The Narayani Dham temple complex Lonavala
Lion's Point
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Waterfalls and Wilderness
"Aati kya Khandala asks the tapori version of Aamir Khan in a movie not long back to which the sophisticated heroine rani Mukherjee replies " kya karun aake main Khandala?"to which the tapori answers "ghumenge phirenge nachenge gaayenge aaish karenge aur kya? Well, Khandala and nearby Lonavala too is a place where young boys, taporis and otherwise and girls and young couples, some with little children hang out to experience the rains, sit under some waterfalls and indulge in some climbing adventuresand get drenched together.These tourists do not ask for much by way of infrastructure from the authorities and any kind of authority or infrastructure is conspicuous by their absence here!
From the time we came to Bombay and even before that, I've been humming the 'aati kya Khandala ?' song to the Mr and finallyhe gave in to the incessant ringing in his ears to plan a 2 day getaway.At the first attempt there were no train tickets available which shows how popular the spot is with the people here.Finally after a postponement we got seats in a train going to Pune from Thane whose departure time was 6am. That meant that we had to leave home at 4am to catch the local train ti Thane.After a full days' school and an evenings' packing the Mite showed rare enthusiasm, actuallynot so rare for the Mite who is perpetually enthusiastic about everything. It is his middle aged parents who showed rare alacrity, after having not travelled anywhere for a long time, by springing out of bed at 3:30 am. Inspite of heavy rainfall we found ourselves in an ola cab heading for the nearest local train station. We arrived well on time and took the 4:55 to thane. At Thane we boarded the old but comfortable chair car coach on the Pune bound train.We had a sumptuous railways breakfast of omelette cutlets and bread and settled down for the 2 and a half hour journey to Lonavala. Here our rustiness as travellers showed forth when after all this effort we fell into a deep sleep. I got up with a jerk after sometime, we had stopped at a station. I casually woke the mr up and enquired when our station was expected. He promptly asked the next person, who said "this is lonavala". There was shocked silence from us for a few seconds, then a frantic grabbing of luggage and the Mite and pell mell rush to deboard! The train left within minutes of our exit! Phew!
It was raining in sheets in Lonavala and we waited under a shed at the station gate. The Mite had his raincoat but we adults hadn't got down to getting ourselves one and umbrellas were of no use. the auto rickshaw stand was a few meters from us but we still continued to wait. Finally one of the auto drivers over to the gate and picked us up from there.We were off to Mon Repos which we understood was a guest house in pristine surroundings. It was no doubt a beautiful bungalow amidst an unspoilt location, but it was lacking by way of any kind of service for the weary traveller.
Firstly the check in time is 12pm, but every hotel, guest house or holiday home worth its name has a place to deposit luggage and a common toilet for those who arrive early, not so here. The Manager was in mortal terror of the owners and kept calling them for little things like where we can keep the luggage! Of the need for a bathroom the owner said, "but this is a guest house, not a hotel" as if only hotels are allowed to have one!!
The owner said there was a car and driver atb their disposal that can take us around to visit the sights. The rates are reasonable for this car, but one should have a good knowledge of the sights one wishes to see as the driver will have a booking in the evening and will hurry you through the various spots. By the time the car arrived the call of nature was becoming quite urgent for me! The Mon Repos owner assured us that the first stop would be the Narayani temple where we can use the toilets!
The Narayani Dham temple is more like a 5 star hotel and the lobby at the entrance has the names of doners to the temple trust displayed with contributions in lakhs and crores! The first building is the guest house and there were rows of toilets for the public. Somehow we washed and splashed some water on our faces and entered the manicured gardens which had halls and rest houses on both sides and looked like a Rajasthani palace. The authorities had stuck some plastic flowers among the bushes as the rose plants had not started flowering yet.
The main temple is beautiful and affords a view of the ghats.The modak prasad was delicious. The idols of Ganesha , Lakshmi and Shiva are full of bling, shiney stones glittering from their bodies. Photographs were allowed but no selfies with the idols!
Thereafter we went to Lion's point, the highest place in the region. The air was crystal clear, the wind was forceful and the roasted corn on the cob was juicy and delicious, the tea was milkyb and sweet! It was heady! Some people, lacking any good sense, have brought up two hapless camels for rides in the mist! This should be made illegal with immediate effect! We hung out for sometime and then headed off to Bhushi Dam.
Now here was a natural water park setting. College kids, young scrawny boys and girls and even some families with young children and elderly people launch themselves into the tremendous force of the water coming from the high dam wall!! The tourists look after each other, there were just 2 policemen on the dam wall and the rapids created by the gushing water on the rocky hill had the general public strewn all over it at regular intervals in big and small groups! I wondered why we did not hear of any accident over here yet. The Mite quipped, "It looks more like suicide point than waterfall point!"
There were hot channa, green mango and tea and vada pao stalls all around and a boy selling boiled eggs!While going up and down to and from Bhushi dam we got a glimpse of the enormous Lonavala lake and several tiny waterfalls that lead into it. there were people bathing and sitting tight under most of the waterfalls. Cars are not allowed to stop near the lake so we decided to come back later to enjoy it.
We headed off to Khandala next which is about 7 to 8 kms from the Lonavala lake area. Khandala is more pristine than Lonavala and is full of natural beauty. The Monkey point is a sheer drop into the ghats and has a spectacular view of the opposite hilly terrain with waterfalls of all shapes and sizes gushing down its sides. There is no attempt to make the place safer for tourists. A few iron rods protruding out of the ground is all there is to show for the very lacklustre efforts of the authorities.It speaks volumes for the discipline of the tourists here that accidents are not frequent.
Monkey point was fully covered by clouds when we got there, but a light shower ensued after which the majestic view was revealed to us.It was breathtaking! There was a group of monkeys there too, true to the name of the spot. There were some other view points ahead eg The Duke's Nose but because of the heavy cloud cover they might not have been visible to us, therefore we set off back to Lonavala. The driver was quite pessimistic and discouraged us from venturing further, later we realised he must've been eager to head back for the next set of tourists.
The last stop was a highly avoidable and substandard and also overly priced wax museum in Lonavala. We learnt later that Lonavala has no less than 3 wax museums and the one we went to was the worst. The best one is the one that has a MacDonald's outlet in the same building! The only statue worth mentioning in the one we went to was that of Anna Hazare, of all people, it had a marked resemblance to the original. Lata Mangeshkar looked constipated and Modi slim and vacant. The 150Rs per head entry fee went to waste! Why would Lonavala need a wax museum, leave alone 3?? Why not spend on better roads and a minimal railing at view points for the safety and security of the visitors??There is a Dinosaur park to, which, I feel should be made illegal!! Everyone is bent on making a fact buck. There are no facilities for tourists only places to fleece them! The uncomplaining and un demanding public keep flooding in, none the less! I have the same feeling about the Mall near the Lonavala lake,a total waste!
We had lunch and returned to Mon Repos, it was mid afternoon and no room had been readied for us. The Manager perpetually disappears and after a wait he casually comes by and after a lot of pleading and urging and making calls to the owner finally we got a room. Actually it was a set of twin rooms with double beds and a common attached bath. Here was enough place for my Brat Girl too, I missed my baby, studying so far away from home.The rooms had built in beds of granite and 2 chairs each but no wardrobe or table or dustbin or any shelf in the bathroom. The surroundings were of course beautiful, trees with birds chirping away and a wonderful breeze. We had to have lunch outside as the guest house has to be informed 2hours in advance if you want a meal!
After a short rest we ventured out againdetermined to enjoy the lake side waterfalls. We then met our excellent auto rickshaw guy, Mr. Nilesh. I recommend him to all and sundry because he knows all the spots and he will not hurry you about. he only drives on Saturdays and Sundays but he is dependable and atuned to touristy tastes. we got dropped at the lake and enjoyed an hour or so at the waterfalls near it. Thereafter we walked to the Tricos Mallwhich has a small gaming place, a few eateries, a children's play area and a clothes shop. The cinema hall only runs shows if 4 or more tickets are bought!
The Mite and the Mr played some video games and a pool hockey game while I sat around chilling.Thereafter we walked again upto the main market, had dinner qand called our friendly neighbourhood auto guy Nilesh who dropped us back to Mon Repos. We fixed a time with him to take us to Lohagarh and Bhaja caves next day.
From the time we came to Bombay and even before that, I've been humming the 'aati kya Khandala ?' song to the Mr and finallyhe gave in to the incessant ringing in his ears to plan a 2 day getaway.At the first attempt there were no train tickets available which shows how popular the spot is with the people here.Finally after a postponement we got seats in a train going to Pune from Thane whose departure time was 6am. That meant that we had to leave home at 4am to catch the local train ti Thane.After a full days' school and an evenings' packing the Mite showed rare enthusiasm, actuallynot so rare for the Mite who is perpetually enthusiastic about everything. It is his middle aged parents who showed rare alacrity, after having not travelled anywhere for a long time, by springing out of bed at 3:30 am. Inspite of heavy rainfall we found ourselves in an ola cab heading for the nearest local train station. We arrived well on time and took the 4:55 to thane. At Thane we boarded the old but comfortable chair car coach on the Pune bound train.We had a sumptuous railways breakfast of omelette cutlets and bread and settled down for the 2 and a half hour journey to Lonavala. Here our rustiness as travellers showed forth when after all this effort we fell into a deep sleep. I got up with a jerk after sometime, we had stopped at a station. I casually woke the mr up and enquired when our station was expected. He promptly asked the next person, who said "this is lonavala". There was shocked silence from us for a few seconds, then a frantic grabbing of luggage and the Mite and pell mell rush to deboard! The train left within minutes of our exit! Phew!
It was raining in sheets in Lonavala and we waited under a shed at the station gate. The Mite had his raincoat but we adults hadn't got down to getting ourselves one and umbrellas were of no use. the auto rickshaw stand was a few meters from us but we still continued to wait. Finally one of the auto drivers over to the gate and picked us up from there.We were off to Mon Repos which we understood was a guest house in pristine surroundings. It was no doubt a beautiful bungalow amidst an unspoilt location, but it was lacking by way of any kind of service for the weary traveller.
Firstly the check in time is 12pm, but every hotel, guest house or holiday home worth its name has a place to deposit luggage and a common toilet for those who arrive early, not so here. The Manager was in mortal terror of the owners and kept calling them for little things like where we can keep the luggage! Of the need for a bathroom the owner said, "but this is a guest house, not a hotel" as if only hotels are allowed to have one!!
The owner said there was a car and driver atb their disposal that can take us around to visit the sights. The rates are reasonable for this car, but one should have a good knowledge of the sights one wishes to see as the driver will have a booking in the evening and will hurry you through the various spots. By the time the car arrived the call of nature was becoming quite urgent for me! The Mon Repos owner assured us that the first stop would be the Narayani temple where we can use the toilets!
The Narayani Dham temple is more like a 5 star hotel and the lobby at the entrance has the names of doners to the temple trust displayed with contributions in lakhs and crores! The first building is the guest house and there were rows of toilets for the public. Somehow we washed and splashed some water on our faces and entered the manicured gardens which had halls and rest houses on both sides and looked like a Rajasthani palace. The authorities had stuck some plastic flowers among the bushes as the rose plants had not started flowering yet.
The main temple is beautiful and affords a view of the ghats.The modak prasad was delicious. The idols of Ganesha , Lakshmi and Shiva are full of bling, shiney stones glittering from their bodies. Photographs were allowed but no selfies with the idols!
Thereafter we went to Lion's point, the highest place in the region. The air was crystal clear, the wind was forceful and the roasted corn on the cob was juicy and delicious, the tea was milkyb and sweet! It was heady! Some people, lacking any good sense, have brought up two hapless camels for rides in the mist! This should be made illegal with immediate effect! We hung out for sometime and then headed off to Bhushi Dam.
Now here was a natural water park setting. College kids, young scrawny boys and girls and even some families with young children and elderly people launch themselves into the tremendous force of the water coming from the high dam wall!! The tourists look after each other, there were just 2 policemen on the dam wall and the rapids created by the gushing water on the rocky hill had the general public strewn all over it at regular intervals in big and small groups! I wondered why we did not hear of any accident over here yet. The Mite quipped, "It looks more like suicide point than waterfall point!"
There were hot channa, green mango and tea and vada pao stalls all around and a boy selling boiled eggs!While going up and down to and from Bhushi dam we got a glimpse of the enormous Lonavala lake and several tiny waterfalls that lead into it. there were people bathing and sitting tight under most of the waterfalls. Cars are not allowed to stop near the lake so we decided to come back later to enjoy it.
We headed off to Khandala next which is about 7 to 8 kms from the Lonavala lake area. Khandala is more pristine than Lonavala and is full of natural beauty. The Monkey point is a sheer drop into the ghats and has a spectacular view of the opposite hilly terrain with waterfalls of all shapes and sizes gushing down its sides. There is no attempt to make the place safer for tourists. A few iron rods protruding out of the ground is all there is to show for the very lacklustre efforts of the authorities.It speaks volumes for the discipline of the tourists here that accidents are not frequent.
Monkey point was fully covered by clouds when we got there, but a light shower ensued after which the majestic view was revealed to us.It was breathtaking! There was a group of monkeys there too, true to the name of the spot. There were some other view points ahead eg The Duke's Nose but because of the heavy cloud cover they might not have been visible to us, therefore we set off back to Lonavala. The driver was quite pessimistic and discouraged us from venturing further, later we realised he must've been eager to head back for the next set of tourists.
The last stop was a highly avoidable and substandard and also overly priced wax museum in Lonavala. We learnt later that Lonavala has no less than 3 wax museums and the one we went to was the worst. The best one is the one that has a MacDonald's outlet in the same building! The only statue worth mentioning in the one we went to was that of Anna Hazare, of all people, it had a marked resemblance to the original. Lata Mangeshkar looked constipated and Modi slim and vacant. The 150Rs per head entry fee went to waste! Why would Lonavala need a wax museum, leave alone 3?? Why not spend on better roads and a minimal railing at view points for the safety and security of the visitors??There is a Dinosaur park to, which, I feel should be made illegal!! Everyone is bent on making a fact buck. There are no facilities for tourists only places to fleece them! The uncomplaining and un demanding public keep flooding in, none the less! I have the same feeling about the Mall near the Lonavala lake,a total waste!
We had lunch and returned to Mon Repos, it was mid afternoon and no room had been readied for us. The Manager perpetually disappears and after a wait he casually comes by and after a lot of pleading and urging and making calls to the owner finally we got a room. Actually it was a set of twin rooms with double beds and a common attached bath. Here was enough place for my Brat Girl too, I missed my baby, studying so far away from home.The rooms had built in beds of granite and 2 chairs each but no wardrobe or table or dustbin or any shelf in the bathroom. The surroundings were of course beautiful, trees with birds chirping away and a wonderful breeze. We had to have lunch outside as the guest house has to be informed 2hours in advance if you want a meal!
After a short rest we ventured out againdetermined to enjoy the lake side waterfalls. We then met our excellent auto rickshaw guy, Mr. Nilesh. I recommend him to all and sundry because he knows all the spots and he will not hurry you about. he only drives on Saturdays and Sundays but he is dependable and atuned to touristy tastes. we got dropped at the lake and enjoyed an hour or so at the waterfalls near it. Thereafter we walked to the Tricos Mallwhich has a small gaming place, a few eateries, a children's play area and a clothes shop. The cinema hall only runs shows if 4 or more tickets are bought!
The Mite and the Mr played some video games and a pool hockey game while I sat around chilling.Thereafter we walked again upto the main market, had dinner qand called our friendly neighbourhood auto guy Nilesh who dropped us back to Mon Repos. We fixed a time with him to take us to Lohagarh and Bhaja caves next day.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Where I Stand on the Issue of the Karnataka Flag and Why....
The essence of being Indian is the ability to juggle several identities at once; linguistic, state, religious,cultural.lateral,diagonal, horizontal and several in between!!Take me for example, who am I? Well, when I say Iam Bengali, people nod knowingly and say..."...from Calcutta...?" Well, yes, Calcutta shaped a large part of who I am, but it does not define me completely. I have lived in calcutta for about17years, I was born there, it is still home...However, I belong to, or rather my ancestors belonged to Kartikpur village in Faridpur district of what is now Bangladesh. That is our village and it still forms a big part of who I am. My thinking, my humour, my propensity to discuss bowel movements at the dinner table, all come from that part of me...the bangal or country bumpkim in Bengali (loosely).That also affects my choices of food and tastes in cuisine. However I have never been to my 'desh'. My mother has also not been there but I've heard her speak fluently in the bangal dialect with my maternal grandparents...that, however is a different story....
Next, I am the daughter of a government servant. That is an identity on its own. My father worked in the Defense Estates department and therefore came in contact with the army and its ways while being posted in several different cantonments. Discipline and punctuality and a strict adherence to rules and regulations was instilled in us. I spent a considerable part of my childhood and most of my college days in Delhi as Baba was posted there. The Delhi University has also left a mark on who I am.The U Specials, the North Campus, The South Campus, 3 colleges I attended all shaped me. My group of friends from the institutions I attended enliven my life even now.
The next big influence in my life has been the shift to Bangalore 10years ago. Moving here has changed my perspective towards the South of this wonderful country. Many misconceptions, many biases and assumptions have been systematically dispelled in these years. Bangalore welcomed us with open arms, I have never felt for a moment that I do not belong here, or that I do not know the language. At firs tI thought that the language will be totally unfathomable, but in fact there are several Sanskrit words used in Kannada that can be understood without difficulty.My Landlord and his family spoke in Hindi or English, so did the shopkeepers and auto drivers. The first Kannada word I learnt was 'Ba' which means come and then the more respectful one 'Banni'. Since then I have really 'come' a long way in assimilating myself into this fascinating city.I still only have a smattering of Kannada, but that has not hampered in making me feel a sense of belonging to the city of Bangalore. Ofcourse I have heard and read about the North Indian phobia and the language Nazis but have not encountered them, thankfully.
During the first year in Bangalore,I noticed a flag with the colours of the East Bengal football club of Calcutta, yellow and orange, fluttering about all over the place. I was impressed, wondering how Kannadigas came to be a fan of this club!! Being a Bangal (originally hailing from East Bengal), I was a follower of this club as most Bangals are. The symbolic fish for this club is the illish machh as opposed to the chingri for Mohan Bagan, the team of the Ghotis or those originally from West Bengal...that's yet another story! Anyhow, I realised my mistake sooon enough, it was the flag of the Karnataka State!! On special festive days like the Karnataka Rajyotsava (1st November, when Karnataka attained Statehood), these flags are brandished all over the place and the city looks like Calcutta when East Bengal has won in a match against their arch rivals, Mohan Bagan!!I quite liked that!
Last year, when the erstwhile Tamil Nadu Chief Minister still walked upon this earth and was making life miserable for Karnataka on the Kaveri water sharing issue, which led to bad blood against Tamils in Karnataka, I found the flag being used in a novel manner. Political tension between the states led to the unleashing of anti social elements by the politicians. These mobs started pelting stones at Tamil establishments in the city. Scores of Tamillians were ill-treated due to no fault of theirs and these episodes culminated in the burning of several buses of a Tamil owned travel company. Unfortunately, a political classes ever ready to vitiate the atmosphere and spread hatred is always present in all corners of India! After the first few days of stone pelting, shopkeepers and restaurant owners began to paste the Karnataka flag upon their establishments, specially the ones with glass facades. This discouraged the stone throwers and allowed the generally easy going population to have their kaapi in peace!
The question of a separate flag has arisen a few times before during my stay in Bangalore. It has got a fresh lease of life now after the question of having Hindi in Namma Metro sign boards. The BMTC buses, used by all sections of the Bangalore population,including non-Kannada speakers,have signs in only Kannada and English.No one has complained about that, so the opinion that as the Metro is used by non Kannadas, and non English reader, it has to have Hindi signs, does not hold good.Even in Calcutta, buses and the Metro has 2 languages, Bangla and English.Why impose a trilingual sign upon the South? This leads to The North Indian misconception of the scripts of the South as being completely inscrutable. My friend who is a non Bengali, living in Calcutta for more years than I have,once declared that she could read Bengali! I was incredulous! When a mini bus ambled along, she said, "..that's Esplannade to Anwarshah road ( or some such)..!"I was taken aback! Well, she travelled by bus everyday from college and had picked up the Bengali letters printed upon mini buses. Can't we learn some Kannada in this manner? Is that so bad a thing? Why should everything be adjusted for the convenience of the Hindi speaker/reader? Afterall, Karnataka is part of our country, we live and work here...I live in an area where there are a large number of Rajasthanis who are settled in Karnataka for generations, they speak fluent Kannada and ofcourse Hindi, I love that. I love the fact that my children now know Kannada and a smattering of Tamil and Malayalam too...
Returning to the issue of the flag, the Karnataka flag is recognized by all living in the State. it unites everybody in Karnataka irrespective of our linguistic, religious,regional and cultural differences. It is, in short, a good thing! It is not as if allegiance to the state undermines our national spirit. We in Bangalore celebrate our national holidays with gusto! The Lal Bagh botanical gardens have their flower shows in the week before 15th August and 26th January. These shows are a unique and magnificent tribute to the nation! Only the Garden City can celebrate Independence Day and Republic Day in such a wonderful manner!
In this day and age of divisive, poisonous politics, we need more symbols of unity. Also, we must acknowledge the diversity that our country affords and even revel in it. How much richer we will be if we make this effort! If football clubs, religious organizations, political parties and other organizations can have flags why not the state of Karnataka?? The powers that be must realize that it is futile to beat and mould the diversity in this nation into a homogeneous whole. In fact wisdom lies in accepting this diversity wholeheartedly and making it the core faith of our nation.
The essence of being Indian is the ability to juggle several identities at once; linguistic, state, religious,cultural.lateral,diagonal, horizontal and several in between!!Take me for example, who am I? Well, when I say Iam Bengali, people nod knowingly and say..."...from Calcutta...?" Well, yes, Calcutta shaped a large part of who I am, but it does not define me completely. I have lived in calcutta for about17years, I was born there, it is still home...However, I belong to, or rather my ancestors belonged to Kartikpur village in Faridpur district of what is now Bangladesh. That is our village and it still forms a big part of who I am. My thinking, my humour, my propensity to discuss bowel movements at the dinner table, all come from that part of me...the bangal or country bumpkim in Bengali (loosely).That also affects my choices of food and tastes in cuisine. However I have never been to my 'desh'. My mother has also not been there but I've heard her speak fluently in the bangal dialect with my maternal grandparents...that, however is a different story....
Next, I am the daughter of a government servant. That is an identity on its own. My father worked in the Defense Estates department and therefore came in contact with the army and its ways while being posted in several different cantonments. Discipline and punctuality and a strict adherence to rules and regulations was instilled in us. I spent a considerable part of my childhood and most of my college days in Delhi as Baba was posted there. The Delhi University has also left a mark on who I am.The U Specials, the North Campus, The South Campus, 3 colleges I attended all shaped me. My group of friends from the institutions I attended enliven my life even now.
The next big influence in my life has been the shift to Bangalore 10years ago. Moving here has changed my perspective towards the South of this wonderful country. Many misconceptions, many biases and assumptions have been systematically dispelled in these years. Bangalore welcomed us with open arms, I have never felt for a moment that I do not belong here, or that I do not know the language. At firs tI thought that the language will be totally unfathomable, but in fact there are several Sanskrit words used in Kannada that can be understood without difficulty.My Landlord and his family spoke in Hindi or English, so did the shopkeepers and auto drivers. The first Kannada word I learnt was 'Ba' which means come and then the more respectful one 'Banni'. Since then I have really 'come' a long way in assimilating myself into this fascinating city.I still only have a smattering of Kannada, but that has not hampered in making me feel a sense of belonging to the city of Bangalore. Ofcourse I have heard and read about the North Indian phobia and the language Nazis but have not encountered them, thankfully.
During the first year in Bangalore,I noticed a flag with the colours of the East Bengal football club of Calcutta, yellow and orange, fluttering about all over the place. I was impressed, wondering how Kannadigas came to be a fan of this club!! Being a Bangal (originally hailing from East Bengal), I was a follower of this club as most Bangals are. The symbolic fish for this club is the illish machh as opposed to the chingri for Mohan Bagan, the team of the Ghotis or those originally from West Bengal...that's yet another story! Anyhow, I realised my mistake sooon enough, it was the flag of the Karnataka State!! On special festive days like the Karnataka Rajyotsava (1st November, when Karnataka attained Statehood), these flags are brandished all over the place and the city looks like Calcutta when East Bengal has won in a match against their arch rivals, Mohan Bagan!!I quite liked that!
Last year, when the erstwhile Tamil Nadu Chief Minister still walked upon this earth and was making life miserable for Karnataka on the Kaveri water sharing issue, which led to bad blood against Tamils in Karnataka, I found the flag being used in a novel manner. Political tension between the states led to the unleashing of anti social elements by the politicians. These mobs started pelting stones at Tamil establishments in the city. Scores of Tamillians were ill-treated due to no fault of theirs and these episodes culminated in the burning of several buses of a Tamil owned travel company. Unfortunately, a political classes ever ready to vitiate the atmosphere and spread hatred is always present in all corners of India! After the first few days of stone pelting, shopkeepers and restaurant owners began to paste the Karnataka flag upon their establishments, specially the ones with glass facades. This discouraged the stone throwers and allowed the generally easy going population to have their kaapi in peace!
The question of a separate flag has arisen a few times before during my stay in Bangalore. It has got a fresh lease of life now after the question of having Hindi in Namma Metro sign boards. The BMTC buses, used by all sections of the Bangalore population,including non-Kannada speakers,have signs in only Kannada and English.No one has complained about that, so the opinion that as the Metro is used by non Kannadas, and non English reader, it has to have Hindi signs, does not hold good.Even in Calcutta, buses and the Metro has 2 languages, Bangla and English.Why impose a trilingual sign upon the South? This leads to The North Indian misconception of the scripts of the South as being completely inscrutable. My friend who is a non Bengali, living in Calcutta for more years than I have,once declared that she could read Bengali! I was incredulous! When a mini bus ambled along, she said, "..that's Esplannade to Anwarshah road ( or some such)..!"I was taken aback! Well, she travelled by bus everyday from college and had picked up the Bengali letters printed upon mini buses. Can't we learn some Kannada in this manner? Is that so bad a thing? Why should everything be adjusted for the convenience of the Hindi speaker/reader? Afterall, Karnataka is part of our country, we live and work here...I live in an area where there are a large number of Rajasthanis who are settled in Karnataka for generations, they speak fluent Kannada and ofcourse Hindi, I love that. I love the fact that my children now know Kannada and a smattering of Tamil and Malayalam too...
Returning to the issue of the flag, the Karnataka flag is recognized by all living in the State. it unites everybody in Karnataka irrespective of our linguistic, religious,regional and cultural differences. It is, in short, a good thing! It is not as if allegiance to the state undermines our national spirit. We in Bangalore celebrate our national holidays with gusto! The Lal Bagh botanical gardens have their flower shows in the week before 15th August and 26th January. These shows are a unique and magnificent tribute to the nation! Only the Garden City can celebrate Independence Day and Republic Day in such a wonderful manner!
In this day and age of divisive, poisonous politics, we need more symbols of unity. Also, we must acknowledge the diversity that our country affords and even revel in it. How much richer we will be if we make this effort! If football clubs, religious organizations, political parties and other organizations can have flags why not the state of Karnataka?? The powers that be must realize that it is futile to beat and mould the diversity in this nation into a homogeneous whole. In fact wisdom lies in accepting this diversity wholeheartedly and making it the core faith of our nation.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
The Uncommon Common Man
Shri Bijon Kumar Sengupta, my grandfather, was of average height, had the trademark spectacles of the Bengali man of letters, although he had an MA in English and wrote an engaging prose in the language, he was never heard to speak anything but his mother tongue in the bangal dialect. So simple was this man, that one time, according to an oft repeated story of his youth, he had gone out wearing a raincoat because it was raining, and was seen returning still snugly ensconced in it although the sun was shining bright to everyone's amusement. He revealed later that he could not manage to open the raincoat when the rains stopped! This endearing, simple man spent 4 and a half years in various jails of the British Raj in the late 1930s. Even later, the British police had him under surveillance when he visited his in laws' place East Bengal. At the time of his arrest his rented tenement was surrounded and broken into. His wife, my grandmother was with child at that time....My grandfather saw his first born, my jethu, after 3years when my grandmother took him to visit his father in Presidency jail. Grandfather was released in the late '30s when the revolutionary movement in Bengal was in the wane due to severe repression by the British regime and untold suffering was endured by the families of the revolutionaries. My grandmother was lucky to get the support of her maternal uncles to tide her through the difficult times. There were 1000s of others who fought on, none the less.It was the sacrifice of these 'uncommon' common people that gave us our freedom.
This morning the Mr had put on the film 'Shaheed' on TV, the part on the fast in the jail for better conditions for the detainees was so moving. It spoke of the supreme power of sacrifice and a courageous adherence to principals. This was the strength of the youth of those times, otherwise how could they have striven towards such a seemingly impossible dream?
My grandmother never portrayed her husband as a hero, all the incidents related to him that she ever recounted pointed to and reinforced the fact that he was a simple man. Incidents of his arrest and of him being followed by the police during his visit to his inlaws' place were recounted in a matter of fact manner. It was for us to absorb these facts and realise, over time, how heroic and brave was this 'common' man and his family. How firmly he stood behind his principals, how tenacious was his perseverance, how selfless was his dedication to this nation. He had never sought any recognition or 'compensation'. Him and his kind have brought us our freedom. Our freedom must be celebrated for their sakes, our freedom is pure and blessed due to them. I salute all these 'uncommon' common people of this great nation.
This morning the Mr had put on the film 'Shaheed' on TV, the part on the fast in the jail for better conditions for the detainees was so moving. It spoke of the supreme power of sacrifice and a courageous adherence to principals. This was the strength of the youth of those times, otherwise how could they have striven towards such a seemingly impossible dream?
My grandmother never portrayed her husband as a hero, all the incidents related to him that she ever recounted pointed to and reinforced the fact that he was a simple man. Incidents of his arrest and of him being followed by the police during his visit to his inlaws' place were recounted in a matter of fact manner. It was for us to absorb these facts and realise, over time, how heroic and brave was this 'common' man and his family. How firmly he stood behind his principals, how tenacious was his perseverance, how selfless was his dedication to this nation. He had never sought any recognition or 'compensation'. Him and his kind have brought us our freedom. Our freedom must be celebrated for their sakes, our freedom is pure and blessed due to them. I salute all these 'uncommon' common people of this great nation.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
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