Shiva . Mahadeva. Shankara. The greatest of all Gods. The God who is beyond Space and Time. The God other Gods worship and venerate. Those who dont’ understand call him the Destroyer. But, he isn’t. He ends the Universe at the end of time so that life can start again. While he may not be the Creator of the Universe, he is most likely the Divine Father, who along with the Divine Mother, Shakti, creates the God/s who create and nurture the Universe. Atleast, that is what the Shiva Mahapurana tells you.

When I visited Indonesia recently, one of the places i visited was the Prambanan Temple.

temple complex blues2

i was aware that the Ramayan was very popular in Java. But, i did not expect to discover a full fledged Shaivite Temple complex in Indonesia.

But, it shouldn’t have surprised me – the  Cholas- great Shiva worshippers and a seafaring empire – had come as far as Sumatra – and it is not suprising that they left their cultural footprints in this beautiful place. The Prambanan temple complex reminds me a lot of the temples at Mahaballipuram – which are from the Pallava Era.

temple complex speia

The Javanese word for temple is Candi – and Candi Parambanan – or th Parambanan temple (pronounce bramanan temple) is one of the two major temple complexes you will find in Yogyakarta – the other being Borabadur – which is Buddhist temple complex.

board

The temple is also called the Ramayan temple, because of the number of scenes from the epic that are carved in stone – on the outer walls.

carvings Shiva temple 4

divine ones reliefs

The Shiva Temple is at the centre and flanked on either side by the Vishnu and the Brahma temples. There are temples to the vahana or divine vehicles as well . the Nandi Temple is the first temple that you see when you enter the complex.

nandi temple 1

The Nandi Temple – is just ahead of the Shiva temple – as is customary. The structure is imposing – to say the least. The Shiva temple is supposed to have two smaller chambers – one devoted to Ganesha – his son; and the other to the great Rishi Agastya . I say supposed to, becasue the temple was cordoned off.

Shiva temple

The temples to the Trinity were damaged during the earthquake of 2006. They are currently being restored, stone by stone. ANd, it is a painstaking effort

little human - big temple

I am going back to Yogyakarta (i really love that name ) and to visit Prambanan Temple . The next time, hopefully, it won’t be part of a larger shoot and i will have time to absorb the majesty of that place.

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Dr.Ambedkar in Annihilation of Caste:

It is a pity that Caste even today has its defenders. The defences are many. It is defended on the ground that the Caste System is but another name for division of labour and if division of labour is a necessary feature of every civilized society then it is argued that there is nothing wrong in the Caste System. Now the first thing is to be urged against this view is that Caste System is not merely division of labour. It is also a division of labourers.

Civilized society undoubtedly needs division of labour. But in no civilized society is division of labour accompanied by this unnatural division of labourers into watertight compartments. Caste System is not merely a division of labourers which is quite different from division of labour—it is an hierarchy in which the divisions of labourers are graded one above the other. In no other country is the division of labour accompanied by this gradation of labourers. There is also a third point of criticism against this view of the Caste System. This division of labour is not spontaneous; it is not based on natural aptitudes. Social and individual efficiency requires us to develop the capacity of an individual to the point of competency to choose and to make his own career. This principle is violated in the Caste System in so far as it involves an attempt to appoint tasks to individuals in advance, selected not on the basis of trained original capacities, but on that of the social status of the parents. Looked at from another point of view this stratification of occupations which is the result of the Caste System is positively pernicious. Industry is never static. It undergoes rapid and abrupt changes. With such changes an individual must be free to change his occupation. Without such freedom to adjust himself to changing circumstances it would be impossible for him to gain his livelihood

 i wonder if the division of laborers, over the centuries is what led to so many conquests…. i also wonder whether it was this division of labour that led to a dark ages where there was no social, scientific or technical progress. 

I often wondered how 3% of the population was able to the bulk of the population subjugated for so long. Why was there never a revolution. The answer was quite simple, they didn't have to do too much. The zillion odd castes kept each other in check and ensured that the system thrived at the expense of everything else.

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Today is Basant Panchami – the day traditionally marked as the first day of spring. It is that period of time when the world is so very beautiful, that love blooms…..

Good Morning, Sunshine....

The Siva Mahapuran describes the first day of spring as the time when the God of Love Kamdev shoots his passion filled darts at Shankara – the Great God of the Universe – to get him to break his meditation and notice Parvati, for legend had it – even the Gods had legends – that if the Lord of the Universe does not meet Devi – the mother of the Universe … there can be no life at all……Never mind that the God of the Universe opened his third eye and burnt Kamdev to embers….the process began. Shiva and Parvati are soon united, and Kamdev himself is revived, so that the universe can thrive..

In the North of India this is also the time when Saraswati is venerated and children are taught to read and write for the first time. NS tells me that in Assam – everyone is clad in yellow – including little girls wearing the yellow mekla…. celebrating the spring festival. In Mumbai too, the local temple was adorned with yellow and orange flowers … making one’s heart bloom
Spring is Here.....
This morning I have been listening to Raga Basant… sung by Veena Sahasrabudhe and it is a trip… I hope that spring means that the cold wave that we have been facing goes away… soon.

Update : Check out Pandit Jasraj singing raga Basant … Aur Raag Bane Baarati… Dulha Raag Basant…

For all the readers of this blog, a happy spring festival… and may there be peace and love in your lives….

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James Watson seems to have been infected with the Prince Phillip Syndrome – this is a syndrome when otherwise intelligent men open their mouth in public and plunge head long into it…..

It is also sad to see once brilliant men, instead of evolving with society and new thoughts — remaining fossilzed in the past especially in areas of society and culture. These sort of views on matters of society are the social sciences equivalent of those who think that the universe was created over one week…

Sure we are all racially different – and we have different core abilities based on geography, history, culture, etal….. But, i would think that it would be more a function of ‘social & locational’ factors than genes.For example – a kid growing up at 18000 ft, who sprints 10 km to school everyday is probably going to have a great chance of being a marathon runner, but take that same child and put him in Mumbai and send him to school 10 minutes away walking — it is highly likely that he will be an asthmatic wreck in 10 years. But the same asthmatic kid in Mumbai may learn to speak four languages simultaneously while the kid in the village at 18,000 feet may just be comfortable in one language. …As with linguistic abilities or physical abilities, the same with intellectual abilities — if i am living to survive, then my survival skills will be honed, if survival and comfort is assured, then i will develop other skills… including academic etal…

Maybe, and his ilk will be better of figuring whether it is race that makes the powerful nations & corporations interfere in the affairs of African countries, perpetuating civil war across the board….. or is it pure selfishness….And maybe, just maybe, if this question is answered and peace comes to the continent as a whole… and children can grow up without drought, civil war, rape, hunger, poverty, destruction and a constant battle to survive…. then maybe, we can figure whether it is nature, nurture or third thing…..At this point of time you cannot compare someone living in peace with basic physical & emotional security taken care of…..with someone who isn’t….. It is basic bad science… be it social science or physical science.

Also read: wired — The Science & Assumptions behind Watson’s views on Blacks

Scientific American — on Won a Nobel, Go Nuts and on James Watson’s Greatest Hits..

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….asked SR yesterday …… theoretically, he added rapidly. And given that he keeps accusing me of being theoretical (and I suppose that i am) – i was surprised.

Lots’ of things, i said. Theoretically of course.

  • At the core there is my family culture – whatever is my family’s padati (traditions) and customs.
  • Then comes that defined by my caste. I may not ascribe to the caste system, but does it stop defining me? I dislike lthe idea of being defined by caste … especially given that the caste i was born into has traditionally had appalling behavior towards women. But there are so many cultural practices that are different for different castes — that many of us don’t even think about it while practicing it. Food, for one. Festivals that are celebrated, Gods that are worshiped, traditions followed at birth and death…. We don’t think about these… we practise them as matter of course… but just because we don’t think about them doesn’t mean that they don’t exist as a part of our cultural make up.
  • Then there is language. My mother tongue is Tamil (or as we joke- my mother’s tongue is Tamil). And language is a key component of culture. I was born and brought up in Mumbai and am more comfortable with English than any other language … That too defines my culture.
  • Then there is Geography. And, in an Indian context it is more than the part of the country that you come from. Geography itself has history, ethnicity, cuisine,legends, myths, Gods, clothing…. i am someone who has been brought up in Mumbai – with parents from AP & TN. Or to be more precise -from this district called North Arcot that straddles the border of TN & AP. Just like people from Palgat are unique and neither Tamil nor Malyalee, or people from Belgaum are unique – neither Maharashtrian nor Kannada, so too people from North Arcot…… neither from one nor the other ….
  • Then there is this my broad religious identity – hinduismwhich makes me different in terms of my cultural make up from some one who is not a Hindu. If you want further precision – my family’s religious tradition is Shaivite - which is distinctly different from being a Vaishnavite or a Smartha or a Nastika tradition. It many not be apparent – like caste – to most of us, but it is stuff that we have grown up with, and again it defines us.
  • And, then there is nationality – my being an Indian. Which makes me different from someone with my exact background but whose nationality is American.

So which of these is the most important in defining cultural identity in an Indian context? My own guess is geography. Not religion, not caste, not even nationality. But geography. With Geography is linked history, ethnicity, language, heroes, traditions, clothing, cuisine … the works..and it is probably a far more valid parameter of ‘culture’ than more organized social institutions like religion or caste, or even modern political definitions like the nation.
Now, is this how I define myself. No. I define myself as an individual, female, liberal, contrarian ….. But, all those things listed above … all the stuff that that i spent a fair bit of my life running away from … have they helped define me.. I would be deluded to say no…
No wonder SR says i am theoretical :)

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January Second, at about 5 a.m. on a cold desert’s winter morning, we drove down from Jaipur to Pushkar. It was my unlce’s 7th death anniversary, and my aunt wanted to offer prayers for his soul. The predominant colours along the journey were earths, a smattering of green and blues. Very few other colours in sight. bleak-earth-and-blue-skies1.jpg The colours were stark, yet hypnotizingly beautiful. Everything in Pushkar – from the ‘holy’ cow to the sadhu (mendicant), the pujari’s (priests) to the camels, from the street singers to the lanurs – everyone and everything seems to be geared towards the pilgrim tourist. one-man-and-his-calf.jpg one man and his calf – a sadhu begging for alms on the streets of Pushkar – oops , trading blessings for cash. pushkar-the-holy-cow.jpg The holy cow on the steps of the temple – looking beatifically at the pilgrims who side step her to walk in. food-seller1.jpg some great street food in Pushkar. Hot fried stuff on a cold winter’s morning- just what the doctor didn’t order ! Our guide told us that since this was a holy town, there could be no petrol pump here and people had to drive down to Ajmer to fill petrol. And Ajmer is not too far away. the-car-park.jpg The car park where cycles, sumos, buses and camels jostle together for space. Pushkar is a visual treat – and if you are spiritual it is a great place to go to find solace. Even those who get after you in other temple towns, tend to leave you alone to your thoughts. I think that i would like to go back one day to Pushkar the-ghats.jpg Pushkar Lake -where the bereaved, the penitent and the faithful ask for mukti (or liberation) from the cycle of birth and death.

The pious Pushkar Lake, believed to have been created by the falling of lotus from the hand of Lord Brahma. It is considered to be as old as the creation. The lake is considered as one of the most sacred spots, and believed that one dip in the waters of lake on Kartika Poornima is equivalent to performing yagnas for several hundred years.

The Worshipper A person meditating by the banks of the Pushkar Lake. devotees.jpg Devotees at the Brahma temple, Pushkar While Rajasthan tourism claims that this is the only Brahma temple in the world, I have been to another in the southern temple town of Kumbakonnam. But the fact does remain that Brahma – the creator – is not really worshipped in the country. Pushkar Ghats With a final look at the ghats, we drove off back to Jaipur to catch the Heritage on Wheels train journey. Luxury at its best.

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With defenders like this, Islam does not need any enemies!

The Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organisation of Sunni Arab extremist groups that includes al-Qaida in Iraq, issued a statement on a web forum saying the pontiff and the west were “doomed”. The message, the authenticity of which could not be immediately verified, said: “We shall continue our holy war and never stop until God enables us to chop your necks and raise the fluttering banner of monotheism when God’s rule is established governing all people and nations.”

As a polytheist who especially believes in the mother goddess – would i be a target, i wonder?

How about an athiest – would they be included in all this neck chopping.
How about agnostics or animists (and i must admit that there are times that i am one)

I am not really sure that i like the idea of some idiot somewhere threatening to impose his world /religious / theocratic view on me ….

i really would like to see the same level of protest against this statement as there was against Pope Benedict‘s speech. I really respect the way that the Indonesians and the Malaysians have reacted to this entire fracas – I wish that the middle east and indeed India can learn from them. There is a way of protesting with dignity without calling for heads, necks and other body parts – and in that the countries of South East Asia are leading the way. It is sad that the? Muslim leadership in India (if it can be called that) is busy looking at kowtowing to the Arabs in general and the Saudi’s in particular when they should be actually building bridges with Indonesia and Malaysia and form a common front against those who wish to hijack Islam for their own petty gains.

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Hello and welcome to the first edition of BlogMela this year. And the year has gotten off to a great start. Some great writing in various categories from Desi Blogdom. Here goes. Arts and Entertainment Srican has an account of the nature of the harmonium vis-a-vis the sarangi as an accompaniment for Hindustani Classical Music. Soam has a detailed review of Lost - with no spoilers. Sunil has a almost lyrical reveiw of For a Few Dollars More – the man with no name rides into town, and Uma has a peek at 15 Park Avenue. Velithira has Movie Review of the Malayalam film Mayilattom. Cogito fumes at Annu Malik drawing comparisons between his music and that composed by RDBurman. While Niraj wonders about Mahesh Bhatt’s motivations on making a film on the London bombers. Well Niraj – sensation sells ! And Bhupinder ponders on the coverage on Nadira’s illness & hospitalization. While Tilo looks at the attitudes vis-a-vis female poets in Tamil. Jaberwock lists his top reading list of 2005, and Uma bids adieu to Kalamandalam Hyder Ali Travel Trivial Matters has a lip licking account Punjabi food journey in Mumbai. I studied at SIES college and Gurukripa was a haunt. The samosas’ were truly yummy. And Picturejockey has a lovely picture of Powai. Manish’s post on Córdoba had me rummaging around for my passport (if wishes were horses…). The confluence of civilizations and cultures, and yet the uneasiness between people. Sonia writes about almost being taken for a ride in Mumbai. India & Her Neigbourhood The Acorn has a couple of posts on how the VP Singh and the Vajpayee Governments contributed in making India a soft target for terrorism. I guess Nitin, the people of India and the media are also to blame. The kind of circus that is created, with families screaming, shouting, crying, and generally pressurising the government to compromise is extremely high in our country. that with the politician’s innate desire to compromise makes for a deadly combination vis-a-vis national security. Kunal writes about why India should drop Socialist from the oath that people’s representatives have to take. Imagine Anil Ambani and Navin Jindal swearing to uphold Socialist India, and we can see the casualness with which we accept lies in our society. If the very oath that we swear is false – then what’s the point! Sandeep rants about reservations in the private sector, and Sakshi about the issue of date rape. Libertarian calls for India to become the centre of the Islamic world. Amardeep Singh has an interesting blog post on how the HIndu Right is against courtship. I am not really sure that it is just the Hindu Right. It is a whole bunch of ‘ordinary’ (non affiliated) family types who think that our ‘value systems’ are at stake and would like the option of peeking into one’s life and bring them back on the ‘straight and narrow’. sad but true. In a recent survey in the mumbai mirror some 75% of citizens polled said it was a ‘good thing’ to ban bar dancers. We are more intolerant than we like to admit. Infact, Vikrum compares the plight of couples looking for privace in India and the attitudes of society towards them with that in South America.Dilip shares his on experience of the moral police. Uma does a final round up of the Gudiya Story – highlighting the fact that women are often treated as chattel. While Maitri writes about how many continents and seas away, sterotyping rules. Cool Bihari has a report on the President’s visit to Bihar. Nilu looks at the role of agriculture in India, and the economics of farming. And wonders about the ability of city dwellers who believe that agriculture should make way for something else. I suppose that we have to figure how to ingest and digest plastics or glass! Jaffna has a fascinating piece on Indian tribal society. Palm Leaf wonders why certain academics want to hold on to the myth of Aryan Invasion. Possibly because they want to continue believing that ancient Greece and Rome was the fountainhead of civilisation, and the european races are the most superior. While on the road in India, Charu tries to understand the why’s of banned items for passengers in hand baggage, Amit has learnt an interesting way of punctuating his sentances, Uma has me drooling for dosai’s. Education Abi looks at the Australian model for funding further education. Media Mangs has a great piece on Crime in the city. It reads like noir. Society & Technology Abhi looks at the benifits LED’s can bring to rural India – in terms of a safe and cost effective lighting solution. Sowmya wonders about whether we hear in the language that we speak! Shivaji has a couple of lovely posts on postmen, writing, letters and e-mail. Preetam Rai has a review on SuperGlu which does great things for organising your on line life – feeds, photos, posts etal. And Shivam wants help to join the cartel :) And finally Amar looks at the chat up lines of Gods.

"Oh, finely limbed lady, indulgers do not watch out for the time to conceive, as such oh, slender-waisted one, I desire copulation with you. [1-48-18]

hmm…. they did have a way with words didn’t they? Rashmi looks at her cousin’s process of courtship on the way to an impeding marriage Gawker looks at phone sex as a pay back for phone tapping. Kaps blogs about how people in Chennai are mistaking condom vending machines for phone booths (STD) And Indiacorporatewatch Annual Awards 2005 – has some unique awards. Next week Nilesh plays host, for now thankyou for nominating.

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When 6 million Jewish people perish in concentration camps, it is called a Holocaust.
When 20 million people died in Stalin’s Soviet Union it was called ruthless Communist murder.
When PolPot murdered 1.8 million in Cambodia he was a madman.
When a million plus died in the fatricidal civil war between the Hutu’s and Tutsi’s in Rwanda and Burundi – we were horrified.
When close to a million died in rioting during partition, it was a human tragedy.

when 60 million girls go missing what do you call it?

The UNFPA report of 2005 makes for scary reading. It states that 60 million girls are missing in Asia.

Discrimination against girls may begin in the womb. In some countries, a strong preference for sons has led to the elimination of millions of girls through prenatal sex selection. Baby girls also die through deliberate neglect and starvation. In Asia, at least 60 million girls are “missing”.

In Chapter 7 dealing with Geneder Based Violence the report also states:

Worldwide, an estimated one in five women will be a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime.One in three will have been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused, usually by a family member or an acquaintance. More often than not, the perpetrators go unpunished. Each year, hundreds of thousands of women and children are trafficked and enslaved, millions more are subjected to harmful practices. Violence kills and disables as many women between the ages of 15 and 44 as cancer. And its toll on women’s health surpasses that of traffic accidents and malaria combined.

If 60 million Tamils, or Muslims, or Slavs or Jews or Yadavs or Todas or Bedu’s or Kurds disappeared it would be front page news. But, when 60 million girls disappear, it seems to be par for the course.

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Cylcone Pyar hit AP and caused destruction to life and property.

Almost with cyclical efficience, cyclones have hit AP this year destroying property and life. Around a 60 dead (officially) and 200,000 displaced – evacuated with monotonous efficiency by the armed forces. Yet, if you read the press, or blogdom – there is nary a comment about it. Or maybe, i am not reading the press or blogs, or viewing news channels that carry extensive coverage on Cyclone Pyar.

And it may seem churlish of me to bring up this point, but in the west, if a single person dies in something like this it is a calamity. Whereas, in India, unless a 100,000 die it is routine. This is the extent of damage so far:

Authorities evacuated people in Khammam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts. More than 50,000 people have been shifted to safe places and relief camps since Tuesday.Not only the villages by the flooding rivers, but even large parts of towns and cities were also submerged.They include the state’s commercial capital Vijayawada in Krishna district; the pilgrim town Bhadrachalam in Khammam; Eluru in West Godavari and Rajhamundry in East Godavari.

I spoke to my periappa (father’s elder brother) and periamma (his wife) in Vishakapatname – they say that the worst seems to be over. But, there is no guarantee. You can see the sea from their house in Vizag, and they tell me that he looks very, very angry. Fishermen have told them that the rains are probably going to continue.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, when i studied the media – we looked at the impact of colonisation on how we see our selves. And example was that of Surinam (capital: Paramaribo) gaining independence. And neighbouring Southern American countries carrying a lead story on that day of a jewellery heist in New York. Classic argument for NWICO.

Except that in a India, it is not so much western focussed news as much as celeb focussed trivia! The (non) coverage of the floods in the MSM & in blogdom reminded me of that story

update:Charu pointed me in the direction of Rediff’s coverage of the cyclone. The Pics are from STR/AFP/Getty Images. QED:)

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