Idle musings

     My wife went with her friends to watch "Parva" ("Chapter", loosely), a Kannada play directed by Prakash Belawadi based on the book of the same name by the author S. L. Bhyrappa. It is based on the Mahabharata, the Indian epic of a conflict between cousins. The book contains the "Bhagavad Geeta", the "Divine Song" in which the God Shri Krishna educates, admonishes, guides and exhorts his friend and cousin Arjuna to fight in a war, uttering philosophical words that ring true today, just as they did in that time. The Geeta has inspired many people, including Mahatma Gandhi. Even without the Geeta, the Mahabharata is a superb story. The book "Parva" explores characters and relationships and morality itself, stripping the divinity away from the Mahabharata and considering the characters as purely human, with all our jealousies, anger and egos included!     "Parva" the play is based on the book. My wife admired the play and sai...

   Imagine being transported about 500 years ago in time. There are some glaring differences in daily life: the electric bulb has not been invented, there are no automobiles. Social conventions are different. The idea of a global village cannot even be conceived. Travelling 1000 km is considered as a difficult journey, which probably took a week to complete. However, trade flourishes much like today, despite the difficulties. The markets contain produces from lands far away. I can think of a seller in the market saying: "These are ordinary pots, but if you want something special take a look at this. It is a pot from China, with blue artwork. Only for you, I will offer it for ...." Imagine being in Vijaynagar, Hampi around this time. What would it have been like?   Luckily, we don't have to imagine. The Portuguese traveller Domingo Paes visited Hampi in 1520. Here is what he had to say about its market: "“The quantity of merchandise which is sold in these bazaars is v...

I finished reading the book "Adiyogi", released by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev on the weekend ending 12-Nov-2017. To anybody interested in Hindu mythology and philosophy, I recommend the book. It has been co-written by Arundhati Subramanian. I was curious about the book, following the consecration of the 112 feet tall face of Adiyogi as reported in  http://isha.sadhguru.org/blog/inside-isha/announcements/prime-minister-unveil-112-ft-tall-face-adiyogi-mahashivratri/ . I ordered the book in May 2017 and got around to reading it only in October 2017. The significance of the Adiyogi, Lord Shiva is brought out well. The contradictions we see in Shiva are explored and examined. For example, on one hand he is termed as Bholenath, the simple one. On the other hand, the term Rudra, the "terrible one" is also an epithet for Shiva. On one hand, he is considered as the first yogi and yoga is associated with stillness and calmness ; on the other, Shiva dances the Tandava dance ...

    Last month, I visited Hyderabad. I stayed overnight in Secunderabad. My impressions of the city and a memorable visit to the Salar Jung museum are described below. Since today is Independence Day, writing about the history and culture associated with the museum is particularly apt, I feel !     I landed in Hyderabad at 9:20 a.m. The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad is about 38 k.m. away from the hotel I stayed, which was in Secunderabad. My first thought was that just like Bengaluru, the approach to the airport looks classy compared to the rest of the city ! The taxi driver took the P. V. Narasimha Rao expressway. In Bengaluru, the Hosur Road expressway is 10 k.m. long, which has made reaching Electronic City a lot simpler. The Narasimha Rao expressway is 11.6 k.m. long according to http://www.businessinsider.in/be-it-intracity-orinter-city-these-5-expressways-make-travelling-a-breeze/PV-Narasimha-Rao-Elevated-Expressway-Hyderabad-Andhr...