Thursday, November 27, 2014

Book conversations: Aavarana


S L Bhyrappa's reputation as one of the luminaries of Kannada literature was enough enticement for me to pick this one up.  And I wasn't disappointed.

Combining facts, research, history, religion and drama, Bhyrappa weaves a complex story of a husband and wife coming to terms with the differences between them.

The title, Aavarana, which means 'to conceal', pertains not only to the main protagonist's travails as a censored wife and writer, but also to the uncomfortable historical truth that is often curtailed by pseudo-secularists and vote-bank politicians.

At one level this is also a woman's tale of a search for identity and self-fulfilment, in an environment of fundamentalism and intolerance.  At the same time, Bhyrappa manages to include a crash course in history of Hindu-Muslim interactions, going back to the period when temples all across India were desecrated and vandalised by bigoted rulers.

The story starts in Hampi, where amongst the ruins, the husband and wife team of historical journalists ponder upon the glory and the subsequent devastation that befell Hampi.  The husband, a Muslim, tends to attribute the reason to bickering local kings of differing sects within Hinduism - a view that is shared by an intrepid professor and founder of a neo-liberal movement that proposes that all notions of fundamentalist actions of Muslim kings of yore are a figment of the right wing's imagination.

Our heroine, Lakshmi, is not so sure about this.  Although she is part of the same movement, she has her own doubts, which are fully confirmed when she stumbles upon her deceased father's collection of literature.  After being estranged from his daughter as she had married a Muslim man, he would have engaged himself in a deep study of local history; in particular that pertaining to the oppression and tyranny of Muslim rule in India - so much so that his accumulated knowledge and evidence puts even scholars to shame.

Lakshmi then starts her own reading of her father's evidence and finds horrifying details confirming his and her own suspicions.  In particular, she is drawn to the destruction of the Kashi Vishwanatha Temple at Varanasi by Aurangzeb and even visits the site to find that a large mosque has been built in the place of the original temple, using the same stones that were once part of the temple.

As more and more evidence is unearthed, she becomes more and more convinced about her father's conclusions and even confronts the liberal professor in one the conferences organised by him to drive home the point that fundamentalism was not the cause for temple destruction.

Lakshmi also puts these ideas across in the form of a novel, the story of which runs parallel to the main story.  Not only that, it has parallels with her own story - the way she was made to convert to Islam after marriage, change her name, wear burkha, asked to stop working by her in-laws, and finally when she realised that her husband was not so liberal minded after all.  The Hindu prince in her story, who is captured by the invading Muslim army, is sold as a slave, raped, castrated, made to serve as a eunuch in the zenana.  He finally discovers that his wife has been made a prostitute in another zenana.

Inevitably, Lakshmi drifts apart from her husband and son, who are naturally unable to accept her theory of fundamentalism.  She also faces arrest for publishing a blasphemous book that would flare up communal tensions.

There are many font types throughout the book, which change each time Lakshmi goes into the flashback mode, or when her fictional story is narrated.  Translating from any regional language is a challenge, and Balakrishna has risen well to it.  He manages to convey the angst and the complexity of the original story in Kannada very well.

The book ends with an exhaustive list of evidence, ostensibly collected by her father, but in actuality that which the author himself would have perused before writing this book.  One has to marvel at the depth and extent of research that Bhyrappa has undertaken to get the historical facts accurate - even though this has been contested by his critics.

With a story that may be construed as 'blasphemous' by some, one wonders as to how the author, unlike his protagonist Lakshmi, managed to escape from a communal backlash at the time the original Kannada version was published.  But one has to admire Bhyrappa for the guts and gumption shown by him in telling the truth as it is and not cowering in the face of 'political correctness'.

Now is there any equally gutsy producer who can take up the challenge and come up with a film adaptation of Aavarana?  Given the extent of pseudosecularism, I won't be holding my breath.


Image source: http://www.rupapublications.co.in/sites/default/files/styles/img_style_202x266/public/books/Aavarana.jpg




Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Post-26/11 security: what's that?

We never learn.  Or seem to care.


On the anniversary of 26/11, one of the TV news channels brought to light the lapse security arrangements at the site of the attacks.  The report showed boats streaming in to the exact spot where the terrorists from our friendly neighbouring country landed.  A local fisherman confirmed that anybody was free to dock their boats here without any scrutiny.

The reporter then entered the crowded CST train station and left a bag there unattended.  Again, nobody noticed it or questioned her about it.

What have we achieved since 26/11?

Okay, we hanged Kasab.  But what did we learn or gain from detaining him for so long, apart from feeding him biryanis?  At the very least, couldn't we have put him in front of the world and got him to reveal the entire modus operandi of the attack: the way it was planned in his country and the people behind it?  

Maintaining security is like trimming nails.  The nails keep growing and you have to trim them regularly and even out the rough edges.  Likewise, security arrangements have to be put in place, monitored, and updated on a regular basis.  This is clearly not happening anywhere in our country.

Basically anybody can waltz in from any of the hostile countries surrounding ours, recce areas, and carry out attacks at will.  There have been umpteen examples of this in the past, and one fears, we will see more of them as things stand now.

Sure, community participation in security management is also a must, along with government initiatives.  But it is up to the state to initiate it in the first place.  Just closing the doors after the horse has bolted is not useful in any way.  Prevention, here too, is better than cure - or disaster management in this case.

Our heartfelt condolences to the victims of 26/11 and their families.

Ministers please wake up and secure the land!



Image source: https://im.rediff.com/news/2019/nov/26mumbai-attack1.jpg

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Humble weddings

At last, in a land starved of good tidings from the political arena, here is some heart-warming news.  A minister in the Karnataka cabinet got his daughter married in a humble mass-marriage ceremony.  


There was no ostentatious show of wealth, pomposity, grandeur, going underwater to tie the knot, marrying on a plane, or any of the other type of tomfoolery the rich and the famous indulge in to showcase their wealth and status.

Some get married thrice; once each in style of the different faiths.  Do they also have to divorce thrice in the future?  Just a thought.  But jokes apart, in these days where marriages are falling apart within the first anniversary, with some resulting in bitter court disputes, one wonders if the event requires such a grand celebratory beginning in the first place.  Why can't the same money be used more meaningfully; as in securing the children's future or helping the poor?

Coming back to this particular wedding, there was no theme party; no reception in front of a heritage building; no division of food stalls into continental, Chinese, Thai, South Indian, Mongolian, or Arctic; no wasting of uneaten food; and there was no dancing to Sheila ki jawani... or Chikni Chameli...

Boring?  No, utterly sensible.  And meaningful.

The other couples in the mass-wedding - from poor socioeconomic backgrounds - were given cows as gifts to encourage cattle rearing and self-reliance; there were couples from different religions married according to their faith; the meal served was basic; and the event was even blessed by the visit of the chief minister.  

It is indeed a rare breed of politicians - this particular minister is apparently not the first to do such a thing - that has the maturity and humility to undertake such a step.  In doing so he has set an example for all of us.  Hopefully he won't be the last politician to do so.  May his tribe increase!

I condemn ostentatious gatherings in this video made in the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic: https://youtu.be/VmqTaWFwXIs



News source: 'Just wedding, no bling-bling', Prathima Nandakumar, The Week, 24 November 2014
Image source: https://starofmysore.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/mass-marriage.jpg




Sunday, November 23, 2014

Book recommendation: Many Lives, Many Masters


As with a few other landmark books, this is a book recommendation, not a review.  It is a true story about a doctor; a psychiatrist, who is also the author of the book and his therapy sessions with a single patient.  He undertakes past-life regression therapy in a desperate bid to rid her of her anxiety, which has not responded to conventional medication or behaviour therapy.  What he uncovers in the process is unprecedented, extraordinary and life changing.  It certainly cures the patient of her anxiety completely.

It is important to consider a few salient points of this story as it has a bearing on the message conveyed by the story.  Both the patient and the doctor are White Americans, they are Christians by faith, but not very religious.  They had no prior idea about anything to do with reincarnation, karma, Vedanta, or anything to do with Hindu philosophy, per se.

Yet, what is revealed during the past-life sessions is nothing short of extraordinary, and confirms the very principles of Advaita, which is the core of Hindu philosophical teaching.  Karma and its after-effects; the debt that one has to repay in the next birth, and the whole phenomenon of reincarnation is reiterated, vindicated and given a stamp of authority through the experiences of these two individuals.  

The patient describes more than 80 previous birth experiences, and each time she dies, she is transported to an ethereal place of light where she meets other souls and the masters.  The masters are higher, more evolved spirits who guide the other souls through their inter-birth sojourn and towards their next birth in the karmic cycle.  In between the lifetimes, the masters use the patient as a medium to communicate directly with the doctor and in the process reveal several life/death secrets:
  • "We have debts that must be paid", they say.  "You progress by paying your debts".  [The karmic theory].
  • "There are seven planes...seven through which we must pass before we are returned". 
  • They also talk about the soul's progress through harmony and balance, love and wisdom, progress toward a mystical and ecstatic connection with God.  [God realisation as described by Upanishads].
Needless to say, there has been much criticism of the contents of the book by sceptics who are either too logically oriented to accept spiritual matters, or by those who can't digest the fact that the tenets of some other faith other than their's has been given credence in the doctor's work.  

In the preface, the doctor does explain his dilemma as to whether or not to share his extraordinary experience with the world and expose himself to rigorous scientific scrutiny by his own peers and the subsequent ridicule that is sure to ensue.  However, he later felt compelled to share his experiences with everyone.  As he puts it, "I knew that no possible consequence I might face could prove to be as devastating as not sharing the knowledge I had gained about immortality and the true meaning of life".  

Ultimately, as with any spiritual experience, it comes down to a matter of faith.  Or actually experiencing the whole thing yourself.  

Combine this with the other books on the subject of past lives and souls: Life Between Lives by Michael Newton, and The Laws Of The Spirit World by Khorshed Bhavnagri, and you will realise how western scientific thought is reaffirming and aligning itself with the universal truth that has been propounded by Sanatana Dharma since ages.


Image source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-62n8IrJ2ufA/UP4OLu4eM0I/AAAAAAAAV48/_6FZsKUPdTY/s1600/Many-Lives-Many-Masters.jpg

Friday, November 14, 2014

Saints' convention denounces conversions

It was heartening to note that, finally, a group of saints and heads of prominent religious institutions and matths met to discuss religious conversions.

In the premises of Siddaganga Matth, as reported by Deccan Herald, seers of matths such as Adichunchanagiri Matth, Sutturu Matth, Pejawar Matth, Siddaganga Matth, Sri Sri Ravishankar and Sri Veerendra Heggade convened to discuss the issue.

It is high time that the issue of covert evangelisation in the name of public service is brought out into the open, debated and steps are taken to root it out.

Evangelising religious institutions use various methods to carry out their activities; influencing children in the numerous schools and colleges set up by their organisations, influencing patients and relatives caught in stressful situations in hospitals set up ostensibly for providing cheap treatment.

There are several other methods, and I can  only refer the reader to the wonderful work done by Sri Arun Shourie, who has published many well researched books on the subject.  Most notable and revealing of his works is Harvesting our Souls: Missionaries, Their Designs, Their Claims.  This is a landmark book, an eye opener in many ways, that every Indian interested in exposing the claims made by proselytisers and help prevent gullible people from falling prey to their ideologies, should read and understand.


Haven't prominent philosophers and thinkers said that all paths lead to the one and the same God?  Haven't they said that the outward manifestations of religions may differ, but the core message is always the same  Why then, does the need for denouncing one religion and enticing people to join your fold arise?  Isn't it a fundamentalist notion to say, 'mine is the only true path; rest are demonic; therefore you should leave your path and join mine'?  

Further it is Hinduism which propagates Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole world is a family), and Sarve Janah Sukhinobhavantu (may all be happy), and in its core emphasises the importance of soul and spirituality - both of universal relevance.  Isn't this a mature, universal, and all-inclusive philosophy worth emulating and preserving?

But, ironically, this very large-hearted and egalitarian outlook of Hinduism has put it at risk of being targeted by proselytisers and opportunists, whose agenda, it seems, comprise nothing short of world domination and India as a fully converted nation.

One hopes that the outcome of the convention is taken seriously by the government and thorough checks and audits are carried out on evangelising institutions, including the substantial foreign funds that they receive to carry out their clandestine activities.  

One also hopes that the seers and pontiffs of matths all across India, take this issue seriously, denounce casteism, educate people in the community and help reduce socioeconomic factors contributing to conversions.  



News & image source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/441015/seers-raise-concern-over-religious.html

Film conversations: Fighter

As I have iterated multiple times before, I rarely venture into a multiplex to see a move due to previous harrowing experiences.  Especially...