Warrier's Collage December 23, 2021

Warrier's COLLAGE On Thursday December 23, 2021 Krishna and Sudama https://youtu.be/Mio9QMXguRQ (Friendship Story : Kathakali) Good Morning Nice Day M G Warrier A Responses 1) E Madhavan Thrissur Jayakumar, for a moment, transported me back in time to the buzzle, sights and smells of Mumbai local trains. The most powerful leveller that I have witnessed is the Mumbai suburban train system. It provides a palpable spiritual experience and one got out of it almost ego-free! 2) Vathsala Jayaraman SEATS in Suburban Locals and their role in real life Shri Jayakumar's take on seats in Bombay local trains was quite interesting and introspective. All the seats in life cannot be compared to train seats. In reality, importance has to be attached to 'seat' in spite of its temporary nature. Take 'medical seat' or 'IIT seat'. They make your life. Can't be brushed aside as temporary. CM, PM, or Governor of RBI-all seats are powerful, though they last for a few years. (Continued at H1) B Books by M G Warrier https://notionpress.com/author/m_g_warrier M G Warrier M G Warrier is a retired central banker who worked as a general manager in the Reserve Bank of India office in Mumbai. Post-retirement, till recently, he has been regularly writing articles for The Global ANALYST, a monthly business and finance magazine. In 2014, he published his first book, "Banking, Reforms & Corruption: Development Issues in 21st Century India". This was followed by "India's Decade of Reforms"(2018) and "Restoring TRUST in Governance"(2020). His first book is now available as eBook with a change in title as "Chasing Inclusive Growth". Before joining RBI in 1968, Warrier worked in the Accountant General's Office and with the Employees Provident Fund Organization in Kerala. C Ancient Indian Drama https://www.indiaonline.in/about/profile/history/cultural-influences/performing-arts/indian-drama Performing Arts : Drama and Theater Drama is the branch of performing arts in which stories are acted using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance and sound. Indian drama and theater has a vivid history. Many theaters forms developed over the period of time like musicals, opera, ballet, illusion, mime, classical Indian dance, kabuki, mummers' plays, improvisational theater, stand-up comedy, pantomime and non-conventional or art house theater. The history of Indian drama is charming, enigmatic and incredible. India has an indigenous dramatic tradition, and is still remain uninfluenced from any foreign influence. Hindu drama was not borrowed or an imitation of any other, but it is the product of native genius. The dramatist Bhasa or Bhrata is traditionally considered the founder and "Father" in the history of Indian drama. D Readers' Contribution 1) Khushwant Singh* : Sitendra Kumar Khushwant Singh's remark on Tagore's work creates furore in West Bengal It finally took Khushwant Singh to bring together West Bengal's two unforgiving political rivals - the communists and the Congress(I). At a workshop organised in Shillong by a North-east-based newspaper, the colourful journalist-author, while commenting on Rabindranath Tagore's works, remarked that the Bard of Bengal "was a writer of no great merit". The next day The Shillong Times carried a story headlined 'Khushwant Singh Lampoons Tagore', Calcutta newspapers picked it up - and the die was cast. The reaction in West Bengal was swift. Politicians clamoured for an apology, the media went into a tizzy. Last fortnight, the state Assembly held a discussion on the matter and legislators cutting across party lines condemned Singh while proposing an all-party resolution to this effect. Meanwhile, firebrand CPI MP Geeta Mukherjee has taken the matter to the Press Council and threatens to raise it in Parliament as well. "Tagore is no ordinary soul," she says. "What right does Singh have to talk about him this way?" The octogenarian writer, while maintaining that The Shillong Times "misreported" his remarks, is in no mood to climb down. "I am well within my rights to express my opinion on the works of another writer," says Singh. But how does he really rate the Nobel laureate Tagore? Singh says he was greatly disappointed when he first read Tagore's short stories and novels and Tagore's own English translations of his poetry. It was only when he was introduced to translations by British scholar William Radice that he had cause to change his mind - "they were remarkable", he says. From his days as the editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India, Singh has, through his articles, books and columns, cultivated the image of a sassy 'Sardarji' with a weakness for women and booze. No stranger to controversy, he earned the wrath of many Maharashtrians a few years ago with his remarks on Shivaji. Facing threats from the Shiv Sena, Singh buckled down and apologised. Ever since the Tagore controversy flared up, Singh has been criticised and defended by turns. Says well-known Bengali poet and novelist Sunil Gangopadhyay, who was attacked for his recent remarks about Tagore: "It is really difficult for any non-Bengali to appreciate Tagore. Singh has every right to his opinion. Every generation of writers is free to criticise previous generations." For his part, Singh, who touched another raw nerve last fortnight with some unflattering views on Satyajit Ray's films. Ever since the Tagore controversy flared up, Singh has been criticised and defended by turns. Says well-known Bengali poet and novelist Sunil Gangopadhyay, who was attacked for his recent remarks about Tagore: "It is really difficult for any non-Bengali to appreciate Tagore. Singh has every right to his opinion. Every generation of writers is free to criticise previous generations." For his part, Singh, who touched another raw nerve last fortnight with some unflattering views on Satyajit Ray's films, says: "A writer is meant to be read, not worshipped." Many Tagorephiles, it seems, do not agree. *Received via Group mail E Spirituality/Faith charan singh (@CharanSingh60) Tweeted: Unity in Diversity - 108 हरि गुन कहते कहनु न जाई जैसे गूंगे की मिठिआई भीखन, सोरठ, ६५९, गुरु ग्रंथ साहिब Singing divine virtues but can't describe Like sweets being eaten by a dumb: happy feeling/expressions but can't describe taste Bhikhan, Sorath, 659, SGGS https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1473401337559740419?s=20 F Géetanjali : Poem 2 https://www.englishliterature.info/2021/08/gitanjali-poem-2-summary-analysis.html Summary The poet says that he is inspired by God to write poetry and to sing it. This makes the poet very happy, he feels as if his heart would break, as it is full of pride that God had inspired him. He then looks towards God and re sheds fears of joy and happiness. This results in dispersing all the discordant and harsh elements in the poet's life and it is replaced by one sweet, melodious harmony. The poet's love for God swells and soars like a bird soaring over the sea. The poet knows and understands that God is pleased by his songs and only as a singer can he come into God's presence. His song reaches far and wide but he himself could never reach God, he can only hope to touch God's feet by the edge of his far reaching song. The joy of singing fills the poet with the ecstasy that makes him drunk and forget himself and forgetting that he is a mere servant begins to call God his master, his friend. G Life's perceptions World is a much better place today! https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/sex-murder-and-the-meaning-life/202112/10-biases-blind-us-world-getting-better In Factfulness: Ten reasons we're wrong about the world—and why things are better than you think, Hans Rosling presents a long list of things that have been steadily improving in the last two centuries, and another list of bad things getting better. To support his arguments, he presents some impressive data. H 1) Continued from A2 It is said that we have to park our mind in a safe place(seat) and not in somebody else's garage.Very often we are advised not to put our lives' authority in somebody else's hands. Do take care of your mind, the car and drive the mind rather than the mind driving you. It is wisdom that empowers you to drive the mind. Reg the seat, where is that wonderful seat? Seat is a powerful word in life and people work day and night to occupy seat which is not a calm surrounding but is full of lust and power. Everyone wants to have a high chair or status in life. ''What are you?" is a question which every person wants to answer with raised collar.The 'seat' is not as philosophical a symbol in reality but a symbol of great pride. When we talk of seat I am reminded of a statement made by an upanyasak. He asked the audience '"Who is Partha Sarathi?" Everyone shouted 'Krishna. Why?' Because he was charioteer (Sarathi) to Partha or Arjuna. The Upanyasak continued 'Krishna does not deserve that term. Because there was another Partha Sarathi earlier, before Mahabharatha war began. During Agnathavasa, Arjuna was in the disguise of Bruhannala. In Virata Parva of Mahabharata, Arjuna takes the weapons from Vanni tree and Virata Kumara becomes the first Partha Sarathi.. In this fight Arjuna wins but all the credit goes to Virata Kumara, who is actually afraid of facing Kaurava retinue. Virata Kumara feels that he does not deserve all the encomia paid to him. The Upanyasak continued that Virat Kumara got all the fame because of the mahima of the 'seat' occupied by him. This was the seat to be occupied by Lord Krishna in due course. From the same seat 'the great precious Bhagvatgita' was going to emerge to the world. "As the sound of the bell arrives well early before arrival of the elephant" (Yanai varum pinne, Mani osai varum munne')the mahima of Krishna's seat came to be known to the world earlier by the success and appreciations heaped on Virata Kumara for insignificant efforts taken by him. A mythological story about 'Chair love' comes to my mind. Very few in this world are free from lust, that too lust from position and chair. This was not uncommon in those days too. Lord Shiva had gifted a chair to Sage Vasishta. The significance of the chair was that it knew all the schedules and programmes of the sage. If there was any prasang or upanyas the chair will go in advance and get seated in a place worthy of the status of the sage. After a few hrs, Vasishta without waiting for anybody directing him to any seat, would go automatically and sit on the chair gifted by Shiva. This created fury and envy among all the sages. "We have also done lot of penance just like Vasishta; and why he is given predominance over others?" The sages directly went to Shiva and presented a memorandum seeking reasons for the partial treatment shown to Vasishta. Shiva said, "Wait. I shall answer your question. But you have to accomplish a task." The sages were ready. Shiva said. "Each of you go out separately, find out a person whom you consider superior to you, do him all the Athithi Satkar and bring him to me within 48 days. All of them started towards their mission. Shiva then called for Vasishta and told him, "Find out a person whom you consider inferior to you, do him Athithi Satkar and bring the person to me." Within the stipulated time all the sages returned. Nobody brought any person. Uniformly they said, "We searched in all the places; we could not find even a single soul superior to us." Vasishta also returned empty handed. He said, "Lord; everyone in the world is superior to me; I thought of bringing my wife here. But after some introspection I felt that I am nothing compared to her chastity. ( Pathi vrata Dharma). Hearing Vasishta's reply all sages felt ashamed. It is this humility that earned him the highest status among sages and that is why Vasishta's word was considered final. Today also people cling to the chairs, not due to simplicity but due to ................. Vathsala Jayaraman