Thursday, July 17, 2008
Life and its many colours.
What will you do if lightning strikes one fine day and leaves you struck dumb? Something similar happened to Prasanna, a lady in her mid-twenties working in a reputed CA firm in Calcutta. What began as a mild cold went ahead to paralyse her completely. Prasanna woke up one day with a slight cold which she did not take much too seriously. Within a few days, she developed a fever. She consulted her doctor who prescribed some medicines which she took according to his instructions. After a few days, she noticed that her fever was not receeding. For a week, she was ill. Then one day, she realised that she could not move the right side of her body. Within a few days, she became completely paralysed. She was admitted to the hospital. After a couple of months, with no relief from her ailment, she moved to Kerala. There she underwent treatment by an ayurveda physician for four months. Each day dragged on and on for Prasanna, who experienced mental and physical trauma like never before. Unable to move her limbs, she had to depend on family members to feed and take care of her. Her diet was a strictly liquid diet. Yet, her undaunting spirit would not concede defeat. She battled with the paralysis and finally succeded in winning the battle. Within six months, she was back at her job in Calcutta. The paralysis was possibly triggered by sitting in an ac room with an open window which was insisted by a colleague. The incident tested her courage and faith from which she emerged a victor. Today, Prasanna is happily married with a son. She has proved that in spite of many hiccups, life can be a whooping success. She may not be a celebrity, but everyone whose life she has touched, right from the hospital staff who treated her to her friends to her son, she is a living example of the adage, "Where there is a will, there is a way".
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Subramanya Bharathi
One of the highly underrated poets of India, Bharathi was born to Chinnaswamy Iyer and Lakshmi Ammal on the 11th of December 1882. Known all over Tamil Nadu as Bharathiar, he spent his childhood days in the village Ettayapuram where he was born. He was very fond of music and started learning carnatic music at the age of 11. As a child, he lost his mother and shortly after that, he lost his father also. After his early marriage to his cousin Chellama at the age of fourteen, the restless Bharathi left home to travel the country. He pursued his spiritual education in the holy city of Benares. On his way back to South India, he met and was influenced by Sister Nivedita, the disciple of Swami Vivekananda in 1905. It was Sister Nivedita who spoke to him passionately about the upliftment of women in India. She was the flame that lit the fire of revolution in Bharathi. He also attended the All India Congress meeting in Calcutta in 1906. He was very much for the idea of Swaraj, or self rule, the phrase which was coined at this meeting.
In his days as assistant editor of Swadeshimitram, he wrote fiercely against the British and even published cartoons and caricatures, making him the first Indian to do so. He also started the Tamil weekly India and the English newspaper Bala Bharatham. In his papers, he published a lot of his poems, and articles which were mostly on poverty, upliftment of lower castes, against the British rule, on religious topics, and on the Russian and the French Revolutions.
He was a fierce revolutionary who desired a progressive, forward thinking society without the shackles of caste and creed. He was also an advocate of women's rights. He was ostacized by his community for his attitude towards the caste system. He would dine frequently with his low caste servants at their quarters and this would enrage the Brahmins to no end. Once, he hugged a donkey on the street, in full public view. He conducted mass upanayanams or thread ceremony for the non Brahmins which would irk his community. All his rebellions cost him much within the community and he was thrown out of the Brahmin fold. It did little to deter him and he continued his activities as before. He always spoke highly about the respect due to the Woman and treated this concept by referring to women as the Shakthi or power. His verse on women "We will destroy the idiocy Of denigrating Womanhood" speaks volumes on his thoughts about the issue. He has brought out his thoughts on women in his famous poem, Panchali Sapatham, in which he has portrayed Mother India as Draupadi.
His literary prowess has been proved time and again through his works. Kannan Pattu, a poem on Lord Krishna, and Kuyil Paatu, on the koel bird are among his better known poems. Kannan Pattu describes the life of Krishna as a child, a youth, and as an adult. Bharathi has portrayed himself as the Lord's lover in this poem. He was very fond of his mother tongue, Tamil and said that it was the sweetest of all the languages he had known. He was well versed in many languages including Kutchi, Bengali, French, Sanskrit, Hindi and English. He has used his poems on patriotism to encourage people to join the Freedom Struggle. He has spoken of Mother India in glowing terms in his work Paarukkulle Nalla Naadu.
Apart from being a literary wizard, he was also well versed in Carnatic music. He has composed almost a 1000 songs about politics,religion and patriotism. Every Tamil student of Carnatic music would have heard of his kriti Theeratha Vilayaatu Pillai. He was critical about singers who would sing the compositions in Sanskrit or Telugu without actually knowing their meaning. All his songs are in simple language making it easy to follow. He speaks of his love for his beloved in the song Suttrum Vizhi Chudare. In Bharathi Deviyin Thiru Dasangam, he has used ten different ragas. He has also pioneered a new style of Tamil poetry. Sadly, some of his compositions have been lost to us forever.
Bharathi also took part in the Freedom Movement. He attended the historic Surat session of Congress in 1907 which led to the split of the party over differences between the Extremists and the Moderates. He took up his position with the Extremists who were for an armed struggle against the British. In 1908, he gave evidence against the British, which led to the possibilty of an arrest. So, Bharathi fled to Pondicherry, which was under the French. While in Pondicherry, he met with many freedom fighters, including the legendary Aurobindo Ghosh. In 1918, he entered Cuddalore, which was British territory, and was arrested and was in prison for a period of three weeks. The cell where he was confined has become something of a shrine now, and a museum to his memory has come up in Pondicherry. While in Pondycherry, a group of patriots including Bharathiar, Aurobindo, and VVS Iyer would meet frequently. They called themselves the Swadeshis.
The imprisonment had eroded Bharathi's health to a great extent and he was a sunken man when he left prison. He resumed his editorial duties at the Swadeshimtram in 1920. He also met with Mahatma Gandhi. In 1921, he was struck by an elephant who was regularly fed by him, as he tried to feed a banana to it. He was saved from under the foot of the animal, but it was only a matter of time before his end came. On the 11th of September, the Mahakavi Bharathi breathed his last. He was just 39 years of age. He is believed to have suffered from a bout of dysentry. Ironically, his funeral was attended by only a handful of people. As he had enraged his community, there was no attendance from that quarter. The memory of a great man, who has left his footprints in the sands of time, is sufficient to guide us through perilous times. Even after nearly eighty years of his death, Bharathi is respected and revered all over.
In his days as assistant editor of Swadeshimitram, he wrote fiercely against the British and even published cartoons and caricatures, making him the first Indian to do so. He also started the Tamil weekly India and the English newspaper Bala Bharatham. In his papers, he published a lot of his poems, and articles which were mostly on poverty, upliftment of lower castes, against the British rule, on religious topics, and on the Russian and the French Revolutions.
He was a fierce revolutionary who desired a progressive, forward thinking society without the shackles of caste and creed. He was also an advocate of women's rights. He was ostacized by his community for his attitude towards the caste system. He would dine frequently with his low caste servants at their quarters and this would enrage the Brahmins to no end. Once, he hugged a donkey on the street, in full public view. He conducted mass upanayanams or thread ceremony for the non Brahmins which would irk his community. All his rebellions cost him much within the community and he was thrown out of the Brahmin fold. It did little to deter him and he continued his activities as before. He always spoke highly about the respect due to the Woman and treated this concept by referring to women as the Shakthi or power. His verse on women "We will destroy the idiocy Of denigrating Womanhood" speaks volumes on his thoughts about the issue. He has brought out his thoughts on women in his famous poem, Panchali Sapatham, in which he has portrayed Mother India as Draupadi.
His literary prowess has been proved time and again through his works. Kannan Pattu, a poem on Lord Krishna, and Kuyil Paatu, on the koel bird are among his better known poems. Kannan Pattu describes the life of Krishna as a child, a youth, and as an adult. Bharathi has portrayed himself as the Lord's lover in this poem. He was very fond of his mother tongue, Tamil and said that it was the sweetest of all the languages he had known. He was well versed in many languages including Kutchi, Bengali, French, Sanskrit, Hindi and English. He has used his poems on patriotism to encourage people to join the Freedom Struggle. He has spoken of Mother India in glowing terms in his work Paarukkulle Nalla Naadu.
Apart from being a literary wizard, he was also well versed in Carnatic music. He has composed almost a 1000 songs about politics,religion and patriotism. Every Tamil student of Carnatic music would have heard of his kriti Theeratha Vilayaatu Pillai. He was critical about singers who would sing the compositions in Sanskrit or Telugu without actually knowing their meaning. All his songs are in simple language making it easy to follow. He speaks of his love for his beloved in the song Suttrum Vizhi Chudare. In Bharathi Deviyin Thiru Dasangam, he has used ten different ragas. He has also pioneered a new style of Tamil poetry. Sadly, some of his compositions have been lost to us forever.
Bharathi also took part in the Freedom Movement. He attended the historic Surat session of Congress in 1907 which led to the split of the party over differences between the Extremists and the Moderates. He took up his position with the Extremists who were for an armed struggle against the British. In 1908, he gave evidence against the British, which led to the possibilty of an arrest. So, Bharathi fled to Pondicherry, which was under the French. While in Pondicherry, he met with many freedom fighters, including the legendary Aurobindo Ghosh. In 1918, he entered Cuddalore, which was British territory, and was arrested and was in prison for a period of three weeks. The cell where he was confined has become something of a shrine now, and a museum to his memory has come up in Pondicherry. While in Pondycherry, a group of patriots including Bharathiar, Aurobindo, and VVS Iyer would meet frequently. They called themselves the Swadeshis.
The imprisonment had eroded Bharathi's health to a great extent and he was a sunken man when he left prison. He resumed his editorial duties at the Swadeshimtram in 1920. He also met with Mahatma Gandhi. In 1921, he was struck by an elephant who was regularly fed by him, as he tried to feed a banana to it. He was saved from under the foot of the animal, but it was only a matter of time before his end came. On the 11th of September, the Mahakavi Bharathi breathed his last. He was just 39 years of age. He is believed to have suffered from a bout of dysentry. Ironically, his funeral was attended by only a handful of people. As he had enraged his community, there was no attendance from that quarter. The memory of a great man, who has left his footprints in the sands of time, is sufficient to guide us through perilous times. Even after nearly eighty years of his death, Bharathi is respected and revered all over.
Monday, May 14, 2007
That day at the beach.
It was a pleasant evening at the beach.I was sitting on a rock,my feet lazily skimming the water.The sun was an orange-reddish colour,slowly sinking into the water.As I shifted my gaze towards the beach,I noticed that it was oddly empty.Usually this time,it would be full of people.Children playing on the sand,or running up and down,adults taking a walk,old couples seated on the sands.The ice cream man,the peanut vendors,men with ponies offering rides and the flower lady were missing too.I shrugged it off and turned back to the horizon.No sight of any ships either.It was now a slightly pink greenish tinge.I had lived here all my life and I had never noticed the sky in this shade before.As I tried to recollect any such incident in my memory,I realised that everything was very still.Now where did the breeze go?Something fishy was going on.Hey,the usual scent of fish was not there too.Then I heard a low rumble.But the sky was quite clear,so it could'nt be thunder.There!I heard the rumbling noise again,this time a bit louder.By now I was convinced that something wierd was going on.I had watched the 5 o'clock news bulletin,so there was no way I could have missed any news,if they had mentioned anything.A little tense now,I let myself out of the water.The rumbling noise was heard again.It sounded a bit like an angry dog growling at a cat,only this had to be a very,very,big dog with a deep throat and (gulp!)an empty stomach.In the horizon,I saw something like a dark wave rise up.I curiously walked a bit closer to make out what it was.Hey,this wave didnt recede into the water,it stayed on the surface,like a hump.Slowly,another hump rose up behind the first one.What was going on?And another one rose.And another and another.I stood transfixed,wondering what this creature was.It was creeping on the water,well,you might call it walking on water.Only,this creature had no legs.Then out of the blue,it threw its head out of the water,and roared!It was a piercing noise,I thought I would be deafened.Oh no!This creature fitted a certain description very well.But it was supposed to be a myth,and it existed in Scotland,if it was true.Could this be the feared Loch Ness Monster?If so,I was done for.Fear lends wings to the feet they say.But what was this?I was rooted to the spot,unable to move.Turn around and run,I was screaming inside my head,but no,I could not move a muscle.Then,as suddenly as it had appeared,the monster slipped back into the water.Was it gone?Would it come back?I didnt want to wait to find out.I started running away fromthe beach. Hey,I was not paralysed anymore.This discovery led me to whoop and scream in joy and relief and I danced and yelled through the way back home.I put down the whole incident as a slight jangle of my nerves for which I was taking medication.Later that night,I was taking my tablets before going to bed.As I was about to pop them in my mouth,my mother stopped me."You need to take only two,why are you taking four?"Eeps!Thats what I had done this afternoon too.Then it struck me.Had I been hallucinating this evening as a result of the extra tablets?Well,I had been.The next day's papers read,"disturbed teen runs amok on streets"!Now how was I to even walk on the road?But wait,I was pretty sure I saw the Loch Ness Monster........
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)