बरगद का पेड़

जैसे जैसे दिन ढला और आसमान ने रात की चादर ओढ़ी, रमन और व्याकुल हो उठा। उस रात का हर क्षण उसे यही चिंता दिला रहा था कि ‘क्या पता, मेरे अलावा किसी और को इस बात से कोई फ़र्क न पड़े!’ या ‘शायद मेरे साथ कोई और न जुड़े!’ इसी चिंता में गुम उसने पूरी रात बिता दी।

सुबह उठकर वह अपने घर के पास एक जंगल में स्थित एक बरगद के पेड़ की ओर चला ही था कि दूर से छुटकी, उसकी पोती, दौड़ के आई और बोली “जल्दी चलिये दादाजी! वहाँ बहुत भीड़ जमा हो गयी है!” रमन के दिल की धड़कन तेज़ हो चली। क्या वाकई में लोग उसकी बात सुनने आए हैं?

जब वो स्थल पर पहुंचा तो चौंक उठा। ‘वृक्ष बचाओ’, ‘चलो धरती की रक्षा करें’, आदि नारों से सुसज्जित चिन्ह लेकर हर तरफ लोग खड़े थे। एक वृद्ध व्यक्ति उसके पास आकर हल्के से बोला, “हम यहाँ सिर्फ आपके लिए नहीं, अपने खुद के लिए आए हैं!”

रमन का मन उल्लास से भर गया। उसने अपना निश्चय और भी दृढ़ कर लिया। प्रकृति की रक्षा तो मानो उसके जीवन का एकमात्र उद्देश्य बन गया। सालों की मेहनत रंग लायी, यह सोचकर वह डटकर लोगों के समक्ष खड़ा हुआ और उसके द्वारा शुरू की गयी पहल में जुडने के लिए उनका आभार व्यक्त किया।

रमन एक पिछड़े गाँव का निवासी था। बिजली, गैस तो क्या, पानी तक लाने के लिए रोज़ मिलों चलना पड़ता था और कतार में खड़ा रहना पड़ता था।रमन का परिवार शहद बेचकर अपना गुजारा करता था।जब भी वह कोई छत्ते से शहद निकालता, वह आधा छत्ता वहीं छोड़ देता, ताकि उस छत्ते की मूल निवासी मधुमक्खियाँ मायूस ना हो और उनके पास वापस आने के लिए कोई जगह बनी रहे।

यह छत्ता रमन के गाँव के पास एक बरगद के पेड़ पर स्थित था। इस जंगल में कई तरह के पशु पक्षी एवं जानवर निवास करते थे। इस जंगल से कई लोगों की ज़िंदगी जुड़ी थी, जो वहीं रहते थे और कई पीढ़ियों से अपना जीवन प्रकृति के साथ खुशी से रहकर बिताते थे।

एक दिन उस जंगल के पास एक फ़ैक्टरी खुली। रोजगार एवं अच्छी ज़िंदगी का लालच देकर उधर के निवासियों की ज़मीन ले ली गयी। कुछ महीनों में ही वो जंगल हल्के हल्के खत्म हो गया। पशु पक्षी एवं जानवर या तो खत्म हो गये या खत्म कर दिये गए। एक दिन वह पेड़ भी काट दिया गया जिससे रमन के परिवार की रोज़ी रोटी चलती थी।

अपने सामने यह सब होता देख रमन मायूसी से भर गया। उसने ठान लिया कि वह उन मूक वृक्षों और जानवरों के लिए बोलेगा और लड़ेगा। उसने अलग अलग गाँव में जाकर लोगों से इस विषय पर बातचीत की। एक दिन उसको यूएन की एक संस्था में ‘फॉरेस्ट रिजर्व ऑफिसर’ के पद पर रखा गया।

अपनी मुहिम जारी रख रमन ने रोज़ एक बीज बोकर आस पास के अकाल पीड़ित इलाकों को फिर से हरा भरा कर दिया। पशु पक्षी एवं जानवरों को रहने का नया स्थान दिया। एक बरगद के पेड़ के बीज से की गयी रमन की ये पहल जल्द ही क्रांति सी बनने लगी। कुछ ही वर्षों में कई लोग उसे मसीहा मानने लगे। देश विदेश से उसे बुलावे आने लगे। उससे प्रेरणा लेकर देश भर में हजारों लोग उसके पदचिन्हों पर चलने लगे। उसे कई पुरस्कारों से सम्मानित किया गया।

एक दिन जब उसने अपनी मेहनत से बनाए जंगल के पास एक फ़ैक्टरी के आने की खबर सुनी तो उसका दिल दहल गया। बीती हुई सारी दर्द भरी यादों ने उसे घेर लिया। उसने यह रोकने के लिए अपनी जान लगा देने का फैसला किया।

वह दिन उसकी सालों की मेहनत की परीक्षा थी। और अपने सामने इतने लोगों को देख उसे पता चल गया की वह अपनी जीवन भर की परीक्षा में सफल हो गया है। वाकई, लोगों ने उसकी पहल में जुड़ जुड़ के उसे एक कारवां बना दिया।

हर बीज जो बोया था, वो पाना था जो खोया था।
उस बरगद के लिए, जिसकी छाँव तले मैं सोया था॥

The Art of Yoga

Instinct
The cry of an infant is one of  first display of instinct. As the child grows, it learns to do many things by itself without any guidance.

Physical activity is one of the things that came to most of us instinctively. Any open space is a playground for children, and most of us spent our childhoods running amok even in the smallest of places we could find.

Among my favorite ways to kill time as a child, was to go on an endless spree of front rolls, until I was confronted with a better distraction.

Strangely, as we grew, we outgrew our instincts. The rolls, the runs, the agility, disappeared one by one from our routine. To go out and play became a task and we settled for the life we got, as we forgot the one we had. 

Initiation:
It took me a long time to discover yoga. It had been all around me and I had seen many relatives, friends, television, people immersed in practice.

It was curious thing to see the experts practicing on TV, with calm and focused faces, as they moved slowly from one posture to the other. I largely thought it was a part of an act, a gimmick to gain viewers.

I gave it a try several times. A few twists here, some turns there. I got hang of some of the easy poses and decided to stay clear of the seemingly difficult ones. The distractions ended up getting the better of me. In the absence of proper guidance, I largely ignored yoga as a viable option for fitness.

In a casual conversation about the perils of adulthood, such as weight gain, a friend suggested I accompany him for yoga practice. Slightly apprehensive due to previous experiences, I agreed, and thus began my tryst with the age old practice.

Practice:
The clock strikes 7 and the class echoes together with the singular sound, OM. Eyes shut, spine erect, head erect, shoulders rolling back. The breathing gets deeper as the world outside disappears. The class begins shortly.

It has been 5 years of practice. Seems like a long time. It is not.

Many of my friends are curious about yoga but most drop out after a few sessions of practice. Some find no visible change in body structure, others find it too slow. Many feel there are better ways to lose weight.

In the world promising instant solutions, yoga requires investment. It requires weeks of practice to see the slightest external change. Perfecting even the simplest postures takes months and even years of practice. And even after that there is always scope for improvement.

Perfection
This brings us to the biggest contradiction in yoga - Perfection.

It is something you strive for in each pose, knowing fully well that there will always be scope for improvement. Yet you continue.

The position of the feet, the angle of the knees, the alignment of arms, and the precision of every movement makes each yoga pose unique. All this, as you constantly remind yourself to keep breathing.

It is within the hours of efforts that you put in that you find moments of exhilaration. When you manage to get into a perfect pose. When the effort disappears, when the mind becomes quiet and the senses become calm.

As your practice becomes better, the moments of exhilaration increase and the joyfulness multiplies. This is the perfection we strive for.

Fulfilment:
When I first started practicing Yoga, I used to set aims for myself. I was inspired to get into the handstand. Or dreamt of a day when my torso would descend perfectly into a forward bend.

I looked at others. In the class, on video, as they perfected different poses. I wondered how long they had taken to get where they were.

However, with time, I realized that we were all on our own paths with our own discoveries. Our journeys were different. The only aim was to be the best we could be, do the best we were capable of, and to attain joy within our own practice.

The perfection that we seek needs to come from within, as we became the best versions of ourselves.

Learning:
The practice of Yoga has many lessons. In the focus behind each pose, and the quietness around, you begin to notice the chirping of birds, the movement of breeze and the fragrances that abound. You begin to value them and realize what they add to your life.

You leave behind the pollution in the city, the negative experiences, toxicity of thoughts and embrace the joy of solitude, the beauty of silence and the wholesomeness of life.

Experts in yoga have devoted entire lifetimes, many schools propagating the practice have devoted generations to study the effect and benefits of the practice. Yet even they acknowledge that they still have a lot to explore.

It is this depth that draws the people who have rejected plush corporate jobs, foreigners who queue up to join Indian ashrams or saints who have decided to spend large portions of their lives away from materialism.

While it has originated in India, yoga can be viewed as a universal practice and suitably adapted to suit ones’ sensibilities. While it may be impossible as we live our regular lives to let go of all the issues that surround us, yoga can bless us with little moments to discover ourselves and the beauty that nature has to offer.

Flight of the Peacock

Growing up, on my visits to my village, I could often spot peacocks. Their omnipresence in the village was a stark contrast to the city where I lived, and despite there being so many of them around, I could rarely hide my awe when I saw them.

The brilliance of their feathers, their colorful appearance and hypnotic eyes had me mesmerised. As I saw them walk around with slow and controlled steps, I often wondered if they knew how beautiful they were. And then one day I saw them dance, and it put to rest any doubts that I had. The display seemed nothing short of a proud display of beauty, strutting with confidence that here was something the world needed to see.

It was routine in the mornings to wake up to the loud calls of the peacocks, and hear their sounds all through the day. These sounds were complimented with the various songs sung and artistic pieces created by villagers dedicated to them, which are integral to the local fabric.

The harsh environment of Rajasthan is one of the last places where you would expect to find these majestic birds. It is something that I still find surprising. However, I came to realise that the birds had developed a bond with the villagers and so it was truly a place they could call home.

The houses in our village had pots of water embedded in the construction of the roofs. As a part of the daily household duties, we would replenish the water stock in the pots and scatter a handful of grains for the birds to eat. The birds, obviously conditioned through this practice, would pay a visit, sometimes routine sometimes random, and feed on the supplies shared with them.

One of my fondest memories is when I took a fistful of grains in my hand to a peacock and watched it slowly eat the grains one by one, without so much as a scratch on my palm.

I have often wondered why the people in the village were so considerate. After all there was little that the birds had to offer them, especially in a time when most families were starved for resources and everything was scarce.


I contrast this today, with life in the financial capital of the county, where everything comes at a price, and only the fittest survive. In the ruthless struggles of life, surrounded with concrete jungles, there is little time to feed the birds and not much left of nature to savor.

In fact, nowadays we have grills to keep the birds out. A special feature of the grills is the design, which is such that the birds don't get a place to rest. Birds are considered little more than a menace, who can be given no such place to spread dirt and filth.

While on my daily commute to work, I spotted a man carrying a bunch of peacock feathers, stacked together tightly with a rope. I wondered how many birds would have paid with their own feathers, and maybe their lives, so that some homes could be decorated.

I looked around on my way to work, and thought why the only birds I could see around me were the crows. Maybe it is a metaphor for the lifestyle we have embraced as ordinary citizens in this unforgiving city, that of scavengers.

A few years back, in an area not far from our village in Rajasthan, people were overjoyed with a good news. A factory from a large business conglomerate was to soon open nearby, bringing with it jobs, wealth and prosperity. The work on the factory had already begun, with the area being cleared and new roads being laid out. The excitement was palpable as life was about to change for many.

The imagination of a new life for everyone around me comprised of big cars, bigger houses, shiny watches. With their old lives behind them, the imagination didn't have any space for anything of the past now, least of all peacocks.

On my recent visit to my village, I could see the factory, but the birds had all but vanished. It took me some time to spot a single bird perched atop a tree. It dawned upon me that this could perhaps be the last time I see one of its kind in my village. I watched it turn and fly away into the distance.

Machli - The Tiger Queen

I have always loved wildlife and nothing fascinates me more than a visit to a wildlife sanctuary. For in a wildlife sanctuary, you get to see nature at its best and worst. 

The tigers rule the jungles of India, but there was a tigress that ruled them all - Machli, The Tiger Queen.

As the longest living tigress, Machli dominated the majestic jungles of Ranthambore with ferociousness and class. She is mother to an entire generation of tigers and has brought glory to the whole jungle.

A subject of many documentaries, Machli got her name from fish like patterns on her face. She started ruling the jungle from a very early age.

Her moment of glory was when she was recorded hunting crocodiles, an art she taught to her little cubs as well. Till date, Ranthambore remains one of the few jungles where tigers hunt crocodiles.

As the word spread, tourists from around the world flocked to see the Tiger Queen for real. 

Time takes a toll on everyone and so it did on Machli too. Her last years were painful and she was at the mercy of the food that was served to her. A lifetime of hunting was reduced to scavenging.

As Machli left this world, all that remained was the image of her, perched atop the forts of Ranthambore, looking over her Kingdom as she let out a loud growl to stamp her authority. A fitting memory of this great tigress with a remarkable life!

The Love Triangle- About my love for the Amul Chocolate Tricone

It was a typical hectic Monday at work and as I completed yet another day of my sentence, I craved for something to make me feel better about a day. I passed through host of small shops on my return journey, most existing with nothing exciting to offer, as I thought about what could be a suitable fix for my cravings. I saw a blue freezer with the word Amul on it, and instantly knew what I wanted.

I stepped in and excitedly looked inside the freezer. My heart sank a bit when I couldn't sight it at first glance. I called the shopkeeper and asked him to help me out. It took him a bit of rummaging through the heap of ice creams before he found what I wanted - the Amul Chocolate Tricone.

It was sitting in the center of the pile, like a king among his subjects. I quickly tendered the small amount that I owed to the shopkeeper to buy it and with a deep sense of satisfaction started the ritual of savoring this magical item.

I quickly unwrapped it starting with its cap, ensuring that none of the precious ice cream is lost in the 'paperwork'. The cone looked just right, the chocolate was dark and shiny, the ice cream looked perfectly frozen, and the shape was not at all distorted. 

I took the first bite and it took me down memory lane reminiscing about all the years and the tricones I have had. I used to have the tricone much before I realised how much I liked it. In those days the butterscotch tricone was the preferred option, maybe due to the lack of knowledge about other available choices. I remember having a conversation with a friend in those days discussing how great and affordable this product was. This was the time when we had little money to spare as kids, and the tricone mostly acted as a reward for getting useful household groceries. 

On one such day, while buying the groceries, I spotted the chocolate tricone alongside the butterscotch one. I was instantly curious and wanted to try it out. I immediately bought it and as I started to eat it I realised it was not just as good as the butterscotch one, it was actually far better. 

There are a handful of times in your life when you stumble across a product and instantly know that it is different, and has the potential to be successful. I remember feeling this way about very few packaged food products, kurkure and pulse candy being the only ones I can remember. This is how I felt about the chocolate tricone.

There are a few important reasons why it is such a great product, and these are crucial for its uniqueness. The toppings are thoughtful, chocolates and nuts done right make the ideal combo. The cone itself is crisp and adequately flavored with a chocolate coating on the inside. The heart of the tricone, of course, is the ice cream. And the chocolate center of the tricone is everything that a perfect ice cream should be like. It has the right texture, sweetness and ties in perfectly with the taste of the cone and the toppings. At the bottom of the cone is a tiny layer of chocolate that acts as a reminder of the completeness of the cone. At no point while eating the tricone, do you feel that it is overdone, a key to its perfect flavor.

A key element to the taste of the cone however, is the last mile distribution. Carelessness and storage at the wrong temperature often leads to disfigurement of the cone or impacts the taste of the ice cream, in the worst of cases melting it. I have noticed that it is the newly opened kirana shops that store it with the best quality and it is disappointing to see this deteriorate with time, which I've now realised as something which inevitably happens.

Its difficult to believe that it has been over a decade since I first fell in love with the Chocolate Tricone. Even today, as I go out for work or while I am completing some household chore, I keep an eye out for a shop selling Amul Icecreams, more importantly the Chocolate Tricone. And like all the times that I enjoyed it as a kid, I feel rewarded.

Three colors!

"Though I speak with the tongues of angels,
If I have not love...
My words would resound with but a tinkling of a cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy...
And understand all mysteries...
and all knowledge...
And though I have all faith
So that I could remove mountains,
if I have not love...
I am nothing.
Love is patient, full of goodness;
Love tolerates all things,
Aspires to all things,
Love never dies,
while the prophecies shall be done away,
tongues shall be silenced,
knowledge shall fade...
thus then shall linger only 
faith, hope, and love...
but greatest of these...
is love".

(the song from Three Colours : Blue)

The context is set. There is loss, pain, death. There is a need to be liberated, to be free, to be equal and to just belong. Then there are these beautiful lines narrated in the background as you see flashes of the characters built so beautifully on celluloid. The music reaches a crescendo. Kieslowski's name shows up on screen. The trilogy ends.

Expressing a simple thought, that the ideals of liberty, equality or fraternity will all turn hollow if there is no love, in the most brilliant manner these movies are a life changing experience. Do watch!

Next up on the list - The Decalogue! 

Black Coffee- Volume 10

*Trumpets*
*Drum Rolls*

After months and months of hard work, we finally did it. Team LitComm came out with the 10th edition of Black Coffee, the in-house magazine. The link for the launch video for the magazine is given below:

Personally, this was one of the most satisfying experiences of my life. To see a magazine that I had worked so hard on finally get published felt really good. So, it wasn't surprising at all that during the first Literary Fest at MICA "Oblique" when the magazine was launched, I was overcome with emotions.

As an outsider with no experience of the magazine business, I could hardly imagine how much work went into publishing a magazine. I always thought that once the content was sent, it would be a real piece of cake to get the magazine out.

It turned out to be so much more! When I break it down into the number of things we did to get this magazine out, only then a fair estimate of the amount of work involved can be gauged. The invitation of articles which took a whole lot of convincing. The editing of articles which took quite a bit of time. The time when we had to think of a theme for the magazine (we came up with the theme of a journey). Thinking of a cover page to go with the theme (which was decided as a modified version of Truck Art). The effort that had to be put in to come up with a cover which looks so awesome (check the video). The task of designing the templates (We came up with a template showing a milestone and a radio broadcasting quotes about a journey). To top all this, the time when we decided to number the magazine in reverse order. As in the time when you travel the distance on a road trip the number on the milestones keeps on decreasing, similarly as you progressed through the magazine the number on the milestone decreased. And of course, this whole process was followed by a whole lot of modifications to suit the needs of the printers!

The difficult part about a magazine is that if you really want to do it properly, like we did, with quotes at the bottom and two columns and all the artwork, each page of the magazine becomes like a poster. This means if you are publishing an 80 odd page magazine, it involves an effort to create about 80 posters from the creative side. Add to this the editing and the logistics and its a pretty tough job.

Finally, with the launch of the magazine, we completed another task on LitComm's checklist for the year. Add to this the successful organizing of the fest which deserves another post, we did most of the things that we had decided on doing in LitComm 2010-11.