Tippu Jayanthi… Birth of Mysore Tiger Tipu Sultan’s TIGER – Part 5

It was a sad day not only in the history of Kodagu but also by whole of India.

Finally on May 4th, 1799, while trying to flee likes an unknown coward, Tipu was killed by a stray bullet or by an unknown soldier marking the end of so called Anglo-Mysore War. While Mother Nature created a severe thunderstorm to cleanse herself of the dirt and grime of a monster along with chasing the last wisp of his Satanic Soul, cowardly British connoisseurs were putting their final act and touch of coating on to their Poster Boy.

An hurried burial with military honour for the limply body with a limp developed by falling from his legendary eight legs horse {sorry palanquin} along with his celebrated ornamental sword in Kerala. When a lie is told, too many arrangements are made to cover it up with meticulous preparation. Unlike trust, a lie black or white or multi coloured, it always leaves trace and shadow, no matter how smart or far reached the tentacles are. I am even wondering if they really found his body or buried a dummy in his place.

British were not only thieves but also seasoned liars who lied to the world for more than two centuries and sadly they got away with it too with the support of power hungry cheap politicians. The Kannada proverb goes “Kote shringara olage goni-soppu” (the fort is decorated but inside it all empty except few inedible leaves), seems to truly reflect the British mighty!

It is interesting to note that the residue connecting Tippu-British-Kodagu ended in 1864 at the Brampton cemetery with a cocktail of manmade religions. A cocktail of Kodava and Lingayat  blood converted none other than by Queen Victoria herself, who also tried to play cupid between the belle and another brave community from North, a Punjabi convertee to produce a super offspring failed to materialize. All these drama leaves a question mark in my mind…. was Hitler’s experiment to breed that special Gene was any different from Victoria’s attempt to thorough-breed a super Tiger from the Daughter of a Kodava mother?

What the heavily Corseted Mother goose failed to understand the simple fact that Kodavas are Tigers not Ligers!

In my individual capacity I stand along my bygone sister-clan, the Kodava-mapilas in dignity who became the collateral damage of the whole saga over mangled ego, power, wealth and fear. Wish the situation was different then… then perhaps I would have not written this article at all.

However the narration leaves a qualified question on the European integrity over the history of rest of the world. It’s time to look at the real Indian history without the smoke screen and who know what lies in the Pandora box? Also I guess it is time for both French and British, to return the stolen treasures of India and apologize to India, along with the tail ended falsehood propaganda makers including politicians within India.

As much as I feel proud to be a Kodava, I feel sorry for Tipu for his ignorant sad psyche, for the Politicians without integrity who used Tipu as a crutch, for the British who took shelter to maintain their image, for the French who stretched their hands for Tipu’s crumbs and last but not the least the misinformed souls who worship Tipu.

While most of the world fought over the religion, in the name of the unseen God, either by hook-or-crook to increase the physical number count, Kodavas the original inhabitant of the beautiful land of Kodagu, without the bondage of religion fearlessly roamed among the trees, bushes, plants, grass and seedlings under the sun and moon, swayed over by fresh wind soaring like 100-D journey among the rivers, valleys and hills reaching to Cosmos. Their philosophy, their free spirit and love for motherland is the secret behind their bravery.

While I admire, appreciate, love and cherish Kodava ancestors, I want the other religious fighters to know that religion does not relate to mortal body. The real religion is intangible…. God has no religion and true religion is magical like the unseen blood and water of our body lay deep among the creases of our heart and in every cell of our folded brain waiting to be explored. Once you are out of the physical religion box, everything becomes tangible. Don’t be the instrument or collateral damage for anyone. Do it for yourself… find the sparkly light individually… in the depth of your heart under the deep mystery of mind.Stop fighting over religion and destroy humanity to fulfill the madness of another individual. Use your common sense… listen to your heart the most precious organ of your body which works from birth to death without expecting anything in return.. waiting to be explored and finally leaves the body and slips away …. Don’t use the bodily religion as the crutch to reality. The physical body with the bodily religion, slipping into oblivion just rots or burns or floats unwanted even by the closest of the closest. Don’t waste your time, spread or spreading peace and harmony in an individual capacity. Live like a human being. I often wonder what if, he was humanly and stretched his hand in friendship to Kodavas and sought their help to fight the British. History would have been different today!

 

Tippu Jayanthi… Birth of Mysore Tiger Tipu Sultan’s TIGER – Part 4

Finally Tippu took a larger army and marched towards Kodagu. On the way towards north of Kushalnagara to reach Kodagu, he saw large trees felled on the narrow, rugged paths and covered with thorny bushes. Anticipating a larger attack, Kodavas had created the obstructions. On the outer part of the path large trenches were dug. The dug up mud was used to create a wall from where the Kodagu people fired shots and arrows and managed to retract two contingents.

Then Tippu gathered the bravest men from his army and under the command of French man Lally, sent to Kodagu. These men with great difficulty killed many from Kodagu people and managed to defeat them. Then Tippu entered Kodagu with his army and pitched his tent at Uluguli santé-malaa. There he remained fifteen days. Within those fifteen days, he called the mukyastas of Kodagu and told them that he would rule the land justly without troubling the people and made oppanda {agreement} them saying they will not revolt.

At that juncture, {while Tippu kept the leaders of Kodagu busy} Jainullabdeen Susthri came from Bettadapura via Kushalnagara looting and set fire to the place, imprisoned and dragged the men, women and children to Tipu’s tent. There Tipu gave Susthri four contingent and loads of ammunition, food and ordered him to carry it to Madikeri alias Jafarabad fort. Tipu was at Uluguli from Ashwaja month three to Kartika shudda fifteen that is third week of October till November first week of 1795. Then he headed to Madikeri along with the army. Before departure the forest between Uluguli and Madikeri was cleared.

In Madikeri, Tipu pitched his tent on an elevated place at the eastern section. He stayed there for fifteen days. During that time he made the elders whomever he met to promise him that they will not oppose his rule.

{Tippu knew very well that honourable Kodavas never went against their words and sadly the Kodava elders thought him in par with them and failed to understand the cunningness of a greedy man from the street}.

But before Tipu reached Madikeri from Uluguli, most people from around and from southern and western nadus had vacated their homes fearing the consequences if caught by Tipu’s army and reached impenetrable hills and forests. Angered by this Tipu sent his commanders with men to all parts of Kodagu to catch and bring the escaped people.

French officer Lally was sent to the most difficult part of West and South cardamom male, Husain Ali Khan Bakshi to North Kodagu, Meer Mohammad to Bhagamandala nadu and Imam Khan and others towards Kushalnagara side. They were sent with the orders to bring the captured prisoners to his next camp.

Then Tipu left Madikeri on margashira shudda padya day that last week of November reaching Bhagamandala in two days. There after meeting and inspecting his men went to Iyangeri area and pitched his tent at the large field called Devati Parmbu*along with his army. When he was at Devati Parmbu, queen of Kannur {Cananore} Ballia Banu sent elephants, horses and other valuable items as kappa to show her respect. In return Tipu sent her an expensive dress.

{*Devati Parmbu is a large ground at Ayangeri grama near Bhagamandala. It is the very place where Kodavas backed by Veraraja I, the founder of Haleri dynasty had fought with Nayaka Karnembahu, in which two of my own ancestors were the well known fighters, Commander Manicha and Madaiah. Commander Manicha’s gallantry was so powerful, unable to withstand him; Karnembahu’s men threw chili powder to his eyes to immobilize him and killed him cunningly. It is said that with the recording of Manicha’s bravery, the recording of viragathe, viramarana started in the form of folk songs}.

The Officers and Munshis who accompanied Tipu to Kodagu were astonished to witness and experience the forest, rain, cold of Kodagu. Felt difficulty with the experience too.

The historian accompanied Tipu wrote about Kodagu this way:
What can I write about this astonishing kadu-sime {forest area}, with the very mention of its name my pen shivers. Its bamboo bushes, so dense and impenetrable like the curls of Abyssinian sheep. Its large paths and small paths are squeezed like the paths in-between the stars in the sky. It is impossible to pass through the hills and valleys of this country. The crops in the paddy fields of plains are as high at chest level. Sun, even though with self heating ability, afraid of the cold here, everyday covers himself with clouds and slips away as fast as he could. Every night, fast moving moon veils himself, covering his face under the blue sky. If summer is like this, in winter God only has to save us. During rainy season, for six months, the rain is so heavy that like the tears in the eyes of a sad person, the earth is filled/soaked with water. From evening to until after two hours of sun rise, mist covers hills and valleys. Many tall, muscular and active young men, losing their body heat in cold, sleeps in their hut pulling their legs close to their chest. For six month, farmers cover from head to toe with old blankets or thick cloth and work in the fields for nine to ten hours. During this period, the leeches from trees and fields will suck enough and more blood from them and their cattle before leaving them. Even before I describe the cold of here, my hand which is holding the pen is frozen as if dipped in the frozen sea. The tongue which describes the weather, even though hiding behind the lips, is frozen like ice cube with fear and astonishment.

While stationed at Devati Parmbu camp, Tipu invited all the Kodavas from around and assured them that he will take good care of them and will be good ruler to them. However, his talk was all mosagarike {cheating andr dishonest} only. However, most people did not come to him voluntarily. But within fifteen days of Tipu’s camping, the commanders whom he has sent to captured the fled people returned with ample prisoners.

The military commanders with great difficulty captured thousands of people and brought them to Tipu. Lally managed to bring not only civilians but also few leaders too. Like this until margashira bahula panchami day that is tenth to fifteenth of 1785, eighty thousand men, women and children were brought in writes Tipu’s royal historian Mir Hussain Ali Kirmani.

Marks Wilks writes in his History of Mysore about it and writes seventy thousand men, women and children were captured. {Perhaps because a list was not made, it was difficult to give the exact number}.

Tipu sent the prisoners under the guard of his army to Srirangapatna. Then strengthening all the garrisons at Kodagu forts, returned to Srirangaptna via Siddapur.

{A French report says that a good number were butchered at Devati Parmbuand too many died on the way.}

Once in Srirangapatna, he converted the entire captured lot from Kodagu and distributed them to different borders of his country. These convertees were called as Ahmaddiyas. Before that well built selected men from the convertees along with their family were kept at Srirangapatna and formed eight tukadis {regiments}. To train the newly joined recruits in warfare and strict life, he appointed the experienced senior officers. These people from the rugged hills of Kodagu were well trained within no time. Tipu honoured the trained officers with neck belts stitched to their uniform made of gold and silver according to their ranks.

The Ahmaddiya soldier got the uniform in Tiger-stripes* specially commissioned and stitched for them. Before that, on the day the Eighty-five thousand {this number might be the correct figure} captured men, women and children were forcibly converted to Islam was deemed a Holy Day and he conferred the title of Badshah on himself and proclaimed that he was free from the control of Moghal Badshahs of Delhi.

{Perhaps that was the origin of the expression of famous Tiger-stripe mania of Tipu.

Tiger and tiger stripes were part of the decoration of Tipu’s possession and anything made to proclaim his rule or personal association. His throne, his coinage, his swords, guns, small bronze mortars made for his army, the men who fired lethal iron-cased rockets against the British wore tunics with stripes woven into their fabric. Even though Tipu never killed a tiger, he must have fulfilled his desire of killing a Royal Tiger by leashing Kodavas, the brave people of hills where both men and women killed tiger}.
Before British took over the control of India completely, most parts of the India including modern Pakistan, most part of south India including Northern Mysore and Arcot in Tamil Nadu. Those days, both those who were under and those who were not under Mughals paid tribute to Mughals, and expected birudu {titles}. Until the middle of nineteenth century, even British Governor Generals wore the titles such as Nawab, Mali ul Alkab kurshid janab ummar, etc., etc., before their profession. Hence, the other rulers of Hindustan were under the impression that British were dependants of Mughal until the beginning of nineteenth century. Hindu rajas of Mysore had sent gifts Mughal and gotten titles. Therefore, until then Tipu was under the impression that he was under Mughals. But with the conversion of Kodavas, Tipu declared himself Badshaw.
End of translation

Tippu Jayanthi… Birth of Mysore Tiger Tipu Sultan’s TIGER – Part 3

Tippu Sultan not only kept his garrisons in all the four major parts but also appointed his favourite nowkara (workman) Jainullabdeen Susthri as the adalitha-adikari (ruling officer) of Kodagu. He also ordered him to severely punish anyone who goes against and vacated Kodagu before the dawn of rainy season and returned to Srirangapattana.

During the period of Tipu building the fort at Kushalnagara, it’s worthy to mention few things about the place. After the death of Lingaraja, to keep Kodagu under his control had arranged to keep his Tanya, seems like there was a station at Kushnagara too. Before the place was named Kushalnagara, it was part of Mullusoge grama {the place was closer to Kaveri River and was ideal to send soldiers and goods to Madikeri. While Haider was at this place, the good news of his eldest son Tipu winning over his enemies was brought in and the place was named as Kushalnagra (happy place). Rice Saheb in his history of Kodagu writes that Haider got the news of the birth of his son Tippu here and hence the name Kushalanagara. However, historically this does not match as Tippu was born in 1750 and at that time Haider was a small Nayaka (leader) with Mysore army. After winning Bidanuru in 1763, Haider kept the Mysore ruler for name sake and became the controller of Mysore kingdom.

After winning Bidanuru, Haider claimed that Kodagu was under the dependency of Bidanuru Nayakas and since he won over them, Kodagu became his territory and wanted to rule over Kodagu. However, Haider for the first time occupied part of Kodagu in 1780, after the death of Lingarajendra Wodeya*. Perhaps at that time he must have built a wooden fort at Mullusoge {Mullusoge is a thick thorny acacia tree which grew plenty around} and while keeping station possibly must have called it as Kushalanagara.

{*The term Wodeya was suffixed by the Mysore ruler and the Haleri rulers used suffix raja in front of their names. Hence, Lingaraja Wodeya must have been a wrong term used by one historian or record keeper which was copied by others in the due course}.

Opposition to Tippu Sultan’s rule in Kodagu: no matter how much Tippu Sultan tried and made arrangements, people would not accept him as a ruler. Same year that is in 1785 during the rainy season people of Kodagu stopped food supplies to the garrisons. Left the plains and went to the forest area. Tippu’s men were not accustomed to the forest, hills and valleys of Kodagu and on the other hand Kodavas who were well versed with the terrain of Kodagu, comfortable living there could attack them at will and disappear again into the wilderness even before Tippu’s men lifted the weapons. So it was impossible to defeat them and more over Mysore men were not used to the cold and rains of Kodagu.

During that period as well as until the Europeans established coffee cultivation after British occupation, Kodagu was a dense forest except for the Kodava farmer’s paddy fields and backyards. The thick jungle was home to plenty of elephants, tigers, bison, deer, kadave {stag}, wild goats, boars, etc.. So to travel from grama to gram, nadu to nadu, either elephants backs or boies carrying the palanquins were the only mode of transport and the roads were just big enough for that and was filled with ups and downs.

In summer, shallow parts of the rivers were used to walk and during rainy season boats were used to cross the river. Between the Nadu, deep kadangas (trenches) of about 25 feet with high walls were present. Between many miles, there were small path openings for the people to cross. They were called as Bakka in the local dialect. In these Bakkas, raja’s watch guards were present.

There were no restrictions for the people to go between the nadus. If people are traveling to Malayala or Mysore to bring things or sell their rice, they had to obtain a permit from the Taluk Subedar. Only Yelusavira-shime and Nanjarayapattana which were to the east of Kodagu were on the plains. The forests were not dense; there were not many deep kadangas like the middle and west parts of Kodagu. Hence, most part of Kodagu was like an abyeda-kote{impenetrable fort}. It was the period of 1785 – 1789.

Thirty years after that between 1815 – 1817, Lieutenant Connor who arrived at Kodagu to gather details on geography, weather, fauna, crops, etc., wrote about Kodagu: the aspect of Codagu presents an entire forest, the long and narrow cultivated valleys enclosed within it serves best to render those vast woods more striking.

Those days because of the thick forest, rainy season was longer and heavier, pouring all through the day. During winter the mist covered the area until ten in the morning and was very cold. Because of the severity of adverse weather, Tipu’s soldiers were like prisoners in their own fort. The seasoned Kodavas occupied the other parts of the land and trouble the soldiers.

Hearing about the people of Kodagu taking the control back on most places, to contain them and bring Kodagu under control again, Tipu sent Fifteen thousand soldiers under the command of Jainullabdeen Susthri to Kodagu. This large army entered Kodagu from East and pitched their camp on Uluguli santé-malaa {market place}. Uluguli santé-maala is the current Sunticoppa area. Weekly santé {sandy} was held there for the surrounding area. The army stationed at santé-maala was attacked by 4 to 5 thousand Kodavas and in koota-yudda {hand to hand fight} managed to chop/kill many from the Mysore army. However, commander Susthri managed to gather the remaining army and reach till the Madikeri fort {around 9 miles}.

But once again Kodavas attacked him. Without enough food and men, feeling weak he turned to go to Bettadapura and pitched tent again at Uluguli. However, Kodavas once again surrounded the army and attacked him and thrashed his army. Finally with heavy loss, Susthri ran away with the remaining men leaving behind whatever was left with him to Bettadapura. From there he wrote to Tippu of his defeat and asked for more men {army}.

Tippu Jayanthi… Birth of Mysore Tiger Tipu Sultan’s TIGER – Part 2

However, unlike Tippu, the British understood the psyche of Kodavas and that’s why they offered the hands of friendship than of foe. That’s why inspite of Rev. Mega-Linga (Rev. H. F. Moegling) writing to company to increase the tax and expressing unhappiness over the other facilities, {indirectly expressing his inability over not been able to convert the stubborn Kodavas}, no action was taken by the company!

After French man Lally had managed to escape through North Kodagu (Coorg) despite losing his entire arms cache from France meant for Tippu at the hills of South Kodagu, anger of both maniac-Tipu and mercenary-French fleet against mighty Kodavas had no bound. Do or die situation…. They had to beat them at any cost and the plot took shape secretly. Though not a great fighter, Tippu was a great strategist, and traveling in the comforts of palanquin like a newly married bride, with his famous 7.4 kg ornamental Sword, reminding of how important it is to stay in power along the writing equipments and desk, carried behind him he could plan it well too.

It was rumoured that the Kodagu fighters from South Kodagu had moved to help the fighters in North. So a plan was meticulously hatched to beat the Kodavas. Without trusting the generals, this time Tipu kept the plan with himself and wanted to execute it in secrecy. Hence, he became a gomukha-vyagra… showed the face of cow under the cover of animal of his obsession which he could never kill…. the Tiger.

The question remain why did British kept him on pedestal. According to me, the answer is simple:  the British dint want to be known as the lesser fighters than Kodavas. Perspective alters history…The untrained, self taught Kodavas had beaten both father and son duo again and again, until they sought help from French and shelter under cunningness to beat Kodavas!! So what would be the face value of or credibility of “Great Britain” for fighting with the duo so long? Hence they elevated his own aura to make them look good!

Well from the foreskin of cunningly imprisoned Kodava/Kodagu men, women & children came out the hero on the mechanical toy tiger… No wonder politicians still cash in on it… while the world condemns Hitler, Tippu is celebrated, and the Kodava men’s foreskin indeed is expensive after all! Perhaps with very few exceptions, Politics coupled with ego teaches the valueless believes which politician in general inculcate in their philosophy. That’s why for few votes they glorify even the blood thirsty monsters.

Shame on those who calls Tipu, the son of soil and a freedom fighter…. I am sure if you look deep into their eyes of those beholders, it has the scar of foreskin in them.

The translation:
Tipu Sultan won Kodagu again: Before waging war on Kodagu, Haider had won the places around Kodagu. However until Lingarajendra {Lingaraja I} asked for asylum under him, he could not win over Kodagu because of its rugged hills, deep valleys and thick forests. More than expansion of his country, Haider was always eyeing and wanting to win Kodagu because of its strategic location where he could keep his army to control over Dakshina Kannada, Malayala and Mysore Kingdoms. Therefore, when easily it came to his indirect control because of the infighting of the Haleri dynasty (Branch II and III}, Haider did not want to return the land to Virarajendra {Lingaraja’s son Vira raja IV} as long as he was alive.

Similarly, after his death when his son Tippu Sultan took over the reins, he did not want to give up Kodagu easily. He was also well aware of the strategic position of Kodagu, wanted and made up his mind to win Kodagu again. However, the fight with English which started with his father was yet to get over, so he could not concentrate on Kodagu.
During this period that is in 1783, he transferred the entire royal family of Haleri, who were at that time imprisoned at Goruru Fort in Hassana, to the Periapattana Fort in mysore. Soldiers were placed both inside and outside of the fort to guard over the family, so that they would not escape. The family got an annual grant of three hundred pagodas that is thousand two hundred rupees. They were housed in an ordinary building. After a short period, due to shortage of food, unhygienic and spread of small pox took toll on Devambike Amma {wife of Lingaraja I}, mother of Virarajendra and his brothers’ and few other family member perished there.

As soon as he ascended the throne, Tippu Sultan continued his war with the English. In 1783 and 1784, he attacked Nagara kote* and Mangalore kote, winning it back, which was under the control of General Richard Mathews. After which on March 11th, 1785 Tippu and English made an agreement at Mangalore, putting an end to the fight. Finally Tippu Sultan had the time to wage war against Kodagu.

{*Nagara kote {old name Fortress of Bednore}, had been surrendered to General Mathews on 14th February. Tipu Sultan came with an overwhelming body of troops and forced the British to retreat to the citadel –smaller part of the fort. With shortage of supply, after ten days, they surrendered and General Mathews and his army were taken into captivity. After imprisonment, General Mathews was executed on 16th August 1783.}

On his way back from Mangalore to Periapattana, Tippu Sultan arrived at Kodagu. He invited the heads of Kodagu and conveyed the message that: inspite of you all revolting against me, I will forgive you but if you all revolt again I will catch and convert all of you. According to historian Wilks, Tippu Sultan told the mukyasthas that: after my father won your country, you have revolted seven times and became the cause of thousands of our soldiers. I will forgive you once but if you revolt again, I will convert every man in this country to Islam; such is my oath to God. And also I will make you all stay away from your homeland, away from your homes and property. I have heard that your women practices polyandry. If you all are converted and sent away both your revolt and your women’s polyandry could be stopped in one go. Tippu’s opinion and comment about Kodava women practicing polyandry was a wrong notion, wrote the later historians.

When Tippu came, Madikeri fort was of mud walls and he got it removed and built with stone walls. {Knowing the situation and the availability of raw materials, it seems either it was strengthened or makeshift one were built. Hence there are no remains.}

He kept a garrison and appointed a Sardar {commander-in-chief} Jaffer Kuli Baig as the kille-dar {kille meaning fort} and renamed Madikeri as Jaffarabad after his Sardar. Remaining soldiers were distributed between Kushalanagara, Arameri of Beppunadu and Bhagamandala*, with orders to build forts so that Kodagu will not slip out of his hands. Similarly, not only Madikeri fort wall was rebuilt in stone, forts were built at Aramane-geri {old name of Armeri} of Beppu-nadu, Kushalnagara and Bhagamandala forts were built. In all the four forts, Tippu Sultan’s tukadi {garrisons} were kept. The yards of Bhagandeshwara and other temples of Bhagamandala became the station for Tipu’s soldiers.

{*Arameri had a damaged fort from Utha Nayaka’s era which must have been repaired and in Bhagamandala there was no fort and the temple was used to station the army and the walls of the temple became their fort. Kushalnagara it’s hard to say. Hence, building a fort with limited labour and material in that short period seems little confusing. All in all they must have found ways for makeshift forts}

The outer walls of the temple became the walls of the fort. Since the rivers Kaveri and Kanake are flowing on two sides of the place, Tipu named the land as “Abjalabad”. Even before the soldiers had occupied the temple, Brahmin’s had vacated the temple and had taken the Linga and idols to safer place to perform poojas.*

{*The amazing story of Pattamada Uthiah’s bravery and dedication for four months to the Bagandeshwara and other idols, when all the Brahmins ran away in fear of pollution, made him famous all over Kodagu and later the ruler had granted him annul rice “padi”. A brave tiger killer, Uthaiah had not only carried a Brahmin boy everyday religiously on his back to perform the daily rituals but also had given up nonveg and alcohol}.

Tippu Jayanthi… Birth of Mysore Tiger Tipu Sultan’s TIGER – Part 1

Famous French historian March Bloch quoted: “History is neither watch making nor cabinet construction. It is an endeavor towards better understanding. The very names we use to describe ancient ideas or vanished-forms of social organization would be quite meaningless if we had not known living men”.

While researching for my forthcoming book about Kodagu and Haleri dynasty, I came across one of the strangest and disgusting claims one can ever grasp. Sadly no one has the time to read, that too Kannada books and hence I took the liberty to translate few pages for the younger generation to know the truth. This five part article traces one of the ugliest steps in the history of humanity and can quell many misconceptions about the real history of Kodagu and Mysore.

Though I had taken a break from blogging to concentrate on my book, the content was too valuable to be ignored. As I read sitting in the sun room, thousands of miles away, my late father’s words echoed at the back of my head… darveshi nai sulemova tipu kodavada samanramele samrajya kettechi… my father knew it but I was too naïve to understand then! Tippu–British–French–ugly Karnataka politicians, naked danced around me…. the ugliest sight one can ever see and bile was rising. Born and raised in Kodagu with values, it took a while for me to digest the utterly disgusting reality.

A step by step, day to day bullock cart journey leading to the grand finale of action is described meticulously by historian Mr. D. N. Krishnaiah. Buckle up, take a deep breath and experience the ugly side of maniac Tipu’s manipulative journey first hand on the rugged path of Western Ghats..…. …. Though the famous historian has given clear step by step pictures of the horrendous journey, luckily has spared the unpalatable and gruesome details on Devati Parmbu massacre and the painful journey of prisoners to Srirangapatna {it is mentioned elsewhere}.

On the other hand, ironically while Tipu was busy fulfilling his Tiger quest, by piling the manhood of Kodavas strand by strand, without his knowledge the British Empire was meticulously carving out their own “Poster Boy”, a hero larger than life in flesh and blood with an artificial aura of supremacy to save their own self-image from Tippoo. Tipu, armed with only good strategic capacity of a mere cunning tiger-salamander was promoted shamefully as a real magnificent Tiger known for its grace, strength, agility and enormous power, the pride of India. This allowed them to use this aura as an excuse for their own shortcomings against him

Sri Krishna says “Dharma only will protect Dharma” and I think Adharma only exposes Adharma.

It is said that everything happens for a reason and it’s for a good reason. Thanks to the manipulative vote monger Tipu-Jayanthi celebrations, glorious past of Great Britain’s “Poster boy’s” bravery is a household name not only in India but around the world. Hence the read would fascinate more people than before. However, it is time to do the postmortem of Tippu Satan’s Tiger Fallacy, clear the air and restore the peace, dignity and honour of not only Kodava Ancestors, but also scores of other innocent souls from many other communities within and around Kodagu, e.g., Catholics of Mangalore, Nairs of Kerala, etc., etc., to have their own moment of peace. I realized that it was the reason that I had found it and had to offer “pinda” to each and everyone. I couldn’t have asked for more blessing from the Creator than such a noble deed.

Blogger’s Note: The word Kodava is used rather than Kodagu warriors as the highest majority of them were from the Kodava clans and included families. Secondly, sorry about the language used… but after four years of research, I believe that one has to be bold and brash to tell the truth. The comments in {} is not part of translation and is instead my own insertions used for better understanding.

If there ever is a question…. who had the most prized “Foreskin” on earth, the answer would be definitely “the men from Kodagu”!! Am I kidding? Not really.
Tippu rose to power on it, British extended their friendly hand to Kodavas but portrayed Tippu as a hero to boost their Self-Image, like leeches French lived rather sucked on it and politicians still continue to suck on it for votes. When our own people could conveniently pull wool over our eyes with treason, it was not difficult for the white men. No wonder Truth is always bitter…

Beaten again & again by the ill equipped, self taught Kodava/Kodagu warriors, Tipu’s ego was tired of both the insults mooted out on him & his dead father as well as their inability to expand. The French, one of the European suckers shared the same sentiments too. Haider had the collaboration of more than 3,000 French soldiers and weapons at his disposal. Later numerous proposals of alliances were made by Tipu, leading to the dispatch of a French mercenary fleet of volunteers to help him. Infamous French man Lally was transporting metal cannon balls which can be still found in Kodagu.

Kodavas had a secret of their own for winning the wars and taking up the arms again and again without fear. They were raised under the warmth and love of an undivided family tree called Ainmane, their prospect of wealth was different. For that matter their ideology was different and miles apart than the mercenaries, traders or anyone who ever fought with them. They were the guardian of the boarder….Safety, Sanctity and Security of Motherland was their dharma which connected them with their past and their heritage, and a reason to live. They deemed it as their proud duty and fought for the safety and honour of their beloved Motherland and their family, often even without remuneration.

This is unlike the story of Tipu, who was the descendant of a mercenary from the deserts of Middle East, follower of an unknown strange sect, who spent first thirteen years of his life on the back streets of Devanahalli fort, perhaps radicalized, once even abandoned by father when Haider ran away, life was all about wealth and power. Coming from the streets of Devanahalli fort, with an absentee father, Tipu did not know the value of a true family or what a real family is.

True to the say: culture is caught not taught, living in an Ainmane, for a Kodava, the treasure “Kodavame” or the Kodava way of life passed on by generation to generation through watching their predecessors was/is a natural inborn instinct. It was/is the foundation of his courage coupled with love and reverence for his land, culture and family, becomes his passion. It was inculcated in their blood, their very DNA. River Kaveri was the strength behind them, the very umbilical cord which connected them to Kodagu.

  1. Fighting for the protection of mother land was inborn and came naturally to Kodavas and when necessary they could blend with each other like milk and sugar from all the four corners of Coorg Proper without any hitch as they were fighting for a single cause and not for wealth or power. That is what made them different, stronger and selfless.

PM Modi’s effect…. Swach Bharat, itchy hands and leaky members…..

While in Mysore, I like to do two things religiously every morning: one is go to Kukkarahalli-kere (lake) and the second is to drink tender coconut right after. One fine morning in mid January when I landed in Mysore, I was happy to see mass cleaning on the South side of the lake. Then, I saw the road in front of the Crawford hall closed as the road was being widened and everywhere spick and span.

I was telling my husband the MUDA (Mysore Urban Development Authority) was really taking a sudden interest in keeping the city clean. Guess they are vying to claim their title of “India’s cleanest city” back. When I stopped for my tender coconut, my husband said there were hardly any coconuts and it must be from the previous day.

When I asked the old man who cuts the tender coconut, he said boss is not bringing more.

I asked him why?

He said because of PM Modi’s arrival….

I was surprised and told him, PM Modi came to Bengaluru and why the boss is not bringing in Mysuru?

Showing his missing teeth, he said I don’t know Amma….

He is an innocent hired villager and he had told me that on a good day he sells up to 150 tender coconuts. He had also told me that weekly his boss pays Mamuli (usual bribe) to three different persons and every Sunday they come religiously to collect. If someone is around that time they will wait till the coast is clear and then collects it!

Later I spoke to his boss and he confirmed what the old man had said and gave me the list too.

Someone from Abhai (MUDA) collects Rs.300, traffic police Rs.300 and another police collects Rs.100. So Rs.700 total weekly payment. He also told me that they will drink tender coconut and if they find it fresh they will also pack 2 each to take it home! (Each tender coconut costs Rs.25).

Sad there is always room for black money and different avenues and channels available…

After two days the old man was moving his cart when we stopped by. He said Amma we are not allowed to sell on the pavement, the municipality people warned us and told us to stay away until after PM Modi’s visit on 18th and 19th of February 2018. Swachh Survekshan people will inspect…

So the mamuli does have its benefits and the less stocking was not because of the previous visit but preparation for the future visit… the whole system is a vicious circle and goes back to the roots…

I was also told that the cleanup operation and kicking the peddlers out was limited to the route PM Modi will be taking. I hear there are no rooms available at Lalith Mahal Palace hotel as it’s fully booked by a retired bureaucrat for his son’s wedding. So from where ever PM Modi is staying (mostly Radisson Blu)… going to Railway station and then to Maharaja’s College ground, the order will be maintained…

Wish PM Modi also visited the Kukkarahalli Lake so that the human waste coming in to the lake would stop and the little paradise would shine further.

Cleaning also brought to my mind the leaky privates some men sport besides the charandi (ditch at the kere)… or even in other open places. To this day I wonder why they can’t simply go at home before they set out on their journey. Interestingly I don’t see poor people doing that or a villager doing that. The middle class who travels in two wheelers or cars does that. Why do they really do it? Do they want assurance that their man hood still intact. Or is it just force of habit?

Wonder what might discourage them to do it? Does it help if everyone starts clicking their pictures in action and start posting in the social media… if they are shameless to do what they do why not take the picture?

Sadly there is this small breed of specimens who considers themselves as the leaders in such smelly business and presume their action justified. I see there is only one place remains which poses competition in this respect… however there is a minor difference. There the specimens have four legs. It’s at the world’s foremost city… Manhattan, New York. City of dogs, where the dogs are treated better even than the children or spouses.

The handsome, fancy dogs in leash, taken for walk, is a feast to the eye and the love and affection they receive is enviable. This perhaps is the reason they are also tolerated when they pee around. Most of the time their poop is collected and disposed but no effort is done to stop the pee. Everywhere they sport the little boards: Please Curb your Dogs… wonder what could be the befitting board for the educated fools here? A question and comparison which bothers me whenever I am in Manhattan!

The other city, the city of love which had the long standing tradition of drink and wild peeing, since before the day of Napoleon has finally put an end to the adventure and tradition with the introduction of Uritrottoir. Well you guessed it right, it’s Paris. Wild peeing was another tradition along with haute cuisine and chic fashion, they were wilder than the leaky dicks in India. So when will we be able to call it quits in India?

The Drunkard’s dozen, and one for the road;)

When I visit Kodagu, I not only make a choice to blissfully cut off myself from the gadget civilization, but the erratic Electricity Board practically forces it on me too. So I try to read the local news papers  in Kannada to brush up my language skills. Last visit, I was reading the paper and burst out laughing with tears rolling from the eyes. My husband was curious to learn the reason and I warned him, you are not going to like what I say… but he insisted!

I said have you heard of Drunkard’s dozen? You can use it in your next Bingo session… (actually I made up the word) and started laughing again because my mind went elsewhere, to Pakistan to be precise! He was looking at me with a sort of grin and irritation… then I narrated out the news item from the newspaper dabbed with little spice:

{May 28th 2017, – Virajpet} The way it seems, the Keralites are exceptionally Law abiding(***) citizens of India. The Cops seems to be either busy controlling the striking employees or chasing the drunken brawlers… If you take the Nagarahole road to Mysuru, after the check point of Thithimathi, you can often see many Kerala  registered cars from Mercedes to little Nano parked here and there even braving the elephant crossing. I joke with my husband, guess Mallu’s are scared of their abkari and cops more than the biggest mammal!

Lure of alcohol is more powerful than most, as long as the effect is on, one can be what they want to be… a Maharaja or a Celebrity or a Super being. Moreover alcohol is unbiased, has no religion, no gender or language discrimination, sings lullaby even to the beggar/pauper/criminal alike, teaches punctuality to the believer, and embraces everyone in the same manner including animals. Jokes aside, heard of fermented Marula fruit party of animals in Africa? The animals relentlessly keep coming back for more and more inspite of losing balance while walking. Fortunately (unfortunately for some) there is a limit to Man’s ability to drink and eat… and unlike Mr.FAT there is no storage facility for the alcohol either. The chemical cocktail that runs through every creature called addiction are often difficult to control and in Kerala there are one too many devoted to Ms Madire (alcohol). So what is the easiest path to romance or mate with her?

Simply get into a bus or car and depending where you live travel to Mahe or Karnataka. For example the boarder Taluk of Virajpet in Kodagu district of Karnataka and have a fill. Sadly one State’s restriction is another States boon. Ironically Mahe (aka Mayyazhi locally) surrounded by Kerala on three sides but governed by the union territory Puducherry (Pondicherry) with low taxes!

So during the last week of May 2017, one young genius in Lungi, the traditional attire, came up with a brilliant plan. He brought eleven quarter bottle (usually its flat bottles) and tied them to his sexy legs with white cotton rope, one with six and the other with five. Though seemed a dubious plan, it was the best he could do to avoid being caught by the custom officials at the check posts of Makutta and Perambadi. Perhaps he even would have gotten away fairly easily as the Lungi would cover the bottles and rope without any bulges. But like the famous phrase.. “One for the road”, made the plan famous and colourful.

That day KSRTC, – both the Kerala State government and Karnataka State government transport buses are called KSRTC – was running late.  Poor man in Lungi could not resist the call for the last drink like a snake to the charmer’s Pungi, got another quarter and chugged the shot fearing the arrival of the bus. Already high, as the Ms Madire subjugated, he could not even stand or walk. So under duress just sat on the ground, as the Lungi opened revealing his beautiful sexy legs along with the bottles. Rest is history… someone with the smart phone got smarter and clicked the picture and sent to the media.

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As I finished my narration, my husband burst out laughing but in between he said then what is the Drunkard’s dozen and Pakistani connection?

Well, sorry guys I have to admit its little nasty but that was the thought that came to me… I am not challenging the manhood but it’s just a funny episode in the mundane day to day life. I told him, it’s all about the importance or perception of manhood for certain category of people. I was wondering why only the odd eleven bottles and why not twelve? Then realized that in a drunken state, the man in Lungi must have mistaken or counted his organ as the twelfth bottle! It’s not different from a drunkard thinking he/she can drive in supersonic speed or consider themselves as superman/woman.

And as far the Pakistani connection goes, remember 4 – 5 years ago a suicide bombers’ devise would not detonate because he was wearing a metal shield around his genital area to carry it whole to heaven? Wow, amazingly he thought leaving it whole on Earth would reach Heaven without blemish too. Then there is the failed Christmas day unwashed-underwear bomb too…

My husband did not say anything so I thought it was OK to post it… But I am still wondering who is the smartest of the three? And which addiction is more powerful? Is wearing pant better than Lungi while smuggling?

*** Even though India is one sovereign entity, each State has its own independent rules and regulations within the state. Often it is stretched too thin and hard to comprehend. For decades I lived in a tax free country Kuwait, where there was restriction for very few items like drugs, alcohol, pork. Yet people try to smuggle it not only for quick bucks but also for personal indulgence. Always the modus operandi is exclusive; often mind blowing which could turns funny, nasty or stupid too. Like the drugs carrier mules sorry humans, swallowing plastic bags with drugs or kept in private parts, etc.. I often wondered how it is in a large country with limited restrictions or free movement between the states.

In Karnataka, alcohol sale is a big business… both as money spinner to state government as well as politicians/abkari/police department’s coffer filling golden goose, who are like the mosquitoes sucking out on decomposed mushrooms! Sadly as long as the last alcoholic is standing, demand and supply will continue and the trend will continue. Pathetically, as if the half crack-nasty, ego bound drivers are not bad enough, it is even sold on highways… However, the next door neighbour state Kerala has a different covenant even though they enjoy “Kallapam”, a alcohol based breakfast. Say no to “Kallu” and encourage drinking “Chaya”, the famed Kerala milk-tea,. According to Mr. Google uncle, the state owned Bevco (Kerala State Beverage Corp) has 338 shops, and Bevco will shut down 10% of them every year. Consumer fed, which has 46 shops, will also be closed. However, sale of alcohol will continue to be permitted in 5-star hotels, and there were fourteen 5-star hotels in the state as of August 2014. That means big wigs can still drink, in other words liquor is not really banned; only the location is restricted!!

Face of Iraqi Wars & Fable from my childhood.. Two Cats & a Monkey

This is a fable for the young generation..

Indian culture is full of fables & we grew up listening to oodles of them from parents, grandparents, relatives & even exchanges with friends. Those were the most beautiful moments & we never got tired of it… Basically unlike the present day gadgets, it was one of the most important entertainments for us. That’s how we were mentally groomed to grow up as balanced human beings. Keeping the values & growth of mankind, as the Vedas & Puranas have done thousands of years ago, fables were woven & passed on in a simpler fashion known as Ajji-Kategalu (Grandmother’s stories).

I am certain that Indian fables are a rich source of bonding & grooming to children. I was really surprised when I narrated my own modified version of the story of “King with the Donkey’s ears’ to Arya, my 3.5 years old granddaughter, she was so excited & made me tell her the story several times. I let her name the King & she would religiously repeat “King Cockle has Donkey’s ears” three times too. One day she also asked me Nana can you write & give it to Mama/Dada so they can read it for me!!

An Ajji would have said: A Door is smaller than a house, a lock is smaller than the door & a Key is smallest of them all. Like how we can enter the house with that little key, a good moral solution can fix big problems & vice versa!!

When the Iran-Iraq war happened (22.09.1980 to Aug 1988), we lived just a ~500 kilometers away & when Iraq annexed Kuwait (02.08.1990 to 26.02.1991) we lived there for 2 months before starting the arduous journey home. In a WAR there is no such thing as winners or losers; everyone is a loser in different context. I always wonder who really benefitted & ate the cake. Coming back to the headlines, you can read the story & interpret the way you want.

Many moons ago there lived two Cats in an old woman’s house. They were good friends, born together & while basking in the Sun spent their time playing & purring whole day in the garden. Old woman was very fond of the Cats & pampered them like her own children. There was plenty of food & milk, & they did not have to toil it. One day the old woman was suddenly taken ill & had to be rushed to the hospital. There was no food or milk kept out for them to eat or drink.

Middle of the day both were very hungry & could not find any food or drink. So both decided to search for the food & wondered all over the village but could not find any food. Finally the aroma of freshly baked bread & cake gave them some hope. When the baker was busy they managed to sneak in & while the baker was trying to chase one, the other ran away with a piece of cake. Finally, they stopped under a bush & decided to share the cake. It was a team effort & both wanted equal share. One of them divided the cake into two pieces & the pieces did not look equal.  Obviously they had no knife to cut it & had to use their paws. The tantalizing smell of cake made them greedy & both began to quarrel claiming the bigger piece.

On a nearby tree a small troop (incidentally it is also called a barrel!!!) of Monkeys were watching the commotion under the canopy. The smart leader decided to mediate between the Cats. Well that’s what it told them… it came down from the tree & asked them why they were quarreling with each other?

When the Cats complained to the Monkey about the difference in the portion, the Monkey said oh don’t worry, I can solve this problem in no time. The leader went to nearby vegetable vendor & borrowed a balance to weigh.

The Monkey said, well keep both the pieces in the balance & let us see if it is different & I will be the judge. Impressed by the size & smartness of the Monkey, the Cats agreed & kept the pieces in the balance. Indeed it was different & the Monkey said it will fix the problem, & cut a piece of the heavier cake & ate it. Then weighed the pieces again & the other piece was heavier this time. Saying it will fix the pieces equally, the Monkey took a bite & ate it. To make the pieces equal, biting & eating from the heavier pieces continued until such time that there was nothing left. Right in front of their eyes the entire cake piece vanished into Monkey’s stomach as both the Cats stood helpless & aghast for the right measurement.

Finally the Monkey smiled & said now my dear friends; I have solved your problem & you won’t have to quarrel over the bigger piece of the cake anymore & climbed back the tree.

Still hungry & sad, the Cats learnt the lesson of their life, not to involve a stranger in their personal affair. They had no choice but to wait for the old lady to return home…

World is still filled with Cats & all kinds of monkeys white, brown, black, etc.

So how is Manhattan connected to these events?

Manhattan seems to showcase every aspect of life condensed in an Island. Hudson River forms Manhattan island by splitting into two as East & West. It’s a place where usual & unusual, walk hand in hand. Manhattan accommodates everyone from Homeless to mansion dwellers, along with the super talls/slenders skyscrapers. It’s a place where people even go to cuddle joints get cuddles & hugs… It’s where the UN is situated & just across the UN building rests the Roosevelt Island, spectacle to the 4-Visions spoken out by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1941 at the State of the Union address*. UN with 139-member body yet controlled by five (like the Panchendryas – 5-Sense organs & fingers of the hand which control the trigger), a body by itself stands tall witnessing the destruction of the creation, millions of dead bodies, the innocent collateral damages &, the victims of circumstances. Just like the blind Kuru King Dritarastra, powerful yet powerless, & his wife the voluntary blind (just like the Greek Goddess Justitia, the Lady of justice, blindfolded, sword in hand still trying to balance herself without expression on her face)

The River Hudson, a tidal estuary which flows both upstream & downstream mixing the fresh & salt waters depending upon the tide.

Manhattan is the most important Financial district in the world which can influence the Worldwide markets. It’s where babies & dogs are treated equal if not better !Where women are obsessed with their nails & hair, both dead parts of the body! A place where things are legally illegal & illegally legal! – for example drugs are not legal yet there are shops where whole load of drug paraphernalia  made of glass to crystal to metal is sold!! In Bryant Park, if you hang on for a while after a concert, you can get intoxicated by simply breathing the air!!

The word Manhattan means “The place where we get bows’, in the Munsee language, for a stand of hickory trees at the lower end so ideal for the making of bows that was grown throughout the length of the Hudson River. Before their journey of incognito, Pandavas hid their magnificent unparalleled celestial weapons (particularly the bows & arrows of Arjuna) obtained from the Devas on a Shala/Sami tree, a place safe & handy to retrieve when needed. Those were the same weapons used during the war.

So when is the D-day going to happen? It did not seem far away…

I thought I am not reaching anywhere with all these data moving in my head… how much of my thoughts were really true? Wanted to wake my husband & talk something so that I could clear my mind but he was fast asleep & had no heart to trouble him. I am neither religious nor can honestly pray for even one minutes & why am being pulled into this? I have not had a horoscope made for me or any of my children… I am practically ignorant of everything….

Does Sahara boss’s jail indicate the previous birth of Sri Vishnu as Krishna born in a jail? Nothing was related to anything yet everything was being pumped into my mind.. as if everything were signs clearly visible to naked eyes… I felt like Mr. Monk in the movie “Life or something like it”…. Telling God is coming… God is coming… then I realized his origin is a piece of puzzle toooo… it was strange & funny…

I thought of the horse shoe shaped building, as I heard that Jews (Yehudi – of Yahudha tribe) are of Indian origin. They are supposed to have migrated from Bharata after the Great War, whom Arjuna had lead more than 5-thousand years ago, as instructed by Sri Krishna… Yadhus (modern decedents are called Yadavas).. the people from Sri Krishna’s Kingdom… oh boy where am I leading to? Interestingly Sri Krishna’s maternal uncle Kaansa had cursed Yadhus to be persecuted throughout their future, for supporting his would be assassin Sri Krishna. No matter what, how much persecution & hardship, like Phoenix the fire bird, the Jews will always bounce back & remain powerful, have control & say in the world affairs directly or indirectly!! They are said to be freed from the curse after the return of Sri Krishna to earth. Perhaps the old bond still keeps India & Israel in close relationship to this day & India is the one country which never persecuted Jews!! Even scores of distressed youngsters from Israel head to India in search of Peace. Maybe that is why Judaism, unlike other religions from the region do not have the concept of conversions. Maybe its an  inheritance from their Indian past? A DNA test should confirm!

So everything is linked & everything has a reason in this world… no wonder everything & everyone is related to everyone & everything. I wanted my thought flow to change its direction to its original self. A cocktail or religions – Muslim – Hindus & now Jews…

I realized that the word Kalki, the next birth of Sri Vishnu is not going to be his name. It’s just an indication of the Avatara of Sri Vishnu. Kalki is made up of two words “Kal & Ki”. In India, the word “kal” means both yesterday & tomorrow & “ki” is an adjective meaning belongs to. So what was yesterday will be tomorrow. Is the reversal/same form of the same.. Hence, the Vishnu who came yesterday meaning previously will come tomorrow meaning future. No wonder Sri Krishna was termed as the first psychologist of the universe who has to incarnate again to uplift the crashed psyche… Once the Kaliyuga ends, the time will slip back to Dvapara yuga bringing a better tomorrow.

Mahabharata happened in a different scope or level of intelligence communication & physical capabilities. Their capabilities were different, unknown to us rather unperceivable to us, so much so many call them Aliens!! Mahabharata or Kurukshetra War did not happen because Sri Krishna wanted to get the Kingdom back to Pandavas. Pandavas were capable of earning it themselves. He came because the morale at that time was in steep decline & oppression on the children & women were too high. History repeats & that’s what is happening now on earth directly or indirectly. People say something & do something else… fence is consuming the crop… at the conjunction of 2-yugas with further social upheavals & constant disturbances & deterioration of morality, Vishunu is to appear as chastiser of opressors.

Very few realize the fact that in ancient India, women occupied a very important position, in fact a superior positon to men.… The Sanskrit term Shakti is the only word used to indicate power & strength & it’s a feminine gender which denotes that all male power comes from the feminine. However, the degradation of morale saw the opposite effect. Sri Vishnu came to earth when the morale was its lowest. Both Pandavas & Kauravas were just tools/pawns like how fire is used to clear the sugarcane field to plant sugarcane again to bring sweetness into earth. The war between the Kurus was to rid the earth from evil where the morale had deteriorated so much that the women & children were used/abused mercilessly, sold like goods & innocents were suffering without a cause. Trying to undress Draupadi in the saba became the main cause of Mahabharata war, like how Sita’s abduction was the cause of Ramayana & Madurai, the capital of Pandyas was burnt because Pandyan Nedunchezhiyan mistakenly killed her husband on theft charges.

With the end of Kaliyuga {age of darkness}, the creation completes a full circle, so does the human brain, then there is no more potential growth that’s when he becomes the slave of the machine & equipments. That’s when Sri Vishnu will come to uphold the dharma & put the brightness to humanity & keep the cycle going. Righteousness is here to stay as it’s the very nature of man, sadly due to various influences man turns unrighteous conquered by greed. Thanks to the illogical thinking of few evil minds & unscrupulous behavior of few more, fellow human (the entire creation) has lost the dignity in both living as well as in death. Sadly, it’s a pattern spread across the Yugas… which is enhanced many folds in this day & age.

Wonder if Lord Vishnu going to be born in Israel or in India? Wherever it is, the final belief of the humanity is going to be Sanatana Dharma because it is not a religion but a way of life which teaches harmonious living which is the secret of life itself. Religion is just a manmade mambo-jambo… creating confusion… I left the bed to write what I could remember before I lost track of it…. I knew that I am not qualified enough to be part of Lord Vishnu’s birth. But I can dream of anything I want & will my dream come true? I want to be reborn as my own great-granddaughter… as a Sanskrit scholar. Will I remember my past then?

`12*A world founded upon 4-essential human freedoms. The freedom of speech & expression, freedom of every person to worship God in his own way, freedom from want & freedom from fear.

Manhattan – Fishing and Rats (Part 2)

When we entered the park through the south-east corner, the same drama was being enacted inside too but the crowd was mixed. Being Saturday, the park was crowded. A young lady was painting the stone bridge & I peeped from the side to see the work. She was good. We walked little further & sat on the bench opposite to the lake overlooking the bridge. A Youngman was catching fish with simple hook & some plastic looking bait, while 3-ducks stood close to each other on a small rock popping out of the water. Another man from across was capturing the beauty of the natural stone bridge with his camera. At least they were aware of the what they were doing!!

Youngman’s fishing became our discussion for a while as many passersby looked at him with critical eyes. I was wondering if the fishing is allowed inside the park pond? There were a whole lot of fish in the pond… some coloured ones too… meanwhile he got one & he showed it to two kids saying it’s a trout… & released back the fish as an asian woman watched them all. I commented it’s nice that it was released, I know it is to teach his kids but he also should tell them that the fish gets hurt like us & feels uncomfortable deprived of oxygen nearly expecting death too. In the meantime, the kids pointed towards the back & said see Dad there & ran towards him. Oh boy it was not his kids! Was it fair to catch the fish? What was the purpose?

Then the Youngman took his fishing rod & walked to the other side of the lake. I wondered if he was maybe re-living his childhood or maybe making it up for the lost childhood? Now our mind moved towards the stone bridge where many women sat & some kids crawled along it’s the ledge of the bridge, which gave us goosebumps.

My husband and son talked about the buildings around. And I pointed to my daughter in law the Rats racing & scurrying from both sides… with full speed ignoring the presence of humans on their mobiles! There were so many & one was just behind us on the tree watching us. I started telling them about an Indian National volleyball player’s unprecedented accident, when she had rats feasting on her raw flesh right in front of her eyes while she lay unable to move between Two railway tracks. Actually my talk was not about the rats but the human mental endurance but my husband & DIL quickly got up to move… & on the other side of the lake there was a father & son duo both equipped with fishing rod… besides them was the same Youngman!! Same old thing repeated yet I was thankful for they were releasing it back to the water… we moved on fearing their hook might hurt us from their behind while throwing.

Outside “Zombie Oasis” was getting larger & the lights were on. NYPD vehicle which I had seen earlier was still there & I joked what would the Zombies do for Uncle Sam to wait on them… eat each other? Glued to mobiles, they were almost dead to reality, no one spoke or laughed.. thank God they still seemed breathing!! Only casualty was the Psyche Crash!! While the passing cars rolled smoothly & sounds of horse’s hoop reminded of a bygone era, there was an eerie silence among the packed homogeneous sardines..