Indian pilgrim sites vs American national parks

What happened to the natural beauty of India ..? 

In India, every place of natural beauty, from the grandest mountain to an insignificant hill or stream has a temple because the hill and the smallest stream were once seen with deep reverence. Some ancient man saw the work of god in this pristine setting as he bowed in reverence and admiration. (Gandhi echoes this in his autobiography after seeing the natural beauty of Hrishikesh .."I bow my head in reverence to our ancestors for their sense of the beautiful in Nature, and for their foresight in investing beautiful manifestations of nature with a religious significance")

Soon the masses throng the site to find God ...  completely oblivious of the beautiful surroundings that inspired the first man. Very soon a huge temple is built and the natural area is completely destroyed to accommodate hordes of pilgrims. 

Compare this with what happened in America. John Muir, a nature lover walked the length and breadth of the country and falls in love with every mountain, river, tree and even the lowly moss. His writings inspired a generation of people who strive to preserve the pristine forests, mighty rivers, lakes and the grand old trees of America. President Roosevelt created over a hundred wildlife refuges, national forests, parks spanning over 150 million acres.

To this day and into the far future, the natural wonders of Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier National Park will continue to inspire people as they still reveal the magnificent glory of the creator!!  I can't say the same with Indian pilgrim sites like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Ganges, Sabarimala or the Pamba river.. all of which have been reduced from their former glory to mere concrete and filth. 

Real and Fake: Even the plants can tell ..

Creepers won't grow on nylon ropes .. 

The creepers of my cucumber and beans plants were getting hopelessly entangled. My father, resourceful as he is, started a project of building a stand of nets for the creepers to grow. I gave him all the ropes I found at home. He picked out only the jute ropes and left out all the synthetic ones.

He told me that the creepers won't grow and wind on to the synthetic ropes. The jute ropes were ok but not ideal. The best ones for the creepers are the "coir" ropes made from coconut fibre.

I learnt something today, that even the plants can tell the real from the fake!! 

Peace,Salam,Shalom,Shanti

The Jewish greet each other with Shalom (peace) and the Moslem with Salam (peace) and the Christians with "peace be upon you" and the Hindus chant "Om shanti shanti shanti-hi" or "peace peace peace". Despite the difference all the religions of the world understand that "peace" in every man is of utmost importance over everything else. Not happiness, health or wealth but simple "peace of mind"! Without this inner peace, man is violent and destroys the peace around him.

Black Elk

Black Elk, a medicine man of the Lakota tribe once said ..
"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realise their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers ... This is the real peace, and the others are but reflections of this. The second peace is that which is made between two individuals, and the third is that which is made between two nations. But above all you should understand that there can never be peace between nations until there is known that true peace, which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men" 

Bon Echo: Give me solitude-give me Nature ..

Mazinaw Rock at Bon Echo

A year or two ago, I overheard one of the painters in my class talking about painting at Bon Echo. I learnt after that several famous Canadian artists were inspired to paint the breathtaking scenes of the Mazinaw Rock and lake. Ever since I've been drawn to this place.

The beauty and serenity of this place has attracted nature lovers, poets, artists and philosophers for eons. To the aboriginal people, the Mazinaw rock holds deep spiritual significance. For me the place is special because of its long history, its connection to poet Walt Whitman and the high ideals of the people who sought and found inspiration here. This year we camped here in the midst of nature .. to renew our souls and as Whitman said... "to grow in the open air, and to eat and sleep with the earth" .

Give me solitude—give me Nature—give me again, O Nature, your primal sanities!  - poet Walt Whitman

The desert we call 'graveyard'

Graveyards, the man made deserts

Imagine the world if we continue building tombstones for every person that ever lived! The earth will soon turn into a barren desert of tombstones. Can we permanently mourn every wave that rises and falls or every passing sunset?

Just like the autumn leaves fall to the ground and enrich the earth for new life, so too our dead bodies must become compost for new life. Some cultures and native people understood the natural cycle of birth and death. The ashes of their dead are scattered in the rivers to be carried with it far and wide to nourish and mix with the dust of the earth. The dead leave without a trace and every bit of earth is treated as sacred ground.

..the very dust upon which you now stand ... is rich with the blood of our ancestors, and our bare feet are conscious of the sympathetic touch.  - Chief Seattle 

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there; I did not die. - Mary Elizabeth Frye

Blessed will be the earth when every graveyard is turned into a lush forest from the desert of tombstones it is now.

Fearless Red-winged blackbird ..

The small red-winged Blackbird attacking a hawk - pic (Louis Ruth)

I know not how many times I have stood transfixed by this drama unfolding in the clear blue summer sky. The thrilling fight of David and Goliath is replayed over and over as the red-winged blackbird takes on yet another bully several times bigger than himself.

The blackbird fiercely defends its nesting area attacking a raven or a red-tailed hawk that steers close, pecking at it relentlessly and chasing the predatory far and away into the horizon as if to once-and-for-all teach it a lesson of a lifetime so it never dares to come back again! No matter who the bully is and in what size or shape he comes .. be it a heron, raven, eagle or a hawk, the blackbird never gives up without a fight.

To me the red-winged blackbird symbolises 'great courage' and the fight against might! A lesson for us to never put up with bullies and to stand up and fight to the end for what is rightfully ours!! 

The Essence of Dance ..

My niece and all the little dancers were dressed up beyond recognition for a bharatanatyam performance. Face plastered with thick paint, the children struggled with the costume, heavy jewellery and head pieces. It all seemed like an extraordinary torture for a performance lasting a few minutes.  

Something surely was amiss in how this great art form has evolved!! The costume and accessories cannot be so cumbersome as to hinder the dancer's ability to dance!

Balasaraswati, the last authentic stalwart of this dance form thrilled the audience with her enormous talent, energy and great skill for abhinaya.  Her costumes were extremely simple. For her, dance was not just stage trappings, dance was an offering of the best in human endeavour of strength and agility of the body in a pure rhythmic flow. Dance was not just a show but worship in its purest form!

The legendary dancer Chandralekha also rejected the elaborate show that bharatanatyam had become. "I moved away not from dance but from the false values in dance today which has made it almost a spectacle. I seek to restore the vital link between body and nature, body and work, body and ritual. Life and art have to mix." - Chandralekha