Lodi Gardens - A Walk Through

Just a sheer pleasure revived, the walk, brisk or leisurely, jog or run, whatever is your turn-on in the morning, afternoon or evening, Lodi Gardens are a real haven of tranquility and peace from the hustle and bustle of Delhi. These gardens are home to a wide variety of trees and plants. The gardens derive their name from having been laid out in 1936 around four monuments built during the Lodi dynasty, the last of the Delhi Sultanate. Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the dynasty was defeated by Babur at the battle of Panipat and thus started the Mughal rule in India. There are bridges built in the 16th century here. And a beautiful fountain. Originally known as the Lady Willingdon Park, it was renamed Lodi Garden after Indian Independence in 1947.

The monuments around which the gardens are laid out are Muhammed Shah's Tomb, Sikander Lodi's Tomb, Sheesh Gumbad and Bara Gumbad. The tomb of Mohammed Shah, the last of the Sayyid rulers, is the earliest of these and was built in 1444 by Ala-ud-din Alam Shah to pay a tribute to Muhammed Shah.

The Bara Gumbad and the attached mosque were built in 1494 by during the reign of Sikander Lodi. The Sheesh Gumbad or the Glazed Dome, which stands opposite Bara Gumbad and resembles it, was built around the same time. The Sheesh Gumbad is somewhat smaller in size compared to the Bara Gumbad.

The tomb of Sikander Lodi was built by Ibrahim Lodi in 1517.

The Lodi Gardens are the winter paradise of the Delhite and one can see strewn all across the gardens, picnickers and health freaks alike, including the lovers all cuddled in for moments that transform any human being, from the mundane to the exclusive, the lucky ones who breath the air ancient air of these gardens as they walk, run, jog, do pranayam and yoga in an environment away from the pollution of Delhi city. It is a must see/ must be at, if you are ever in Delhi.

For the main monument, enter from Gate number 3 near the India International Centre. There is no entry fee to the gardens. There are many Pay-N-Use rest rooms around and also many Wastebins. Be sure, you don’t throw even a tissue paper on its beautiful green grass, although you may be atishooooo-ing away with an infernal cold in these our New Delhi Chills!


I WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Mutton Curry

Cats! That is what you would call them, those who stay near the wood fire in traditional Bengali home. Or would you? Think of those two or three holes in the mud flooring, carefully packed with layers of mud, with a bottom rich with a collection of ash and cinder from burnt wood. An iron tube, to blow into the fire and another iron rod to shuffle and move the burning cinder, large cut-to-size wood meant to light the fire, in order that the days’ meals can be cooked. Ceilings blackened by the smoke. Constant tear-wet eyes. Can you call them cats, these cooks sitting by such firesides in traditional Bengali houses in yesteryears? Gas stoves were unheard of. Would you call them cats, even though they sometimes shared the fireplace with the lazy white house cats?

Ranna mama was not a cat, cat but a real cat in cooking meals and other things in our house. He was always lively and bubbly, eating his paan and drinking his n-numberchai. Apart from many other things I remember him for, I will never forget the way ate. To my child-eyes, it was fascinatingly peculiar. He would take one big morsel of rice mixed with curry, roll it in his palms to a ball and then throw it into his mouth, as if he was bucketing a ball like you do in Basketball! In traditional Bengali homes, you ate sitting on a little stool on the floor. Who had seen the dining table then and who would want that? I used to stare in awe, my head moving up and down with each morsel. We all enjoyed his culinary expertise.

He and his brother had come from Bangladesh. The word visa was unheard of. One just walked across the border and landed in Shillong via Silchar and worked in any capacity at homes and offices in the Kacchar Distt. and in Shillong where there was a huge Bengali population. They left behind them, in Bangladesh, their families in order that they could work and take money back home ones a year. In case of Rannamama, he took the money once a year too and every year he left his wife pregnant with another baby, who would be born in the absence of its father. He would only see his child the next year when he got there. But then he would leave again with his wife pregnant with the next. Back in our house in Shillong, he would treat us to culinary delights.


Rannamama’s Mutton Curry

Ingredients:

Mutton – 1 kg washed and cleaned
Onions – 3 whole
Garlic – 2 pieces
Ginger – ½ inch piece
Green Chilies – 4
Red Chillie – 2
Lemon – 1
Elachi – 2
Dalchini – 1 one inch long
Mustard oil 6 tablespoons
Salt to taste
Haldi 1 teaspoon
Bay leaves 2
Water ½ litre or as required
Optional: Potatoes 3 cut in the middle.


Method:

Grind one onion, garlic, ginger,red and green chilies to a paste and put them over the mutton. Grind the elachi, dalchini to a paste and put it separately in a covered bowl.

Cut 2 onions into large pieces and along with 4 tablespoons of oil, salt and haldi, mix and marinate for half hour.

Place a kadai on fire. Heat. Put two spoons of mustard oil and heat till the bubbles dissolve. Put the bay leaves and stir till brown. Place the marinated mutton in the kadai and sorte till the emerging water in the mutton dries up totally. Add previously fried to brown, potatoes and cook till the mutton is done, not too soft, but just right. If you are using a pressure cooker, then allow the first whistle, and then put the mutton in low fire for twenty minutes. Open cooker immediately after by releasing the pressure through the whistle.

Once done, add the juice of one lemon on top and also the elachi, dalchini mixture. Stir and place in a serving bowl. Cover the bowl. Serve hot with plain, white rice, roti or luchies*


* Luchi – Fluffy puri made of maida

Delhi Thrills - A Photo Blog

I am not a historian nor someone who fared very well in history in school, but over the years I have begun to love places and monuments that will outlive me ands many others and speak of a civilization we call, Indian. And in that respect, I am a proud Indian.

So, let us take a tour around Delhi, through my eyes.

The star attraction of the Qutb complex is, of course, the Qutb Minar (1200-1210) itself, started by Aibak but finished by Iltutmish. The decreasing in size as the tower moves up and so if you look up it looks really high. The two topmost storeys, were added later by Feroze Shah Tughlaq. It is an excellent example of Afgan architecture. The Minar is 72.5 metres high.

Design on the inside of the many domes at the Kutub Minar...

Crowd at The Baha'i House - Lotus Temple

Baha’I House of Worship is also known as The Lotus Temple. It was built in 1987 and signifies the purity and equality of all religions.

Lotus Temple

The Main tomb at Lodi Garden....


Lodi Gardens With the Lodi dynasty and most Mughal kings sthe capital had shifted to Agra. Delhi wasn't really abondoned but its importance played down.
Yet the buildings that stand in Lodi Gardens today are a joy forever and a remembrance of the austerity and impressiveness of Tughlaq times.

A glace of the same from a different angle

Lodi Gardens, was landscaped in 1968 by the famous Joseph Allen Stein. It has the mid-15th century Bada Gumbad and the Shish Gumbad. And the Tomb of Sikandar Lodi (1517), near a bridge called Athpula, the latter built in Akbar's time. Lodi Garden continues to remain the joggers and walkers paradise.

Isha Khan's tomb

Humayun's Tomb It is a place of silence, the Tomb as well as its surrounding garden. You can sit there for hours, just lost in thoughts. Such a quiet dignity surrounds it. Babur's son Humayun and daughter-in-law Haji Begum had spent a good five years in Persia in exile. When they returned they came with a retinue of Persian architects and artisans. And thus began the formal interface of Persian trends with Indian architecture, which you find in the Taj Mahal as well.

Humayun's Tomb (1565-66) was built by Haji Begam. It is a prototype of The Taj and replicates the garden tombs of that era.is thus the first of the famous garden tombs of the Mughals, the first tomb in . We are grateful that this building has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (1993).

Inside Isha Khan's tomb Tomb

Humayun's Tomb

Without mention of the silence of Humayun’s tomb and the surrounding areas, it is in fact a sin to leave this short account. Blissfully, silent, one which everyone must experience.

Red Fort This was built by Shah Jahan who also built The Taj Mahal. The historic Red Fort at Chandni Chowk (Shahjahanabad) is a perfect example of Persian urban-planning precepts, which believed in expressing the relation between human beings and the world when designing cities.

Shahjahanabad (1648) was established when Shah Jahan desired a formally planned capital as opposed to the sporadic collection of buildings that was Agra. It's a travesty to speak of 'Shahjahanabad', since the city was systematically destroyed by the British after the Revolt of 1857, cut through by a railway line, turned over to the Army in independent India.

Inside The Red Fort - Deewan'i Khaas, Dewan'i aam...

Entrance of The Red Fort

The Red Fort houses the Diwan-i-Aam with its painted marble canopy; Khaas Mahal (the king's quarters) with its incredibly intricate marble jaali; the adjacent Diwan-i-Khaas ('Hall of Private Audience'); the Shah Burj in a secluded corner, built for no other known purpose except the emperor's luxury of whiling away time... 'marble tents' all of them. The construction of Red Fort started in 1639 and ended in 1648.

Outside Red Fort

Opposite the Red Fort you have the Jama Masjid which is the largest mosque in India and stands across the road from Red Fort. It was built in 1656 by Shahjahan. Also opposite are the Jain temples.

At Raj Ghat - The Father Of The Nation - Hey Ram

Vasai Fort - Reminiscence Of Our Heritage

Before you go on to read CLICK HERE for awesome photos

Decadence is a state of mind. So is indifference. It is indicative of a carelessness for which there are no excuses.

Recently, we came across the same state of affairs when we were faced with the challenge of The Taj Mahal losing its status as a world heritage sites because of the state in which it was due to Indian Government’s attitude towards it. The world’s most beloved site that is a living example of what a man’s love for a woman can be! But for the government of India, it is of no concern.

Not in the same league and yet, a definite part of our history as India, the vasai Fort is only one such examples of indifference. I am sure many will say at this point, Vasai Fort? Where? What?

Here is the answer to these questions.

Vasai or Bassein as it used to be called earlier, is a station which falls in the western railway track if you are to travel from Churchgate station in Bombay to Virar. The fifth station after Borivali towards Virar, it was under the Portuguese who conquered it via Gujarat and ruled there from 1534 – 1739. The Fort there covering 110 acres of land, out of which about 88 acres and 38 gunthas is under the Archaeological Department of India. In 1739, Vasai fell in the hands of the Marathas and flowing that, in 1818, Vasai along with other territories was conquered by the British to form the Bombay Presidency. The area covering the Fort was declared protected area under the provision of Section 3 of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act VII of 1904. Alas, despite this the Fort is in a state of dilapidation.

In the years of its glory, it could have been a fort lifted from Europe and put at Bassein, with the torrential rains of the Konkan and the roaring waves of the Arabian sea, kissing and caressing its walls, it might have been that royal beauty mixing and passionately bathing in the waters of the sea. But had she mingled too much and allowed the sea to break her, was she too close for too long, unprotected and forever submissive to the growing relationship she had with the sea, that finally broke her? We do not know, but we do know that not even the Government of India was able to protect her from her deadly relationship with the Arabian Sea, which if it did care it could have done, if it really wanted to. Alas! Only a skeleton remains of the ‘Classic Bacaim’. Yet, even in its broken state it still continues to attract visitors, artists and photographers alike.


A brief history of the fort:

Initially the Muslim rulers began to construct a fortress in 1532

The Portuguese fought with them, conquered the fortress on 20th January, 1533 and destroyed it the same evening

During the period 1590 – 1600 the Portuguese put up a rampart wall around the ‘Portuguese township’ which is now commonly called the Vasai Fort.

“They began erecting another fortress (Citadel) on 20th Junuary, 1535 on that very spot as by that time all the land-transactions were completed by the Bahadur Shah of Gujarat and Vasai, along with other villages were duely handed over to the Portuguese. These so called villages were Salsette, Bombaim (Bombay), Parel, Vadala, Siao (Sion), Vorli (Worli), Mazagao (Mazgao), Thana, Bandra, Mahim, and Caranja. . At the end of 17th century Bassein reached the height of the prosperity. From 1611, Bassein and the whole region under the Portuguese had a mint or "Casa da Moeda". These old coins were found occasionally during digs and were locally called "Firgi paisa".*

“In February 1739, Chimaji Appa attacked Bassein and after a desperate resistance on 16th May 1739 the Portuguese signed surrender. The Portuguese lost eight cities, four chief ports, twenty fortress, two fortified hills, the island of Salcete (Salsette) with the city and the fortress of Thana, the "Ilha das Vaccas", the island of Karanjà (Juem), and 340 villages. They left Bassein on 23rd May 1739. After 205 years of uninterrupted Portuguese rule, Bassein was progressively neglected, and the neighboring English Bombay assumed importance in trade and commerce. In 1801 in Poona (Pune), Jaswant Rao Holkar rose in rebellion with a huge army and defeated the combined armies of Daulat Rao Sindhia and Peshwa Baji Rao II and captured the city of Poona. Peshwa Baji Rao took refuge in Bassein. The defeated Baji Rao had no hesitation in accepting the Subsidiary Alliance with the British and signed the Treaty of Bassein with East India Company on December 31, 1802. In May 1803 Baji Rao II was restored as Peshwa under the protection of the British. The treaty of Bassein eventually led to expansion and influence of the East India Company over the Indian subcontinent.” **
At one time there were in Vasai as many as 2500 Portuguese, many of them Doma persons who had been granted titles of nobility by their Royal Masters, The King Of Portugal. Therefore Vasai at that time was called ‘Dom Bacaim’. During the take over of Vasai, by the Marathas it is believed the 800 Portuguese soldiers died in the battle Of Vasai lead by 22,000 Marathas. On 16th May, 1739, the Marathas hoisted their saffron flog declaring their victory over the Portuguese. As far as the 800 who died in the battle their bones were found in the tank in the fort area, cremated in Hindu style.

The Vasai Fort houses seven churches inside which are of Dominican, Jesuit, Augustinian and Franciscan origin and the Ganesh Temple.

In 1917, The Government of Bombay by its Notification # GM407-G.D dated 22/01/1917, declared the fort area as a protected area under the provision of section 3 of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Acts VII of 1904.

It is for us to ensure that places which are a part of what we call our Indian heritage, is preserved lovingly, because we are what we are, because of what we have shown the world always – we are a hospitable country and not a hostile one. We have a large heart to accommodate all.

Fast Facts
State: Maharashtra, India
City: Bombay ( Mumbai)
Location: 50-km North Of Mumbai
Formerly Known As: BasseinAttractions: Vasai (Bassein) Fort, Aagashi Jain Mandir, Arnala Fort, Chinchoti Waterfalls, Holy Christ Church
Best Time To Visit: October To March


Getting There
Local Fast train from Churchgate to Virar. Get off at Vasai Road. Come over to the western side of the station and take an Autorickshaw to Vasai Fort. Full Auto only drop Rs 60 - 80/ Share avoidable.You can also get busses from outside the Vasai Station to Vasai Fort starting as early as 5 am – past midnight. However, for the first timer, auto is the preferred mode of communication.



Source: A visit To Vasai Fort by Father Francis Correa, Papari Church, Vasai West, Distt Thane Pin 401202 Tel (from outstation) 0520-2322803; (from Bombay) 95250-2322803; Father Francis Correa Mobile 09325631274

Please note: Father Francis Correa is a scholar and authority on this subject. He has other books too written on this fort.

* & **: http://www.travelchacha.com/cities/maharashtra/vasai.html

Pishimar Peper Chechki

Picture credit: Aruthy Maity: A Widow From Medripur

                                                     

Kothai amar laal shidur

Amar haath bhora churi
Amar sonar goina
Amar laal paar sari
Kothai mor shami
Kothai amar ghar poribar

Sab chole gelo
Unar shaasher sathe…
- Julia A Dutta

I do hope things have changed. I do hope that she is no more the mashima or the pishima who is dressed in white sari without a border, sitting in one corner of the house, minding grandchildren at one point and overly attached to her son on the other. How can she not be? After all she lost her husband at 22 years and has had to live her life only with her children, being looked after by her husband’s brother. The question of remarriage was only for the elite upper/middle class. Not about her. So she learnt to make her life colourful in her own little way, adding meaning to her lack-luster life like the colourless white sari, the necklace of tulasi beads around her neck and her empty hands, those hands which were filled with sonar churi and bala and her neck with a thick gold chain, even her fingers wore a ring or two, but alas!

Yet, never can you ever forget a Bengali widow’s (I hope of yesteryears now) kitchen, the total vegetarian cuisine, without meat, fish, garlic, onions and masur daal. It was really the dish to relish at the very beginning of a meal. For those who are vegetarians, you can only imagine what a deprivation it must be for a woman whose tongue is suited to non-vegetarian meals from her eighth month onwards, to be compelled to eat only vegetarian meals when the rest of the household is doing otherwise. Only the flavour of the mutton curry can be hers for usually, her kitchen would be next to but separate from the non-veg one. For those of us who are non-vegetarians, it is unthinkable that one woman in the same household can be treated with such silent torture, year after year after year. To attack ones taste buds is like killing the living soul. And yet! This is not a post to moan the state of Bengal’s widows; it is one to showcase how she could transform a boring vegetable to the most exquisite dish for a meal.


Pishimar Peper Chechki

Ingrediants:

Raw papaya – large size but not ripe yet
Sauf – half teaspoon
Jeera – Quarter teaspoon
Ginger – Half inch piece
Green Chillies – 2 (Optional)
Red Chilli – 2
Bay leaf - 2
Dalchini – 1 stick
Elaichi – 2
Coconut – Grated 2 tablespoons
Haldi – 1 teaspoon
Salt – to taste
Sugar – Half teaspoon
Shudh ghee (cow) – 1 tablespoon
Mustard oil – 2 tablespoons (you can use any other oil as well)

Method:
Scrape and cut the raw papaya in four pieces. Grate and keep aside. Grind sauf, jeera, ginger, 1 green chillie together and put aside. Grind dalchini and elaichi and put it aside in a covered small bowl.

Take a large frying pan and put it on the fire. When it is hot, put the oil and allow the bubbles in the mustard oil to subside. Now put the red chillies and the bay leaves and brown both. Once that is done, put the masala and stir fry till it leaves the sides of the pan. Quickly add the grated papaya, haldi and salt and keep stirring till the masala and the papaya have mixed well. Add a cup of water and cover the pan till the papaya has cooked completely. Now add the elaichi dalchini mix, half a spoon of sugar and stir fry just a bit longer till all the water has dried up. Take it off the fire. Add the grated coconut. Stir and place it in a bowl and cover it.

Your Pishima’s Peper Chechki is ready to eat. Serve with hot rice although the chechki need not be steaming hot itself.


For More Bengali Recipes:
http://milonee.net/bengali_recipes/list.html

It is every Bengali’s duty to ensure that while we enjoy the Bengali Widow’s Kitchen, we do not deprive her of her right to delicious non-vegetarian cuisine. Nor ever clothe her in white by force or ever take away the ornaments on her body. All these are her birthright!

Bombay Meri Jaan... A Pictorial Look At The Street Life

Some Day

Some Day
I thought I would tell you some day

The vacant spaces
In my house
Is full of memories….

Each object lies
In exactly the same spot
As you left it
When last you visited
What together we called
Our home…..

Yet,
If anyone were to ask me
If the rising sun
The hazy morn
Or even a walk
On the dew-wet grass
Reminded me of you

I would draw a blank.

For in the swans
The squirrels
The puppies nestled close to their mother
I feel the warmth
I have known so intimately….

Yet,
Whenever an object you left
Is moved even a centimetre
From where you placed it
When last you visited our home
Or the sun is invisible
Hiding behind the mist
Or the clouds
I feel restless
Impatient
Agitated
Irritable
Anxious…..

I lose my centre
I am lost.

Yet,
If anyone were to ask me
If I remember you
Sometimes? …..Ever?

I would draw a blank.


-Julia A.Dutta

Almora: A Travelogue

It was the early sixties. While the western world was swinging to the hippie culture and the effects of it were being felt in India too, two little girls in Kolkata were engaged in the study of Sri Ramakrishna at the Sunday school.

Dressed in their colourful pavadais with two oily plaited hair neatly tied with a red ribbon on their head, the two, both sisters from a Tamil Brahmin family, went to their school hand in hand, to listen to the young and very beautiful Mata ji, deliver her Sunday stories to little kids.

“Today, I will tell you the story of Madhav”.

The little girls sat on the mat on the floor and stared at her waiting.

“ Once upon a time, there was a little boy who had to pass through the deep forest to go to school. He was very scared. So he told his mother, “ Ma, I do not want to go to school. I am very scared to cross the forest.”

But his mother drew him close to her and stroking his hair over his forehead, she said, “ Whenever you are scared, call for your big brother, Madhav and he will come and take you across the forest”

Next day, when the little boy was scared, he called “ Madhav dada, come here. I am scared”. But no one came. He called again, but no one came.

“ Ma, I called today, but no one came. I will not go to school. I am scared to cross the forest…..”

By now our little girls sitting in the first row just at the feet of their teacher, with a slate and chalk, were wonder struck. Their pupils dilated with anticipated awe…

“ You must try today too”, the little boy’s mother said. “ He will come. Close your eyes and call for him, Madhav, come to me”.

The little boy tried again. And yes, a handsome young man with a flute came and held his hand and crossed him through the forest. And since then, every time, the little boy called out, his elder brother, Madhav came and took him across the forest. Madhav, of the little boy, was Lord Krishna Himself.

A lesson learnt in early life, the little girls never forgot. One of those little girls became my partner. Therefore, when, we took this journey to Almora, we passed through the beautiful forests on either side of the road, but the call to Madhav was never forgotten, for today on those paths, there are bigger animals to cope with, the human one, impatient and the road rage is still the same.

“He who has brought us here, will take us to His House. Just call his name.” said my partner.

“ Rama” I said, “Hey Krishna! Oh! Ramakrishna!”


On our recent visit to Sri Ramakrishna Kutir, Almora, the road was fraught with dangers. Rains had poured down for three days at a stretch, causing the temperature to fall by 7-8 degrees and also landslides along the way. Cars and buses zoomed along, despite this, until they came to Naini pool, a small Culvert, where the landslide, stopped the traffic from moving forward to Almora, or back from Almora to Kathgodam. 12 km shy of Almora, serpentile queues waited for their turn to maneuver themselves to the other side.


People got off their cars/buses and strode to the other end of the landslide, and then arranged other vehicles to take them to Almora or onwards. The taxis had not had a better day. They made holes in all our pockets. And humans and other mammals stood and watched the great circus on the road.

Dhabas made hay while the sun played hide and seek. Attached pay-and-pee toilets became cash-cows. Without paying your Rs 3/5 before, no, you were not allowed, no matter under whichpressure you were!

But, it was all worth it. What a peace and what silence to be in after the great struggle, the acts of faith that arose in me knowing He who had brought us here, would take us to His House. Away from the hustle bustle of city life, the chaotic passengers and the unending electronic voice announcements at Kathgodam station, once we reached Almora, the experience was absolutely the opposite – absolute Silence, everywhere!

Ah this! Rama! Hey Krishna! Oh! Ramakrishna!

No Pain; No Gain.

After a tedious journey, arriving at Sri Ramakrishna Kutir at 11.30am was a great relief. View of the Entry To Sri Ramakrishna Kutir, AlmoraThe immediate view that surrounded us, took the exhaustion off in a jiffy. Ah this! The river Kosi winding its way through the hills to meet river Sorata and together moving on…. It reminded me of life itself. So many twists and turns we make to ultimately meet our final destination – the larger sea of Supreme Consciousness.

The spiritual journey begins well before we actually become aware of it. It is that one incident or a series of incidents that finally turn us inward, to the rasa of that which lies within. This movement inward is unending, it is a journey with a clear destination to reach, yet the Path is beyond our control. The hands that guide us and lead us on are ever careful to see that not a step more is taken than is enough for that moment. Therefore, the journey is a long one, where we walk the Path, then rest sometime and take on the journey again.


I have had a date with Silence for a long time. The haunting presence of Silence is only a moment away from me at any point. Yet, many times, my mind becomes the chaos around me, battling to reach that Centre, that spot where all is still. It is like going back in the womb. So it was at Almora.

Sri Ramakrishna Kutir, a rather small ashram at Bright End Corner, came into being on May 22, 1916 under the auspices of Swami Turiyananda, giving fulfillment to the dream long held by Swami Vivekananda’s dream to have an ashram where all of nature comes to the aid of a true meditator, where dhyana, is no more an effort to make but a natural consequence of being in such a place.

“We want to lead mankind to the place where there is neither the Vedas, nor
The Bible, nor the Koran; yet this has to be done by harmonizing the Vedas, the Bible and the Koran

Mankind ought to be taught that religions are but the varied expressions of The Religion, which is One-ness. So that each may choose the path that suits him best - Swami Vivekananda

Swami Turiyananda (1863-1922) was born in Kolkata and his pre-monastic name was Harinath Chattopadhyay. From childhood he lived an austere life. He met Sri Ramakrishna in his early teens. In 1887 he joined the Ramakrishna Ashram, and traveled across India, and abroad to teach Vedanta. In 1899 he went abroad and established the Shanti Ashram in Northern California. In 1902, he returned to India, and on 22 May, 1916 he established the Sri Ramakrishna Kutir in Almora

A brief history shows that on April 8, 1915 after staying in Dehra Dun, Rishkesh, Varanasi and Kankhal in Haridwar, Swami Turiyananda, left for Almora. His health condition was very bad at that time and doctors advised that he move on to a cool place in the Himalayas. Vivekananda had expressed his wish to have a retreat centre in Almora. Here with Swami Sivananda, Turiyananada fulfilled that wish and the Ramakrishna Cottage, later called Sri Ramakrishna Kutir, came into existence. From the present location, it is possible to see the hill where Swami Vivekananda had meditated for three days and nights and also the Kosi river winding its way through the hills.

Unfortunately, Swami Turiyananda’s health got worse and on 5 December 1916, only after seven to eight months he left for Belur Math, off Kolkatta, via Lucknow and Varanasi. On 4 February, 1922 Sw Turyananda left his body.

Although he spent only a short time in Almora, Sri Ramakrishna Kutir at Bright End Corner continues to be a place for natural meditation to happen. Nature comes to ones aid and helps the meditator, to go inwards -antarmukhi as we Indians would say.

Presently, at the Ashram, as we saw it, there are two sannyasins, Sw Chinmayananda at the head and another Swami to assist him, four other brahmacharis, three helper boys and a dog (PIX ) stay there. The Shrine is in the room that Sw Turiyananda had occupied. Sw Turiyananda’s bed and belongings are well preserved in this room. There is another house, called Sivananda Kutir which now has been converted to the guest house for visitors like us. However, it is open to visitors only in April – June and September-November. Visitors come during these months from all over the country both for meditation as well as tie in the sight seeing as well.


Except for a few houses and the new library that is being built, the space is otherwise covered by trees and more trees, the pine with its shining needles and of course the all pervading silence in the air, only occasionally broken by the loud talk and laughter from insensitive visitors. Otherwise, what silence!


But for the above, human noises and the far away sound of a passing vehicle, it is even difficult to keep one’s eyes open, for nature compels us to shut our eyes. There is much to see outside, but only if we can keep our eyes from looking within.


It is said that Swami Vivekananda made three trips to Almora. After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, Swamiji, felt the need to travel across the country and the world to preach the words of Thakur and the Vedanta. In 1890, he walked from Nainital to Almora by foot with Sw Akahananda. Both were often ill with fever. He spent time in the Sehapahar (visible from the present lacation of the ashram) for meditation. Then crossed the Kosi river and climbed up to the Almora hill. Three kilometers short of Almora, in a place called Karbala, Swamiji fell on the ground, almost dying of exhaustion. His feet were blistered and he could not move any longer. Swami Akhandananda ran hither and thither, looking for someone, to help. At the far end, he spotted near a graveyard, a Muslim fakir. He pleaded with him to give some food to Swamiji. But The Fakir was hesitant as his religion was different. Swami Vivekananda said “ We are all brothers” The only food available with the fakir was a cucumber, which revived Swamiji. Life returned and they continued on their journey to reach Almora.


Today, where Swamiji fell, there is Vivekanada Rest House. It is an open platform where any one can come and stay and rest. The keys to this are with the grave keepers. Surrounding it is the expanse of a graveyard, with primordial silence. There is a Shrine that has been made over the grave of the fakir close by.


The space provided by Vivekananda Rest House is used as a school in the mornings. About twenty children come from the neibourhood to attend the school holding their plates in hand for the free midday meal.


“ It is very difficult to teach these children”, says their soft spoken teacher, “ there is no follow up. Whatever they learn in these three hours is all that they learn. At home, their parents do not encourage them to study further, they do not pay attention to studies…”

We held her hand and congratulated her on this gigantic work she is doing. We were enthralled by the fact that, here in the middle of a kabarstan in the midst of nature, there runs a school….the mountains surrounding it, the peaks of Trishul, Nanada Devi, Nanada kund, standing tall, all visible from here; a place frequently visited by so many birds, of different colours and voices. It is absorbing, this primordial silence of the dead, interjected by the shrill voices of little children, learning their first “R’s”.


The primodial silence at the kabarsthanIt is not known for how long Swamiji stayed in Almora on his first visit. But during this visit he received the hospitality of Lala Badri Shah, who was a rich moneylender and treasurer from Gujrat who had settled here for over 300 years. Swamiji also visited the ancient Kasar Devi temple about 12 kilometers from Almora and meditated in a cave cose to the temple.

On his return from the cave Swamiji left Almora, and began his world journey to Chicago and rest of the European world, finally landing in Colombo. He re-visited Almora in 1897 and gave his lecture there on the platform right in the middle of the market place. Three thousand people had come to welcome him. Among them was also our fakir who had saved his life, seven years ago. On spotting him in the crowd, Swamiji called him to the stage and introduced him to the people as his lifesaver.


Swamiji returned to Almora again 1898, this time with Sister Nivedita and other western followers. While he had accepted the hospitality of Capt Godwin and his wife, Sister Nevedita and her western companions lived in Lala Badri Shah house. Every morning Swamiji would speak on the Vedanta sitting in the verandah


Present day Deodhar Holiday InnBut the most interesting thing that happened in this house, was, Margaret Elizabeth Noble, was given Swami Vivekananda’s blessings and her new name by which the world knows her better - Sister Nivedita . Right under the deodhar tree, which still stands in the house, a great soul was born again! A soul who had come all the way from England, to make India her home. It is here in the lap of the Himalayas that her destiny met the heights of the spiritual Master, she gave up her entire life for, just to be with him and his teachings, her Guru, Swami Vivekananda.


Fast Facts
When to go All year round

Tourist offices
KMVN Holiday Home, Mall Road, AlmoraTel: 05962-230250KMVN 103, Indraprakash Building21, Barakhamba Road Tel: 011-23712246, 41519366Email: kmvnnewdelhi@yahoo.comWebsite: www kmvn.orgSTD code 05962

Getting There
Air Nearest airport: Pantnagar (125 km/ 4 hrs), linked to Delhi by Jagson Airlines on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. A taxi to Almora costs Rs 1,600, one-way
Rail Nearest railhead: Kathgodam (87 km/ 3.5 hrs. A taxi to Almora costs Rs 1,000-1,200, one-wayRoad From Delhi, follow the route till Kathgodam via NH24 and NH87 Five kilometres ahead of Kathgodam at Ranibagh, turn right (at the sign for the HMT factory) and follow the road to Bhimtal. At Bhimtal, skirt the lake, cross the bridge and at the junction, turn left towards Bhowali. At Bhowali, catch the highway leading north to Khairna from Bhowali Market. At Khairna, take the right fork across the Kosi River to Almora via Sualbari. Buses leave for Almora from Delhi’s ISBT Vivekananda at Anand Vihar every hour between 4.30 and 9 pm

WHERE TO STAY

Ramakrishna Kutir, Almora Ramakrishna Kutir Bright End Corner Almora, Uttaranchal 263 601 Phone: (05962) 25-24417 Fax: Tele (05962) 25-24417 Email mailto:rkutir@gmail.com, rkutir@rediffmail.com
Stay is free with meals though leaving a generous donation is always advisable.

Deodar Holiday Inn, Mall Road, Almora
Contact Tel number 05962-231295 Mobile 09412092531. Room rents here range from Rs 550 to 1,000. Meal are made to order and charged separately.

Others

Kalmatia Sangam’s (Tel: 05962-233625; Tariff: Package Rs 13,800-19,800) taste­fully designed cottages at Kalimat Estate offer the best stay in Almora. The resort organises safaris, guides, hiking and trekking, and wellness treatments.

Snow View Resort (Tel: 233650; Tariff: Rs 2,500-3,200) on the Kasar Devi Road has 12 rooms, and a restaurant offering Gujarati, Bengali, Marwari, Mughlai and Continental food. Deodar Resort (Tel: 233025) is located in the middle of a forest in Paparsalle. Special facilities include yoga classes.

Decent mid-range options include Hotel Himsagar (Tel: 230711; Tariff: Rs 600-2,000) near the bus stand; Hotel Shikhar (Tel: 230253; Tariff: Rs 250-1,500) near the State Bank of India ATM on the Mall and Hotel Bhagwati Palace (Tel: 230222; Tariff: Rs 1,200-1,850), near the taxi stand on Thapalia Road.

The best budget options are KMVN’s Gollu Devta TRH (Tel: 230250; Tariff: Rs 450-900) and New TRH Danya (Tariff: Rs 200-300) on the Main Road.

WHERE TO EAT
Most hotels offer standard fare. Shikhar Restaurant (Tel: 230395) has a decent chic­­ken curry and rice. There are a num­ber of small dhabas on the Mall, where you can expect to find the usual chowmein, aloo tikki,puri-bhaji and the like. And, yes, there is the ubiquitous Madras Café, located just off the Mall for South Indian tiffin. Don’t miss a taste of khoya singhori and Kumaon’s speciality bal mithai at Almora’s many halwais.

Shopping
The old bazaar and the new The Mall. You’ll also find a lot of Almora’s famous copperware along the way — from little diyas and bangles to pots and pans to carved images of the gods. Gold and silversmiths jostle for attention with woollen garment sellers. Also Khadi Village Indus­tries outlet. There were shawls in lovely pastels, kurtas, dress material, woollen jackets in Mughal blues and lots more.

Amma Vanthal (Tamil)

T Janakiraman’s Amma Vanthal, first published in 1966, is a story of the clashes of the old and new, the ancient and the modern. Set in a Brahmanical family situation, Thi Jaa, in this novel explores the juxtaposition of the above theme, in a manner that makes it a must read novel. For those with a spiritual inclination, an absolute must.

Appu, a Brahmin youth, blossoms as a Vedic scholar, studying and training in Cittankulam, an idealic village on the banks of river Cauveri. After sixteen years of training, he is about to join his parents in Chennai. He is wary of returning. Bhavani Ammal who runs the school has become a symbol of maternal affection to him and her niece, Indu, has proclaimed love for him, and wishes he stays on. But Appu, is anxious to be with his mother and also cannot conceive of amorous love for Indu, whom he sees as his sister. As a last resort to win him over, Indu, discloses to Appu that his mother is having an illicit relationship. Appu is shocked to hear this and annoyed that Indu, should even try to blemish the pure image he has in his mind of his mother. But alas, the fact stated is true. On his return to Chennai, he is shaken to find that his mother is in fact having an illicit relationship with a rich land owner called Sivasu and all under the very nose of his father and rest of the family. The stoic silence on this matter, in the family is disturbing to him. Even his father admits to the fact that he has known from the very beginning that his wife is in this relationship. His mother too confesses that she sent him for Vedic studies, for the atonement of her sins. Appu returns to the padasallai. Indu has won. Bhavani Ammal bequeaths the padasallai to Appu and Indu, with a promise to carry the tradition of Vedic teaching forward. And what must be the Guru dakshina? Only the promise to carry the tradition forward - The holy words must reach only ten more boys.

The strongest characters in the novel are, of course women. Three women - Bhavani Ammal, Indu and Appu’s mother, Alankaram.

The last is what I will deal with first.

Appu’s mother, Alankaram, who has been involved in the sexual act for years with Sivasu, can be still looked at with a little tolerance. After all, she does not run away with him. Nor does she break the family. She continues to remain in the family although she entertains another man of her fancy. She is aware that her children do not like it, but are silent. But she continues. She has given herself permission to explore her own reality, even in a Brahminical set up. Ordinarily, she would have just been of use to the family, by way of kitchen-management, child bearing and rearing and finally of course, pati palan posan. She has chosen to explore her sexuality with another man, although she is in wedlock and has starved her own husband of sexual and sensual pleasures for more than twenty years. He could have demanded for it. He did not and she gave not.

But, she is human. She feels guilty for her actions and she wishes to make atonement. “These three – Gopu, Vembu and Kaveri – all three of them dislike me. The snake that entwines itself around my legs keeps coming back to trouble me. Whenever it comes, the last two die of torment. They hide themselves, go into the room on the other side and obliterate what they have seen in the dark. Manni does not come out of the kitchen. Maybe she prays that she herself should be cooked to extinction like the rice, who knows?....What can I do, da?”

Finally when she knows that Appu is not going to return to Chennai, she chooses to go away to Kasi, to wash her sins. But, we must never forget, she has had her place under her own sun. And she may say that it is Sivasu who came and tormented her “twining his legs around her”, the fact remains, she has allowed it. So, she accepts agency, without saying it in words, and that makes her strong.

Indu –Widow who does not think she is one. In fact, according to her she has never been married at all.

"I don't think that way. When I was an innocent young thing, Attai sent me off with no thoughts about my inclinations; I let them tie the thali round my neck and went and stayed there. Then he died, and everyone said I'll have to always live there…..I kept my mouth shut and showed how obstinate I could be. Who can really tie you down anyway? When I could not stand it a minute longer, I finally came back. Not for Atthai. People thought I came back because I couldn't bear to be constantly remined of the memories of those two years, but that wasn't it either. I came here so that I could keep seeing you."

Isssh! Such purity of love! It fulfills itself, just by seeing the object of love. Yes, this is Indu, Bhavani Ammal’s niece who loves Appu and declares her love to him before he leaves for Chennai. She is not coy. In fact, she is that bold woman you long for – the woman, who living in a Vedic padasalai, under her attai, and looking after the boys, is still, passionate about her emotional needs, and demanding from the other. A beautiful setup had been created by Thi Jaa, when, Indu is about to reveal her love to Appu. Like a wild panther, chasing her morsel of love, a woman about to captivate her prey, encircling it, never letting it go from her eyes, following it, with words, actions, cornering it, at once touching it, caressing it and then, letting it go….the game of love, so boldly played, until, the words leave her lips and strike the cords of his heart, “I came here so that I could keep seeing you."

No, Indu by no means is married to anyone else. She cannot be.

"It's only if you are married that you can be widowed, isen't it? I am not even married yet. They all got together, brought someone along and asked him to take my hand. They asked him to tie a yellow thread around my neck. ….This body of mine went a few years later and stayed there for three years. Can I become a wife just because someone rules over my body? I never was married; only my body was. "

Isssh! What a woman! One longs for such a one. But, she is of Appu’s soul, her body belongs to him.

But, Appu is afraid. Even finds it an act of blasphemy to think that having studied the Vedas, one can make love to a woman. He thinks of her with brotherly love. Yet, when he returns from Chennai after the disheartening encounter with the reality of his mother’s life, he is unable to keep himself from the enchantment of a woman, who is this material world and the body of desire….

In its own special way, the Vedas come to mind….

The goddess of night has come
She casts her eyes around
She has adorned herself with every ornament
She has filled up the breath and infinity of the sky, the chasms and the elevations
She has banished the dark with her light. She has taken over from Ushai, the Goddess of dawn, the task of guaring us. The darkness flees, afraid. …..

Ah! The embrace of this goddess, this goddess of night….. This Indu. Aaah!

But tarry, readers all, the best is yet to come. For she could have been a mottai, dressed in cloth worn too often, she could have been that cursed woman, who took away her husband’s life too soon, bore him no child, a barren woman, a curse….She could have been your orthodox Brahmin widow, without a ray of light. But no, as a widow she is in fact free from the shackles of a married woman living in an orthodox Brahmin family. She becomes the beacon that lights the lives of young boys by bringing the holy words to their tongues. This woman, who did not succumb to orthodox Brahminical rules of widowhood, showed the way to becoming the Master of her own destiny. It is she who opened the padasallai for teaching the Vedas.

She is that holy beacon, who lights up young lives through Vedic studies. She is Bhavani Ammal.

“ Bhavani Ammal’s fortune had not at such a low ebb to start with. She had been married into a prosperous household. However, at the age of thirty, she was stricken down like a barren tree. Life became unbearablely lonely and empty, and the very next month after her husband’s death, she wrote off thirty two kaani of land and ventured to start this padasalai. She kept the house and five kaani for herself, bought the neighbouring house and converted it into a school. She asked her younger brother, Rajaratnam, a clerk in Madurai Court, to assist her. He gave up his job and brought him over to stay with her and manage the school and its property….”

It is she who is that light you call – Amma Vanthal. She is that Mother, she is the Vedas. She is the one who embodies these words - "Your mother longs to see you. She sends her heartfelt blessings".

She is the Mother who gives Appu and the rest of the boys at the padasallai that all important second birth -their spiritual birth, without which they would be only breathing creatures. She is the Mother who longs to give a spiritual birth to all a second time. She will come, again and again. Always.

That is why Amma Vanthal means Amma came.


The End


T. Janakiraman (1921-1982) one of the most popular Tamil writers of the 20th century was born in the village of Devangudi in Thanjavur district. Thi Jaa, as he was fondly known, was a leading light of the "Manikodi" school of writers in Tamil, the author of acclaimed novels such as Mohamul, Chembaruthi, Uyirthen, and Marappasu, short stories, travelogues and plays. His lyrical prose, arresting characters and unusual themes enthralled his audience. His writings portrayed the intricacies of the workings of the human mind. The smell of the soil, the taste of its food, the music of the dialect and its peculiar cultural elitism – all are attractively displayed in his writings. His published works include eight novels, two novelettes, six collections of short stories, three full-length plays and three travelogues.

Malati Mathur translates from Hindi and Tamil to English and has been the receipient of the Katha-British Council Award for Translation. She has a doctoral degree in Autrian literature and is presently a senior lecturer of English in the Government Arts College, Alwar.


Publishers of the English Version:
KATHA, A3 Sarvodaya Enclave, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi 110 017
Tel: 91-11-26524350, 26524511
Email: kathavilasam@katha.org
Website: http://www.katha.org/
Name of Book: Amma Beckons
Author: T Janakiraman
ISBN 81-87649-31-3
Pages 156
Price: INR 200

Tamil Version available at:
Name of The Book: Amma VanthalAinthinai Pathippagam, 279, Pycrofts RoadTriplicane, Chennai – 600 005Tel 91-44-28549410
Price: INR 80