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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