What Bharat has thought some 10 thousand years ago is really enviable. Having food on Sal tree leaves is one of them.
The image above is from my recent tour to Purulia - my home town.
It's amazing to see that a few guys from Germany are taking a cue from Bharat vis-a-vis this Sal tree leaves' plates.
Besides being environment friendly, these plates have so far been a great source of income for many people of Bharat.
We are here to show the #UNIVERSE about our ancient wisdom - about our healthy lifestyle.
Hence in this context, we must include the benefits of having a meal on Banana leaves - another very common aspect of a Bharatiya lifestyle.
Having hot sambar rice on a banana leaf was one of our major attractions at a restaurant at Shivaji Nagar market in Bangalore during our stay over there after marriage.
Eating on banana leaves is a very healthy trend. Eating on banana leaves is not only flavourful, eco-friendly, hygienic, and practical but also chemical free. Eating on banana leaves is healthy in every way. It is packed with polyphenols, which are natural antioxidants that is also found in green tea. These polyphenols battle all the free radicals in the body and prevent diseases. Banana leaf is also rich in polyphenol oxidase which is an enzyme to treat Parkinson’s disease. Banana leaves also have peculiar anti-bacterial properties that can kill germs in the food and aid proper digestion. Banana leaves also have a wax coating that gives them a glossy finish that adds a subtle flavor to the hot food that is served on them.
And my Purulia diary won't be completed if I don't mention the earthen water bottles that we bought at a pretty cheap price at Purulia.
At present, we have a very good collection of earthen utensils in our kitchen.
Now here is the message for the common Humans of Bharat - please get back your confidence - reclaim your true self - never forget where you have come from - you are part of an ancient civilization.
We have a lot of stuff to offer to the global community as Vishwaguru Bharat.
Many years ago I went to a family get-together where one elderly person raised a nice issue - it's about luck vs destiny...
I could not add anything at that moment...
but after I pondered on this subject in the morning I have my own conclusion...
at every stage in our lives, we have a choice...
now which choice we pick up, is called luck because we have to face the consequences of our choice...
thus by picking up choice at every stage, the way towards which we move forward is called destiny…
There is an adage that my wife Reema says pretty often
It says
"Samoyer age aar Bhagyer beshi" (Bengali)
meaning before the appropriate time in life and beyond destiny, it's very difficult to achieve something in life.
And the survivors of this UNIVERSE know it pretty well.
Hence they always keep their feet firmly grounded.
And always try to remain focused - because they know that Time is the most powerful element in this UNIVERSE - time - Kaal - and they know that although the distance between the cup and the lips may be very little, whether the man will be able to drink it or not, depends upon his
I wrote the following piece of writeup exclaiming the non-inclusive growth of Bharat back in 2007 while traveling on a Volvo bus from Bangalore to Mysore. However after Modi sir took over and the links between the bank account and the Aadhar cards were established, the financial benefits were put directly in the bank accounts of the poor hapless people of Bharat, the housing scheme for the downtrodden, and many such poverty alleviation schemes that were taken over by the Modi sir government, Bharat has really changed in front of our eyes. Now Bharat is a major global economy eyeing the fourth position on the global economic ladder.
The lesson that I learned while watching my Mom starting the fire in a clay chulla was that the best practice is not flaming the fire on top of the chulla - but rather absolutely at the bottom of the chulla. Modi sir knew it. So, he started the fire in the belly of our Bharatmata to improve, to rise to the top in the global order - right at the lowest stratum of the society - at the bottom of the pyramid - unlike the previous many Congress govt who benefitted the wealthy people of Bharat and took percentage from their loot through schemes like NPA.
Enjoy the marchpast of Bharat - my latest experience while traveling by Purulia Express train from Purulia - one of the most backward districts of Bharat to Kolkata and feel the change
The Changing Face of Bharat...
The following write-up I wrote in 2007.
Bharat has changed a lot after that
A few days back while I was traveling on the newly built highway of Mysore-Bangalore route on a high-end Volvo bus at a speed of 95 Kmph I was amused by the smooth ride. I started thinking about the progress that we have made after liberalization. The discussion of the open economy which was one of the hottest topics during my student life seemed not to be outdated till today.
But then suddenly the true picture came in front of me when I saw some bullock carts, loaded with huge hey stack and pulled by some tired bulls blocking the free movement of our high-speed vehicle. I started thinking about what kind of growth path my country has taken. Instead of having an all-inclusive growth, what we have got is nothing but a growing difference between the upwardly moving middle class and the people living in abject poverty.
One bengali poem by Rabindranath Tagore came to my mind. It goes like this :
হে মোর দুর্ভাগা দেশ, যাদের করেছ অপমান,
অপমানে হতে হবে তাহাদের সবার সমান!
মানুষের অধিকারে
বঞ্চিত করেছ যারে,
সম্মুখে দাঁড়ায়ে রেখে তবু কোলে দাও নাই স্থান,
অপমানে হতে হবে তাহাদের সবার সমান।
মানুষের পরশেরে প্রতিদিন ঠেকাইয়া দূরে
ঘৃণা করিয়াছ তুমি মানুষের প্রাণের ঠাকুরে।
বিধাতার রুদ্ররোষে
দুর্ভিক্ষের দ্বারে বসে
ভাগ করে খেতে হবে সকলের সাথে অন্নপান।
অপমানে হতে হবে তাহাদের সবার সমান।
তোমার আসন হতে যেথায় তাদের দিলে ঠেলে
সেথায় শক্তিরে তব নির্বাসন দিলে অবহেলে।
চরণে দলিত হয়ে
ধুলায় সে যায় বয়ে
সে নিম্নে নেমে এসো, নহিলে নাহি রে পরিত্রাণ।
অপমানে হতে হবে আজি তোরে সবার সমান।
যারে তুমি নীচে ফেল সে তোমারে বাঁধিবে যে নীচে
পশ্চাতে রেখেছ যারে সে তোমারে পশ্চাতে টানিছে।
অজ্ঞানের অন্ধকারে
আড়ালে ঢাকিছ যারে
তোমার মঙ্গল ঢাকি গড়িছে সে ঘোর ব্যবধান।
অপমানে হতে হবে তাহাদের সবার সমান।
শতেক শতাব্দী ধরে নামে শিরে অসম্মানভার,
মানুষের নারায়ণে তবুও কর না নমস্কার।
তবু নত করি আঁখি
দেখিবারে পাও না কি
নেমেছে ধুলার তলে হীন পতিতের ভগবান,
অপমানে হতে হবে সেথা তোরে সবার সমান।
দেখিতে পাও না তুমি মৃত্যুদূত দাঁড়ায়েছে দ্বারে,
অভিশাপ আঁকি দিল তোমার জাতির অহংকারে।
সবারে না যদি ডাক',
এখনো সরিয়া থাক',
আপনারে বেঁধে রাখ' চৌদিকে জড়ায়ে অভিমান--
মৃত্যুমাঝে হবে তবে চিতাভস্মে সবার সমান।
The English translation goes like the following...
O my wretched country
For each one upon whom you have heaped insult
Through insult it is, one day, you shall be their equal!
Him you have denied the very rights of a human being
Left standing before you, degraded, yet took not into your lap-
Through insult it is, one day, you shall be their equal!
Rejecting their human touch, those you kept afar
It is the divine within that demeaned human you have insulted
By retribution from the Lord of Destiny, at the doorway of famine
Will you sit down to a shared meal, there with the downtrodden
Through insult it is, one day, you shall be their equal!
There, where you pushed them derisively from your hallowed seat
There, too, in stupefying nonchalance, you banished your own power
Crushed under the merciless boot, there they fell to the dust
Come down to that degraded nether world, else there is no salvation
Through insult it is, today, you shall be their equal!
Him that you push underfoot- he shall bind you to the lowest depth
Him that you have purposefully left behind, shall pull you right back.
Him that you heap the blemish of ignorance upon in an obscure world
Covering anything blessed in your fate, he shall create a chasm
Through insult it is, one day, you shall be their equal!
For a hundred centuries a mountain of insults has descended upon them
Yet you refuse to bow before the very Narayana in your fellow Man-
Yet, lowering your gaze, do you see not yet
The God of the insulted and downtrodden has joined them there in the dirt?
Through insult it is, one day, you shall be their equal!
Do you not see, today, the Messenger of Death, there, at the door-
Placing an appalling curse upon your all-consuming racial vanity?
If you do not call one and all to the human pageantry, if you still stay apart
If you still keep yourself narrowly bound in the decrepit world of arrogance
It is in Death, then, in the ashes of your funeral pyre, you shall be their equal!
The gist of this poem is that people left behind will pull back society.
Although this poem was written keeping in mind the social backwardness and the menace called untouchability of our society, the same is true for economic backwardness as well.
If we let the divisions between the haves and the have-nots grow, then Naxalite movements in rural India are bound to happen.
We must remember that the Naxalite movement in West Bengal during the '70s was mainly dominated by the educated students of Kolkata, but the Naxalite movements of modern India are dominated by the penniless people who is left with no other options but to turn to violence for mere survival.
That's why probably we should have been happier reading the news that a major percentage of the Indian population can avail of the basic amenities instead of the news that one or two Indians have made it to the list of the world's richest.
The secularism term is absolutely abused here and it is almost always used against the Hindu majority of people of Bharat
A country that cannot take care of the sentiments of the majority of people, cannot sustain anything good on a long-term basis. Because it's the majority of people, whose priorities must be considered first to create the laws and regulations.
Alas!!!
This is Bharat...
The Hindu communities here have been pushed backward so badly that we are considered third-class citizens in our own country.
We have forgotten the massacre that Indira Gandhi led govt did on the sadhus of Bharat.
Of late, the cases against a few Hindu saints must be studied to know how tilted are the judiciary system against the Hindu ethos and norms.
For example, consider the Jallikattu case of Tamil Nadu, or the Dahi handi case of Maharastra - where the laws are abused and used against the Hindu religion and faith system.
However, there are a very limited number of cases of complicated ancient practices against the other two major religions.
This is the reality of being Hindu in Bharat.
And if Bharat were secular then...
- How could Indian courts recognize Sharia-based Muslim Personal Law?
- How could Central and State governments take over the management of Hindu temples?
- How could a secular government provide financial assistance to educational institutions run by religious organizations?
- How could government codify and modify Hindu personal law?
- How would the government extend the existing caste-based reservations to minority religions?
You name a great holy place for Hindus in Bharat - Kashi, Mathura, Ayodhya, Somenath, and many more - all were razed during the Muslim period and the Hindus are now fighting legal cases for their own birth rights - The great clown show in the corridor of justice.
All of us know the History but the burden is placed on the Hindus to prove what is legitimately their own.
Such is the misery in the judicial system of Bharat.
So, the Hindus of Bharat - please don't remain as wilful blind people.
Wake up...
And reclaim your identity.
And... here we go...
Enjoy the vibe of #Hinduism...
Here's my wife Reema with her own poem on #Hinduism...
In the software industry, there is a term called incremental building.
Here is one short write-up taken from the internet about the incremental building in the eclipse IDE
"
The Eclipse Platform distinguishes between full and incremental builds. Incremental builds are much faster than a complete rebuild of a project because only the resources that have changed since the last build need to be considered for compilation. Incremental builders are invoked each time a file is saved.
"
Now, it seems Bharat has also taken the right steps - that is an incremental building approach. When I say the changing face of Bharat - I really mean that Bharat is changing for the betterment - and this is happening every day, in an δ improvement format, in front of our eyes.
So, at one corner of Bharat, the municipality of an unknown district like Purulia is trying to improve upon the waste disposal system at the same time as the Delhi-Mumbai expressway is being inaugurated.
This is the real change.
Change at every aspect of a national brand.
As if we have pledged to offer a better Bharat to our children.
We cannot compare Bharat with smaller nations like Singapore or maybe as a matter of fact, Japan where most people are kind of aware of many aspects of the global tech world and how it functions.
Implementing something pan-Bharat basis is really painful.
The humans of the UNIVERSE, we all know how diversified we are. Forget about the multi-linguistic nation, if you cross one district in West Bengal, the dialects of the Bengali language change and believe me, you can identify the native place of a Bengali-speaking guy from his way of talking.
Under these circumstances, I always plead for a common language all through Bharat, and for that, we must promote Sanskrit throughout Bharat.
Although while implementing such a scheme, there may be pushback from many sources, who may take it as an infringement on their culture, however, there is no other way other than doing it. The GoI has to take a call now if we really want to be a nation of birds of a feather.
If Bharat has to become a multi-trillion dollar economy, we have to invest heavily in infrastructure building. Our beloved prime minister Narendra Modiji is doing exactly this. Huge infrastructure investments have been done even in the NorthEast states of Bharat.
After the abysmally poor performance of the earlier Congress government, the first turnaround happened during Atal sir's prime ministership. But then, we the people of Bharat just were unaware of the whole saga. Hence even after the successful Pokhran and successful massive ambitious golden quadrilateral project, the opportunist political parties of Bharat made him lose the confidence vote. The backbiting we saw at that time when BJP lost the confidence vote by just a single vote.
But this time, mark my words...
Bharat has awakened.
The people of Bharat have understood the importance of standing confident on the global stage.
The name of Bharat is not uttered in the same group as Bharat Pakistan Srilanka Bangladesh Nepal etc
We have marched forward.
Confidently.
The latest in the infrastructure investment is the piped gas line projects in the cities of Bharat.
See the document attached...
I am sure, we will achieve it in the same manner as we have electrified each and every village of Bharat.
The message from the #nemo of the society to fake philanthropists like BallGates - first get yourself purified and then claim the "philanthropist" title.
For the children of Baharat, Ball Gates can't be termed a philanthropist - because he is a mere opportunist.
So, know this philancapitalist well...
Here we go...
The Real Ball Gates...
All of us grew up listening to the following story of Mahabharata.
Tata sir was chosen as the greatest philanthropist for a specific reason. Ballgates probably bought the second spot.
Come clean - Ballgates sir
Everybody now knows who you really are
The Golden Mongoose
On completion of the Kurukshetra war in the Mahabharata, Yudhisthira was crowned the King of Hastinapur. He wished to perform a yagna for the well-being of his subjects. The yagna was conducted in a grand manner with expensive and precious gifts given away to all the subjects. Everyone in the Kingdom felt that it was one of the grandest yagnas ever witnessed. As people were praising the yagna and their King Yudhisthira they saw a small mongoose that had a strange body. One side of it looked normal like any other mongoose but the other side of it gleamed like pure gold. They saw it rolling on the floor and repeatedly looking at its body as if it expected some change to occur but nothing happened. Everyone was stunned when the mongoose spoke and then looked at Yudhisthira and the people and said that there was nothing impressive about this yagna and it was merely a show and nothing else. Hearing the mongoose’s words Yudhisthira was pained and wondered why it should be so when he had so painstakingly followed the rules of the yagna and given away charity to the poor and needy. The mongoose then addressed everyone and said that it would relate a story and they could decide for themselves.
The Story
Once upon a time long ago in a small village lived a poor man with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law. Though they were extremely poor and lived a hand-to-mouth existence they were pious in nature and bore all vicissitudes of life with patience and equanimity. Once, a great famine struck the village. Being already poor the family suffered greatly. The man went out and managed to procure a little rice with great difficulty. His wife and daughter-in-law cooked the food and divided it into four portions one for each of them. As they sat down to eat they heard a knock at their door. Opening it they found a weary traveler half dead with fatigue and hunger. Immediately welcoming the man inside and allowing him to wash and rest the man without any hesitation offered the traveler his share of food. But after eating, his hunger seemed unappeased. His wife then came forward and offered her share of the meal. Her husband was reluctant but she said that she could not eat while her husband was starving. When the traveler still remained hungry his son said that it was his duty of the son to fulfill the wishes of his parents and gladly gave away his portion. Finally, the daughter in law too gave away her portion of food saying that she too wanted to take part in this great sacrifice that all her family members were participating in. While the mongoose was relating the story a great hush fell over the assembly hall of King Yudhisthira. The mongoose continued the story and said that suddenly there was a brilliant light and the Gods who had come in the guise of the traveler appeared before the poor family and blessed all of them granting them liberation saying that they had performed the greatest Yagna of all. The mongoose which had been passing by the house looking for food accidentally fell on some scrap of food that had remained on the floor after being offered to the traveler. It was amazing to find that side of the body turned to gold. Since there was no more food left the mongoose said that it has been wandering to all yagnas in the hope that there would be another such great yagna where the other side of the body too could be transformed into gold. It even tried the same thing in King Yudhisthira’s yagna but was disappointed with the results. Thus it concluded that Yudhisthira’s yagna could not have been as great as that of the poor man and his family. Saying this, the mongoose vanished from the scene. The mongoose was actually Lord Dharma who had been cursed in an earlier birth and could regain his original form only if he humbled a person who was an embodiment of Dharma.
Yudhisthira’s realization
Yudhisthira realized that not all the riches and wealth given away in sacrifice could compensate for purity of heart and selflessness. Though an embodiment of Dharma himself, he realized that one has to always be vigilant against the passions of pride, power, etc which could cause the downfall of even the most virtuous of men.
Conclusion
The story of the mongoose is a beautiful story in Indian mythology and folklore which emphasizes that it is the quality of feeling that is important and not the quantity that is of great importance in life. The moral lessons of life can be learned even from humble birds and beasts and not always only from realized saints and sages. One only needs a discerning eye and a humble disposition to attain this supreme knowledge.
