Karna - The unsung hero of Mahabharat.

Right from my childhood days I have been fascinated with tales of mahabharat. I remember the days when the TV serial was aired, I must be studying in 4th or 5th standard at that time. I had a shorter version of the epic book at home and I used to read it just for the joy of knowing beforehand what was to be telecasted next. Childhood has a dream world of its own. I even used to play with the bows and arrows made from thin bamboo sticks. My cousins were the partners in crime and we often had earful of dose together.

I liked many characters in the story and my favorites were Bheeshm, Krishna and Arjun. I always fought to play Arjun whenever we role-played at backyard games. I had even mastered to hit a rotating fan right at its center and used it as a challenge for anybody who wants to replace me to play the archer's role.

All these memories were refreshed when I recently finished reading a wonderful book related to Mahabharat. The book is titled 'Mrityunjaya' (meaning - the death conqueror) and is written by Sivaji Sawant. It is based on the life story of Karna and is the best piece of character analysis that I have come across. The beauty of indian epics such as Ramayan and Mahabharata is that each of the character in them is an immense source of learning. Personalities such as Ram, Krishna, Lakshman, Pandavs, Rawan, Duryodhan, Bheeshm and many more teach us a lot. Perhaps, it may be due to the large number of characters in these epics that we do not see detailed analysis of each of them. Over a period of time, many lesser known characters are subdued by popular giants, especially in the common folklore. This is why a book like 'Mrityunjay' is a path breaker in its own.

Author has taken 'Karn', one of the unsung heroes, as the central character. As I read through the book, I couldn’t help but realize how tall this character was. Born to the sun god and a princess, he was destined to rule the world. But as luck would have, his life was marred with inhuman struggle and tests. Throughout his life time he was humiliated as he was known to be the son of a chariot driver. He was second to none in all the qualities associated with royal princes. Even when he knew that he is waging a lost battle, he never left Duryodhan. He finally gave up his life while knowingly fighting his own brothers. Not that he was any weaker; he was abiding by his own promise of not hurting any of them. There is a lot to his mesmerizing persona to conclude that he is the real hero of Mahabnharat. Thanks to the author for such a wonderful creation!

I am looking forward to find few more of the books from this author. Hope he repeates the magic in them!

PS: I am now reading ‘Rashmirathi’ a poem based on life of Karn by Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’.

We are all like a beach !

This is one of my writings from the past that I've loved. Posting again:

We are all like a beach.-

I was sitting alone on a beach today, facing the sea breeze when this thought came to my mind - we are all like a beach!

There are small grains of individual traits, like of sand, which put together make my personality. Grains of behavior, attitude, thought, reactions, dreams etc. I never realized that I am what I am - because of these grains. A grain in itself seems too small today, but years ago it was a part of a rock! Or may be a mountain! It’s only the weathering of time that has separated it from its original shape. My composition is not menial - I posses ingredients of gigantic mountains, though in their minimal form.

The outer world is the sea. Relentless waves from the sea hit the beach- right from the day when it was a rock beach. The constant challenge of the waves, reduced the rock beach into a more vulnerable one - composed of sand. The vagary does not end here! Even today each wave is taking some part of the beach away with it. The beach, however doesn’t seems to change much - as it seems just a few grains poorer.

The transformation of the beach from a rocky terrain to the friendly sands draws new guests. People get attracted to the beach. Hundreds of them visit me. Finding the sand flexible enough, they try to shape up their dreams on me. Some enrich me by making beautiful temples, some make castles. A few curious ones dig me for the shells; little do they know that I once nurtured a life inside each of these shells. They play for a while, enjoy spending their time here, looking at the sea - my way and enjoying the breeze I have been facing for years. Once the entertainment is done, they leave me at their own will. Leaving behind the remnants of things they built on me - temples, castles, names, faces and what not.

I heard somebody once commenting on me - “How resilient the beach must be to face the waves all day and night!". No wonder he was among the ones who loved making temples on me. Had he been a curious digger, he would have found out - I am already taken over by the sea!

I may appear to be the beach facing the waves, but the water has managed to seep into me deep down. I am no longer what I used to be, I have lost my grains for the drops of water. The sea is gradually taking me over from inside. A day will come when a big enough wave will come and wash away my entire existence from the scene. The sea will get bigger!

But I am not sad, I can already see the huge rocks lying behind me- and trust me it will take ages for the sea to make it into sand grains and sweep away!

Restarting the engine !

I wonder if anyone ever succeeded in deciphering life. Its like a live-movie, where we all play our parts, but the script is never in our hands and the director unknown ! Well.. let me not delve further into it. I thought so because I never knew when did I stop writing !

I always have had something to say about things I see, I feel, I observe and I have been putting them into words of my own. But somehow - things changed in past 3-4 years. I got into the corporate world , got busy with new twists and turns of life and somewhere in between I lost the writer in me.

I realize, I have gained a lot in this period and now that I am at peace with myself and in sync with this new phase of life, let me restart the engine! So here I am blogging again !

Hope I keep it going !

Cheers !