Excellence Pooled In One Place

The word "Excellence" means many things in different contexts. One thing is, however, common in anything considered excellent - there should be a confluence of many good qualities. There is no place for any ordinary things in an excellent thing or person or place. They give star ratings nowadays for everything. A five star rating is generally considered the ultimate. It is a standard against which others are measured.

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Students of literature and people interested in stage plays are familiar with a famous Sanskrit play "Naagaananda". Even those who are not familiar with this play would have heard of the story of Jeemootavaahana, Shankachooda and Malaya Parvata. It is a part of the famous "Bodhisatva" folklore. The story revolves around the hatred between Garuda and the Nagas, how Garuda was killing the snakes evryday and how the kindness of Jeemootavahana turned even Garuda into Ahimsa and giving up his killing of snakes once and for all. 

Naatakantam kavitvam (नातकन्तम् कवित्वम्) is a popular saying that enunciates that a poet is incomplete until he succeeds in his efforts as a writer by giving a successful stage play (Naataka). What are the components that make a stage play successful? The subject chosen for the play must be one that catches the attention of the audience. The poet must be skilful in his trade. The troupe staging the play must be well versed in the stage management and capable of displaying desired acting skills. Ultimately the audience should be one that can appreciate a good content and performance. 

In the Sanskrit play "Nagaananda" the Sootradhara (one who introduces and manages the stage production) introduces the play with the following sloka:

श्रीहर्षो निपुणः कविः परिषदप्येषा गुणग्राहिणी 

लोकेहारिच बोधिसत्व चरितं नाट्ये च दक्षा वयम् 

वस्वेकैकमपीह वाञ्छितफलप्राप्तेः पदं किं 

पुनर्मद्भग्योपचयादयं समुचितः सर्वे गुणानां गणाः 

ಶ್ರೀಹರ್ಷೋ ನಿಪುಣಃ ಕವಿ: ಪರಿಷದಪಿ ಯೇಷಾ ಗುಣಗ್ರಾಹಿಣೀ 

ಲೋಕೇ ಹಾರಿಚ ಬೋಧಿಸತ್ವ ಚರಿತಂ ನಾಟೈಚ ದಕ್ಷಾ ವಯಂ 

ವಸ್ಯೆಕೈಕಮಪೀಹ ವಾಂಛಿತಫಲಪ್ರಾಪ್ತೆ: ಪದಂ  ಕಿಂ 

 ಪುನರ್ಮದ್ಭಾಗ್ಯೋಪಚಯಾದಯಂ ಸಮುಚಿತಂ ಸರ್ವೇ ಗುಣಾನಾಂ ಗಣಾ:

Sri Harsha is a very skilled poet. This is a knowledgeable assembly that can understand and appreciate quality performance on stage. The subject of the play is Bodhisatva's story that is very well known in the world. We are indeed an excellent troupe that can perform to expectations. Each one of these is sufficient to ensure a successful stage performance. And here we have a confluence of all the requirements. How lucky we are today to have such a pool of excellence!

This sloka is a classic example of many components of excellence pooled in one place which makes for a great presentation or achievements.

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We have two Sri Harsha as well known poets that have given us masterpieces in Sanskrit literature. The first one is Chandel King Sri Harsha who ruled the present Bundelkhand area from Kanyakubja (present Kannauj in UP). He ruled in the early part of 7th Century AD and fought Pulikeshi II (Immadi Pulikeshi) of Karnataka and lost. Pulikeshi II then got the title of "Shree Pruthvivallabha". He is believed to have written at least three plays Nagananda, Ratnavali and Priyadarshika, though some opine that someone else wrote for him. The second Sri Harsha is the 12th century Philosopher-Poet who is known for his celebrated work "Naishadeeya Charitam", among others. He iwas given a title "Nara Bharati" meaning he is like Devi Saraswati in the form of a man. There is a saying "Naishadam Vidwadowshadam" meaning that this literary work tests even the great scholars. It is one of the text books for students learning the language and poetics. It is considered as one of the five epic works (Pancha Mahakavyas). His another work Khandana Khndana Khadya is also highly rated by the scholars. 

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We had another Sri Harsha in our own family. Whenever i met him in some function or private occasion, I always remembered the above two Sri Harsha and especially the above sloka from Nagananda. He would ask me smilingly, "Uncle, do you remember these two Sri Harsha when you see me or do you remember me when you read their works?". Our Sri Harsha spent his early years in Mumbai while we mostly stayed in Bangalore. he moved to Toronto in Canada for higher studies and later worked in Japan for two years. He continued his work in Mumbai. By the time he moved to Bangalore, we were away elsewhere. Thus though our chemistry perfectly matched, our geography did not. We could not spend a lot of time together, but whatever time was spent together was indeed memorable and productive. He would patiently answer my endless questions on the developments in his chosen professional field.  

Youngsters in schools and colleges are either confused about the careers they wish to pursue after finishing initial education or they are very clear about their goals. our Sri Harsha was very clear about his goals from early years. He wanted a career in Graphics and Animation, especially in the visual medium. After his initial education in Mumbai, he moved to Canada for higher learning in this field. He did learning and working simultaneously there. It was during these years that he was associated with providing resources to the famous Hollywood film "The Lion King" (1994). He moved to Japan and worked as well as learnt there for some two years. After returning to India he worked in Mumbai and Bangalore and provided valuable contributions for films in Hollywood, Bollywood and South Indian films. He built a team of professionals in his chosen area and was very popular among his teammates and co-workers.

He was associated with production of many films that include "Bahubali", "Avatar" and some Rajnikant movies. He kept himself updated with the various developments in the field and could speak with authority on the area of allied subjects.

Many things in life are not fair. Some of them are absolutely unfair. Our Sri Harsha was only 47 years young and at the peak of his excellent performance. Cruel hands of death snatched him away from amidst us last week. The family members did everything possible for humans to nurse him back to good health, but unfortunately there are certain things beyond our control. 

A wonderful son, devoted brother, loved husband, laughing companion for many, a dependable friend and an adorable young talent is not with us now. Dear Harsha, you were indeed a bundle of excellence pooled in one place. You will be missed. Missed a lot.