The Biggest Miracle

Christmas is a time of miracles - grandmas and grampas recognizing their tiny grandchildren in the sea of humanity at the airports, bed-ridden people recovering just in time to be with their families, discovery of voice (and joy) in the togetherness of carol singing, and so on. This is also the time of birth of son of God, Jesus, who himself by a miracle, was born to Mary in not-so-heavenly surroundings, later he led a life full of miracles, befitting a prophet. That he was born as an ordinary human being, to ordinary parents, and died in helpless condition, just like ordinary human beings, is so unbelievably true.

Talking of miracles, I remember the 100 questions Yama (the God of Death and Justice) put forth to Yudhisthira, his own son. This story is from Mahabharata, one of the two Hindu epics, during the 12 year long period of forest dwelling that Pandavas had to endure. While looking for water in the forest, four younger brothers of Yudhisthira (one who is unmoved in war) are killed by Yama, disguising as a Yaksha owning the pond, because they dare to disregard him and satiate their thirst. Yudhithira is deeply aggrieved and angry looking at the corpses of his beloved younger brothers, but still manages to answer the 100 questions Yaksha asks, and also additional 4 questions that save lives of his 4 brothers. These questions and their answers are very instructive and reflect a lot on Indian philosophy and way of life, that we often briefly call Hinduism. These questions are so important that any difficult questions or decision one is faces in life, is often called yaksha-prshna (question of Yaksha), in almost all languages of India

One of the question that Yaksha poses is about miracles, he asks, Yudhisthira, tell me what is the biggest miracle on earth ? Yudhisthira replies immediately, O Yaksha, everyone born here knows that he will some day die, multitudes die everyday and are cremated by their loved ones, still everyone lives as if he is immortal, he plans his resources as if he is going to live forever.

I knew this story for long, almost all Mahabharata-read people know it. But every reading is not like any other and different shades emerge with different strengths. While earlier I was always impressed by the patience and courage of Yudhisthira, I hardly ever paid any attention the actual conversation. The profundity of the biggest miracle answer takes a while to sink in. Sometimes commonplace events are waving their banners of messages at us, but we are utterly blind to them, probably due to arrogance, indifference and all such evils. So finally I realized the meaning of the answer. A friend of mine says that understanding and realizing are poles apart, where understanding is like knowing the rules of the game, realizing is like being one with it. If Yudhisthira's answer doesnt disturb you for a while, probably you have understood it and not quite realized it.

Remember the funeral processions all over the world, the elaborate procedures of the Last Journey. I immediately associate this to the inconvenience caused to people trying to rush to their offices ! The gravity of death is hardly noticeable beyond the group of close relatives. Life flows as usual around the sinking ship, little realizing that its own vortex is waiting to engulf it somewhere downstream. After the tragic event, even close relatives get on with life in surprisingly little time. Loss of the departed one is quietly forgotten as fate and the void left behind gets occupied gradually but inevitably by someone else. But more miraculous is the fact that life never imagines its fate, it never loses heart looking at what is its destiny. It thrives and gives a damn to death, although death is a reality. Creatures of such immense reason and logic, ignoring the ultimate fact and indulging in the fun and frolic of life, seems to me the essence of the ongoing miracle.

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If you wish to know more of Mahabharata, an immensely interesting epic and revealing India value system, I recommend R. K. Narayan's English version, later you may refer advanced texts to read more details. Pictures in it are drawn by R. K. Laxman.

Swades !!!!

Saw SWADES yesterday, i was deeply moved by it.

Remember the kids running around in Indian trains doing petty jobs like cleaning, singing, vending or outright begging ? Who would not be moved looking at the sorry picture thses kids make ... Shahrukh getting angry and frustrated in the train was the high point of the movie for me. Believe it or not, I did want to cry out, a few tears rolling helpessly down my cheeks. We cannot be called a nation, leave alone a great one, if we dont wipe illiteracy, unemployment, poverty and child labour from our motherland. Now having lived outside the country for some time, I guess my self-defense mechanism of apathy has grown weaker and such things do bother my conscience now. In India, no one gives a damn about beggars, children wiping cars at signals and shameful things like that. Just the way we are immune to many microorganisms the westerners would succumb to in a week, we are totally immune and insensitive to thses social evils, so much that we just take it as an 'integral' part of India. As much as we claim Kashir to be one with India, these deep rooted evils are also one with India and I am afraid, Indian-ness. We need actions from individuals, not policies from invisible buerocrats.

Okkkkay, another outstanding feature of the movie is the underplayed romantic angle. One rarely sees decent looks and decent clothes going hand in hand. Why do our cinema makers think that audience wants to see explicit obscenity ? Indian girls and Indian clothes are an irresistible combination, I havnt found anyone denying this yet, and I would love to see more characters like the one Gayatri Joshi played. Thats the lovable and realistic face of the fairer sex.

Go on, see Swades and make it a superhit ! Let doing something for the country become the latest fashion and passion among NRIs and Indian city dwellers.

Tsunamis

I was really deeply shocked by the earthquake induced tsunamis striking Asia, especially south India. People dying in thousands, nature keeps reminding us of the destructive form it can take. We are by no means its masters yet, we merely cajole her into doing something for our pleasure sometimes. A really sobering lesson for all those who believe in the power of technology and the divine role of mankind in the grander scheme of things. We, as a human race, better behave ourselves and avoid pushing nature to her limits. Nature will ruthlessly retaliate when it cant take any more of abuse.

Wonder how one cannot even get a warning of such things from so many satellites and seismo-sensors.

Envoronmentalists, geologists and the like - get into top gear ASAP !!