He Did Not Have Teeth

 

The King was a very worried man. He had just returned from a cabinet meeting after reviewing the status of finance in his Treasury. The statements submitted by the finance minister showed that the expenditure was increasing by leaps and bounds but the income was dwindling. Despite a half day discussion, they could not find even one item of expenditure that could be deleted or deferred. On the other hand, there were requests for additional funds by almost all the departments. Each department head put forth very convincing arguments as to how cuts in grants would impact the administration and people's welfare. Even after all brain storming and minute analysis, not one additional source of income could be found. Above all, the inflows into the Treasury were getting lower and lower each year. The King was recapitulating in his own mind, the discussion on the income side of the financial statements.

"Why are the inflows from taxes lower this year?"
"There was drought in some areas of the state this year, Sir"
"There was drought in some other areas of the state last year as well"
"Taxes were reduced on some items this year Sir"
"Last year taxes were reduced on some other items. These were assessed before reduction"
"Some additional expenses were incurred on war on the eastern border Sir"
"I am asking about income. Not expenditure. Can someone explain why inflows have dwindled?"

There was no satisfactory answer. The problem could lie elsewhere. The bureaucrats and ministers were not able to grapple with the situation. The King sent for the Royal Consultant. The Consultant was a wise man and had solved many problems earlier, though his fee was quite heavy. King thought of one more item of expenditure; consultant's fee. But that could not be avoided.

The Consultant came, heard the King and smiled. He said he could answer the question in words, but he would like to demonstrate the answer to the problem in the royal court on the next day. The King agreed.

The royal court was in session on the next morning. The King was seated in his place as were the other courtiers. The consultant was sitting near the King. The King asked for the demonstration. The consultant got up and signalled a servant who was stationed at the other end of the royal court. The servant had brought a big ball of butter. He handed over the ball of butter to the person nearest to him and asked the same to be passed on to the next person and so on until it reached the King. Finally the ball of butter reached the King. The King received it and looked at the consultant. The consultant now spoke thus:

"Your Majesty, you have seen the ball of the butter when my servant produced it at the other end of the court. It was of the size of a football. Please see the ball of butter in your hand. It has now reached the size of a cricket ball. Please observe what all the courtiers are doing. They are licking their palms and fingers. As the butter passed each hand, a part of it got stuck in each hand. Same thing is happening to your revenues. Revenue collected from the tax payers is the size of football. But there is some pilferage at each level when it is handled. By the time it reaches the Royal Treasury it is much less than the collections. This shows that corruption has increased tremendously. Your inflows into the treasury can increase only if the pilferage is checked".

It was indeed a very good demonstration and the reason for dwindling revenues was explained perfectly. But the King was not in a position to enjoy the demonstration. He asked the consultant after the day's session as to how this problem could be solved. The consultant suggested that some employees who are highly corrupt should be identified and dealt with firmly to teach a lesson to others. One such tax collector was identified and the King put him in the royal horse stables without giving him any work. The idea was to isolate him from fertile revenue portfolio and remove the very possibility of corruption. But the employee was kept under observation as advised by the consultant.

On the first day of the new assignment, the employee made a full round of the stables and familiarised himself about the working systems there. On the second day he went to the stables with a weighing scale and a ledger. He went to each horse, weighed the horse dung and noted their weight in the ledger. All the stable employees were amused by his strange behaviour, but he continued with his work without any hesitation. After three days, the supervisor of the stable came to him and enquired why he was dirtying his hands by weighing the horse dung. "The King has come to know that there is misuse of the fodder and horse feed in the stables. He has asked me to check the same. I am weighing the output in the form of horse dung. Through that I will calculate the quantity of feed you are giving to each horse. When the aggregate is compared with the amount of feed purchased for the stables, the amount of pilferage will be known". The supervisor told the tax collector to protect him and other employees and in consideration the tax collector would get his cut without doing anything at all. The tax collector now earned much more than his earlier assignment. The modus operandi reached the King.

The King removed the tax collector from the stables assignment. He was told to go to the river banks everyday, just sit till evening without any work and go home at sunset. No work was allotted to him. The tax collector went to the riverside on the first day and observed the scenery. On the second day he went with a ledger, sat below the tree and started making some entries in the ledger. After a few days the boats supervisor came to him and asked what he was doing. "The King has asked me to find out how many boats are there, how many trips are done each day and how much money is collected from the passengers when they cross the river. He has a doubt that you are cheating the treasury by under declaring the earnings and paying lower taxes. You will be caught now and punished". The supervisor was startled, had a deal with the tax collector and the employee started earning his cut thereafter. This episode also reached the King.

The King again called the consultant and narrated his predicament. The consultant's face lit up. He told the King not to worry. "My dear King, now you have the perfect candidate for heading your "Anti-corruption Task Force". Designate him as the head of the team as he knows how corruption is possible in every assignment. He will bring things under control. But do not pay him any salary. He can be paid a percentage of the corruption money identified. Then he will work sincerely". The King agreed with the bright idea. So was it done.

The King died shortly thereafter and the Consultant left the job. We do not know what happened after that. 

*****

Even in todays world, in many societies including ours, the position is not different on the expenditure side as well. A former Prime Minister of our country famously conceded that only 15 paise (15 per cent) of each rupee spent by the government on welfare activities reaches the poor. This statement found an echo in one of the landmark judgements of the Supreme Court of the country. Funds meant for developmental spending as well as welfare activities are swallowed all the way by sharks in the administration and their political patrons. Corruption has been institutionalised and its systems are much stronger than the administration systems and their supervisory machinery. 

One of the Chief Ministers in a state ran a very corrupt regime. Everyone including the incumbent agreed with this assessment and nonchalantly blamed the system for the same. To everyone's surprise he and his party got reelected after the first tenure. How was this possible? An analyst summed up the situation very well. The good thing about the reelected regime was that people were able to get their job done quickly once the required extra was given. It was different from the systems where one pays but does not get the job done as well. Further, everyone knew whom to approach, how much to give and how to give. There was also no discrimination. The unauthorised charges were also the same for all. The system was so equitable (!) that everybody was at ease and peace with the happenings. Why disturb the equilibrium and sow the seeds of uncertainties? Better to re-elect the regime and be comfortable! 

Some of the news headlines we came across in the last few months are like this:

• Two Crore false MANREGA cards were identified. These fake card holders were very active and worked regularly for claiming the wages due to them. 
• Some of the beneficiaries of this scheme were citizen of a neighbouring country.
• Six Lac fake midday meals claims were routinely made.
• 20,000 fake NGOs collected donations for their social work!
• 80,000 fake teachers were paid salaries regularly. One lady teacher was getting salaries from three schools in three different districts without visiting any of those schools.
• Five Crore fake ration card holders drew subsidised rations every month.
• 43,000 dead people were drawing pensions even after reaching the other world.
• 4,00,000 shell companies existed on record and aided wholesale money laundering.
• Many schools paid scholarships to students much more than their recorded strength. Even the school headmasters and the students that were paid did not know that they were receiving scholarships.

These are only specimen of wholesale pilferage of public funds on the expenditure side. The amounts siphoned off and laundered are running to several thousand crores in many cases. The records maintained in all these cases are more perfect than other genuine projects and they are regularly audited and examined as well. The stories of money diverted from bank loans is even more painful. A three digit loan scam is considered as a disgrace and laughed at as a incompetent job. These scams are shaking the very foundations of the financial sector. Many well-known names that were even decorated with awards suddenly surface in such scams.

*****

During my childhood days I had heard a Sanskrit verse about corrupt revenue officials who would eat and swallow anything from iron and stones to garbage. There was also a case of a stolen well from the agricultural lands of a farmer. All the documents were perfect and the money was spent for digging a very beautiful well in the farmer's land. Money spent was accurately accounted. The only problem was that the farmer did not have a well in his lands. He was forced to give a complaint that his well was stolen by somebody.

It is a beautiful verse and even after sixty years it still lingers in the memory. It runs like this:

ग्रामाधिकारी गर्भस्तः मात्रु मांसम् न खादति |

पापभीत्या न मन्तव्यम् दन्ताभवत्व हेतुना ||

Gramaadhikari Garbhastaha Maatru Maamsam na Khadati

Paapabheetya Na Mantavyaha Dantaabhavatva Hetuna!

The word "Grama" means village in Sanskrit and many other Indian Languages. Adhikari means an official or officer. Gramadhikari represents a government official at the village level. He is born to eat things (meaning he has a cut on anything he comes across). He is born with a mission to swallow things around him. The only thing he did not eat in his life is the meat in the mothers womb, when he was there. That he did not eat it was not because of any fear of committing a sin, for eating mother's womb would be the worst kind of sin one can imagine. The real reason for not eating it was because he did not have teeth then. Had he got teeth in the womb, he would have eaten her womb itself!

*****

It is often said that only two have "Vishwaroopa" or are "Omnipresent". The Supreme Lord and Corruption. The first we can understand and feel with dedicated efforts and higher learning. The second is felt without any difficulty, even if we do not want the same.

Jada Bharata to Ronald Nixon

There are three personalities with the name of "Bharata" that adore our epics. They are from different periods in time and belong to different clans. All of them are well-known for their valour and rich contributions our land. 

The first Bharata is a part of Adikavi Valmeeki's immortal work "Ramayana". He belongs to the Surya Vamsha (Sun Dynasty) and better known for the 14 year period as ruler of kingdom of Ayodhya. As brother of SriRama, he took care of the affairs of the state as a representative of his elder brother when he was banished to the forests for that period. Though he could have occupied the throne of Ayodhya himself, he chose to be a shadow of his great brother and attained an exalted position due to his qualities of brotherly love and sacrifice, among others. 

The second Bharata finds mention in the epic "Adi Purana" of Poet Jinasena, that describes the life and times of Rishabadeva, the first Tirthankkara in Jainism. The story of the two sons of Rishabadeva, Bharata and Bahubali is well known. This Bharata was also a great warrior and King, though his younger brother Bahubali is more praised and later became known as Gomateshwara. A Kannada Epic "Bharatesha Vaibhava" by Poet Ratnakara Varni in Kannada language describes the life of this Bharata Chakravarthy. (Please click here to read about this.)

The third Bharata finds mention in the epic "Mahabharata" of Veda Vyasa, in the Adi Parva. This Bharata was born in the Chandra Vamsha (Lunar Dynasty). He was the son of King Dushyantha and Shakuntala. Mahakavi Kalidasa has used the story of Dushyantha and Shakuntala as the base for his epic "Abhignana Shakuntalam". This Bharata is the king after whom our land got its name "Bharata". The land known as Aryavarta was called Bharatvarsha after this great Emperor. Those who have seen the tele- serial Mahabharata by B R Chopra will recall that the serial starts with this Emperor Bharata in episode 1.

*****

Bharata was said to be in mother Shakuntala's womb for 36 months and born as a very strong child. Due to his capacity of subduing even the strongest of wild animals he was named as "Sarvadamana", meaning one who can conquer everyone. After succeeding his father as the King, he won over large areas of land and expanded his Kingdom that reached out to the present parts of Russia, China, Iran and Eastern parts of Asia as well. He was a model and just ruler. It is also said that he was the emperor who sowed the seeds of democracy and chose an outsider as his successor though he had nine sons. He believed that none of his nine sons had the qualities to succeed him as the Emperor. 

After handing over the reins of the kingdom to his successor, Bharata proceed to the forests to live the life of a Vanaprastha, away from the lures of the worldly pleasures. He lived on the banks of the river Chakra and spent all his time in penance. While sitting on the banks of the river, one day he saw a pregnant Doe (female deer) drinking water in the river. There was a big roar of a lion nearby and the Doe became scared, stopped drinking water and jumped to the other bank of the river. The doe delivered the baby deer in mid flight and the baby deer was dropped in the flowing waters and being washed away. The mother Doe reached the other bank, hit a rock and died instantly. All this happened in a flash. Bharata jumped into the river and rescued the baby deer from drowning. As the mother had died, Bharata started taking care of the baby deer. His life changed and the deer became everything for him now! The king who renounced his Kingdom became a prisoner in the love of the baby deer. Shortly thereafter his end came and he died thinking of the baby deer and about its welfare after his death.

As he died thinking of the Deer, Bharata was born in the next life as a Deer. Because of his earlier penances, though born as a deer, he had the memories of the earlier birth and he continued his saadhana in that life also. As a deer he would always be moving and staying around the hermits of the rishis, listening to their discourse and hearing their discussions about the Lord. As a result he was born as a scholar's son in the next life.

Bharata in this life ignored all earthly pleasures and lived like a deaf and dumb boy even though he was perfectly alright. He would not talk to anybody and appeared inert to this world. He was now known as Jada (Inert) Bharata or Jada Bharata. People around made fun of him and called him stupid, but that did not matter to him. One of the Kings needed a human for being sacrificed in a ritual before godess Kaali. Jada Bharata was picked up by his servants and led to the sacrificial altar. Even when the sword was to be lowered on his neck in the ritual, he did not flinch. The mother godess appeared and killed all the others and released him. He continued to live in inner penance but appeared as stupid to outsiders.

King Rahoogana was now ruling the land. On a particular when he was travelling in his land, his servants found one person short to carry his palanquin (palki or pallakki). When they were looking for a person to fill the gap, they found Jada Bharata nearby. They found him fit for the job and drafted him to carry the palanquin. Jada Bharata quietly joined the pall bearers. While carrying the palanquin, he would jump whenever he found an insect on the way to avoid stepping on it. This resulted in violent shaking of the palki and caused severe discomfort to the King sitting in the palki. Rahoogana shouted at him but Jada Bharata did not change his ways. When the palanquin shook with very violent jerk, the King lost his patience and shouted that he would award death penalty to Jada Bharata. Jada Bharata now spoke for the first time and asked the King whether the punishment would be for the body or the soul. The King was taken aback and realised that this was no ordinary person. 

He requested Jada Bharata to accept him as his disciple and took him to the palace. He later learnt that Jada Bharata was his ancestor in earlier life. In due course Jada Bharata attained salvation. His story is remembered with respect and admiration even today.

****

Ronald Henry Nixon (1888-1965) was born in England and educated at Taunton. He became a British fighter pilot during World War I. Elevated as a Flying Officer in Royal Flying Corps in 1917, he had a miraculous escape when surrounded by many enemy planes. He had several close encounters with death during those days. He left air force at the end of the war and went to Kings College, Cambridge to study English Literature. During his studies there he developed interest in spiritual life, Hinduism and Buddhism. He got an offer to teach English literature in Lucknow University in India. He accepted the offer, came to India and taught in Lucknow University for some time. While so working he became close to the first Vice Chancellor of the university Shri Gyanendra Nath Chakravarti. He became a disciple of Gyanendra Nath's wife Monika Devi and pursued his spiritual journey.

When the family of Gyanendra Nath moved to Varanasi, Ronald Nixon also moved and joined Benaras Hindu University and taught English literature there. Monika Devi later renounced the world and became a sanyasi under the name Sri Yashoda Mai. The bright English Professor Ronald Nixon also chose to quit his job in BHU and became a sanyasi. People around him made fun of him but it did not matter to him. He learnt Urdu, Hindi, Sanskrit and studied various texts relating to spiritualism. He took sanyas later under the name of Sri Krishna Prem. Sri yashoda Mai and Sri Krishna Prem together founded the Mirtola Ashram in present Uttaranchal. Sri Krishna Prem travelled to South India to have interaction with Sri Ramana Maharshi and Sri Aurobindo. Sri Krishna Prem was widely accepted by Indian disciples, and the then President of India Ir S Radhakrishnan held him in high esteem for his spiritual knowledge. 

Sri Krishna Prem lived his last years in the Mirtola Ashram, on the Almora - Pithoragarh Road. Entry of foreigners was banned to Badrinath in those days, after the Indo-china war. Nehru Government gave special permission to Sri Krishna Prem to visit Badrinath and prey there. He has authored many books on the spiritual pursuits. It is said that that Sri Krishna Prem, known as Gopal Das to his disciples, used to offer fruits to the Krishna idols he worshipped, close the doors of the pooja room, come out and offer prayers. When the doors were reopened, the plate in which the fruits were kept would be empty. Sri Krishna Prem was known to say "My Krishna Really Eats!". This was not an occasional occurrence, but repeated many times.

*****

Bannanje Govindacharya (1936-2020) who passed away recently and known for his discourses rich in content and delivery, has made references to Sri Krishna Prem in his discourses. One such reference led to further learning about Sri Krishna Prem and this blog post.

Many enlightened souls would be around us and look like stupid and inert human beings. We may not be able to recognise them, but it does not matter to them. They concentrate on their spiritual pursuits and are oblivious to their surroundings.

Power of Encouragement

In my blog post titled "Ovation for over 15 minutes" (Click here to read it) I had made a mention of the tonic of encouragement an artiste or a performer gets when the audience or group watching the performance applauds their effort.

There is a story about the famous 19th-century poet and artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, popularly known as Dante. Dante came from a very talented family and his siblings were also writers and made their own mark in literature. Many budding artistes and poets visited him to seek his opinion on their paintings and poems. Dante was a kind man and quick to encourage any genuine talent that he spotted.
  
Once Dante was approached by an elderly man. The old man had some sketches and drawings that he wanted Dante to look at and tell him if they were any good, or if they at least showed potential talent. Dante looked them over carefully. After the first few, he knew that they were worthless, showing not the least sign of artistic talent. Being a kind man, Dante told the elderly man as gently as possible that the pictures were without much value and showed little talent. He was sorry, but he could not lie to the man. The visitor was disappointed, but seemed to expect Dante's judgment and left.

The old man was back after a few days with some more paintings. He apologized for taking up Dante's time and requested him to just look at a few more drawings, those done by a young art student. Dante looked over the second batch of sketches and immediately became enthusiastic over the talent they revealed. "These," Dante said, "oh, these are good. This young student has great talent. He should be given every help and encouragement in his career as an artist. He has a great future if he will work hard and stick to it."

The elderly man was deeply moved. "Who is this fine young artist, Your son?" Dante asked.  "No," said the old man sadly. "It is me - 40 years ago. If only I had heard your praise then!  For you see, I got discouraged and gave up - too soon."  Dante realized the power of encouraging young talent or more than that the negative effect of discouraging young talents.  Dante is credited with founding the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood movement that inspired a generation of writers and painters.  It is a paradox that Dante himself was attacked by the critics on his poems and paintings.  Such criticism led him to a depression and he became an alcoholic.  It is said that he buried many of his unpublished poems along with his wife's body in her grave, when she died.  It is also said that he got the grave dug up later on to retrieve the poems.

*****

Why talented youngsters get discouraged and give up?  Why they do not get the tonic of appreciation?  This question often comes up.  The first problem lies in the ability of the elders to identify or spot the talent.  In order to catch them young, the elderly require two qualities; capacity to spot the talent and the broad mindedness to appreciate it.  There is a need for the elderly to realize that the world belongs to the young. The second problem lies in miserly behavior when it comes to conveying the genuine recognition of the hidden capacities. Misplaced appreciation could result in more damage. Appreciation should not be confused with flattery.  Encouragement should be in proportion to the hidden talent and not excessive.  It should also be fair to other competitors, if there are any.  An extra consolation prize in a competition does not cost much to the organisers or judges, but goes a long way in encouraging one more talented youngster.

What does our ancient wisdom say about talent spotting and appreciation?  Our forefathers have identified three levels of appreciation of good qualities - Guna Grahana (identification of good qualities in others), Guna Prakashana (telling others about someone's good qualities) and Guna Sankeerthana (repeated and emphatic appreciation of the good qualities of a person in all possible methods).  An excellent example of Guna Sankeerthana, the highest form of appreciation, is James Boswell, biographer of Dr Samuel Johnson.  His "Life of Samuel Johnson" is considered as the most famous single work of biographical art in the whole of literature.  In fact, Boswell's "Life of Samuel Johnson" became as famous as Dr Johnson's "A dictionary of English Language"!  James Boswell was himself a man of many talents, but he chose to be a shadow of Dr Johnson and spent many years as a constant companion of the great man while writing his biography. His was Guna Sankeertana of the ultimate level.

Coconut saplings receive little quantities of water when they are planted.  As they grow up and stand tall, they remember this kind act of some one and hold on their head many fruits full of sweet water and ready to offer to others.  Encouragement given to a young talent may continue the tradition and the world may be a better place to live in future. A bowl of water to a young sapling is more valuable than a tankful of water to a fully grown tree. A just and due appreciation to a youngster is far more valuable than flattery of an already well established personality. 

I am no Thief, Mom!

 

Last week I had made a post titled "GrandFather and GrandSon" (click here to read it). Some friends have mailed me asking for similar stories. Saint Purandaradasa has left many such stories for us, in the form of beautiful songs. These songs were sung daily in almost every household some decades ago. Pressures of modern life and  change of life style have rendered such songs redundant. "Jack and Jill" and "Humpty Dumpty" have replaced those songs.

*******

ನೀಲವರ್ಣನೆ ಕೃಷ್ಣ,  ನಾರಿಯರು ನಿನ್ನ ಬಲು ಚೋರ ಎಂಬುವರೊ ಕೃಷ್ಣ
ಗಯ್ಯಾಳಿ ಶಟವಿಯರ ನುಡಿ ಕೇಳಿ ಎನ್ನ ಮೇಲೆ ಕೋಪವನ್ನು ಮಾಳ್ದೆಯಮ್ಮಾ, ಗೋಪ್ಯಮ್ಮ

ಬಡವರರಾಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊಡ ಹಾಲು ಮೊಸರು ನೀ ಕುಡಿದುಬಂದ್ಯಂತಲ್ಲೋ ಕೃಷ್ಣ?
ನಾ ಹುಡುಗ ಕೊಡ ಹಾಲು ಕುಡಿವ ಬಗೆ ಹ್ಯಾಂಗಮ್ಮ, ಇದ ನಿಜ ಮಾಡಿ ತೋರಿಸಮ್ಮ, ಗೋಪ್ಯಮ್ಮ
....................

Neelavarnane Krishna, naariyaru ninna balu chooranembuvaro krishna
Gayyali shataviyara nudi keeli enna meele koopavanu maaldeyamma gopyamma!

Badavaraa maneyalli koda haalu mosaru nee kudidu bandyantallo Krishna?
Naa huduga koda haalu kudiva bage hyaangamma, ida nija maadi torisamma, Gopyamma

*******

Yashoda is in a very angry mood. She is fed up with umpteen complaints on Krishna from almost every one in the area. Some of the complaints are unbelievable and her heart does not permit her to accept them. But she cannot ignore them also. This boy is also very mischievous and she herself knows his exploits at home. Complaints are made by the women when Krishna is not around. When  Krishna is with her and she questions him, he manages to digress and her motherly love makes her adore her son and forget the complaints. All the complaints are repeated the next day. She has decided to put an end to all these complaints. Little Krishna is strictly admonished and tied to the wooden pillar. He has been denied his share of  butter in the morning. Krishna is weeping  and begging his mother to release him.  She strongly rebukes him again. He is firmly told that he will be released only after the complaints are sorted out in the afternoon. Krishna promises her that he will stay at home and be available when all the complainants arrive. Yashoda does no relent. She knows very well that once released, she cannot find him easily. He may even run away to the banks of river Yamuna and start dancing on the head of some dangerous snake. She stays firm much against her motherly urge to release him. Krishna has stopped begging to be released. He appears hurt by the turn of events and two drops of tears, looking like pearls, are still on the edge of the beautiful eyes.

One by one the complainants are arriving in the palatial house of Nanda Gopa. Nanda Gopa is not at home. The court is in session. Yashoda is the presiding Judge. She is also the prosecutor. Many women from nearby streets are complainants. Accused Krishna is standing tied to the pillar. Balarama and other boys are just outside the main hall which is now converted into a court room. They are peeping through the window, anxious to know what is going to happen next. Yashoda  knows the list of complaints by heart and does not need any records to refer to. She has heard the complaint so many times.

"Krishna, this woman complains that you have gone to their house and stealthily drank a full pot of milk. They are very poor people. They make a living  by selling the milk. What should they do if a pot of milk is finished by you? Am I not giving you sufficient milk at home?"

"I am no thief, Mom. Do not believe this woman. You know I am such a small boy. My whole body can be put inside that big pot. Is it possible for my stomach to hold a pot of milk? See, how small is my stomach is! Let her bring a boy like me and make him drink a pot of milk.  Then we can accept her charge."

The charge is unsubstantiated and dropped. Yashoda takes up the next complaint. "Krishna, this other woman has a complaint that you took their sarees and ran away. What do you say for this?".  "Mom, I am only six years old and alone. They are sixteen years old, grown up and outnumber me. See my feet. How small they are. How can I run faster than them?". Charge is to be dropped again.

All other complaints are tried one by one. Krishna has a convincing reply to each charge. All charges are dropped and Krishna is released. He runs to meet his brother and friends waiting outside.

All the women come out of the palatial house. The first complainant comes to Krishna and begs him: "Krishna, please come to our house tomorrow. You can drink as much milk as you want. After your last visit our cow is giving three times the usual quantity of milk. Please forgive me and come tomorrow". Krishna smiles. Other complainants follow one by one. Each one requests him to visit their respective houses. Krishna is all smiles. Yashoda  comes in search of Krishna with a big ball of butter.

*******

Saint Purandaradasa must have observed children very closely. He probably saw a Krishna in every child around him. His was not a case of dry devotion to the Lord. It was devotion filled with humanly love and divine feelings.

Saraswati's Son and Parvathy's Daughter

Long long ago, Godess Saraswati, who is the presiding deity of all knowledge, desired to have a son. She went to Himalayas and undertook a long penance with this as the goal. After a long time Lord Brahma appeared and gave her a boon to have a son. She delivered a son as a result of the boon. The boy got up as soon as he was born and prostrated before her. He sang in praise of her in rhythmic and perfect meters; his utterance was the earliest poetry. Saraswati was extremely happy and told him that he embodied everything poetry represents. She also told him that there was only prose before him and he is the first person to bring poetry to this world. She blessed him wholeheartedly and named him as "Kavya Purusha" (काव्य पुरुष). As she wanted to have the pleasure of tending to her child for sometime, she advised him to go back to the state of a child for the time being, which he dutifully did. 

Saraswati lifted the child and proceeded towards the sacred river Ganga to take a holy dip in the river. She placed the child below a tree and went to the river. The child started crying after sometime. Maharshi Shukracharya who heard the noise came to the child and took him to his hut. Maharshi Shukracharya was mesmerized by the child's beauty and composed a poem in praise of Mother Saraswati. Saraswati returned from the river but could not find the child. Maharshi Valmeeki who was close by informed her about the child being taken by Maharshi Shukracharya and took her to the Rishi's hut. When Maharshi Valmeeki saw the child, he also composed a poem that led to his writing Ramayana. Later on Maharshi Vyasa also saw the child and composed Mahabharata. Thus Shukracharya, Valmeeki and Vyasa become earliest poets in history of development of rhythmic poetry.

As Kavya Purusha was growing up and Mother Saraswati was enjoying the growth process, a dispute arose between Rishis and Devatas on the interpretation of an important issue in the scriptures. Lord Brahma advised Mother Saraswati to proceed to heaven and mediate in satisfactorily resolving the dispute. Saraswati proceeded to heaven. Kavya Purusha also followed her. Saraswati told him that he cannot go with her without permission from Lord Brahma and he has to stay behind till her return. Kavya Purusha stayed back and grew into a handsome man. He became friends with Kumara Swamy, son of Lord Shiva and Godess Parvati. In due course of time, Kavya Purusha felt lonely, became restless and started wandering aimlessly.

Kumara Swamy could not tolerate the suffering of his dear friend. He went to his mother Parvati and requested her to help his friend Kavya Purusha. Parvati thought for a while and decided that the best way to bring Kavya Purusha on track was to tie him in the knots of love of a girl. She produced a beautiful girl and named her as Saahitya Vidyaa (साहित्य विद्या). She told the girl that her fiancee was going away from her and she should follow him and get married to him.  Saahitya Vidyaa started following Kavya Purusha and followed him wherever he went.   

Kavya Purusha wandered into different parts of the country. Saahitya Vidyaa followed him wherever he went. She tried different varieties of dresses and methods of beautification. Womenfolk of the respective areas also followed the same methods of dresses and beautifications. She tried different methods of music, dance and other allied methods to please Kavya Purusha. Kavya Purusha slowly took interest in her and started his own methods of dressing and appearances. The menfolk of the respective areas also followed him and therefore we have different methods of dresses and appearances in various parts of the country!

While moving around in the various parts of our large country thus, Kavya Purusha and Saahitya Vidyaa reached a city in Vidarbha called Vatsagulma, on the outskirts of Dandakaranya. The place got the name Vatsagulma as a Rishi by name Vatsa lived there. Saahitya Vidyaa and Kavya Purusha finally got married in this Vatsagulma city. (This Vatsagulma is presently known as Washim and is the headquarters of the Washim district in Maharashtra.) 

The newly wed pair went to Saraswati and Parvati and sought their blessings. Both the mothers were very happy and blessed the pair and gave them many boons. They created a special heaven for them and named it as Kaviloka (कविलोक). The mothers advised Kavya Purusha and Saahitya Vidyaa to reside in the minds of all poets and bless them by inspiring them from time to time. The couple are following the advice of their mothers and are thus a source of inspiration to all poets even today.

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Mention of Kavya Purusha is found in many places in puranas and also in Mahabharata. However, the story of Kavya Purusha and Saahitya Vidyaa in the above form is given to us by poet Raajashekhara in his "Kaavyameemamsa", considered as an epic in the field of Poetics.  The story is indeed interesting and inspiring!

Black and White

"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character", is a famous quote of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. A bright example to the spirit of this quote is found in the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy. 

The Frank Worrell Trophy (picture given above is taken from the internet) is awarded to the winner of the Cricket Test Series played between the Australian Cricket Team and West indies Cricket Team from the 1960-61 series onwards. The life story of Sir Frank Worrell (Knighted in the year 1964 for his services to Cricket) is worth remembering in these days when George Floyd Protests are raging all over the world.

The period was during the years 1960-61. Those were the days of "White Australia Policy", where blacks in Australia did not have the right of a full citizen. A 5-match Cricket Test series was played in Australia between the Australia team and the West Indies team. Members of the West Indian team were welcome as cricket players, but not as citizen. The two teams played under the leadership of Richie Benaud and Frank Worrell respectively. All the matches were played with record number of spectators thronging the stadia.  The series started with the great "Tied Test" at Brisbane, the first ever tied test between two cricket teams where both teams had equal number of runs at the end of two innings. This is as against a draw where the match is inconclusive and ends due to expiry of the time allotted for the game.  Australia won the second test at Melbourne but West Indies won the third test at Sydney. Fourth match at Adelaide was drawn leaving the final match at Melbourne to decide the series winner. The series could have gone either way till the finish in Melbourne. Last test was viewed by over 91,000 spectators in the Melbourne Cricket Ground with many disappointed viewers being unable to get entry into the stadium. The 5-Test series was ultimately won by Australia 2-1, with Australia winning the last match by two wickets.  

Sir Donald Bradman was the Chairman of the Australian Cricket Board of Control. He commissioned a former cricketer and jeweller by profession, Earnie McCormick to make a trophy to be awarded to the winner of the series between these two teams. The Ashes was already a well-known name for a trophy played between the England and Australia Cricket Test Series. The new trophy was to be on similar lines for series played between Australia and West Indies teams. The trophy was named after the captain of the losing team, considering the popularity of the visiting team and the great leadership qualities exhibited by Frank Worrell. That the trophy was named after the captain of a visiting cricket team of predominantly black players which lost the series is a testimony to the great values that Frank Worrell stood for. 

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It is a sheer coincidence that the lives of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Sir Frank Worrell run parallel to each other. Frank Worrell (01-08-1924) was born 5 years earlier to Dr Martin Luther King Jr (15-01-1929) and died (13-03-1967) one year before him (04-04-1968). Both lived a short life before events cut short their life. Worrell lived for 42 years before Leukaemia ended his life. Dr King lived for 39 years before his assassination. For a period of 38 years they lived in the same era (1929-1967) during their short lives, but remembered for their great contributions to the society. 

"We may have all come on different ships, but we are in the same boat now" is a famous saying of Dr King. Sir Frank Worrell practiced this all the way in his life, both on and off the cricket field. 

"A genuine leader is not a searcher for Consensus, but a moulder of Consensus" is another famous quote of Dr King. Sir Frank Worrell showed this in his efforts as a leader of men not just in Cricket, but in diverse fields of life as well.

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What is so great about Sir Frank Worrell that we have to remember him during the times of George Floyd protests? George Floyd Jr was an African American who was killed by a white police officer during an arrest in Minneapolis, USA, on 25th May, 2020. The killing was due to use of excessive force as shown by subsequent investigations. This has led to protests under BLM movement (Black Lives Matter) in several cities. The protests spread to several parts of the country and required Special Police forces to be deployed to bring calm to the surcharged atmosphere.

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What were the accomplishments of Frank Worrell? Sir Frank Mortimer Maglinne Worrell was born in Bridgetown, Barbados on 1st August, 1924. He later moved to Kingston, Jamaica. He was a Right hand Batsman and Left Arm Bowler, bowling both seam and slow types. He played First Class Cricket for both Barbados and Jamaica. He scored 15,025 runs with an average of 54.24 and got 349 wickets in first Class matches. He was associated in two 500-run partnerships in first class cricket. He played 51 test matches for West Indies (1948-63) scoring 3,860 runs at an average of 49.48 and 69 test wickets. He scored 9 test centuries and 22 fifties. He also carried his bat through a test innings, opening the innings and remaining not out at the end of the innings. The games were played in the days of no helmets, uncovered pitches and no additional protections. The above statistics themselves is enough to show that he was a successful cricketer in an era when matches were not played throughout the year like present times. 

More than the quantity of his statistics, it was the way he played and inspired others to play that made him a great name to remember for ever. His great leadership qualities enabled him to become the first black captain of the West Indies team. All Cricket Teams represent a country unlike West indies which is not a country, but a combination of various island nations in the Carribean islands. Frank Worrell was able to combine players from different island countries into a formidable team to challenge the great teams of that time. Along with Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Everton Weeks, Sir Frank Worrell formed the great 3Ws group of players who earned highest respect from the opponents on the field and off it as well. The 3Ws memorial, picture given alongside, is a living testimony to their accomplishments.

The 1960-61 series between Australia and West Indies was played when test cricket was at its dullest periods and there were days when even the team totals did not reach 200 runs. The slow tiring games were driving the spectators away from cricket grounds. Both Worrell and Benaud encouraged aggressive cricket. Aggression was in the way they fought with skills and not the physical show of aggression we see in many today's players. The teams fought hard on cricket field, but there were no sledging or exaggerated celebrations as we see today. Celebration on the field were more when an opposing player achieved a milestone. The players were darlings of the crowds. There was never a moment of dissent on the field against umpires rulings. In one such instance, in the last and delicate moments of the deciding test at Melbourne, an Australian batsman (Wally Grout) was ruled not out when the bail had fallen to the ground and the batsmen were running between the wickets. A mere look from Frank Worrell made the teammates get on with the game without a murmur! 

The Trophy was not just named after the visiting defeated team's captain, but over half a million people came out on the streets to bid farewell to the West Indies team taken in an open car procession. As one player (Conrad Hunte) recalls, the ticker-tape parade was a response normally reserved for Presidents and Prime Ministers. There were people on the streets, roof tops and balconies, waving and greeting the visiting players. A reception was given at the Melbourne Town Hall to them attended by many dignitaries. Another player recalls that they had lipstick and kisses marks allover their body with shouts of thanks and appreciation of the players cricketing skills as well as their exemplary conduct.

Worrell had many qualities that made him acceptable to everyone around him. He was the first player to donate blood when Indian cricket team Captain Nari Contractor was injured (3rd February, 1962) while facing a bouncer from Charlie Griffith. He treated everyone equally but had a special talent for identifying young talents and nursing them. Cricket's greatest allrounder of all times, Sir Garfield Sobers (again knighted for his services to Cricket) was Worrell's find and mentee. Worrell was made a Senator of Jamaica after he retired from cricket. He became a warden of Irvine Hall at the University of West Indies. He was diagnosed with Leukaemia while on a tour to India in 1966-67 and died a month later after return to Jamaica at a young age of 42 years. He was laid to rest the University of Barbados. His grave is visited by several people every day and remains a place to inspire people to follow the values he stood for. He taught a generation of people to play the game hard and fair, and end with good humour. He stood for political, economical and cultural cohesion and lived with a genuine smile. Not a put on one. The legacy of Sir Frank was carried on by his successors like Sir Garfield Sobers and Clive Lloyd.

Sir Frank Worrell had an Indian connection too. He was on a tour of India with the cricket team in 1966 (not as a player) when he was identified as suffering from Blood Cancer. He made many friends in India during that visit. That was the series in which B S Chandrashekar came into prominence by bowling 93 overs and taking 11 of the 14 West indies wickets that fell in the first test match at Bombay.  

There is a Hindi Movie by name "Around the World" (1967) starring Raj Kapoor and Rajshri. The song "Around the world in 8 dollars" from the film is famous. The sum 8 Dollars refers to the amount of Foreign Exchange allowed to Indian travellers in those days! The film is dedicated to Sir Frank Worell as can be seen in the beginning of titles. He can be seen in the film for a short while, when actor Om Prakash talks to him. 

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Luckily for the present generation, some of Worrell's actions can be seen on YouTube. A three part recording of the 1960-61 series is available on it. The third part (33 minutes) especially records the final test followed by the Trophy presentation by Frank Worrell to Richie Benaud in the presence of Don Bradman. There are scenes of the procession and farewell as well. Please click on this to see it. Click on this link to watch the cricketing greats of yesteryears Gary sobers, Neil Harvey, Colin McDonald, Alan Davidson, Bob Simpson, Rohan Kanhai, Wesley Hall, Alfred Valentine, Lance Gibbs, Gerry alexander, Cameroon Smith and Conrad Hunte recall the great qualities of Sir Frank Worrell.

The words of the captain of the opposing team, Richie Benaud, at the conclusion of the 1960-61 series, after receiving the Trophy and Worrell's cap, tie and blazer, sums up the whole episode: "He gave us his scalp (Cap), neck (Tie) and upper half of the body (Blazer). But he himself will remain in the hearts of cricket lovers in this country for many long day."

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People like Sir Frank Worrell and Dr Martin Luther King Jr are indeed more relevant today, in the background of George Floyd protests.

Everything Will Be Perfect

A train arrives on the platform of Istanbul City Railway Station (formerly known as Constantinople) and screeches to a halt. There is a rush of people on the platform towards the train to board it. Those inside the train make way to get out of it. A family of five, a man, a woman, two sons and a daughter, arriving on the train from a village, get down and walk to the exit gate. As they move to the gate, the man tells his wife: "One day we will conquer this Golden City". 

The family moves into the city. Many things happen in their life thereafter in the next few years. The elder son grows up to be a strong man but gets into bad company. He gets arrested and jailed. The younger son grows up to be a very handsome man. He falls in love with a rich girl. He marries her and moves away to stay with the wife's family. Some bad developments in the daughter's life make her mentally disturbed. The old parents are now left with this daughter and find life difficult in the city. They decide to go back to their village and reach the same railway platform.

The train arrives on the platform and screeches to a halt. As the disappointed old parents move to the compartment holding their daughter, another family from the village coming on this train makes way to the gate. As the two families cross each other, the old parents hear the head of that family telling his wife:"One day we will conquer this Golden City". 

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The above is the story in brief of "Conquerers of the Golden City", a 1965 movie directed by Getin Gurtop. Constantinople or Istambul has been considered as the "Gateway to Europe" or "Gateway to Asia" depending on which side you are standing. Situate between Sea of Marmara and Black Sea, this 40 million populated city connects Europe with Asia. Its importance was even more during the days when travel between Asia and Europe was either through land or sea. Known as the Golden City, The 1965 movie referred above deals with the plight of migrant labour who move into large cities looking for work and a comfortable life. The crisis of migrant labour doing rounds in the time of COVID-19 has been there all the time, but its tremendous manifestation during the last three months has shook the conscience of those who have it. Coming with a lot expectations to the cities, realising harsh realities of city life the hard way, getting stuck in the slums without basic amenities, and often ending in the crime world are all appear too close for comfort.  

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Nagarame Nanni (or Nagarame Nandi) is a Malayalam Movie screened in 1967 and the plot is similar to the one of Conquerors of the Golden City. Written by M T Vasudevan Nair, directed by  A Vincent with Prem Nazir and Usha Nandini in the lead roles, this is considered as one of the best movies ever made in Malayalam. It the story of a family moving into the City of Madras (now Chennai) looking for better life in the city. The song "Nagaram Nagaram Mahasagaram" (meaning that the city is a big ocean) sung by K J Yesudas became a big hit along with other songs in the film. The film was also a success from the commercial angle.

K Balachander's 1977 Tamil Film "Pattina Pravesham" also has a similar theme. All these three movies refer to the life of migrants which turns sour in the city. High expectations denied in the end.

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Does it mean that all dreams of migrants lie shattered in the big cities with no chance of success? Are there no success stories of migrants in any of the films? A Kannada movie made in 1969 titled "Mayor Muthanna" gives the other side of the story. Muthanna, an illiterate village boy is thrown out of the area and forced to move into the city of Bangalore. He manages to move up by his hard work and ultimately rises to become Mayor of the city. The film with Dr Rajkumar as the hero, became a roaring success and is considered as a major milestone in the life of the actor as well. It was a commercial success too. The film gave two important personalities for the Kannada movie industry. It was the first movie directed by noted Director Siddalingaiah. It was also the first movie produced by Dwarakeesh who produced and directed many movies later on.

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Transfers of bank officers every two or three years is a part of their life. This is even more so for the Branch Managers and other senior executives. Every time there is a transfer, the person has to move into a new place and start all over again. More often than not, the moving is into an unknown place with starting from the scratch as far as personal life is concerned. No place is permanent and it is adventure all over again when the new transfer order is received. There are some lucky ones who manage to stay around a single place for several years, but the more common experience is otherwise. Each transfer brings with it new responsibilities as he becomes answerable to the happenings in the new branch.

All Branch Managers start their innings in the new place with the resolve that "Everything will be perfect" in the new branch. They promise themselves that they will not deviate from the rules set for functioning of the branch and ensure that everything they do in the branch will be just perfect. The promise made to oneself is the one of conquering the golden city. 

In the early 70s, the new Branch Manager would arrive at the branch before the old Branch Manager left the place. There would be a period of one week or ten days for handing over and taking over charge. The two would sit together, see and discuss branch related issues, visit important customers and personalities etc. There would be a document signed by the two, recording the date of handing over and taking over a branch with branch business figures and other relevant details. 

With large expansion of banking network and shortage of manpower, this charge change procedure became a luxury that bank's could not afford. The style of conducting business and styles of managing a bank branch also changed tremendously. This resulted in doing away with this formality of charge change system. Nowadays, a Manager leaves the old branch by handing over the charge temporarily to his second-in-command and proceeds to his new place of posting. He then takes charge at the new branch from the one holding temporary charge at that office. This process continues on and on.....

The role of a Branch Manager when he takes charge of a new branch is not one of an auditor. Branch Manager is basically a development man. Business Development is the basic purpose of the existence of a bank branch. He should remember that his predecessor also started at the branch with the goal of "Everything will be perfect". Despite his best efforts certain distortions might have crept in. Just as his predecessor, the present man is also starting with a promise that "Everything will be perfect". But there may be some distortions developing in due course for various reasons. 

The show goes on.......

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How would the dream of a new Branch Manager turn out to be when he leaves the branch a couple of years later? Would it be like the "Conquerors of the Golden City" or like "Mayor Muthanna"? Time will tell. 

The present generation of bankers managing bank branches are tech savvy and have their hands on the pulse of the market. They have abundant opportunities to learn the skills of managing branches efficiently. For every one problem story there are ten success stories. The industry is going through difficult phase now, but that is not new to banking industry. It has seen many ups and downs and emerged stronger from each crisis. Each problem will have a new answer. Task is always difficult but it is one industry that is growing year after year even in times of great adversity.

The hardworking and skilled young bankers will always succeed!