#Nature: Desert Foxes

This is Bing Wallpaper of desert foxes at Little Rann of Kutch sanctuary, Gujarat.

The fox at the behind and the one at the front both are clearly scared. Both are perhaps looking at the camera or the cameraman; are alert and ready to spring out.

From distance it may appear that the one in the back is completely hidden behind the one at the front - except of course its head. But looking closely, it appears that even its back is exposed. In fact the one at the front has kept its back portion bent down, and head low, as if more ready to make a leap; while the one at the back is standing normally, as if still not scared enough.

Had heard a lot of childhood stories of foxes. All painted them as cunning creatures which tricked other animals. Once we went to a make-shift zoo and found that foxes, apart from some other animals as well, smelled really bad. In this picture they appear neither cunning nor stinky. That is the beauty of art - it can never be real.

#Poems: जब मैं छोटा था / गुलज़ार

***

जब मैं छोटा था,

शायद दुनिया बहुत बड़ी हुआ करती थी..

मुझे याद है मेरे घर से "स्कूल" तक का वो रास्ता,

क्या क्या नहीं था वहां,

चाट के ठेले, जलेबी की दुकान, बर्फ के गोले सब कुछ,

अब वहां "मोबाइल शॉप", "विडियो पार्लर" हैं, 

फिर भी

सब सूना है..

शायद

अब दुनिया सिमट रही है….

जब मैं छोटा था,

शायद शामें बहुत लम्बी हुआ करती थीं…

मैं हाथ में पतंग की डोर पकड़े,

घंटों उड़ा करता था, वो लम्बी "साइकिल रेस",

वो बचपन के खेल, 

वो हर शाम थक के चूर हो जाना,

अब शाम नहीं होती,

दिन ढलता है और सीधे रात हो जाती है.

शायद वक्त सिमट रहा है..

जब मैं छोटा था,

शायद दोस्ती बहुत गहरी हुआ करती थी,

दिन भर वो हुजूम बनाकर

खेलना, वो दोस्तों के घर का खाना, 

वो लड़कियों की बातें,

वो साथ रोना…

अब भी मेरे कई दोस्त हैं,

पर दोस्ती जाने कहाँ है,

जब भी "traffic signal" पर मिलते हैं "Hi" हो जाती है,

और

अपने अपने रास्ते चल देते हैं,

होली, दीवाली, जन्मदिन, नए साल पर बस SMS आ जाते हैं,

शायद अब रिश्ते बदल रहें हैं..

जब मैं छोटा था,

तब खेल भी अजीब हुआ करते थे,

छुपन छुपाई, लंगडी टांग,

पोषम पा, टिप्पी टीपी टाप.

अब internet, office से फुर्सत ही नहीं मिलती..

शायद ज़िन्दगी बदल रही है.

जिंदगी का सबसे बड़ा सच

यही है..

जो अकसर क़ब्रिस्तान के बाहर बोर्ड पर लिखा होता है…

"मंजिल तो यही थी, बस जिंदगी गुज़र गयी मेरी यहाँ आते आते"

ज़िंदगी का लम्हा बहुत छोटा सा है… 

कल की कोई बुनियाद नहीं है

और

आने वाला कल सिर्फ सपने में ही है..

अब

बच गए इस पल में.. तमन्नाओं से भरे इस जिंदगी में

हम सिर्फ भाग रहे हैं.

कुछ रफ़्तार धीमी करो,

और

इस ज़िंदगी को जियो खूब जियो ………… ।।

***

- गुलज़ार (सम्पूर्ण सिंह कालरा 'गुलज़ार')

#Trends: Rudra Hanuman Vehicle Stickers

More than a year back while visiting Bengaluru, I noticed a unique sticker on almost every third vehicle. The sticker of Lord Hanuman, apparently in an angry facial expression. It was attention catching. The design was so perfect for vehicles. I wondered where it came from. 

In due course, the same vehicle sticker has reached nooks and corners of India. It can be seen in Delhi-NCR area as well, on cars, bikes and scooters alike. The other day while talking to a colleague, I mentioned that the sticker is slightly scary. But the colleague said, "No, it is good!" Apparently everyone likes it. 

The other day there was a campaign on Twitter with hash tag #BajrangiTwitter. When I checked what had happened, I found this sticker at the center of the trend. Then I got to know about who designed it. 

The 'Rudra Hanuman' sticker was designed by Karan Acharya, a designer and graphic artist working in Mangalore, Karnataka. He hails from Kasargod in Kerala. He had designed the sticker in 2015 at the event of Ganesh Chaturthi when his friends asked him to design something new. 

Karan mentions that he wanted to design something for which he can be remembered. I am sure, this Hanuman Sticker is definitely one of those. 

• Checkout some of his art on pinterest here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/575194183642131318/
• Follow him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/karanacharya7#

You can find these interesting articles about Karan and his Hanuman art here: 

• The mystery behind why Bengaluru is covered in stickers of ‘angry Hanuman’
• Meet the man who designed this wonderful Hanuman sticker

Best wishes to Karan. More power to his tribe.

- Rahul 

#Religion: Lingayats Becoming Separate Religion in Karnataka

Just before upcoming assembly elections, Karnataka State Govt has declared Lingayat community a separate religion, i.e. separate from Hinduism. This is done so that the community can enjoy the "benefits" of being a "minority" religion. As Lingayats will enjoy better privileges when they become religious minorities, they will definitely like to thank the political party which granted them this "favor" (Congress) and what is better way to thank a party than to "vote for them". So, it all comes down to "votes".

Reports tell that even some from the Lingayat community wanted a separate minority religion status, so as to enjoy the benefits which come with such a status.

The first thing that surprises me is - world over it is assumed that people want to be associated with a "majority" group. It gives them a psychological edge by association with a large, majoritarian and hence powerful group. People do not want to be in "minority" as there is an associated "weakness" associated with it. So, why should this peculiar looking case where a group or community would want to be called minority?

First, it is because the "place" matters. It might be true universally that being a minority is disadvantageous; e.g. in Islamic countries or Christian majority countries; but in case of India which is dominated by Hindus who are known to be most religiously tolerant and passive towards other religions, the "rules of the game" must be different. This demand for becoming 'minority' establishes without doubt that there is so much religious freedom in India that minorities are not only safe, confident and expansive; but the balance is tilted so much in their favor that more and more communities want to become minorities! This is a proud testimony for Hinduism. If you are a Hindu, you should be proud of what you stand for. But at the same time, an internal check is required. India is a secular country where people from all religions should be able to enjoy religious freedom. But at the same time, no religion or group of religions should be given so much privilege that people from other religions are "lured" into that particular religion. This, unfortunately is happening for the "minority religions" as a whole. Laws need to be reviewed, government policies need to be reviewed and some undue advantages given to the minority (read non-Hindu) religions should be clamped down. There should not be any controversy around it; but this should be done to withhold the true spirits of our constitution. Our constitution was not supposed to be biased in favor of minorities; since such a policy would be unfair towards Hindus.

Secondly, Hinduism as an umbrella religion is an inclusive and flexible one which grants lots of freedom to individuals, groups, sects and castes. They can practice the religion in their own ways until it confirms to a very broad set of moral guidelines and still be called Hindus. There is no clear cut definition of Hindus and no single ritualistic process like Baptism for anyone to become a Hindu. In this manner, Hinduism is even sometimes called "not a religion". As I see it, this is the highest level any religion can achieve. When the boundaries are so subtle, rules are so not known, no one forces you to do or not to do something, and you still are a "Hindu". What a higher evolutionary level this represents! This is epitome and other world religions should learn from its example. But this special feature does not mean that our governments can take Hinduism for granted and declare each distinct sect or caste as a separate religion. That will be exploiting the religion and abusing the constitutional rights governments enjoy. In this regard, I would like our Central government to stop Karnataka state government's decision, no matter what means are needed. Any state government which has taken such a blatant decision cannot be qualified enough to remain in power. The state government should be sacked for taking this blatant decision which is expected to be an example for others who have something like this in their mind.

IT veteran T. V. Mohandas Pai has condemned Karnataka government's decision and said, "A very communal decision by the ‘Secular’ Congress govt. Big Shame; is this what Congress politics is all about? Breaking up the Hindu community because they are peaceful and quiet? This will consolidate Hindu votes against Congress."

In my view, this should not be left for the voters to decide. Law should prevent this. Karnataka state government must pay for what it has done blatantly against Hinduism.

Disclaimer: Views are personal.

#Poems: मकान की ऊपरी मंज़िल पर / गुलज़ार

***

मकान की ऊपरी मंज़िल पर अब कोई नहीं रहता

वो कमरे बंद हैं कबसे

जो 24 सीढियां जो उन तक पहुँचती थी, अब ऊपर नहीं जाती

मकान की ऊपरी मंज़िल पर अब कोई नहीं रहता

वहाँ कमरों में, इतना याद है मुझको

खिलौने एक पुरानी टोकरी में भर के रखे थे

बहुत से तो उठाने, फेंकने, रखने में चूरा हो गए

वहाँ एक बालकनी भी थी, जहां एक बेंत का झूला लटकता था.

मेरा एक दोस्त था, तोता, वो रोज़ आता था

उसको एक हरी मिर्ची खिलाता था

उसी के सामने एक छत थी, जहाँ पर

एक मोर बैठा आसमां पर रात भर

मीठे सितारे चुगता रहता था

मेरे बच्चों ने वो देखा नहीं,

वो नीचे की मंजिल पे रहते हैं

जहाँ पर पियानो रखा है, पुराने पारसी स्टाइल का

फ्रेज़र से ख़रीदा था, मगर कुछ बेसुरी आवाजें करता है

के उसकी रीड्स सारी हिल गयी हैं, सुरों के ऊपर दूसरे सुर चढ़ गए हैं

उसी मंज़िल पे एक पुश्तैनी बैठक थी

जहाँ पुरखों की तसवीरें लटकती थी

मैं सीधा करता रहता था, हवा फिर टेढा कर जाती

बहू को मूछों वाले सारे पुरखे क्लीशे [Cliche] लगते थे

मेरे बच्चों ने आखिर उनको कीलों से उतारा, पुराने न्यूज़ पेपर में

उन्हें महफूज़ कर के रख दिया था

मेरा भांजा ले जाता है फिल्मो में

कभी सेट पर लगाता है, किराया मिलता है उनसे

मेरी मंज़िल पे मेरे सामने

मेहमानखाना है, मेरे पोते कभी

अमरीका से आये तो रुकते हैं

अलग साइज़ में आते हैं वो जितनी बार आते

हैं, ख़ुदा जाने वही आते हैं या

हर बार कोई दूसरा आता है

वो एक कमरा जो पीछे की तरफ बंद

है, जहाँ बत्ती नहीं जलती, वहाँ एक

रोज़री रखी है, वो उससे महकता है,

वहां वो दाई रहती थी कि जिसने

तीनों बच्चों को बड़ा करने में

अपनी उम्र दे दी थी, मरी तो मैंने

दफनाया नहीं, महफूज़ करके रख दिया उसको.

और उसके बाद एक दो सीढिया हैं,

नीचे तहखाने में जाती हैं,

जहाँ ख़ामोशी रोशन है, सुकून

सोया हुआ है, बस इतनी सी पहलू में

जगह रख कर, के जब मैं सीढियों

से नीचे आऊँ तो उसी के पहलू

में बाज़ू पे सर रख कर सो जाऊँ

मकान की ऊपरी मंज़िल पर कोई नहीं रहता...

***

- गुलज़ार (सम्पूर्ण सिंह कालरा 'गुलज़ार')

#Books: Anuurag by Jyoti Tiwari

'Annurag' is a novel based on real life story by author and activist Jyoti Tiwari. The book is available in both Hindi and English and I read its English version.

The book is based on the real life story of Jyoti's late brother - Anurag Tiwari. The book describes him as a regular young man, just like others, with deep love for life and his family. But as if the tragic turn to his life after marriage was not enough, that it had to end in the most devastating way. I would leave the readers to discover the details inside the book. 

The book is written in an autobiographical manner. But in the book, a sister is writing the story of her brother as if he were telling his own story. It is a touchy one. The book starts with the family history;about how Anuurag and Jyoti's father who served in the Army struggled to lead his family and raised them. The anecdotes from their childhood are too touching and transport us very pleasantly to our own childhood days. After reading the story the reader can't remain without feeling oneself as a friend to the author's family. As Anuurag finds his girl and marries her, it looks 'picture perfect'. But the girl and her family turn out to be different in values and nature and hell breaks loose. 

The law in India is biased in favor of married women. Husbands, even if at the receiving end of exploitation and torture, have got little say. This story of Annurag is a testimony to how the biased laws destroy happy families and make lives of numerous men and their parents/siblings a living hell. You have to read it to discover yourself. 

The book is available at Amazon and Flipkart with links given below: 

Anuurag at Amazon

Anuurag at Flipkart

Jyoti also has a Facebook page for her book here. She also has a website which hosts some of her thoughts and writing: https://authorjyotitiwari.com/

Till recently Jyoti Tiwari was very active on Facebook, spreading awareness about men's rights and well being. She is one of the rare male rights activists in India which our society so dearly needs. But sometime back it seems her Facebook profile has been restricted in some way as it does not work like before. But she is also on Twitter and can be followed at: https://twitter.com/jyotitiwari05

I wish Jyoti well. The loss of her family can never be made even. We can only hope that no other man gets to live the life her brother had to live after his marriage. 

Om Shanti.

- Rahul Tiwary

#Nature: The Stray Dog Family

Day-1:

Saw a 'mother-dog' walking with her litter of pups. The three pups were so small that they appeared unbelievable. But they were there, walking behind their mother who led them to cross the road. The third one in the rear was covered in black mud. Perhaps it had fallen in some drain and was rescued by its mother. Its small tail, covered in mud was pointing to the sky, looking like an antenna. The mother-dog was walking slowly, because while she walked one step, the pups had to run four, in order to be with her.

It is a moment like this when earth stops rotating, time stops clocking, heart stops beating, wind stops blowing and the 'moment' is frozen in time! It is absolute 'nirvana'!

Day-2: 

While passing through the same lane, saw another amazing scene. The 'mother dog' was taking a stroll on the road along with a male dog, perhaps the father of the three pups. At just a small distance from them, the three beautiful small pups were playing. And all three of them were shining in their white fur. It means that the small pup which was drenched in mud last evening, was washed and cleaned by its mother and now it was impossible to differentiate between the three pups!

How did she clean the little muddy pup? A colleague said that she must have brought the pup in a pool of water, would have made it wet with it and then shook it to remove all the dirt and finally would have cleaned up whatever remained with her tongue. That was his guess of course. Whatever was done, it was done impeccably! Heart warming for the second day straight.

Day-3: 

One little white pup was see walking around. It was soooo very small. Its a darling. 

Hope to write more. 

- Rahul 

#History: Game of Thrones: Bairam Khan and Rahim

History is full of mesmerizing and horrifying events. The Mughals established the Mughal Empire in India and some people appreciate them for being settlers rather than invaders. But the legacy they have left behind all through their timeline reeks of such a culture of treachery and blood-bath that even the TV series Game of Thrones would appear gentle in their comparison. Let us see the story of the family of Rahim - one of the Nav Ratnas from Akbar's court.

It all started for us with Bairam Khan. Bairam Khan was a Turk, born in Badakhshan in Central Asia. His grandfather and father had served Babur. Even his great grandfather was related to Babur's wife as brother. So the family ties of Bairam Khan to the Mughals were very strong. Bairam Khan entered into Babur's service at the age of 16. When Humayun became the king, Bairam Khan played key role in his military quests. He was the commander of his army. After Humayun's death in 1556, Bairam Khan was appointed regent over the young monarch Akbar. He served as the guardian, teacher and adviser of Akbar. Bairam Khan also had Salima Sultan, one of the cousins of Akbar as his second wife.

In the second Battle of Panipat between Akbar and Hemu, Bairam Khan defeated Hemu while Akbar was still a young man. When Akbar turned old and experienced enough, he found Bairam Khan at cross to his own opinions. Due to the differences in opinion between them and due to conspiracy against Bairam Khan (he was a Shia Muslim while Mughals were dominated by Sunnis) in the Mughal court, he was ordered by Akbar to either retire or else go on Haj pilgrimage. That must be an emotional moment for him, because it was Bairam Khan who had helped build the Mughal empire, defeated Hemu and virtually raised and trained Akbar. He chose to go on Haj. While passing through Gujarat, he and his men were attacked and killed by a Pathan General loyal to Hindu king Hemu, as a revenge for the killing Hemu. Thus unfortunately ended the otherwise splendid life of this warrior general.

After Bairam Khan was dead, his second wife, Salima Sultan was re-married to Akbar, her cousin. But the story of Bairam Khan's family tree does not end here.

Rahim was Bairam Khan's son. Yes, the same Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana, the famous poet and one of Akbar's nine prominent ministers - the Navaratnas. It might look weird that after getting rid of Bairam Khan, Akbar appointed his son Rahim as one of the Navratnas in his court. Since Akbar had married Salima Sultan, step-mother of Rahim, in this way, Rahim had also become Akbar's step-son. Rahim was a devotee of Lord Krishna and wrote many poems in his devotion. Rahim was a contemporary of Tulsidas and had some interesting conversations with him.

Rahim has written a lot of poems which we have read in our school text books. A sample is as follows, to help you recall:

रहिमन वे नर मर चुके, जे कहू मंगन जाही,

उनते पहेले वे मुए, जिन मुख निकसत नहीं.

“Rahim says - he who has to ask something from another is no longer a man/ human being. But those who refuse to give were never men/ humans to begin with.”

रहिमन धागा प्रेम का, मत तोड़ो चटकाय,

टूटे से फिर न जुड़े, जुड़े गाँठ पड़ जाये.

“Rahim says - do not break the thread of love/ friendship in a haste. Once it snaps, it cannot be rejoined and if you do try to rejoin it, it will always have a knot in it.”

So, what is the next phase in this story?

Near the end of Akbar's life, his son Jahangir tried to snatch power from him. Jahangir was a fanatic and did not shared the religious tolerance of his father. He rebelled against Akbar and made a march to Agra with his army. In retaliation, Akbar declared his grandson Khushru Mirza (Jahangir's son) as his own successor instead of Jahangir. But when Akbar died of dysentery in 1605, a struggle for succession broke between his prominent and legitimate sons. Finally, Jahangir captured the power and became the Fourth Mughal ruler of Delhi. In the meanwhile, Khusrau Mirza revolted against Jahangir; was defeated in 1606 and confined in the fort of Agra. As a punishment Khusrau Mirza was partially blinded and died or killed in custody.

During the power struggle, Rahim had stood with Khusrau Mirza. After all, that was the "will" of Akbar before he died! When we look at the long history of Bairam Khan's family serving the Mughals, it only appears normal that Rahim tried to do what his master and stepfather Akbar wanted. But he paid heavily for his decision.

After Jahangir became king, he got both sons of Rahim killed for standing against Jahangir in his quest for power. They were executed at a gate now famously called "Khooni Darwaja" in Delhi. Their bodies were left to rot.The gate still stands today, on the Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg opposite the Feroz Shah Kotla Cricket Ground.

With both sons killed, no one remained in the family of Bairam Khan after Rahim's death at the age of 70.

The unfortunate story of this family does not end there.

Rahim had built a tomb for his wife in 1598 in Delhi. But after Rahim's death, he was buried in this very tomb in 1627. That means, no one cared to build a new tomb for him. Still, the tomb was beautiful. After all, it was built by Rahim - one of the poet gems from Akbar's court. The tomb was decorated with stucco work on red sandstone, Delhi quartzite and marble. Its structure was similar to that of Humayun's tomb.

Then, in 1753, the Nawab of Awadh Shuja-ud-Daula constructed a tomb in Delhi for his father - Mirza Mukin Abul Mansur Khan 'Safdarjung'. He stripped Rahim's Tomb of its precious stones and marbles and used that to build Safdarjung's tomb! The Safdarjang's Tomb is situated next to the Safdarjang Airport in Delhi.

The picture with this post shows the tomb in Nizamuddin, Delhi, where Rahim is buried. You can see its walls and dome from where all the marble and precious stones are gone! In the background you would see Humayun's tomb, standing beautifully.

I have found that most of the Mughal architecture in Delhi have been 'restored' beautifully by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) using tax payer's money. I wonder if they would some day look at Rahim's Tomb too. Or if they would let it remained robbed off its marble and stand disgraced, in true identification with the history and becoming of this famous personality who is buried there.

Thus ended this part of history from the time of the Mughal Empire.

- Rahul Tiwary

#Nature: Flowers in Delhi All Around

Winter seems to be the best time for flowers in Delhi. There are flowers all around, be it in parks, housing societies or even on the road side. Hence it is also an appropriate time when Mughal Garden is open for the public (checkout my blog post on the park). Following are two random pictures from the season this year' although as of now winter is over and summer is approaching. 

Flowers inside a park:

Flowers lying on the road:

All pictures (C) Rahul Tiwary; pictures taken in March 2018

#Travelogue: Acharya Narendra Dev Rose Garden - Delhi

Acharya Narendra Dev Rose Garden - Delhi is situated near Firoz Shah Kotla

Views of Firoz Shah Kotla (Fort) from the garden:

All pictures (C) Rahul Tiwary; pictures taken in March 2018

#Travelogue: National Gandhi Museum - Delhi

If you pick up the receiver of these phones, you would hear Gandhi ji's actual pre-recorded voice; this was an amazing experience:

Replica of Gandhi ji's working cabin:

Actual blood stained clothes of Gandhi ji is kept below in enclosed case:

Pictures (C) Rahul Tiwary; pictures taken in March 2018

#Travelogue: Delhi Gate - Delhi

Pictures (C) Rahul Tiwary; pictures taken in March 2018

#Travelogue: Samta Sthal - Memorial Monument of Babu Jagjivan Ram - Delhi

The Samadhi and memorial:

Picture (C) Rahul Tiwary