The Sage of Arunachala

 From amongst  the unfortunate few who early on in life get hooked onto the question of existence etc. a few fortunate ones find their questions answered - either by modern day Gurus or by an unshakeable faith on scriptures and philosophies of the past. A vast majority of the seekers ( like me) pass life without an answer- not with any deep regret , for inevitably the quest for answers was half hearted.

Doubtless, each mans' search is unique and so is the solution. Trying to use logic to choose from the prevalent beliefs is futile and in a sense a wrong way of approaching the quest. The genes in me gives me a natural inclination and a comfort with the Visishtadvaita doctine and I do not (oddly) question the  rituals of the Matham of my ancestors ( The Ahobila Matham). Yet, I must admit that the western convent educated , urban ecosystem that I was brought up in is still  a hurdle in crossing over the divide from questioning to blind faith.

The first time that I seriously considered the Sage Of Arunachala , was when my sister (at the time of the premature , sudden tragic death of her husband) mentioned that Rajappa would annually visit Tiruvannamalai and spend a few days at Ramanas Ashram. I re-read Paul Bruntons account of his experience  with and of  the Maharishi ( who passed away in 1950), and thereafter I made my first visit to the Ashram decades ago.

Experience related to matters divine is a highly personal affair. No amount of oratory or passionate outpourings can infuence others. If it were so , then there would not be so many different Ashrams and newer ones coming up ever so often! Neither is it the  intention  to share my experience. Suffice it to say, that for me, when I first stepped into this tiny Ashram , I felt a sudden relaxation of the muscles and a sense of lightness. 

What I would like to highlight , is the utter simplicity of the Sages philosophy- a simple  quest, for what the Sage put in Tamil as - the answer to the question "Naan Yaar" ( who am I?). The Sage lived by example and there a number of  commentaries by some of his ardent devotees who were fortunate to speak to him. Yet commenataries are so out of place , for the Sage was insistent that the quest in entirely personal and no one can be of any assictyance! 

18JUL23 at Tiruvannamalai                     

    

Monsoon Musings

 

For the past three days the monsoon has been effective in Hyderabad. Not rains mind you but “Monsoon”- a noun and a verb combined-an activity and a feeling -the monsoon that poets and lyricists refer to in their ghazals, shairs and songs. The heavily overcast sky, the gentle drizzle, the chill accompanied by a breeze. Depending on ones' age (and of course, economic status), one reacts to this weather in different ways. To enjoy the Monsoon as described by the poets, you need to be retired and at a loose end and with Gods’ grace financially stable.

Thanks to a decent balcony and a surprising absence of “homework” I could smuggle out a few hours. I deliberately avoided books, so as to really experience the “feeling”. Absorbing the present and “listening” to the rain and the breeze, I sensed a dialogue in the making. Over millennia as the Human brain developed, Nature has been at the receiving end. What should essentially be a partnership has been reduced to exploitation by one over the other. I know this a is a trite statement known to mankind for half a century now , and there are valiant scientists advocating a halt to the plunder just as there are Jokers denying the doomsday.

Leaving the bigger problem to be resolved in others hands, I got to thinking as to how I could partner Nature for my good. The Brits are known for their gardens big, small and tiny. I think that it has an impact on their culture, their relatively better sense of fair play and courtesy.  Handling plants makes one humbler, enhancing the Motherly instincts of nurture and care. Spending an hour (and I can) a day “potting” around (no pun intended) would help me appreciate better the environs and also handle the interactions during the rest of the day. I noticed that there are a number of websites on all types of gardening from individual Apartments to cities.

If I persist and succeed , then may I kindly extend to all of you a dekko of my tryst with Nature, a year from now-, Inshallah as always?    

Ramjanmabhoomi

I put on my secular armour and trudged off to my study refusing to watch the "event" on 05AUG20. The better half used a two pronged strategy - she first turned on the TV volume way up and secondly she pleasantly requested me to participate, not once , but twice. That was signal enough for the trained husband in me to drop everything and reach the drawing room , before the third "request"

Fortunately it was the tail end of the programme and our PM had just stepped in front of the microphone.

Oratory is a strong weapon .Some of the great speeches can move me to tears ...Its power is proven in Hitlers' Germany , in Churchills' England, in Martin Luther Kings' quest for justice.

Our PM is an orator of class... in the Hindi language. As his praise of  Lord Rama built traction , I too felt elated. I hasten to add I am spiritual and religious ( in the ritualistic sense) , but not a rabid fundamentalist and have not read the Vedas or even the epics in full. I am at ease avoiding TV depictions of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The PM spoke of a binding force of our scriptures, of its sweep across Far East and Mid West Asia. 

Truly faith can move mountains and we need to respect a persons' faith. It can never be debated upon , for debate requires logic and reasoning and faith transcends both. It has its place across the world. It is built upon strong belief, emanating from a combination of  genes and environment.  If so called "educated" persons like me can defend faith, what about the gullible, illiterate and the unemployed poor seeking any opportunity to feel part of the  milieu?  

The swiftness of the closure of a 70 year old legal matter, the laying of the foundation stone, and the muted ( if at all) opposition is at one level ominous , but at another level positive. This Party is focussed on stated objectives and when a mandate is there, it would fulfill the objectives. The armchair intellectuals and columnists will use the comfort of their study and their pen to present an unpleasant narrative. The Hoi Polloi see a government that is bold. 

Sridhar

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A tragic, unfortunate loss ...

Businesses and risk go together and hence the charm of the Capital Market.

Business failures could be categorized in three boxes.

• 1.       Those that fail owing to the business environment
• 2.       Those that fail due to inadequate management inputs
• 3.       Those that fail due to blatant fraud ( The Kingfishers of the world)   

 India till recently did not have a proper regulatory environment to handle cases falling in the first two categories. With the introduction of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), a clear road map is now in place to handle insolvency.

Mr. Siddhartha built a brand, of global dimensions and a case study for any aspiring Indian entrepreneur. To take the extreme step for a business environment issue and probably management lapses leading to a temporary insolvent situation is tragic. Perhaps some of the investment decisions have gone wrong and the returns are not forthcoming. That is precisely the risk in business that lenders are supposed to take in their normal course of business. There could other issues that Mr. Siddhartha faced which we are not aware of. None of the working capital accounts had turned non- performing, a reflection of his concern for the reputation of the brand and for the welfare of the thousands of stakeholders cross the country.

The next time we visit a CCD for a business or leisure meeting, let us spare a thought for this gentle, quiet, successful businessman. RIP        

Review of Amitav Ghosh's "Circle of Reason"

At my age there are few ( if any ) distractions . It was , therefore, easy to keep to my resolution and plod through to the last sentence "Hope is the beginning " of this 450 plus pager of a novel.

The problem (for me, not the writer) is that when authors like Amitav Ghosh ( Rushdie and JK Rowling come to mind) achieve the envious goal of a supreme command of the the English language , they are also able to command the readers mind. Not for them the "literary" route of a Naipaul or a Coetzee- not for them the Noble Prize . They would rather take us through a wonderland and unconsciously replace our reasoning rational intellect with one that is willing to spare hours and days amongst characters that can only exist in the authors fertile cauldron of a bubbling inventive mind. 

Amitav Ghosh reminds me of  another author of the 60's ( of the literary genre though) , JG Farrell who in a brief span penned works or art, a few on India too. "Phrenology" ( I needed Google to help me  understand the word) is of common interest to both , as also the ability to keep the readers hold over 300 plus pages. 

There is no need to introduce you to the story.. for it is not the story that is the attraction. It is the opportunity to appreciate pages of gripping  english language, the sudden turn of the narrative the unconscious submission of the intellect into a dreamworld of enchanting characters defying odds and tugging at our hearts as they  face adversity in fairyland.

If you are the kind of reader wanting a book to get the grey cells thinking or to sit back to be able to enjoy the feeling of having perused a "classic", then perhaps you need to stick with Coetzee and Naipaul. But if you desire to emerge into the harsh world of reality after having sent hours in  one of wonderful fantasy, willing to let Amitav's magic drag you into the plot as one more character in his narrative, then welcome...!

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30JUL19   

English to the rescue!

If there is one trait admirable in British politicians it is their ability to work on the English language when confronted with  adverse situations.During the last two days as the ruling Conservative Party in the UK went through a revolving door of resignations and new appointments , the language was enriched by a number of  inimitable one liners... a few

"...anyone defending the proposal would be polishing a turd. "once you have imagined such a situation ( of polising a turd) , you realize the sting in the statement made by the irrepressible Boris Johnson commenting on his Prime Ministers' proposal on Brexit. He resigned from the Foreign Secretary post within hours , but the statement will stay on for years as his parting gift to the English language. 

"... the government has a song to sing. The trouble is that ...they stick in (my) throat..".Another memorable one from Boris , this time expressing his inablity to support the proposal. This, within 36 hours of his stoutly defending it! 

"...or maybe he'll be inside the tent pissing."  This from a Conservative insider who sagely observed that the PM had reconciled to having Boris inside the Cabinet tent, rather than leave him outside and risk him pissing in.  Boris obviously defied conventional wisdom!.

"to lead is to decide..." responded the defiant PM responding to Boris' resignation letter and justifying her actions. I am still to make sense of that one!  

and all hail to the Hon'ble Keir Starmer MP( Labour) for...

" Theresa May has successfully kicked the can down the road on a number of occasions, but now she has run out of road..."   

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The pull of destiny

...is how the Guardian summarizes the victory last night of Croatia over Russia in the World Cup. 

There could be no better explanation for the result. Ranked last amongst the 32 nations, Russia made it to the last 8, when destiny decided against any more victories. A quintessential team game that football is,  gets ironically reduced to a face off between one goal keeper and 5 goal hunters. Nothing could be more random in outcome.

For those of us wanting to track leadership stories , consider Cherchesov. Appointed less than two  years ago this man  was able to build a team that outsmarted  all predictions about their performance. I am looking forward to his version of the last two years.