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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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Memories of 2013 - Rediscovering Mumbai

I have lived in Mumbai for almost 30 years, and, having wandered around freely and happily, thought I knew the city well. It is only this year that I realised how little I knew about it, especially its hidden secrets. One of the first revelations was a visit to Sewri with the Travel-Logs, who opened my eyes to the incredible history which remains unknown to most of its inhabitants.

The Parel Shiva Heptad



Nothing exemplifies this more than the Parel Shiva Heptad, this monolithic statue of Shiva with seven faces, dating back to the 5th or 6th Century AD. Equally interesting was the Sewri Cemetery, which I hadn't even heard of before. 

Samhith at the BEST Museum


And then, stuck once more at home during the Diwali vacation, we set out on a Museum trail - starting off with the BEST Museum at Anik Depot, then the RBI Monetary Museum, and finally, the CST Heritage Gallery. If the BEST Museum was a big surprise, the Monetary Museum was informative, and the CST Heritage Gallery was sheer delight! We literally had our jaws dropping as we walked along the corridors of the Central Railways Headquarters, seeing the amazing works of art on the walls and pillars! Yes, I have yet to write about it, and I promise, I shall do it soon! 

At the Central Railway Headquarters, CST


Meanwhile, I enjoyed some more Museum time, visiting the Bhau Daji Lad Museum with Sudha Ganapathy, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum, first with Samhith, and then by myself, to see the well curated exhibitions. First, there was the Egyptian Mummy, which was a fascinating one, and then, the Flemish Masterpieces which have come all the way from Antwerp! With more interesting exhibitions coming up at the Museum, the New Year is surely going to see me making more trips to the Museum!! 

The beautifully renovated interiors of the  Dr.Bhau Daji Lad Museum


Related Posts:
  • Storming Sewri 


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Location: Sewri, Comed Rambhau Dev Ji Patil Road, Gandhi Nagar, Sewri, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400015, India

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