Induced Intellectual Meandering (in verse form) from Vulgarity to Sublimity

I shall be stating the obvious when I say that I and Dr. Kanta (my wife), have been forced to remain at home ever since the pandemic COVID-19 took control of lives of the whole world. This has caused drastic changes not only in our physical lifestyles but also in our thinking, psyche and general mental attitude. Touchwood, we have been distinctly fortunate till date to have escaped any kind of affliction in both the physical body and the mental body. I can ascribe this majorly to two things.

1. Regular interaction with family and friends.
2. Physical labour and Yoga

Our children Vrinda and Kumar have been regularly interacting with us through ‘Facetime video calls’ to inquire about our health and to keep our spirits boosted. Occasionally, Praveen (my brother at Jalandhar) and Sunita (my sister at Ambala) also call to inquire about our well being and keep us up-dated about theirs and that of the various relatives who are located nearer to them geographically. Some friends also frequently ping us to exchange news, ‘Take Care’ messages and good wishes.

Because the domestic helps, who earlier took care of daily chores including sweeping & mopping and washing of dishes & utensils, have been asked to stay away, we have been going through the daily grind by ourselves. Kanta has continued to do the cooking as before. I have been obliged to help in the other routines. Of these sweeping and mopping are particularly to my account. This self-imposed (involuntary) labour gives us the much recommended physical exercise. We have also taken to Yoga, ‘Pranayam’ in particular and we feel that it is doing us good.

In spite of the above mentioned routines, I get plenty of time to spare, which I while away by watching all sorts of programs on TV including new and old movies and web series streamed on OTT. Kanta is very selective on what she watches and her screen time usage is minimal. She is more hooked to Whatsapp.

Earlier, before the COVID-19 outbreak, I would occasionally get a flash inspiring me to write. Firstly, it was poetry that I would be nudged  to compose. A word, a phrase, a sentence or a 'misra' (one of the two lines constituting an urdu couplet) or part of it, would suddenly pop up in the mind, which would subsequently metamorphose into an idea. This idea would then be hammered and chiseled to shape and carve it into a poem or a blog post. Though some of my poems were accepted and published on poetry sites on the web, I did not venture to publish them as an anthology in the form of a book. 

Later, I took to blogging. The blogs written by me have also been advertently marked for restricted circulation and readership limited to family and some friends.

Now during this pandemic-induced self-imposed home quarantine, like earlier days, I got a flash which urged me to create something like a poem. In fact, I have managed to fabricate five compositions. I am very consciously aware that these compositions range from vulgar (not obscene) assemblage of words not necessarily complying with a rule book of poetry, to cogent and sublime amalgamation of words and expression of thoughts. It is not without a thought that I have chosen to title this post as 'Induced Intellectual Meandering ---.'

The current inducement came from two sources. 

😉The first was COVID-19 itself, which, as hinted in the foregoing, created unusual and funny situations, which can and did serve as a substrate for (wry) humour.

Savour this:

One day, I had just finished mopping and was washing my hands when the phone rang. By the time I wiped my hands and picked up the phone, the call had terminated. I got reminded of the following wonderful composition of Inderjit Singh Tusi, poet laureate of Punjab 

मेरे मौला मेरी माफ़ करना ख़ता

फूल पूजा के तुमको चढ़ा न सका

हाथ बंदों की खि़दमत में मसरूफ़ थे

हाथ उठ न सके बंदगी के लिए

Then came the flash which induced me to say something in my own words. And here below is the result of the prod. 

आज सुबह सुबह किसी का फ़ोन आया

मैं चाह  कर भी  अटेंड नहीं कर पाया

क्योंकि मैं तो था बस अधर में लटका

एक हाथ में था झाड़ू , दूसरे में था फटका

        पहले से मन खिन्न था, दिमाग़ भी था सटका

गिरा चुका था दूध की थैली, पानी का मटका

पत्नी ने पहले तो डाँटा, फिर दिया बड़ा झटका

बर्तन घिसना कपडे धोना भी मेरे सिर पटका

मेरी अक़्ल पूरी तरह से जैसे फिस हो गई

इसीलिए वोह फ़ोन काल मुझसे मिस हो गई

The realization that I am mostly in front of the TV produced the following limerick

कोरोना से कम मुझसे ज़्यादा परेशान है मेरी बीवी

वोह दिन भर करती है काम और मैं देखता हूँ टीवी

मैं ला धरता हूँ एप्पल जब वोह लाने कहती है कीवी

वोह करती है फलाहार मैं उड़ाता हूँ तेल-वेल घी-वी

डांट कर कहती है, हो तो बुद्धू बनते हो बुद्धिजीवी 

👉The second source of inducement is Jatinder Veer Yakhmi.

Jatinder Yakhmi is a dear friend who makes it a point to regularly keep in  touch with me through various modes of communication including chats, texting and voice calls. Apart from being an internationally acclaimed scientist, who has a large number of scientific publications to his credit, he is a prolific author whose writings, both in prose and verse, cover a variety of themes.  His poems, in easy to understand Urdu / Hindustani, are thought provoking, soothing and inspirational. I feel privileged to be one of a select audience who gets to hear a ‘Fresh-from-the-Oven’ poem from the horse’s mouth. For a long time, he has been humouring me by asserting that he recognizes a creative streak in me. He has been frequently goading me to write. But I was not able to add anything worthwhile to my limited repertoire.

A few days ago, Yakhmi texted me and inquired about my physical health with the following line 

क्यों भाई सरीर ताँ तकड़ैय?

The reply from me came spontaneously as if by reflex action in the following octet addressed to him ( fondly addressed variously as यख्मी भा, जतिंदर भा, भा जी or often simply भा)

भा जी !!!

उम्र दे लिहाज़ नाल सरीर तां तगड़ा ऐ

पर दिल ते दिमाग च बाहला झगडा ऐ

दिल आखदै  खा पी जो खाणा पीणा ऐ

दिमाग कहंदै परहेज़ कर जे होर जीणा ऐ

किस दी मन्नां समझ च नहीं आ रिहा

मेरा शशोपंज है वधदा ई जा रिहा

तुसीं ही मैनु कुझ समझा दिओ

किसे तरहां एह झगड़ा मुका दिओ

 The original query and my response thereof were in Punjabi. As an after thought, I have translated both these things into Hindi as given below

Query : क्यों भाई सरीर तो तगड़ा है ?

Response: 

भा जी !!!

उम्र के लिहाज़ से शरीर तो अब भी तगड़ा है

पर दिल और दिमाग के बीच  पड़ा झगड़ा है

दिल का कहना है खा पी जो भी खाना पीना है

दिमाग कहता है परहेज़ कर अगर और जीना है

किसकी मानूँ मेरी समझ में कुछ नहीं आ रहा

मेरा शशोपंज^* है कि  बस है बढ़ता ही जा रहा

आप ही समझ कर मुझे भी कुछ समझा दो

 कुछ भी करके बस यह झगड़ा निपटा दो

*शशोपंज: Indecision

As mentioned above, Yakhmi Bha is prolific and has composed a number of poems during the lock-down, which fact triggered me and this time I came out with the following three compositions in quick succession.

😧अजब अज़िय्यतपसंद है दिल मेरा

अजब अज़िय्यतपसंद¹ है दिल मेरा, मेरा रंज इसको मज़ा देता है

आतिश ए ग़म² जलाये रखता है, उस पे शोलों को हवा देता है

हर घड़ी मुज़्तरिब³ ही रहता है, इस को आसूदगी⁴ से रब्त⁵ नहीं

मैं अगर हँसता मुस्कुराता हूँ  यह तभी मुझको रुला देता है

कुरेद कर यह मेरे माज़ी को, हरे सब ज़ख्म किए  रखता है 

जिन हवादिस⁶ को मैं भुलाता हूँ , याद  उनकी दिला देता है

इस मुख़ालिफ़⁷ ने जां के दुश्मन ने, जीना दुश्वार है किया मेरा

जब मैं मरने की बात करता हूँ, उमर लम्बी हो दुआ देता है

पहले दोनों में खूब बनती थी, एक यह ही था तरफ़दार मिरा

जाने कब क्या खता हुई मुझसे, अब  यह  जिसकी  सज़ा देता है

 Glossary

1. अज़िय्यतपसंद—Sadist      2. आतिश ए ग़म: Fire of sorrow
3. मुज़्तरिब—Agitated , disturbed
4. आसूदगी: satisfaction, contentment, comfort, peace
5. रब्त: connection, relation   6. हवादिस: Accidents

7. मुख़ालिफ़: Opponent

 

😔 ज़िन्दगी मौत की अमानत है

ज़िन्दगी मौत की अमानत¹ है, 

इसकी अच्छे से देख भाल करो

लाज़मी है आरियत² का लौटाना, 

इस हक़ीक़त का नित ख़याल करो

मिली है जो भी उसे क़ुबूल करो, 

वस्फ़³ पे बस न कुछ सवाल करो

चार दिन उम्र इसकी मुद्दत⁴ है, 

जिओ रूहको निहाल⁵ करो

लुत्फ़ हस्ती का लो ज़रूर मगर, 

इसकी इस्मत⁶ का न ज़वाल⁷ करो

ज़र्ब⁸ न आये शिकन⁹ न दाग पड़े, 

संभल संभल कर इस्तेमाल करो

लोग यम के जब भी आ जाएँ, 

प्यार से उनका इस्तिक़बाल¹⁰ करो

वक़्त-ए-रुख्सत¹¹सभी का शुक्र¹² करो, 

और हरगिज़ न कुछ  मलाल¹³करो

Glossary:

1.  अमानत: a thing committed to the trust or care of a person

2.  आरियत:  A borrowed thing which is to be returned as such     

3.   वस्फ़: quality

4.   मुद्दत: duration , time limit

5.   निहाल: happy, pleasurable

6.   इस्मत: honour, integrity, chastity

7.   ज़वाल: decline, fall, deterioration

8.    ज़र्ब: blow, bruise, injury

9.    शिकन: fold, wrinkle, crease

10.  इस्तिक़बाल: reception, welcoming a visitor

11.  वक़्त-ए-रुख्सत: time of separation,  the moment of departure,

12.  शुक्र: Thanks

13.  मलाल: Regret

😂ख़ुशी के साथ जगता गो ग़मों के साथ सोता हूँ

ख़ुशी के साथ जगता गो कि^*  ग़म के साथ सोता हूँ

बहुत से ख्वाब तकता हूँ मैं उनमें खूब रोता हूँ

हैं पश्चाताप के आंसू कि बन आते हैं गंगा जल

लगा डुबकी इन अश्कों में  मैं सारे पाप धोता हूँ

न मांगी और न पाई है कभी इमदाद औरों से

ग़म-ए-हस्ती का सारा बोझ अपने आप ढोता हूँ

अकेलेपन के जंगल में  कभी तनहा नहीं होता

न हो जब दूसरा कोई  मैं अपने साथ होता हूँ

*गो कि: though

🙆Epilogue:

I am fully aware that the purists may scoff at some or all of my compositions citing metrical, syntactical or even lexical inaccuracies and discrepancies. I am also aware that writing in general and writing poetry in particular is not every body’s cup of tea. Any which way, I would express what I am urged to say.

So be it.

 

Loudspeaker - Greater Than God ?

"Pen is mightier than sword". In the days of yore, this proverb was often employed to encourage budding and diffident writers to put their ideas, however nascent, to pen. This proverb implicitly reckons a sword as a weapon of offence. Here the sword stands for  the power of authority buoyed by the support of  a disciplined, loyal, obedient, ruthless and subservient military. It precludes the fact that sword could be wielded in defence as well. Correspondingly, the pen is also portrayed as a device of attack, its capability to defend being also ignored.

As the time went by, the sword gave way to gun which term includes all kinds of firearms ranging from  a pistol to AK47, M16 etc. to more complex, potent and destructive high tech military armament topped by nuclear weapons.  

The  power of pen, emanates from the writer's intellect. It was so in the past, is so  in the present  and will remain so in the future too. The written words, simple or nuanced, are the  proverbial fireballs, brickbats, arrows and bullets  hurled out from  the pen. These optically invisible projectiles penetrate the readers' minds rather than their bodies. The wounds caused by the pen do not heal in a hurry. The hurt can be wide and deep. Whole communities can get affected for generations altogether.

With progress of time, the pen too underwent an evolution which saw it transforming from handwritten artifacts through print media to the software content forming the quintessential life support of ubiquitous electronic  media encompassing communication, entertainment, information, social interaction and a multitude of other spheres of human activity. Today, even the  man in the street feels empowered to hurl brickbats on any body, anywhere and any time thanks to easy and free availability of the  modern avatars of the pen like Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Whats App and Messenger, coupled with the fundamental right of  'freedom of expression' 

Spoken words too have been a very powerful weapon since time immemorial. History and mythology are replete with examples wherein spoken words played havoc to the extent of even causing wars. Which of the two modes of communication viz. written words and the spoken words is more powerful has always been a subject of debate.  (See References 1, 2,3,4)

In the  present  times, the scale has  tilted in favour of the spoken words thanks to the loudspeaker which stands out as a very significant, if not the only, factor responsible for the phenomenon. In the present context, the term loudspeaker is not restricted in its definition to just the passive device that forms the last link in the chain of artifacts comprising an electronic sound system; rather it is justifiably broadened to include the entire system because the loudspeaker is the most perceptible component in the system. The term loudspeaker is very often shortened to just 'speaker'  and is also used in singular and plural interchangeably. 

It can be deduced from the above arguments that the loudspeaker is mightier than the pen. And by applying the law of transitive property of inequalities, it can be postulated that loudspeaker is mightier than the sword.

The loudspeaker, when used in a legal and controlled manner, is a great agent of delivery of  entertainment, information and knowledge with its feed coming from a huge variety of live and recorded sources. 

The flip side is that the loudspeaker is a major source of contribution to the noise pollution in Mumbai, Delhi and other Indian cities and is chiefly responsible for getting them the dubious distinction of being among the rank holders of noisiest cities of the world. (See Reference 5,6).

It is regrettable that the worst offenders, in respect of the illegal and / or uncontrolled misuse of the loudspeakers, are the abundant religious activities and places of worship. While some of these religious activities such as Ganapati festival, Navratri Dandiya, Dahi Handi, Eids, Muharram, Ramzaan and  Gurpurabs are yearly phenomena, quite a few others such as prayers and chants are more frequent. Azaan, the call for namaaz, one of the five basic pillars of Islam, is made five times a day through loudspeakers mounted on high minarets. The power of these speaker system is kept far in excess of that required to cover the area of influence of the particular mosque. In addition, in many localities, the Azaan is broadcast by more than three or four mosques in quick succession resulting in overlap which turns into an irritating babel what would otherwise be a very soothing wake up call exhorting the faithfuls to shun laziness and to get ready for saying their prayers. These mosques seem to compete with each other in respect of loudness and variety of sound. Some of them employ echo sound systems further aggravating the cacophony. In addition, some mosques broadcast religious poems and songs for an extended period of time before and after the azaan.

Sir Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, regarded as one of the greatest modern poets of Urdu and a highly learned islamic scholar and ideologue  must have felt very irritated and frustrated by the practice of loud broadcasting of early morning azaan. Otherwise there was no reason for him to write the  following couplet wherein he has unequivocally lambasted the practice.

नवा-ए-सुब्ह-गाही ने जिगर ख़ूँ कर दिया मेरा

ख़ुदाया जिस ख़ता की ये सज़ा है वो ख़ता क्या है

( The morning call has caused my heart to bleed. O God, what crime am I guilty of, to deserve this punishment)

For me, the effect of the Azaan has been very positive. Earlier, I used to feel very lazy and would not get up from the bed till well after the sunrise when the sunshine made it impossible for me to continue sleeping. Now a days, when the morning Azaan is sounded, I get up, say my morning prayers and go for a walk. I kill two birds with one stone. While on the one hand, I avoid listening to the cacophony, on the other hand I do my mind and body a lot of good.

Another deplorable misuse of the loudspeaker manifests as very lengthy, loud and overlapping discourses accompanying the Friday afternoon prayer. And in localities where madrassas are co-located with mosques, the morning broadcasts include naats, qawwalis, poems and even class instructions for duas  for various occasions.

Consequently, more often than not, in India the loudspeaker becomes an execrable source of irritation, animosity, acrimony, ill-will and contention.

A number of legal petitions against the noise pollution caused by the use of loudspeakers during religious festivals and prayers have been filed in various courts. Some of the courts have ordered bans on their use in religious places. But the loudspeakers merrily continue to irritate, provoke and sicken the public at large  in blatant disregard and contravention of these orders.( See Reference 7, 8,9,10). 

The brazen and unchecked deployment of the loudspeaker forces one to deduce that many Indians trust the power of the loudspeaker more than that of God. It seems to be their firm conviction that God is afflicted with dysphonia and that He also suffers from hearing-impairment. These Indians, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and others alike,  are equally convinced that He needs a loudspeaker to make His voice heard by them. And in return, these people cannot do without a  loudspeaker to make their voices heard by God. 

Whenever I think of the loudspeaker, I get reminded of the movie "Beneath the Planet of Apes". In the movie, "the protagonist, astronaut Brent, believes that he has traveled to another planet and forward in time to the year 3955 and he finds a population of telepathic humans who worship an ancient nuclear bomb". ( See Reference 11)


Taking a cue from the above named movie and given the Indians' penchant for creating gods every now and then, coupled with their ardour for constructing places of worship at every nook and cranny, it will be no wonder if a temple devoted to 'Loudspeaker' springs up somewhere in, the not very distant, future. And in the course of time, 'Loudspeaker' would muster a huge following comprising devotees who would not only worship It, but would also believe It to be Greater than God. And some time later, a declaration to that effect may get issued. This would have regenerative effect leading to proliferation of places of worship devoted to Loudspeaker everywhere. God would perhaps be dispatched on perpetual sick leave.

God Bless The Loud Speaker and Its devotees.

References:
1. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slowchurch/2014/08/19/the-spoken-word-vs-the-written-word/

2. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/spoken-word-vs-written-navin-chandra-joshi
3. http://vwordpress.stmarys-ca.edu/nickgunawan/2011/03/31/spoken-word-vs-written-word/

4. http://arcade.stanford.edu/dibur/spoken-word-written-word-introduction 
5. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/03/these-are-the-cities-with-the-worst-noise-pollution/

6. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ten-worlds-noisiest-cities-dermot-foley
7. http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/04/18/hindu-janajagruti-samiti-and-shiv-sena-seek-ban-on-use-of-loudsp_a_22043914/
8.http://www.firstpost.com/mumbai/silence-please-remove-illegal-loudspeakers-used-in-mosques-festivals-says-bombay-high-court-2438882.html
9.https://scroll.in/article/672693/with-court-ban-on-illegal-mosque-loudspeakers-some-mumbai-muslims-oppose-street-prayers-too
10. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/pollution/ensure-religious-places-follow-noise-pollution-norms-ngt/articleshow/60752883.cms
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beneath_the_Planet_of_the_Apes

Mahabharta 2017-Campaign Gujarat and ataque de nervios

Every time an election is announced in India, I take it for another battle of Mahabharta which now I would like referring to as 'War without End'. That is because electioneering in India is a perennial process, which is carried out with irritating ingemination. The bugles for one or the other battle continue to be sounded with sickening regularity.

When the dates for elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat were announced, I did not think that these elections merited particular attention. I assumed that in Gujarat, Modi / BJP juggernaut would be on a roll without meeting even a notional resistance, BJP having earlier managed a coup of sorts in the Gujarat state Congress organization; Ahmed Patels' Rajya Sabha victory on technical grounds not withstanding. My lack of interest was reinforced by another customary routine- the opinion poll, that follows any announcement of an election. This time round too, the opinion polls were conducted. India Today polls grudgingly informed that a decisive victory for BJP in both the states was imminent.

And suddenly, the self-appointed guardians of secular Indian democracy, the electronic media satraps like  Rajdeep Sardesai and the others of his ilk  started seeing ghosts. They started hallucinating of  an unfettered, unchallenged and autocratic Modi/BJP government back at the centre in 2019. They woke up with a start and an agenda to stop Modi/BJP in their tracks. And election in Gujarat was imparted unparallelled significance. 

Congress was shaken from its stupor. It was goaded and exhorted to try and fight the last ditch battle irrespective of the odds. It was perhaps given the pep talk coupled with the faint hope that the worst had already passed and things could only look up from here on wards.  Therefore post-haste, Rahul Gandhi was ostensibly resurrected as the comeback messiah though perhaps in reality he has been once more made the sacrificial lamb.

A lot has happened  since then though most of it is as absurd as can be. 

Rahul Gandhi launched a broad side on Modi/Amit Shah/BJP emphasizing that  they had failed the people of India and particularly the people of Gujarat by jeopardizing their livelihoods through demonetization, GST and 'the much hyped but defunct' Gujarat model of development.

Rahul Gandhi seems to be smug with a feeling that he has discovered in himself a creative streak of poking fun through "satire and pun". He appears to be enthralled by it. He is seen to be relishing his calling GST as 'Gabbar Singh Tax'. (See Reference 1)

The 'Gujarat model of development' was mocked at through a social media blitz comprising a number of videos with the 'innovative' catchphrase विकास गांडो थायो छे (Vikas has gone crazy). Vikas (a very popular name having the meaning of "Development") going crazy insinuates that Gujarat model of development has gone haywire.(See Reference 2). Rahul Gandhi was supported by other congress worthies like P.Chidambram in spreading the expression.

The electronic media opposed to Modi/BJP has been conducting debates / discussions on a daily basis and stage managing on-site surveys (polls) trying to create the impression that widespread discontent exists in the people of Gujarat against the incumbent BJP governments at the centre and the state. It tacitly tries to induce people into feeling that a Rahul or congress wave has begun to take shape and that the same will be able to dislodge the incumbent Gujarat government in 2017 and will prevent Modi from getting a second term at the centre in 2019.

Congress has been trying to rebuild Rahul Gandhi as a leader for quite sometime. This exercise had started even before the elections to HP and Gujarat were announced. He was suddenly hailed as a leader with massive following on the social media like Twitter. It was claimed that he had outsmarted Modi with number of tweets and re-tweets and that he would give Modi a run for his money in the coming days. However, BJP media managers were quick to lay bare the claim by proving that 'Bots' were instrumental for Rahul's pretentious claim to fame. (See Reference 3)

The controversy over Bhansali's film Padmavati was played up by the media as reignition of intolerance debate. The timing of the controversy smells of a carefully planned conspiracy to bias and wean certain sections of the society away from BJP. More on this topic in another piece some time later.

Another carefully planned conspiracy raised its head in the form of Rahul Gandhi's sudden and unprecedented display of faith in Hindu gods. He visited various temples in Gujarat ostensibly to seek blessings for the success of his election campaign. As part of the process, he visited Somnath where his name was entered in a register for non-hindu visitors. BJP spokespersons were quick to latch on to this 'misdemeanour' and branded him a hypocrite who was going temple hopping only to pull the wool over the eyes of Gujarati electorate. Congress showed extraordinary swiftness and urgency in claiming that he was a born hindu, a Shiv-bhakt and a Janeu dhari brahmin to top it all. Who will ultimately benefit from this controversy, is hard to tell.

Yet another event that the Congress considers an achievement is that Rahul Gandhi was able to woo Hardik Patel, another self proclaimed bete noir of BJP. It thinks that Hardik Patel along with Alpesh Thakore and Jignesh Mevani will be able to turn the tide against Modi and in favour of Congress. The rationale behind the optimism is that three above named are youth leaders and they will coalesce with Rahul Gandhi more easily than they would with Modi. (See Reference 4)

BJP lost no time in assigning the troika a new identity called HAJ, an acronym made from the initials of their names. The identity has glaring communal overtones.

Another event that was lapped up by the media was the filing of nomination papers by Rahul Gandhi for president-ship of the Congress. A big show was made of the nomination by the congress (See Reference 5). Not unexpectedly, BJP dismissed the event as an eyewash and mockery of democratic processes and values. There were some very interesting and intriguing comments from both congress partisans and loyalists and the adversaries from BJP.

It was good to see that Manmohan Singh  found his long last speech when he waxed eloquence to say that " Rahul ji has been the darling of the Congress----"

In stark contrast, Shahzad Poonawalla, a very vocal Maharashtra Congress leader, suddenly raised the banner of revolt. He had hitherto taken great pains in projecting himself as a dyed-in-the wool congress loyalist. Labelling Rahul's nomination a "coronation", he termed it as a black day in the history of the party.

And Mani Shankar Iyer already notorious for his immodesty, vitriolic tongue and penchant for creating controversies by making derogatory remarks about any adversary in general and Modi in particular, came out with an ambiguous statement. He quipped that "When Shah Jahan came in the place of Jahangir did any election happen? And when Aurangzeb came in place of Shah Jahan did any election happen? It was known to everyone that the throne of the king will automatically go to the heir"

Modi was quick to grab the opportunity. Addressing a public meeting in Dharampur constituency in Gujarat, he said: "Mani Shankar Aiyar, who never shies away from showing loyalty to one family, proudly said - When Shah Jahan came in the place of Jahangir did any elections happen? --------" 

Modi went on to hit the nail on the head by saying "I congratulate the Congress on their 'Aurangzeb Raj.' For us, the wellbeing of the people matters and 125 crore Indians are our high command,"

All this while, I had been eagerly awaiting for a Brahmastra akin to demonetization from Modi / BJP that would destroy the challenge from his opponents completely and comprehensively. It has been elusive in the current battle. In the absence of high class weapons from both sides, BJP as well as Congress, the battle degenerated into indecent war of words.

Mani Shankar Iyer made an extremely objectionable remark about Modi calling him 'neech' and an uncultured person. Whether the Gujaratis will retaliate by voting congress out is to be taken with a proverbial pinch of salt.

Modi launched an exasperating attack on the Congress by brandishing a double-edged sword in the form of a serious allegation that a seditious conspiracy had been hatched at Mani Shankar Iyer's house. He alleged that a secret rendezvous organized at that place had senior Congress leaders including ex-PM Manmohan Singh and ex-VP Hamid Ansari striking a cozy deal with a group of Pakistani diplomats and military strategists to chalk out a program to undermine the success of BJP at the Gujarat hustings this season. This allegation betrays a sense of desperation and a diminishing of confidence creeping in the BJP camp regarding its expectations of the results in Gujarat elections. At the same time, Gujarat congress is complaining of misuse or tempering of EVMs. (See Reference 5). This clearly indicates that Congress leaders are also nervous after having made tall claims about handing BJP a defeat in its most prestigious and impregnable bastion.

The last day of campaigning saw two significant expositions from the chiefs of the two warring armies. Modi became the first passenger in the very first flight of a sea plane in India. He took off from Sabramati River Front in Ahmedabad to land at Dharoi dam en route to Amba Ji temple. As per BJP, this act redoubles BJP's agenda of development. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi continued his temple run, this time visiting Jagannath Temple more to pray to the people of Gujarat to vote in favour of a hindu Rahul Gandhi-led Congress than to show to Lord Jagannath his faith in Him.

The battle of Gujarat, which seemed innocuous in the beginning, has turned out to be a pot-boiler which is fueled by jibes and jeers, taunts and sneers, barbs and smears - albeit of the worst kind. 

The Campaign Gujarat has had deleterious effect on both BJP and Congress. Both seem to have suffered 
                     ataque de nervios (attack of nerves)

This battle of nerves and swerves, jitters and fritters, insinuations and implications and innuendos and verbal kendos would be decided on 18th December, 2017 but the war without end will continue.

Though I told myself that it would advisable not to take sides and not to hazard a guess but await the results in stead, the gut feeling is the BJP Pandvas will win this battle of Mahabharat 2017 too. They have not only definitely openly exhibited a faculty and willingness for repartee but also their resolve to win at all costs.

Fortune favours the brave

Reference 1: http://www.news18.com/news/politics/rahul-gandhi-calls-bjps-gst-gabbar-singh-tax-says-gujarat-youth-cant-be-bought-1554525.html

Reference 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4zryL_VcrE&list=RDo4zryL_VcrE&index=1

Reference 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqVPGJBqkEs

Reference 4:https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/hardik-patel-alpesh-thakor-jignesh-mevani-gujarats-youth-factor/articleshow/61679722.cms

Reference 5: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/rahul-gandhi-files-nomination-for-congress-president-post/article9980952.ece

Reference 6:http://indianexpress.com/elections/gujarat-assembly-elections-2017/gujarat-elections-2017-congress-complains-of-evm-tampering-via-bluetooth-ec-orders-probe-4975319/

Spirited Surrender - First Intimation Report

Something happened to me about two months ago. Something  snapped inside me. I mysteriously came to be possessed.

I just heard some extra-mundane being  proclaiming an edict commanding me to take an oath and I heard myself simply say "I  do" in total surrender and unconditional compliance. 

I took an oath of abstinence from alcohol.  An abstinence that is unqualified and total. No half measures. It came into force with immediate effect and is binding for life.

I have not as yet reflected on the occurrence to appreciate what caused it. I am writing this piece simply to inform about the occurrence of the event and its two immediate spin offs 

1. I promised myself that in due course of time, I would  revisit the occasion and establish a plausible explanation. I would then publish a detailed note which would comprise, apart from my analysis of this mystical event, the genesis of my love affair with alcohol, the experience(s) and the associated tales that got spewed thereof and which became part of the folk lore about my persona.

2. A spirited expression of intent in verse form came forth. Here is the same

इक बार फिर से तौबा   की है शराब से

पाना निजात चाहता  हूँ  इस अज़ाब1 से

उलफ़त  से  इसकी मुझको रुसवाईयां मिलीं

महरूम ही रहा  हूँ  मैं हर सवाब2 से

मुश्किल तो बहुत होगी उसे तोड़ने में गोया 

बरसों से जो लगी है  ख़ानाख़राब3  से

गैरों को बस  यकीं है अपनों को एहतिमाल4

कहते हैं मुंह बनाके न होगा जनाब से

तौफ़ीक  दे वोह मुझको  कि निबाह कर सकूं

करता हूँ यह दुआ  वाहिद5  तव्वाब6  से

बाकी बची उमर  की नई  दास्तां  लिखूँ 

आग़ाज़-ए-दास्तां7  इक नए  ही बाब8  से 

1. अज़ाब: Curse  2. सवाब : Reward of good deeds    3. ख़ानाख़राब:  Ruined / Ruiner       4. एहतिमाल: Doubt   5 वाहिद: The only one-God      6  तव्वाब: Forgiver-Acceptor of tauba

7 आग़ाज़-ए-दास्तां: Beginning of the story   8. बाब: Chapter