With Lord Varuna’s army

Here as the ship proceeds deeper and deeper in the Arabian Ocean, eyes could see nothing but the water and water all the way around. Dominating waves clash the vessel quite often and ocean shows a bit of its enormous power as the warship weighting more than three thousand tones swings as if a petty petal on a peaceful lake.

While on my first ever sea voyage in life, my eyes stay wide open in search of at least something land-like on that line joining the waters and the sky; my ears stand up to receive at least some pinch of the voice other than that of the vigorous roars of waves collapsing on the iron walls of the ship; and my senses stay alert to receive at least some other feel than that of the humid, salty wind blowing through the sea. Search goes on, but nothing other than the sea can be seen, can be heard or can be felt while roaming deep into the Kingdom of Sagara. Miniscule in front of the strength of the ocean, here, we humans are on the mercy of Lord Varuna.

While some men in Royal Navy Blue uniform boast to be the men of Lord Varuna himself. These are the members of Indian Navy. They are fearless, soft-spoken, well learned, and well behaved. They are disciplined gentlemen and intelligent decision makers. They are confident, but not careless; strong but not aggressive; and light-hearted but prepared for every situation. As I sail through Arabic Ocean with them in INS Sharada, a proud feeling of being an Indian roars harder than the mighty waves in my heart. Our men are committed, busy in the practice and ready to help. They have earned the respect of world Navy for their gentlemanly conduct and polite behavior. But the thing that takes our men towards the higher level than any other force in the world is their indomitable faith on Lord Varuna, their supreme savior. No other Navy in the world has the divine interference but Indians do have. Thanks to the rich cultural heritage of India.

Indian Navy has ‘Shan No Varuna’ (May Lord Varuna Protect Us); a Sanskrit expression from ‘Rigveda’ as its motto. The Maritime Warfare Centre In Kochin, where the Naval officers and sailors are groomed strong for the stronger naval security system; the Sanskrit verse ‘Yuddhasya Abhyase Raneh Vijayashree’ (Rigorous practice insures victory in war) is written as motivation. Indian Cost Guards those who work day and nights to protect our seashores have ‘Vayam Raksham’ (We protect), another Sanskrit expression as their motto.

As we walk through the Naval estate in Kochi, the Sanskrit and spiritual quotes can be found written at many places and this is why our men in armed forces are so spiritually motivated. INS Dronacharya, a school where the naval officers are trained for gunnery and high-end weaponry. The motto of this school is ‘Kuru Prahar Prathame’, another Sanskrit expression meaning ‘Hit first’. Whether be the names of our missiles or be the names of our warships, all are inspired by our cultural heritage and all our men, irrespective of religion and caste, seek inspiration from the culture itself.

While being with the Naval officers and sailors, my respect for our spiritually rich culture raises for hundreds of thousand times as it is our ancestral heritage, that has kept motivating our forces over the years.

Towards God’s own Country

Mother nature has bestowed her most preserved treasure on this land. As my train entered Kerala, lush green farms, golden sunshine, and coconut trees – a little smaller than we see in the landscapes – welcomed me in God’s own country!

Here, train passes from the backyards of small houses, and stops at the stations we used to see in the landscapes or in the RK Laxman sketches from ‘Malgudi Days’.

In fact, the railway travel makes me feel proud of being an Indian! Like in spite of all wrong practices and corrupt politicians; we still feel proud of being world’s biggest democracy; in spite of all poor facilities and irregular services the railway provides; I feel proud of traveling by world’s second biggest railway network here in India. Railway stations situated at frequent distances, and the infrastructure developed at the stations make me feel like being a citizen of wealthy state. The signal systems at railway routes, the way they follow timetable, and the accuracy of trains while stopping at the railway stations – with the particular bogey stopping exactly at its denoted place – everything fascinates me whenever I travel by train.

Kochin, being a harbor, has no individual junction and trains do stop at Ernakulam railway station, situated just a few kilometers away from Konchin. As I stepped down, I found this station quite similar to Nagpur’s one. It was quite easy for me to find out the main entrance gate, where the Jawans of Indian Navy were waiting for us. As journalists participating in the Defence Correspondence Course are the special guests during these thirty days, they receive special welcome from force officials. It is a matter of proud for the scribes to receive a treatment of Commissioned Officers during the course. As our car left the railway station, a small tour of Ernakulam town was in the offing.

Traffic jams are very common features of Kerala. Here, the roads are narrow and the houses are constructed in quite congested way. As we see the map, we see Kerala as a small piece of land, adjacent to the seashore. Adjusting with the land, almost everything here comes in the small package. Houses and huts are small, coconut trees are dwarf, and roads are narrow as a result of which city-buses are also small. As my car was heading towards Wellington Iceland, I noticed one more thing roads and the railway tracks go parallel to each other many times here. This is quite a rare to notice in Nagpur. As our destination was on the Iceland, we had to pass over a bridge installed on the backwaters of Arabian Sea. Kochin Shipyard is situated right around this channel. My eyes saw such a huge amount of water for the first time and they preferred to remain wide open for a while to catch the beauty. The over-bridge from which we passed was the third one constructed on the channel. The first one was quite old and was not in use, while the second one was for the light vehicles. Third was ours, on which almost all the heavy

Vehicles were commuting. There was another one, a parallel railway over-bridge. In all, the look was like the Iceland is being connected with four five different types of ropes to the Ernakulam town. Greenery is very common factor here. A very special feature of Kerala greenery that I noticed is liveliness. Nagpur is India’s second greenest city, but to maintain it green, the administration has to work quite hard. Here, nature itself creates and maintains the green of Kochin. After all, it’s God’s own! 

Living the dream and leaving the dream…

To gain something, one has to leave something; the unwritten law proved itself once again on Sunday wee hours, when I left Nagpur for Kochin. As Kerala Express gave its leaving alarm, I started realizing my long cherished dream to attend the Defence Correspondents Course - once in a lifetime opportunity for a journalist. However, in return to this dream, the destiny planned to take something of the very same magnitude - another lifetime opportunity from me.

Each phase of life has its own flavour and it should be enjoyed to the fullest to make life a beautiful feeling. Childhood, school time, college days and bachelor life – every phase should be full of sharable memories; and why not the time of love and marriage? After all, most of the novels and almost all of the movies tell us that, the most sharable stories of life are love stories, and the most beautiful moments are when you are being loved by the person you love the most. Well, the destiny has planned to postpone these moments from my life, in return of the dream opportunity.

My fiancée was officially declared as my would-be wife just a day before I left for this course. And, we didn’t even find enough time to celebrate the occasion. Nothing is sad. But happiness coming in back-to-back packages has brought with it the dilemma that which happiness is bigger and to be celebrated. With this happy-happy and not-so-happy feeling, I left Nagpur for Kerala – God’s own country.

Well, God’s own country is still 22 hours away and my train is passing through Reddy’s own country – Andhra Pradesh right now. It’s a rainy day here in Warangal district and the farms are greener as compared to the farms in Vidarbha. Even the paddy farms are livelier than that of in rice growing Ramtek and Nagardhan area of Nagpur. Water bodies, especially, the farm lakes are pleasant to watch here and they are wealthy enough to make a person from rain-fed Vidarbha a bit envy.

Being a subscriber of Hyderabad edition of The Hindu, I have some idea of what is going on here in Andhra Pradesh. Farmers are suffering here, too; just like they are in Vidarbha. But, after watching the beautiful farm lakes, and considerably big rivers around, I wonder the problem of Andhra farmers can be solved with effective measures. Well, who takes effective measures here? Is the master question – applicable to Andhra Pradesh as well as for Vidarbha. 

But, there is some similarity that joins Vidarbha and Andhra Pradesh. I had been to Lucknow and Bhopal several years back, and I felt a terrible detachment to the land and atmosphere there. But, the Andhra land and the atmosphere is something homely, attached. The color of soil, the greenery, and even the feel in the air is quite homely here. The temples and buildings, houses and huts, bulls and buffaloes – all are like that in Vidarbha. After all, like Vidarbha, this part of land is also struggling for the separate statehood – another joining thread!

As I proceed further through Andhra Pradesh, I will be getting an opportunity to spend some moments at the feet of Lord Venkateshwara at Tirupati, where the train is scheduled to stop for ten minutes. After bowing in front of the Lord from the train itself, I will proceed for the God’s own country tonight.

Expressions

Children were given Grace’s one of the most popular poems – Bhay Ithale Sampat Nahi – to think on and make a clay model on it. Hundreds were the kids, and thousands were their ways of thinking. It was a poem by Marathi’s most complicated yet most expressive poet known for writing something out of the world, still very much within the heart. Difficult to understand for the literary critics and language experts, the Grace’s poetry was given to the school going children attending the art camp of Nagpur’s famous Basoli Group. Everyone was excited how children recreate the poetic expression into the clay modeling.

Results were fantastic. The poem, in brief, speaks about the recreation, rebirth and the memoirs. The most famous expression of it roughly says that ‘we rest (for ever) under the trees, to born again through the trees’. The same clicked many of the children. Some of them created a huge tree, two or three human figures resting under it, and one figure immerging out of it as a symbolic rebirth. Many created comparatively small trees, and small human figures, and a big figure immerging out of the tree. Some expressed that the one resting under the tree is mother, and the one immerging out from it is a child, while others relate it to the next generation.

Two or three kids created small simple clay balls, around ten-twelve in numbers and finished off. When asked, they explained that the round shaped clay balls were the seeds, which grow into another tree. Amazing concept, wasn’t it?  

What clicked me from the incident were the different manners of expressions we have with us. Some created a huge model, while others just a few clay balls. They expressed truthfully what they felt after reading the poem. Every art work was powerful enough to convey the message. No one was wrong or incorrect. The way of expression may be different, but that doesn’t affect the degree or the power of expression. The small seeds were equally powerful to the big clay model. Then came the question – if both ways of expression are right, then which way is better? – A small representative package or a huge expressive presentation?

I remembered an old interview with producer director Karan Johar. Probably, it was a clipping from the making of Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, a multi-starrer mega movie with lavish sets and colourful jewellery and lights and hundreds of co-dancers and support artists everywhere. Karan Johar said, when frame comes to his mind, it’s always a massive one. That he can’t imagine small, ‘economic’ frame. Similarly, while reading an interview of legendary novelist Dr S L Bhyrappa, I remembered him saying that he always writes magnum opus because the plots come only in massive form in his mind. Johar’s movies, or Dr Bhyrappa’s novels – are, no doubt, popularly recognized as finest forms of expressions. So, can we say that the huge expression is always more appealing or preferable form?

Well, sometimes when I read two-lined ‘Chhoti Beher Ki Ghazal’ by Nasir Kazmi or Ahmed Faraz; I wonder the world can be expressed in two lines only. Or when I read Gulzar, I wonder, just one line is enough. One expression of Dilip Kumar speaks for the whole film, while one Bindu of Raza is enough to explain the whole art of painting. R K Laxman creates just a few figures and nothing more is necessary to convey the message, Sivamani beats simple bucket or a Kadhai and creates percussions at its best.

When I read Abhags of Sant Tukaram or Sant Dnyaneshwar; I wonder a few words are enough to explain whole universe. When I go deeper into the past towards the Upanishads and Vedas, I realize, two letters – ‘Prajnanam Brahma’ or ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ are enough. And finally, going even deeper makes me realize that only one letter – The Aum – is enough to express the whole thing. Then, can I conclude that the simpler, smaller and representative form of expression is better?

Observing the final display of hundreds of the clay models gave me the answer. The seeds created by two or three boys were catching attraction and also were gaining special appreciation from all. But, this was because the seeds were placed with the big and small clay models around. After going through others, when they used to notice the seeds, the beholders used to understand the smartness of the concept. Means, the elaborated expressions around were adding value and enhancing the quality of the small, representative expressions.

The big expressions attract the people towards the phenomenon and the small expressions tell the real meaning of it. Both must be there, as they help each others.

Big and small expressions exist with each others, for each others. They compliment each others. That is why followers of Buddhism create larger than the life statues of Buddha to take the common people towards the path of peace. That is why, our ancestors write Vedas, Upanishads and Mahakavyas to make us finally understand the two-word philosophies.

That is why Krishna shows a Vishwaroop to explain the way of life for common human beings. 

I trust…

‘We trust you’ is a great feeling. Hearing it from your loved ones fills you with energy; hearing it from friends makes you feel responsible and hearing it from parents takes you to enjoy the moment of highest contentment in the world.

Directly or indirectly, each and every one of us is busy in an effort of gaining trust. To make new friends, to strengthen the bonding, to gain respect, to earn money – the first and foremost capital investment is trust. It gives us new relationship; adds new people to our life. Trust is plinth, it’s the basic pillar; and just like a plinth or a pillar, it remains hidden and unnoticed all the time while playing the most important role.

‘Someone trusts me’ is greater feeling. It is the trust they have in me as a result of which staying away from my parents since last five years was never like living away from them for me. It’s this trust that keeps me reminding about my responsibilities. The trust makes me think righteously and select the right way from the countless options. It empowers me to say no, makes me wise enough to set and strong enough to pursue a goal. It tells me where to pause, where to speak and where to raise an alarm. Because somebody believes in me, it becomes my responsibility to keep the belief intact.

‘I trust someone’ is even greater feeling. It gives me a sense of security. Yes. Someone will come and support, someone will stand firm behind me in any situation is a moral boosting potion. Having someone trustworthy is like having another parallel life or a talisman with you. Lucky are those who have many such talismans around. I have selected some and happy with them. It’s really a difficult task to find out such talismans out of a crowd of friends and relatives. Well, what is easy then?

‘I trust myself’ is the greatest feeling. If I know what I am doing and what I can do, then I need not to worry about any other thing. But, it takes lives to realize, actualize the self. Those who achieve the stage of self-actualization become icons. For this, one Prince Siddhartha forsakes his palace pleasures one fine day and sits for the penance under a tree in deep forest. For this, Narayan Suryaji Thosar runs away from his own marriage function. For this, Narendranath Dutt keeps asking every wise man the only question – whether you have seen the god? For this, Debuji Janorkar leaves his family and farms, and starts walking all the way where his feet take. Leaving so many things for self-search is not easy. Well, what’s easy then?

Thousands of devotees walk tirelessly for weeks together to reach Pandharpur every year. This tradition is more than 1000 years old now. Devotees of Vithoba in Varkari tradition find the almighty in their respective work, and this makes them saints. Yes. The simplest way is to trust God.

That is why, ultimately, Narayan Suryaji Thosar’s search ends in finding Shri Ram as his deity and it makes him Samarth Ramdas. Narendranath Dutt’s search ends in finding Guru as his God and it makes him Swami Vivekananda. Debuji Janorkar’s search ends in finding ‘Gopala Gopala Devaki Nandan Gopala’ as his Mantra and it makes him Sant Gadgebaba. Ultimately, Prince Siddharth’s search ends in finding a light of wisdom within as his guide, and it makes him Buddha.

‘I trust God’ becomes greater than greatest feeling – Super superior to all.

Rain again!

He is not as punctual as Sun, which appears on the eastern sky every time to bring a new day for us. He is not as gentle as the first breeze of winter that comes in mid-October with a joy of harvesting festivals. He is not as silent as the moon, which keeps growing and slowing quietly over the year. He is like a spoiled child who loves to play the game of hide and seek. He keeps everyone waiting for him for long. He likes to see the frightened faces, anxious eyes and exhausted bodies. Hidden somewhere around, he enjoys watching people’s requests turning into prayers and ultimately prayers into curses, for bringing him out. After worrying, annoying and angering his mother Earth a lot, he comes out at once. And all anger, annoyance and worries just disappear. He is rain. He may come late, irregular, unstable, and unequal; but when he comes, he rules.
Just the first spell of the real monsoon not more than half and hour and the three-month long irritating humidity, etching heat and sweltering atmosphere disappears! Rain has this magic with him. It changes the earth within minutes. Yes, he may be spoiled, but he must be the most beloved child of Mother Earth. Who else can bring the sudden change in mother otherwise?

Rain knows no silence. He appears with a bang and band of cracking clouds and the lightning. He changes breeze into wind and wind into storm to uproot the strongest ever trees. He wants everyone to stop and give him his due attention. He makes it sure by holding the life standstill. He breaks to make it new, crushes to give new shape, kills to start different journey, and destroys to instill new life. Rain has his own way to handle the things. After all, he is a spoiled child, but not an irresponsible one.

Rain overpowers the punctual Sun and fills the atmosphere with the dark at any time of a day. Even if being the darkness, it is full of bright rays of hopes. These rays can be seen, felt and enjoyed. These rays have every aspect of life within them. For children, they become joyride of paper pinnaces; for lovers, a walk under a single umbrella; for elders a joiner of heaven and earth.

Once angry, dark, and destructive; the rain appears life-giver, lovely and creative on the other way. Starting with the darkness, he ultimately shares light of life. Rain receives prayers, as well as curses. He pleases children as well as the elders. He is playful and He is serious. He comes and damages a little, but if He refuses to come, the damage is immense.

Rain is just like Krishna. Named as ‘Ghanashyama’, Krishna also comes throught dark. By stealing the curd and butter from their earthern pots, he irritates the Gopis; while by distributing it into his friends, he pleases the children. As a ‘Chitchor’ of Vrindavan, he redefines the love for the whole humanity. He acts as a destroyer to kill many demons, and becomes a ruler of hearts. Like rain, Krishna also receives praise and prayers with a smile; and curses, too, with the same smile. Ultimately by sharing the greatest wisdom of human life, he becomes the joiner of Heaven and the Earth.

Finally, through ‘Mahabharata’, the ultimate war, Krishna safeguards the moral values and frees the earth from the immoral forces. Rain, too, one day, is scheduled to play this role during the ultimate distruction --  ‘Pralay’.

We worship Krishna.
We worship rain. 

In dreams

I saw her in dream today.

She looked more beautiful – than she used to be; much matured – for the first time; quite serious – a rare sight; and very hypocritical – to my disappointment. But this change, I guess, was natural. In fact, it had to be there. It added grace to her personality. This was what being matured with time.

After all, she was no more a free flying, college going, and loud laughing girl. She was no more a naïve who used to run after butterflies, fall for the chocolates, and speak with the soft toys. She was not the same crazy who used to collect useless things like chocolate wrappers, gift packs, and stickers. She was changed, of course, for the larger good. She was changed completely, even in my dreams.

And Why not, when the change being the only constant thing? We all change with time. She shoulders a responsibility now. She has a special status. She represents not one, but two families now. It may appear to me that she is wearing a mask; and behind this mask of status, responsibilities and representation, she must be the same innocent, free flying, round eyed girl. But, I may be wrong. She might have changed from within. If it is so, then where is the girl who used to talk endlessly, laugh openly and sing the nursery rhymes along with the kids sweetly? She must have lost. Yes. The girl in my dreams, even if being the same, was not the same. She was not the one for whom I used to write poems.

This thought took me ages back. Krishna was the same, in fact more graceful, with the royal ornaments glittering on his impressively developed persona. But, Radha, now a tired, middle-aged woman, failed to recognize him. A strong Krishna – who punched and kicked demonic Kansa to death; an educated Krishna – well-learned from Maharshi Sandeepani Ashram; the royal Krishna – a newly crowned administrator of Mathura was not her Krishna. Her Krishna was a little one with a delicate peacock feather tucked in his curly hair, a small kid adorn with forest flowers and running behind cows, a mischievous boy who used to run away with the curd and butter. The change in Krishna was for the good of the entire universe, but Radha, who loved him the most, rejected the Krishna coming from Mathura and she preferred to be with the Krishna of Gokul in her memoirs.

I realized that I have to dream again. Dream again to search the persona in my memoirs. After all, the Krishna I want to meet in dreams is lost. And the lost Krishna lives only in memoirs.