The pen that writes from the other end

Not always are survivors the heroes  as we comprehend
And it may take a pen that writes from the other end
To complete the oft heard popular tales with facts so shy
Though they may go unread, or worse, construed as a lie

Most of the wars fought in ancient India are attributed to the female protagonist of the stories. From Sita , whose desire for the magical deer to Paanchali's laughter in the palace, the reason for the wars has always been  ascribed to a woman. But scrape the surface and many an unexplained bone make their appearance.

As the bride of Arjuna – The mighty warrior
I assumed that life would have not a barrier
But my joys lasted only until we reached
The gates of the palace where Kunti unknowingly preached

Yudhistra, in the name of upholding his mother's words, chose to shatter the kshatriya dharma of winning the bride in a swayamvara. This perhaps was the breach of dharma that has never been spoken of! What was more blood curdling was the dictatorial manner in which he drew up a schedule for the five brothers to follow in sharing her.

Alas, no one can predict the ever changing future
And happiness is but a bubble waiting to rupture
Kunti's fervent pleas to spare the girl went unheard
The rest could only direct their prayers heavenward

Any non-compliance in the regard was punished with a 12 year exile! Yes, you read it right. Yudhistra started the culture of sending his brothers on exile, not Duryodhana, as we popularly believe. Aruna, as fate would have it(?)  was the first one to be exiled. It was during his exile that Arjuna learnt the Brahmastra, married Krishna's half-sister, Shubadra and earned the wrath of Urvashi.

Some facts lay burried within a protected cage
To protect a lone man's ego and his endeared image
Does the generation next dare to set them free
If you care to, then just place your ears on any old tree
Unravel the stories that the world is waiting to know
Humanity would liberate itself from morals so low
Do not sell the woman that you vowed to defend
A plea from the pen that writes from the other end!

A Pushed Pawn Becomes Queen!

An erring king sans a mentor,
Has not the power to prevent his downfall
Every being has an unending need
For a course-corrector...

"இடிப்பாரை இல்லாத ஏமரா மன்னன்

கெடுப்பா ரிலானுங் கெடும்."

                                                                   - Thirukkural 448 

The Branded Grave

There came them calling themselves

A new species – ‘The Human Beings’

They did seem to be more intelligent

Than any others that the world was seeing!

They created the huge machines

And made them do wonderful things

They built and destroyed at will

And gifted themselves with incredible wings!

Fighting bitterly with each other at times,

They grouped and re-grouped again and again

None outside knew what went on

And within their walls there was loss and gain!

Gradually, the groups created identities

That defined everything that they used

The group of people were called a class

"How should we call the inanimate?”they mused!

But they never had to think for long

Ideas flooded their bottomless world!

As identities grew, so did their pride

“Brands”, they declared, and flags were unfurled!

They named everything that they owned

Rating these names against countable numbers

Some were rated more, some suffered ill-fate

Hatred grew, men and material were burnt in embers!

Groups were called castes and class

While materials was classified into brands

“Pedigree”, they said was dearer than life

Measuring their ego based on dollars and rands!

Their craving for brands grew and grew

Each man wanted the best even in his grave

Wanting nothing less than a branded adieu

He yearned to be called the classy and the brave!

The rituals during life varied with class

And in death the rule altered  not in the least

Some called it ego, others called it pride

But followed it as much in their fast as in their feast!

Nothing that they used was left unbranded

Except when it came to their final end

Until one day some of them decided

To brand the graveyard, calling it a classy trend!

Agasthya – The power of perseverance

A gurgling sea still looked ferocious. It was a complete deluge. The earth shattered, followed by a huge wave that seemed insatiable. It swallowed the animate and inanimate alike, ruthless and powerful as it was!

A vain and powerful kingdom lay submerged, allowing the sea creatures to feast on the once-all powerful creatures. The tectonic plates had moved causing a huge earthquake that shook the abode of Lord Shiva. There was a huge gathering and people from all over the region had gathered to wish Shiva and Parvati on their wedding day. Mythology has it that since all Gods had gathered at one place causing the colossal upheaval.

“This way!” screamed a voice. Soon a huge crowd followed the voice. Dodging the fire balls that rolled towards it, the crowd valiantly moved ahead. Soon they reached a point where the sea had made major inroads, gulping the greed of men that hitherto thrived in the region.

How were they to cross the watery grave alive? The leader, a tiny-tall man stood firm, holding a pot-like vessel in one hand and a beaded chain in the other. He signaled the crowd to stay calm. Hours passed and slowly the water started to ebb away.

“Once we cross the water and go to the other side, there are plain fertile lands. We can halt there for a few days before deciding what to do next”, he said.        

“Are you sure that the land can take all of us? We should split, lest we burden the land more than it can handle”, a man from the crowd spoke.

“You may be right. We caused this huge loss to mother earth by crowding at the same place. We should learn from our earlier mistakes”, the leader spoke.

He called the man from the crowd and to lead the other faction. People were seen bidding tearful adieus to near and dear ones. Their paths split, forever and somehow, they all knew it, though the words that were spoken conveyed the contrary.

After a few days both factions realized that the split was inevitable as people joined both factions along their way to safer pastures. The first faction of the Velir clan was led by Agasthya, while the second was led by Kashyap. The first faction moved southwards, while the second moved northwards. The entire land form had changed, and the plains were no longer visible. Agasthya was surprised. The earth grew before his eyes and the crowd went into a frenzy.

“Run, the earth is going to swallow us too. Evil forces have joined hands”, shouted a few.

“Death is inevitable. Let us sit and meditate and think of Shiva and Parvati before our lives are taken away”, rued some.

Some refused to move ahead, while some other wanted to go back. Few others egged Agasthya to carry on with those willing to follow him. Take the able men to protect you.

A wise man stood up with support on both sides. “Take the women and children along with you. Let the able men follow. The rest of us will try to keep pace”, he said. The leader agreed and the crowd progressed further, led by Agasthya. His tenacity urged others to follow their persevering leader.

Every now and then he called out to the people, motivating them to follow. He addressed the ever-growing mountain to stop and allow them to progress. Days rolled by, months passed, the old and unfit perished, unable to withstand the hardships. After many months Agasthya reached the top of the Vindhyas.

The crowd that followed cheered him. “Vindham Adakinon, Vaazhga”, they shouted. The climb down was not difficult. By now they had seen many hardships and had moved far away from the initial trauma, though the loss weighed heavily on them. As hey descend, they assimilate the traditions of the local people and begin to thrive. Many interesting stories about the survivors and their lives unfurl to entertain eternity.

One among the many stories is that of Avvaiyar, a poet beyond compare, a guide par excellence and an advisor to Lords and rulers.

As Agasthya survived the arduous journey and appeared victorious atop Vindhyas, crowds on either side cheered him. Once he descended, the local chieftain, a fisherman, wished to give his daughter in marriage to Agasthya. Agasthya married her. Soon they had a son who they named, Perumsagara, meaning the vast sea. True to his name he was wise and sharp. He married the daughter of the local leader and Agasthya named him Bhagwan. The intellect and tenacity of Agasthya had spread far and wide. Meanwhile his wisdom, in the form of stories from the past kept his listeners in rapt attention. He had overcome the language barrier by formulating the language that was destined to unite people far and wide and would be spoken by the generation that followed. 

Many detractors mushroomed from time-to-time, but the power of Agasthya-founded Tamil still stands the test of time. So immensely uniting and emotionally exquisite was his formulation, that its popularity spread far and wide. Bhagwan grew up listening to his grandfather’s story. His penchant to find out the fate of the second faction made him set out on a journey northward. On route he met his wife-to-be, a girl who he named Aadi. Aadi gave birth to a girl child. Not wanting to subject the child to the unknown hardships that she and her husband were embarked on, she left the child in the care of a local learned man.

From her foster father, Avvaiyar learnt about her parent and grandparents and decided to unite people all over the region. 

Her skill at poetry and mastery over the language formulated by her great grandfather Agasthya, helped her achieve her cause.

Ode To The Ruler!

Measured in action
Transparent in dealings
Yielding to no faction
A ruler sans divisive feelings!

No foot in the mouth
Draws clear boundaries
Stretching between North and South
A ruler sans baseless worries

Learns at the edges
Connects every dot
Yearning for no badges
A ruler, not a bigot!

Bends not an inch
Remains equally to all
Tackling issues not cinch
A ruler, not a wax doll!

Touch - The Krishna Concept

I am not sure who Krishna was. But the stories associated with this name reflect the existence of a mature society that sought conceptual clarity. Heres one such story that appeared to be a good bed-time story for kids when I read it first. But it lingered on, revealing layers of a deeper philosophy. 

One day Arjuna walked up to Krishna after performing an act of what seemed like philanthropy to him.

"Krishna, do you agree that I am the greatest philanthropist in the world?"Krishna smiled but said nothing.

Arjuna persisted. What initially seemed like harmless bragging on the part of Arjuna, eventually grew into a war of words between the two. "Come to the empty ground behind the palace before sunrise tomorrow", Krishna ordered.

Arjuna reached the round, by now more out of curiosity than the initial emotion. He saw Krishna leading the way, with Karna trotting behind. When the three of them met Arjuna and Karna were equally surprised. Krishna silently walked ahead, signaling the twosome to follow him. They reached a spot and what lay ahead made Arjuna and Karna gasp. Two huge heaps of precious stones and gems and rare metal welcomed the unsuspecting warriors. 

Finally, Krishna spoke. "Before sunset distribute all of this wealth to needy people. Take one heap each", Krishna was not available to answer any queries! Arjuna realized, albeit a little late that Krishna was still on the previous day's topic. He soon started looking around and called every single person that looked famished and gave away a little portion of the heap. But as he dug into the heap, the heap started growing. Karna found a tree nearby and decided to rest a for while, while Arjuna was busy distributing the wealth. 

By noon Arjuna's little hill had grown to a mountain, while Karna's stood still. It was close to sunset and Arjuna wondered what Karna was going to do. After all, there was very little time left as the great ball of fire was sinking fast into the dusky sky. Karna woke up and walked lazily towards his heap. He looked around and saw two lame people walking towards them. Word had spread about the wealth distribution camp and people were still trickling in to take alms from the noble one that was distributing wealth generously. 

As the lame people approached them, Karna called out to one of them. The man limped towards Karna hesitantly.

"Do you see this heap?"Karna asked him pointing to his heap of wealth. "Yes, my Lord", the lame man said, folding his hands in reverence. "From now on this is yours!" Karna said with very little hesitation. Krishna appeared before the two at that very instant.

Ärjuna", began the Lord, "philanthropy does not mean distributing the wealth among the subjects. When you touch something, it becomes

yours. You gradually start associating with it, nurturing it and as a consequence, it begins to grow on you. When you do not touch something, it does not belong to you. Giving away what does not belong to you is quite simple as you just saw", concluded Krishna.

Karna was about to leave when Krishna continued, "On the contrary, when wealth is distributed wisely, through good governance, prosperity prevails. Each of us has a strength that will become our weakness when the rule of the game changes".

The girls' swirls

SHE was born. SHE stands for She when a girl child is born, transforming into a He after marriage and becoming wE upon the birth of a child. Confused? Then surely you must be a boy or a bigger boy trying to make sense out of this. My sincere suggestion - Don't! Does this ring a bell? Hail comrade! Curious to know more? Wait until you grow up, girl!

SHE in her first phase of life is the daughter - carefree, loving and adorable. She helps her parents around in the odd jobs, fights with her siblings, does what she has to and begins growing roots. As she grows her parents begin to worry more. Their expectation from her begins to increase. The modern-day dialogues have morphed themselves, rather unsuccessfully, to camouflage the regressive mindset.

SHE is told to learn how to cook, followed by a ‘I am not saying this so you may cook and feed your husband and in-laws. I am saying this so you don’t starve!’ – oh, yeah?

SHE does understand the intent behind what she is told, the words fail their master when not backed by the same intent. She may protest, she may resist, but learn she does. She is blessed with a growth mindset, that’s talking on behalf of the majority.

SHE chooses to get married in some cases, while in some others, the choice is not hers. A beautiful, surreal transformation brings out the  He in her. How else does one explain this? It takes lesser than a microsecond for a girl to accept a stranger, maybe in the modern world, a family that she did not grow up in as hers! You don’t believe me? You sure are a boy or a bigger version of that species! It takes you a lifetime to accept the family that you were born in, as yours.

SHE lays in wait to undergo the second transformation to wE. If it does not happen naturally, she does everything within her might to make it happen. And when it does happen, SHe is no longer the She or the He that she was. She becomes the wE giving birth to the SHE. Call it biology, call it psychology. Call it nature, call it life. Her possibilities as a wE always tend to infinity!

SHE swirls, around her many roles, some as She, some as He and the remaining as wE.  SHE swirls – a girl’s swirls to womanhood!