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Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
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Donkeys

We see all kinds of animals on our roads... There are dogs all over the place, cows and buffaloes are seen now and then, goats and sheep are a regular feature as Id approaches, pigs are a common sight, and we even see the odd elephant at times. The only animal we see rarely is the donkey...



On our recent trip to interior Maharashtra, the sight which greeted us on most roads was that of a donkey (or donkeys) standing shock still in the middle of the road! 



Its an amusing sight to see the donkeys stand so perfectly still in spite of all the noise and chaos. Of course, it is not so amusing for those who drive on those roads. Nothing makes the donkey move - not the loud blowing of horns, not the irritated cursing, not the sudden swerving to avoid the donkey! 

Have you seen a donkey on the road? Do you find it amusing or irritating? 

Comments

  1. MridulaNovember 20, 2012 at 1:17 PM

    Anu it depends on the mood. If I have already been in traffic for a while and I want to get home I would not like donkeys obstructing the way!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarNovember 20, 2012 at 2:30 PM

      Yes, Mridula, I guess thats true.... its good that we rarely see donkeys in Mumbai, so its only when we travel that we see them.. and most of the time, we are relaxed and in no hurry, so its more amusing than irritating!

      Delete
  2. SoulSpaceNovember 20, 2012 at 9:02 PM

    In our fast paced life, Donkeys are a reminder for us to take things Slow!! Even if that means coming to a complete standstill to take stock of things!!
    heheh
    super

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarNovember 21, 2012 at 8:13 AM

      very well put, Sowmya! sometimes wish we could just be as still as them, dont you?

      Delete
  3. greentrekkumarNovember 21, 2012 at 6:16 PM

    Ma'am you haven't mentioned the beauty of those poor animals. Poor because being helpless. Since you travel make a trip to Kutch as well to see those lovely wild asses.
    The animals can't be blamed for being on the road. We have to blame ourselves for adoring them when the mattupongal day comes and let them loose everywhere to fend for themselves the rest of the year. It is like ready up the vehicles spike and span come ayudhpooja and ride or drive all throughout the year just dust the seat and ride/drive.!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarNovember 21, 2012 at 6:36 PM

      I completely agree, Kumar... its true for most of the animals we see on the road.. the gaur is such a majestic animal, it is hard to believe that the buffalo on the road is a relative... and it is left loose because the chap running the tabela has neither the space to house it nor the grass to feed it. he lets it loose free to eat up any junk it finds and only uses it when he needs to milk it.. and these donkeys are used simply to carry stuff and left loose to fend for their own... its sad, its a pity, but this is true all over India.. unfortunately... i have wanted to go to kutch for a long time, lets hope the time comes soon

      Delete
  4. SudhageeDecember 8, 2012 at 3:02 PM

    I fell in love with donkeys, when a neighbour got an abandoned baby donkey home. I was about 11 at that time and we were in Jodhpur and the baby donkey was a great rallying point for the neighbourhood to pamper and love. Pappu, the donkey's name, was an absolute darling and was with us for about 4 months when the neighbours took him to their village.

    Donkeys are not meant to be domesticated and the way they behave is only a reaction to their surroundings. There is no point in being amused or irritated with the donkeys; any reaction should be directed at their human owners !

    ReplyDelete

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