Come visiting Khajjiar/Chamba this summer

Stressed out? Bored? Sick and tired of the rough and tumble of this business of life? Or simply choked by the heat, dust, grime, smog and particulate matter-saturated air of the plains? If that is so, why not head to the salubrious, deodar-studded Khajjiar, some 25 kilometres from Dalhousie in the beautiful Chamba district? My Wikipedia search reveals that Khajjiar is one of the 160 locations in the world that bears topographical resemblance with Switzerland, and it was one Mr Willy T. Blazer, Vice Counsellor and Head of Chancery of Switzerland, who on July 7, 1992 gave Khajjiar an international status by calling it a “mini Switzerland”.  
Tucked away in a quiet corner on a sloping hill and providing a panoramic view of Khajjiar’s lush green meadow skirted by pure stands of stately deodars in the far distance, is a PWD rest house. If you have books to read, a diary to scribble your thoughts and binoculars to bird watch, well then you are on an unforgettable life-enriching journey. You will return with all your batteries recharged, I bet. Of course Khajjiar has other places for stay to offer. HP tourism’s cottages, for instance. Maybe with commerce having become the guiding mantra of our present-day lives, quite a good number of private lodges and resorts too might have come up now: it has been years since I visited it last. But nothing to beat the quiet charm and sensuous elegance of the PWD rest house built in the old, traditional Pahari architectural style.

Your  couple of nights’ stay at Khajjiar  will include relaxing walks all over the meadow, some quiet moments simply sitting in the lap of nature, and watching children let loose themselves on its gentle slopes. You could also enjoy going on treks. And the bird lovers would love moving around the forested wildernesses for birdwatching. After the Khajjiar stint you would of course not miss visiting Chamba 24 kilometres from Khajjiar by a narrow, serpentine road. A small but bustling hill town, it is steeped in history, art, legend and folklore. Chamba has the world famous Bhuri Singh museum for you to feast on some finest artefacts. There is the sprawling Chowgan to relax and loiter around. You could also visit various temples, including the famous Laxmi Narayan temple. The Akhand Chandi palace, now a college, is another attraction. And you could easily bump into craftsmen and women and marvel at the fine, delicate embroidery of the ‘Chamba rumal’ and other kinds of art work. If you like you can buy some of these and make them a feature of special attraction in your drawing room. Likewise, you can look for bronze, copper plaques with exquisite carvings mostly depicitng images from our rich mythology to pick and buy for your wall decoration. Hand-made, pure leather ‘Chamba chappal’ is yet another unique Chamba speciality which you will not miss to own.

In a nutshell, a lot to see, do and buy, and return home rewarded, relaxed and happy.

So, before the monsoon strikes these northern parts of our motherland and outpaces you, do your own online research for more info, make your bookings, pack your bags and hurry to Khajiiar and Chamba to detox. Happy journey to this many-splendoured land!

The bewtiching Khajjiar meadow

Isn't it charming? The PWD rest house

Bird watching at Khajjiar

                                             

The famous Laxmi Narayann temple at Chamba

                                           *

Quotes of the week

Never give up on dreams is what this win taught me: Rohan Bopanna after his first grand slam win (DH)

Send warmongers to the front: Salman Khan (DH)

No meat, no sex, pure thoughts : Ayush  ministry advice to would-be moms for healthy baby (HT: google news)

Note ban impact on economy to continue: SBI (google news)

                                            *

Random news headlines

300000 year-old "early Homo sapiens" sparks debate over evolution

                   - Ars Technica (Google news)

Worm regenerates into rare 2-headed creature in space

                   - (DH)

Humans will find alien life in 2 decades:expert

                   - (DH)

Jupiter is the oldest planet in solar system:study

                   - (DH)

Woman cop (in  Bihar) sacked for falling in love with most wanted criminal

                   - (DH)

Vit C and antibiotics 100 times powerful at killing cancer

                   - (DH)

High carb breakfast helps you make better decisions

                    - (DH)

Lonliness makes people more selfish:study

                    - (DH)

Snake venom may replace aspirin for heart disease patients

                    - (DH)

Home blood pressure monitors wrong 70 per cent of time

                    - (DH)

                                            ***

My sombre musings post World Environment Day

It was of course feared - but not hoped - that the US of A with visionless Donald Trump as its president would pull out of the Paris Climate Pact. He has. In one shocking, fell stroke he has turned the entire Pact on its head. What a gift to the choking, gasping world barely a few days  prior to the World Environment Day! What a slap on the face of the hard-at-work environmentalists the world over! What a setback to the global endeavour to curtail CO2 emissions and heal the wounds of our planet bleeding, wilting and dying from anthropogenic transgressions! By the country notorious for being the highest polluter of earth after China. The Great Barrier Reef, with the corals bleaching rapidly, is under threat. Antarctica’s huge iceberg is separating off from the main body under the singeing heat of global warming. Massive forest fires, devastating cyclones and hurricanes, storms and floods have become more rampant and destructive than ever before. Every summer is breaking the last summer’s record of rise in temperatures that increasing number of cities and countries are sizzling with. Quite naturally, all sane and sensible people are worried; for, at this rate the end of this blue planet is nearer than ever before.

Look at the geopolitical scene. Like some extra-terrestrial demon unleashed upon the earth from above, unconcerned about serious climate change and other existential threats we face, North Korea's Kim is going gaga over launching one missile after another. Doesn’t he look like a crazy, arrogant adolescent rather than a mature, responsible Head of State, treating the deadly nuclear weapons as if they were mere toys? And who in the big, wide world is this rogue country’s trusted long-time friend? None else but our big neighbour China!

China, drunk with power and arrogance of success, is in mad hurry to establish its hegemony over the world and is muscling its way by investing billions in nuclear missiles, submarines, warships and what not. In its bid to gain control over the South China Sea it is intimidating smaller countries:  keep shut, fall in line or else…is the message. With its formidable military might, it is even not unafraid to gnash its teeth and take on the USA. 

 Nearer home, this same country is posing the gravest threat to India also with its unholy and sinister alliance with Pakistan, another rogue country like North Korea. It is America and China that have armed Pakistan to its teeth against India. China has provided it nuclear knowhow, the submarines and missiles brazenly flouting all International codes and norms. Cunningly, it has taken over chunks of land from Pak on the Indo-Pak borders to gain a strategic advantage for a two-pronged war against India should the occasion arise. Ignoring India’s protests it has built its OBOR through POK. It might establish an army base in Pakistan, says Penatgon.

Terrorism is now a global phenomenon. Even Europe, considered relatively safe and less vulnerable earlier, has become its favoured target.

Syria burns. Afghanistan explodes. Iraq, once a cradle of one of the oldest civilizations, is now a sad, dismal war-ravaged wasteland- thanks to Bush and Blair. West Asia is turbulent. Blisters of conflict, mutual hostilities and violence are erupting in the Arab world. In Yemen, even in this 21st century, 100,000 people are stricken with cholera; thousands have already died.

Where are the leaders of vision, optimism, inspiration, catholicity, love, compassion and understanding to guide the destinies of nations and make this globe pulsating with such a wonderful diversity of life a paradise of peace and happiness for all?

Whither are we headed? Perhaps the question now is not WHETHER Mother Earth will survive this multi-pronged onslaught. The question is WHEN and how long before it turns into the lifeless expanse akin to the crater-ridden moonscape where Homo sapiens once walked.

                                  *

Some alarming Climate change facts

* Global warming will rise 2 degrees Celsius  above preindustrial levels by 2036.

* Water, food, health, energy, agriculture, economy will be most adversely affected by this change.

* Climate change will displace 250 million people by 2050:UNHCR

* Global flooding could triple by 2030 

* Earth could warm by 6 degrees this century

* Two thirds of Polar bears could be gone by 2050 and completely vanish by 2100

* Coral bleaching has spread over 900 miles  of  the Great Barrier Reef

* Typhoons and hurricanes are getting stronger because of climate change

* There has been terrible flooding in the UK, Myanmar, Spain,         Argentina,Indonesia, Egypt and other countries.

* Simultaneous flooding and heat waves occured in Australia

* Crazy hot weather conditions prevailed in India and the Middle East

* Incredible heat wave in the Arctic has led to lowest ever wintertime ice ever recorded there.

                                   *

Quotes of the week

Protecting environment (is) an article of faith for us: PM  Modi (ToI)

Let's judge Priyanka (Chopra) for her actions not clothes: Sunny Leone (DH)

Hope they will kill us, not rape: Former IS sex slave after her return to Iraq village (HT)

                                                   *

Random headlines

Ancient lake on Mars harboured diverse microbial life:study (DH)

Massive Antarctica iceberg at brink of breaking off (DH)

Trump describes US as cleanest nation: facts muddy the claim (DH)

Playing guitar may protect brain health: study (DH)

Malaria infection may cause brain loss too: study (DH)

New 'promising' ovarian cancer treatment developed (DH)

Washing hands in cold water as good as hot: study (DH)

New AI system can predict your life span: study (The Hindu)

Gun of UP minister's guard gets stuck in Rs 5 crore MRI unit, ruins it (ToI)

                                           ***

      

ICJ for Kulbhushan Jadhav. Good.

Why not for Capt Saurabh Kalia?

That was his first posting and the very first assignment…and no mean one! Brimming with courage, suffused with patriotic fervour, this, barely-past-his-teens Braveheart was in fact on his maiden though challenging mission on that ill-fated day of 14 May 1999. He was leading a batch of 5 jawans climbing the icy Kargil heights as a patrol party on a recce to verify and ascertain stray, casual reports about the enemy intrusion into our territory that had trickled in. Not anticipating any big mischief, if at all any, the party was however taken by rude surprise; for, while India slept, the enemy infiltration had gone on on a massive scale on the sly. He and his party were ambushed. They fought till the last bullet but were subsequently overpowered and captured by the enemy. What happened in the 22-odd days that followed is the blood-curdling story of barbarism, brutality, beastliness that is too terrible and horrendous even to imagine: something that will always remain an ugly stain on the face of humanity. Those young men were subjected to such extreme, slow, protracted, spine-chilling torture that even the words to pen it shiver, shudder and turn bloody. This small party was none other than the one that had at its head one of Palampur’s Kargil heroes: Capt Saurabh Kalia.

This sad saga is known to us all. But what makes this story sadder still, as also annoying and disgusting, is the shameful silence of the governments in power. This inhuman treatment meted out to Captain Saurabh and his team by the Pakistan army was a brazen, blatant violation of human rights and was indubitably a case of a gross war crime. Captain Saurabh’s anguished parents have fought long and hard and tried all means (including a petition to PM Modi through change.org) to move the government(s) at the centre to take the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ); to hold the perpetrators of this torture accountable and ensure deterrent punishment.  They have even knocked at the Supreme Court’s door but in view of government’s apathy and dillydallying, they haven’t been able to make much headway as yet.

But now the Kulbhushan Jadhav case has made the present government shed its old, habitual pusillanimity, lethargy and lassitude and jolted it into moving the ICJ.  The positive results are there for all to see.

Quite justifiably therefore, there are some voices asking that Saurabh Kalia case too should likewise  be taken to the ICJ by the Modi government without any more delay. Major Vijai Singh Mankotia has rightly asked for it and the HP’s ex-servicemen too have joined hands with pleas to help make it happen.

It is indeed a just, noble and a fitting cause and we all must support it whole-heartedly and do our bit in building up the momentum for it. It has already suffered inordinate delay at the hands of weak-kneed politicians. “We have already lost the edge because of this delay,” says Vaibhav Kalia, the martyr’s suave brother. Therefore any more procrastination would only weaken it further before the ICJ. Nothing would please the countrymen more than if those insane wolves in men’s clothing are exposed before the world and brought to justice. That would be some consolation at least to the grieving parents and family members of Capt Saurabh and his team who all nurse the pain and sadness deep in their hearts. In fact the world will laud and applaud the government for bringing to light this dastardly act of torture by the Pakistan army and the nether depths to which they can stoop and sink; the limits they can cross. It will be a resounding slap on the face of Pakistan army and as Vaibhav says so rightly, “A timely action at the ICJ level in the Saurabh Kalia case would have served as a deterrent against subsequent inhuman transgressions by the Pak army such as the frequent cases of beheadings of our men." In a broader context it will be a victory of the intrinsic goodness of humankind against the evil of vile demons who masquerade as humans.

Can’t we make it a mass movement? Let’s do it.

                                                      *

A delightful read indeed

Another book I finished reading two weeks ago was ‘My Mountain and My Valley’ by Parmananda Sharma. It is a slim, 141-page autobiographical account by this erudite scholar of our own Kangra valley. He, as many of you might know, retired as Principal of Government College at Dharamsala and lives in the sylvan environs of its suburb, Shamnagar.

The book is an engaging story of Prof Sharma’s life’s journey from a village in Punjab right up to the present day. There are interesting details of his struggles, his highs and lows in life, the subtle workings of destiny, and his encounters with some of the great leaders including those who were engaged in the freedom struggle. He delves at quite a length into his spiritual forays and his deep and abiding association with Sai Baba and his other religious/spiritual experiences. His long and rewarding association with His Holiness the Dalai Lama is also a part of this narrative and makes for a rewarding read. A scholar that he is, he has translated many great religious Tibetan texts into English.

I have had the privilege and pleasure of meeting Prof P N Sharma more than two decades back and found him self-effacing and unassuming. His scholarship and  mastery over the English language as also his accomplishments as a writer sit lightly on his shoulders. I have since that day adored him and held him in high respect.

It was therefore a greater pleasure to read his autobiography in this backdrop. But if I were to wear a critic’s hat then I dare say that the account of religious and spiritual dimension of his life running into very many pages - no doubt mostly quite enlightening - proved to be a bit of an overdose for a poor agnostic like me. I would instead have loved to read some more intimate details and anecdotes relating to other aspects of his personal life. But on the whole, a wholesome, absorbing read.

*

Quotes of the week

Ultimately the aim of human existence, as His Holiness always emphasises, is to become a good human being with a good heart, to be compassionate, to be loving with a sense of universal responsibility
                                - P N Sharma in 'My mountain and my valley'

When man fails you God helps
                                 - As above

The Dhaludhar is my mountain and the Kangra valley is my valley
                                 - As above

"Be your own lamps" (atta deepo vihartha) 
                               - Buddha's  words quoted by P N Sharma

"Amour vincent omnia" ('love conquers everything')
                               - A quote in P N Sharma's  book  

                                     *

Random headlines 

World leaders vow to defend  Climate Pact after Donald Trump pull-out (Economic Times)

Smoking claims 2200 Indians everyday (Deccan Chronicle)

HIV infected woman thrashed by doctors at Gorakhpur med college hospital (Deccan Herald)

Excessive texting may cause 'smartphone thumb': experts (Deccan Chronicle)

Fruit your way to glowing skin and luscious tresses this summer (Economic Times)

Action against illegal hotels in Mc Leodganj area (The Tribune)

Rain damages 100 houses in Palampur (The Tribune)

                                                ***



                                       
                                    

The book I recently read

I finished reading ‘The Gene’ by Siddhartha Mukherjee last month. It has been a fascinating voyage in the world of biology- genetics to be precise. As I wrote before too, it has been written with great erudition and is richly laced with metaphor and similes to make it comprehensible even for a non-biologist. It staggers my mind to think how must an ocean of research material have been mined for it, grasped, and then put to masterly use by the doctor-writer. Only a man of SM’s calibre who gave us a wonderful book on cancer ‘The emperor of all maladies’ before, could have done it. The gene book tells us in gripping detail the whole story of the gene  right from early meanderings before the Christian era by the Greek Philosophers like Pythagoras (530 BC), Anaxagoras (400 BC), Aristotle (350 BC) and many others to unravel the mystery of inheritance. (Incidentally, Anaxagoras thought that the essence of heredity was carried by the male sperm, while the female only “shaped’ male semen in the womb to produce the foetus! And Aristotle argued that hereditary information is transmitted in the form of messages.) Nothing is in fact left out by the author in this long journey of man’s search for answers to the intriguing gene puzzle: Mendel’s experiments on pea to unravel the mystery of inheritance of characters, Darwin’s great voyage, how Watson and Crick cracked the DNA code, the human genome, how the new findings have helped mankind in understanding and curing genetic disorders by gene therapy, gene edting and gene surgery and the future scenario in regard to genomics and humankind. A lot has been done but a lot more still needs to be discovered. So many tricky genetic ailments such as Haemophilia, sickle cell anaemia etc which have afflicted mankind causing huge suffering, are now being cured thanks to new insights into the subtle working of the gene. Many more are on the threshold of being tamed and treated through gene therapy. The quest is on. Needless to say, the coming decades will see man (or a geneticist) playing God with gene editing and cloning technologies in his kitty. It will be for the humankind though to see and decide where to draw the line.

What makes the book so outstanding is the interesting manner and the arresting narrative with which the whole story of the gene is laid bare before the mesmerized reader with fascinating details about the personal lives of Mendel, Darwin and all other luminaries who have been involved in their scientific endeavours in unravelling the mystery of the gene right from the beginning till date, their obsessions, devotion, dedication, foibles, failures, jealousies, the politics and so on.

Having been a zoologist myself – though not a great one! – I could strike an instant chord with the book and had it fill many gaping voids in my understanding of the gene.

                                                        *

I saw Baahubali 2

A poster of Baahubali-2

Did you see Baahubali 2? I did. And wasn’t disappointed at all. Well, there is nothing so earth-shaking about the story per se. It is all about a khashatriya kingdom: its opulence, power, glory and the royal dharma, with strict adherence to its codes and ethics. It is also about the royal intrigues and rivalries, as also the 'प्राण जायें पर वचन  ना जाइ'  ethos. But what takes your breath away and keeps you glued to the screen is the stunning visuals. With the computer generated imagery and mind-blowing action scenes and stunts, the movie puts to shame perhaps even the best of Hollywood action thrillers. No wonder therefore that it has proved such a huge blockbuster even in countries like China and the USA and has already reaped more than Rs 1200 crore in earnings. Even the big film-makers of Hollywood have been amazed at its rip-roaring success. The movie sets a new trend in film-making and we should expect more of such big-budget, fantasy stuff from our own filmmakers. A movie based on our great Mahabharat on similar lines is perhaps already on the anvil. Exciting times ahead for the movie buffs!

                                 *

Quotes of the week

The drive to change the genome of a human embryo has turned into an intercontinental arms race: Siddhartha Mukherjee ('The Gene')

Even the two most extreme human variants - male and female - share 99.688 of their genes: (As above)

"Gentle, free-handed, and kindly...Flowers he loved." : A monk in the monastery about Mendel (As above) 

"Cell biologists look; geneticists count; biochemists clean.": Arthur Kornberg (As above)

Trump (is) bringing world back to horse and cart: Schwarzenegger, Hollywood star and US Republican MP

Need room for argumentative Indian; not intolerant Indian: President Pranab Mukherjee


                                                *

Random headlines

US spacecraft finds cyclones, ammonia river on Jupiter (NDTV)

Dalits asked to use soaps, scent before meeting Yogi (DH)

Humans originated in Europe, not Africa: study (DH)

Air pollution may cause DNA damage in children:study (DH)

Attractiveness not just about good looks:study (DH)

Antibody to fight cancer identified (DH)

Probiotics good for digestive system, cure depression too: study (Business Standard)

Air pollution may be the cause of poor sleep (NDTV)

Deforestation causing increase in malaria cases:study (DH)

Passengers on Tejas Express smash LCD screens, soil toilets:We clearly don't understand civic duties (Firstpost)

                                                 ***

            

                                                     

Will Palampur lose its tea gardens?...Hope not

What sets apart Palampur and its neighbouring areas from rest of HP in terms of aesthetics and natural beauty? The tea gardens, no doubt. It is these charming ‘ever-green’ bush-spreads over swathes of undulating landscape - that greet and soothe a sore eye as you wander around - which make Palampur so special, so inviting. Enchanted by the mesmerising view of the tea gardens with the snow-capped Dhauladhar in the backdrop imparting it a divine touch, no tourist ever fails to stop by for a photo shoot. For, the view is surreal, picture postcard perfect.

Therefore the news items ‘Govt mulls policy to allow sale of land under tea’ and 'Changes in policy for sale of tea gardens...' in The Tribune dated 13 May and 19 May 2017 respectively (see photos), left me shocked and shaken. Will the tea gardens then go extinct, like Dodo? Will this fabulous valley become a wasteland, an ugly sprawl of concrete? A listless, grey, barren, noisy, traffic-choked, dirty, polluted township? Like, say, Shimla? An overpopulated, congested city bereft of the green of tea gardens replaced by houses, shops, mansions, malls, multiplexes and what not, with the essential civic amenities like water and power severely diminished, causing power outages and water shortages for days on end…as in Shimla?

It is a frightening, scary prospect, dear friends. Tea gardens have already been receding by and by, inch by inch, meter by meter, acre by acre. Most of you must have been witness to vast tracts of land in and around Palampur that were once a soothing carpet of verdant green of tea gardens now having become a crowded conglomerate of houses and  buldings rearing their ugly heads everywhere. Worse, with the enforcement agencies looking the other way, encroachments by the new home-wallas along the link roads have turned them into a traffic hazard. Much worse is yet to come.

I personally maintain that the tea gardens are a precious, inviolable ‘heritage feature’ of Palampur and of Kangra valley. Agreed, the tea-planters have custodial rights over them. But then haven’t they gotten away with not coming under the land ceiling act, 1972, unlike the other, general kind of landowners who had to part away with sizeable chunks of their lands that went to the tillers? No such axe fell on the tea-planters.  But this huge concession had a specific rider: the tea-planters would be the ‘custodians’ and not the ‘owners’ of tea gardens. They will neither sell, nor change the character of the land under these gardens for any reason whatsoever. However, gradually, slowly, on one pretext or the other, the tea gardens kept on being sold/used. 

And now to make matters terribly worse, the present HP government near the end of its current term, as the news goes, is mulling an amendment to facilitate sale of tea gardens and thus wipe them out once for all. This implies that they would in due course become a thing of the past. I think it would be the most brazen assault on the valley's ecology by the present government: to deprive the residents of this beautiful, priceless asset of Palampur and divesting it of its unique green cover in one fell sweep. With the tea gardens, the trees that are a part of a ‘teagarden ecosystem’ will go too. We built our homes keeping in mind the natural endowments, ecology and environs as an inseparable, integral part of Palampur. Therefore to deprive us of these natural features wholesale is just not right: morally and ethically at least. Even otherwise it is stab in the back of those who came under the Land ceiling act and the tea planters were not. One can't have the cake and eat it too, after all. Let the governmentt look at it in the right perspective and not succumb to the pressure/lobby. Let the tea-planters’ issues and problems be addressed, and let there be a robust policy by the government to save the tea gardens from the impending doom. Let Palampur stay beautiful and green.

Will posterity see the tea gardens only in pictures and albums?

Will tea gardens become a thing of the past? (This photo is courtesy, Dr RG Sud)

*

When Jagrata went underway at Sughar

On Saturday (13 May) last, as Sughar prepared to retire for the night’s sleep, a Jagrata got underway. The loudspeakers came live and high-pitched cacophony of the event began hitting us with all the thunder and fury. The venue being barely about 500 meters away from our house, we found the ‘bhaints’ and ‘bhajans’ (mostly cheap adaptations of romantic filmi tunes!), the chants and the slogans, the harmonium and the dholak beats, too ear-splitting to bear.  We tried to brazen it out anyway hoping that it wouldn’t go beyond 10 or at the most 10.30 PM. But there was no let up. Then we shifted our bed and migrated to one of the rooms at the back, the doors and windows tightly shut. But still being at full blast, there was no respite from the noise and we ended up tossing, turning and shuffling in the beds waiting for the loudspeakers to stop. Now it was past 12 AM and no relief seemed in sight. Exasperated, I picked up my phone and dialled 100, not expecting any responsethough. However, happily, a half-sleepy but polite and helpful voice said: “Ji, namaskar. Police control room.” The policewalla took note of the problem and the location and assured help. Relieved, I went into a ‘waiting mode’ hoping for the end to the unrelenting noise-assault. An hour went by. I had to call 100 again. “Nothing has happened?” the same voice asked. “Ok, hold on.” Then I could hear the fellow talk to his colleague discussing the matter. A minute later, he told me that a police party has already left and would be there any time. He also gave me the name and number of the Head constable, one Mr Satish. I rang up Satish. He said that they have located the venue and are almost there. When I went out to our upper veranda, I could see the police vehicle with flashing blue and red lights. In a few minutes the loudspeakers had fallen silent.

The Jagrata then went on its course but at a low pitch and so we finally were able to have our quota of sleep, not without feeling very thankful to our police for being friendly, responsive and helpful.

In passing may I ask: Is organising night-long Jagratas the right way to propitiate our gods and goddesses? That too with jarring tunes based on cheap filmi songs? And at roof-shattering sound levels? Have the sweet soulful melodies of Meera, Tulsi, Sur Das, Rahim vanished from our consciousness? Lastly, isn’t, shouldn’t, religion be a personal and private affair rather than a noisy extravaganza to disturb the entire neighbourhood? For me it is nothing but trivialization of our grand and glorious religion.

                                                        *

Quotes of the week

Would have dealt with pain of her death had she been shot. I would have taken her body in embrace one last time

           - Mother of the 23-year-old who was subjected to savage gangrape         and murdered near Rohtak (The Tribune)

Social media (is) helpig Indian classical music

            - Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (DH)

Nudity is beautiful, don't make it sexual

             - Paris Jackson (DH)

                          *

Random headlines

12-year-old girl dies as father denies money for her treatment (DH)

India ageing gradually; every 5th person to be 60+ by 2050 (DH)

About 40 per cent of food in US gets wasted: study (DH)

Human ancestors stayed in trees longer than thought (DH)

New "winged" snake species discovered in US (DH)

    

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Happy Mother's Day! But...?

On the 14th, the second Sunday of May, our motherland as also several countries the world over will celebrate ‘Mother’s Day’. And the moment you begin to think about it, the very first thoughts are of this gem of a verse scripted so beautifully by Valmiki and uttered by Lord Rama expounding on the true value of ‘mother’: जननी जन्म भूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी।   I don’t think there is any other quote as apt and stirring as this one in literature – short, simple but profound – to describe the magnificence and greatness of ‘mother’. Incidentally, Nepal has this verse inscribed on the red scroll at the base of its national emblem (see image below).

Well I am not here to pontificate on the subject. Enough will appear in the print media, on TV, Facebook and Twitter. WhatsApp will be overflowing with exchange of images, poems, couplets, videos, greetings, virtual gifts and various kinds of sentimental stuff eulogising ‘mother’. That’s all fine. But let us, this Mother’s Day, ask ourselves a question: Where does a ‘woman’ (read: ‘future mother’) stand in terms of her place in society even today?

Well, honestly, I don’t think the answer will make us feel very proud and happy. Look at the Nirbhaya case which shocked and shook the conscience of the whole nation: the case in which the death sentence to the four convicts has been confirmed by the SC just a week back. Look at the Bilkis Bano case (also in the news last week): of a pregnant woman having been gang raped and her young daughter killed right before her eyes. Look at the unending cycle of discrimination, crime, violence against women running almost on a daily basis through the length and breadth of our dear motherland. How ironical that while Kalpana Chawlas and the Phogat sisters make us hold our heads high, there are the khaps, Babas and politicians  with a medieval, caste-ridden mindset issuing farmans, fatwas and diktats against love marriages and freedom to choose one’s own soul-mate, and prescribing other silly 'do's and don'ts' to pull us backwards. Imagine the struggles and battles that many of our women like the Phogat sisters and Mary Koms had had to wage to fight the system and break the barriers of tradition and crippling restrictions in order to excel and make a mark in life.

Leave aside the fanatics, bigots and all other self-styled guardians of morality. What is most shocking is the gender bias extant even in the so-called well-educated families. I am witness to instances from highly educated, well-to-do families where the Saas-husband duo have meted out protracted harassment, dirty abuse and even thrashing to the bride  for years on end forcing her to leave, only to remarry and live happily ever afterwards! Is there any dearth of such evil-minded, beastly, double-faced hypocrites and perverts in our society? Those who present a very sophisticated, cultured, benevolent face to the world outside but are brutes to their wives at home?

No doubt things have changed a lot. Women are rightfully and proudly on the march. We see them more assertive, more aware of their rights and their power. They are elbowing out the nasty ‘man’ in all aspects of life and occupying prestigious positions in varied spheres of work. But deep down this sense of misogyny still dwells in many a male heart.

From whatever little I know from whatever little I have read, India once prided itself on having a rich, liberal sanskriti where a woman occupied an exalted position in society. She was not a jailbird fettered and shackled by male/societal bias and gender discrimination but walked free and proud. It was the influences and dogmas perpetuated by alien religion(s) subsequently that impacted and distorted our values and thus undid ‘her’ legitimate place in society;  turned her into a suppressed,  exploited, second rate, inferior citizen compared to man, meant only for menial jobs at home and outside. From a vibrant, inclusive, and progressive one, our society in centuries of foreign rule, became sickly, conservative and male-dominated.

I don’t want to sound preachy but do hold that no country, no civilization can attain the heights of glory and progress without equal participation of the nation’s women.

Let’ all resolve on this Mother’s Day to help restore the dignity and esteem of Indian woman. Let her attain her just place in society. Let more Laxmibais, Kalpana Chawlas, Phogats, Mary Koms come to full blossom and shine brightly. That would need a change of the feudal, insular mindset of many amongst us, our politicians included. That would be the best gift, the best tribute one can pay to a mother and a mother-to-be this Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s day!

                                                                   

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   AAP: What a downfall!

When Arvind Kejriwal launched AAP and won the Delhi assembly elections, the country’s expectations went sky high. Here at last was the leader and the party the nation had been eagerly, desperately waiting for, to take the country to new heights. It seemed like a fresh new dawn. A new model of open, transparent, people-friendly governance by committed, dedicated, self-less, spotlessly clean bunch of men and women under AK was going to unfold, so we all thought. Over-enthused, I even joined AAP “to be the change that you wish to see in the world”. But alas! It didn’t take long for disillusionment and disenchantment to set in. My cup of disgust was full when, out of the blue, a hard-boiled politician was air-dropped from above as the party chief of HP. Happily, I had already left the party.  Just see where it finds itself now. Both the AAP and its supremo have let us down.

Thus, a wonderful opportunity that sprouted from Anna Hazare-led agitation, to rid the country of the prevailing muck and morass of political corruption has been lost. How sad and shocking.

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Quotes of the week

All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother – Abraham Lincoln

Motherhood: All love begins and ends there – Robert Browning

God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers – Rudyard Kipling

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Don't take my tears as sign of my weakness
           - Charu Nigam, IPS Officer, who was allegedly heckled by Gorakhpur BJP MLA

You will never be forgotten Nirbhaya
            - Priyanka Chopra (DH)

Wanted justice not revenge
             - Rape survivor Bilkis Bano (DH)

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Random News Headlines

Oxygen level in world's oceans dipping since 1980s: study (DH)

US vows commitment to arctic climate change research (ToI)

Edible insects could help fight climate change: study (DH)

Indian origin girl in UK gets 162 IQ points, more than Einstein (DH)

'Heavily drunk' son of Gujarat Deputy CM taken off flight (NDTV)

Demonetisation by itself will not impede future black money inflows:UN (DH)

Australian Senator creates history, becomes first politician to breastfeed in parliament (Economic Times)

Writing your story post-divorce may keep heart healthy:study (DH)

Treatment to balding, greaying hair in the offing (DH)

Working at night may harm your liver:study (DH)

Novel 'smart bra' can detect breast cancer (DH)


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