Curiosity

No, I am not referring to NASA’s robotic rover that landed on Mars recently. I am only referring to the emotion that every human being is born with.

What is curiosity? Is it the same thing that makes parents proud when their child breaks open every electronic toy they bring for him, giving credit to the child’s curiosity and see it as signs of a budding engineer? (I can’t say much on this though, as my child did not break/tear a single toy – and I am glad she didn’t because child psychologists would come up with a very different conclusion if she tore apart a cute looking teddy-bear or broke a limb of her Barbie doll!).

Many have opined that mythology is the result of man’s inherent curiosity to seek answers to various questions of life and nature. If it wasn’t for curiosity, then life would have no meaning and there would be nothing new to look forward to.

However, if you think that curiosity always bears good fruits, then think again –

• Eve along with Adam was thrown out of the Garden of Eden by God when she gave in to the temptation of wanting to know the truths that were hidden from her.
• When Kunti in Mahabharata was granted a boon of begetting a child by just calling any god, she was curious enough to try it out. The result however was that she ended up with an unwanted baby and needless to say, that this single act of hers had huge ramifications in future.
• The Greek God, Zeus had given Pandora a box with an instruction that the box should not be opened. Curiosity got the better of her and she opened the box only to release all the ills in the world.
• In Mahabharata, on being invited to the Palace of Illusions by the Pandavas at Indraprastha for the coronation of Yudhishtira, Duryodhan could not contain his curiosity to see the whole palace without being guided by someone who knew the palace well. This curiosity landed him in a pool, evoking a strong reaction from Draupadi, and the rest as they say is history or should we say – epic?
• While taking up the assignment of making the idols of Lord Jagannath in Puri, Lord Vishwakarma had requested that nobody should see the idols before they were over. But the Queen could not contain her curiosity and opened the doors of the room where the idols were being made. It is due to her curiosity that the idols have till date remained unfinished!

So is curiosity all that bad?

Not necessarily. What is a man without a curious mind? How else would he ever want to know anything? If it wasn’t for curiosity, would you ever want to solve a puzzle? If it wasn’t for curiosity, would you ever read an adventurous or a suspense novel? If it wasn’t for curiosity, would you ever want to research a subject? If the bug of curiosity had not bitten many a scientist, would we have found answers to so many aspects of nature? A curious mind is what makes man climb the mountains and dive deep into the sea. It is the same curious mind that is at work when a child keeps asking you all sorts of questions which start with a how, why, what or where.

To conclude, curiosity is derived from a Latin word ‘curiosus’ meaning ‘careful’. Till curiosity is a quest, it is worth pursuing, but when it becomes careless and intrusive, it might lead one into trouble.

When curiosity can become temptation, not many would understand, except Eve, I guess! So be careful and one doesn’t always have to learn the Kunti way!

Ramzan

The holy month of Ramzan will soon come to an end followed by feasts and celebrations on Id. So what is it that makes this month so important for the Muslims?

Ramzan (or Ramadan in Arabic), is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Ramzan is considered to be a holy month for the Muslims and during this month, Muslims are supposed to observe fast during the daylight hours.

Fast does not mean abstaining from food and drink only. A devout Muslim is supposed to abstain from all physical pleasures. Every part of the body has to restrain itself. The tongue should avoid talking ill and gossip. The eyes should avoid seeing unlawful things. The ears should refrain from listening to things which have obscene and vulgar content and even pleasurable content. The legs should avoid going to places of sin and vice, while the mind should refrain from unreligious thoughts. In short, during this time, the Muslims are called upon to re-evaluate their lives against the tenets of the Islamic way of life.

According to a legend, it was during the holy month of Ramzan that the Quran came into existence. It is said that angel Gabriel revealed the first verses to Prophet Mohammad, who though could not read or write, was chosen by Allah to be His messenger to the people. Allah’s words were communicated to Mohammad through Gabriel and it was these words which form the holy Quran. The first word of the first set of verses was “Read” and thus during the month of Ramzan reading the Quran is of utmost importance.

The word Ramadan is derived from the Arabic word whose roots meant ‘parched thirst’ and ‘sun-baked ground’. This expresses the true spirit of fasting. Fasting in Ramzan has its own benefits. Such severe abstinence makes people realise what hunger and thirst means to people who are poor and cannot afford to eat. It makes one empathise with the poor and the needy. It also takes one closer to God and appreciate all that He has enabled for us. During this month, giving alms brings one closer to the community and develops a bond with people of one’s own community. On such days, breaking fast with the family and having meals together also generates a close bond within the family and community.

The month of Ramzan is also a month where the devout give donations, knows as Zakat. According to Quran, one must donate 2.5% of one’s annual earnings as Zakat. As such one is supposed to donate all round the year, but donation during the month of Ramzan attains special significance as any good deed in this holy month earns huge blessings.

Many have wondered why the fast is broken with the consumption of dates. Dates were found in abundance in the deserts and it is said that the Prophet Mohammad broke is fasts with dates. However, there seems to be a scientific reason to this too. During the fasts many undergo mild problems like headaches, low blood-sugar, etc. Dates are supposed to be a rich source of fibre, sugar, potassium and carbohydrates, and all this helps in maintaining a good health especially for a starving body. The carbohydrates in dates also lead to slower digestion, which is better than many other foods which are easily digestible giving rise to hunger faster.

There is one more interesting aspect of Ramzan, and that is the namaz, which is something that all devout Muslims offer five times a day. However, there is another kind of namaz, which has significance and that is the ‘Tahajjud’ namaz. Tahajjud namaz is offered post midnight, i.e. between the Isha (night) namaz and the Fajr (dawn) namaz. Though Tahajjud namaz is offered during other months too, but the devout would not miss it during this holy month. An important aspect of this namaz is that this is not offered as a congregation. Offered as an individual and in the quiet of the dead night, it enables the devout to establish a contact with the creator. It is said that the Prophet himself missed the Tahajjud namaz deliberately to convey that this was not mandatory, but many a devout ensure that at least during the month of Ramzan they offer their respects by offering the Tahajjud namaz.

The month long fast is broken on Id-ul-fitr, as according to the Prophet, observing restrain for thirty days, called for celebration. Id which is celebrated on the last day is characterised by a daylong celebration with sumptuous meals, but only after performing special prayers at the mosque in the morning and wishing one and all, by embracing them three times as laid down in the Quran.

Here’s wishing all my Muslim friends Id Mubarak!!

Happy Independence Day

Friends, Indians and Countrymen, lend me your ears,
I come to bury the dirty politicians, not to praise them,
I want to evoke the sense of responsibility in every Indian, who care so much about rights
I want to remind one and all, that it is not for such times that people laid down their lives, for the present crop of leadership are not all that honourable.
 

My countrymen, its for you and me to ensure change, it won't happen by itself.

For now, let us see, hear and feel, let us keep a track of it all.

Come elections, exercise your right and be responsible.
Don't fall prey to politicians seeking change, that is change for themselves, not us
Be the change, that we want, and change there will be!

I am wishing all, a very Happy Independence Day, this is to ensure that the next ones are truly HAPPY, not just an adjective to the phrase Independence Day!

(adapted and localized from Shakespeare's play, Julius Ceaser)

Independence Movement & the Myth of Markandeya

In an earlier article, I had mentioned how Hindu mythology has played a very significant role in the Indian Independence movement (dated Aug 14, 2010). The then freedom fighters had made a very creative usage of themes from mythology to express to their fellow-Indians the plight of the country.

The depiction of Bharat Mata, a personification of Mother Goddess, in chains has been a recurring theme in many a poster or old movies. With a budding printing industry, owned by the Indians, patriotic themes were transformed into images which were more evocative, expressive and communicative.

I would like to take one such instance which is supposed to have had a huge impact on people in those days, and that is the myth of Markandeya. According to this myth, Rishi Mrikandu and his wife Marudmati were devotees of Lord Shiva but didn’t have any children. They worshipped Lord Shiva and sought the boon of a son. Shiva gave them a choice of an intelligent son with a short span of life or a not-so-intelligent son with a long life. The Rishi opted for the first option and soon they were blessed with a son, who was named Markandeya, who was destined to die on his sixteenth birthday.

A Painting by Raja Ravi Verma

When Markandeya learnt about his impending death, he created a powerful mantra which is known as the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra, an incantation which could win over death. On his sixteenth year, Markandeya embraced the shiva-linga and uttered the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra non-stop. When the messengers of Yama, the god of death, came to take him they were unable to take him due to the power of the Mantra. This made Yama himself come to take Markandeya’s life. In his anger he threw the death-noose at Markandeya, which unfortunately fell on the shiva-linga. This angered Lord Shiva to no end and he rose from the linga to rebuke Yama. After a battle between Shiva and Yama, in which Yama lost, Markandeya was made immortal. Shiva is thus also known as Kalantaka or one who ends death. Since then it is also said that the continuous utterance of the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra, keeps death away.

In the adjoining picture, we can see the same myth being used for a different purpose. A close scrutiny of the picture shows Bharat Mata in place of Markandeya who is seeking divine intervention from the evils unleashed by the British (who replace Yama here and are thus compared with death). From the shiva-linga emerges Gandhiji who was seen as a saviour in those days. Gandhiji is shown with four hands, and each hand has aspects associated with him, his charkha, the spindle and his most important weapon, his writings, which are shown in the form of a newspaper. The four hands and the crescent moon on his forehead lend him a divinity due to the enormous task he had undertaken, that of eliminating the British from India. Another significant change is that Yama’s bull gives way to a cow in the second picture, which is again a sacred animal for the Hindus and a British sitting on it would have raised the passions of an ordinary Indian adequately.

Such imagery was perceived as a necessity in the pre-Independence days, as many were not educated enough to read the articles written by the stalwarts of the Freedom movement. Also, many of the writings were either not printed and if printed, were soon banned. Further, in India everybody is well aware of their myths and any association with such myths always has an easy recall and an immediate understanding. Such deification might not go down well in modern India, but way back then; such instances were not seen as an act of sycophancy, but sheer need to communicate with the masses which was largely illiterate.

This is one of the best examples of how mythology served such an important function in our Independence movement, especially at the grass-root levels. India was a land of many languages and writing and translating articles in many languages to all sets of people was a herculean task when information dissemination was not a simple activity as it is today. In such a scenario, a single picture could do what thousand words couldn’t.

With this, here’s wishing all my readers a very happy Independence Day!!

Olympic Medals

A fortnight back the world’s largest and by far the most extravagant sporting event started and tomorrow it comes to an end. During this last fortnight, the one single thing that was discussed the most were the medals that winners received, be it gold, silver or bronze. The larger the haul, the greater it is.

Let us take a closer look at the medal below is the two sides of a medal which has been handed over in the London Olympics 2012.

Two sides of London Olympics 2012 Medals

On the right hand side is the depiction of a goddess. This is Nike. Since 1896, Nike has always been depicted on one side of the medals at the Olympics.

Nike is the Greek goddess of victory. She was the daughter of the Titan Pallas and the river Styx. She is always depicted as a winged goddess who carries a palm branch, a wreath and the staff of Hermes. She is also sometimes shown hovering around victors in a competition.

According to a legend, when Zeus was getting ready for a battle with the Titans, Styx brought her children to Zeus to side with the gods. Nike was appointed as his charioteer, and thus though she was the daughter of a Titan, she fought on behalf of Zeus in the war between the gods and the Titans. In classical Greek art, Nike is shown flying around battlefields rewarding the victors with glory and fame.

According to another legend, the victory of the Battle of Marathon was to be communicated to the home city some 26 miles away from the battle-ground. The messenger was so exhausted that on reaching the destination, all he could say was “Nike”, implying victory, before he died out of exhaustion. Coincidentally, this is also the origin of the marathon as a long-distance race.

Today Nike has been made famous by the well known shoe company which took the concept of victory and associated it with their goods!

With this, its curtains down on London Olympics 2012 and so it is with my series on Olympics.