Agni Pariksha

 

I have been trying to find a good rational explanation for ages and the ones that were made did not make any sense to me.

Do you agree that in Ramayana, Rama was right in putting Sita through Agni Pariksha to prove her chastity after defeating Ravana? Couldn’t he trust his wife’s words that she protected herself from getting harmed from Ravana?

 

Though I am aware of the various explanations that have been put forward like the Sita kidnapped by Ravana was an “image of Sita” and not her and when she passed through the burning flame, the ‘real’ Sita returned.  Also that it was necessary for Sita to pass through the Agni Pariksha to prove her purity.

I don’t quite agree with it coz when it’s taken in context with the common man. Does it mean that a man who does not trust his wife can make her go through a test to prove her faithfulness?  I know the times were different but the issue of trust is interpreted differently not they way I think most of will do.

On top of that, after clearing the “Agni Pariksha” and going back to Ayodha, she is again send on a second exile when a common man says that he is not great enough like Lord Rama to accept his wife who had lived in another man’s house.

There are various interpretations of the decision taken by Rama to send Sita on exile.  One of them is that he took the decision as a king and not as a husband.  What I fail to understand is why no attempt was made to make the public understand about the purity of Sita and that she was not unchaste as it was made out to be?  Does it not send the message across that if a man thinks that his wife is unchaste he can throw her out of the house especially without proving whether it was indeed the case?

Remember the public opinion is not always right.  If it’s the king duty to look after his people then it’s also his duty to remove any misconceptions that arose within the public.

 

If one looks from Sita’s point of view, she ended up losing her husband and paid for the crime of abduction by Ravana.  It’s no surprise that she took refuge in Dharti mata when Rama came to take her back to Ayodha in case fingers were pointed at her again…

P.S.:  If anyone has better explanation, I am all ears.

College Crush

He looked at the invite and was not sure whether he would go or not.  He wondered if she would be there too. It was five years since graduation and still Janak remembered her.

Seems like yesterday when he saw her in the third year of college in one of the classes he attended. She was seated one bench ahead and asking her neighbor who was roll no. 21 and it did came as a surprise to him when he heard her saying his roll no.  He never got to ask why as he would often catch a glimpse of her like once in a blue moon day.

He never realized when he had fallen for her.  He would often attend classes for her but she was never around.  He did found out her name but never got the opportunity to talk to her.  Time passed and the day of graduation was getting near.

Then one day as Janak collected his hall ticket from the administrative office and turned around, he saw her.  She was standing at the door, with the rays of sun falling on her making her look just perfect.  His heart beat got faster and hands went cold.  Not knowing what to do, he gave her a big smile and she too smiled back.  He just stood there as the distance between them narrowed down.

That was the last time he had seen her. As he came out of the memory lane, he had made up his mind.  He decided to go for the college reunion in the hope of meeting her again and this time taking a step forward.

The Kerala That I Know

Whenever people talk about places to travel and ask me about places to see in Kerala. I just say one thing, if you are interested in seeing temples (around Mangalore & nearby) than I can be of help to you or better ask someone else.

Most of the temples actually fall in Karnataka. Ideally my native place should have been in Karnataka but my native place ended up in Kerala because of state boundaries. I used to get mixed up a lot when traveling not knowing if I was in Kerala or Karnataka.

I have too heard about the beautiful looking backwaters, but sadly the only time I see them is in videos or in TV and often wondered why I have not been there?

Since childhood the only places that I have been to in my native place apart from paying a visit to the relative’s house (which means eating a lot of chicken) was temples. I have been to the beaches twice, the first time it being closer to the relative’s house, can’t really recall the waters, but it was a virgin beach with no one but us, a bunch of kids. The second time was a recent one which has a sad reason attached to it. Let me tell you about the Kerala that I know.

The place where Dad built a house is actually a secluded one (we have no neighbors nearby) and a road had to be built out of the mountains to reach there by car. The open space in front of the house is a big one, where I as a kid played cricket with my cousins.

Standing on the end of the open space, one could see the farms below, the water tank and on the other side the plantations and the old house at a distance which was the place in which Dad grew up.

There were three dogs guarding the house. An Alsatian, Pomeranian (which was a first to be seen in a village) and an Indian breed. The Alsatian was the favorite one and named Julie after the hit movie Julie. The funny part is that even today I don’t know the gender of the dog. All the three of them passed away years back and I believe there are two new dogs who have replaced them.

The cowshed was one of the favorite spots where we as kids used to sit outside on the entrance and listen to ghost stories told by my cousin and sister in the night. We used to get scared while going down to the old house in the dark as the only light source would be that of a torch.

I remember a very funny incident regarding the farm where I, my cousin and sister found ourselves cornered by two frogs on both ends of the only path in between the farms which was covered with water. I still remember the noise it made and the bubble that used to appear and disappear under its face. Man, we were out of our wits!!

I have an uncle who actually used to act as a guide to the group of kids every year when we came and would show us the place around. It was nothing less than a trek around the mountains and had actually came across a big ghost tree, where it was said that ghosts used to live and that it was forbidden to point fingers towards it. I also came across some perfect small holes made in mountains which my uncle said were evidence that the Pandavas had stayed there.

We would also go on a hunt for cashew nuts which used to grow in abundance. Bring the plucked ones home and roasted it. It used to be quite a feast.

The Kerala that I know is filled up with stories about ghosts, black magic and gods. Heard many stories about them from Mom which fascinates me even today. In fact, there are many stories about my Mom’s place. The house where she lived was said to be more than 100 years old. It was only recently that it was tore down and a larger house replaced it. The unusual part is that when my cousin took a snap of the house as a remembrance it came all black minus the house.

I have even witnessed the Bhuta Kola. For those who don’t know it’s the calling of the spirits who is worshiped with the Gods. During the Bhuta, the person impersonating the spirit would get possessed, drink blood from a live chicken and answers your queries.

I even had the privilege of witnessing the Kathakali dance form at the Katil temple where we had reached late night and the entry to the temple was found closed.

The roads of Kerala are something that I enjoy a lot. If you are traveling in the state run buses, don’t forget to remember God for a safe journey. I always felt like I was driving in a formula one course where the turns and slopes were steeper. Often one will find that yours is the only car that is plying on the roads when traveling in the interiors. I hope they stay like that forever.

The temple that got my attention was the Madhur temple, not much as the temple but the roads which could have easily scared anyone. The slopes were so steep that one mistake and the vehicle would find itself at the bottom. The better known temples are Dharamastala, Subramaniuam and Katil. I don’t know remember the names of other temples.

There were days when I enjoyed being a Bombayite, but the place has undergone a major change with everyone carrying a cell phone and Mangalore getting hip. Telling that I am from Bombay does not evoke the same response as it was years back.

The strangest thing I find is seeing my childhood pics, my family photos at a relative’s house which I never visited more than once. One of the relative’s houses I visited left me dazed with cupboards full of awards and trophies. I had never seen a sight like that. The relative was an accomplished footballer and cricketer. On my second visit, the person was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and I felt anger inside me when I heard his son-in-law talked about giving those trophies and awards as junk and only retaining the big ones once he passed away. Some people just don’t know how to appreciate individual efforts!!

I do find myself in a language barrier as I grew up speaking Hindi, have no clue how that happened. No wonder my command over the native language is not very polished. I don’t know Kannada & Malayalam (though I do understand few) which more or less helps to travel around places in Kerala & Karnataka too.

Kerala reminds me of memories which I have cherished most as a child. Those were some days!!

P.S. I was suppose to publish this post long back but better late than never.