yet again ... getting lost ... then enjoying self-discovery ...

As Babri threatens to raise its ugly head again and  Sabrimala threatens to be another Babri -  -   Few weeks ago the Babri Masjid was again in the news; action at the Supreme Court. At the same time many parts of our country were celebrating Ramleela. Some of us fought in the court over his birth place while many celebrated his life. Not many appeared to have made the connection. The legal aspect has been discussed enough. Let us try to look at the Ramleela beyond the clichéd images of joy at burning a large figure bearing ten heads and the loud news channels. The images, like most which is clichéd, did not do justice to the Ramleela while the television appeared to have an aversion to a lot that is positive. First the books. Ramleela is primarily based on Tulsidas’ Ramcharit Manas an epic referred to by British scholars and administrators as the ‘ defining work of Indian culture ’. Philip Lutgendorf in the introduction to his translatio...

Title: The Twice Born – Life and Death on the Ganges Author: Aatish Taseer Publishers: Fourth Estate – An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers ISBN: 978-93-5302-388-1 Year of Publishing: 2018 Number of Pages: 248 Price: 599/- Published at First Post on 2 nd December 2018. Thanks are due to the team at First Post. The review on their site here . In the Twice-Born, Aatish Taseer goes beyond Ganga, Varanasi to explore India’s socio-political landscape. In his latest offering The Twice Born: Life and Death on the Ganges , Aatish Taseer wears the robes of a traveller and tries to delve deeper into himself, Varanasi and India. Like in his other works his privileged background comes forth. He uses connections from this background to make an entry into the Brahminical and Sanskritized world of Varanasi, and these connections lead to conversations with select individuals initially, and then to a few more individuals and as a corollary conversations. They form the b...

Back to the Books Thanks are due to the team at The Hindu - EDGE on 3rd December 2018. The piece on their website here . Images are from the Delhi Book fair - few years ago.  A teacher, happily away from books, is not good news either for the school management or student. “So, what do you read?” asked I. “Sorry, I do not read; I do not have the time for it,” came the answer. The tone of the teacher was alarming. One which conveyed that the person was possibly aware but surely not concerned. Having known the person for a few months I did not exactly fall off my chair but surely slumped deeper into it. Over a period of time I realised that, as teachers go today, she was more of a norm than an exception. Not having time is an euphemism for ‘ it is not one of my priorities’ for, incidentally, all of us have equal time – 24 hours each day. If teachers do not read, how will they be able to bring in freshness to their teaching? Will they be able to s...

Title: Ramnagar Kit Ramleela - How Ramcharitmanas is brought to life at one of the oldest ‘melas’in Varanasi Published : First Post on 13th November, 2018, here .  Thanks: Team at FirstPost and of course friends and colleagues for joining on the trips. Ram, Lakshman and Shatrughan are not well. They have suffered from diarrhoea and are admitted to a hospital – the newspaper reported. The lines referred to the actors playing the trio in Ramleela and were part of a daily column being run for the entire duration of the event. Yes, we are talking about the Ramleela at Ramnagar, Varanasi which goes on for about a month and one which till today takes help of neither the tube lights and bulbs nor audio systems. This was only the 4 th occasion in its 183 year history that the Ramleela took a break. Ram falling sick on account of polluted water might as well be a statement on our times and place, but for now, let us have a look at the past.   Legend has it that the ...

Title The Rise and Fall of the EMERALD TIGERS:  Ten Years of Research in Panna National Park Author Raghu Chundawat Publisher Speaking Tiger Published at First Post on 3rd October 2018 here .  Thanks are due to the team at First Post.  The Rise and Fall of the EMERALD TIGERS: Ten Years of Research in Panna National Park by Raghu Chundawat is the story of a passionate wildlife scientist and one of the better known tiger reserves in the country. It depicts both – the scientist’s research and monitoring work during his association with the tiger reserve and the troubles he faced after he let the cat out of the bag by pointing out to major mismanagement in the tiger reserve. To begin with the author has the guts to call a spade a spade. He is a rare species in the wildlife conservation world where keeping shut is the norm. The sector is infamous for not speaking up – be it to protect permits, or maintain liaisons, or ensure funding or e...

Bridge over the River Ganga Published in the Hindu Sunday Magazine on 7th October 2018 here . A new bridge has been announced over the Ganga in Banaras. The old one, they say, is close to collapse, and needs an overhaul or rest. Last year, a report found the bridge to be in critical condition. In 2016 it had seen the infamous stampede that resulted in the death of some 20 people. It’s difficult to put a number to the trains and vehicles that would have crossed the Ganga on the 130-year-old Dufferin Bridge. Two railway tracks, a wide road, foot-paths on either side, and a graceful grandeur matched with robustness. A structure befitting the Ganga and Banaras; not as easy task. Multiple plaques, a testimony to the structure’s history, tell stories.  Dufferin Bridge was named after Lord Dufferin who was the Viceroy of India when it was completed. In 1948, it was renamed Malaviya Bridge after Madan Mohan Malaviya, the founder of Banaras Hindu University. It has othe...

Last week a friend offered us 'packaged' Lassi ( when we declined aerated drinks ) and my immediate response was - surely we are not having those in Banaras, People coming to the town are guided by its God places, we have been guided by its Food places, much like birds and mammals our movements are guided by availability of food, though unlike them it is for reasons other than survival,  Lassi is one 'food' which gives immense pleasure and we have often been spotted pedaling around town to partake some during varying times of the day, and seldom has the ratio of people to kullads been 1 : 1, Like a lot else in life Banarasis take their Lassi seriously, debates on the best places in town to savour Lassi are not uncommon, one often encounters angry- loud responses, Stories abound of how - during the past - the sellers used to be strict of their Lassi not being wasted and used to - not very politely - tell customers to drink water in the kullad ( after th...