Despite the harsh and uncomfortable comments made by Joel Stein on the changing landscape of his hometown Edison, N.J due to the immigration of Indians out there; I do find a strong reason & feeling to empathize with him.
We all possess a sense of belongingness to our native places - whether we are Indians, Americans, Europeans, Australians etc. Every culture, tradition and lifestyle has its own innate strengths and its share of weaknesses as well. We do like to live in our own peculiar manner and do cherish our own customs & trends. Stein, therefore can be discounted for the due expression of his feelings.
The way Stein is disturbed or concerned or astonished over the transformation of his hometown Edison, I am concerned and disgusted over a similar transformation of one of the most venerated spiritual places in India brought about by the mindless influx of American dollars by an insensitive band of American NRIs.
Chiksoli & Manpur are twin villages near the town of Barsana (located in District Mathura in the state of Uttar Pradesh) - which happens to be the birth place of Smt. Radha Rani - the eternal consort of Sri Krishna - the propounder of the world famous Srimad Bhagvad Gita.
Everything was going on well in these twin villages till about a decade ago. The serene rural settings compounded by the ecological grandeur of Gahvarvan - one of the finest sacred groves of Braj, Dohini Kund, Vihar Kund, Maangarh, Vilasgarh, Ashtasakhi hills, Radha Sarovar, Mor Kuti, Kadamb Khandi, agrarian fields, gave an internalizing experience to one and all who dared to visit these spiritual hamlets.
The experience was further amplified by the musical renditions of Sri Ramesh Baba - the revolutionary saint of braj - performed in honor of the Divine Couple Sri Radha Krishna, every evening. The warm hospitality offered by the locales at Ras Mandir made one forget the comforts of the finest hospitable destinations.
A community led movement aimed at reviving the lost heritage of the region comprising of ancient water bodies, sacred groves, degraded pasture lands & hill slopes was going on silently inspired by Sri Ramesh Baba. It re-instilled the confidence in the local youth to take charge of their ecological infrastructure and build upon their prosperous socio-economic enterprises on the innate strength of Braj. To attract further support a team of locals went to the US to seek the support of the American NRI community out there. This proved to be a 'turning point' in the destiny of the twin-hamlets of Chiksoli & Manpur, in a similar way the 1965 Lyndon Johnson's fetish for the Asians opened the gates of America for Asian immigrants.
Hordes of Non Resident Indians got attracted to the persona of Sri Ramesh Baba and in their own characteristic pompous style, started influencing the entire state of affairs. The simple rural folks got swayed by their economic might and started selling off their prized lands for their palatial spiritual retreats.
The austerity & simplicity of the place took less than a decade to get lost. The way Edison got invaded by the lesser intelligent Indians, Chiksoli and Maanpur got encroached by materialistic spiritualists.
Now there are multi-storeyed towers in these small villages with shoddy drainage and sewerage disposal systems. The pompous display of money is clearly visible everywhere. To house cattle, fortresses have been built as if they are real endangered species.
Instead of upgrading the local school Sri Raseshwary Vidya Mandir which was envisioned to be graduated into a rural university, the entire focus has shifted on residential apartments for the overseas clients. Due to the lack of building regulations in the rural areas in India, havoc is being designed as the effluent from these gushing buildings would spoil the local habitat like anything.
Cultural invasions are happening all across. Whether its Edison, New Jersey or it is Chiksoli - Manpur near Barsana in Mathura. In both cases, the local communities are at peril and at a disadvantage as their independence and liberty is encroached upon.
I would certainly empathize with Stein as I have really lost the charm and attraction to visit the very place of my inspiration and instruction while I was a little kid.
Stein has simply been chastized on the intellectual plane by the Indian-American Community. The poor me was driven out from the very place by levelling out serious death threats by the goons flourishing on the financial support of the invaders from America.
Cultural invasions of any kind just should not be and just cannot be tolerated or patronized.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Empathizing with Joel Stein : His Edison, My Barsana
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The Hypocrites Incarnate
The Hypocrites Incarnate
Oct. 2005
The Bharatiya Janata Party, the political extension of Sangh parivar seems to be a mere bandwagon of hypocrites. 'Walking the talk' doesn't seem to be their dharma. The concept of Hindutva, of hindu rashtra over which any of their demagogues would delineate for hours together doesn't find any space either in their personal lives or their administrative policies. What is the value of an ideal if it doesn't find its true practitioners?
The Vasundhara Raje led BJP government in the state of Rajasthan has displayed the best possible example of hypcrisy. Be it the issue of water supply to the world heritage Keoladeo National park in Bharatpur, or be it the disappearance of tigers from the tiger reserve of Sariska or be it the brutal destruction of Krishna hills in the Kaman tehsil of Bharatpur district, Mrs Raje doesn't seem to be concerned at all.
In the Keoladeo case she gives an utterly impractical solution of supplying water through pipelines from Chambal river over which even her old school mate and the honorary director of the C.P.Ramaswamy Foundation, Chennai had to laugh at.
The Raje government has no explanation as to why the Project Tiger officials could not trace even a single tiger this February when only an year ago it was reported that there were 18 big cats in Sariska.
The recent outburst of Smt. Maneka Gandhi on the callous attitude of the Raje Government bears a live testimony of the gross negligence and indifference towards ecology and environment.
Even after getting critical observations & comments from the honourable Rajasthan High Court over the rampant illegal mining of 5000 year old heritage hills of Braj connected to the innumerable pastimes of Lord Krishna, the devout Hindu government of Rajasthan is totally unmoved.
When a delegation of Braj Rakshak Dal met Smt Raje in December last over the issue, she arrogantly refused to act and asserted that 'do what you can', we won't stop the mining activities.
There seems to be no political mileage out of the issue of brutal destruction of Krishna Janmabhoomi or else the torchbearers of Hindutva would have initiated yet another rath-yatra.
In the name of consolidating Hindutva, the Raje government seems to have restricted to simply enforcing bhojan mantras in the state run schools or to sponsor Government pujas in the temples of the state or to provide due hospitality to her refugee comrades who had taken shelter in her rajya so that they can keep their convictions and allegiance intact.
Nature and environment which have been very central to Hindu culture and heritage is finding a grave threat in the reign of these self-proclaimed champions of Hinduism.
Dying for the ideal can only establish the same. The hypocrisy which the BJP leadership has shown all over will only create a total disillusionment over the ideal.
In the wake of total inaction, apathy and indifference of those in responsible positions the Hindu revivalist movement is under a grave threat.
The ideal for which the sangh owes its very existence is worth dying for. Why then the political leadership inspired by these cherished ideals hesitating to act? The hesitation only points towards the bankruptcy of character on their part.
We really do need to go back to Guruji's "Bunch of Thoughts" to undergo a deeper introspection, or else the crores of Swayamsewaks who have dedicated their lifetimes to the organisation of the Hindu society will get disillusioned. Who knows that we would witness another Doctorji again.
The Hindu forces must ensure that the political masters are under the control of dharma danda or else there is no hope.
The Disrobing of Braj Bhoomi
The Disrobing of Braj Bhoomi
Braj – the
Hillocks after hillocks are being blasted out by the heavy use of dynamite.
Hundreds of heritage spots have been reduced to dust.
The spots have been the center of devotion and reverence for millions of Vaishnavite Hindus all over the world who come every year for circumambulating these holy hills and darshan of these heritage spots.
The blasting process is having a very adverse effect on the entire surroundings.
1. Massive sound
2. Cracks in the nearby buildings
3. Adverse effect on the water table.
4. Wildlife uprooted
5. Pastureland for the herds.
Heavy mechanized mining process. Hundreds of crushers are thriving on this mining activity. Illegal operations are rampant.
If this remains the state of affairs, there would not be any trace of the hills within 5-10 years.
Even the intolerant Muslim rulers who had destroyed thousands of Hindu temples have never ever done such merciless destruction of Braj. A temple can be resurrected and rebuilt, but can such natural features be developed again?
The entire cultural unit of Braj is on the verge of destruction and uprooting.
It’s a lame argument altogether that shutting down mining activity would create widespread unemployment.
Sylvan Pasture lands can be developed all over these hillocks. This would solve the problem of feeding the animals. Water harvesting mechanisms need the existence of these hills.
The Braj Bhoomi is crying and wailing for the safeguard of its honor. Like the pleading Draupadi the Braj Bhoomi is also seeking for redressal of its grievances. But no one seems to be listening.
The political masters are all Dhritrastras who are bearing and causing every injustice out of their love and affection towards their Duryodhanas – the land and mining Mafia, who after all offer them heavy paybacks.
Their limitations, constraints and allegiance bind all the Governors like Bhishma Pitamah to the power centres.
The Kripacharyas – the judiciary is also tight lipped and constrained. The real protectors and saviours of the Braj bhoomi - the saints, mahants, acharyas like Pandavas, have lost in the hands of Duryodhanas, Dushasanas and Shakunis out of various reasons.
Others are but the common masses, who are utterly disorganized, engrossed heavily in their daily chores and are powerless.
Like the disheartened and disillusioned Draupadi who failed in getting protection in the assembly hall of the mighty Kurus, the Braj bhoomi is also putting all its hope on the Lord.
Sanghe Shakti Kalau Yuge – a people’s movement is building up all over Braj. It takes time for the masses to awaken, but once the realization and spirit is there, nothing would stop them. If the Dritrashtras, Duryodhanas, Dushasanas take note of the situations and address the same, or else there is an impending Mahabharata.
Sri Krishna in the sacred cosmology of Braj
Sri Krishna in the sacred cosmology of Braj
The Background
Braj – the culturally vibrant and spiritually significant region associated with the childhood pastimes of Sri Krishna has a distinct identity of its own. In the commonwealth of Indian culture and heritage Braj offers an excellent mix of cultural traditions, architectural grandeur, ecological splendour and spiritual vibrancy. Over 50 million tourists and pilgrims come to visit this sacred settlement annually. The region is located strategically in the golden triangle of Delhi-Jaipur-Agra and is merely 115 kms from the national capital on the Delhi-Agra national highway.
The region which was once sandwiched between the Muslim capitals of Agra and Delhi still stands for its age-old values of sustainable living, of harmonious co-existence between nature and man, of simple living and high thinking, of the divinity of life. The foundations of the cultural traditions of Braj were so strong that the Muslim invaders couldn't create much of a difference in the values and ideals of the people.
During the Bhakti era, Braj was the point of culmination of all acharyas, saints and seers from different parts of the country. When Akbar relaxed the jazia, a wave of reconstruction and regeneration started in this divine land. Princely states from all over the country came forward to decorate the land of Krishna. Such has been the significance and importance of this small region spread over 5000 sq. km.
Sri Krishna who is considered to be the founder of Braj culture resided in the region till the age of 11 years. Right from his birth at Mathura till his departure from Braj this short time-span is replete with innumerable events and incidents, popularly known as pastimes. A rough estimate puts the sites connected to these pastimes to be around 25000. They include over 1000 water tanks (kunds), hundreds of sacred groves, innumerable spots spread over 18000 acre of hilly terrains, banks of river Yamuna, temples and other cultural landscapes. The 600 odd heritage villages of Braj are named after one or the other Krishna leelas. All these spots have an association with the life and times of Krishna, they are considered sacred, fairs & festivals are organized near them, millions come to visit them, and most importantly they do bear some historical importance. These spots do impress upon the fact that it's their presence which held the faith and belief of the inhabitants of the region during the troubling times of Muslim invasions and subsequently the British onslaughts.
This sacred cosmology of Braj has found ample mention in the religious literature where its metaphysical importance has been prominently highlighted whereas the economic, social, cultural, and scientific dimensions of the same have been largely ignored and neglected. All this has resulted into certain negative stereotypes about the spiritual traditions and values of Braj. These connotations eventually result into movies like The White Rainbow where the entire temple town of Vrindavan is projected as a brothel of widows. People take Braj to be a place for retired people and at best a centre of religious activities. They remain ignorant of the sustainable economic model of Braj, the vibrant social traditions, the music, the arts, the cuisine and the ecological grandeur of the region.
However, if the economic, social, cultural and scientific aspects of Braj culture are brought to light, it would be instrumental in positively positioning the entire gamut of Indic traditions.
The Proposal
The Braj Foundation intends to create a comprehensive multimedia documentation of the entire gamut of Braj culture and heritage and bring it out in multiple modes – website, books and leaflets etc. This documentation would thereby form the basis for further research into the spiritual and meta-physical traditions of Braj and their correlations with the other secular aspects.
The multimedia documentation would comprise of a well researched descriptive note on each spot with all the relevant references, pictures of the site, audio & video interviews of local inhabitants and scholars about the relevance and importance of the spot. All this set of information would thereby be assembled into a user-friendly format for easy access.
The best way to portray or depict the entire gamut of Braj culture and heritage would be to make Sri Krishna, the protagonist of the entire plot. Making the life of Sri Krishna as the basis, all the heritage spots can be documented in time sequence of the major events.
Krishna - the primordial iconoclast
Sri Krishna – the primordial iconoclast
Gautama Buddha, Socrates, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammad, Galileo Galilei, Karl Marx, Martin Luther King, Osho Rajneesh etc. are some of the names which flash through our mind as soon as someone utters the word iconoclast.
But have we ever turned our attention towards Sri Krishna whose entire lifespan of over 125 years was engaged in establishing the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity which later became the founding slogans of American Revolution and thereafter the French Revolution From his very childhood he is seen as breaking the age-old traditions, beliefs and ideologies which had incapacitated the virility of the society of his times. The existing dogmas had stopped the flow of fresh ideas and interpretations of the exhortations once made by the ancients. The exhortations remained pious for the common folk but the knowledge and realization as to what made these calls so sacred got lost somewhere in the long course of time. As humans, civilizations do have their birth, growth, stagnation, decadence and finally death.
As we would be celebrating the 5123th birth anniversary of Sri Krishna sometime from now with great devotion, fanfare and ecstasy it would be interesting for all of us to go deeper into the life of this larger-than-life personality who has been deified, is revered, worshipped and surrendered to until now but has not been understood.
He has not been explored in his entirety so far. An overshadowing hallow of divinity has been built around him which has eclipsed his other mortal facets which could have given light and direction to the society at large in the current troubling times. The primarily reason might have been the pressing needs of the times when it happened.
The partial reason would have been the self-serving attitude of the upcoming organized religious sects. Now when a multi-billion religious industry has built up around his life, his works and his place of birth where he performed his multifarious leelas as they are called with veneration, it would be all the more difficult and impossible to explain and propagate the iconoclastic personality of Sri Krishna.
At the tender age of 7 Krishna stood against the established practice of worshipping Indra – the devata responsible for showering rains. He was so firm and confident about his analysis that he argued unhesitatingly with elders who were many times of his age and finally convinced them. The entire 24 th chapter of the 10th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, which is revered to be the most exalted scripture on Krishna bhakti and thereby on Vaishnavism, if read with an objective perspective extols the founding principles of the scientific temper and the spirit to inquire.
One day Krishna happened to see that the cowherds were busily arranging for a ceremonial sacrifice. He therefore humbly inquired from the elders, headed by His father, Nanda Maharaj. Krishna requests his father to explain about the sacrifice, its intent and purpose.
He reaffirms his request by giving several arguments such as 'No secrets are to be kept by saintly personalities, who see all others as equal to themselves, who have no conception of "mine" or "another's" and who do not consider who is a friend, who is an enemy and who is neutral.'
He furthers his inquiry by saying that one who is neutral may be avoided like an enemy, but a friend should be considered like one's own self.
He thereafter utters the time tested wisdom that when people in this world perform activities, sometimes they understand what they are doing and sometimes they don't. Those who know what they are doing achieve success in their work, whereas ignorant people do not.
To ignite a response he finally demands that this ritualistic endeavor should be clearly explained to him. The tender Krishna goes further by questioning his father in front of all the elderly folks as to whether the current ceremony is based on scriptural injunction, or is simply a custom of ordinary society?
Forced by the logically framed case of Krishna, Nanda Maharaj replied that the great Lord Indra is the controller of the rain. The clouds are his personal representatives, and they directly provide rainwater, which gives happiness and sustenance to all creatures.
He tries to consoles the little chap that it's not only them, but the entire humanity worships him, the lord and master of the rain-giving clouds. Nanda further explains that they simply offer grain and other paraphernalia of worship which is eventually produced through Indra's discharge in the form of rain.
He tries to convince the little child that by accepting the remnants of sacrifices performed to Indra, people sustain their lives and accomplish the threefold aims of religiosity, economic development and sense gratification. He finally concludes that Lord Indra is the agent responsible for the fruitive success of industrious people and this religious principle is based on sound tradition.
At the end he threatens Krishna by saying that anyone who rejects it out of lust, enmity, fear or greed will certainly fail to achieve good fortune.
Unconvinced and undeterred Krishna exhorts the law of karma, which he later on propounds so beautifully in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
He explains that it is by the force of karma that a living entity takes birth, and it is by karma alone that he meets his destruction. His happiness, distress, fear and sense of security all arise as the effects of karma. Even if there is some supreme controller who awards all others the results of their activities, He must also depend upon a performer's engaging in activity. After all, there is no question of being the bestower of fruitive results unless fruitive activities have actually been performed.
Living beings in this world are forced to experience the consequences of their own particular previous work. Since Lord Indra cannot in any way change the destiny of human beings, which is born of their own nature, why should people worship him?
Every individual is under the control of his own conditioned nature, and thus he must follow that nature. This entire universe, with all its demigods, demons and human beings, is based on the conditioned nature of the living entities.
Because it is karma that causes the conditioned living entity to accept and then give up different high- and low-grade material bodies, this karma is his enemy, friend and neutral witness, his spiritual master and controlling lord.
Therefore one should seriously worship work itself. A person should remain in the position corresponding to his nature and should perform his own duty. Indeed, that by which we may live nicely is really our worshipable deity.
He continues by raising apt practical questions of the times that if one thing is actually sustaining our life but we take shelter in something else, how can we achieve any real benefit? We would be like an unfaithful woman, who can never achieve any actual benefit by consorting with her paramour.
The brahmana maintains his life by studying and teaching the Vedas, the member of the royal order by protecting the earth, the vaisya by trade, and the sudra by serving the higher, twice-born classes.
He then explains to the entire elderly folks that the occupational duties of the vaisya are conceived in four divisions: farming, commerce, cow protection and moneylending. Out of these, the gopas as a community are always engaged in cow protection.
The causes of creation, maintenance and destruction are the three modes of nature -- namely goodness, passion and ignorance. In particular, the mode of passion creates this universe and through sexual combination causes it to become full of variety. Impelled by the material mode of passion, the clouds pour down their rain everywhere, and by this rain all creatures gain their sustenance. What has the great Indra to do with this arrangement?
He finally asserts what became the foundations of Braj culture thereafter. He told his father with due veneration, “My dear father, our home is not in the cities or towns or villages. Being forest dwellers, we always live in the forest and on the hills. Therefore why should we not perform a sacrifice for the pleasure of the cows, the brahmanas and Govardhana Hill? Why should we not use all the paraphernalia collected for worshiping Indra to worship the Govardhana hill?”
Krishna was extremely rational in advocating the same. The hills of Braj were the pasture lands for cattle which eventually formed the basis of the prosperity of the cowherds. Reciprocating to the very natural forces which are the root cause of their prosperity is nothing but gratitude which averts their overexploitation and eventual destruction.
Elated by his master advocacy he starts giving directions for the new celebration. “Let many different kinds of food be cooked, from sweet rice to vegetable soups! Many kinds of fancy cakes, both baked and fried, should be prepared. And all the available milk products should be taken for this sacrifice. The brahmanas who are learned in the Vedic mantras must properly invoke the sacrificial fires. Then you should feed the priests with nicely prepared food and reward them with cows and other gifts. After giving the appropriate food to everyone else, including such fallen souls as dogs and dog-eaters, you should give grass to the cows and then present your respectful offerings to Govardhana Hill. After everyone has eaten to his satisfaction, you should all dress and decorate yourselves handsomely, smear your bodies with sandalwood paste and then circumambulate the cows, the brahmanas, the sacrificial fires and Govardhana Hill.”
In his concluding remarks he backtracks and plays a masterstroke by saying, “This is my idea, O father, and you may carry it out if it appeals to you. Such a sacrifice will be very dear to the cows, the brahmanas and Govardhana Hill, and also to me.”
Who could have countered a case put so splendidly by Krishna? Everyone accepted what he proposed. They arranged for the brahmanas to recite the auspicious Vedic mantras, and using the paraphernalia that had been intended for Indra's sacrifice, they presented offerings to Govardhana Hill and the brahmanas with reverential respect. They also gave grass to the cows. Then, placing the cows, bulls and calves in front of them, they circumambulated Govardhana. As the beautifully ornamented cowherd ladies followed along, riding on wagons drawn by oxen, they sang the glories of Lord Krishna, and their songs mingled with the brahmanas' chanting of benedictions. The members of the cowherd community, having thus been inspired by Krishna to properly perform the sacrifice to Govardhana Hill, the cows and the brahmanas, returned with Lord Krishna to their village, Vraja.
This entire narrative shows how Krishna broke the existing practices and traditions in which he saw no reason and rationale. He was firm in his arguments and at such a tender age was able to bring about such a transformation.
Millions are earned through bhagwat kathas these days, but none of the speakers dares to refer to this chapter, for if he does he would indirectly promote iconoclasm and people would start questioning his personal acts. He would then not be able to raise millions in the name of the service of the holy abode of Sri Krishna and thereby construct palatial mansions which go very much against the very spirit and soul of Braj.
Organizations like The Braj Foundation and its sister concerns like Braj Rakshak Dal have started raising such fundamental questions in due agreement with the lineage of Krishna bhakti. They are not only questioning the entire concept of dhaam sewa and Krishna consciousness but are reinterpreting the same by taking on the task of the protection and conservation of the rich ecological heritage of Braj through massive community participation. Their endeavour has led to the restoration of over 30 ancient water bodies, revival of several sacred groves and the protection of thousands of acres of hill slopes.
This Janmashtami, let's meditate on the Iconoclast Krishna, let's worship that Krishna who dared to question the accepted yet aberrational practices of Braj. Let's pray to that Krishna who can inspire all of us to stand for truth, justice and reason.