no pujaris, no pujas just the shrine, or the Buddha. The temples were often located in beautiful, scenic places. We would have walked about 10-15 kms each day, and by day 3 we were dead tired. We just made it to the train to take us to the airport and heaved a sigh of relief when we boarded the flight.

As soon as dinner was served, I dropped off to sleep. We were awoken in a few hours with a scary announcement. “The plane is going to make a emergency landing at Guam due to technical difficulties. Cabin crew please prepare for landing”.

We could smell burning rubber, but we had no clue what was happening. For the next 20 minutes we didn’t get any further instructions apart from “Please review the safety instructions in the booklet in front of you and mark your emergency exits”.

I immediately started to focus within. I wanted to be in peace. On one side, I could feel my mind getting flustered, on the other hand, I was trying to reach out to the place of calm and strength within. I thought that this could be the end but suddenly a sense of calm had over-powered me. I was connected! I held Kushals hand at one point to re-assure him, he also seemed to be doing OK.

The one feeling that I felt was that it was fine, whatever happened was fine. I was ready. There was never a feeling of regret or things that had to be done or things I could have done. Life was complete and gratitude was there. I felt love for my parents, husband and also a sudden feeling of love towards my brother!! (I enjoy having silly fights with him all the time!)

There had been a fire in the cockpit. The captain announced just after the plane landed safely. We had a great time at Guam afterwards. But something had changed. I asked Kushal whether the experience was positive or negative and he said “It was a very positive experience, for the first time, I thought about my own death.” Kushal is usually a very logical and scientific person. I told him “You know you can be extremely scientific and logical, but that is not going to help when death is coming.”

That was the biggest thing that I took with me from this incident. Of course, in this case, had there been a major catastrophe, there was time to prepare for death, but sometimes death can hit so suddenly it can catch you unawares!

I was feeling rather complacent with myself afterwards, but the only person, the only one that can take credit for helping me in this time of crisis was my teacher. His words, his effort to continually remind me that such a time will come where all else will fail came true but the strength within was there.

All I can feel really is.. what a gift!"
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priya

A Date to Keep

I went on a nature walk this morning,
And discovered that I am on a date with You.
They gave you all these exotic names
Paradise flycatcher, warbler, purple heron, dab chick…
That I cant remember much of–
But oh! You beauty!

You are all around me,
In blue, white, black, yellow, brown, violet, green…
You are calling out to me,
Through myriad bird calls-
Sweet, raucous, musical, whispery, screeching…
I am drowning, filled.

Then I look around,
To see You shimmer, evaporate from the lake’s surface,
And I am in a classic romantic duet.

Even as I rush to catch that elusive glimpse of colour,
You pull at me with your prosopis hands.
I laugh at my whimsical self,
And fight with it to brush You off my clothes;
But oh! You beauty!

They are talking of a civet –
How it helps in dispersing seeds.
I see only Your design.
I turn to my companion to ask about-
You are grinning down at me!
They are lamenting about the disappearing landscape,
I watch You jump across the wall,
To chop trees for firewood.
I look up – the length of You,
Standing tall, fluttering your leaves for the wind.
Defenseless, vulnerable, strangely euphoric -
Me, this moment.

And then its time to leave you behind,
You bursting with riotous colours,
And You devoid of colours.
You of the rich and scaling sounds,
You of the invariable electric-saw drone.
I leave You,
Whooshing in my ear, ruffling my hair, kissing my cheeks –
Calm, still and nourishing, not a ripple to be seen.
You beauty!

We head to a hotel for breakfast,
And what’s this?!
You are serving me my cup of nirva-
Oh, what’s that You said?
That I have time yet to conquer You?
You of my laughter!
No hurry at all,
As long as I am on this date with You.

- priya

The conflicts of sadhus abroad...a clash between sanctity to food and its longevity!

Heard this story from a friend who is a frequent visitor to ashrams abroad. As this story portrayed the clash of life style and world views clearly wanted to write about it. In one of her visits to an ashram in the US recently she had to cook for a retreat. Used to the customs in India, she prepared fresh food for all those who came apart from a few speciality dishes the monk present would have liked. She was also informed that that this would be a pot-luck retreat and others would bring in food too. To her utter dismay she found that people (both Indians living there and locals) bringing in food that has been prepared for some other occasion and refrigerated for long. In her own words, '...in America, you get plenty of food for small amounts, their serving is really large (compared to India) and it was shocking to find that people brought left overs from some birthday party of a few days back, others brought food left over from a party they had given...I thought how could you bring food left over for a retreat or offer it to a monk?'. Of course, courtesy demanded that she does not ask this question aloud and perhaps even the monks living under the patronage of the same people who attend such retreat could not ask these questions.

Sanctity to food is an old Indian thought that carries many values along with it. Food is always prepared fresh, offered to a deity and only then partaken. Fresh preparation means normally food is bought in fresh also, which in turn means that it is seasonal food and not from the cold storage (In fact different festivals of India have different seasonal foods, fruits in particular associated with them so as to ensure that only fresh food is consumed). When it is freshly prepared, it retains its nutrients still fresh and most often than not it is consumed immediately after offering it to the deity through a pooja or a ritual of offering. As any expert in nutrition would vouch for, such immediate cooking (in certain ways) and consumption of fresh food is the most nutritious. In India the sanctity attached to it ensures that this health imperative is adhered to with much rigour and discipline. The food prepared for a monk or sannyasi is prepared with the same amount of reverence that would be attached to preparing for the offering to a deity or God. Retreats are special spiritual occasions where you not only convene to share spiritual thoughts, but, also practice some aspects of spirituality.

The availability of cold storage devices, of easy access to food, of dollar power, of inability to make up ones mind to discard old food all add up to such a situation as what this friend described. More important than any of these for me was the lack of sanctity to food. Sanctity enjoined with health consciousness and understanding of nature could be so helpful if only people were aware of the meaning of such rituals. This is where culture and the current conservation priorities join hands and there could be so much that can be achieved. However, it seems to have been compromised in the quest for a way of life. Americans are large consumers is well known, but, that Indians can lose their idea of sanctity for food so easily in the American environment is unfortunate.

Perhaps it is time some of the Ashrams that are established start teaching mundane day to day things where sanctity is practised. This may be more practical and useful (perhaps not very popular) and will at least address the growing menace on inequitable consumption pattern and eventually address the issue of 'way of life'.

Another Master passes away

This blog is getting updated only whenever I feel the loss of one more of the giants all around us. Laurie Baker dies day before, he was 90. Here is an architect who understood Gandhiji and interpreted him through his work of simple, low cost, local material based construction.

He must have inspired generations of architects who yearn for simple functional construction and see the aesthetics of it. His designs all bear an unique mark and never leave you without asking the question 'who designed this place'.

A British who became a native and through his profession articulated a true 'indian world view', he will for long be remembered by many as a marg darshak.

Dharampal - an historian who lived and inspired the Indian World View

Dharampal passed away early this evening. As I write this I think of all the time spent with him and what he has meant for me personally and in developing an understanding of the Indian World View, I started learning of these things with him.

He came from a large family near Meerut in UP, got involved with the freedom struggle, married a British women in 1948, his children today live in Britain and Germany, his wife died many years back. His personal life perhaps has to be written in such a single long sentence and the rest is his public life, his ideas often laced with a sense of humour, his utter humility with which he would listen with rapt attention to very simple people. His attention for details, his need for perfection in everything, particularly the written word (he would certainly have looked down at the blog kind of impulsive writing, his every word is weighed so much you often got an impression that he actually weighs it with a small scale or something), his insight into the internatinal politics that made him come up with some amazing predictions about the way the world is and would change...I can go on.

For someone who has spent a large amount of time with him in the past few years, it is a sad day to know that he is no longer going to be around, to argue, to fight, to agree and disagree, to listen to, talk and discuss things, ...he was one intellectual on whom the intellectual label didn't sit very heavy.

He was a gentle Indian teacher, at times very harsh, at times extremely soft. He could not give lectures to big audience like many teachers cannot, he was always best with a small group of people sitting close by and having a long interaction.

Will continue...

Indian village deities worth a billion

This is an interesting news report. As far as I know there has never been an estimate made of the amount of resources at the disposal of the village dieties across India. This is meant to be common property of the public in the village and that it is held in the name of the village diety provides a sense of security for the property. There was never a question of material valuation or external security for these.
That there is a news report (below) on the security needs indicates that the 'other india' (that one which looks at every village resource as a commercial opportunity) is taking note. Is this a threat?? Flag this and keep watching.

Indian
village deities worth a billion: "Indian village deities worth a billion
Baldev S Chauhan in New Delhi October 06, 2006 02:20 IST"

Ustad Bismillah Khan: Benaras, Ganga and Shehnai

Ustad Bismillah Khan passed away today. A producer of melody of the old school and one with a child like laughter will be missed by the generations who listened and enjoyed his kind of music among whom I count myself.

I remember once watching a television programme in which he said, 'what is better than doing riyaz on the banks of the ganga, watching the crowds of Benaras and having the prashad of the Vishwanathji ka mandir'. This is truely an Indian character. Benaras is only possible in India - the dirt, the pollution, the utter chaos everywhere and amidst all that the sadhus, the gangaji, the cremation that goes on, the serene sights...there is no place on earth like this for its diversity, its colours, its festive air, its utter craziness and its amazing sanity to go on. I have spent a whole night on the banks of the Ganges in this city listening to recital of bhajans...music is a nerve that maintains this city.

Gangaji, Benaras and Vishwanathji Mandir will miss their favourite shehnai player and India, a true Indian and a Master. In deep respect to an amazing performer who have given me hours of blissful listening to a classical music that is fast disappearing. I strike off from my wishlist today a long pending wish to listen to Ustad play the sad tunes that he did only in the Muharram procession at Benaras.

21st August 2006

A traditional Sanskrit Verse

Read the following beautiful Sanskrit verse recently...

'Udyoginam purusasimhamupaiti laksmi
deivena deyamiti kapurusa vadanti;
Daivam nihatya kuru paurusam-atmasaktya
yetne krte yadi na sidhyanti ko'tra dosha - '

'Laksmi or Fortune runs with blessings to that lion among human beings who is industrious', 'the low level human beings, kapurusa, says that he or she depends on one's own destiny'. So, the verse says, 'throwing away all concept of destiny', 'through your own innner strength, be industrious, be active'. Yetne krte yadi ne sidhyanti, ko'tra dosha? 'in spite of all your efforts, if you did not get exactly what you wanted, what is wrong with it?'. That intense struggle, that effort, is that important thing.

Choosing cremation tree

"Don't let anyone chop off the tree near the village pond", said my Grandfather, narrated a village community leader, "You will need it for cremating me". Similarly, his father too around the time of his death, told him, "please use the long tree in our front yard to cremate me, that way I would be properly cremated and there would be no problems". (In rural Tamilnadu and indeed across India, the sign of a content life is equated to the completeness with which the person's body is burnt during cremation). We don't have any problem with death, it is a fulfillment of life commented the community leader after narrating this family tale.

Meeting with a traditional boat builder

In meeting with a traditional boat builder in Ramnad region, asked the youngest in the Muslim family as to why don't they utilise the mass produced cheap material so as to cut costs and thereby gain on competition. His response, "Fishermen even today can spot the boats built here (by this family) in mid-sea and say it was built by us, that reputation of a quality boat builders is our greatest asset, how can we compromise on that? also, the local traditional material making communities are dependent on us, if we too stop patronising them, where will they go?"

What is Time? - A simple definition

Recently in conversation with an Teacher in India, "what is Time?" he queried. Pause. "Time is nothing but INTEREST IN LIFE", he said with flourish.
Indeed if there is interest and a clear idea of life, there is no lack of time towards it.

On Water and Dam Building

Disturbed by the Indian Government's repeated purusal of the inter-linking of rivers at the cost of much of the forest area and dislocation of many communities, an environmental activist approached one of the leading Hindu Guru. When he enquired whether it is correct on the part of the government to build large dams to generate electricity. The Guru made a brief observation, "One of the fundamental principles of the Indian civilisation is outlined in the saying, "jalam dharyena veeryasi", i.e., water is potent only when it flows". Implying that any move on the contrary would be against one of the fundamental precepts of the Indian civilisation. This conversation took place when the government of India was all out to promote the inter-linking of rivers (sometime early 2003).

In November 2004, Pawan Gupta of SIDH(www.sidhsri.org), Mussorie narrated an anecdote which he said gave him an insight into the thinking of the ordinary people of India. He said how during the early days of establishing the SIDH centre in Gharwal Himalayas (this is a beautiful centre promoting a beautiful concept of localised form of education, more about it some other time), how he had to walk to the centre from the village as there were no good roads. During his walks he always used to find that the public tap was always found to be open and water running down. He used to make it a point to turn it off. Once during an interaction with the local villagers, he enquired about the reason why they don't close down the water once they take water for their homes. A village women replied, "but, water is meant to flow, not stopped/curtailed". Though one may dismiss this as an attitude which could result in wastage of an increasingly valuable resource, Pawan points out how that this provides an insight into the Indian way of thinking.

Couple of years before that a Japanese scientist had released a group of pictures with water's micro-structure photographed after being subjected to different forms of human intervention including that of flowing river water and dammed water. His analysis (to be found on the web in references to Masaro Emato, www.masaru-emato.net) is interesting and seems to be in line with what the Guru claims and what the village women feels is fundamental.

from notes: Dec 2004

Notes from Classes with a Hindu Monk

The following 2 extracts are from the notes recorded during classes with a Hindu Monk, early 2000

'Ajara Amara' (death and immortality) – when in search of knowledge or prosperity think that you would never have death, or disease. When worshipping god (i.e., in spiritual practice) think that death's hand is in your head already.

‘Devo bhutva, devam ejeat’ (becoming God, we worship God). This is true on he methods of pooja ritual followed by certain sects (inluding the Ramakrishna Math), where the poojari attains a spiritual state through self-purification and only then can perform the pooja prescribed

Education - as viewed by a community educationist

Recently, while talking to an elderly traditional community based educationist, he gave a very simple yet beautiful definition for intelligence and education using Thirukkural, a famous tamil composition in 1330 couplets.

He asked, “What is Intelligence?” and proceeded to answer quoting from the Kural, “Epporul Yaar Yaar vaai ketpinum apporul meipporul kaanbadhu arivu – Regardless of who is saying it, if you can listen and perceive the truth behind any information, that is Intelligence”.

“What is the role of education in developing this Intelligence?” the elder queried. “Thottanai thoorum manarkeni, maandharkku katranai thoorum arivu – The way you gain water through digging, similarly, you gain intelligence through education”.

And his last question was, “How should you do this education?”, for which again he answered from the Kural, “Karka kasadara katravai katrapin nirkha adharkku thaga – Educate yourself thoroughly (without any diversion – we can say getting caught up with the survival ethics is part of the diversion) and after getting educated, stand by what you have gained through the education”.

In such definitions of education, there is neither stress on the practical nature of things nor on the subjective human development, what is concentrated is on the discipline one undergoes and this is supposed to build the humans.

This was written in Sept 03