Love 86

It was year 1986. I was probably in class 3. We were having a yearly ritual of going to my Nani Maa’s place during the summer vacations of our school. And this was something which I was always waiting for. My maternal grandparents were living in “Madhepura”, a small and beautiful district of Bihar near the border of Nepal. My maternal grandfather was working for Government of Bihar in its irrigation department. Since he was holding a good post in the department, he had been given a big bungalow there.


That bungalow is still in my memory. A big 4 bedroom bungalow with a big waranda in the back side. A kitchen garden adjacent to the waranda and a big garden at the entrance of the bungalow that is being guarded by a little grilled Iron Gate. The entire premises was having boundaries of mordacious wire instead of bricks and some tendriled herbs with beautiful pink and white flower was covering those barbed boundaries. Some mango and papaya trees were there skirting the bungalow. The bungalow was outlined with beautiful orange and yellow colored marigold plants and some red roses.

I was the first kid of first daughter of my grandparents. That is why I was the most loved one in my Nani Maa’s place. And I was totally and completely in love with these whole experiences of Madhepura.

No, but this was absolutely not the Love 86 that I am remembering today.

So, that was year 1986. I was probably in class 3. And it was again a long awaited summer vacations. It was almost a month long holiday for me. My dad used to come with us and leaving my mom, my younger sister and me there; would go back to Patna after spending a couple of days with us in Madhepura.

That one month of the year. Actually the blissful month. The month of full enjoyment. It seems like even everyone of my Nani Maa’s place used to wait for this month when I would be there. Apple of everyone’s eyes. I was sleeping while getting myself transported to the story of my Nani Maa in the night. My nanaji was taking me with him for a walk in the morning. A divine walk when I was walking with him holding his finger asking a lot of questions to him and he was very patiently answering all my questions in a very dramatic way with an example attached in the form of story. After coming back from that divine walk, my masi was giving me horlics mixed in milk with again a story of some animal. It’s like everybody were swotting stories in the rest 11 months of the year to tell me all in that month.

That's not all. While I would be finishing milk, the kids of neighbors comes to our house and then our non stop play of hide and seek, house and doll and other games starts. So it’s a life full of joy.

The favorite pastime of my mamas' in the evening was telling me to narrate the dialogues of movie “Sholey” infront of his friends which I had mugged up at the age of 7 by listening the dialogues of this movie in the audio cassette mama was having. There in that group of audience was a boy whom I liked the most because of the fact that he always was carrying some candies that he was giving me for every dialogue I was enacting. After my grand performance during the evening tea, he always was taking me to the market or some garden of the city. There in the market or in garden, a nice girl of the colony where my Nani Maa's house was, coming to meet him. She was nice girl because she always was carrying some really sweet guava or litchi for me. They both use to talk with each other while I would be enjoying those guava and litchi. I really did not understand what they were talking nor do I remember today. That time, I was more interested in the fruits she was bringing for me. I was like their shield for them to meet. Sometimes that boy even was taking me to that lady's house. They probably would be studying in the same class and same college and this would have given them opportunity to know each other. Sometimes my mama was teasing this boy regarding that lady. What I was seeing was some giggle of them whenever they were talking about this lady but was to much a kid to understand what they were black-guarding about.

This all I experienced something 3 years. After that my nanaji got transferred to Kunauli, another village near to Nepal border. This all the group of people were left in Madhepura, but the enjoyment remained same for me even in Kunauli.
Now after retirement, nanaji has made his house in Gaya, another nice district of Bihar. A couple of year back, I was in Gaya for some of the reason. One day while I was with one of my mama into the market, suddenly a girl from behind called mama with his name. We both turned back to see a middle aged lady standing there with a teenaged girl. My mama and that lady talked with each other for a few moments. My mama introduced me with my name. She smiled, “Oh you became a man now. Do you still remember Guava and Litchi of Madhepura?” and saying that she moved.

I asked mama, “Who this lady was?”

He said, “Do you remember that there was a girl who was giving you guava and litchi when you was going with one of my friend in Madhepura.”

I stressed on my memory and finally recalled,”Ah, yes, yes. She was coming to meet one of your friends. I think they were having affair kind of thing. Is this the same lady?”

“Yes.”

“So finally they married each other. Was that teenager her daughter?”

“Yes that teenager is her daughter but they don't marry each other.”

“Means”

“Means, they both are married but with different partners.”

“But they loved each other very much, right”

“Yes they were, but who said that if you love someone, you will have to marry that person.”

“Which kind of question this is?”

“They both are settled here in Gaya. They both meet each other sometimes in some common parties. But they are not married with each other. This is as simple as that.” Said mama with a glitter in his eye.

So this is how an intense love relation ended and an affection relation developed between two persons. And they lived happily ever after...

Broken Window, Little Sparrow

It was 6 in the morning. I got up of the chirping sound coming very close to my existence in the room. I came to the drawing room and saw two little sparrow playing, flying here and there within the room. Seeing these very cute sparrows, I forgot the fact that this is Sunday morning and I woke up too early. I just sit there on a chair and started enjoying their play. Good that the newspaper too came a little early, or perhaps it comes at this time only. It is me who wakes up late. So it was a perfect morning with the east sky wearing saffron make up for welcoming the Sun, the soothing rays of morning sun coming in to the room from the broken glass of the window of the drawing room, had newspaper in my hand, enjoying early morning tea and these two little sparrows playing in the entire room.

I remember the incidence some 4 week back when in the same such morning, some of the big boys playing cricket in the ground just opposite to my bungalow. I woke up with a cranking sound of one of my window’s glass. It had been smashed and broken by one of the boys’ hit to the ball. It was the same morning, same beautiful saffron sky, same newspaper and hot tea. But only difference was, while like today I was enjoying the hot tea with a nice mood and those sparrows, that morning I was having a bad mood because of that broken window and nasty noise of that window glass.

These sparrows made their way into my house from that part of the broken window. By the evening I saw some of the straws making way to one of the corner of the roof groove in the drawing room. Means, these sparrows are planning to make their nest in my drawing room. So from today onward till this winter season, I would have to wake up a little early with their chirping sound.

I seriously don’t mind getting up in the morning a little early, if the morning be such a beautiful. So, going to bed with a hope of another perfect morning with the crimsoning saffron colored east sky, soothing rays of sun coming in from the broken window, newspaper, hot tea and those beautiful sparrows playing here and there with their chirping sound.

THE ATTITUDE OF QUALITY POPULATION !

When we flied from Raipur, the flight was a little vacant. So irrespective of our seat numbers on the boarding pass, we chose our convenient place for sitting. I sit with one of my colleague, leaving my seat thinking that there would be fewer passengers today which is quite very common in Raipur Indore Flight on week days. This was a hopping flight that makes the entire journey of 1 hr 20 min. to more than 3 hr. So you need to be busy while flying as to avoid any boredom. And this was one reason I had chose to sit with my colleague.

Sometimes, what we pretend goes wrong. We reached Bhopal as first halt of our Raipur – Indore route. And all of a sudden a mob of people came inside flight. They were going to the last destination of the flight, Ahmedabad. A person came to me and informed that I had occupied his seat. I was about to leave his seat for going to my assigned one, this person started abusing me of occupying other person’s seat. I think it would have been his bad day today and had come in here with that mood only. So I refrained myself of replying him and also have stopped my colleague to reply this person who had came in a mode of paying him back what he said.

I reached my seat which was just a row behind my colleague’s seat. There a gentleman was sitting adjacent to my seat. He was reading book of one of my favorite Author. That was enough for me to start a talk with him as I had read that book and the journey of an hour was still remaining.

“This is really a good book, based on the series of incidences occurred with victims of the Indo-Pak partition”.

“Yes, though I am not an avid reader but still this book had glued me with its story. Hi, I am Venkatesh”.

“Amitesh”.

And we both shook our hand.

With some formal talk about our place of residence and job, we came back to the book that we were discussing. It seemed that even that person got bored of this journey.

“But in these 63 years after the Independence, India had moved far ahead. Barring some of the scams and problems, I think we managed to list our name in group of progressive countries” I said.

“Yes, but I still feel that we have more potential than what we have achieved today”.

“This is there, that is why we are seeing development year after year. It was time when development was the word for Metros and some Tier A towns. But now this has spread to even a small village. Even a state like Bihar can grow and register its positive presence on the map then I think we as a country are in right direction”.

He was listening my long speech keeping a pleasant smile on his face. And I know he was having some different point of view on this. When someone listens to you with a smile on the face, but eyes on vacuum that means he either is not agreeing you or something else is going on in his mind and is not with you at that point of time.

“I think, we developed a lot but we still miss an attitude”.

“Attitude! Means”.

Here it is. My guess was right. He was not at all agreeing with me on the development of India. Now it was my time to be a perfect listener. I know, he must be having a lot to tell on this. And this time again what I pretend was right. Oh, why my pretending about the lesser passenger in today’s flight went wrong? I would not have heard the first person’s those sarcastic comments on seat otherwise.

“I think, we should understand one thing that if we could keep our house clean, we must have to keep our colony, city, state and country clean. We need to develop an attitude of keeping our country clean. You go to Australia and you will find a difference in the attitude of people. I have been to that country and I have seen how people love their country”.

“Yes you are right”. What to tell this guy, that he is giving an example of a Country that still honors The Crown supremacy over their own control. But when he was expressing himself, he mean to find a listener who should listen only and don’t even try changing his thought. I was also not in mood of any debate rather wanted someone to pass my time in flight.

He continued, “You go to Japan and will understand that how they have reformed the country after the worst hit of nuclear weapon in two of their major city. Do we really have any attitude of doing so”?

“But still we are one of the technologically advanced countries”. Finally I provoked.

“Yes but not like Japan. I have been into that country and have seen the technological advancement of that country”.

OK. So it’s not the attitude or technology or love for country. It’s he want to tell me more about him.

Not the stopping for him, he still was having more complains about people of India. “People not follow traffic rules here. This is a country of thief and murderer and scammers. I don’t mind Mr. Ambani having 15 kids since he can afford upbringing of all the 15 kids in a better way. But what disturbs me the most is the population that leads to a criminal society. It’s not the matter of excessive population in India, it’s about not so quality population. Go to Thailand and you would understand what prosperity means. A country of really a quality population and cultured people”.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMAN. THIS IS YOUR PILOT DEV PATEL. WE ARE ABOUT TO LAND IN INDORE’S DEVI AHILIYA BAI HOLKAR AIRPORT. I AM SURE OUR CREW MEMBER HAS DONE EVERYTHING TO MAKE YOUR JOURNEY A VERY PLEASANT ONE”.
A very soothing voice floated in the cabin, as soothing as the fly itself, a very jerk – free fly.

This has given me a great relief from the lecture of Mr. Venktesh about his country that has lot of problems and we are nowhere as compared to other countries of world.
While talking to him, when I asked what are the ways to be perfect, his reply was "We have reached a level when nothing can be done to cure this cronic disease of attitude. I think we should have to raise our voice against any wrong going around us".
"But did you have raised your voice for any such ill happenings according to you in your surroundings".
For this he rather started looking outside the window where the Indore City has started visible with those sparklings of the bulbs and street light.

I beg your pardon Mr. Venkatesh. We do have lot of problem but we still are the best in world. We are almost most perfect economy in the world. We are considered as the fastest growing economy and super power of world. We are the best breed of the world as far as knowledge is concern. Our educated population is not only working to build India a best place but also working hard in every part of the world to make this earth a better place to live. Yes I do agree that there are lots of problem in this country but which country don’t have problem.

I think if there is any problem in our country, this is because of people like them who don’t have attitude of seeing positives of their own motherland. Yes you are right, it’s the attitude and I need not have to explain further who’s attitude.

ठंढे दिनों के गर्म अहसास

वो ठंडी हवाओं का जिस्म में सिहरन पैदा करना
वो गुनगुनी धुप की हलकी हलकी थपकियाँ देना
वो देर सुबह आँगन में बैठ किताबों के बीच खो जाना
वो लहकते फूल अमलतास के सिहरते से टूट कर गिर जाना.
जाड़े के उन ठंढे दिनों की गर्मी आज भी साथ है मेरे,
बस वो दिन दूर हो गए है मुझसे
शायद मै दूर हो गया हूँ उन ठंढे दिनों के गर्म अहसास से.

- अमितेश

Murderer of Craving People

Today I cried. I cried because of a very strange reason. I was having my food in the afternoon. The food was good. After all I had made it. But much contrary to my these days habit, I took a little more food in my plate. More than I could have eaten. So as expected, I left more than half of it in my plate. Now I had to throw that food. I threw it. And that’s what made me cry. I was much surprised with my this act. Even I don’t know why I had cried.

I am generally quite a foody person. Though I eat less, but always try eating variety. Because of this habit, my mother always had been bringing variations in the daily staple food. And because of this habit, I had joined the Medical College Mess of my college as that was the mess where they were always maintaining quality and variety.

During those days, I was having a habit of leaving lots of food in the plate. And I was very arrogant about this habit. I remember, one day I was having my lunch with one of my friend in the Medical College Mess. As usual, I left quite some food in my plate after finishing my lunch. That friend probed me that why did have I left so much food in the plate? My reply was “I am paying for what I eat and what I am not eating as well”.

My reply was quite very arrogant that he didn’t have probed me any further.

After finishing my college, I joined a company in Mumbai that was paying me quite OK. But because of certain responsibility, that money was a little less than my requirement. So I faced situations, when I had to eat “Wada – Pao” many a times, especially in the last week of the month. There was time when I was having a kind of philosophy of paying not only for what I eat, but also for what I don’t eat. And then that was the time when it was Wada – Pao that was giving me the daily dose of nutrition and taste.

Joining job has given me a lot of insight about the surroundings. I became more observant about things. I had seen people craving for food. Forget the variety; have seen people praying for even a handful of food to eat. I have seen kids not able to fulfill their dream of becoming educated, as their parents were busy collecting money to earn at least one food of the day for their family. I have seen people searching for food in the garbage like an animal to find at least a bread to qualify for the prerequisite of survival.

These experiences had literally changed me and my thought for the food. Every time some food get left after taking my meal, the faces of those craving people ran through my eyes. Every time, I was seeing a left – out food in the plate of any person, those poor people searching for bread in garbage pass through my eyes.

My habit of leaving food in the plate get changed. Now, I generally do not leave anything in my plate. Now I take as much of food as I can eat in my plate.

And that is the reason why I cried today, when I myself have thrown the food that would have been used by some craving person for surviving. I was literally feeling like a killer of some hungry person. And that is why I cried. Quite dramatic but still I cried.

बलिदान

"झुमुरु आ इधर. बदमाश उस तरफ कहाँ भाग रहा है। पकड़ में आ जा फिर बताता हूँ तुम्हे"।

हामिद चिल्लाते हुए भागा जा रहा था उस बकरे के पीछे। आखिर पकड़ ही लिया उसने उस चितकबरे बकरे को। तीन चार चपत, प्यार भरी चपत लगाई हामिद ने झुमरू को। झुमरू भी एक सभ्य बच्चे की तरह चुप चाप मार खा गया। शायद वह भी जानता था कि हामिद को तंग करने की इतनी प्यारी सजा तो उसे मिलनी ही चाहिए।

पिछले चार-पांच महीनो से यही सिलसिला चला आ रहा था। जब से झुमरू को हामिद के अब्बा ज़मींदार चौधरी  बिलकिस बेग के घर से ले कर आये थे, हामिद को जैसे अपना छोटा भाई मिल गया था। वह उसे कभी बड़े भाई, कभी बाप की तरह प्यार करता। आखिर आठ बरस उम्र का फासला भी तो था हामिद और झुमरू में।

हामिद को झुमरू के साथ खेलते देख उसके अब्बा को बड़ा रस्क होता।उनका अपना बचपन हामिद कि शक्ल में लौटता नज़र आता। 

हामिद कभी झुमरू के लिए घुंघरुओं वाला गले का पट्टा अम्मी से बनवाता कभी उसके अगले पैरों में घुंघरुओं का पाजेब। छन - छन  कर के जब झुमरू पुरे घर में उचल-कूद मचाता तो लगता पुरे घर में ईद सी रौनक आ गई हो। हामिद उसके बगैर तो एक पल भी नहीं रह पाता। साथ खाता, साथ घूमता, साथ में ही उसे ले कर सोता। हामिद के अब्बा को भी एक सुकून था कि उसका बच्चा झुमरू के साथ मन लगाता है, कम - से - कम गाँव के आवारा लड़कों के साथ कंचे तो नहीं खेलता। 

इन पांच महीनो में झुमरू भी जैसे परिवार का सदस्य सा हो गया था. जैसे वह भी इस बात को समझता था। सुबह - सुबह जब अब्बा बेग साहेब की कोठी कि और निकलते तो झुमरू उन्हें बाहर तक छोड़ने आता और मै - मै की आवाज़ निकल कर शाम को आते समय हरी हरी घांस लाने की फरमाईश कर देता। अब्बा भी उसकी भाषा समझ कर जवाब देते - "हां, हां लेता आऊंगा हरी घांस तेरे लिए"।

अम्मी जब कुएं पर बर्तन धो रही होती, वह कभी उनका दुपट्टा अपने मुंह से खिचता कभी बर्तन। अम्मी भी चार - छह गालियां चस्पा कर उसे दूर भागती। गालियां सुन कर वह मस्ती में भर कर कुचाले भरता हामिद के पास पहुच जाता।

कभी कभी इंसानों से भरा - पूरा परिवार भी घर की खुशियों को बढ़ा नहीं पाता और कई दफा महज एक जानवर जो न तो इंसानी जुबान बोल सकता है न ही समझ सकता है, भी ज़िन्दगी को मुकम्मल बना देता है। झुमरू भी ऐसे ही एक जहाँ का प्राणी था, खुदा की दी हुई एक नेमत जिसने हामिद और उसके परिवार में फरिश्तों सी खुशियाँ बिखेर दी थी।

वक़्त यूँहीं हसते खेलते कट रही थी। हामिद झुमरू के साथ बड़ा होता जा रहा था। चौधरी बिलकिस बेग की मिलकियत बढती जा रही थी और हामिद के अब्बा की जिम्मेदारियां भी। कल तक जो उनके बागों में फूलों की क्यारियां लगाया करता था, आज वही हामिद के अब्बा चौधरी साहब के खेतों का सुपर्वाएज़र हो गया था। 

वक़्त गुजरता गया और साल का सबसे पाक महिना आ गया - रमज़ान का महिना। चारो ओर एक अजीब सी रौनक थी। लोग भूखे रह कर भी कैसे खुशियाँ मना लेते हैं यह नायब सा माजरा इस महीने में ही देखने को मिलता है। खुशियाँ हमेशा भरे पेट ही नहीं मनाई जाती है। जब दिल में अल्लाह और दिमाग में इबादत की आयतें भरी हो तो फर्क नहीं पड़ता की पेट खाली है या भरी। फिर इसी रौनक में यह महिना भी निकल गया और आ गया बलिदान वाला दिन। हामिद के अब्बा जानते थे ये दिन तो आना हीं था। शायद झुमरू को भी इस बात का सुबहा था की अल्लाह ने उसे ज़मी पर इसी इरादे से भेजा है की किसी दिन उसे किसी नेक काम के लिए अपनी बलि देनी पड़े। आखिर बलिदान को तो मुसलमानों में सबसे पाक काम माना गया है, धर्म की सबसे बड़ी परीक्षा और काम। 

हामिद के अब्बा ईद के ठीक एक दिन पहले झुमरू को बेग साहेब की कोठी पर ले जाने लगे। हामिद ने कहा की मैं भी साथ में चलता हूँ। उनकी कोठी पर हम दोनों खूब खेलेंगे और फिर मैं इसे ले कर वापस आ जाऊँगा। अब अब्बा हामिद को कैसे समझाए की झुमरू को वापस लाने के लिए नहीं ले जा रहे हैं वो। उसका तो दिन मुक़र्रर कर दिया गया है खुदा के पास जाने का।

अब्बा ने फिर हामिद को पहले तो बलिदान की कहानियाँ सुनाई। उसका मजहब में महत्व समझाया। फिर बताया की झुमरू तो इस दुनिया में इसी नेक काम के लिए आया था। कल इसे खुदा के पास वापस जाना है। 

हामिद बोल पड़ा - "ठीक है अब्बा। मैं और झुमरू दोनों इस नेक काम को करेंगे. मेरी भी बलिदान दे दो खुदा को।"

अब्बा सन्न से रह गए। उन्हें समझ नहीं आया क्या जवाब दे इस नादाँ बच्चे को।

ठीक ही तो था। इतना ही पाक है तो अपने बच्चे की बलि क्यों न कर दी जाए उस परवरदिगार के नाम पर। पर झुमरू कौन सा बेगाना था उनका। ज़रूरी तो नहीं की कोंख से पैदा होंने पर ही कोई अपनी औलाद कहलाये। यह भी तो ज़रूरी नहीं की अपनी औलाद कहलाने के लिए इंसानी शक्ल अख्तियार करना पड़े. बाप - बेटे का रिश्ता तो रूह का रिश्ता होता है। फिर क्या फर्क पड़ता है की यह रूह एक इंसान के शरीर में अपना ठिकाना बनाता है ये किसी झुमरू जैसे बकरे के शरीर में। मुसलमानों में पुनर्जन्म का हिन्दुई फलसफा तो नहीं होता पर अब्बा को अभी न जाने क्यों ऐसा लग रहा था की झुमरू उसका अपना ही कोई हिस्सा है जो इस जन्म में बकरे का रूप अख्तियार कर के आया है।

अब्बा अभी भी शब्दों को गढ़ने की कोशिश कर रहे थे। हामिद अभी भी झुमरू को पकड़ कर खड़ा था। आखिरकार अब्बा ने जबरदस्ती झुमरू को हामिद की पकड़ से छूड़वाया और चल दिए बेग साहेब की कोठी की ओर। दरवाज़े के बाहर खड़े हामिद को कुछ समझ नहीं आ रहा था क्या करे, रोये या खुश हो। उसे बार - बार अब्बा की कही बलिदान की कहानी याद आ रही थी। जैसे अब्बा झुमरू को ले कर बेग साहेब की कोठी की ओर नहीं जा रहे थे, हज़रत इब्राहिम अपने बेटे इस्माईल को ले कर मीना, मक्का की ओर जा रहे हो, अपने धर्म को पूरा करने के लिए, सारे सांसारिक मोह - माया को छोड़ कर। 



धर्म

जब निकला नहा कर बाथरूम से सुबह सुबह

सोचा कर लूं भगवान् को याद थोडा,
जब गूंजी आवाज़ अज़ान कि फिजा में
सोचा कर ली जाए इबादत खुदा कि आज.
तब दिया एक खंज़र मेरे दोस्त ने मुझे
यह कह कर कि धर्म की अस्मिता का सवाल है आज.
पर मै किस धर्म की लड़ाई लडू
मुझपर तो रहा है राम की रहमत
और खुदा का करम हमेशा!

Raipur

9th May, 2009

Raipur

So now finally I reached Raipur, the capital city of Chattisgadh. This definitely is a beautiful city with all the trait of development. It is like this city is trying to come out of its cocoon and want to show the world what it is. A real great experience for me to be the part of this city, rather the state. This is the fourth state which I am going to be part of during this much of my small life. I came here on 1st March, ’09 after getting transferred from spiritual city Ujjain.

Though my first experience with this city was not so good. The day when I came here, it was like “man where did I have come”. But as I started experiencing this city, I started almost loving it. Be it the auto driver of this city who may ask for your entire property to take you to probably 3 Km stretch or the cycle rickshaw puller with a makeweight in their eyes of getting better payout for their hard work this time. The always crowded liquor shop where you can find people standing and purchasing booze at any stretch of the day or the squares of the city where you will find pretty looking female traffic guards who are questing to control the unorganized traffic.

Whatever, the city is beautiful and I would definitely enjoy my stay here.

Ordinary Day, Ordinary Experience

Life is all about series of ordinary incidents. And these ordinary incidents happen on any and every ordinary days with us. These are so ordinary that sometimes gives us a very extra-ordinary feeling. A platonic feeling. The importance of these incidents increases when it occurs during the time of your mental occupancies with other stuff.

After finishing my work, I headed to my house a little early when the sky just had started blushing to welcome the evening like a newly wed Indian wife waiting at the door and blush when sees her husband coming after work. The part of sky was having some of the higher clouds running very fast to the blushing horizon to give her the veil from the evening. I was riding back almost engrossed with these sceneries appearing even in the concrete jungle. All my imagery horses came to a halt when the worldly stuff undertook all my platonic imaginations. I had to purchase some vegetables as all thoughts need food too. But more unexpected things were yet to come.

I stopped my bike at one of the vegetable markets on the way home. At one corner of the vegetable market, there is a temple of lord Shiva. Some bhajan was going on outside the temple. I hardly had taken any look there and was busy purchasing some vegetables. I think this had not been accepted by the nature and out of nowhere it started raining heavily. To take a shelter, I ran towards the temple. Oh boy, there was some special bhajan going on there. Then I realized that today is Shri Krishna Janmastami, the celebration of birth of Lord Krishna, one of the most cherished God after Ganesha.

There was a group of Bahurupiya performing at the tent built near the temple. They were narrating and singing with very indigenous kind of musical instruments and there were some bahurupiya dressed in various mythological characters performing. This is a very special form of folk song called “Pandwani”. This is one of the most popular folk song forms of Chattisgarh popular not only in India but in world even. Pandwani is a form of musical narrative. This mostly deals with mythological stories of Mahabharata. This is being sung mostly by the tribes of Chattisgarh. I had heard Pandwani during the Doordarshan Days of my life when one of the famous singers of this form of music, Teejan Bai was a regular in the Krishi Darshan and likes program. The Government of India had awarded her prestigious “Padmashree” award to her for her contributions to this traditional art form.

It was raining like hell. Water had started flowing on the roads and so is the Pandwani. The experience was so soothing to me that it had relieved all my nerves. I couldn’t realize when rain had stopped. I was just flowing in the singing of those local folk artists. The entire performance was so much grand that I was feeling proud being associated with a culture called Chattisgarh. I don’t know the name of the group of these artists neither do I know the name of any of the artists performing there. But what I know was that they were the agent of Lord Krishna to let me realize that how grand our culture is and we need to spare some time to enjoy these ancestral art forms whose soothing effects is really so rejuvenating and vitalizing.

Thank You So Much for making my evening.

The Food Philosophy of Religion

This is the month of Holy Ramadan. This month is having a great importance for the Muslim of the world. For this whole month, the Muslim people fast between the periods of Sunrise to the Sunset, though the calculation made based on the movement of moon. A different kind of enthusiasm can be seen in every Muslim during this month. They take their food in the morning before the sun rises and this is called “Sehari” and the evening food is taken after sunset and this is called “Iftaar”. They are having a tradition of breaking their fast in group during the “Iftaar”. This meeting and eating together makes the bonding between them even stronger. I really don’t know if this tradition has been developed by the ancient Muslims to let them understand the importance of control over their desire or was a way of teaching them the grandness of the unity!

My stockist office is in the main market of Raipur. In between the stockist office to my flat, there a Muslim reigned colony is located. During this month, this colony looks very ceremonial. While coming back to home every evening, lot of people in white Kurta / Sherwani and white Zulfi Cap are seen wandering here and there greeting people, talking, laughing together. This entire scene is so lively that it gives me eminent pleasure witnessing this. What a tradition to get bonded together. And this perhaps is the only reason that Muslim sometimes are misunderstood as the potential threat to the world especially the progressive world. But as a matter of fact, it’s not Muslim but it is their unity which the progressive world is feared of.

There is also a Mosque on the way to home from the office. My time of returning back home almost coincides with the Iftaar time. Near the mosque, a lot of temporary shops can be seen during the entire month. These shops are having just a table in the name of furniture over which lot of food items of different shapes and sizes are decoratively cumulous up for selling. These food articles are being purchased by the people coming out of the mosque after their evening prayers, for the purpose of calling off that day’s roza. These food articles are used for Iftaar. Many a times it happened that when I am passing by this road, the people are coming out of the mosque. From the mosque gate, they just run like a bullet towards these temporary food stalls to purchase their stuff and have it in group after remembering “Allah” and break to their respective works.

What one thing that attracts me is the commonness of philosophy of all the religions. This one common thing is every religious ritual of all the religion of the world ends with eating scrumptious food. We in some dharma call it “Prasad” or in some other religion call it “Langar” and in some religion it is known as “Iftaar”.

Every great religious philosophy ends in keeping the mankind alive. And for being alive, its food and not philosophy that is required. The food philosophy of Religion…!