that at a given period of my school life, I kept reading that book for several years at least once a year. And there was this one paragraph that got stuck with me which talked about a person’s handwriting
Folktales are Oral stories that are passed down by the elders to the younger generation. For centuries, folktales have been a crucial medium for preserving cultural traditions and teaching the youth to understand the world around them. A Short History of Folktales in India People believe that Indian folk tales originated in ancient India during the Vedic period (10000 BCE to 5000 BCE). And subsequently, they passed down these tales from generation to generation through oral tradition. And often used them as a means of entertainment and education. These tales evolved over time, incorporating elements from different cultures and regions of India. The tales typically have a rural or village setting and feature ordinary people, animals, and magical creatures. They are popular among all age groups due to their simplicity, humor, and accessibility. This post is dedicated to land of Nagaland; preserving the lesser known folktale from this Northeastern state of India and Northwestern region of Myanmar. Who is the Greatest Man in the World: A Folktale from Nagaland One day a man was going …
My Road To Nara Family, Namaste again. I hope you have all been healthy and enjoying these last few weeks of 2024. In late March, when i announced my break for I think five months, which initially i thought would be a lot more and I will start writing here a lot earlier, but life threw a beautiful mix of intensity and learning all these past months that strangely i enjoyed my new found freedom to an extent it became harder for me to come back here. But it was not the ‘not writing here’ part which concerned me most, it was not missing it. Family life, School- its responsibilities and then my own personal and professional commitments to myself. Some posts that were published earlier in last two months were pre-scheduled, so much so that I had written them in May itself. I forgot about them and couldn’t write or comment back as i didn’t see them for over a month. I will try to get back to the posts and answer each one. …
It’s been 10 years of those 10 electrifying current-passing days for what brought seeing to my spirit. Even today I only think of ‘why’, was I there or was it that I was demanded by the Mother to witness it. Someone who has been away from most kind of cruelties, being born in a lineage who never tasted fish, leave meat. May be it happened to shake wake me up for all what life revolves around, some harsher realities, some withering truths. To may be learn the ways and come out of the skin of merely being a meek observer that after a decade of witnessing it eventually brought me immense strength. And learn to observe to absorb. And I absorbed; the smell of the blood, the count of the severed big buffalo heads or peacocks, even pigs, goats, ducks and bodies of geese. And of course it were not the fallen bodies that pricked me but those dead big open eyes that were always looking at someone or the Sky but not you. And …
On October 15, 1932, history was made! The civil aviation industry in India, now one of the world’s largest, owes its beginnings to a single flight. It was taken by a Paris-born Parsi with a vision to connect with his roots & shape the future. Indians remember Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata as the leader of India’s largest industrial group for five decades. He is also celebrated as a visionary who played a crucial role in establishing the aviation industry in India, including the flagship airline JRD Tata was born in Paris but shocked many when he renounced French citizenship and returned to India. Just twelve days after the launch of India’s first flying club in Bombay – the Aero Club of India & Burma – JRD achieved his dream of becoming a pilot. n 1932, following the family tradition, JRD established a business named Tata Airlines. Their vision was to transport mail & passengers in India. They faced a problem: lack of proper facilities. Initially, the firm operated out of a small hut with a …
One day, the nawab sent word to maharaja Krishnachandra that he wanted the whole earth measured, from side to side and from end to end, and that he would greatly appreciate it if maharaja would take it upon himself to count the stars in the sky as well. The Maharaja was astounded and said, ‘I don’t want to seem uncooperative, but you have commanded me to do the impossible.’ And the Nawab said, ‘But do it you will.’ So the Maharaja fell into a brown study and brooded over how he might fulfill the demands of the Nawab. It was not long before Gopal Bhar passed by, and seeing the Maharaja in such a state of despair, he tugged gently at the ends of his mustache and said, ‘Maharaj, what is this I see? If you have. troubles, you need only tell your Gopal, and all will be well.’ The king was not so easily consoled. He said, ‘No Gopal, this is a problem even you cannot solve. The Nawab has commanded me to measure …
A poor widow lived with her two sons and two daughters-in-law. All four of them scolded and ill-treated her all day. She had no one to whom she could turn and tell her woes. As she kept all her woes to herself, she grew fatter and fatter. Her sons and daughters-in-law now found that it was a matter for ridicule. They mocked at her for growing fatter by the day and asked her to eat less. One day, when everyone in the house had gone out somewhere, she wandered away from home in sheer misery and found herself walking outside town. There she saw a deserted old house. It was in ruins and had no roof. She went in and suddenly felt lonelier and more miserable than ever; she found she couldn’t bear to keep her miseries to herself any longer. She had to tell someone. So she told all her tales of grievance against her first son to the wall in front of her. As she finished, the wall collapsed under the weight of …
We are into the sunset of March, and as I wait for the Sun to melt my resolves again this summer, I try to pull many a me’s within me. To take a cue from the happier poets and write about happiness; But how will it come without a company? Without anyone to share it with. May be by adapting, One more time. Going placidly amid the noise and haste, and understanding what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrenderby being on good terms with all persons, from your side. Speaking your truth quietly and clearly;and listening to others,even to the dull and the ignorant;knowing they too have their story. by Avoiding loud and aggressive persons,they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others,you may become vain and bitter;for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. By enjoying your achievements as well as your plans. By keeping an interest in your own career, however humble;it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of …
A Joy filled, Colourful and Auspicious Holi to each one. The colourful festival of Holi, literally meaning ‘burning’, is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Phalguna and heralds the onset of spring season. Holi is One of the two Indian Festivals, amongst a plethora of them and other than Diwali that the world recognises. And for us here in India, it has quite a few meanings. Foremost and the simplest one is its arrival marks the end of a long and Cold winter, and that the time of colour and water has arrived. And since this beautiful festival starts with fire, the night before, symbolising the legend of Holika Dahan; a story of Truth and devotion’s victory over Evil. here on ROAD TO NARA, I will take my co-travellers on an outing sharing a Visual History of this Ancient and most colourful festival on Earth, Holi. Unraveling the Mystique of the Indian Holi Festival From All-Women to Coed, from Music and Fire to Water,From Feast to Bhang. Holi is Called by various …
Sage Narada could travel instantly to any part of the world whether it was the skies, the earth or below the ground. He did not possess a home or a vehicle, and was notorious for mischievously engineering many misunderstandings. However, he would always side with the truth and his words were taken seriously. His presence was always welcomed by devas, asuras and humans. Narada advised everyone he met to become a sage like him and constantly pray to Vishnu. This upset his father greatly. Brahma said to his son, ‘Look, you are free to do whatever you want to do- you have few responsibilities and almost no attachments, but the common man on earth has much more to worry about and must undergo his share of suffering. Don’t think that you know what’s best for others, especially when you have no understanding of a mortal life, of marriage and children, of joy and sorrow. Narada, however, did not heed his father’s words and only smiled mockingly at Brahma before going on his way. A few …
Children have been busy since the turn of the year at School. There were unexpected holidays due to extreme cold in December and most of January which sidelined and pushed away various activities that children were waiting for and well likewise we, the teachers. One amongst which and everyone’s favourite was Picnic that could not happen either in December or in January. Hence the first thing when Picnic dates di not match the weather, we decided to bring Parents in instead of taking children out for something that we called as ‘The Food Festival’, it was the first of its kind we organised at our small school. Here children got there own ingredients, spices and other things; prepared and cooked a few different snacks by themselves with the help of teachers of course, decorated their stalls, kept prices of them all and then sold various food items to the parents and other invitees. It was lovely and contagious to see their excitement enjoyed by one and all. It almost turned into a small lesson in …
India, that is Bharat, is the birthplace of Spiritual Wisdom, of Imagination. Be it giving the zero, the decimal system or even the most sophisticated rituals of Body Science- Yoga, to the world. It is the birthplace of the Buddha, Mahavira, the 10 Sikh Gurus; to an extent Indian civilisation has also been the only culture where Women were given the status of Deities and have been prayed to as Goddesses. Ancient Indian texts have mentioned that wherever a women is not respected, there Lakshmi- the goddess of wealth does not stay. There is also a Sanskrit shloka that talks about the value that girls bring in comparison to boys in a way no where else is seen in the world. दशपुत्रसमा कन्या दशपुत्रान्प्रवर्द्धयन, यत्फलं लभते मर्त्यस्तल्लभ्यं कन्ययैकया It says, that One daughter is like ten sons. And that the result of the bringing up ten sons is achieved only by nurturing one girl. But of course life of a Women has never been easy at least in the Indian Subcontinent such as the pleasing …
Once in many years comes a project that brings your life’s reality to a halt. Probably bringing a comma or a complete stop for sometime. Even though it isn’t a big deal to be trained in the visual medium today as everyone’s eyes roll over social media like clouds moving above us, most of the times everything passes as our heads are always elsewhere but that one moment when the thunder strikes, we come back to life. Our World is at war. Still not at its peak as the real WAR is still around a few years away, but as we read this article in 2024, the world is already on a boil and soon rather anytime it is expected to burn. Only if things, governments, war companies do not mend their ways but even for that the time has already gone. Ever since the US moved out of Afghanistan; West Asia and the Middle East has become ever so vulnerable. The ever going war in Africa, Syria, Yemen, ever since in Afghanistan, Russia-Ukraine. And …
There is a story that is commonly told in Britain that the colonisation of India – as horrible as it may have been – was not of any major economic benefit to Britain itself. If anything, the administration of India was a cost to Britain. So the fact that the empire was sustained for so long – the story goes – was a gesture of Britain’s benevolence. New research by the renowned economist Utsa Patnaik –just published by Columbia University Press – deals a crushing blow to this narrative. Drawing on nearly two centuries of detailed data on tax and trade, Patnaik calculated that Britain drained a total of nearly $45 trillion from India during the period 1765 to 1938. It’s a staggering sum. For perspective, $45 trillion is approximately 17 times more than the total annual gross domestic product of the United Kingdom today. Yet Interestingly, When the Britishers were plundering India, they took away not only the Money, the artefacts, archaeological marvels, and not only the Costliest Diamond of the world “The Koh-i-Noor” but also the Timur Ruby. …
Its nearing four months of my grandfather’s death. He lived for 104 years and barely narrated any story in his later years but a few on insistence. And there was this one story, probably the most beautiful, the most essential one that can make any child into an attentive adult, that he had narrated when we used share a chemistry. This story had that power and possibly that is why I still remember it. As I have to choose a story a week for the Saturday Story Session at my school, I was reminded of one remarkable lore that I came across in my lifetime and I feel everyone can take something out of it. Once a king in South India had to send his son to a mystic, to a master, to learn awareness. The king was old. And he said to his son, “Put your total energy into it because unless you are aware, you are not going to succeed me. I will not give this kingdom to a man who is asleep …
February is a special month in Life. Ever since my arrival on Earth, nature has given me people in Feb I feel I belong to. Now two, but the one who gave me birth, who showed me to serve first. She, who I realised became my inner voice, who gifted me the eyes to decipher the right from wrong and the mind to believe in myself that I can create, I can do and that I can become whatever in life I wanted to, I am. That I am because of her. And all what i can go on writing, as various people have on earth for their mothers. How much ever I may write but these words weigh nothing and will never amount to anything for how mothers are to us. Just like all the mothers of the world, they are nothing but rivers, that from wherever they pass, they nourish. And if I dig deeply and i did, I found that all along throughout my childhood it was she who has been a …
Ramayana became the 1st serial of the TeleVision world, which earned a place in the Limca Book of Records as the world’s most watched Television series. For millions of Indians, life came to a standstill for 45 minutes every Sunday morning. At 9.30 am, people settled down to watch this epic serial, the greatest hit in Indian TV history. The budget for Ramayan was Rs.9 lakh per episode, making it the most expensive show produced at that time! The shooting for Ramayan went on for over 550 days! Arun Govil received such intense love and adoration for his portrayal of Ram that he had to give up smoking in public! Ramanand Sagar’s serial Ramayana comes in the 1st category in the history of television. It was telecasted on Doordarshan, on 25 Jan 1987. When it first came on TV, no one imagined that it would get so much fame. Ramayan, which was actually the second show that Ramanand Sagar created for TV (after Vikram Betaal), remains one of the most iconic shows to have been made …
I was surfing through the net reading out loud some classic poems by English writers when I came across a poem named ‘Brahma’- being Indian, which naturally fuelled my curiosity. Emerson wrote this poem in 1857. Furthermore, as I started reading about Emerson, essays on him gave me sweet surprises, in that era and time, Emerson was challenging the traditional thought. In 1835, he married his second wife, Lydia Jackson, and settled in Concord, Massachusetts. Known in the local literary circle as “The Sage of Concord,” Emerson became the chief spokesman for Transcendentalism, the American philosophic and literary movement. Centered in New England during the nineteenth century, Transcendentalism was a reaction against scientific rationalism. Emerson’s first book, Nature (1836), is perhaps the best expression of his Transcendentalism, the belief that everything in our world—even a drop of dew—is a microcosm of the universe. His concept of the Over-Soul—a Supreme Mind that every man and woman share—allowed Transcendentalists to disregard external authority and to rely instead on direct experience. “Trust thyself,” Emerson’s motto, became the code of Margaret …
My dearest co-travellers, from Nara family to yours, Happy Happy Happy 2024. 2023 was a strange year for me that even carried some most memorable gifts too. And as I press on this note to myself, these lessons that are not goals, neither resolutions but something that shall lead to a better day, better moments. As I reflect on the year that is history, I feel the need to share some lessons I learned or that have been reinforced over thIe pasttwelve months, that I must focus on before I think of any achievements or that light. Here you go: 1. God first. God always. God alone! 2. That value is in to serve, to solve, to uplift the ones in need. 3. Pray. Reflect. Act. 4. That reading for at least an hour each evening is 1000x better than scrolling. 5. Owning my mornings. 6. That the quality of my habits will determines the caliber of my future. 7. That a good night’s sleep prevents bad decisions. 8. Read a little. Write more. Think most. Meditate …
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