Completing 7 years!!!!
Thanks to all my readers.....
Thanks to all my readers.....
Utkarsh Patel
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Does a society learn from its past?
Does a society learn from its past? Past mistakes to be precise? Has
our nation learnt from the gut-wrenching incident of a Nirbhaya on a fateful
night of December 2012? Have rapes and murders of women stopped? Have the
changes in law brought any respite to a woman? Is she more secure today?
At the cost of repetition, does a society learn from its mistakes? No,
it seldom does.
All of us are well aware of the episode of Draupadi’s vastraharan or disrobing after she was
lost in the dice game, by her husband, Yudhishtir. Many say that it was this
that led to Kurukshetra, while some say, it was Draupadi’s laughter at
Duryodhana at Indraprastha. Irrespective of it, the society blames Draupadi for
the war. But going back the episode of the disrobing; an effort is made to
disrobe Draupadi and her husband/s say nothing. They remain mute observers, as
they were supposed to be following the dharma of a slave! Allowing ones wife to
be stripped in public and not stand by her, could never be part of any dharma,
was forgotten by none other than Dharma-raj himself.
One would think that such an experience would be enough to last a
lifetime for a person like Yudhishtir, right? Wrong!
Let me relate another incident that happens after sometime and
Yudhishtir behaves in the same way, as he did earlier and thus my concern –
does society ever learn?
After the Pandavs lost everything in the dice game, in spite of
Draupadi winning everything back with her arguments and invoking humanity, in
the court of Hastinapur, the Pandavs are sent to exile for twelve years and an
additional year incognito, i.e. in disguise. If they were found out in the thirteenth
year, then they would have to go for another thirteen years in exile.
During the thirteenth year, the Pandavs and Draupadi decided to take
refuge at the court of Virata, all in disguise. Yudhistir becomes the advisor
to the King and Draupadi becomes one of maids of the Queen Sudeshna of Virata.
However, Draupadi’s beauty attracts the evil gaze of the Queen’s bother
Keechaka, who is also the powerful army chief. Draupadi tries to stall his
advances, but is unable to do much when the Queen herself insists that she give
in to her advances. Queen Sudeshna once forced Draupadi to take wine for
Keechaka in his chambers. Once there, Keechaka tries to molest her and Draupadi
to avoid his advances runs away from his chambers and lands up in the court
seeking protection from the king and her husband, Yudhishtir, who was present
in the court.
Keechaka follows her to the court, and seizing her by her hair throws
her down on the earth, kicked her in the very presence of the King, and of
course her husband Yudhishtir. Draupadi urges the King to intervene and save
her from the mighty Keechaka who has been casting evil eye on her, a married
woman, all this while hoping Yudhishtir would intervene. While the King didn’t
know how to react, as Keechaka was his brother-in-law and a general, the
courtiers applauded Draupadi’s stance of seeking justice in an open court
against the wrong-doings of Keechaka, which were well known. To Draupadi’s
horror, Yudhishtir speaks and scolds her for disturbing the proceedings of the
court and bringing such complaints in front of everybody. He further tells her
not to put up an act and go back to the inner chambers of the Queen and not
come back with such lamentations to the court, especially when a dice game is
on!
 |
Draupadi in Virata's palace, by Raja Ravi
Varma
|
While many say, that Yudhishtir said this as he did not want to risk
being recognized in the crucial thirteenth year, the fact remains, that once
again Draupadi was insulted and once again her husband did not come to her
help. I repeat, does the society learn from its past mistakes? While Yudhishtir
could have managed to save Draupadi with some of his advise and that too in a
court which was averse to Keechaka, Yudhistir decided to reprimand Draupadi for
‘wasting the time of the court’.
Misplaced sense of duty or selfish agenda, or both?
On this Women’s day, I urge people to stand up for women, irrespective
of one’s political and ideological affiliations. A woman’s dignity is of prime
significance and no crime on her part can justify, lynching, molestation and
public humiliation and in modern times, social media trolling. The society has
no right to breach codes of morality both written and unwritten. This society
has enough Keechaka’s and Sudeshna’s, but it is the responsibility of every
citizen to stand by a woman, irrespective of her ‘crime’. It’s time to pull
down curtains on the age-old lip-service that a woman is a mother and goddess
and she needs to be worshipped. A woman doesn’t need to be worshipped; she
needs to be respected for who she is – an individual. While today’s woman can
take care of herself, if a man stands by her, it would only act as a fillip.
And finally, men, don’t be Yudhishtirs, be a Bhima. Just to conclude
the story, Draupadi goes to Bhima and relates everything. Next night Bhima
kills Keechaka. Bhima stands by his wife.
If a woman is safe, everyday will be a woman’s day; if she is not, what's the big deal in celebrating it even for one day?
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Love
It’s
that time of the year, when love is in the air, as goes the cliché. Today all
will be talking of love, love and more love. For the last five years or so, I
have been telling love stories in my Blog and thought I would do the same this
year, but then I wanted to avoid clichés this year, so decided against it. No
love stories this year, but let’s talk of love, since love is in the…. We will
skip that, I guess.
So
what is love?
With
decades behind me, I make my little effort to understand this unavoidable four
letter emotion.
Is
it the way he looks at her? Or is it in a lovers touch? Or is it her presence?
Or is it just her being around? Or is it in his sweet words? Or is it the small
things he does for his lover?
Is
it easy to find love or does it take a life time to find it?
Where
art thou, my love?
Looked
for thee everywhere,
But
could find thee not
Where
art thou, my love?
Looked
for thee in the East
Where
the sun rose,
Looked
for thee in the West
Where
the sun set,
But
could find thee not.
Where
art thou, my love?
Looked
for thee in a moonlit night
Looked
for thee in the Madhuvana
Looked
for thee under the kadamba tree
But could find thee not
Where
art thou, my love?
Looked
for thee at the seashore
Looked
for thee in the waves of the sea,
Sought
you in the aroma of the breeze
Sought
you in the silence of the night.
But
could find thee not
Where
art thou, my love?
Oh
questions and questions galore! How does one explain love, the single most
driving force for mankind and as the cynic would say, for the gift industry!
But no commerce today, please! I am no Archies and I am no manufacturer of silk
hearts of varying sizes to be stuck on gifts and to be discarded tomorrow
morning.
I
am the heart that beats for her and the heart which aches for her.
I
am the heart which throbs with passion and which displays emotion.
I
am the heart which often goes fickle and silly, all for her
I
am the heart which loses its rationality when she looks at me
I
am the heart which melts at her smile and hardens at her indifference
I
am the heart which pines in her absence and throws tantrums when she is back
I
am the heart which displays ego but submits at the drop of her eyelid
So
do these emotions matter today? Are these worth anything in the world of
ostentatious displays of love in social media? Do these matter in a
I-love-you-I-aint-sure-you-are-the-one times of love? Or is it that love is for
keeps for some while the same is old fashioned for some?
I
have been on earth for quite some time now (and I hope god is not reading
this!), but when it comes to define love, I guess I have miles to go…..but can
safely say, felt it! It’s a joy, it’s a pain, its laughs and its tears. If it
ain’t all this, then I guess it’s not love….at least not for me.
I
guess only a lover can understand what love is when he says…
Kiss
the cup, my love
Let
this be my elixir
For
lovers need no nectar of heavens;
The
touch of your rosy lips
is all I seek
After
this, even if the cup
hath an adders juice
I
would gulp it down with glee
And
embrace the messenger of Yama.
Here's wishing you ....
(The
italicized pieces are from my forthcoming novel)
Love
stories from the previous Valentine Days –
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Satyavati
Launching my second book, "Satyavati" the much forgotten and often sidelined woman from the epic Mahabharata who was responsible for changing the course of destiny of many a character in the epic!
Check it out on the Readify app
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)