The Ship and the Sea!

Journey on a ship gives you a very old worldish charm. Though the modern day luxury ships are more like luxurious resorts in themselves, the choppiness of the sea in unpleasant weather conditions, still give you a thrill and the fear of the unknown that many a sea-faring traveler might have encountered, from time immemorial.

The reference to a ship and the sea is on account of the fascinating trip to the Andaman islands that some relatives of mine undertook. The relatives had come to pay us a visit in Udaipur and during our "adda" sessions, they recollected their tryst with a turbulent sea en route to Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal, off mainland India.

The capacity of our forefathers to tame the furies of Nature and harness it for the overall good of Mankind, also resulted in the "invention" and fortification of the boat and the ships emerged as the preferred mode of transportation as newer and newer areas were discovered across the world and commerce between far off places prospered.

Ships weather the might of the seas and despite the vagaries of the weather, keep on sailing towards their destinations. The whole of the sea can't sink a ship, if water does not enter it. It is only when,water gushes into the ship that it capsizes. Similarly, a person will face hurdles galore in pursuit of his goals but if he is steadfast in his approach and diligent and dedicated with a positive frame of mind, he will more often than not, achieve his desired result. Like a ship, he will not sink.

But on the other hand, if negativity enters his mind as water enters a ship, he is sure to capsize as a ship does.

Ah! The similarity is so uncanny but how many would actually understand it, I wonder??   

The Treasure Hunt!

One of my favorite childhood books has to be the classic by Robert Louis Stevenson, "The Treasure Island". The pirates especially the affable and at the next moment sinister one legged Captain Long John Silver and the virtual transformation of the innocent Jim Hawkins from a gullible country boy to a man hardened by experiences of loyalty, bravery and honor, have been etched in my mind forever from this book on a fascinating treasure hunt.

There is something that attracts one and all to a treasure hunt from time immemorial; El Dorado and Atlantis are names that come to mind immediately. In the present day, a treasure hunt that has grabbed eye-balls all across India, has been the digging that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has embarked upon in a small nondescript village Daundia Khera in the Unnao district of the central Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

This unusual "Gold" digging expedition has been undertaken by the ASI after the central government gave a go ahead on the basis of a dream that a seer of the region had. The holy man, Shobhan Sarkar dreamed that buried beneath the ruins of an old palace at Daundia Khera lie the fabulous treasure of Raja Rao Ram Baksh Singh, the king of Buxar, who was hanged by the British for participating in the great Mutiny of 1857 also referred to as India's First War of Independence.

The treasure in the dream, claimed the saint was a mind boggling 1000 tonnes (1 tonne = 1000 Kgs) of Gold that translates to roughly 35274000000 ounces. The price (as of today) of 1 ounce of gold is 1330 $, so calculated at the present value, the treasure's value would be in trillions of USD or in Indian rupees (assuming 1$=60 INR) it would come to an astronomical figure, enough to give the more than 1.2 billion Indians at least INR 2500 per person . However flimsy the basis, the amount was enough to spur every concerned party into action. The digging, which has been on for the last 4 days, has been slow but till date barring some 19th century relics nothing much has come up. But the interest in the treasure hunt has not waned and in fact even international media too has started covering it.

Most people dream of digging up great treasures and commence upon long illusory treasure hunts. They keep on living a dream and run all their lives in the quest of the "El Dorado" that they believe will change their lives. But the point they miss, as they rush through their lives, is that the greatest treasure that a person might find in the world actually lies within that person himself and his immediate surroundings.
  "It is ONLY Me and My Attitude, which is responsible for My Success". 

Peace, happiness and a contended personal life are probably the greatest treasures on earth, which most people in the present give a miss in their never ending Treasure Hunt for a better future....

The Durga Puja 2013!

The Durga Puja was celebrated with great religious fervor by people of all communities especially the Bengalis all across the country. The Pujas in my hometown of Udaipur, Rajasthan too were full of festivities and the days from "Shasthi" or the 6th day (10th October) to the Bijoy Dashami or the 10th day (14th October)  went off in a flash with an array of cultural programs and religious ceremonies dotting all these 5 days. The Durga Puja culminated with the "Bishorjon" or the immersion of the idol of the deity, Goddess Durga and her family consisting of Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Saraswati, Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartik in various water bodies, for them to visit the mortal world again, next year.

Bindu Bhawan, Durga Puja

Along with all the fun and festivities, there were some gloomy news as well during the Pujas. At the oldest Durga Puja in Udaipur at the Bindu Bhawan, the house of the Bhattacharya family, this year the puja was held in spite the loss of the head of the family, Mr Apurva Bhattacharya, at a relatively young age of 61 years due to cardiac arrest. The puja at the venue naturally had an air of gloom and the warmth of Opu Kaku as I called Mr Bhattacharya, was thoroughly missed.

The evening Aarti was almost divine at Bindu Bhawan

On 13th of October, the Mitters lost their matriarch, Mrs Leena Mitter, at a sprightly young age of 95 years. She was a lady who lived her life to the fullest and more importantly on her own terms.
Boroma didu, as I called her, would be missed by one and all, for her love for life and the zest with which she lived it.

Below are some more images from the Durga Puja in Udaipur, this October 2013....

Banga Samaj, Durga Puja

  

Town Hall, Durga Puja