Indian parallel to Trojan horse? Recall the love story of King Udayan

There is a train from Bangalore coming up north, called Udyan (Sanskrit for Garden, named so because of Bangalore’s garden) express. I mistook it for the Udayan Express, which reminded me of King Udayan, the hero of Bhasa’s twin plays Pratigna Yaugandharayana (= the wow of Yaugandharayana) and Swapnavasavadattam (=dream of Vasavadatta).

I had thought that a train starting from South might have his name, incidentally 13 of Bhasa (one of the best Sanskrit playwrights, thought to have lived some four hundred years before Christ) plays were discovered in Trivandrum. Prior to that, no one had seen Bhasa’s works in hard form, just through the references of the later writers. But checking the map revealed that Kaushambi, the kingdom of Udayan is up north, little West of Alahabad.

Well, the early part of the story – about the wow of Yaugandharayana is so enchanting, that I want to share it here.

Udayan is believed to have existed when Buddhism was becoming popular. As usual, India of that time continued to be embroiled into struggle for power and territory.

Kaushambi was at strife with the nearby Ujjayini (today’s Ujjain is in MP, the distance is about 500 miles between the two). Udayan ruled Kaushambi, a relatively smaller but significant kingdom. Pradyot was the king of Ujjayini.

Image Courtesy: http://www.ignca.nic.in/ICH/ich_photos/ich00020/pages/Veena%2007.htm

Udayan was a popular king, young, handsome, highly accomplished in all the skills required of a king in that time. He also had a unique ability – by playing Veena, he could tame wild and war elephants. In those days, elephants played a crucial role in wars. War elephants were made to drink alcohol and then they were let loose on the enemies. Once when Pradyot’s army attacked Kaushambi, Udayan simply played Veena, calming down the elephants. From that moment on, Pradyot wanted to learn that Vidya of taming elephants. On the other hand, Yaugandharayana, the minister and adviser of Udayan wished that the two states made peace rather than engaging in frequent skirmishes for obvious reasons.

Pride prevented negotiations, and Yaugandharayana believed that a politically motivated marriage could be an excellent solution. Pradyot had a young, beautiful and talented daughter named Vasavadatta, and Udayan was a bachelor. But how would the two enemy states come to discuss marriage? From this point onward, the role of Yaugandharayana is not at all visible, but the turn of events is fascinating – hinting at his excellent statesmanship if he stage-managed the events.

Pradyot realized that it was impossible to overpower Udayan in the battle ground. So he was looking for alternatives.

One day, men who watched forest-lined Kaushambi borders brought news that a unique white elephant had come to graze the forests. Udayan who was a lover of elephants himself, took his Veena along and went over to see for himself as white elephants were not to be found in his area. As soon as he took position within the earshot of the elephant and sat down to play Veena, soldiers came out of it (remember the Trojan horse?), captured Udayan and sped away to Ujjayini.

Pradyot asked Udayan to teach him the art of taming animals by music in return of his release.

Do you know what Udayan said? He said he did not mind teaching his art and skill to anyone who was curious to know. So if Pradyot accepted Udayan as his Guru and respectfully learned from him, he would teach this Vidya to him. Pradyot could not bring himself to make a Guru out of his arch-enemy. But he thought that Vasavadatta, his daughter could learn from Udayan.

But both were young and attractive – what if they fell in love?

So, Pradyot told Udayan that there was a hunch-backed and extremely ugly girl in the family, who could spend her time well learning. Udayan replied that he was not concerned with the looks – if the student was sincere, he would teach. Pradyot said that in order to save Udayan from the ugly and potentially disturbing sight, a curtain would be drawn between the Guru and the student.

The student, Vasavadatta was told that the teacher of this exquisite and powerful art was a leper and his wounds were offending to the eye. So as the princess took the lessons, a curtain would be drawn between her and her guru.

Thus the arrangements were made and the lessons began.

Vasavadatta was a good student, but on one particular day she was making the same mistake again and again. Udayan initially instructed calmly, but a point arrived when he lost patience and yelled in frustration at Vasavadatta calling her a hunch-backed ******. Upon hearing this Vasavadatta was shocked and she yelled back that a leper who had no idea who she was had no right to call her such names.

Udayan was so shocked to hear that, that he leaped and pulled the curtain down. Both were stunned to see each other and fell in love instantly.

Well, soon Yaugandharayana came in to the picture, whose mole approached the king at the right time, and arranged for the escape of Udayan and Vasavdatta, to reach safely back home at Kaushambi and “Vidhi-poorvak” (= ceremoniously) marry Vasavadatta.

Peace prevailed as in those times it was perfectly legitimate to abet a woman who wanted to marry her lover. So Pradyot accepted his daughter’s choice and the two states became friendly.

You Know You Are in Love With An Engineer …

http://dryicons.com/icon/architecture-blueprint-icons-set/engineer/

When we were in school, there was a hit movie titled “Kabhi Kabhi”. We used to double up laughing when   someone mentioned a scene from it in which the actress asks her husband what he thought of her eyes. The ex of the actress was a poet. The husband seemed to have a tough time, he took a couple of seconds, and said something to the effect, “your eyes are so bright they look as if in a dark night, a lantern is burning in a hut.” This husband was an engineer.

We wondered if someone could have such a tough time describing things like eyes, using metaphors, being abstract, imagining …

But people meet engineers in real life, fall in love with them, and hear comments that bring back the memory of the Kabhi Kabhi Dialogue. You know you’re like one of those women when…

• You are in  a lily-green, floral, summer dress which he seems to like, then he looks approvingly at you and says, “You look like a pineapple”
• Who picks whom up is decided by logistics
• You are sending kisses to him over telephone but he does not notice it until you ask him to verify if he has received additional sound bytes
• He reads about Angelina Jolie’s obsession about blood and gets reminded of your talk about love almost being spiritual
• You get really rattled, say you want to go REALLY slow, are worrying if you have done the right thing. He responds quickly and happily with “Great. We are in sync … good recipe for sustainability”!

If you are getting reminded of some things similar that an engineer told you, and if they made you smile, when you heard them you imagined the expression on the faces of some of your best friends if you told them what you just heard, and if you are going to keep some of such comments just to yourself, you might be in love with an engineer!

Corn, Soy Chunk Medley

Do you look for something for dinner that is thick and filling, nutritious, healthy and light? I keep trying a lot of stuff and here is what I liked after I just randomly put together the concoction:

Ingredients:

Soup:

• Soy Mini Chunks (or Vadis, I used Nutrela ® by Ruchi priced at Rs. 27/- for 200g): 1 cup
• Juicy, ripe Desi tomatoes: 250 grams
• American corn: 1, medium sized
• Potatoes: small, 2 no.s
• Onion – pink or purple: 1, small

Garnish:

• Fresh, finely chopped mint leaves: 2 tbsp
• Fresh, finely chopped coriander: 2 tbsp
• Juice of one lemon
• Tiny dices of ¼ inch ginger
• Tiny dices of cheese – cottage or processed (I used Amul processed cheese cubes 2×1 inch and diced them up)
• Green chili 1 piece
• Salt to taste
• Oregano 1 tsp
• Black pepper 1 tsp
• Butter 1 tbsp

1. Clean all vegetables and set aside
2. Cut the corn cob into two and take out the corn from one half
3. Cut potatoes in halves, peel onions
4. Take a pressure cooker and put potatoes, tomatoes, onion, chili and corn into the cooker
5. Add Nutrela and two and a half cups of water, close the lid, place the pressure and turn the stove on
6. Roast the other half of the corn
7. Allow the cob to cool down for a couple of minutes and then rub some lemon juice on it, (and rub a pinch of salt-pepper-rock salt mix before adding lemon, if you like, for added flavor)
8. Take a large serving bowl and put the roasted corn separated from the cob
9. Add ginger dices, coriander, mint and lemon juice, mix well
10. Keep an eye over the pressure cooker, which should give about four whistles.
11. Turn the stove off and allow the cooker to cool
12. Open the lid after fifteen minutes and further cool for 15 minutes
13. Blend, adding water up to 500ml depending on the thickness you like) and strain the contents back into the cooker using a large-pored sieve if you like textured soup with fibre.
14. Turn on medium heat, add salt, pepper, oregano and butter and heat for five minutes
15. Turn the heat off, transfer the contents into the serving bowl
16. Add dices of cheese, make patterns with fresh whipped curd if you like,  and serve

FRESH FIG PRESERVE

Preserves remind me of Murabbah (generally made of mangoes), and I take full freedom to try different fruit and different preparations. FYI, my preserves are not meant to last – sometimes they are gone on the same day! Of course, I also make the quantity small. After all, in a country like India, where we have constantly oncoming waves of fresh fruit and vegetables round the year across all seasons, who needs to sit back? Just surf on the high tide of supply 

Fresh Fig

This time I made the preserve from fresh figs. In my city, we get fresh figs from nearby Maharashtra and they are light pink in color, juicy and mildly flavored. Usually the quantity is 200 grams per box of figs sold in the fruit market. My father in law is a sourcing enthusiast, and he loves to visit the fruit market early in the morning.

Typical retail quantity of figs

For this preserve, I used between two to three boxes and selected figs that were ready to eat and soft, and a few that were a bit hard and gave the feeling that they would be ready in a day or two.

Here is what I did:

Material:

• A soup bowl from typical dinner set
• A thick-bottomed pan for making sugar syrup
• Spatula for stirring
• Large bowl for mixing

Ingredients:

• Fresh figs, peeled and coarsely mashed, 1 soup bowl
• Sugar, 1+3/4 soup bowls
• Water for syrup, just enough to soak the sugar
• 5 cloves, ¾ inch piece of cinnamon, 25 black peppers, ground into powder
• Salt, ¾ tbsp
• Juice of one large marshal lemon (desi lemon)
• Pieces of 10 dry plums and the nuts within (if you like)
• Saffron 15 threads (if you like)
• Red chili powder (if you like)

Method:

1. Take a large mixing bowl, ensure that it is clean and dry
2. Peel of approximately 400 grams of fresh figs and mash them such that you have one bowl full
3. Take a pan and put sugar and water into it
4. Make syrup of sugar, initially stirring it constantly. Boil the mix until a point of time when a cooled drop of sugar is pressed several times between your index finger and thumb, you can see three threads forming from the drop of sugar. This won’t happen too soon during the process of boiling, but after a while you have to be attentive, otherwise you will have crystallized syrup which is not helpful.
5. Remove syrup from flame, allow to cool
6. Next, grind the condiments to fine powder. If you prefer, substitute cinnamon with cardamom
7. Mix the mashed figs, condiments and lemon juice
8. Stir vigorously to ensure that the syrup is mixed well with the rest of the material
9. Add saffron, if you like
10. For a more traditional flavor, add ½ tablespoon red chilis
11. I added the pieces of dried plums (called Alu Bukhara) and the nuts inside their seeds thinking that moisture released from the figs could be soaked by these
    

    Fresh Fruit Preserve - keep refrigerated

Must-Do in Pune if you have Half a Day

This post was pending since January 2012. I was in Pune for a conference, but the day I left the city, I was lucky to get the hospitality of my friend Santosh Sali. He painstakingly took me around the circuit that I have shared with you – must visit!!

Modak

Shreyas: Lunch- near Deccan Gymkhana, this is one of the best places one could get a Maharashtraiyan Thali at Deccan  Gymkhana. Especially their salad, sweets like Puranpoli and Ukadicha Modaks are heavenly! Ukadicha Modak have the filling similar to the fresh coconut halva, and the outside layer has a very delicate, mellow taste and it is very soft because it is steamed, not fried. A must-eat!!

Nandi's Shelter facing Lord Pataleshwar in Pune

Caves: Can you imagine a cave in the middle of a city? Its neighbors are banyan trees, a busy road, a nice garden and much more. As you enter the campus, you see a circular formation. The roof says it all – that it is cut out from a single block. This is a housing for the Nandi that faces the lord Shiva in the temple, which is made in the same fashion as we have at Ellora. Welcome to Pataleshwar caves! The Archeological note says that it dates back to the 8^th century!!!

Pataleshwar Temple, Pune

The feeling, especially after reading this is amazing. Just touch the stone on the pillars and it seems to tell you something… This effect is heightened by the fact that you don’t expect to see anything quite like this in an area surrounded by a hospital, patent office, meteorological office and several school-colleges.

Then there is BKS Aiyangar’s Yoga Ashram, considered among the top training centers in India.

But the jewel in the circuit would be Shaniwar Wada.

Bajirao's residence - Shaniwarwada, Pune

It’s exquisite. And so full of rich, valiant, romantic history. The outline is that the Maratha rulers had shifted their residence away from the heart of their empire, and the prime minister – Peshwa looked after the daily reigning. The first Bajirao constructed this fort with beautiful, impressive and strong features: Just see how grand it looks now, after so many years after the 17^thcentury, and inadequate upkeep:

Shaniwarwada - Residence of Peshwa Bajirao 1

There is also a gate known as Mastani Darwaza in this complex. Mastani was Bajirao’s beloved. Some stories identify her as a dancer and the Peshwa’s concubine, and according to some other stories she was a princess married to Peshwa as Bajirao rescued her father from enemy attack. What is noteworthy is, this woman was beautiful, an accomplished dancer and knowledgeable in music, a trained fighter and horse rider. She also was known to have heavy influence on Bajirao, which other family members did not like. Stories have it that she was later shifted from this main complex elsewhere. She died soon after Bajorao died in an illness.

Lal Mahal, Pune

Very close to this place is a memorial museum, known as Lal Mahal, where they have a line up on display explaining the history of Shivaji, his early years and some of his political career. The icon in the front is of queen Jijabai, Shivaji’s mother – a powerful lady with strong convictions, an active leader with high influence on the people of her country.

Finally before ending the circuit at the Pune station, there was the Dagdusheth temple to be visited. It is said that this is the original Ganesh temple from where the love for the God through out Maharashtra was made ceremonial, because the British had forbidden the public gatherings. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a lawyer and a freedom fighter, popularised Ganesh Puja attended by huge number of devotees, which helped him unite the people and communicate with them effectively.

The Place Where King Harishchandra Got Married

Today, we just decided to visit the Shamlaji temple, about 100+ kilometers from Ahmedabad along the highway towards Udaipur. The temple is famous, about six hundred years old and its signature white flags can be seen from a distance.

The Shamlaji Temple

Today, when out of the temple, I asked the nearby vendor what other temples were there in the vicinity, because you can see some small, but very beautifully contoured temples scattered all around the Shamlaji temple, including one step well from the 15th century.

Three interesting temples were suggested to me: a sun temple, a Kashivishwanath – a Lord  Shiv temple and a Harishchandra Chauri. I was asked not to go to the Kashivishwanath temple specifically today because it was the day of Holi according to some, and there could have been lots of devotees in the temple precincts, high on the quantities of Bhang.

So I went to the Harishchandra Chauri.

Harishchandra Chauri, Near Shamlaji Temple

One version I heard was that the small temple was built because Harishchandra performed a Yagya there in order to be blessed with a son.

But the archeological notice just outside the Chauri says that this was constructed as a wedding altar for the King Harischandra. Of course, the King ruled from Ayodhya, so the queen Taramati must have been from this region – makes sense because Hindu weddings take place at the Bride’s location.

This Chauri is here since 10th century! It’s modest and does not have any idol in the sanctum – seems like it was removed. On the entrance to the sanctum, there is lovely stone carving marking the place where the frame of the door would have been, and there is a small but exquisitely carved dome on the ceiling. I could capture some features of this charming little ancient place.

Harischandra’s story, I am sure, is known and remembered well. The king is known the best for being true to his word and being dutiful and righteous. In fact, he is known as “Satyavaadi king Harischandra” because he speaks truth, and whatever he says, he never fails to do, thereby turning to truth whatever he says, come what may.

I remember that in my standard-7th in our school days, we developed a play from his story, I played the King …

The Entrance to Harishchandra's Chauri, near Shamlaji Temple

The crux of Harishchandra’s story is that this virtue of his was to be tested by the Gods. As the standards used by Gods of reliability are very high, whatever is falsified even once is rejected. So, the king, in order to pass their test, had not a single chance to err. However, the King was not aware that his test had started.

First of all, he was asked to give his entire kingdom to the sage Vishwamitra. When he did, and became penniless because he had no private estate, Vishwamitra reminded him that a charity (daan) is complete only when Dakshina (cash on top of charity) is given. But now the king had nothing left, so he asked for one month to make that money.

In search of gainful employment Harishchandra went from Ayodhya to Kaashi, but as his test was on, so the circumstances get just so designed that he ends up gaining no employment. Finally he went to the slave market and was forced to sell first his wife – Taramati – and son Rohitaashwa to a brahmin, and himself to a Chandaal, a keeper of the cremation ground. The detail is, he had been a king, so his body looked less tough than what people would want in a slave. So no one bought him, except for a desparate Chaandal who wanted help manning his cremation ground.

Now the money is gained, but so is bondage, so the royal family starts serving. In very few days, the young prince Rohitashwa, who was asked to go out into the garden at dusk to pluck flowers for the Brahmin’s puja, was bitten by a snake and he dies. Since the boy is dead, the merciless brahmin asks Taramati to remove his body from the house. Since they have been just employed, they do not stand to get any money from the master either. However, at the cremation ground, one needs to cover the dead body in a cloth and pay the charges in cash or kind for the ritual of burning the dead body to occur.

Taramati had no money, so she asked the keeper (her husband – they recognize each other only upon seeing the boy’s face and the king’s reaction to it) if she could cover the body with half her sari. King agrees and reminds her of the dues to the cremation ground, too. Since Taramati had no other option or source, she offers the remaining half of her sari as the dues in kind. But that would leave her in a shameful state, so she requests the king to kill her and retrieve the sari after she is dead. Duty-bound king agrees, but as the sword is lifted, the gods appear and stop the action.

Rohitashwa is brought back to life and the king is released from the test, and offered the ascent to the heaven in human body, not just the spirit. The king refused saying that he was no longer a free man, and his master needed to take the decision. The master, the Chandal turned out to be the God of death himself, Yama. Harishchandra and Taramati then go to heaven, Rohitashwa later being the king.

No two Holis are the same!

People who don’t celebrate festivals may not always be missing much (for many, anyway a festival is just another routine, doing what must be done and moving on – or worse, something that just passes by in a calendar).

Not missing much would happen if we have something to celebrate, we celebrate what we believe what is meant to be celebrated, and then a festive day is just a handy reminder one could use.

That turns a festival from something structured, something that comes to us from out-there and uniform for everyone else into something that is to be made to order, to be interpreted originally and rediscovered from time to time. This view of a festival is so deeply embedded in to who we are and what we are looking for.

Viewed that way, festivals begin to prod us with, ‘what are you going to celebrate?’ ever before the appointed date. And that is so much more engaging than to think of ‘HOW are you going to celebrate this festival?’ – in fact, how can the HOW question be answered without knowing the WHAT?

If I were to interpret what a festival stands for, then it’s a symbol – kind of a door that invites me to explore what enchanting worlds are held behind it.

If I have been occasionally gripped by the richness of at least what some festivals stand for, there is no need for an appointed day.

What does Holi stand for?

A melange of colors, fun and frolic, good food   marking change of the season…?

Thinking of Holi as they would have played it in the Brij when Radha and Krishna would have been around? Soaking in some of that imagination, some of that love through the Holi songs called Rasiya? Pandit Jasraj can lift up some of those simple songs to the level where they sparkle with a melange of longing, belonging, devotion, and total submission.

And how can one not think of the melange of food. There are Ladus to be made, Bajri Vada, Shrikhand, Dudhi Theplas, Vaal, Gujarati Dal and Brinjal-Potato shaak. Of course, there is place reserved for Dhani-Chana and dates. New produce of the season to be offered to the Pyre marks the date from which the food will change – one can use the mangoes, Thandai, and variety of melons.

And there is dressing up to go to the Darshan of Holi, carrying the offerings and then moving round the pyre to be a part of a huge, moving melange of humanity – of all types, to step together while carrying the melange of private worlds within.

No two Holis are the same!

The Heart and The Mind

Oh, What to do

My Heart has a Mind of its own …

Not the original words it seems, now that I got curious and googled it.

And found a song with that line in it.

The song is too strong for someone like me, but still – the lyrics – by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller go like:

People try and tell me that its crazy
You and I were never meant to be
I don’t believe they know,
and even if it’s so
I’m fallen anyway, no matter what they say.

A part of me is taking me by the hand
The world can’t see
Still they can’t understand
Why can’t they understand. . . .
My heart has a mind of its own
Right or wrong its gonna do
Only what it feels is true
I’ll follow it wherever it goes
Anywhere it leads me to
My heart has a mind, mind of its own.

Maybe we won’t always be together
Maybe this’ll last a thousand year
Ain’t nobody knows, and even if they did
It wouldn’t matter now
I’d love you anyhow.

My heart knows what I’m needing
My heart knows what I’m feeling
It knows me better than I know myself
My heart knows what I’m missin’
All I have to do is listen
And listen well. . . .

An Institution Called Mami

Mami in my language means the wife of Mama. Mind you now – Mama is not mother, but the brother of mother. The inadequacy of English language stares starkly in my face when I think of words such as these. To an English-speaking person, all are reduced to a common denominator of Uncle, while in my language there is a distinction between the brother of mom and the brother of dad – and more.

That’s beside the point, however.

In the garden, in the evening, several playful children were excitedly screaming, “Mami! Look here!” I looked, too. I saw the swings and slides and stuff. The kids were pulling the hands of a slender, young lady who was the Mami to those kids. The lady had a warm expression on her face, she was smiling and was willingly being pulled.

Yesterday was the last day of Diwali vacation for many kids, and they must have come to the park to have their last bit of fun. Further – these must be the kids who would have come to their Mama’s home for the vacation.

Ah! And I saluted the tradition that you go to Mama’s home for the vacation. Do we do it anymore? Could anyone go to Mama’s home break after break for weeks at a time and enjoy? Would Mami take you out to play and make your vacations fun-filled? Can your mama really invite you if it weren’t for the loving, warm, tolerant Mami?

Lucky are those who have such Mamis! (I and my kids are lucky to have them!)

Oh my God! Memories of vacations at Mama’s home are flooding.. Do you have these memories, too? Are you Mama or Mami to someone?

Rx, Wilderness

Wilderness is amazing.

Sometimes I realize it only after I meet her after  a really long time. but what it said to me was like a soothing medication to an ailing soul. Hence the title – a prescription for the like-minded.

In the wilderness, one day I woke up to this unbearable lightness of being (Do you read Kundera?)

.. And I hurriedly took a shower

The nature was bountiful – there was abundance of everything – peace, beauty, Life. Yet, I saw Thirst with arms outstretched..

I saw the fallen -

And also realized that falling is not a question of degrees

Especially when I saw ones who were down but not out..

..and the green, the life fighting with own twin dryness and death within

So I, too, stretched my arms full length

.. and decided not to fret too much when I can’t get all my lines straight – after all,  nature has difficulty doing that, too -

I reminded myself not to focus too hard on the dunes, the sky or the earth, the greens, the lush or the parched in isolation – it’s the total picture that matters.

Has wilderness said something to you of late?