Friday, April 29, 2005

Indianness V - Coffee...

Coffee, despite its known caffeine contents, is a darling of the masses and a true universal beverage. Be it the Kumbakonam degree kaapi, strong filter coffee, Peaberry-Plantation Mix, Bru, Narasu's or the modern/western capuccino, frappuccino, mocha, espresso, etc.

A typical day in South India begins with the coffee. Most people feel completely energized after religiously having the morning cup of coffee. I was always of the opinion that such feelings were purely psychological. Coffee with THE HINDU/Indian Express, with the strains of Suprabhatam going on in the background, with the women engaged in kolam/rangoli and samayal/sampak, and the children getting ready to school. Hell freezes over out there in the household, with so much of commotion and worry over time. (This is not to mean that the author is sexist. He just wanted to write about the general trend in a household. For that matter, if men can cook better, they could assist the womanfolk too in this era of both going for work. I dont know much in the kolam front though!)

Most people take a second dose of coffee some time in the morning too, say 0900 hrs. In fact, I know of people who have it 4-5 times a day. They feel it makes them more productive. Then, there are some people who have it in the pure "black" form. Some people limit having all their doses till evening 6:00 PM. They feel that having it beyond that time would make it difficult for them to fall asleep in the night. People prefer to have their evening tiffin/snack, say pakoda, bajji, vada, bonda, etc. with a cup of kaapi. People somehow seem to know as to how to appreciate coffee.

Tea-kadais or the Udupi high class vegetarian hotels, or the Mami's Mess, etc. have their share of customers too. I have often wondered or rather admired the alacrity and the way with which the human coffee-makers seem to mix the decoction with the milk and sugar in an amazingly acrobatic fashion. Rarely, does a drop fall down. Hands going up and down, one holding the tumbler and the other the dawra, it is a bystander's delight. Such are the simple joys of life.

Who can possibly forget the high pitched strains of "Coffee-Coffee-Coffee-yeah" in the railway stations and the trains! It is altogether a different issue that the coffee available courtesy the railways is abysmally bad. But then, the coffee lover accepts it as a way of life and consumes it more for the sake of having it as a daily ritual than for the coffee itself.

Last but not the least, the increasing price of kaapi-poodi is a concern to every household. The government is really clever. It knows that people cannot do without coffee; and that they would buy it no matter at what price. This price rise is often a topic of great concern and interest to the old people. Evening discussion forums with like minded people among the old often focusses on Indian politics, coffee, politics, coffee, etc. The easiest way to get along with old people would be to start a conversation on the subject of coffee.

Now, to the westernized world. The "modern" people of India love going to Barista/Coffee Day for a cup of evening coffee.. oops.. capuccino/frapuccino. In the US, people throng to the coffee joints which also hosts an amazing ambience. A Barnes and Noble Bookstore has a Starbucks Coffee Parlour in the small town by the name College Station, TX. People are free to take any book of their choice and read it as they sip their coffee. People usually have a get-together in a coffee station and just simply talk over a cup of coffee. The author has also seen some people playing Scrabble and other board games over a cup of coffee. Coffee is known to be popular in Brazil, Mexico, Italy, Turkey, etc. It further gives a stiff competition to Tea! in certain countries.

Well, I guess I have written a lot on the subject of "Coffee". People who are more interested can check out R K Narayan's "A Story Teller's World" where he talks about Coffee in one of the pieces. This blog could be considered a poor flattering imitation of RKN's style. Doubtlessly, RKN was amazingly brilliant in his vivid descriptions.

Sunday, April 24, 2005

The Undeniable...

I occasionally go through my previous blogs. The topics somehow seemed to surface every now and then, by themselves; only to strongly urge me to write to the public. What could have been the main motive? Well, I just wanted to share those topics with those few people, who bothered to go through the author's simple jottings. Those topics addressed questions that would kind of nag us not so frequently. If it could make some people think, or assured them that such doubts were natural and universal, then I would think that these blogs solved their purpose. I further noticed that most of the topics were brimming with positivity, joy, questions, etc. This is not a cheap vulgar attempt to flatter the self. In some blogs, the author constantly points a finger at the people. This is not to mean that he is not one of them. He is as much to be blamed as the people for inaction. He is not perfect and not a saint. He is a mortal and prone to mistakes and sins.

Well, consciously I have been trying to think only of positivity, energy and vibrations within the self. That doesn't mean that this author doesn't face the negativities in life; or doesn't have his share of blues. I do feel that it would be much better to share the positivities, because they multiply in a constructive sense (as against negativities). But then, the undeniable or unavoidable would embrace us at the most unexpected times. When we would be under the illusion that everything was going perfect, it would happen - the undeniable - to bring the illusions to an apocalyptic end. I am sure that each one of us, would have had such moments. Interestingly, Paulo Coelho addresses this very topic of the unavoidable in his book "The Fifth Mountain". He further comes up with a beautiful message - the unavoidable is temporary, it is the lessons from the unavoidable that is permanent. A highly optimistic message in pessimistic times.

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Kacheri of a different kind...

Venue : United Methodist Church, College Station, TX, USA (btw, there seem to be so many different types of churches - Lutheran, Methodist, Adventist, etc, etc. - well, never ceases to amuse this ignorant bystander)

Artists: Malladi Brothers; the author listened to them for the first time yesterday. They were simply amazing. Such wonderful mellifluous voices; grasp and command over the compositions (there were quite a few requests from the audience, they obliged each one)!; effortless rendering of the keerthanams - by Annamacharya, Thyagaraja, Ramadas, Shyama Shastry, etc. Organized by SPIC-MACAY, TAMU chapter.

Audience: Around 50; mostly Indians. A few foreigners (hmm.. well the Americans) interested in Indian Classical Music were also present. This number surprised me. For a college town, College Station, would definitely boast of around 2000+ Indians. Are people so busy these days, that they do not get the time to attend a free concert? Or, is it lack of interest, sensibility, passion or whatever. Such young amazing talent needs to be nourished, enriched and nurtured.

Well, I didnt want to write about all this, but then, couldnt help it. What I had wanted to convey, was that the venue was a church. The podium was near the altar. With the Cross, and a glass engraving of Jesus as passive onlookers, the Brothers enthralled the audience with a 2 1/2 hr mellifluous kacheri - renderings of divine Hindu Carnatic compositions. I was really happy with the setting. Well, this author firmly believes in the presence of a unifying omnipotent omniscient ONE in different manifestations. The American experience opens up new frontiers and the author considers himself fortunate to have been among the audience for this event.The kacheris that the author has been to in India were inevitably at Sabha's or temples.

Music has no religion in the same way flowers have no religion.
- Amjad Ali Khan

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Indianness IV - Culture...

To be honest, I must admit this. I am crazy of anything and everything remotely related to Indian culture. Guess, the craziness has only increased with separation from India. Simple things like the smell of malligai poo, the roasted kadalai with pori, the enjoyment that can be possibly derived by simply viewing the majestic gopurams of the kovils and the birds perched atop them; bewilderment at the cancerous,unstructured growth of Madras, etc. are not available any where else in the planet. India has been and continues to be a seductive charmer. One cannot but love it for all that it is; with the hope that the state of affairs out there would only get better.

Well, I guess I am digressing from what I had originally intended to write. When I had been to India, I paid visit to Motilal Banarasidass, Madras (I refuse to call it by its new name!). They deal primarily with Indological publications - anything and everything remotely connected with India and its heritage. I was surprised to find that most of the works were by foreigners. This incident immediately comes to my mind when I think about it now. I don't know why, but then I had been wary of taking in at face value whatever had been written by foreigners about India. I might be wrong, but somehow this cynical mind always thought that such works would be adulterated with their popular belief and impressionist attitude. I was left wondering about the sad state of affairs when it came to Indian culture. How many among the present generation are proud of India's - their - cultural heritage? The land of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism (often China is wrongly confused to be as the originating place of this off-shoot of Hinduism), Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, etc.

Something is seriously wrong with me. I seem to be at my incoherent best. Here, I go back to the incident. One old man A, presumably in his 70's, retired, wanting to go back to his roots, came to this bookshop. I simply happened to be browsing, amazed at the variety out there. The old man in-charge of the shop, B, happened to be the best-fit for the demands of such a job. He seemed to know about almost any book out there. A's question took me completely by surprise. He wanted a foreigner's version of Ramayana. When I think of an English version of Ramayana , the first book that comes to my mind is the one by Rajaji. I reasoned out later that the book A wanted might have been a really good one; with transliterations in English and detailed explanations of the Sanskrit verses or might have been dealing with all the Khandas of Ramayana. However, this ironical incident was an eye-opener for me. Never be prejudiced against any form of art work courtesy those unwanted, insane and illogical notions.

Later on, I was talking with B, the man in-charge, and he patiently explained to me the present state of affairs when it came to the study of Indian or for that matter Oriental Literature. He was of the opinion that these very foreigners evinced a keen interest in them, and often pursued the study as part of their PhD programs in Oriental studies. He was infact, grateful to these souls - about whom I had a wrong and jaundiced opinion. My realization had been late; or passion for Indian culture had been dormant for a while; but nevertheless, it had to dawn upon me through the subtle ironies in Life. I am/was also a part of the crowd that considered it more fashionable to read Western authors. Guess, drawing the threshold and giving respect to all kinds of works would be the key.

The only bottleneck to truly appreciating Indological Literature would be the mandatory requirement of a "passable" knowledge of Sanskrit. Well, but then, if people can take extra pains to learn German/ French/ Spanish/ whatever, why should Sanskrit be left behind? And does it harm to know an additional language?

Monday, April 18, 2005

New Age Spiritualism...

Disclaimer: This article would have references to Hindusim. The author respects other faiths too. On a comparative scale of the author's knowledge on religions, it would be around 100 ppm on Hinduism and about 0.001 ppm on others. There might be factual errors too. I would appreciate feedback on mistakes.

"Wherever I go, Whomever I see", the new age spirituality seems to be "infecting" the lives of almost everyone. I have interacted with atheists, agnostics, spiritual but not religious types, humanists, etc apart from those staunch devout believers of "the" faiths. More and more people, despite their religious preferences, seem to look towards the magical solution towards a better life - and here is where spiritualism holds the promise. Spiritualism seems to be transcending all religions; and seems to address what a person wants to hear. Man needs constant reasssurances from the world that he is on the right track, that his beliefs are correct, etc.

Art of Living, Sathya Sai Foundation, Vipasana, Ramakrishna Mission, Aurobindo and the Mother, ISKCON, etc. are some of the organizations primarily based in India, that immediately come to my mind when it comes to the new age era. Each mission has its own dedicated believer base. What do these organizations promise? Are they coming up with new theories or ways of better living? How different are their teachings from the one's given in the Holy Books. When it comes to Hinduism, the Gita (the infinite source of wisdom), the Vedas and the Upanishads, the two epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata; are the best sources of spirituality. Then, there are the compositions by Purandaradasa, Thyagaraja, etc. that have a profound meaning camouflaged in the sweet language. Why then, are these resources neglected by the common man? What is the appeal behind the new age spiritualism?

1. New Age Spiritualism - gives the flavour of the esoteric, enigmatic, way-beyond our understanding(?), profound philosophy embedded in the Holy books in a simpler language; more understandable by the common man. Yoga - the union of the soul and the body was emphasized as an important aspect of life, right from the ancient times. There is nothing new in the concept of Kriya, Pranayama, Yoga, etc. Its just that the "spiritual" organizations are making it more known to the common man.

2. A sound understanding of the Holy books demands proficiency in Sanskrit. Sadly, not many of us know Sanskrit. We are left at the mercy of the transliterations.

3. Purandaradasa's keerthanas are in Kannada. Well, they were written in simple Kannada, supposedly for the masses. How many Indians or the people in the world know Kannada? Hence, a wonderful source lost. Similar is the case with Thyagaraja's krithis in Telugu. Blessed be the souls that know these languages and importantly use their knowledge to truly appreciate the compositions.

4. It has become fashionable to look down upon Hinduism. Well, I was told that Hinduism is a way of life and not a religion. It doesn't demand a believer to believe in the concept of One; and no other. Sadly, Hinduism is being abused under the name of Hindutva. They are totally different. In "By River Piedra, I sat down and wept", Paulo talks of the feminine face of God. Hinduism believes in the feminine trinity - Saraswathi, Lakshmi and Parvathi.

Well, I might have digressed from the main topic. I guess I should better stop here. However, I would like to dedicate this blog to a real good friend of mine - AM; for bringing me back to "blogging" life.

Books..

Do they really teach us? This dangerously crazy bibliophile keeps encountering people who do not really believe in the concept of bookish knowledge. Here, I am not talking about technical books; but those of a different variety: non-fiction, fiction, pulp fiction, philosophy, etc. So, coming back to the most important question of all - Do they really teach us??

There are a plethora of books available on personality development. What exactly does personality development promise? Then, there are those fiction-cum-philosophical books like those of Paulo Coelho, Ayn Rand, etc. It must be mentioned here that each author/authoress tries to impress his/her views in the book. And mostly, those are of an entirely personal nature. For. e.g. let me take the example of "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. There is a clear divide among the people who have read it. Either they are dangerously crazy or they belong to a category that treats it as another simple story. What could be the reason for differing points of appeal for the same story? Ayn Rand's fleeing from Russia and abhorrence for Communism would explain her pro-capitalist leanings. I like her philosophy in parts. I cannot completely agree with her. That's the fundamental problem. You often do not agree with "everything".

I believe that the man's life shapes what he believes in. The Alchemist is a highly motivational one and infects you with an amazingly positive enthusiasm and zest for life. But then, would a person whose dream has failed like it at that instant of his life? Definitely not.

Books address so many issues, that one cannot possibly fathom. When it comes to religion too, there are books written by atheists and those by believers. More often than not, the book carries that strong flavour of religious inclinations too. Thus Spake Zarathustra and Brothers Karamazov are such examples.

So, a reader would obviously get confused with such differing facts and equally convincing arguments. What then is the solution?

Take what you believe in. If it appeals to you, then go ahead and embrace it. At times, you might need to be a non-conformist. The society needs to be given respect where due.

There are times when conforming to the rules of the society seems to be a bottleneck or hindrance. As we grow up, we begin to closely associate more with certain values and beliefs. So, discarding whatever doesn't appeal to us seems to be the solution. But then, we must never discard without reason. Tolerance and respect for another's opinion, even when it glaringly clashes with yours, is the key.

Compare these books with those simple children's books - Say Enid Blyton/ Tintin/ Asterix/ Tinkle/ Chandamama,etc. Those very books seem to be vibrating with a pure and divine energy; where characters are as human as possible; where people are known to make mistakes and importantly learn from them, etc. Well, they are wonderful companions for children during one of the most beautiful phases of life - that sweet innocence of childhood!

Well, life without books; almost impossible and umimaginable.

Saturday, April 2, 2005

Hope..

Nothing can possibly be sweeter than hope.

"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream. "
- Martin Luther King Jr.


We should have the courage to dream and importantly follow them.

One of the lessons from the world.

It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

Saying anything more would undermine this topic.

Abortions..

I know this is a dangerous topic to tread on. Somehow, was discussing about this with my friend yesterday and felt like penning my views today.

Who has the right to take life, if not Him? This is what the purists feel on this issue. They are right in a way. While some "modern thinking" people include the woman's decision to abort the foetus as a progression in thinking, manifestation of free-will, I find it difficult to support them on this issue. If the copulation was by mutual consent, then they have no right to abort the baby.

But then, I do support abortion in some unfortunate cases. When a young girl is raped and gets pregnant, she has to bear the truama of the unfortunate incident and the stigma of the society. In such case, an abortion would be the best option provided the mother's health is not at risk. And there are also cases, where the baby is known to be deformed or not entirely healthy before its birth - its life would only be troublesome and difficult for it and its parents. So, a sanity check on the status of the baby is acceptable, but not sex-determination.

These are my views and I do apologise if I have offended anyone. This is as sensitive an issue as Euthanasia and opinions would obviously differ.