Whiteline Journal June 2010 by Sasidharan Nair

June 2010

Vol. 4

Issue 4

June 2010

Price : Rs. 15

The Print Media in India Founder Editor Suresh H. Kondeth Chairman Anil Raghavan Chief Editor Premlal Editor-in-Charge K. Sasidharan Nair Editor C. Vimal Kumar Associate Editor Nanappan Manjapra Consulting Editor (Business) Dr. Raja Roy Choudhury Subscription Sindhu J. Mannadiar Thiruvananthapuram Bureau Monayi G.K. Baiju S. Pattathanam Kochi Bureau Dr. V.M.R. Nair Hari Pullut Kozhikode Bureau K.S. Gopalakrishnan Thrissur Bureau M.N. Rajendran Middle East M.S. Rajkumar Singapore Mrs. Santha Nair U.K. Dr. Vasudevan Namboothiri U.S.A. T.V. Rajendraprasad Layout & Graphics K. Jayaprakash Sudheesh P.B. Staff Photographers Dani K. Davis Lenin

Media in India is among the oldest and largest media of the world where print media started in 1780, broadcasting commenced in 1927 and screening of August and Louis Lumiere moving pictures initiated during July of 1895. The history of Indian print media started in 1780, with the publication of the Bengal Gazette from Calcutta. James Augustus Hickey is considered as the “father of Indian press” as he started the first Indian newspaper from Calcutta, the Calcutta General Advertise or the Bengal Gazette in January, 1780. In 1789, the first newspaper from Bombay, the Bombay Herald appeared, followed by the Bombay Courier next year (this newspaper was later amalgamated with the Times of India in 1861). The first newspaper in an Indian language was the Samachar Darpan in Bengali. The first issue of this daily was published from the Serampore Mission Press on May 23, 1818. In the same year, Ganga Kishore Bhattacharya started publishing another newspaper in Bengali, the Bengal Gazetti. On July 1, 1822 the first Gujarati newspaper the Bombay Samachar was published from Bombay, which is still extant. The advancement of technologies and state of the art production facilities in printing have been changed print media in India. Similarly the general characteristics of the media men have been changed a lot. The number of journalists and media men with dedication, passion, hard work, knowledge, research and experience are reducing and becoming to a rare species. In this issue’s cover story is about such a gentleman journalist-writer-teacher Professor P.K. Ravindranath. We give more emphasis to Carnatic Music Series with four articles in this issue besides our other regular columns, new articles and features. We will be publishing more interesting articles about Media in India in our coming issues. Sasidharan Nair Editor-in-Charge

CONTENTS

Vikramaditya

Dr. C.N.N.Nair People across the world irrespective of differences related to place, caste, creed, and colour unite in the deep-rooted and insatiable interest in stories, legends, myths and adventures. Adults and children are enamoured and influenced alike to this interest.

Prof. P.K.Ravindranath The veteran journalist-writer of Indian press 6

What is

Good Parenting?

Dr. V.M.R. Nair

The aware person is one who knows that after he dies, the trees will still be there, but he will not be there to look at them again. Seeing your children with as much poignancy as possible, knowing what age they are, seeing them as individual human being of infinite worth is awareness of children.

Sasidharan Nair

An article by Sri Swami Sivananda

The Need For A Teacher As the Gita contains subtle and profound teachings, you should study it under a qualified teacher, a Brahma-nishtha Guru, with great faith, single-minded devotion and purity.

CONTENTS

Thousand Gold Coins and a Handful Grain

B. Sarojini

Simhapuri was a prominent town in the Vijaya Nagar Empire. There lived a stunning beauty named Vidyullatha. She was a rich lady and well versed with prose, poetry and composition besides dance and music. Vidyullatha was famous as a proud woman in the region.

28 Temples of Kerala

Vadakkunnathan Temple

The Vadakkumnathan temple is one of the oldest temples in Kerala. It is a classical example of the Kerala style of architecture and contains many decorative murals and pieces of art. It stands on a beautiful hillock at the centre of Thrissur overlooking the town. It is one of the largest and ancient Shiva temples in Kerala. It is located in the heart of Thrissur city.

Ratan Tata and NELCO in its bad days 32

Velu Thampi Dalawa An Administrator par excellence

V.N. Gopalakrishnan

A commemorative postage stamp marking the 201st death anniversary of Velu Thampi Dalawa the Diwan of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom was released on May 6, 2010. He was an administrator par excellence. Article sheds more light on the legendary freedom fighter who revolted against the British 200 years ago

June 2010

K D Skandan

Tune yourself in to a better soul

Revathi Sridharan Tunnelling deep into the origin of diverse genres of music, we will observe that each of it stalked out from a certain situation.

COVER STORY

Prof. P.K.Ravindranath The veteran journalist-writer of Indian press

Sasidharan Nair

Professor P.K. Ravindranath is a familiar name both in English and regional press in India. Since last six decades he is silently continuing his work with passion and dedication. This veteran of Indian media has several accolades to his credit. To name a few they starts from correspondent, sub-editor, film editor of Free Press Journal, freelance writer, bureau chief, political analyst, organizer, activist, columnist, writer and translator, Press Advisor of Maharashtra Chief Minister, Director of Nehru Centre, editor, consulting editor and teacher of journalism. Based on the numerous interactions with Professor P.K. Ravindranath at quite a few occasions spanned over a period of one and half decades and mainly on the data provided by him I have done this cover story. I consider this cover story is a summarised version or glimpses from his life story. In fact I wanted to write more meticulously about him and several incidents of his life in detail which have historical, social, cultural, political, lingustic and literary values. Therefore I am planning to write P.K. Ravindranath’s biography and already started the research work and data compilation. A documentary film on him is also my dream project. Professor P.K. Ravindranath is epitome of simplicity, dignity, genuineness, beauty, experience, knowledge, authenticity and truth. You cannot see any similar person in Indian media of his stature with vivid experience of life. His persona is unique and he is really a role model of ethics and purity. To be a true Indian you must develop the culture of the Indian Army, avers P.K. Ravindranath. That alone will instil in you patriotism, selflessness, discipline and to think and act as a member of the great human race.

‘Panniyankara Prince’: P.K. Ravindranath in his 20’s Photo by: Hrishikesh Mukherjee

June 2010

COVER STORY

From left: Swamidas Menon, P.K. Ravindranath, Thara Ravindranath and Ramachandran on P.K. Ravindranath’s wedding day

He himself had never been an army man, but the first decade of his formative years were spent in an army hill-station, Maymyo in Central Burma, where he went first to a convent school, then to an Arya Samaj school. He imbibed the best of both – the Catholic faith and the reformist Hindu system of life. Being an army cantonment, he would roam freely on a bicycle all around the town, which kept him healthy and free from ailments. He went to primary school in a government-run high school, whose headmaster was a former adjutant in the British Army. Then World War II broke out. Ravindranath and his family consisting of his parents and five siblings caught the last steamer from Rangoon back to Madras in 1940. Indians after him had to trek through unfriendly terrain and seek refuge in India through Assam. His earliest recollection is sitting on the lap of Mahakavi Vallathol, who had come to his house during a tour of Burma with his Kathakali troupe, and reciting a poem. Another memory is of a Velichapad biting off the head of a live cock during a homam at his

uncle’s house in Calicut, which had a Kuttichathan kavu attached to it. As a six-year old it revolted him. Back in Calicut in 1940 “as a refugee” the next seven years were gruelling ones – poverty stricken, inability to adjust to life in a joint family, difficulty at school with Malayalam language, which ultimately forced him to seek exemption from that subject for his S.S.L.C. examination. By the time he reached college, at the Zamorin’s College, he had come to grips with Malayalam. Financial inability to pursue his studies after Senior

P.K. Ravindranath, Thara Ravindranath

Intermediate (the present plus two stage) he landed up in Mumbai. His high school and college days coincided with the last phase of the freedom struggle – the Quit India movement. He became an active member of the Student’s Congress, which brought him in touch with a whole generation of selfless national leaders, including the redoubtable Krishna Pillai and A.K. Gopalan and a whole array of Congress leaders who sacrificed much for the nation. In Mumbai, he landed a job with the Kuwait Oil Company and

Family Get-together: From left Naresh, his wife Anuja, Jayesh’s wife, Thara Ravindranath, P.K. Ravindranath, Jayesh andgrandchildren

was sent to Kuwait – a job he badly needed to help the family. It lasted for only ten months, for he along with a group of 19 and 20 year old employees of the company could not stand the haughty attitude of the British and American bosses of the KOC. They called a strike, and the entire operations of the mighty company came to a standstill for five days. Ultimately, the Sheikh himself intervened and promised to get the grievance of the “Indian brothers” redressed. Within a week Ravindranath, along with a dozen other “rig leaders” of the strike were rounded up the Kuwait police and packed off to Bombay on a waiting ship. Then followed a series of jobs – “some like hawking a special brand of phenyl and another procuring printing order for a commercial printing press in the Fort”. Then, he sent an application – the only one he sent in his life – to S. Sadanand, the editor of The Free Press Journal. He was called for an interview and within fifteen minutes was appointed a sub-editor. He worked for five years in the FPJ – till 1955. That year he was June 2010

called and offered a job in “The Times of India”. Before he joined, the TOI discovered that was not a graduate and asked for the return of the appointment letter. By then Ravindranath had become aware

of the laws of the employment and terms and conditions pertaining to a job. “Give me the contracted salary for the next thirty years and I will return the letter,” he told the Management. He knew by then

P.K. Ravindranath as Jesus Christ and Nagaratna as Mariam in Magdalana Mariam Ballet in 1950 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Hall, Chowpati, Bombay

COVER STORY

P.K. Ravindranath in his workstation with old Remighton typewriter

that the Editor of the TOI, the Chief Reporter, The Chief of Bureau and several other heads of departments were not graduates. Then why single him out? The management compromised. It allowed him to work, on condition that he would get a degree “soon”. In two ears time, he got one. In another three he had procured a post-graduate degree in political science and sociology, “which I found were very helpful for my profession”. Then he registered for a doctorate, when the general manager, J.C. Jain asked him: “What next?”

By then, he had become totally immersed in the journalists’ struggle for higher wages, security of service and better working conditions.” He had become Chairman of the Bombay Union of Journalists and was elected the Treasurer of the Indian Federation of Working Journalists. He had occasions to go round the country on behalf of these organisations settling disputes with managements and ensuring that harmonious conditions prevailed in the newspaper industry. As a newspaperman, he found that this early influences in life, 10

gave him a healthy outlook nin dealing with communal riots, attitudes towards the minority communities and the pernicious caste system in the country. A series of articles in the Times of India, The Illustrated Weekly of India, The Economic Times, The Filmware and the Femina followed. In ten years times, it was his boast that he could walk into any English language newspaper in the country and say: “I am P.K. Ravindranath. I want a job, and I would get it on the spot.” All this brought him to the notice of political leaders, social activist and makers of public opinion in the country. His interest in Malayalam drama, films and all other social activities endeared him to film makers, the theatre fraternity in Bombay and elsewhere. He came to close to a number of leading journalists in the country, several top Congress and other political leaders in the country. Then came emergency and the strict imposition of censorship on the press. He was shocked at the way some journalists who had been critical of emergency rule were hounded out and imprisoned without trial. The then editor of the TOI he found did not back him on a crucial issue concerning a news item, which “pertained to prominent friend of the Establishment.” He resigned his job in August 1976. “I should have left the TOI ten years earlier,” he lamented. “I had everything by then, a known byeline, ample experience and contacts.” He joined the National Herald but within a year, thanks to the changing political fortunes, the Heralad was under a lockout. “I was left with a staff of six whom I had recruited and had to ensure their monthly wages were paid – with no money coming in from Lucknow, the headquarters of the Herald group. Contd.... 47

Poem Niranam Karunakaran

LIFE Life is, amazingly very small tiny word, Which swallows the great gigantic world; And appears like a mysterious jewel, Hidden in the hands of a magician! Poets composed life with imagination, Musicians weaved it a harmonious song; Thinkers, in their thoughts, saw the lifeAs a bubble of colourful dew drop! I see the life, as an endless journey, To the infinite, full of miseries and joys The charioteer of this conundrum blinks, To discover a way of just and truth! Ah! At the stage of the scintillating drama, The players are acting as if they live? But, some are living as if they act, surely, In the whole story of life, the playwright smiles! The playboys wander, here and there: And want to live a life of tumultuous joy: But, alas! fettered by the perpetual unseen, Limping forth to catch on their own life! Oh, friends! behold the other black sideOf the life, where some want to welcome The god of death, to bury their penuries, Are not blessed to vanish in to the eternal cover. I, on the plight, see a bright light there, And chasing it to unfold the supreme truth; What a wonder, behind the golden light, Is a thick and hard darkness spread! June 2010

Straight from the Heart

THE COMMANDMENTS TO A LITREARY PRESENTATION

n this occasion, I would like to ramble away from the oft-trodden path and go off on a tangent to traipse the seldom chosen approach that can hardly be called the forte of a feature-writer contributing to umpteen publications. Writing, a no mean task mind you, should be coming to one naturally rather than be a cumbersome assignment, and a writer should be seen evolving with every write-up he puts his heart and soul into. The popularity of a wordsmith could be gauged by readership commanded and compliments his style of hammering his ideas and thoughts into virtual compositions that keeps the reader spellbound. Just imagine a juggler of words being asked to sit over judgment, commenting on a particular periodical he freelances for - it is just not possible! Views and opinions vary, as it always has. Moreover that breed, that special stock, those men and women of letters, they are a class apart. Known for their whimsicalities, their egoistic tendencies almost often ruffle them at the trivial, feeling slighted. So I will never dare take a crack at such a foolhardy exercise. But then, these considerations should not be desist me from coming out with my sincere views; observations that could enhance the quality of a magazine that I hold dear to my heart. I have been associated with this magazine right from its inception – or at least a few issues soon after. Since then I have seen the monthly metamorphose into a journal of ‘eternal wisdom of spirituality and tradition’ with a

right blend of selected topics, skipping the mundane. A preferred editorial decision to stay away from the murky world of politicians and anything that remotely smells of politics may have robbed the magazine of some zing. In an attempt to keep pace with the changing times, the fetish for experimenting with a variety of designs for acquiring a new-look for the magazine resulted in a ‘fancy-dress parade’ of cover-pages that sometimes transcended from the sublime to the comic. The cover of a journal is supposed to reflect the essence of the contents carried within and quite often readers ‘by pass’ a periodical just for this reason, hesitating to pick up an issue from the stands as it lacks a get-up. With the last issue in circulation, the board seems to have momentarily resolved this problem. Juxtaposing iconic figures and topics in their order of relevance, the cover promises an interesting reading. The editorials have always been true-gems and a revelation of sorts. Admittedly, the editorial board comprises of widely read men with a fantastic grasp over the language. A repertoire of literary anecdotes, a treasure-trove of information, I used to be, or rather, I still am, in awe of some of their unique writing capabilities. In the august company of such literati as Sarada Nair, K.R.Narayanan, K.P. Prasannakumar, T.V.Nambiar, Dr. C.N.N.Nair, 12

et al, I am just a tits-and-bits writer; a writer more by default than by choice. For me, an issue of the magazine with any of these names missing would tantamount to an ‘intellectual catastrophe’. The last editorial had the Editorin-Charge vouching that the future presentations would be dedicated to love, lifestyle spirituality and eternal wisdom. In their endeavour “as a responsible publication to give the most interesting and best read keeping in mind the cross section of their readers,” the editorial team has roped in a few more contributors. Here is wishing them all the best in their efforts! But please do pardon me for stating that the magazine is yet an incomplete one. Envisaging a sustained readership planning articles on diversified topics such as health care, education, management, in-

Pachu Menon

vestment, housing, yoga, linguistics, biotechnology, law etc, is an undertaking easier said than done. A concise publication, maintaining a few regular features and having an amalgam of themes presented by new entrants on varied subject matters should set the ship a sail. An occasional short-story, but by no means a serialized version, should vet the appetite of the romantic! Alas, the habit of reading is a relic of the past! A virtual raid of satellite Television, forcing the entry of a multitude of channels into the drawing room has made couchpotatoes of our teens. Libraries and book-stalls wear a deserted look these days. In keeping with the adage that the youth of today is the future of tomorrow, the onus to draw the children back into reading rooms rests with such publications. Writers who specialize in penning June 2010

compositions for children should be encouraged. Competitions could also be announced enticing youngsters to write on selected themes and the winning entry could in turn be awarded and published in the subsequent edition of the journal. An informative journal is never complete without some quips and commentaries on the current affairs of the nation. To do so, the editorial board need not feel they are violating their editorial policy by publishing articles that gives the reader a first-hand informative on the recent happenings across the country; news analyses have always remained an integral part of journalism! It is when a publication becomes antiestablishment that doubts are raised over the managementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political leanings. Every periodical should prominently invite bouquets and brick13

bats for their journalistic efforts; criticisms and congratulations are a magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s earned assets. If catcalls or a thunderous applause does not greet a performance on stage, how will an artiste gauge his charisma? A page or two has to be exclusively reserved for the readersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; opinions, suggestions, censures and appreciations. The publication has a long way to go and the hurdles and obstructions, if any, will soon be overcome. What is appreciable is the efforts put in by a group of dedicated selfstrivers to churn out a periodical that is slowly but steadily catchingon. Rome, of course was not built in a single day! These are the reflections of an aam reader, pouring out straight from the heart. Take it with a pinch of salt if need be.

Vikramaditya

Vikramaditya P

Dr. C.N.N.Nair

eople across the world irrespective of differences related to place, caste, creed, and colour unite in the deep-rooted and insatiable interest in stories, legends, myths and adventures. Adults and children are enamoured and influenced alike to this interest. This is buttressed by the fact that serious thinkers and philosophers have also employed this technique to convey their messages as seen in the Parables of Jesus Christ. Long before that, the great epics of the East (Ramayana and Mahabharata besides several Bhagavatams) and those of the West like Iliad and Odyssey conveyed the inner meaning of their messages couched in interesting tales of valour and heroism. The universality of this approach is seen from the keen interest with which people even now lap up such volumes. To cite a few examples, who can forget the enchanting string of stories told literally on sword’s point by the

Our esteemed readers would have noticed the similarity of Vidyasagar story with that of Chandrasarma in the Patanjali article. What further intrigues the discerning reader is the problem of time, which is usual with all ancient legends and myths. Kalidaasa was one of the nine gems of the court of Vikramaditya who was none other than Bhoja of Dharanagari. Vararuchi was another of the ‘navaratna’s. However, Vararuchi, the elder brother of original Vikramaditya might have lived at least some centuries before Bhoja. The similarity between Vidyasagar and Chandra Sarma could give rise to the assumption that Chandrasarma’s son by the Brahmin wife could be ‘Vararuchi’! The Vararuchi whose wife gave birth to twelve children – of twelve clans in Kerala (‘Parayi Petta Panthirukum), of which we dealt with earlier, could not have lived earlier than 600 AD since at least one son – Uppukoottan- was considered a Muslim! But then these internal contradictions notwithstanding, we all heartily enjoy the story content lavishly preserved for posterity by our forefathers. 14

beautiful and wise Sharazad (Scheherazade) in 1001 Arabian Nights? The Arthurian Legends, Anderson Stories, Aesop’s Fables, Balzac’s Droll Stories, Boccaccio’s Decameron, Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’ and all Shakespearian dramas fall in this category. When we look up for India’s contribution, the famous ‘Panchatantra’ indeed springs to our minds first! Other significant contributions from India are the Jataka Tales, Brihat Katha Manjari, Madana Kamarajan Stories and Katha Sarit Sagaram. Some of these stories travelled around the globe and revisited India in the guise of western stories too! Later memorable additions are Akbar-Birbal stories and Tenali Raman stories. But the stories of Vikran-Vetal from India, by far, outstrip almost all others in popular imagination and interest. The brave, heroic, handsome, intelligent king Vikramaditya and his numerous adventures along with his brother Bhatti – mostly seduction of princesses rather than valorous adventures-, have taken deep root in our mythological past. These stories, as are the Nights and Panchatantra, are looped within i.e. stories within stories. Let us peep into the story of the origin of this great King.

Once, in the city of Pataleeputhram, there lived a young handsome and scholarly Brahmin by name Vidya Sagar. He learnt all Vedas and Sastras from eminent scholars of his locality but his desire for acquisition of further knowledge became insatiable. So, he undertook a travel, in search of a greater Guru from whom to learn more. Once, tired in this quest, he took rest under a pipul tree. There lived on the pipul tree, a Brahmarakshas, by virtue of some curse, who spotted Vidya Saagar and took a keen interest in that handsome ‘guest’. The Rakshas questioned the youth the purpose of his mission and on being told that June 2010

he is after acquisition of supreme knowledge, readily agreed to be his Guru, and impart the same, but under severe terms. For the ensuing six months, he must concentrate only on this aspect, stay up in the tree, have no food or drinks and only listen to his master. Vidyasagar consented. The Rakshas initiated him with suitable mantras so that he neither felt hunger nor thirst nor sleep. The imparting of knowledge continued uninterrupted for six months; Vidyasaagar not only learnt the instructions by heart, but also wrote down them on the tree leaves meticulously. At the end of the stipulated training period, the Rakshas took leave of his disciple wishing him well and vanished. Once he climbed down from the tree, he was afflicted with the accumulated fatigue. He felt hungry, thirsty and sleepy. He wandered for some time though and finally landed at the outhouse of a majestic bungalow and fell down asleep. That bungalow belonged to a wealthy courtesan of renowned glamour of that country, by name Mandakini, also known as ‘Alankaravalli’. She was a highly devoted ‘Devadasi’ used to perform dance in the nearby temple to propitiate the god. When she returned that day after usual performance, she spotted the Brahmin youth who was almost dead. Nothing but a very faint breath indicated sign of life in that frail body. Deeply concerned, she immediately called for the best physician available nearby and got him thoroughly examined. She was told that that person was suffering from extreme fatigue and is almost on the throes of death. The only way to rescue him was to apply some specially medicated rice preparation and smear in into his whole body and gently massage him for eight days. That would revive him. She accepted the advice and took care of Vidyasagar and at the end of the eighth day, he was almost back to himself, memory and 15

vigour intact. Realizing his predicament that he was in some unknown house, Vidyasaagar wanted to rush to his native land. But, Mandakini had other plans. By now, she was fully enamoured of Vidyasagar and had fallen in love with him. She demanded that he marry her who saved him from near death. However, despite all her pleas, he declined to accept her as his wife. When pressed for the reason of this denial, he quoted the sastras which prohibits a Brahmin marrying a Sudra girl and he was loathing to violate norms. However, Mandakini was not satisfied and sought justice from the court of the king Sudhdhavarman who ruled there. The king consulted his chief priest and ministers who ruled that a Brahmin can marry a Sudra girl only after marrying a girl each from the Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya communities. Having seen Vidyasaagar and been attracted to his physical charm and intellectual qualities, the king, the chief priest and an eminent trader together came to the conclusion they are all eager and willing to marry their own daughters to Vidyasagar and thus fulfilling the condition of his becoming eligible to marry Mandakini. Since it was the decision of a learned court headed by a chief priest, Vidyasagar gave consent. Thus Vidyasagar married the Brahmin girl Sumangala (Komalangi), daughter of the royal preceptor Vedacharya; Kshatriya girl Kalaavati (Kalyani), daughter of the king; the Vaishya girl Malati (Chitralekha), daughter of Chief trader Somasekharan and Mandakini (Alankaravalli). They lived happily together and eventually they bore four sons to Vidyasagar - Sumangala’s son was Vararuchi; Kalavati’s son was Vikramaditya; Malati’s son was Bhatti and Mandakini’s son, Bharthruhari. The aged king Sudhavarman could not find anyone better than Vidyasagar to take over reins from

Random Musings

SIR EVEREST AND THE GREAT PEAK

Compiled by: K. R. NARAYANAN

ll know the highest mountain peak in the world is called Mount Everest. But very few remember the surveyorgeographer, after whom this Himalayan peak is named. Here is a document on Sir George Everest the first Surveyor General of India - and the highest peak of the world, which carries his name. This work is based on the documents published by many surveyors, geographers and writers. The highest mountain-peak in the world is named after the first Surveyor General of India, Colonel Sir George Everest. It is a fitting tribute to the man who, for more than twenty-five years and despite

numerous hardships, prevailed in surveying the longest are-of-themeridian ever accomplished at the time.

Colonel Sir George Everest (July 4, 1790 - December 1, 1866) was a British surveyor and geographer, and Surveyor-General of India from 1830 to 1843. He was largely responsible for completion of the trigonometric survey of India along the meridian arc from the south of India extending north to Nepal (a distance of approximately 2400 Km.). The survey was started by Col. William Lambton in 1806 and lasted several decades. Mount Everest was surveyed in 1852 under his successor Andrew Waugh, who calculated its summit height, establishing it as the world’s highest mountain. It was renamed in honor

him. King Vidyasagar ruled the country just and fair for long. In the meanwhile, all four royal children were given the best of physical and intellectual education. While Vararuchi excelled in scholastic pursuits, Vikramaditya was unparalleled in the skill of arms. Bhatti became a strewed administrator and interpreter of men and matters. Bhartruhari surpassed all his brothers in every field. When his end approached, Vidyasagar called all his sons together. As he focused on Bhartruhari, his eyes began to swell with tears. All sons promised to carry out his final wishes jointly. His fears were that despite possessing all royal qualities, Bharthruhari, born out of Sudra mother, would not get deserved station in life. He desired that the other sons must choose Bharthruhari as their father’s successor and become rulers only by rotation thereafter. They readily consented. As per customs

and tradition, if a Brahmin has a child in a Sudra woman and the son further procreates, the Brahmin would be denied heaven and he has to go to hell. How to convey this to Bhartruhari was his dilemma. As regards Bharthruhari, he himself understood his father’s predicament and promised that he would not enter into wedlock and would ensure that even then, he would not give rise to any off spring. reminiscent of Bhishma’s celebrated vow! On this count, father need not have any apprehension. When Vidyasagar passed away, other brothers installed Bharthruhari as the king. Vararuchi had already declined to accept temporal powers and spent his later life in scholastic pursuits. Bharthruhari’s fame as a just ruler also spread everywhere. However, his queen was infidel to him and upon detection of this fact, dejected, he abdicated the crown in favour of brother Vikramadiya and spent the remaining life as a

wandering sage. Bharthruhari had composed one hundred slokas each on three phases of his life: the first is Srungara sataka’; second ‘Neeti sataka’ and last ‘Vairagya sataka’ which are together considered as gems in Sanskrit poetry on the arts of ‘Love’, ‘Administrative Justice’ and ‘Renunciation’ respectively. As we have seen, it was Vikramadiya in association with Bhatti who enchanted the world with their tales of heroic adventures. The enchanting and absorbing stories of Vikramaditya and Bhatti appeasing goddess Kali and obtaining boon to rule the world for 2,000 years and their numerous heroic adventures on earth and heaven are all subjects of this book. Bhatti is credited as even outwitting goddess Kali by introducing the concept of ‘Kaataaru Maasam; Naataaru maasam ’ –‘ six months in jungle and six months on throne’ concept. To be continued...

of George Everest in 1865. Everest was born at Gwernvale Manor near Crickhowell, Powys, in Wales. He attended the military academy at Woolwich, excelling at mathematics. In 1806 he went to India as a cadet in the Bengal Artillery, and was selected by Sir Stamford Raffles to take part in the reconnaissance of Java between 1814 and 1816. In 1818 he was appointed as assistant to Colonel Lambton, who had started the Great Trigonometrical Survey of the sub-continent in 1806. In 1823, on Colonel Lambton’s death, he succeeded to the post of superintendent of the survey, and in 1830 he was appointed The first Surveyor-General of India. He retired in 1843 and returned to live in England, where he became Fellow of the Royal Society. He was knighted in 1861 and in 1862 he was chosen vice-president of the Royal Geographical Society. He died at Greenwich in 1866, but is buried in St Andrews Church, Hove (near Brighton).Sir. George Everest was the uncle of the mathematician Mary Everest Boole. The Great Survey: The Great Trigonometrical Survey in India, begun at Cape Comorin in 1806 by Col William Lambton, would then run almost 2,400 kilometers north to the Himalayas, extending over 20 along the meridian. During this tremendous undertaking, Sir. Everest was relentless in his pursuit of accuracy. To that end, he made countless adaptations to the surveying equipment, methods, and mathematics in order to minimize problems specific to the Great Survey - immense size and scope, the terrain, weather conditions, and the desired accuracy. When Sir. Everest “inherited” the position in 1823, the equipment originally employed by Lambton consisted of one 36” theodolite manufactured by London instrument maker Cary, a zenith sector by Jesse Ramsden, a Ramsden 100 foot steel chain, and a chronometer. June 2010

The Cary theodolite, weighing over one thousand pounds, had been damaged in two separate mishaps, and was badly in need of repair. The micrometer screw on the zenith sector was worn out, and the steel chain had not been calibrated in twenty-five years. To further complicate matters, Sir. Everest became so dangerously ill that he could not carry on with the Survey, and work was suspended. England was the solution to these problems. In November of 1825, Sir. Everest returned to England, bringing with him the mathematical observations and calculations for the Great Arc thus far. For the next five years he worked on improvements for the survey and compiled an account of the work achieved between the parallels of 18 degrees 03’ and 24 degrees 07’. Sir. Everest spent a great deal of time in the workshop of instrument-makers - Troughton and Simms - where an additional 36” theodolite, a new zenith sector, and six small theodolites were under construction. Of the last, Everest wrote: “I have devoted some consideration to the improvement of the common theodolite which is both cumbersome and more expensive than need be and after frequent examination of all the best devices I could meet with in the shape of the various makers in London, Mr. Simms has at my suggestion designed an instrument which contains all the useful parts of the old construction, is quite free from superfluous apparatus and is cheaper by one-fourth...The model has only 17

a 5 inch diameter but the principle is so perfectly applicable to all instruments for secondary triangles that I should respectfully recommend the propriety of adopting this as the Honorable East India Company’s form for all small theodolites not exceeding 12 inches diameter and preserving on all future occasions the strictest uniformity.” The next issue Sir. Everest addressed was the measuring of distances. He learned of Col. Colby’s work with compensating bars on the Irish Survey, and visited him there in 1829. Being very much impressed with Colby’s system, he acquired a double set of six bars for the Great Trigonometrical Survey, and practiced with them at Greenwich. At the same time, Sir. Everest produced a clever document which summarized the repair and replacement needs of the Survey, showing that the most cost-effective solution was to have an instrument maker placed in India. His request was granted, and Henry Barrow was appointed to the job. Later, in India, it was Barrow who laboriously repaired the damaged Cary theodolite, earning his praise from Everest: “I must do that artist (Barrow) the justice to say that for excellence of workmanship, accuracy of division, steadiness, regularity, and glibness of motion, and the general neatness, elegance and nice fitting of all its parts, not only were my expectations exceeded but I really think it is as a whole as unrivalled in the world as it is unique.” To be concluded..

ENVIRONMENT

Preserve or Perish “Y

e Janwar hei” uttered the boatman Ramlal, pointing to a Carcass floating in the holy river Ganga while we were on our way for a dip at Thriveni Sangamam, the confluence of three rivers Ganga,Yamuna and the mythical river Saraswathy, a little away from Allahabad town. More such floating bodies could be seen all along the wide stretch of these rivers, and at one point of time. Ramlal said “ Abhi tho aadmi Ka” recognizing a human body floating near our boat. To our dismay, Ramlal explained that the flowing of all kinds of dead bodies in these parts of the river has been a regular feature. While falling of animals from the wide Himalayan forests into the upper tributaries of Ganga, in a natural way, the human bodies are thrown into the holy river by their Kith and Kin, as a mode of cremation. We were told that most of the people residing near the river banks are very poor, who do not possess own land, neither they have the money for cremation in the public crematorium. The usual practice such people follow, is to carry the dead body covered by white cloth in a stretcher type cot made of bamboo to the river by sunset. The face of the dead is burnt to prevent identification, and thrown into the water after certain rituals having performed. The river gets polluted not only by the dead bodies and carcasses, but still due to the unscrupulous dumping of all sorts of wastes and ejecting of various poisonous factory effluents. Thus our Holy Ganga Matha continues to accept and

absorb all these kinds of objects very patiently as a Mother does to her children, and yet provides pure drinking water to lakhs of people. The reason for the purity of its water is nothing but the embracing of river with various plants and trees of rich medicinal properties in the Himalayas. Legend has it that Lord Hanuman had brought life saving drugs from these parts to save the life of Sree Rama, Lakshmana and others who were reportedly killed by severe shelling of poisonous arrows by the enemy. It is said that when Hanuman couldn’t identify the particular medicinal trees, he picked up the whole hill containing the medicinal plants, and just at the smell emanating from the leaves of these trees, all those unconscious became conscious as if from their sleep. May be, similar medicinal powerful trees and plants are still available in the Himalayas. Let the Ganga story be there. The plight of almost all the other rivers in our country is very pathet18

Dr. K. R. Narayanan

ic. Unlawful bank encroachment, unscientific sand mining, throwing away of all the wastes materials into the river are the main reasons for the present sad state of affairs of our rivers. One may not believe that in some places, (Kerala) there are houses situated along the banks of many rivers and the outlets from the toilet / bathrooms are directly connected to the river through pipes. I had seen such connections in Munnar, sometime ago. Recently I could notice that the wastes from Barber shops are thrown into the Holy water Pumpa, considered as sacred, connected with Sabarimala Shrine. The waste from slaughter houses is normally flown to River Periyar in many locations. Of late, another most dangerous way of poisoning of the drinking water is by flowing of Septic Tank wastes into the rivers by certain cleaning agencies. The inhabitants nearby the river come to know of it only when they get the “stench”.

Now, heated discussions are taking place all over the world on Global Warming, Green House effect and climate change. According to the meteorological statistics, the percentage of rainfall shows a receding trend. All these indicate that there shall be acute shortage of water in the near future. By a rationale assessment, it is predicted that by 2050, the drinking water will be a precious substance and very dear in the Society. The authorities will have no other way but to impose ‘rationing’ for water supply / usage. It has been opined by various environmentalist organizations that if at all there will be a World War, the focus would be on WATER alone

Unfortunately it is noted with concern that in India, either the Central Government or for that matter the State Governments have not given any serious look on this vital issue. The writer would urge the authorities concerned to take all possible steps to preserve the available water resources on a war footing way for which certain humble suggestions are made as below. Enact a comprehensive law to form a separate Authority for the preservation of all the water resources in the country. The above authority should be of a Semi / Quasi Judicial nature The banks of all the rivers should be delinked from encroachment.

Where ever possible a minimum width of 5-6 meters shall be earmarked as the river bank on either side and if it is made motorable, a small user fee can be levied so that the costs of these works can be partially offset. Impose strict punishment for any encroachment / pollution in line with that of various provisions contained in the Indian Railways Act Establish “River Stations” along the banks for effective supervisions as there are Forest Stations in the forest in Kerala. Unless such effective steps are not initiated right now, our next generation will never excuse for our faults.

ATTENTION PLEASE SUBSCRIBERS Subscribers’ copies are mailed on the third day of every month. If your subscription is in force and you did not receive your subscriber copy, please write to us immediately with your subscription reference number so that we can investigate the matter at our end and to take appropriate action quickly. Please ensure your postal address printed on the wrapper is complete and with correct pin code number. If found any discrepancy and pin code number is not written or incorrect, please point out the same to us immediately to rectify it. CHANGE OF ADDRESS Subscribers are advised to intimate any change of address at least six weeks in advance to record the change. However, though we can not guarantee, we will endeavour all efforts to incorporate the change of address intimation with less than six weeks notice. RENEWAL OF SUBSCRIPTION Please check the expiry date of your subJune 2010

scription period mentioned in the wrapper and renew the subscription at least six weeks before the expiry to receive the copies regularly without any break. NEW SUBSCRIPTION/GIFT SUBSCRIPTION For new subscription/gift subscription please watch out Special Offer. SUBSCRIPTION/RENEWAL MODE OF PAYMENT Now it is very easy and no need to send Demand Draft/Cheque for subscription or renewal of subscription. You may make subscription/renewal payments with credit/debit cards or direct transfer from your bank account to our bank account through internet banking. It is safe, convenient and time saving. For more information and help in this regard, please write to us. COMPLIMENTARY COPY From May, 2010 we reduced substantially the total number of complimentary copies. However, we have retained the names of our regular contributors, regular advertisers, well wishers, prospective advertisers, 19

libraries, temples and major educational institutions and prominent persons in the list. If your name is missed out from the complimentary mailing list and you want to receive Whiteline Journal continuously, please write to us. FREE SAMPLE COPY To get a one time free sample copy of Whiteline Journal to a person anywhere in India, please write to us. You may also recommend one person to get a Whiteline Journal complimentary copy. Please co-operate and help us to help you. For all correspondence related to subscription, renewal of subscription, change of address and complimentary copy, please write to us preferably by email. The Circulation Manager Whiteline Journal English Sar Multimedia Pvt. Ltd. Office 5, Sarvoday Garden Pandurangawadi Dombivli East-421201 Maharashtsra Email: whitelinesubscription@gmail.

The National Flag of India S. Venkhaiah Rao

he National Flag of India was adopted in its present form during an ad hoc meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on the 22nd of July 1947, a few days before India’s independence from the British on the 15th of August 1947. It has served as the national flag of the Dominion of India between the 15th of August 1947 and the 26th of January 1950 and that of the Republic of India thereafter. In India, the term “tricolour” almost always refers to the Indian national flag. The flag is a horizontal tricolour of saffron at the top, white in the middle, and green at the bottom. In the centre, there is a navy blue wheel with twenty-four spokes, known as the Ashoka Chakra, taken from the Ashoka pillar at Sarnath. The diameter of this Chakra is three-fourths of the height of the white strip. The ratio of the height of the flag to its width is 2:3. The flag is also the Indian Army’s war flag, hoisted daily on military installations. The Indian National Flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya. The official flag specifications require that the flag be made only of “khadi,” a special type of handspun yarn. The display and use of the flag are strictly enforced by the Indian Flag Code. A heraldic description of the

flag would be Party per fess Saffron and Vert on a fess Argent a “Chakra” Azure. Symbolism The Indian National Congress, India’s largest political party before independence, adopted a white, green and red flag as its unofficial flag in 1921. The red originally stood for Hinduism, green for Islam, and white stood for other minority religions. Some believe that white also formed a buffer of peace between the two communities, as in the flag of Ireland. In 1931, the Congress party adopted another flag with the colours saffron, white and green, and featuring the “Charkha” (spinning-wheel) in the centre, as their official flag. This flag purportedly had no religious symbolism associated with it. A few days before India became independent on August 1947, the specially constituted Constituent Assembly decided that the flag of the Indian National Congress should be adopted as the national flag of India with suitable modifications, to make it acceptable to all parties and communities. The most significant change was replacing the charkha with the Ashoka Chakra. Since the colours of the previous flag were seen as having religious connotations, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who later became India’s first Vice President, 20

clarified that the adopted flag did not have any communal connotations and described its significance as follows: “Bhagwa or the saffron colour denotes renunciation or disinterestedness. Our leaders must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. The white in the centre is light, the path of truth to guide our conduct. The green shows our relation to (the) soil, our relation to the plant life here, on which all other life depends. The “Ashoka Chakra” in the centre of the white is the wheel of the law of dharma. Truth or satya, dharma or virtue ought to be the controlling principle of those who work under this flag. Again, the wheel denotes motion. There is death in stagnation. There is life in movement. India should no more resist change, it must move and go forward. The wheel represents the dynamism of a peaceful change.” A widely held unofficial interpretation is that saffron stands for purity and spirituality, white for peace and truth, and green for fertility and prosperity. Each year around forty million flags are sold in India. The largest flag in India (14 × 21 ft) is flown by the government of Maharashtra atop the Mantralaya building, the state administrative headquarters.

Poem

SNAKE OR KOEL Walking in the afternoon I saw a death,Koel chick caught in a throat. The sunlight stopped me from knowing whose death it was. A death so minute and formless, you couldn’t tell what it was: a Zen Budhist poem being sheared in Japan or an artist drawing a snird. Everything drifted, piled over by leaves There was no tree, but it rained leaves

June 2010

So much so that you couldn’t tell where it happened. My children of ninth generation says I’m still walking in the garden.

Sreekumar Kariyad

They too are walking as the coiled bonecrossword of a snake and Koel shines in the path. And the sunlight never allowed me to know whose death it was. Note: snake+bird = snird (Translated from Malayalam by Binu Karunakaran)

Commentary WLJ invites short contributions to the Opinion/View section on topical social, economic and political developments. These should ideally be between 400 and 1,000 words and exclusive to the WLJ. Book Reviews WLJ sends out books for review. It does not normally accept unsolicited reviews. However, all reviews that are received are read with interest and where a book has not been sent out for review, the unsolicited review is on occasion considered for publication. Project Notes MBA, PMP and other professional students are encouraged to send in their comments and initial products of their research for the Project Notes section, which will be introduced soon. Articles should be no more than 1,500-2,000 words (all inclusive). Discussion WLJ encourages scholars, researchers and general readers to comment on articles published in WLJ. Submissions should not exceed 1500 words. Letters Readers of WLJ are encouraged to comment (300-400 words) on published articles to the Letters column. All letters should have the writer’s full name and postal address. General Guidelines • Writers are requested to provide full details for correspondence: postal address, day-time phone numbers and email address. (The email address of writers in the Special Article, Commentary and Discussion sections will be published at the end of the article.) • Authors are requested to prepare their soft copy versions in text formats. Pdf versions are not accepted by the WLJ. Authors are encouraged to use UK English spellings. (Writers using MS Word or similar software could change the appropriate settings in the Language menu of the application). • Copyright of all articles published in the Whiteline Journal belongs to the author or to the organisation where the author is employed as determined by the author’s terms of employment. • No published article or part thereof should be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the author(s). A soft/hard copy of the author(s)’s approval should be sent to WLJ. In cases where the email address of the author has not been published, WLJ can be contacted for help in this regard. • Readers or contributors are requested not to suggest or recommend republishing in WLJ any article published in any publication in any form without obtaining prior written permission of that publication, author(s) and copyright holder(s) by the reader or contributor.

Whiteline Journal

Notes for Contributors Here are some guidelines for authors who may wish to make submissions to the Whiteline Journal. Contributors are requested to follow WLJ’s style while preparing their articles. It will help immensely for faster processing and error-free editing if writers follow the recommended style. Special Articles WLJ welcomes original articles and research papers in any of the topics related to art, culture, literature, spirituality and life style. • Articles must be no more than 2,500 words, including notes and references. Longer articles will not be processed. • Contributions should be sent preferably by email attachment in MS Word format. Images welcomed in jpeg or other formats. Reference sources must be acknowledged properly. • Contributions should not have been simultaneously submitted for publication to another journal or newspaper. If the contribution has appeared earlier in a different version, we would appreciate a copy of this along with the submitted paper. • Graphs and charts need to be prepared in MS Office (Word/ Excel) and are preferable to material prepared in jpeg or other formats. • For a short period, WLJ will discontinue publishing poems. Therefore contributors are requested not to send in poems till December, 2010. • Receipt of articles will be immediately acknowledged by email/post. • Every effort will be taken to complete early processing of the contributions we receive. We receive more than 20 articles every week and adequate time has to be provided for internal reading and external refereeing. It can therefore take up to two months for a final decision on whether the paper is accepted for publication. No telephonic or email enquires will be entertained in connection with the contributions submitted. Any recommendation or pressurisation from any corner whether directly or indirectly to publish your contribution will eventually spoil your chances to get published your contributions in the WLJ. It might be caused to permanently exclude you. • Articles accepted for publication can take up to three to six months from date of acceptance to appear in the WLJ. Every effort will, however, be made to ensure early publication. Articles with immediate relevance for policy would be considered for early publication. Please note that this is a matter of editorial judgment.

Address for communication: Editor-in-Charge, Whiteline Journal English Office 5, Sarvodaya Garden, Off. Gamdevi Mandir, Pandurangawadi, Dombivli East -421201, Maharashtra Email: whitelineeditorial@gmail.com 22

The Bhagavad Gita

An article by Sri Swami Sivananda, the founder of Divine Life Society

The Need For A Teacher A

Part II

s the Gita contains subtle and profound teachings, you should study it under a qualified teacher, a Brahma-nishtha Guru, with great faith, single-minded devotion and purity. Then only the truths of the Gita will be revealed unto you like the Amalaka fruit in the hand. Good commentaries like Swami Madhusudana’s Gita, Sri Swami Sankarananda’s Gita, Sri Sankara’s commentary, etc., written by realised sages, will be of immense help to you. Lord Krishna speaks from different levels of consciousness. Therefore, the help of a teacher is necessary if you wish to know the right significance of the Slokas. You cannot rightly comprehend the meaning of the verses of the Gita without the help of a teacher. Otherwise, you will be like the man who brought a horse before one who asked for ‘Saindhava’ when he was taking his food. ‘Saindhava’ means ‘salt’ as well as ‘a horse’. Study of the Gita alone is sufficient for the purpose of daily Svadhyaya (scriptural study). You will find a solution here for all your doubts. The more you study with devotion and faith, the more you will get deeper knowledge, penetrative insight and clear right thinking. Even if you live in the spirit of one verse of the June 2010

Gita, all your miseries will come to an end and you will attain the goal of life—Immortality and Eternal Peace. The eighteen chapters of the Gita are divided into three sections, illustrative of the three terms of the Mahavakya or the Great Sentence of the Sama Veda, Tat-Tvam-Asi (That Thou Art). In accordance with this view, the first six chapters deal with the path of action or Karma Yoga and the nature of “Thou” or the Tvam-Pada. The next six chapters explain the path of devotion or Bhakti Yoga and the nature of “That” or Tat-Pada. The last six chapters treat of the path of knowledge or Jnana Yoga and the nature of the term “Art” or AsiPada which establishes the identity of the individual and the Supreme Soul, Jiva-Brahma-Aikya.

The Teaching of the Gita

Man is a composite of three fundamental factors, viz., cognition, feeling and will. There are people with three kinds of temperaments, viz., the active temperament, the emotional temperament and the rational temperament. So, there are the three Yogas, viz., Jnana Yoga for the man of enquiry and selfanalysis or rational temperament, Bhakti Yoga for the man of emotional temperament, and Karma Yoga for the man of active temperament. One Yoga is as efficacious as the other. The Gita, therefore, formulates the theory of the three Margas (paths), viz., the Jnana Marga, the Bhakti Marga and the Karma Marga, to suit to people of all temperaments. According to the teaching of the Gita, there is no conflict among the three. The Gita harmonises wonderfully the philosophy of action, devotion and knowledge. All the three must be harmoniously blended if you wish to attain perfection. You should have the head of Sri Sankara, the heart of Lord Buddha and the hand of Raja Janaka. The three horses of this

body-chariot—action, emotion and intellect—should work in perfect harmony. Only then will this bodychariot move smoothly and you can reach the destination safely and quickly. Only then can you rejoice in the Self within. Only then can you sing the song of Soham (I am He). Only then can you be in tune with the Infinite. Only then can you hear the soundless voice of the soul and enjoy the sweet internal music of the Self. The central teaching of the Gita is the attainment of the final beatitude of life or perfection or Freedom (Moksha) by doing the duties of life or one’s Svadharma. The Lord says to Arjuna: “Therefore without attachment, do thou always perform action which should be done; for by performing action without attachment man reaches the Supreme.” The Gita emphasises again and again that one should cultivate an attitude of non-attachment or detachment. It urges repeatedly that one should live in the world like the lotus-leaf, which is unaffected by water. He who acts placing all actions in the Eternal, abandoning attachment, is as unaffected by sin as a lotus-leaf by water — Padmapatramivambhasa. Attachment is due to Moha. Attachment is the offspring of the quality of Rajas. Non-attachment is born of Sattva. Attachment is an Asuri-Sampat, demoniacal quality. Non-attachment is a Daivi-Sampat, divine attribute. Attachment is born of ignorance, selfishness and passion. Attachment brings death. Non-attachment is wisdom. Nonattachment brings freedom. Practice of detachment is a rigorous discipline indeed. You will have to practise it again and again. You may tumble down like a baby who is just learning to walk, but you will have to rise up again with a smile and a cheerful heart. Failures are not stumbling blocks, but stepping-stones to success. Try to dwell 24

always in your own Self. Abide in your own Self. Abide in your centre. Think of the Self constantly. All attachments will die automatically. Attachment to God or Atman is a potent antidote to annihilate all worldly attachments. He who has no attachment can really love others. He has pure love or divine Prema. Therefore, without attachment, constantly perform action which is duty, for, by performing actions without attachment, man verily reaches the Supreme.

Gita Jayanti

By the grace of Bhagavan Vyasa this unique Gospel of the Gita was revealed to the world by Sanjaya on the eleventh day (Ekadasi) of the bright half of the Margasirsha month (December) according to the Hindu almanac. This day is celebrated as the Gita Jayanti or the Birthday of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, throughout India by all admirers and lovers of this wonderful treasure of wisdom. Worship the Srimad Bhagavad Gita as a holy scripture. Study a chapter from it daily. But, stop not with that. Live in the spirit of the teachings of the Gita. Mere talk and lecture will not help you in any way. You may know the whole of the Gita by heart; you may deliver lectures on the Gita for hours together; and yet, you may not have a ray of the wisdom of the Gita. What is wanted is regular practice of the teachings of the Gita. Become intensely practical. Let the Gita guide your thoughts, prompt your speech, and rule your actions. Then your whole attitude towards life will be gradually changed. You will become a God-man with God-vision. You will no more be perturbed by success or failure, pleasure or pain, loss or gain. You will attain courage, strength, peace and bliss in this very life, right where you are. May the blessings of Lord Krishna be upon you all!

Poem

Love

Nurani Hariharan

None can express it Nor any ever explain But all can experience That strange feeling Its volume and mass are So invincible and vast That the space it occupies Is the whole of universe? It knows no religion Nor any epical gods Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the greatest knowledge And the mightiest weapon It is a godly and not goddish Tie between clean souls Like that unheard square triangle Occurring once in many eons Are you still guessing? Stop guessing and groping And now start experiencing That greatest of all feelings

June 2010

Prespective

What If?

P.K. Ravindranath

ahatma Gandhi had lived upto 125? Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the health faddist, had always yearned to live upto the age of 125. Among all his prolific writing one could find valuable tips on diet, nutrition, exercise and everything else to live upto the age of 125. He was felled down 46 years too early by Natharam Godse’s bullet, to the great loss of the country he led to freedom. Form 1915 when he landed back in India from a glorious and unique struggle against racial discrimination, till his death he engaged in asseries of non-violent campaigns to defy the might of the British Empire. Everyone of them taught us to break the laws enforced on a slave contry by its conquerors. From the non-cooperation movement in 1922, through the boycott of British goods, the Salt Satyagraha (1930), to individual satyagraha and finally the no-holdsbarred Quit India movement, each one connoted defiance of laws. He was imprisoned on all these occasions, along with lakhs of fellow

Asking “What If?” could be a “tool to enhance the understanding of history, to make it come alive, “as Rebert Cowley said in his monumental book “What If?” of 31 turning points in history. What would have happened if counterfactual had happened? This is a takeoff from that angle from a chapter in Indian history.

– Editory-in-Charge

Indians. During the Quit India movement this write lived through, even his basic principles of Non-Violence and self-suffering were relaxed to allow for some violence. He was released in 1946 and then got involved in the negotiations for

the transfer of power. When the nation celebrated Independence, Gandhi was a disillusioned man, trudging the violence-stricken villages of Naskhali in distant West Bengal, then in the throes of communal strite Months after his return to New Delhi, he was shot, leaving him no time to 26

correct some of his own mistakes. All his campaigns had taught the masses to defy the authority of the government of the day. Defiance of law had, thus, been ingrained in the psyche of Indian masses. The Salt Satyagraha and the Quit India Movement were perhaps the two struggles which touched the lives

of a vast majority of Indians. Two generations of Indians had been drilled to defy the law of the land – in the name of securing the independence of India. Those two generations passed it on to succeeding generations. It was necessary to throw the British out. After Independence, no one was inclined or had the time to make the people realize that they should conform to the law of the land and live as disciplined citizens to build up the impoverished economy of the country and bring every man, woman and child on par with those of the developed countries. Gandhi could have done it. He did not live long enough to change the thinking of the people. The result is that his own followers ignored his advice to disband the Congress Party on attain-

June 2010

ment of Independence. His own followers scrambled to cash in on their sacrifices, during the freedom movement. Many of them be came greedy, avaricious and self-serving. A stint of power corrupted many of them. In the name of the Father of the Nation they amassed wealth, and give themselves to the pleasures of the flesh. If Gandhiji had been granted his wish, he would have been alive till 1994 – time enough for him to realize where his campaigns had take the country. His would have been the only moral force available (and free from office) to inculcate in the people a sense of the rule of law. Today we can only rue the fact that the entire political system is ridden with freebooters, liars, perjurers, some murderrs – from Lalu

Prasad Yadav, to Shibu Soren to the likes of S.P.S. Rathere. Indira Gandhi in 1971 enunciated the theory of making general elections “so expensive that only Congressmen could contest and win elections”. By now it is the code of conduct for every politician – Congressman or otherwise. Would Mahatma Gandhi have condomned this? Or would Indira Gandhi have dared to implement her theory in his lifetime? Would a phenomenon like Marayan Dutt Tiwari (who had lived through the Gandhian era) have happened? The system provides protection to every politician however heinous his crime. Shibu Soren, out on bail from a charge of murder, can still become Chief Minister.

Temples of Kerala

Vadakkunnathan Temple T

he Vadakkumnathan temple is one of the oldest temples in Kerala. It is a classical example of the Kerala style of architecture and contains many decorative murals and pieces of art. It stands on a beautiful hillock at the centre of Thrissur overlooking the town. It is one of the largest and ancient Shiva temples in Kerala. It is located in the heart of Thrissur city. The shrines and the Koothambalam display exquisite vignettes carved in wood. According to popular lore, the temple was built by Parasurama. The sprawling Thekkinkadu (forest of teak woods) maidanam, encircling the Vadakunnathan temple, is the main venue of the world famous Thrissur Pooram festival celebrated annually during Pooram day of Malayalam month Medam which falls in April-May.

The fireworks at the Pooram festival are a spectacular sight. Vadakkunnathan temple is surrounded by a massive stone wall enclosing an area of nearly 9 acres (36,000 m2). Inside this fortification, there are four gopurams each facing north, south, east and west directions. The four lofty gopurams around the main shrine indicate the four cardinal directions-North, South, East and West. Apart from these four gopurams, there is a multi-shrine complex in the centre with three principal shrines dedicated to Shiva as Vadakkunnathan, Sankaranarayanan and Rama. In the northern side, there is a circular structure with the deity facing west. The figure of ShivaParvati faces east and is just behind Shiva in the same shrine. The twostoried shrine of Sri Rama facing west is located in the south. Be28

tween these two srikovils stands a third one, circular and double-storied in shape, which is dedicated to Sankaranarayanan and facing west. There are mukhamandapams in front of all the three central shrines. The statue of Shiva, which is not visible, is covered under the mount of ghee, formed by the daily abhishekam (ablution) with ghee over the years. A devotee looking into the sanctum can now see only a sixteen-foot high mount of ghee embellished with thirteen cascading crescents of gold and three serpent hoods at top. According to traditional belief, this represents the snow-clad Mount Kailas, the abode of Parvathy and Parameswara. Shiva here is more popularly known as Vadakkunnathan (Sanskrit Vrishabhachala -Tamil Vidaikunrunathan Vidai - Vrishabha, kunru

- chala). Apart from Lord Shiva, Sree Parvathy, Sree Ganapathi, Lord Sankaranarayana and Sree Rama are enshrined within the nalambalam of the temple. Lord Vettekkaran (Siva in a hunter form) is also worshipped within the nalambalam enclosure. Outside the nalambalam, there are shrines of Lord Krishna, Vrishabha, Parasurama, Simhodara, Dharmasastha and Adi Sankara. Adi Sankara is believed to have been born to the Shivaguru-Aryamba couple of Kalady in answer to their prayers before Vadakkunnathan, as amsavatara of the Lord. Legend has it that Shiva appeared to both husband and wife in their dreams and offered them a choice. They could have either a mediocre son who would live a long life or an extraordinary son who would die early. Both Shivaguru and Aryamba chose the second option. In honour of Shiva, they named the

Ganapathi shrine is positioned facing the temple kitchen and offering of Appam (sweetened rice cake fried in ghee) to Mahaganapathy is one of the most important offerings at the temple. Propitiating Ganapathy here is believed to be a path to

son Sankara. Koothambalam, the temple theatre, has no parallel to cite anywhere else in the world. The four magnificent gateways called gopurams and the lofty masonry wall around the temple quadrangle are also imposing pieces of craftsmanship and skill. This is the theatre hall for staging koothu, an ancient dramatic form of art famous in Kerala.

prosperity and wealth. The devotees refer to elephants as Lord Ganeshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incarnation. It has been the regular annual practice at the Vadakkunnathan Temple for the last 20 years to conduct a large-scale Ashta Dravya Maha Ganapathy Havana and Aanayoottu (feeding the elephant) on the first day of the Karkidakom month of the Malayalam calendar. Gajapooja also is conducted once every four years.

June 2010

Wood carving in the gate of Vadakkunnathan temple The architecture richness of Vadakkunnathan temple is marvellous. The wood carvings in the gopurams are a feast to eyes. The murals in the temple are known for its rarity and two of them - Vasukisayana and Nrithanatha - are even worshipped regularly. In the temple quadrangle, there are specified spots at which the devotees can offer their salutations to Lord Shiva of Kasi and Lord Chidambaranatha of Chidambaram, Lord of Shiva of Rameswaram, Sree Kali of Kodungallur, Urakathammathiruvadi, Lord Bharatha (Koodalmanickam) at Irinjalakuda, Sree Vyasa, Sree Hanuman and the Nagadevathas. The temple opens at 3.00 in the morning and closes about 10.30 AM after the morning rites. It opens at 4.00 PM for the evening worship and closes at 8.30 PM at night after the Trippuka, the last rite for the day. It is noteworthy that Government of India had declared Vadakkunnathan temple a national monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act.

Letters I

Sasidharan Nair’s cover story, Krishnan Parapally: The Poet of Spirituality (Whiteline Journal, May 2010) is excellent. Though Mumbai Malayalis know about this poet, seldom an article has been published in an English periodical giving details about his works, poetry and philosophy. The title is apt and the poet richly deserves all the encomiums. Living in Mumbai, Parapally looks at Malayalam literary scene and shows his poetic genius in Dravidian and Sanskrit meters in an amazing manner. Six decades of literary pursuits culminating in 20 poetic works, earning accolades from well-wishers and receiving 16 prestigious awards are no mean achievements! The spiritual wisdom poured through his pen has enriched the poetic tradition of Malayalam literature very much. No poet of contemporary literature has ever tried to explain the philosophy and lives of celebrated personalities like Sankaracharya, Vivekananda et al in a particular meter. It is indeed his unique style in writing poetry in the form of sonnets which was specialized by English romantic poets. It is high time the government of Kerala recognizes this poet for his commitment and passion for Malayalam poetry. He can certainly be an Ambassador in Mumbai for the Malayalam Mission being promoted by the government. I pray that more literary works should come from this octogenarian poet who is a personification of simplicity and scholarship. V.N. Gopalakrishnan Mumbai Email: telegulf@gmail.com

II The Whiteline Journal May 2010 issue was excellent. Hearty Congratulations for the excellent

selection of pieces conveying predominantly spiritual content! The changes introduced by you in form, content and style are noteworthy. The cover-story on Poet Krishnan Parapally was comprehensive. Dr. C. N. N. Nair, Mumbai 400067 Email: cnnnair@gmail.com

III Saidharan Nair’s cover-story with detailed write-up on Krishna Parapally was great and made interesting reading. Of course, Parapally does not need any introduction to the Malayalis of Mumbai. Mr R M Lala, the great author of many books on Tatas, wrote a book titled “Creation of Wealth “. It was translated in various regional languages, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati etc. He wanted a Malayalam translation of the book and wanted an appropriate title to the book. He called a couple of Malayali colleagues in the Tata Group including me, to give an apt translation with a dead-line. He is a man of perfection and would not accept anything less. Therefore, he was not pleased with the translation of the title submitted to him by my some of my Malayali colleagues and I was avoiding him since I did not know the apt translation. One day, he suddenly caught me on the corridor of Bombay House and 30

asked me why I had not suggested a title, and told me that though the dead-line is over, he would give me one more day. Suddenly, I remembered Krishnan Parapally who was at that time working with the Forbes & Forbes Campbell Group. When I phoned him for his help, he asked me: Skandan, have you got a pen and piece of paper ready. When I said “yes”, within seconds he told me to take it down: Sampath Samrudhiyude Srishti. I knew he can’t be wrong and I submitted it to Mr Lala who was too pleased with the title since everything started with Sa….S….Sa - S S S! However, the whole project was dropped but title name gave by Krishnan Parapally was well beyond Mr Lala’s expectations! I thought I should share this incident with Whiteline Journal readers. K D Skandan, Mumbai Email: skandon@sify.com

IV Whiteline Journal May 2010 issue has come out well. Congratulations on it! Revathi Sridharan Bangalore Email: revathi@carnaticindia.com

June 2010

Revolving Door

Ratan Tata and NELCO in its bad days K D Skandan 32

atan Tata left India for USA for further studies at the age of fifteen, immediately after his schooling in Cathedral & Cannon School, Mumbai. He joined the Tata Group in 1962 at the age of 25. Incidentally I joined the Tata Group in 1960. In that sense I am two years senior to him in the Tata Group. He joined as a Trainee in Telco (now Tata Motors) on the shop floor, in Jamshedpur. He worked there for six months and then was transferred to Tisco, in Jamshedpur itself. Mr JRD Tata wanted him to take up some senior assignment, and in 1966, he came to Bombay. While in Jamshedpur, he founded the Jamshedpur Flying Club and wanted to prepare the Annual Report of the Club. At that time, I was working for his father Mr Naval Tata. He asked his father for some help to prepare the report and my name was suggested by his father. That was the beginning of our association or friendship. Between 1966 and 1970, he also worked for Tata Consultancy Services, which according to him, was under the “Martial Law “ of F.C. Kohli, the father of TCS! At that time, Tatas wanted to establish a company in Australia in collaboration with the famous Dalgety and he was Tatas’ representative there. He returned to India in 1970. I assisted him in submitting a report to the Reserve Bank of India on Tata Dalgety Ltd, Australia. During this period, another project on which I had the privilege of assisting him was buying a new Cessna aircraft for Tata Steel. I also handled his personal and confidential notes / letters. Ratan Tata could have walked into any healthy and profit-making company of the group at that time. But his first love was Nelco which was in a very bad shape. He took it as a challenge, joined Nelco in 1971 and was appointed as Director-in-Charge. He tried his very

Before internet and emails emerged into the integral domain of business, some 36 years back the present 3.5 lakh crore market cap Tata Business Empire Chairman Ratan Tata had written a personal letter in his own handwriting to an employee or rather colleague K.D. Skandan. Whiteline Journal provides its readers a rare and great opportunity to read and see the beautiful, legible and print-like handwriting of Ratan Tata. The writer illustrates the individuality, humbleness and greatness of Ratan Tata in this article. Probably Whiteline Journal would be the only print-media that published RatanTata’s affectionate personal letter in his own handwriting. We are really indebted to K.D. Skandan for recalling and beautifully narrating the anecdote and providing the letter and are equally grateful to Ratan Tata for being the catalyst of this article best to resurrect and re-structure it. Nelco’s main problem was finance. Tata Electric Companies (TEC) of which his father was the Chairman came to the help of Nelco which was not relished by some Tata and non-Tata Directors on the Board of TEC. His father’s position was at times embarrassing, since, he had to wear two hats, one as the Chairman of TEC and the other as the father of the DIC of Nelco! We used to work day and night and the company started showing some signs of improvement and came out with some new products, especially transistor radios.

K.D. Skandan with Ratan Tata

The attached letter he wrote to me in December 1973, along with a

Ratan Tata

In 1991, Ratan Tata took over the Chairmanship from JRD Tata. Ratan Tata was honored with Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian awards in 2000. He was also conferred an honorary doctorate in business administration by Ohio State University, an honorary doctorate in technology by the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, and an honorary doctorate in science by the University of Warwick.With Tata Industries, Ratan Tata was able to transform the management and vision of the division and bring in significantly larger dividends. This renewed financial success helped bring the Tata Group to the New York Stock Exchange and gave the company even more international power and prestige. Ratan Tata lives a very private life in Mumbai.

Born on 28th December, 1937 in Mumbai in one of the richest families in the country Ratan Tata became the Chairman of the Tata Group in 1981 after serving as Chairman in charge of the Nelco division of the group. Tata is India’s largest conglomerate and includes the brands Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Power, Indian Hotels, as well as other brands labeled under the Tata name. He joined the Tata Group and was assigned to various companies before being appointed director-in-charge of The National Radio & Electronics Company (NELCO) in 1971. Ratan Tata was appointed Chairman of Tata Industries in 1981. He was assigned the task of transforming the company into a Group strategy think-tank, and a promoter of new ventures in high technology businesses. June 2010

gift of Electra transistor radio, will speak the rest.

Parenting

What is

Good Parenting?

Dr. V.M.R. Nair

Parenting is an art. Nowadays in the nuclear family set up parenting has prime importance. This article deals with some brilliant pareting tips

Broadly, there are three kinds of parenting. (1) Those who mean well and who parent well (2) Those who mean well and parent poorly, because of lack of knowledge, lack of insight, lack of planning, lack of adequate time, etc. (3) Those who do not mean well and do not parent well. Following are some of the good ideas to be followed to build up and bring up your children. Awareness: The aware person is one who knows that after he dies, the trees will still be there, but he will not be there to look at them again. Seeing your children with as much poignancy as possible, knowing what age they are, seeing them as individual human being of infinite worth is awareness of children. Acceptance: Accept your children as they are. I shall never forget my son’s first standard report card. In the report card, in three places the teacher had written in bold red letters and underline “NO GOOD”. I met the young teacher and explained to her how such remarks would harm the child’s personality. While it is necessary to teach your children the values they should uphold as they generally learn their values from their parents. Honesty: Good parents do not lie to their children. It is very important not to misinform the children. Adolescents find the most reassurance in being told that parents also feel afraid about war and terrorism as the children. Talking Straight: Good parenting requires simple, unqualified June 2010

statements that do not confuse the child. The most important straight messages are (a) you can solve problems (b) you can think and (c) you can do things. Consistency : Parents should be consistent in their words and deeds. Consistency makes prediction possible as well as efficient planning. Children know your way of thinking and behavior and they plan their lives accordingly. “I know they would not let me go, so count me out”. This will be the answer to a request made by the friends of your child for going out on a picnic. Consistency does not mean that we are planted in cement. A foolish consistency needs to be changed forthwith. Hope: Good parents solve the problems and if they cannot they have faith that a solution is possible if they keep on searching for it. They should not be impatient and jump into conclusions illogically. All good parent will tell their children “wait”. We will find a way out. Repetition: Some parent are scary of repetition . Children, especially little children, love repetition. 35

You should not shout at them telling “how many times I told you not to go there”. Even elderly persons some time required lot of hammering. Cheerfulness. Cheerfulness and humour also address values. You can always say in front of your child things like “Good Morning T.V.” “Good Morning table”, “Good Morning MOM”, “Good Morning DAD”, etc. The child will learn that good morning is the first thing you should say in the morning rather than murmering, Oh another lousy day” We should find some time to go with the children. Even though it is ideal to see that one parent is at home or constantly available to the child, it is not possible these days when both the parents go to work to meet the even increasing demand for money and economic stability. However, it is a must that the parent should invariably spend an hour or so with the children every day. Talking about parenting bring to the fore the parenting of some of our great leaders. Gandhiji’s Son Harilal was always complaining about the poor parenting of his father and his life was ruined due to Gandhiji’s poor parenting. As against this, Nehru took care of his daughter Indira even when he was in Jail. He used to write to her letters from the jail. Those letters have now become classic. Too much attachment to the children will affect the society. I need not have to mention the parenting pattern of Shri Karunakaran, Bal Thackery, Mulayam Singh Yadav and such other famours personalities. Care should be taken to maintain a balanced parenting.

Stories of Thenali Raman

Thousand Gold Coins and a Handful Grain B. Sarojini

imhapuri was a prominent town in the Vijaya Nagar Empire. There lived a stunning beauty named Vidyullatha. She was a rich lady and well versed with prose, poetry and composition besides dance and music. Vidyullatha was famous as a proud woman in the region. A hoarding appeared on the compound wall of the woman’s house quoting as, “A reward of one thousand gold coins would be presented to those who can win over the Lady in the house. The competitors are required to prove their upper hand in humour, wit and scholarship.” This became a prestigious issue for the scholars in the region. Many responded to the open invitation and barged into her house, individually, to test their fate through the fete. Surprisingly, everyone whoever walked into Vidyullatha’s house lost in the battle and came out with chins down. The list of losers was steadily growing and after sometime there were no takers to the invitation. Days were passing like this. One morning, a vendor with a load of firewood on his head started

shouting in front of her house, “Firewood…strong firewood…excess heat generating firewood…” he continued the sequence for sometime. Vidyullatha thinking that his noise was growing unbearable walked on to the threshold and enquired, “How much do you sell the load for?” An instant reply came from the vendor, “I will not sell this for money. If you can give me a handful grain I will give you the entire load.” Assuring him to give more grains, Vidyullatha ordered him to dump the load in the backyard and return to collect the grains. The vendor unloaded the weight off his head then and there started to argue, “There is no bargain in this deal Madam! I will sell this to you only if you can give me a handful grain, did you get it” he stressed, “a handful grain.” The rich woman got disgusted with the vendor’s behaviour, “Hey you bloody vendor. Stop crying, I will give you what you wanted.” She said, “Throw them in the backyard and come here.” The Vendor 36

was adamant and made his firewood load’s price much clearer, “There is no change in the deal Madam. I said a handful grain…that means nothing more or less…it should be a handful grain. If you cannot pay the price, you should pay me one thousand gold coins and wipe the invitation hoarding on the compound wall.” Vidyullatha yelled at him, “What nonsense are you trying to talk?” The vendor replied on par with her, “There is not any nonsense. I told you the price, you agreed for it and now if you cannot pay the price, stand by my wish. You should give the one thousand gold coins. That is it.” The fire broke out between Vidyullatha and the firewood vendor. Both started arguing and shouting at each other. The local people started gathering in front of the house to witness and know what is happening and why the Lady was having a tiff with an ordinary vendor. Tired of shout-

The Voice of

Mumbai

Sar Multimedia Pvt. Ltd. Shop No. 5, Sarvodaya Garden, Pandurangwadi, Off. Manpada Road, Dombivli East 421201. Tel : 0251-3260389. Telefax : 0251-2882575. Email : whitelinevartha@gmail.com

NEWS WEEKLY

www.whitelinevartha.com ing, both resorted to approach the provincial Court of Law for justice. Vidyullatha presented her argument, “My Lord! This firewood vendor must have gone crazy. He is not ready to accede to my offer, though I wished to pay him more. He is sticking to his senseless argument to have a handful grain. He demands later for payment of a thousand gold coins and wiping away the invitation hoarding. I plead for justice.” The Judge looked at the vendor and asked him what was his problem. Folding hands the vendor started in a humble manner, “Yes June 2010

www.whitelineworld.com

Your Majesty. She was right to some extent. However, I am not crazy. I informed her beforehand that the load of firewood would cost her a handful grain.” He continued innocently, “When I was clear about a handful grain, she must have understood that I needed handful of grains. That was her mistake to mistake my quote for a handful grain. It means one grain that fills the hand.” What more? Vidyullatha was speechless. Obviously, the verdict was in favour of the vendor. Vidyullatha was unable to comprehend that a handful grain meant so much. Shocked with the develop37

sar multimedia/2010

Your Voice, Your Taste, Your Style...

ment and the judgement, she was compelled to pay him one thousand gold coins and wipe off the invitation from the compound wall. The people of the region knew about this and told themselves that the years old proud nests of Vidyullatha was shattered to pieces in a single stroke. By the way, the vendor was Tenali Ramalinga. On hearing about the problem Vidyullatha created with her hoarding, Ramalinga took due permission from the King Rayalu to take her to task. In the guise of firewood vendor, Ramalinga fulfilled his responsibility in all success.

Carnatic Music Series The traditional education system prevailed in India was destroyed by the British. Similarly, according to the convenience and ease the British changed the traditional and original name of the places, Indian rituals and systems. They anglicized the spelling of Karnataka as Carnatic and thus changed the name Karnataka music as Carnatic music. Without knowing it right or wrong, we Indians just followed what the British once said unknowingly and still blindly following them. At some point of time we have to correct the mistakes made by the British and use the correct name. Therefore, I appeal to all music lovers and patriotic Indians hereafter to use the

were often inspired by devotion and were usually scholars proficient in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Sanskrit. They would usually include a signature, called a mudra, in their compositions. For example, all songs by Tyagaraja have the word Tyāgarāja in them, all songs by Muthuswami Dikshitar (who composed in Sanskrit) have the words guru guha in them, songs by Syama Sastri have the words “Syama Krishna” in them and Purandaradasa, the father of Carnatic music (who composed in Kannada), used the signature ‘purandara vitala’.

Kirtanas

Carnatic songs are varied in structure and style, but generally

Sārasamuki sakala bhāgyadē have a verse between the anupallavi and the caraam, called the ciaswaram. This verse consists only of notes, and has no words. Still others, such as Rāmacandram bhāvayāmi have a verse at the end of the caraam, called the madhyamakālam. It is sung immediately after the caraam, but at double speed.

Varnas

A Varna is a special kind of song which tells you everything about a raga; not just the scale, but also which notes to stress, how to approach a certain note, classical and characteristic phrases, etc. A varna has a pallavi, an anupallavi, a muktāyi swara, whose function is identical to that of the chitteswara in

Carnatic Music means

Indian Music Part II traditional and correct spelling as Karnataka music. Karnataka music known as Karnātaka sangītam in Indian languages is the classical music that originated in Karnataka. We cannot change over night the known old usage of Carnatic Music suddenly to Karnataka Music. So we will use both phrases frequently in this series. Whilteline Journal is glad to run a series on Karnataka music. – Chief Editor Part II

Compositions

Composers of Carnatic music

consist of three verses: Pallavi: This is the equivalent of a refrain in Western music. Two lines. Anupallavi: The second verse. Also two lines. Charana: The final (and longest) verse that wraps up the song. The Charanam usually borrows patterns from the Anupallavi. Usually three lines. This kind of song is called a keerthanam. But this is only one possible structure for a keerthanam. Some keerthanas, such as 38

a kriti, a charana, and chitteswaras, after each of which the charana is repeated.

Special compositions

Some special sets of compositions deserve to be noted here, the Pancaratna Kīrtanas of Tyagaraja, Kamalamba Navavarna Kritis and Navagraha Kritis of Muttusvami Dikshitar. The Pancaratna Kīrtanas (lit. five gems), composed by Tyagaraja in Sanskrit and Telugu, are a set of five compositions regarded as the masterpieces of the great com-

poser. The first one is in Sanskrit, while the rest are in Telugu. They deviate from conventional structure in that they all have between eight and twelve caranas. Sādincanē Ō Manasā, the third of the compositions, deviates even more in that after the anupallavi, there is a short phrase after which the caranas are sung. Also, instead of repeating the pallavi after each caranam, the phrase between the anupallavi and the first caranam is sung. Dikshitar’s nava-aavarana-kritis (literally,’nine-veils compositions’) are addressed to the supreme divine in its female principle according to which the male-female division, so universally observed in life forms, is essentially the manifestation of one and the same Divinity. The Navagraha kritis are respectively sung in devotion to the Sun, the Moon, and the other planets, which thus popularises in a subtle manner, that Man owes his very existence to a June 2010

highly remote chance - maybe one in a billion - for living on earth in a precisely conducive environment of celestial configuration, and he must understand this fact with his rational and spiritual makeup, with Kritis of this unique type. This set of Dikshitar creations, like most of his others, are considered remarkable for recalling the sastra-ic aspects - the scriptural profundities of Hindu religious philosophy - and the lay listener either sings them with implicit faith either even without an understanding their meaning, or with some effort, gets to know by attending scholarly lecture-cum-demonstrations and/or reading books or papers (nowadays rather widely available online on the WWW.). It is said that the mature Carnatic musician sees the multidimensional charm of the special and non-special Kritis that are at once rich musically, educative philosophically, and disciplining 39

religiously to the singer, player and the musician, provided the necessary inputs at appreciating the many charms. Another prolific composer in Carnatic Music, King Swati Tirunal, too, has composed hundreds of songs which are particularly noted for their lyrical charm, and Swati too has to his credit a set of special compositions which are sung on the festival occasion of ‘Navaratri’ (lit., nine nights) in which three days each are devoted to the three deities, Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvati.

Improvisation

There are four main types of improvisation in Carnatic music: Raga Alapana: This is usually performed before a song. It is, as you may expect, always sung in the ragam of the song. It is a slow improvisation with no rhythm, and is supposed to tune the listener’s mind to the appropriate ragam by

Carnatic Music Series Music and Colour

Jyothi Ramachandran People who have never seen an Indian wedding or attended an Indian gathering are amazed by one thing when they see pictures: the colour. The photos are vibrant with colour and shimmer everywhere, from the reds of the kumkum to the greenery, the white clothes of men to the yellow turmeric, the orange marigolds to blue, purple, red, green saris that span the rainbow. Carnatic music and music concerts have their own colour. Women and men arrive to listen to music in finery, their jewels and clothing shimmering. The artists sit on a stage decorated with colourful cloths, and they themselves are decorated by shiny shawls in appreciation. The mridangam and veena bear velvet covers, and the cherry-brown of the violin gleams. Flowers in pink and red and white and yellow are bestowed as gifts to gods and artists, and the yellow lights dim as the concert begins. During the concert, too, the swaras have colour. The drone, the stable base of any music, Shadjam or Sa, has a colour: light pink. It is the pale pink of dawn, or of birth, or the table rose. It is the colour of the lime that artists smear on their betel leaves, which turns their mouths bright red. It is the energy of a furious korvai, and the pale pink of their cheeks when in the humid climate they sing a particularly beautiful, lilting phrase, and the audience blushes pale pink Sa in return. Panchamam is the other drone note: pa. It is black, the colour of the night sky, and of the faces of gods. It is the shining hair of a goddess, singing as she combs her hair. It is the dark intent eyes of the mridangist, and the single eye of the mridangam, as they dance with the rhythm of the music. It is the deep, moist earth, and the ebony fingerboard of the violin. It is the intense concentration of the artists on their

King Swati Tirunal, too, has composed hundreds of songs which are particularly noted for their lyrical charm, and Swati too has to his credit a set of special compositions which are sung on the festival occasion of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Navaratriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (lit., nine nights) in which three days each are devoted to the three deities, Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvati. music, and only their music. Other colours begin to fill in the in-between. White madhyamam, ma, fills the room, as the dust rises from the bow of the violin. It is the clean, crisp shirts and dhotis of the male performers, and the marks on their foreheads. White is also the colour of purity of music and of the rava on the mridangam head, the ivory inlaid in the veena and the skin of the kanjira. Parrot green rishabam, ri, brings brightness to the concert scene. It is somewhat rare, but seen in a 40

silk shawl thrown all of a sudden onto the shoulder, and in the spring earth. It is a vibrant leaf decorating the doorway, or folded and chewed. It is the parrot that mimics the music, and the fresh phrases that emerge from imagination. Yellow makes an appearance with dhaivatam. The godly colour of turmeric, and of the gods that smile down upon the music. It is the sun, shining brightly and listening, and its child, a flame planted in respect. It is the mango and the laddu, offered with sincerity. No concert would be complete without gold - in the zari of saris and dhotis, in the rings and necklaces worn with pride, the dangling chandelier earrings. It is the same gold that shines from their eyes as they discover a new nuance with glee, and the gold of the gods and goddesses adorned by each composer. Nishaadam brings together all the colours - a mixed palette of every colour, joining together the previous scale and the next. The rainbow, because no colour can be enjoyed in isolation. After all, the word raga comes from the word for colour, and there are as many ragas as there are colours in the world!

How to Learn

Carnatic Music

Here listing some useful tips to learn Carnatic Music by Rupa Raman

arnatic Music refers to the classical music form of Southern India, having roots in the Vedas (ancient texts derived from the vibrations in space) which comprise thousands of hymns. References to music are found in ancient Indian texts and scriptures dating back to 600 BC. It is a complex system of music with 72 basic scales on the octave and a variety of melodic motion. Learning Carnatic Music, like any other art form, is a lifelong quest. I recommend following five steps to learn Carnatic Music: 1. Find a Guru (teacher) wellversed in Carnatic Music and who has experience teaching it. Ask friends and family for names of teachers in your area. Look for ads in your neighborhood Indian grocery stores, restaurants or Hindu temples. Visit websites like eknazar and skim their classifieds listings for your city. Many Carnatic Music teachers advertise in these places. 2. Expose yourself to Carnatic Music. Listen to it at every possible opportunity. Go to katcheris (Carnatic Music concerts). Buy or borrow CDs. Listen to compositions online or while you drive. Watch online videos of Carnatic musicians performing. Read up on the theory of Carnatic Music, ragas (a framework that binds scale, tune and mode in Carnatic music), about composers and artists. 3. Practice consistently. Once you’ve started lessons, it is cruJune 2010

Rupa Raman Rupa Raman writes for ModernMom, Travels, RedEnvelope and other sites on intentional parenting, volunteering, travel, careers and holistic living and has published articles for the United Way. She has over six years of writing experience. She holds a master’s degree in communication from MOP Vaishnav College, Chennai. cial that you practice every day for at least an hour. With consistent practice, you will get more comfortable with the notes and tunes, and your voice will improve. You will also find it easier to hit higher scales. Mastering the basics of Carnatic music, voice and breathing techniques is essential if you wish to proceed to more advanced lessons. 4. Experiment with improvisation. The true challenge for a Carnatic musician lies in different aspects of improvisation or Manodharma Sangeetha (imaginative music). Improvisations are performed on the spot while rendering a song, with no preparation. They must still adhere to the grammar and structure of the song. It takes a thorough study of dozens, maybe hundreds of compositions, listening to masters and researching their styles to reach this level of skill. 5. If you don’t have access to a teacher or are unable to find one with whom you feel comfortable, give digital learning a try. 41

Purchase instructional CDs or learn your Carnatic Music fundamentals from online resources. However, this should only be an alternative course. Learning first hand from a trained musician is still the best way to learn Carnatic music. I would like to conclude that learning Carnatic music is an ongoing process, not something you should rush into or from which you should expect immediate results. You have to be very patient. Do not fall into the trap of crash courses. Invest time, research teachers and enroll in a good class with the conviction to stick to it at least for a year. Don’t give up. It may be a challenging course, but with time, you will begin to enjoy the process and beauty of Carnatic music.

References • History and Origins of Carnatic Music – www.carnatica.net/origin.htm • Improvisation in Carnatic Music – http://www.carnaticcorner. com/articles/improvisation/html

Resources • Learn Carnatic Music Online –http://www.carnaticindia.com/ learn_music/html • Online Audio Lessons in Carnatic Music – http://www.ecse. rpi.edu/homepages/shivkuma/ personal/music/varnams/index. html • Carnatic Music Lessons CD – https://www.carnaticmusiclessonsvol12cd-p-3149.html

Velu Thampi Dalawa An Administrator par excellence

V.N. Gopalakrishnan

commemorative postage stamp marking the 201st death anniversary of Velu Thampi Dalawa the Diwan of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom was released on May 6, 2010. He was an administrator par excellence. Article sheds more light on the legendary freedom fighter who revolted against the British 200 years ago Velayudhan Chempakaraman Thampi (1765-1809) popularly known as Velu Thampi was the Dalawa or Prime Minister from 1802 to 1809 during the reign of H.H. Bala Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal, the Maharaja of Travancore, one of the powerful kingdoms in the pre-independent India. He came from a family that had been honoured with the high title of Chempakaraman for their services to the kingdom by Maharaja Marthanda Varma. Thampi was also a title given only to select loyal noble families in Travancore. Velu Thampi was born in the village of Kalkulam to Kunjumayitti Pillai and Valliyamma Pillai Thankachi on the May 6, 1765, at Thalakulam, a district in Travancore. He led a disciplined life and was an exponent in martial arts. Velu Thampi was an able administrator who sacrificed his life for the independence of India way back in the 18th century. From a position of Kariakar (Tehsildar) to Mulakumadiseela Sarvadhikariakar, he rose to become the Dalawa or Prime Minister of the kingdom. Velu Thampi initiated several reforms during his Diwanship like the establish-

ment of schools in all Karas (local divisions), re-survey of land, reclamation of the barren land, construction of canals and roads, establishment of law courts etc. He made primary education compulsory. Assessment of tax based on the yield (kandezhuthu) was his innovation. His administrative reforms could help in improving trade and commerce. He also tried to bring in peace and tranquillity within the state by resorting to harsh punishment to all law breakers. Flogging, cutting of ears and nose, nailing people to trees etc. were common during his Diwanship. He could put an end to corruption and injustice by launched a touring court to hear the grievances of the public and pronounce immediate judgments. Velu Thampi was the first ruler after Pazhassi Raja to use defence tactics against the British. Though the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 has been referred to as the first freedom struggle, it was Velu Thampi who first raised the voice against the British in 1809. Velu Thampi led the most courageous rebellion against the British which started as a direct fall out of the British Resident Macauly’s interference in the internal affairs of Travancore. Initially, he was helped in his cause by Paliath Achan, the Diwan of the Kochi kingdom, but in the later stages, he fought a lonely campaign against the British. While his predecessors enjoyed the privilege of drawing money from the Treasury, Velu Thampi fixed the officials a monthly salary and also cut the allowance of the soldiers. This has led to an immediate revolt in the army. Though a good administrator, his stern and tough stand alienated him from some of the nobles as well. In protest against the British, Velu Thampi addressed a large gathering at a place called Kundara on January 11, 1809 42

which later on came to be known as the Kundara Proclamation. It was an open call to arms which demanded the ouster of the British from the Indian soil. He proclaimed: “Don’t allow staying English forces that hurt us even for a second. Wash them out”. The proclamation had its effect and the whole kingdom rose like one man against the British. He was no match for the military might of the British Army. It was a tragedy that Velu Thampi failed militarily although he commanded a well trained army armed with muskets and artillery organized on European lines with 3,000 men and 18 guns! After his defeat at the hands of the British, Velu Thampi had to flee from his kingdom. Meanwhile, the East India Company entered into a Treaty of Subordinate Isolation with the Maharaja of Travancore, offering its troops to ward off internal and external threats. Though this meant that the Nair Army who had fought bravely for the crown during the Third Mysore war would be disbanded, the Maharaja was supportive as it helped him maintain his throne while taking away a threat to his rule from future local rebellions. With the Treaty, Maharaja could call up the East India Company’s army to put down civil uprisings, not to mention anything about saving money. This Treaty was used by the East India Company in other princely kingdoms of India. Velu Thampi had spent his last days at Mannadi and reportedly ended his life to avoid being humiliated by the British at the Bhagavathi Temple on May 6, 1809. The Velu Thampi Dalawa Memorial being made at Mannadi near Adoor will be a fitting tribute to this great son of India who fought against the British 200 years back! (The author is a social activist and Director, Indo-Gulf Consulting. He can be contacted on telegulf@gmail.com).

Carnatic Music Series

unnelling deep into the origin of diverse genres of music, we will observe that each of it stalked out from a certain situation. Game music which is the talk of the day is based on situational music. From the times of Super Mario to the now trend Counterstrike* – all use music in interactive settings. Music played in the health spas, poojas, marriages have specific variants to suit the situation and ambience. Daniel J Levitin, the musicologist and author of “This is your brain on Music” quotes that the foremost origin of music dates back to Darwin himself who believed that Music had been the situational mode of communiqué in all human and paleohuman mating rituals. The conjunction of various elements in music affirms that music is an art, science and medicine. Practicing music for musical goals is a customary act. However music being a means to accomplish non-musical goals is what makes Music different and unique from other arts. Of late, it is being scientifically proven that music works wonders in more ways than one in cleansing the mind and body. Music has its own therapeutic values for it hides in it physical, emotional, social and communication powers. Music can be perceived as a pathway into the mind. On listening to a piece of Music, if you get momentarily entertained, you are an appreciative beginner and can enjoy music perfectly well at that stage. But if by nature or by training, you can identify all the intricacies in the musical, enjoy the levels of pitch, dynamics, inflexions, microtones, voice leaving, rhythmic and historical allusions at the same moment in real-time, which is the full way music has to be heard, then you find yourself participating in a very complex musical phenomenon. This would involve each part

Tune yourself in to a better soul

June 2010

of your soul, every sense and all possible emotions. Listening (not hearing) to Music is an art too. And Music therapy works only if there is an effective and efficient listening. The microtones, the notes, the vibrations should get into every nerve of our body i.e., it must dawn upon us. Music is designed to have a positive and reaffirming effect on emotions and mental clarity. Sing-

Revathi Sridharan Revathi is a practicing vocalist, a student of senior musician Vid. D. V. Nagarajan, Blore. Alongside a few Carnatic stage performances her certification on “Music Therapy” from “Nada Centre for Music Therapy (Regd)”, Chennai, has added to her augmented Musical interest. She has to her credit a book authored and launched recently, titled “A peek into Prahladha Bhakthi Vijaya” which provides a construal and analysis of “Prahladha Bhakthi Vijaya”, an ingenious musical play by Saint Sri Thyagaraja. Revathi is a frequent blogger and a Contributor to few noted Carnatic Music websites - carnaticindia. com, kamalakeertana.org etc. On the professional front, she is a software Engineer working for a reputed MNC. Revathi hails from Bangalore. 43

Carnatic Music Series ing along to a familiar song or show tune might be all you need to come out of depression or distress. Stress or depression is caused by the negative energies that get locked in our nerve centres (referred to chakras in ancient Indian literature). Music clears out the blockages and helps in removing the concentration of negative energies.

and words move thousands of tiny hair spread atop this spiral sheet. This firing triggers certain nerve cells which send electrical signals from the ear to the base of the brain then up to the cortex. The membrane where hair and nerve fibres meet is wound into a three-turn spiral, thick at its inside and thinning toward the outside whorl. This is compared to guitar strings. In both ears and strings, the thick part is tuned to low frequencies, the thinner part to higher frequencies. At the highest station, the auditory cortex, just above our ears, these firing cells generate the conscious experience of music. Different patterns of firing excite other ensembles of cells, and these associate the sound of music with feelings, thoughts, and past experiences.

How can mere sound affect the body and mind?

Music is a magical medium and a very powerful tool. Music can delight all the senses and inspire every fibre of our being. Music has the power to soothe and relax, bring us comfort and embrace joy! Music subtly bypasses the intellectual stimulus in the brain and moves directly to our subconscious. There is music for every mood and for every occasion. Music files neurons into the brain in the tempo at which it is played. Thus, music can suit and adapt to any kind of mood. For instance, raga saranga is known to cure all seasonal fevers and would bring in tranquillity and relief. Ragas like mayamalavagowla, kamavardhini and gamanasrama are known for Bhakthi rasa. Kapi, bhairavi, thodi, asaveri create the necessary atmosphere during afternoon. Raga neelambari is the lullaby raga that can put any disturbed mind to sleep. Different vibrations caused by plucking strings, booms on a drum excite ensembles of cells, and these associate the sound of music with feelings, thoughts, and past experiences. This is why you probably get goose bumps on hearing a particular composition!

Body and Music

There is a one to one mapping between our body and certain sounds. Many cultures recognize the importance of music and sound as a healing power. Since ancient civilizations of India, Africa, and Europe, the practice of using sound to heal and achieve balance from within has existed. The Tibetans

Mind and Music

still use bells, chimes, bowls, and chanting as the foundation of their spiritual practice. “In the presence of musical notes in the environment, followers try to remain in the perfected remembrance of the divine. Eventually, they learn to forget themselves while playing and listening to their favourite instrument,” says Dr Mukul S Goel, PhD, spiritual writer and musician in his book Indian Instrumental Music: A connection to God. But don’t start randomly banging on a steel plate for relief!

Music and Brain

Our ear comprises of a spiral sheet that receives the musical sound and sends it in like the waves caused by plucking the guitar strings. Vibrations in the air created by music 44

Any sound, be it the music of violin or the rhythmic pattern of rain on the rooftop is composed of vibrations in the air surrounding us. Our outer ear behaves as an antenna that receives, captures and funnels these sound vibrations (waves) into the middle ear. The captured waves vibrate the eardrum and tiny bones of the middle ear to amplify and pass the sound to the inner ear. The inner ear’s cochlea (i.e., a fluid-filled coil lined with neurons) converts the mechanical energy of these vibrations into electrical energy and transmits it to the brain. As the transformed sound waves move through the brain, they generate motor responses, emotions and higher order processes (e.g., recognition and memory recall). In other words, the brain guides the body’s response (e.g., physiological, emotional, biochemical, etc.) depending on the sound pattern. For instance, a loud noise may frighten us, while the sound of ocean waves may calm us.

How does Music therapy work?

The universe is musical, so is every existence in this universe. To understand the concept, let’s begin

by defining Music. Music is a pattern composed of rhythmic vibrations. In easy terms, it is “organized

tiveness that leaves everyone mesmerized. One need not be trained or talented to become a member of the

sound”. A general definition may best be given as “sounds and pitches organized in time to create a chosen artistic pattern.” Music is hence a collection of vibrations. Any object in the universe will have a natural frequency with which it vibrates. Our body is a pool of energy components. Each part, every organ is a symphony of sound, energy and frequencies resonating with its own natural frequency which determines its healthy state. If it does not vibrate at its natural frequency, it is easy to declare that the particular organ is “not at ease” or what we call “dis ease” (disease). The vibration power of music is said to remove the blockages in the veins, naadis and progressively tune the organs to vibrate at resonance. Music therapy is based on this vibration medicine. www.ToolsForWellness. com quotes this vibration medicine as a reliable source for alternative medicine products.

music family. Human brain is very receptive to repetitive patterns and the main characteristic of music is its repetitiveness. This explicates that everyone is musical by nature. Musical intake can be of these types: Hearing This is for mere entertainment and relaxation. Listening Listening to music would take one to the depths of the territory of music and leave him with infinite emotional responses. Voice tuning Voice tuning is the easiest way to repose where we hum along with a song running in the background. Singing Singing gives the benefit of music in totality. Composing Music composition is a technique given to cure people with mental disabilities. The act of composing is said to clear out mental blockages as the emotions and thoughts would flow out as verses and leave behind a free mind.

Is everyone Musical?

We cannot expect a person to be musical to make the therapy work for him. Music is such a fine art that it pulls everyone into its magical spell. It is the rhythm, the repetiJune 2010

Raga Therapy in India:

Ancient Indian music has de45

vised a special therapy based on 72 ragas. It is appropriate to define Raga at this point. Raga is neither melody alone, nor notes; neither scale nor mode. It’s an ensemble of all these. According to an ancient Indian text, Swara Shastra, the seventy-two melakarta ragas (parent ragas) control seventy-two important nerves in the body. It is believed that a person who sings/ performs a raga bound to the raga specifications (lakshanas) and with purity in pitch (swara shuddi) will have complete control on the corresponding nerve. Dr T.V. Sairam, from his research on Raga therapy quotes: for those who suffer from hypertension, ragas such as Ahirbhairav and Todi are prescribed. To control anger and bring down violence within oneself, Carnatic ragas like Punnagavaral and Sahana come handy. Not only psychological, but the somatic or physiological impact of ragas have come to light in recent research. For instance, stomach-related disorders are said to be cured with Hindustani ragas such as Deepak (acidity) and Jaunpuri (constipation) and Malkauns (intestinal gas and fever). Simple iterative musical rhythms with low pitched swaras, as in bhajans are capable of relaxation. They may also lead to favourable hormonal changes in the system.

Musical instruments

Instruments have their own magic too. The string instrument veena, the primordial percussion instrument damaru, and the wind instrument flute form a special trinity among Indian musical instruments. These instruments can be categorized as divinity’s choice as far as Hindu culture is concerned, for they are played to create the three components of music – melody, rhythm, and expression. “The veena of Goddess Saraswati creates musical notes, the damaru of Lord Shiva ties everything in the universe together with rhythm, and the flute of Lord Krishna is the source of expression

Carnatic Music Series • Counterstrike is a drum and bass duo from Cape Town, South Africa, consisting of Justin Scholtemeyer and Eaton Crous. They are considered to be one of the pioneers of the South African drum n bass scene. Counterstrike duo are known for their composition of raw, high energy sound mostly inspired by Metal, Techno and early Techstep.

and mesmerisation,” says Dr Mukul Shri Goel.

Science of Music

Of all arts, music has had most to rely upon a scientific and mathematical analysis. The first energy that came into existence was that of sound in the form of “the all pervading OM”! This sound permeates through the ether and influences the surroundings as per its nature and situation. Centuries ago Indian sages and musicians studied the intricacies of music and fixed the seven notes of music i.e. Sa- Ri- Ga- Ma- Pa- DaNi which remain unaltered till date. So intricate is the science of music that no one in the world has been able to create a single note of music other than the seven notes (the concept of 12/16 swaras involve subtlety and may not suit the article here) that are in vogue. On the therapeutic side, nothing new is to be invented except to know how to knock the hidden goldmine. The need of the hour is to run a detailed enquiry based on scientific parameters and the medicinal effects of Music on the sources long

available in our roots. No doubt, it’s a long journey, but worth to take off the run-way. There is a growing awareness that ragas could complement or even be a safe alternative for many medical interventions. All sorts of music, depending on the genre, can get us out of the doldrums into a mood of cheer or even ease our mind after a bad fight or even inspire us to achieve our goals whatever they may be. Only the choice varies from person to person. Ultimately, music strikes our souls in unimaginable ways, giving us access to a hundred emotions letting us know that we are living. Like a gentle guardian, it lends us a guiding hand to light our way to an enriched soul and better living. • Super Mario is a video game. Super Mario Bros. is a platform video game developed by Nintendo in late 1985 and published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. For over two decades, Super Mario Bros. was the best-selling video game of all time, before being outsold by Wii Sports in 2009. 46

• This is your brain on music is a popular science book written by the McGill University neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin, and first published by Dutton Books (a division of Penguin Publishing) in the U.S. and Canada in 2006, and updated and released in paperback by Plume/Penguin in 2007. It has been translated into 18 languages and spent more than a year on the New York Times, Globe and Mail, and other bestseller lists. • The aim of This is your brain on music was to make recent findings in the neuroscience of music accessible to the educated layperson. Characteristics and theoretical parameters of music are explained alongside scientific findings about how the brain interprets and processes these characteristics. The neuroanatomy of musical expectation, emotion, listening and performance are discussed. References “Our surroundings, an elementary general Science” by Arthur G. Clement Dr. Sairam T.V. “Medicinal Music”, Chennai: Nada Centre for Music Therapy Dr. Sairam T.V. “Raga Therapy”, Chennai: Nada Centre for Music Therapy. “This is your brain on music” by Daniel J. Levitin This article was originally cited at carnaticindia.com by Revathi S.

COVER STORY Prof. P.K. Ravindranath: The veteran journalist - writer...

Rajkapur, Gulshan Ewing, P.K. Ravindranath, Bunny Reuben and Patanjali Sethi in RK Studio Photo by: Hrishikesh Mukherjee

By the by for the knowledge of those who do not know that the National Herald was founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, please visit the link http://www.merinews. com/article/nehrus-nationalherald-closes-down/135107. shtml to read this writer’s article titled, Nehru’s National Herald closes down, written on June 3, 2003 and the link http:// www.merinews.com/article/athought-on-nehrus-45th-deathanniversary/15770931.shtml to read another article, A thought on Nehru’s 45th anniversary. He managed, with help from friends in the advertising agencies till 1980. Then, A.R. Antulay became the Chief Minister. By the Ravindranath had also become the Bureau Chief of the Mathrubhumi in Mumbai. He had been close to the Mathrubhumi since 1957, when he covered important news from the city and Maharashtra under the name of his wife – Tara Menon. So when he was sacked by the National Heralad at the instance of Antulay, who felt “he belonged to the enemy

The Taste of

Mumbai Sar Multimedia Pvt. Ltd. Shop No. 5, Sarvodaya Garden, Pandurangwadi, Off. Manpada Road, Dombivli East 421201. Tel : 0251-3260389. Telefax : 0251-2882575. Email : whitelinevartha@gmail.com

Every Week www.whitelinevartha.com June 2010

www.whitelineworld.com 47

sar multimedia/2010

Your Taste, Your Voice, Your Style...

COVER STORY

P.K. Ravindranath in CNN studio in a live television programme

camp,” he had no problem. He was sacked b y the Mathrubhumi management in 1986, when he publicly corrected an agency head who said “The Mathrubhumi” is the only real people’s paper in the country.” Ravindranath countered: “No longer. It is now run by Plantation Owners and Lorry Operators.” Prompt came his marching orders. Two years of freelancing were “profitable years, since I earned more than I ever did in another job. Writing editorials, edit page ar-

ticles, reviews, interviews and the like.” But then working hours were flexible- early morning to midnight and later to meet deadlines, There were no computers and no telephone facilities,” he recalls. Then came the call to join the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. Sharad Pawar was the newly elected Chief Minister whom Ravindranath had known intimately since 1977, when he too was a non-conformist with the Emergency. On persuasion he joined him as his Press Adviser. “It was a great experience. I came to 48

know how the government works from within.” In those years he wrote “Sharad Pawar: the Making of a Modern Maratha,” published in 1992. By then Pawar had gone to Delhi as Union Defence Minister. In 1992, Ravindranath moved over as Director (Publications) of Nehru Centre, of which he had been a founder member and Hon. Director of Publications. He was removed from this honorary job too by Antulay when he took over as ipso facto President of Nehru Centre, when he became the Chief

drashekhar: A Political Biography”. He also wrote “Sardar Patel in a New Perspective”. “A Slice of Life,” and a coffee table book “Iyer Weddings”. Since 2000 when the Mumbai University introduced the BMM (Bachelor of Mass Media course) he had been called to conduct classes in various colleges. In the last decade has turned out over 200 journalists, who now adorn good positions in the print and electronic media. “All committed to the righteous journalism”. From 1978 to 1986 Ravindranath ran a very popular column in Mathrbhumi-“Maharashtra Kathu” (Maharashtra newsletter, which caught the attention of the entire political leadership of Kerala. Married to Tara Dharadhar, Ravindranath has three children-Jayesh, Anuja and Naresh, all well settled in life and who look back to Kerala as their second home. Tara has been a social activist and is an active member of the Kerala Mahila Samaj, of which she has been the General Secretary and President one time. She is also an active member of the Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, a consumer organisation, which provides for members all household commodities at fair prices and exact weight.

Minister. Years later, when Ravindranath led the delegation of Mumbai Malayalis to meet Antulay, the MP from Ratnagiri, to ask for the special train services from Mumbai to Thiruvanathapuram, Antulay told him “You know things happened. They should not have, it is all God’s mercy.” Ravindranath agreed, in full satisfaction that he had contributed immeasurably to oust Antulay from the Chief Ministership following the Cement Scandal. “I wasted 25 years of my political life,” he lamented then. In 1984 he had written “ChanJune 2010

Nair’s “Arab Gold” (Arabi Ponnu) Rupa and M T Vasudevan Nair’s “Randamoozham” (“Second Turn”Macmillan). He has published six books on journalism for students of the BMM course for which there was an acute dearth of textbooks. They are: “The Art of Editing,” Lectures on Broadcast Journalism, Indian Regional Journalism, Press Laws and Ethics, News Media Management and Contemporary Issues. They have proved to be a boon for a whole generation of students of journalism, for whom there were no books in the Indian context on these subjects. I am sure that my esteemed readers will wonder when they hear that Professor P.K. Ravindranath turned 83 now and he stayed only seven years in Kerala in these years. Still he has contributed much to Malayalam journalism and literature. Like his trademark white shirtwhite pants attire resembles the purity of his outer personality, his calm and quiet face with a serene a smile wrapped with ‘I know it’ mark presents his limpidness. Like the purity signature he carries with his clothing, his face reveals his inner beauty.

Vyjayantimala, Kishore Kumar with P.K. Ravindranath in RK Studios. Photo by: Hrishikesh Mukherjee

Ravindranath has translated Keshavadev’s “Ayalkar” as “Neighbours” (Sahitya Academy), N P Muhammed and M T Vasudevan 49

In next issues: • Prof. P.K. Ravindranath as a writer who wrote more than 21 books. • Prof. P.K. Ravindranath as a jounalism lecturer.

Vedanta and Swami Vivekananda

am neither a spiritual leader nor an expert in spirituality. Nevertheless, my repeated encounters with Philosophical and Vedanta books and listening to the discourses of learned men over a period of decades gave me the courage to discuss about Vedanta and Philosophy. In Hindu spirituality Vedanta has a significant role. There is a famous Vedanta saying: “That which unites us with the whole is virtue, and that which separates us from the whole is vice”. These words are powerful and carry multiple meanings that again can be interpreted with multiple meanings and each interpretation can be again interpreted in different perspective. Swami Vivekananda is the world-teacher who first brought the message of Vedanta to the Western world. Vedanta was the message that he delivered at the Parliament of Religions in 1893. Vedanta literally means “end of the Vedas,” that is, the final teaching of the Vedas. It is the crowning consummation of the spiritual thoughts of Hinduism. It is the teaching of Vedanta that has saved India again and again in times of spiritual crisis over the centuries. The conclusions of Vedanta are based on universal principles and are applicable to all people of all times. Philosophically non-dualistic but religiously monotheistic, Vedanta reflects the very mood and outlook of Eastern spirituality, and its echo can be heard in Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, theistic Hinduism and other spiritual traditions of

the East. Vedanta is more than a religion or a speculative philosophy. Is a spiritual way that is direct and decisive? Breaking the barriers of traditions and conventions and cutting through the speculations of theology and philosophy, it leads the individual soul to its inevitable destiny - union with Brahman, the Supreme Soul. It pushes its search for truth as far as human reason can go and reaches the dizzy height where everything is reduced to one principle, Pure Consciousness. Though developed and perfected in the Indo-Gangetic plain, Vedanta cannot be called Indian, just as the law of gravitation, discovered by Newton, cannot be called a British law. Vedanta maintains that the Ultimate Reality is one without a second, and designates it by the name Brahman. Brahman is incorporeal, immutable, all-pervading, Absolute Pure Consciousness, beyond all names, forms, and attributes. The various names, forms, and epithets of the Divine, such as Shiva, Kali, Vishnu, Jehovah, Allah, Father of Heaven, are merely superimpositions of the individual seekers on Brahman. For the spiritual fulfilment of the seekers of truth, the Supreme Brahman assumes various names and forms. It is this Brahman that appears as Personal God and also as impersonal Absolute Truth. Brahman is called the Reality of all realities. The various concepts of the Divine are the various readings of the Absolute by individual minds from different depths and spiritual distances. They are like the various pictures of a building taken from various angles of vision. The individual soul, according to Vedanta, is the focus of the infinite Brahman. Designated by Vedanta as Atman, It is ever divine and ever pure. Atman is different from the ego-self, generally assumed to be the soul of a person. A human individual is a layered being. His soul remains encased by five material layers - physical body, vital air, mind, intellect, and bliss. The so-called individualities are like whirlpools in the Ocean

K.D. Chandran of Infinite Brahman. Creation, according to Vedanta, is beginning less cycles of manifestation and non-manifestation of Brahman, and it is often described by Vedanta texts as the out breathing and inbreathing of Brahman. The myriad diversity of the universe is only in name and form. As in the case of a mirage in a desert, the ignorant see water and trees but the enlightened see the desert; similarly, what appears as the diverse universe to the ignorant is perceived by the illumined as nothing but Brahman. The world appearance of Brahman is caused by its own power, known as Maya. Another name of Maya is imagination. So it is said that the world is in the mind of the individual. Speaking psychologically, the earth rotates not so much around the sun as around the individual mind. Maya is the disguise of Brahman. So long as it is not known it is a terrible delusion and is destructive; but when perceived through the eye of Knowledge, it is nothing but Brahman. Good and evil, pain and pleasure, heaven and hell, are all in the mind. Nothing in this world is absolutely good or absolutely evil. It is the mind, that having been polarized due to ignorance, divides the indivisible into good and evil, desirable and undesirable. The sufferings of life, according to Vedanta, are not due to the retribution of God, to luck, chance, hostile stars and planets, or to any external agency like Satan, Iblis, the Devil, or Ahriman. Vedanta attributes five causes of suffering, and these are: (1) loss of contact with the real that is the centre of our being, the Atman; (2) ego; (3) attachment; (4) aversion; and (5) clinging. Loss of contact with the real forces the individual into the world of ego - a fanciful world of polarization, imagination, and dream. Birth and death, pain and pleasure, here and hereafter, the law of karma and reincarnation, all apply to the ego and its world. The way to the end of suffering is neither multiplication of desires nor their liquidation, but Self-Knowledge through self-control.

Published by C. Vimal Kumar for Sar Multimedia Pvt. Ltd., 7 Prem Bhavan, 2nd Floor, 234/236, Narshi Natha Street, Masjid Bunder, Mumbai - 400009, printed by him at Meenakshi Printers & Designers, 5, Sarvodaya Garden, Off. Manpada Road, Dombivli East - 421201. Editor : C. Vimal Kumar