दृष्टिकोण – Indra's Viewpoint

हर रोज सबेरा हंसता है
और शाम सदा मुस्काती है
जीवन तट पर अब खड़े हुए
कुछ मधुर याद आ जाती हैं

परदादी का गा गाकर
मुझे खिलाना
कभी बुलाना चंदा मामा.
ननिहाल की उस महरी का
बार बार सभलायक कहना.
फिर दादा की पीठ सवारी
फिर उनकी बांहों पर सोना.
फिर आते कुछ दृश्य मधुरत्तम
बिद्यालय के गलियारे में
एक किसी के दिख जाने की
आशा करना और दिख जाना
कितनी कोमल आकाक्षाएं थी
कितने बालसुलभ सपने थे.
जब कोई पास न होता है
बर्षों पहले की यादों में
अच्छा लगता है खो जाना
फिर कुछ यादें भी ऐसी हैं
जो शाम सबेरे आ आकर
जीते जाने को कहतीं है.

Pravat Pandeyji from Kolkata sent me the letter that goes as follows:

Appended is an excerpt from the article ‘In the name of the Mahatma …’ written by Santosh Desai and published in Times of India of 21.10.2009 –

In an interview, Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, reportedly told this story about his grandfather.

One day when he was coming back from school, he threw away a small pencil that had almost been used up and asked his grandfather for a new one. Instead of giving him one, Gandhi asked him a lot of searching questions. He wanted to know how the pencil became small, where he threw it away and finally asked him – to his utter disbelief – to go out and look for it in the dark, equipping him with a flashlight. After two hours, the pencil stub was found and the Mahatma was satisfied.

His point to his grandson – throwing away natural resources was tantamount to violence against nature and over-consuming resources when there are so many deprived people in the world, violence against humanity.

I thought sharing this with you.
I think you would love thinking over the story.
I hope you will not hesitate sharing your thoughts with me.

I replied as follows:

For health reasons, I didn’t respond to your mail in time. Mahatma was different quite unlike many others among the Indian leaders. He was disciplinarian. I don’t think what Mahatma did with his grand child was absolutely right. Many a times it doesn’t build the expected values in the child. Sometimes, it is taken even in negative by a child. I think that was the reason of the rebellion of one of his sons.

I was myself a disciplinarian with my children in their school days. But now I feel that was not right on my part. I would have been softer.

Perhaps Mahatma would not have made the child search the small pencil butt in darkness of the night. He could have got the same result with a good conversation with him.

His grand child will be the best to tell if he did require that unpleasant task for changing his attitude to the unnecessary wastage or irresponsible work.

I hope I have put my views properly.

Thanking you for asking for my views.

PS: Why should we try to find answers for all our problems from Mahatma’s life and what he did or said? It was amazing to read Amartya Sen’s remark on Gandhi, globalization and climate problem.

हे परम पिता !
जीवन की आपाधापी में
दुःख सुख चाहे जो हम पायें
सह लेंगे सब तेरे बल पर.
मन श्रांत ब्यथित होकर
पर जब
सो जाये करे बिश्राम जरा
तुम सपनों से ना तंग करो
और दुखित हमे कुछ और करो.
सपने गर नहीं रोक सकते
तो कम से कम
तुम उनको मीठे हीं कर दो
जीने का तुम कुछ रस दे दो
सपनों का दुःख तो तुम हर लो.
सपनों में सब चाहत दे दो
कुछ क्षण हम को जी लेने दो .
गर व्यवसायिक हो बात करें
कुछ भी तो नहीं नुकशान तुम्हें.
इसलिए इसे स्वीकार करो
न मेरी नींद ख़राब करो,

Last week I happen to read reviews of two new books written by foreigners. One made me morose. The other one was exciting.

I further went through an interview published in Outlook by Internationally acclaimed Sanskrit scholar and author Wendy Doniger who has writen a 780-page book, ‘The Hindus: An Alternative History’. I quote some from the interview:

Is it in Valmiki’s version that Rama thinks his father, Dasaratha, is a sex-addict?
Lakshman is the one who actually says it. He says the king is hopelessly attached to sensual objects. But Rama himself says (at 2.47.8) that the king is kama-atma, entirely consumed by kama.

You also suggest that because Rama is afraid of turning into a sex addict like his father, he throws Sita out after enjoying sex with her?
You have a chapter in Valmiki’s Ramayana where Rama was so happy with Sita, they drank wine together, they were alone, enjoying themselves in every way, indulging in various ways, not just the sexual act. And in the very next chapter he says I’ve got to throw you out. So I’m suggesting: what is the connection between those two things? And what does it mean that Rama knows that Dasaratha, his father, disgraced himself because of his attachment to his young and beautiful wife. So I’m taking pieces of the Ramayana and putting them together and saying these are not disconnected.

So you are saying his fear of following in his father’s footsteps is making him betray his own sexuality?
Yes, I am. Or even of being perceived that way. Remember he keeps repeating: “People will say….” Maybe he knows that his love for Sita is much purer than Dasaratha’s love for Kaikeyi. But even so, he is afraid that people who noticed Dasaratha’s love for Ram will say that like his father, he too is keeping a woman he should not because he’s so crazy about her. So he fears public opinion will connect him with his father. Yes, I think that’s there — but it’s not the only thing there is in the Ramayana. It’s just something others haven’t pointed out, so I thought I’d better point it out.

It is a sexy interview and may be in line with Western way of expressing one’s view about the character of any person at whatever high social status he might be. It’s unIndian. I don’t say which the right way is. Perhaps each way is right in right place.

Over the period Ram became the Almighty and highly revered for a large section of Indians to get into their temples, hearts and minds. And many will not like to hear or read these sexy remarks and may go to any extent to oppose it. Persons such as Wendy Doniger must respect the feelings of the people who are today huge in number though not very well educated and affluent as westerners. I hardly find anything new or a real research in her views. She has all the right on earth to say what she has done as I have the right to be morose and feel sympathetic about her. I strongly believe persons such as Wendy Doniger read each of the books on Ram separating it from the other. And that will be the right way. Ram may not be a historical person, but perhaps unique to continue being the hero of many authors for centuries that itself makes him respectable.

However, I went through the review of William Dalrymple’s compelling new book, Nine Lives. William Dalrymple is an acclaimed travel writer, historian and observer of this country for the past 25 years. In this book, he delves into the lives of nine seemingly ordinary but remarkable individuals. The stories are simple but touching. He understands and appreciates the inner feelings of simple Indians so well that only few great Indian authors can do.

Unfortunately, Wendy Doniger has gone sexy to maket her so-called alternative history, but in process has hurt the feelings of many unnecessarily. It is a violence of a sort.
—-
PS If you wish to read another good review of the book, it is here.

Indians talked of a 100 years age as an ideal one with four ‘ashrams‘ or stages, each of 25 years spans dedicated to a different focus. Opinions vary. According to the scriptures many lived very long lives covering thousands of years, and some even became immortal. However, at the time of independence, the average life span in India was around 45years because of various reasons and deprivations. But with independence the things changed the average has gone up and may be nearing 70 years.

Scientists and medical practitioners are busy with improving the longevity of human beings and that too keeping the capabilities of body elements young enough to lead a good life. It is interesting to read such news:

British scientists are working on regenerative therapies that could help centenarians have bodies of 50-year-olds in the future. Researchers at Leeds University will be shelling out £50 million over five years to come up with solutions to pull off “50 active years after 50” by providing pensioners with longer lasting replacement body parts. Professor John Fisher revealed the “combination of a durable cobalt-chrome metal alloy socket and a ceramic ball means the joint should easily withstand the 100 million steps that a 50-year-old can be expected to take by their 100th birthday.”

US population of persons above 100years of age is on rise. In UK, the number of people who have reached the age of 100 has broken the 10,000 barrier for the first time this September.

When I wanted to get into the information about ‘100 years of age’ through Google search, I found the number of entries at 129 million. The information covers many aspects including how to survive after 100 years of age
.
The problems before the scientists will be to make the life at that age also as useful and enjoyable to live as at younger ages.

Will the long active lives not create many social problems? Should it be a priority of the scientists when millions of people die immaturely because of many deprivations?

PS: Sixtyfive and Up Looking for Job