Aniket S. Sharma's Blog, page 3

Vidura: Curse of Mandavya

Vidura with King Dhritarashtra

Once there lived a sage, Mandavya, well versed, conversant with duties, devoted to truth and dharma. His asylum was deep into the woods, desolated. He used to sit under a giant tree at the entrance of his hermitage, meditating in sheer silence. With no human sign in the dense forest, he was all by himself.

A bunch of robbers with their looted booty escaped from the town and reached to his hermit. They concealed themselves in the sanctum without coming into notice of the sage. King’s guards reached the place of sage and enquired about the robbers. The Brahmana deep into his meditation didn’t reply to their questions. Agitated guards searched the hermitage and soon located the hiding robbers with plunder. The suspicion fell on Muni and they took him along with robbers. The king ordered his guards to carry out the execution of all including the Muni. Following the orders the guards sentenced all of robbers and impaled the sage.

Deprived of life and food, the sage was left all alone in prison of the king. Days passed but sage Mandavya didn’t give up his life. He was breathing and resisting pain with all his Yogic powers. The guards reported to the king when the soul of sage didn’t leave him. Thoughtful king became vile to his unprecedented decision and immediately rushed to prison and listened to his story. Remorse filled him when he heard what wrong he had done. He immediately issued orders to release the sage. The physicians of his kingdom took extreme care of the sage but couldn’t remove the stake from his body.

Mandavya recovered and entered into deep meditation and with truthfulness of his deeds he then reached to the abode of Dharma (god of death, Yama). Beholding Yama sitting on his throne, inquisitive Mandavya asked, “What is that sinful act committed by me for which I was given such harsh punishment? O god of justice, tell me what act of mine made you to throw me in peril?

Dharma replied, “O man of great asceticism! One in your childhood you pierced a blade of grass into a little insect. You thus had to bear the consequence of your act. The sin committed by you multiplied in respect of woe it brought in its train. Hence you had to face the suffering in your life.” Bewildered Mandavya asked, “Tell me what was my age when unknowingly the sin was committed?”

“Twelve years!” replied the god of justice.

“O lord! you are god of justice, how could you forget that a sin committed by a child till twelve years of his age shouldn’t be considered as sin. The scriptures do not recognise it as sinful.”, replied Mandavya in painful voice.

“The killing of a sage is a sin heavier than any other. And the burden of my execution lies on your shoulder. O god of justice, I, Mandavya, curse you to be born among in Shudra order. Your wisdom will not gain you the throne.”, continued Mandavya.

Years later, after the death of Satyavati’s sons Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, the throne of Hastinapur became empty again. Finding no choice, Satyavati beseeched her son Dwaipayan (Ved Vyas) to help. Ved Vyas couldn’t refuse to his mother’s orders and copulated with the wives of his half-brother Vichitravirya, Ambika and Ambalika. Both the ladies couldn’t bear the sight of Vyas and Hastinapur again reached the edge of not having king of perfect calibre. Devastated queen requested Vyas again but this time, Ambika presented her maid in waiting before the sage. The union of sage and a maid gave birth to an astute child who grew up with extreme knowledge and intelligence. They named the child as Vidura.

Vidura was born as incarnation of Dharma as a result of curse of sage Mandavya.

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Satyavati: Journey from Fisherwoman to Queen

Painting of Shantanu and Satyavati by Raja Ravi Verma

Long ago lived a king named Uparichara Vasu of Chedi Kingom. He was an ascetic, learnt scholar and great follower of sages and Brahmanas. Once he was out in the forest on hunt. At night under the moonlight he got fascinated to uncontrolled desire of being with wife Ginika. He ejected his body fluid. In order to preserve the seed he picked the fluid in a leaf and ordered his pet falcon to give it to his wife Ginika. The falcon flew but mid-air it met another giant bird. The fight between the falcons resulted the leaf falling into a river flowing below.

One day a celestial nymph Adrika aroused in lust and with her uncontrolled desire reached near a sage meditating on the bank of a river. She tried to persuade him but the sage didn’t reply. Uncontrolled with the desires of copulation that young nymph went closer to the sage in order to unite with him. The sage got angry with her advancement. He cursed her to become a fish. Adrika cried. Cried to save her from the curse. Beholding the repenting lady, the sage altered the curse. He said, “You will be free once you give birth to human babies from your womb.”

The leaf fell into the river and the bodily fluid on the leaf was consumed by the fish. In turn, the fish (cursed Adrika) conceived . Months later, a fisherman Dusharaja on his duty caught the fish. Observing the overweight fish, he immediately cut it open, surprised to find two human figures, a boy and a girl.

Bewildered fisherman rushed to the king with the two infants. The king took the baby boy and named him Matsya. This boy later found Matsya Kingdom. (He was forefather of King Virat, whose daughter got married to Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna). Dusharaja took the baby girl, named Matsyagandha (one who smells like a fish). She was of dark complexion with a peculiar smell of fish comes from her body. Matsyagandha lived a simple life with her father. Because of true deeds, she was also called Satyavati.

Satyavati started helping his father in daily routine like ferrying passengers on river Yamuna. One fine day, Rishi Parashar was travelling on her boat. He looked at her and his desires roused. He wanted to unite with the lady of unusual smell but submissive beauty. The desires ruled and sage Parashar expressed his wish. The lady understood the determined sage and honoured the desires but put a condition. She said, “I stink like a fish and union in such unpleasant smell will not be fruitful.” The sage understood and with his Yogic powers turned the unpleasant smell to a musk fragrance.

The union impregnated the young lady and at due time she gave birth to a boy in an island on river Yamuna. The boy with the powers of Parashar born with unmatched intelligence. He was named as Krishna Dwaipayana (one with black skin tone and born on an island). Krishna Dwaipayana later compiled Vedas and narrated Mahabharata, later known as Ved Vyasa.

After giving birth to a boy, Satyavati returned to her hermitage and started following the routine of helping her father. Years later, Shantanu the king of Hastinapur noticed a lady on the bank of river while out on hunt. Enamoured with the unparalleled beauty and unavoidable fragrance and with the wish of marrying her reached out to her father and expressed his opinion.

This union though was not easy as Dusharaja, father of Satyavati put a condition before Shantanu. He said that the king can marry Satyavati only if the son born from their marriage would be the heir-next of the throne of Hastinapur. Shantanu couldn’t accept the condition as he already declared his other son Devavrata as heir-next of throne.

Devavrata, however, couldn’t see the deteriorating condition of his father took the pledge of remaining celibate for entire life. This “Bhishma” vow of Devavrata laid the path for Satyavati to walk from a shattered sanctum to the palace of Hastinapur. Satyavati and Shantanu got married. And Devavrata lived with the shackles of his vow.

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Storytelling Workshop in St. Joseph’s

In the morning of 7th
Sep, a group of 30 enthusiastic students from the history department of St.
Joseph’s congregated to participate in the first ever “Story telling session.”
The enthusiasm and excitement were visible on their faces albeit it being a
cloudy Saturday morning! With
the approval of History department HoD Ms. Jane Dsouza and in collaboration of
Destination Heritage, I got an opportunity to conduct a workshop on
“Storytelling – Where Ideas Nourish” in the campus.

Ideas need Stories, Stories need
Storytellers

Dr. Githa, founding member of Destination Heritage and I
reached early and over a few cups of filter coffee, pondered and discussed
about the importance of storytelling in the office of Ms. Dsouza. It was
deliberated that storytelling can give wings to our imaginations. Stories and not
just bookish hypothesis help our ideas to flourish. We also discussed our
discourse over the next few hours. Ms. Dsouza accompanied us to the classroom
packed with excited and ignited minds. She introduced us to the students and
the session commenced with a silent two-minute prayer. Later Dr. Githa gave a
brief speech on the importance of storytelling and its existence in our rich
heritage culture. It was an intriguing talk where she highlighted storytelling
as part of Indian culture and how the older generations have transferred their
rich heritage to the newer in the form of stories and folktales. The eagerness
in the students started kindling when Dr. Githa shared how her walk-n-talk
sessions on Indian heritage have helped many students from different domains in
learning and exploring our rich culture.

The dais was transferred to me to start the
workshop. I could notice the sparkling eyes and curious minds sitting in the
class eager to bask in the lights of stories. It was indeed a nostalgia for me
to enter the classroom after so many years. To make the workshop more
interactive, I decided to form four teams within the class headed by team
captains. Four super energetic young ladies volunteered to be the team captains
and they formed their teams in no time! With few adjustments, we were all good
to kick start. The four-hour workshop was divided into 4 group activities and
there was a surprise waiting for the winning team which further intrigued the
young adults.

I started the workshop with a brief about
storytelling and stories itself, followed by the importance of 3Ws – What, When
and Where in storytelling. “Even a well-known story when shared in right
context can leave greater impact.” The brief theory on how cave-paintings became
the source of knowledge for the researchers was also shared much to the
disbelief of the impact it has on present day society.

Exercise #1: Pick A Line

The first activity of the day was “Pick a
Line”. The idea was to form a story starting from any random sentence. All the
participants were expected to form a new sentence, keeping in mind the point
shared in the sentence of last group. It was a fun event when the students
poured in their imaginations to form a story with round of thoughts and
opinions expressed by each group. The groups were gearing up and giving wings
to their thoughts. The line which started with a person stuck in traffic
ended in police station and how his father took charge against him when he
reached back home next morning.

Exercise #2: Paint A Story

Under this task, the groups were given a
challenge to paint their imaginations and pass on the paintings to next group.
The next group was expected to understand the painting and share what they
understood out of the vivid colors thrown on the canvas by the previous group.
It helped the students to express and transform their thoughts with not only
words but with colors. The groups painted their imaginations and expressed
their opinions on Cauvery water conflicts, Mother Nature bleeding, Save the
trees campaign on the pretext of papers made from cut trees and new
visualization on Oscar winning movie Titanic. The paintings portrayed the
dichotomy in the human thoughts where we cut the trees and protest against the
cutting of those trees using the papers made from these trees. The conflicts
over Cauvery river where the farmers and the common men protest but the
industries suck the last drop from the river only to fill it back with polluted
water.

Post activity 2 we went on a quick lunch break
and returned within 20min. This shows the enthusiasm was at peak. Nobody wanted
to miss the following exiting activities.

Exercise #3: Role Play

The classroom was now buzzing with the profound
imaginations of the young minds and the curious minds were geared up for the next
activity. The theme of this part was “Hatred”. A story around the moment
which we hate most in life and how we overcame that moment to live on with our
identity. The theme was very different from a regular discussion, and hence
forced everyone to be genuinely themselves. They shared their thoughts within
the group as part of brainstorming and came up with couple of stories from each
group. The stories ranging from social stigma, college faculty and events to
the personal family matters. The students were really talking. The moments
of their first days in college, first interaction with a shrewd stranger and
the personal family matters where a child with different ability had to face
the harshness of her own family members. The honesty and the heart touching
tales from such younglings created a huge impact on our minds as story tellers
too! I was personally touched by the personal touch everyone had to their
stories. It was definitely emotional and eye-opening.

Post two hours of this comprehensive exercise,
they were transforming as storytellers.

We were thrilled listening to the various
moments from the personal lives of these kids which ranged from the religious
dogmas and societal parlances. But the best part of the role-play was the
students with different abilities came up stronger and shared their stories.
The story of a girl whose conservative uncle doesn’t want her to pursue studies
further. She beautifully portrayed her struggles and the sparkle in her eyes
showed how confidently she will grow up to be a mature adult beating all odds.
Another story of a boy and his funny struggles to get pocket money from his
father certainly tickled my funny bones. It was inspiring to hear their stories
about how they beat all the odds to gain a competitive position in the college
and society.

Exercise #4: What if

The last hour of the workshop finally arrived
and got the last activity of the day rolling.

What-if segment was designed to pick famous
historical events and reframe the story if those events wouldn’t have happened.
All the groups were given 2 “What-if” statements and they had to frame a story
around in 15min. The last 30min when they were given chance to share their
stories, it was never-before-in-life experience for me. I heard different young
perspectives in form of stories which nobody would have thought before. This
proved the power of storytelling.

This brought end to the four-hour event with
the room filled with applause and so many newly discovered storytellers from
the lot. The winning team was presented with a gift hamper – a pack of book
“Chakravyuh” and the four best performers were identified. The best part was
these newly discovered storytellers were known to be introverts in the campus.
Ms. Jane Dsouza concluded the event with an additional surprise of
credit-points to all the students who participated in the workshop. The bells
were really ringing but the hearts ached for more.

The bandwagon of four hours ended on a high and
happy note followed by photo sessions – the memories to cherish for lifetime.

Hope to see all of them again!

I would like to thank, Ms. Jane, Dr. Githa and the
students of St. Josephs for this wonderful collaborative event and looking
forward to some more rewarding time.

overwhelming faces post workshop



Stories in the painting

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The Drift

“The cool breeze mixed with the salt reminds the happiest days of my life”, mutters Chandan. Seeing the rising sun, each morning, far in the horizon fills each pore of his body with adrenaline. The roar of the ocean invites him to run on the sand and mark his prints. The waves touch him and go back, as if they want him to catch them before the water goes back. The tireless eyes see the horizon for hours and Chandan loves to sit there without blinking the eyes. The sun rays when kiss the ocean far in the horizon, Chandan feels loved. The waves when sprinkles water on his body, Chandan feels blessed. Each morning he marks his prints on the sand and washes them. Each morning he argues with the waves as if they are his siblings. And each morning he feels the rays on his face as if the sun blesses him. The affection with the ocean drifts him each day.

Chandan is settling in his new life, far from
the chaos and rush of his past life. The silence in his surroundings speaks
with him and quadrupeds in backyard of new house are his friends. He has left a
lot behind. He had achieved every notch he dreamt for. The rags to riches
stories are his own. The corner store boy to the lord of the mansion, he
travelled an unachievable journey. The failures, the success and the zenith, he
covered all the milestones. The life was excellent and filled with all the
emotions. The river of luxury used to flow in the backyard and the exuberance
used to sip coffee with him. He was the second name for opulence. The life was
undaunted beautiful. The happiness used to cruise in the surroundings.

The sun-rays have become stronger. Chandan opens his eyes. He was deep into the thoughts of his past. The waves are making noise at the shore. He looks again at the vast ocean. But his eyes search for the love of his life. “Eight years”, he says to himself with the heavy exhale. Eight years but still the memories haven’t faded a bit. The memories are meant to stay in the busy mind. The calm mind creates and the busy keeps them.

He smiles, stretches his arms and closes his eyes once again. That was the cloudy night, it was drizzling when they both started for the most awaited trip. Rashi was excited because Chandan had finally said yes to her wish. It was going to be the long drive. As the night was getting darker, the rain droplets were becoming heavier. The wipers of the car were doing their job meticulously. The car was cruising and the birds inside the wagon were chirping with the melody in background. The rain was getting heavier and still it was a long distance to cover.

“Time to go back,” says Rashi while picking a
small shell at the shore. Chandan smiles, holds the wheels of the rolling chair
and tries to drift away from the thoughts. He still feels the heaviness of the steering
on his palms…

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The Keyboard

“Chandan, do you need more coffee”, shouted Rashi
in the loudest tone. “You are not helping me in setting up the house, and what
do you do near your laptop whole day. Chandan I am talking to you, I will not
be able to do all this alone. See, the cable TV is still not coming, and the
internet connection is terrible in this area. Why have we shifted from our old house?
I know you always liked serene, calm and airy apartment but in midst of woods.
I mean I don’t want to retire so early. We both were doing satisfactorily in
our professions. And you only told me that you would be going to Sweden, what
you call that… yes exchange the thoughts program”, Rashi said it all in almost
one breath.

There is no change in Chandan’s expression. The
evergreen smile is decked on the face from his lips to eyes. Chandan started his
career as an investment banker in a reputed bank. He achieved what he wanted
from his life, right from selection in the elite college, then jobs in great
firms and finally converted all his ideas to a start-up. His firm was at its
peak and the multiple rounds of funding proved that his ideas attracted many
intellects. The life was no less than a fairy tale for Chandan and Rashmi. They
met in college, both filled with aspirations and their thoughts always
complimented each other. It was the month of October a decade ago when Chandan
proposed Rashi and she couldn’t ask for anything more. Everybody in the circle
knew they make a perfect couple. The life progressed and Chandan achieved the
heights he dreamt of and Rashi, she proved that her presence was always a
compliment in Chandan’s life. Her passion for theatre demanded her to leave the
law firm she was part of, but she was happy with her decision and Chandan equally
appreciated her. She was at the peak of her theatres when they both shifted to
the new place leaving behind everything.

It was Chandan’s decision and for the first
time in life he didn’t ask for Rashi’s consent. They shifted to the new place,
miles away from the city amidst woods in tranquility. It was a big house for
just two of them but Chandan always wanted to live near the nature, where when
the sun rays kiss the dawn the chirp of the birds alarm the morning. The cool
breeze when hit the chimes, symphonize the entire house and the water hitting
the rocks in the backyard should mark its presence the whole day. It was the
perfect hermitage for the two fledglings in the new world.

“Chandan stop smiling now and help me in the
kitchen. I am not going to make anything for the lunch today. We have shifted
just days ago, and you have called your friends for the evening party. I am
warning you, this will not work in this jungle. Somu also didn’t come back.  I asked him to bring the staples but this
lubber of no use.” The complaint box of Rashi is not ending. She was never
complaining before but settling in a new place, far away from family and
friends has triggered the silent volcano.

The day passed, the shine of the sun diminished,
and lot of lamps are ready to glitter the sky. The chirp of the birds mellows.
Rashi switches on the lights. The garden in front of the main door is filled
with the fragrance of jasmine and the cool breeze when enters through the
windows fills the room with redolence. The sweet evening silents the burning
volcano and Rashi settles after finishing the remaining chores. This is the
time of the day when Rashi has no complaints about Chandan’s adamancy of
shifting to the new place. Rashi calls for Chandan who was still in his room
only. She had called his name almost every hour in the day and cursed his
decision almost every minute. The calm Chandan didn’t react because he knew by
the evening with the glitter of the brooches the anger of Rashi would
sublimate. It has become a routine for them.

The twilight knocks and the fragrance from the
flowers has covered the house. The evening grows and Rashi has no complaint
now. “Time for the coffee Chandan, I am making one for me. Do you want to come
out”, asks Rashi. Chandan is still busy in his work, the strokes of the
keyboard are audible with the instrumentals in backdrop. Chandan as usual didn’t
reply but Rashi knows he will never say no to coffee. Rashi heads for the kitchen
when doorbell rings. “Must be Somu, I am going to kill this loggerhead today”,
mutters Rashi and opens the door.

“How are you doing Rashi”, asks Rajeev as he
enters into the room. Rashi smiles, Rajeev settles on the sofa. “Do you want
coffee Rajeev, I am making for us. Chandan is still working, can you hear these
non-stop strokes coming from his study. Sometimes he behaves as I am the only
one living in this house”. Rashi’s complaint box for Chandan was about to open
when Rajeev interrupted, “We will go for second round of tests tomorrow. I have
spoken to Dr. Sinha, he wants to meet both of us.” “Why it’s all needed Dr.
Rajeev, I trust you”, says Rashi while coming out from the kitchen with three
mugs of coffee.

Rajeev sips his coffee and his eyes continuously stare at Rashi when she keeps third mug near the photo of Chandan. The strokes of keyboard still hit in background from the records…  

~ Aniket S Sharma

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The Truth Behind Bhishma’s Asceticism

In the clan of Ishkvaku, founder of solar dynasty,
Mahabhisha was born. He, with his undefeated prowess became the lord of the
earth and with his intellect had gratified the celestials in the court of
Indra. His intelligence was unmatched and later he attained heaven and became
the royal sage among all the Brahmanas in the courtroom of Sakra. One day when
all the royal sages and Mahabhisha were performing the rituals for great sire
Brahma, the queen of rivers Ganga also came to pay her adorations. As she
enters, her clothes got displaced due to winds, leaving her uncomfortable in
front of the sages. All the sages bent down their heads but Mahabhisha couldn’t
control his emotions and continued staring at the uncomfortable queen of
rivers. The emotions just cruised across, but it was no right in front of the
ascetics and for Mahabhisha who had attained the place after abstaining himself
from the sensual desires. But that was the different day and the damsel had
stolen the ascetism of the royal sage. Seeing the uncontrolled desires of
Mahabhisha, the Brahmanas present there cursed him that he had to reborn on the
earth and after completing one more cycle of human life would come back. Ganga was
also cursed to be born in the human race for one cycle.

~~

Daksha had a daughter called Surabhi who got impregnated
with Rishi Kasyapa and gave birth to a daughter who later was transformed in
the form of a cow, Nandini to benefit the people on earth. The cow was given to
Rishi Vashistha who had his hermitage on the mountain Meru.

One day the eight Vasu brothers were roaming
around the earth with their wives on their celestial chariots. They crossed the
hermitage of Rishi Vashishtha where they saw Nandini. The wife of youngest Vasu
Dyu got allured with the cow and she expressed her desire to take that cow for
her friend. She knew that the cow had all the heavenly qualities and its
presence only can free the people from decrepitude. She asked her husband Dyu
to steal the cow and take away with them. Dyu also knew the qualities of the
cow and surrendering before the adamancy of his wife he took the cow and they
flew away from the hermitage. Vashishtha when came to know about this unethical
behavior of the Vasus, summoned them and cursed all of them to born on earth as
human once. Vasus were ashamed of their act and they begged for the mercy. Considering
it was venial act, Vashishtha gave them the option to choose their mother on
the earth and told that seven of them can live on earth for one day only but
Dyu who had stolen the cow had to complete his human life cycle.

Vasus under the curse of Vashishtha started
looking for a lady with the celestial powers who could have the brothers in her
womb. While searching they encountered Ganga who was cursed by Brahmanas to
born in the human race. The fate of Vasus and Ganga matched and when Vasu
brothers requested Ganga to accept them as their sons in human form, she agreed.
Vasus also asked her to kill the sons as soon as they would born so that they
wouldn’t have to live in human form. Ganga accepted but mentioned that she would
want one son from her husband to live his full life.

Ganga incarnated herself as demoiselle and came
on earth with the desire to find the man with great prowess and who could marry
her on her conditions. Years passed and one day Ganga saw Pratipa, the descendant
of Kuru dynasty, while he was in his meditation on a river side. Ganga came
near to Pratipa and expressed her desire to become his wife. Pratipa mentioned that
he could not accept her as his wife but promised that if his son would born, he
could accept Ganga as her daughter-in-law for his son. Ganga accepted and went
away. Pratipa also returned to his kingdom and days passed. Pratipa begot Shantanu.

Shantanu ruled the Kuru dynasty for years and
his caliber was no less than the Indra himself. He had expanded his kingdom to
large range and during his reign the flora and fauna flourished fearlessly. Shantanu
was also addicted to hunting and one fine day while on hunt he encountered the
maiden with spotless beauty. She was none else than Ganga. Shantanu’s desires
overgrew and he wanted Ganga to be her queen. Ganga was suffering from the
curse of serving a wife of a human but also had to fulfill the promise made to
Vasus. Hence, she put the condition on Shantanu that she would accept him as
her husband only if he promises that he would never ask her about the actions
or decisions she would take. Shantanu arrested by the divine beauty of the
damsel couldn’t say no and accepted her as his wife. Days passed and Ganga gave
birth to seven sons of Shantanu, whom she eventually killed as per the promise
to Vasus and Shantanu under the oath given to Ganga couldn’t ask her the
reasons. When the eighth son was born, Shantanu couldn’t control his fatherly
emotions and stopped Ganga from slaying the son.

Ganga told that as he stopped her and broken
the promise, she would not stay with him and would leave for the place from
where she came. Shantanu left with no choice had to let Ganga go with the
eighth son whom they name Devvratta. But Ganga promised that she would return
his son once he attains the adolescence.

Shantanu was no other than the reincarnation of Mahabhisha, who lustfully stared at Ganga during the adorations. Devvratta was incarnation of Dyu who stole the cow surrendering himself before the adamancy of his wife. Dyu was also cursed to stay as ascetic in his reincarnated life and had to live the entire life facing all the menaces.

Devvratta was later called as Bhishma who lived
the life of an ascetic serving the kingdom as a caretaker because of the curse
in his previous life. The bliss in the life is acquired by the deeds and so the
agony.

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That Girl at Traffic Signal

7 pm ticked the
clock, time to leave, Chandan said to himself. He knuckled, stretched and
gulped the last sip of the day’s coffee. He picked his belongings, packed the
bag, swiped off and reached the parking. He could clearly hear the thunder
sound. It would rain heavily, he shrieked and rushed towards his bike. It
already started drizzling but he was in no mood to stay back so he put on his
helmet, ignited the bike and drove out. Everyday reaching sharp 9 am, guzzling
back to back coffees, putting his head on finding the new maze for his game
lovers and designing the toughest possible crackdown was his everyday routine.

Chandan lives
alone in the city, grown-up all with 18 brothers in Kaakubhai’s shoulders. At least,
till he was ten, he felt that Kaakubhai begot all of them. One day when Mr
Sahani took away the youngest one from the group, he realized Kaakubhai was the
owner of the orphanage and he and his other gang members were all orphans. He
was invariably the most creative in the batch and had participated in many
competitions since childhood. The entire orphanage was covered with his
graffiti and his thoughts of hiding the gems in the hunting games, nobody could
come apart. Those were the happy days, Kaakubhai was everything for the gang
and Kaaku also didn’t leave any stone unturned in bringing the joy to their
lives. Twenty years old Chandan left the orphanage to find his destiny and
reached Mumbai. With his skills, he killed the odds and learnt the ways to lead
a happy life.

~~

Chandan was
riding his bike with all the thoughts of his childhood and feeling the minutest
drop of Mumbai’s rain. He was drenched, singing with the tunes of falling
droplets riding on the wet road. The lights along the road were trying to cut
through the darkness, the traffic was as usual boring. He broke off at the
traffic signal, it was raining cats and dogs. He was totally in his thoughts
when a cool breeze shivered him. He could feel the fragrance coming from his
left and his eyes moved. He took off his helmet and couldn’t let his eyes get
off from the girl standing near the bus stop. The girl saw him, the four eyes
met, his eyes sparked. He tried to wave his hand merely the other pair didn’t
give much attention. He shuddered when the guy behind him honked loudly and
realized he was in the middle of traffic. The signal was green, he had to go.
It was the shortest meeting, but for him, they were the unforgettable moments
of his life.

Reached home,
patched up, relieved, he started preparing for the evening merely his brain
couldn’t stop calling back of those glittering eyes, roughly made pony, tiny
droplets on the ingenuous face and deep eyes. He was totally into the thoughts
of the girl; could barely sleep at night. Next day, he threw himself from the
bed, got ready for the office, started working, but the thoughts were not
getting off for a moment. “If she lived nearby, if she was there just waiting
for someone, if that was her routine time at that place or if it was just a
coincidence”, he muttered. The whole day he was not able to concentrate, his
eyes were not getting off from the clock. He exclaimed, “I will go at the same
time today, god knows if I see her today also”. His mind was the battlefield of
those unknown emotions.

He started for
the home, minutes earlier today, on the same route. Today, his mind was in a
hurry to reach the same traffic signal. He was praying for the magic to happen
again. He stopped at the same spot, started scanning the surroundings. He could
feel the same fragrance, he turned, yes, she was there walking towards the bus stop.
He couldn’t control the happiness, he waved his hands. The girl saw him, to his
wonder, she recognized and acknowledged with a grin. His heart sank, on the
clouds, couldn’t believe he was seeing her again. The moment just paused for
him, he tried to speak, but his lips were sealed. He wanted to go behind her,
but by then she already vanished behind the big advertisement hoardings.

~~

Today was the
fifth day of the same routine, Chandan leaves the office at the same time,
stopping at the signal, waiting for the girl. As she arrives, he used to wave
his hand. She sees him and smiles. All this, only they both never spoken a
word. The fortnight passed but no change in the routine. Heaps of emotions were
building space in his heart, he started thinking about her in his life as if
she was the young lady destined to fill his solitude. He always used to think
about how to share his feelings. What would she feel, what would his colleagues
feel, what would his neighbors think? “Though we see the same world, we see it
through different eyes”, his mind remarked. He had never found himself that
alone in his life. “what are all these emotions”, he used to ask his ceiling fan
every night but never got an answer.

It was raining
heavily that night, there was no electricity. The lightning strikes of the Rain
God were chipping off the darkness. Chandan was struggling with his sentiments.
He stood up, took the air towards the mirror kept in the corner, looked at
himself and his mind took in some determination. He smiled; a more determined
smile. It was a clear morning after rains, he took a day-off from the work,
went shopping, bought the stuff he could think of for the girl. Came back, he
was all ready for the evening’s meeting. He was more confident Chandan today
and his eyes were speaking more than him.

Evening, he
rushed towards his bike, drove to the traffic signal. The girl was standing
near the big pillar as if she was also waiting for him. He walked towards her,
she looked at him. He waved, she waved. He smiled, she replied with a warmer
smile. He reached near the pillar, looked at the pale face, the pony was
roughly made, and the blue watery eyes were telling thousands of stories. He
came closer, nervous, controlling his emotions, he counted down into her eyes. She
didn’t react. He gathered all his courage, knelt and with all his affection
said, “I am here to take you with me, I can’t see you like this anymore.”

His eyes were
wet, he spread his arms. She smiled softly at him and kissed his forehead. The
tiny little fingers of a seven-year-old have found a strong hand to hold. She
found a father, she was not an orphan anymore.

The post That Girl at Traffic Signal appeared first on αníkєt s shαrmα.

Through the Eyes of the Young Warrior

Chakravyuh is the story of a young man, who was born to become the future of the Kuru Dynasty, but alas, destiny had some other plans. A warrior, a learnt scholar and a handsome boy born in the abode of Krishna, was separated from his father at a tender age of three, when reunited after thirteen years was thrown to the cruellest battle the humankind ever witnessed. This is the story of a son, a brother, a husband, a friend and above all a great warrior born on this earth. This is the story of ABHIMANYU, son of Subhadra and Arjuna.

Death is the only certainty; yet he became immortal

The inception of the book
highlights the thirteenth year of exile of Pandavas and goes on to describe the
war between two groups of brothers – The Kauravas and The Pandavas on the holy
land of Kurukshetra. The cruelty of battle, the beauty of war strategies and
the commitment of the warriors from the perspective of the young boy Abhimanyu
is the theme of this book. The tale revolves around him elucidating his
perceptions of thirteen days of war in thirteen chapters.

The tale of Love, Valour and Commitment.

The story covers different experiences of human life which the writer highlighted in the introduction of book. I tried to capture every possible emotion of Abhimanyu. The protagonist’s eclectic vision coupled with his immense knowledge of war strategies evaluates the different episodes on the war field like the formation of the armies, the dependency on Arjuna, the trepidation of Yudhishthira, the anger of Krishna, and the loyalty of Drona.

The urge of achieving torments the human emotions and the thirst of
desire overpowers the intellect.

 The book cover is designed as a pencil sketch
and it shows the intensity of the war. The colours used on the cover page
depict the cruelty of war field. The blurb provides the right detailing of the
book and sets the plot in the reader’s mind. The detailing of the war
strategies and the array formation helps the readers to spread their wings of
imagination about the battlefield and the events to the greatest extent of an
era gone-by. The fear of losing, the pride of winning, the respect for the
elders and the sense of protection for the youngsters, all emotions just cruise
on the battlefield with every arrow shot. The pragmatic approach of the
protagonist differing from the dogmas of Kshatriya dharma intensifies the plot
and his judgement on the battlefield reflects his lineage and learnings in the
abode of the mystic.

Overall, Chakravyuh is impactful
in its storyline and it belongs to all the age groups who are interested in the
greatest epic ever told. I invite you all to join me in the life journey of
Abhimanyu.

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Chakravyuh

Amazon Flipkart NotionPress

CHAKRAVYUH is a modern adaptation of the greatest epic ever written in the history of humankind; MAHABHARATA. This is a retelling of a part of the epic from the perspective of a young warrior who was descendant of Kuru dynasty; born to lead; but destiny had some other plans for him. A loyal son, a loving brother, a caring husband, a disciplined disciple and a true warrior defied all the odds to be decorated in history for many generations to come. His skills and intellect were no less than his forefathers, but he was not bound to the dogmas followed by his ancestors. His judgement of situations was his own, and he didn’t follow the dynastic parlances. In many ways, he was ahead of his times and definitely more mature than his age.

When greed was at its epitome; materialistic desires lead to destruction of humility; the rules of Dharma were rewritten to benefit the selfish desires of just a group; A young boy defied all the odds and wrote a new chapter of his life, becoming immortal in our hearts. This is a story of a chosen warrior who was separated from his father at the age of three. This is a story of a boy, as handsome as sons of Ashwin brothers; as strong as the son of Vayu; as calm as son of Yama; and as skilled as the son of Indra. This is a story of the son of Subhadra and nephew of Krishna.

This
is the story of ABHIMANYU.

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