Rejoice Daughters of J&K; RIP Article 370 / Neelam Jain

In a huge move, Home Minister Amit Shah on August 5, 2019, announced scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution that provides special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. With it was also laid to rest the highly discriminatory provision of the state that penalized a woman for marrying an outsider but protected a male in similar circumstances.
Article 370 and 35A – as introduced in the Indian Constitution for granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir, were a fundamental breach of women’s fundamental rights as Indian citizens. A glorious tradition that believes in

Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra Devata,
yatraitaastu na pujyante sarvaastatrafalaah kriyaah

“Where Women are honoured, divinity blossoms there, and where women are dishonored, all action no matter how noble it may be, remains unfruitful”,

the state of J&K deprived its daughters their basic right if they married an outsider. In Jammu and Kashmir, citizenship was unequal among men and women. The irony was never lost on the daughters when the entire country thronged to the most revered shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi, yet the same state displayed an unsavory bias against its girls.

What an anomaly. If a woman from J&K married a foreigner she would lose her right to inherit, own or buy immovable property in the state, whereas no such law affected a male in a similar situation. Consider this, if a boy from the state married a girl from outside, his wife not only became a state-subject (the certificate that confers special privileges on the state residents), but their children enjoyed the status by default. Whereas, if that boy had a sister and she also chose to marry an outsider, she stood to lose her state-subject and all the related rights. Her husband would never be welcomed as a traditional ‘Jamai’ in the state. Their children were aliens. All because of her gender!

You might exclaim, “Are you joking!” Yet, that’s exactly what it was. A poor joke played by the state on its own daughters.

An interesting example is the well-known family of Farooq Abdullah himself. Farooq Abdullah married a British woman and their son Omar Abdullah got to become the Chief Minister of the state. Omar’s wife was also not from the state, yet it did not impact his rights. On the other hand, Omar’s sister when she married an outsider she lost all rights as a state subject.

On October 7, 2002, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court overturned the established legal position. The court ruled that by marrying an outsider, a J&K woman did not lose her permanent-resident status. The decision was contested by the state’s political parties, who drafted a bill known as the Daughters Bill or the Permanent

Residents’ (Disqualification) Bill stripping a woman of permanent resident-status if she married a foreigner. Although the bill was not passed, a similar bill was introduced in March 2010. This bill was also not passed. It, however, had considerable political support

The 2002 ruling came after a bunch of women went to court to fight against the discriminatory nature of the law. The battle, however, was only partially won. Women marrying outside the state could inherit their parental property, but the rider was they still could not pass it on to their children.

Women have had to fight for their rights through history. However, in a modern India that enshrines equal rights to its women in the Constitution, the state of Jammu and Kashmir continued to practice the anachronistic denial of fundamental rights on the basis of gender.

August 5, 2019, spelt a historic victory for the women of the state. August 15 is India’s Independence Day, but in my opinion women of J&K could herald their independence 10 days in advance. By one fell well-deliberated swoop, Home Minister Amit Shah set the anomaly right. The Damocles sword was lifted from the neck of many a woman of the state who had inherited property, but by virtue of having married an outsider could not pass it on to her children. They always feared losing the property.

Besides other political and geographical implications of the August 5, 2019 move by the Home Minister under the aegis of PM Narendra Modi, it is a big day for the women of the state who now feel on par with men in their citizenship rights.

“I am a woman with thoughts and questions and shit to say. I say if I’m beautiful. I say if I’m strong. You will not determine my story–I will.” -Amy Schumer




Prasar Bharati chief rises to defend Indian Democracy against ‘blatant’ anti-India presentation at a global meet hosted by UK and Canada

Prasar Bharati Chairman, Surya Prakash

As reported by Hindu, Prasar Bharati Chairman Dr. A. Surya Prakash said that Vinod K. Jose, Executive Editor of The Caravan magazine, made a “blatant” anti-India presentation during a session on ‘Religion and the Media’ at the Global Conference for Media Freedom, calling many of his statements “false” and “inaccurate”.

What was really shocking were many a blatant lies by Mr. Jose. Believe it or not he said that “a hundred Christians were murdered in India” and “the RSS engineered the pogrom against the Sikhs in 1984”.

After Jose’s presentation, when the discussion was thrown open to the floor, Mr. Prakash rose to the occasion and said many of the statements made by The Caravan editor were “false” and that there were “inaccuracies” in the presentation.

India was not only the world’s largest democracy, but also the most vibrant. It was also the most diverse society in the world, he added.

Explaining his intervention, Dr. Surya Prakash said that if the audience left the hall believing Mr. Jose, democracy across the world would be in jeopardy. The video below, which documents his intervention is a must watch

The conference was organised jointly by the governments of the UK and Canada.

“I am pained by the decision of the organisers to have given a platform for such a blatant anti-India presentation. I don’t think anyone is furthering the cause of democracy by running down the most vibrant democracy in the world,” Surya Prakash contended. To read the full report click the link below.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/prasar-bharati-chief-accuses-the-caravan-editor-of-blatant-anti-india-presentation-at-global-meet/article28420116.ece

In a PTI report published in The Week Aditi Khanna adds from London, that any initiatives aimed at strengthening media freedom around the world should be focused on deepening the democratic traditions and steer clear of being agenda driven.




The choice of some of the new cabinet members – a master stroke? Full list is out / Manohar Khushalani

S. Jaishankar, Ajit Doval and Narendra Modi

Getting Dr. S. Jaishankar, as a member of the Indian Cabinet is a master stroke by PM Modi. He was the negotiator of the Civil Nuclear Deal with USA, which required complex negotiations. Dr. S. Jayshankar worked with Manmohan Singh on the Civil Nuclear Deal. That was one of the greatest achievements of Mr. Manmohan Singh. I remember following the regular updates on this matter. The negotiations were really complex, and it was quite a task making the American Government turn around navigating through intricate International agreements.

Jayshankar was also the man behind diffusion of Doclam standoff. Besides he was the Ambassador to US and China. One couldn’t think of a better Minister of Foreign Affairs. The reappointment of Ajit Doval and inclusion of Hardeep S. Puri in the cabinet, shows a focus on India’s International Relations. Signs of India emerging as a Geopolitical power.

But Doval is the first NSA to have cabinet rank. A significant amount of credit for the success of the post-Uri surgical strikes in PoK, as well as the Balakot strikes post-Pulwama may go to Doval. In resolving the Doklam standoff, both Doval and Jaishankar reportedly played key roles.

Besides in his first innings the PM was disadvantaged by not having enough expertise in his cabinet. That is why Ministers like Arun Jaitley were overloaded with too many responsibilites and ministries. This time in his second inning’s the PM appears to be following the American model of installing professionals as his advisers.

The list of the ministries is out. Amit Shah has not been given Finance. A better qualified Woman from JNU has been given the responsibility -Nirmala Sitarman. These are her qualifications. So I am told:

BA (Economics)
MA (Economics)
M. Phil (Economics)
Assistant to Economist, Agricultural Engineers Association, UK
Manager, BBC
Senior Manager R&D, Price Waterhouse
Former Commerce Minister, India
Former Defence Minister, India
Now Finance Minister Of India

Here is the complete list of Ministers with Portfolios released by Rashtrapati Bhawan

Cabinet Ministers

Ministers of State (Independent Charge)

Ministers of State

Breaking News: Indian Cabinet 2019 – A OneVorld Scoop

OneVorld is first with a detailed and most comprehensive break up. After a sweeping victory in Indian Elections, as per information received from reliable sources, this is the likely cabinet of Prime minister elect Narendra Modi who will be sworn in by the President of India at 7 pm, today 30th May in Rashtrapati Bhawan. The event is being managed like a suspense thriller. To keep the interest of the viewers alive, it’s possible that TV viewers will know about the Ministers during the ceremony itself. Meanwhile OneVorld brings to you a blow by blow account of the likely Ministers of the cabinet.
Sources say PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will be the only two leaders dialing lawmakers to inform them they will be ministers.
The lawmakers were also advised not to believe Newspaper reports and trust only the direct calls made to them

According to NDTV, this is the latest list of Ministers planning to take oath today. Apparently the ministries may be announced later.
  • Ravi Shankar Prasad
  • Piyush Goyal
  • Smriti Irani
  • Nirmala Sitaraman
  • Kiren Rijiju
  • Sushma Swaraj
  • Rajnath Singh
  • Nitin Gadkari
  • Dharmendra Pradhan
  • Dr Harshavardhan
  • Shripad Naik
  • Narendra Singh Tomar
  • Suresh Prabhu
  • Rao Inderjit Singh
  • VK Singh
  • Arjun Ram Meghwal
  • Krishan Pal Gurjar
  • Ram Vilas Paswan
  • Harsimrat kaur
  • DV Sadananda Gowda
  • Babul Supriyo
  • Prakash Javadekar
  • Ramdas Athavale
  • Jitender Singh
  • Niranjan Jyoti
  • Parshottam Rupala
  • Thawar Chand Gehlot
  • Rattan Lal Kataria (first time)
  • Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (first time)
  • RCP Singh (first time)
  • G Kishan Reddy (first time)
  • Suresh Angadi (first time)
  • A Ravindranath
  • Kailash Chowdhary (first time)
  • Pralhad Joshi (first time)
  • Som Parkash (first time)
  • Rameshwar Teli (first time)
  • Subrat Pathak (first time)
  • Deboshree Chaudhary (first time)



  • The Story of celebrations of a Girl Child and an Eco-Friendly Village: Piplantari

    An excellent documentation of a model village with a visionary Sarpanch who found a novel way to encourage villagers to celebrate the birth of a daughter and in the process populate the village land with more and more trees.

    TVNFs latest short film PARIYON KI PIPLANTRI OR FAIRIES OF PIPLANTRI (Subtitles in English) is a powerful story of transformation of a village brought about by a systemic approach and a committed community…By eliminating female infanticide and growing trees… A society that respects women also values reciprocity, nurturing and cooperation…

    Watch the film on this link




    Madness as a Construct / Raj Ayyar

    So often, esp. in South Asia and elsewhere, madness is seen as a stigma, a permanent condition of an unfortunate few that are not ‘normal’.
    ‘Madness’ as a construct, rather than a hushed-up essential condition of some humans: Michel Foucault, Thomas Szasz, R.D. Laing and the sociologist Erving Goffman have taught us that ‘madness’ is a function of power relations and discourses (Foucault), that it is a ‘deviant’ dramaturgic performativity (Goffman), that madness is ‘manufactured’ (Szasz), that the ‘mad’ ones are the really sane escapists in a schizoid, fragmented world (RD Laing).
    The Cheshire Cat in Alice prefigures all these critiques of ‘madness’ vs. ‘normalcy’.
    Raj Ayyar
    ‘In that direction,’ the Cat said, waving its right paw round, `lives a Hatter: and in that direction,’ waving the other paw, `lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.’

    `But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ Alice remarked.
    ‘Oh, you can’t help that,’ said the Cat: `we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.’

    `How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice.
    `You must be,’ said the Cat, `or you wouldn’t have come here.’

    Alice didn’t think that proved it at all; however, she went on `And how do you know that you’re mad?’

    `To begin with,’ said the Cat, `a dog’s not mad. You grant that?’
    `I suppose so,’ said Alice.

    `Well, then,’ the Cat went on, `you see, a dog growls when it’s angry, and wags its tail when it’s pleased. Now I growl when I’m pleased, and wag my tail when I’m angry. Therefore I’m mad.’

    `I call it purring, not growling,’ said Alice.
    `Call it what you like,’ said the Cat.
    –Lewis Carroll: Alice in Wonderland




    OneVorld Vocabulary VorkOut / One

    Some rarely used English terms

    1. The space between your eyebrows is called a glabella.
    2. The way it smells after the rain is called petrichor.
    3. The plastic or metallic coating at the end of your shoelaces is called an aglet.
    4. The rumbling of stomach is actually called a wamble.
    5. The cry of a new born baby is called a vagitus.
    6. The prongs on a fork are called tines.
    7. The sheen or light that you see when you close your eyes and press your hands on them is called phosphenes.
    8. The tiny plastic table placed in the middle of a pizza box is called a box tent.
    9. The day after tomorrow is called
    overmorrow.
    10. Your tiny toe or finger is called minimus.
    11. The wired cage that holds the cork in a bottle of champagne is called an agraffe.
    12. The ‘na na na’ and ‘la la la’, which don’t really have any meaning in the lyrics of any song, are called vocables.
    13. When you combine an exclamation mark with a question mark (like this ?!), it is referred
    to as an interrobang.
    14. The space between your nostrils is called columella nasi.
    15. The armhole in clothes, where the sleeves are sewn, is called armscye.
    16. The condition of finding it difficult to get out of the bed in the morning is called dysania.
    17. Unreadable hand -writing is called griffonage.
    18. The dot over an “i” or a “j” is called tittle.
    19. That utterly sick feeling you get after eating or drinking too much is called crapulence.
    20. The metallic device used to measure your
    feet at the shoe store is called Bannock device.

    You prided yourself in your command over English language, didn’t you? . Eat your humble pie and share this, von’t you?




    Wisdom Winging Within

    Sarva Mangalam!
    May all beings be enlightened!
    WISDOM WINGING WITHIN

    By

    SURYAKANTHI TRIPATHI
    Based on

    1. CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS by Fariduddin Attar
    2. SRI RAMACHARITAMANASA of Goswami Tulsidas

    and

    3. BYA CHOS RIN-CHEN HPHREN-BA
    The ancient Tibetan text
    ‘Lord Buddha’s Religion for the Birds’ 

    WISDOM WINGING WITHIN
    FIVE SCENES

    I. TAKING WING TO THE KING
    II. THE TEACHING OF BHAKTI
    III. THE SEED OF DHARMA
    IV. THE INNER RESOLVE
    V. A WINGED SYMPHONY
    *********

    I. TAKING WING TO THE KING

    The King kneaded clay with water and with air.
    Next, with a vial of spirit, vivified its every pore.
    He gave it intelligence that the clay may discern,
    Then He Himself seeped through it all as longing,
    And trapped the clay yearning in a forever enigma,
    Of body-soul interlace, this restless mortal mixture.
    But, about that, they say, it’s better to keep silent.
    We will. But first we’ll tell of winging to the King!
    Travel with us, the journey is but the destination,
    And after we reach, then, we will keep silent.

    Human and bird, we have each an intellect adamant,
    But need a guide delving deeper than can our mind!
    We want the King, who made manifest you and me,
    The One who floats cosmos on a sliver of His will,
    Who, in a turtle shell’s speckle, could conceal infinity!
    But who’ll lead us to Him, is there any one that can
    Wing us to the King who baits us silently, eternally?

    Yes, it’s Hoopoe, a feather fan as its crown spray,
    Yes, that bird, its small breast blazes the Spirit’s way!

    We know nothing of the King, save that He exists,
    Can you take us to Him, the birds asked Hoopoe.
    Yes, said Hoopoe, for our deluded, unseeing self
    Is blind to the King’s royal road right before us.
    It is here and far, near and distant, His throne,
    Let us together end our quest, not do it alone,
    Give up oneself, for the whole is our only goal,
    For the King, He waits to give us his inmost soul.
    Nothing can words say, let us go seek the way!

    Truly, Bismillah is etched deep on Hoopoe’s beak,
    So praised the birds, but reverted and found excuse,
    Nightingale could not part from his love, the rose,
    Peacock, painted bird, sought just his lost paradise,
    Duck said, my pond, it is the prayer-mat of perfection,
    Why, asked Hawk, I already perch on a royal wrist,
    So also said no Finch, Owl, Hen, Homa and Heron,
    But all, incoherent and lame, did voice only their fear.
    But Hoopoe urged, Truth is not pale, but brightest light,
    The heart craves the sun’s fire, let us fly to the flame!

    II. THE TEACHING OF BHAKTI

    Uma Bhavani, power of nature, nature of energy,
    She asked Shiva Mahadeva, the omniscient yogi,
    Of all, you know best the majesty of Lord Rama,
    But why did you first tell the story of Lord Rama
    Of all, tell it first to the old crow, Kak Bhushundi?
    Shiva Omkara, the ever-present essence, replied:
    Few are they, who truly grasp the story of Hari,
    Again, fewer that can truly tell the story of Hari.
    None as rapt in one, adept in other as Bhushundi!
    Only in such submersion, does all delusion flee,
    For, well do we all know, Uma Bhavani,
    Many drapes of delusion does He don, our Hari!

    In the Nilagiri risings of the four golden peaks
    There dwells, Kak Bhushundi, immortal crow,
    Aeon after aeon, immersed in Hari Bhakti!
    On one peak stands a banyan, peepul on another
    A Plaksa fig tree the next, mango on the fourth.
    Witness and compass of Kak’s daily devotion.
    He meditates on the Lord under the peepul,

    Chants His name below the arc of the Plaksa,
    Worships Him in the shade of the mango,
    And narrates His tales under the Banyan.
    Waves of birds flock each dawn to him,
    As did I, along with noble, enlightened swans,
    For Kak Bhushundi, in the trance of total devotion,
    Tells without pause, the myriad tales of his Lord,
    Incarnation of Hari, eternal incomparable Rama!

    Now I’ll tell you about Garuda, whom you know,
    This king of the birds, how he called on the crow!
    Garuda, the mount of Vishnu, of Hari himself,
    Even he was ripped by doubt, rent by delusion,
    And had to hear Kak tell the story of his Hari,
    The Blessed Lord of Illusion, Bhagavan Mayapati!

    Raghupati, playing at fighting a battle in Lanka,
    Allowed Himself to be prone, hand and foot bound
    By the slew of snakes flung at Him by Meghnath,
    That mighty warrior son of the mightier Ravana.
    Then Narada, heavenly sage, to Lanka sent Garuda,
    To cut the serpentine bonds and free Rama, Lord Hari!
    Garuda, king of the feathered creation, he did his duty,
    Freed the Lord, bound on ground by venomous ropes.
    But he returned, his soul sad, in grievous dejection!
    Garuda agonized, My Lord, now incarnate on earth,
    How did He get flung down, get so easily coil-bound?
    Hari, the Rama, just the repetition of whose name
    Frees one from the tangled bonds of life and death,
    How was He helpless, so shorn of His own divinity?

    O Uma Bhavani, then did Garuda come to me,
    Unsure of himself, knowing dimmed and dark,
    Perplexed and in pain, fallen prey to confusion.
    Changing and unreal, Maya makes puppets of all,
    Formidable is this Rama’s power of cosmic illusion,
    A challenge to decipher the nature of His reality.
    Even Garuda, so close to Hari, was by Maya misled,
    Then, can mere mortals attain immunity from fantasy?
    Yes, yes, only when each instant is with devotion filled,
    When every breath, in out, is of love the most intense,
    Else despite sacrament, sacrifice, ritual or austerity,
    Rama Raghunatha stays distant, is not drawn near!

    With a host of sages, asked Uma, why did Garuda,
    Go to hear a crow tell the story of Ramachandra?
    Shiva Mahesha replied, Bhushundi, great devotee,
    Says just Raghupati’s name is radiant as the sun,

    Dispels all the darkness, ignorance and illusion,
    For Rama is Truth and Bliss, He’s Cognizance!
    Garuda, I said, seek solace in Kak’s company.
    At this, even that wise, ancient bird of wide span,
    He looked down, then at me, in some perplexity.
    A crow, my Lord, he said humbly, forgive me!
    Immersed in your meditation, Shiva Ishwara,
    Perhaps, perhaps you did not hear me clear.

    Kak Bhushundi’s life, it is steeped in wisdom,
    Is freed from the taints of worldly attraction,
    So go, O King of the Birds, I said, go there,
    Where the story of the Lord is told ceaselessly!
    The Adi Ramayana, the Rama Charita Manasa,
    Manasa, the Lake brimming with Hari’s eternity!
    Even as you hear it, your doubts will all dissolve,
    Intense again will be your love for the Lord!
    Then did Garuda fly to the abode of Bhushundi.

    At the very sight of the peaks, his heart grew light,
    As he drank the water of the lake, his agony faded.
    Then delighted, he betook himself to the banyan,
    The flocks of birds were there, all gathered to hear
    The crow’s narration of Rama’s divine incarnation!
    Kak seeing Garuda, saluted him with great respect,
    Tell me, King of Birds, what would you bid me do?
    Garuda said, you are the cast and core of sanctity,
    At the sight of your hermitage, all qualms vanish,
    Now, I yearn to hear you tell the sacred Rama story,
    That enchants at its hearing, still keeps one longing!

    At this pious request, Bhushundi, diffused with joy,
    Sang of the Lord’s descent, his epic deeds on earth,
    The mystical Manasa, sacred lake of Rama’s exploits!
    The birds said, Ayodhya Rama is bliss incarnate,
    And Kak Bhushundi brings the Lord within our reach
    By his rapturous recounting of the Rama Charita!

    Garuda, he bowed low before the crow and said,
    When I saw His ways were those of a frail human,
    I was in deep distress, but that was a blessing,
    For it led me to you, Sir, to a divine opportunity
    To hear your sacred narrative of Rama Sri Hari!
    By His grace, freed of angst am I, blessed am I!
    For no chant or vision can match your devotion!
    Such was Garuda’s pilgrimage to Kak Bhushundi,
    In those mystic, enraptured purples of Nilagiri,
    North of Mount Sumeru, which the sun circles,

    To again learn true Bhakti for his own Lord Hari!

    And so it was, that Garuda went and he learnt,
    Property, progeny, position, retinue of illusions,
    Not the moon, starry hosts or mountains afire,
    But only His sun can make dark despair disappear.
    True devotion, free of bigotry, leads to Lord Hari,
    Who wants no mind-control, penance or penitence.
    For the Rama of the Raghus is found only in Bhakti.
    Even in an age of chains, free are we to stride space,
    Through constancy to Rama, in adoration of Sri Hari!
    No longer circled by serpents of desire or vanity,
    Our world brimming over with Rama’s compassion,
    Against whom do you need harbour fear or animosity?

    Grant me these blessings, Lord Rama, in Your mercy,
    May I never yield to Maya, test of distracting potency,
    May my love for Your lotus feet be intense, my Lord,
    In every moment, in every breath and birth of mine!

    Then, ended Shiva Mahayogi,
    In this, did all birds find bliss!

    III. THE SEED OF DHARMA

    The Lord Buddha said,
    In every tongue will I expound Dharma,
    In the speech of angels and serpents,
    In the tongues of humans and birds
    So that every being may drench,
    In the outpouring of the Dharma.
    Thence, The Buddha, he entered
    And breathed in the realms of all life.

    In the seclusion of the mystic Himalayas,
    Where summits shine in bright radiance,
    And glaciers wear lion-manes of turquoise,
    In the wooded mountain of Unique Jewels
    Under a sandal tree, in a perfect trance,
    Sat still, for ages, the noble Lord Avalokita.
    Sat he, becoming a Cuckoo, King of Birds,
    Sat he, absorbed in the total presence.

    Then, one day, just as the sun rose,
    The Parrot made bold to speak to him,
    Salutations, Great Bird, please awaken!

    Do emerge from your deep trance!
    At last, Lord Avalokita did open his eyes.
    Then, insisted the Parrot, Eat, great sage!
    Since you too are a bird, I brought seeds,
    The quintessence of all food and life.
    And, thereafter, O Most Wise One, tell me,
    Do tell what merits such contemplation?

    The Cuckoo looked deep at the Parrot and spoke,
    Samsara, this ocean, is vast and restless,
    Yields not one drop that is of substance.
    Koo! Koo! Kooooo!
    Parents and children, friends and enemies
    Robes and rags, strongholds and huts,
    Hoarded spoils, even rocks get consumed.
    Only impermanence and illusion,
    As the truths of Samsara, do abide.
    This I learnt, in solitude and silence,
    In fragrance afloat under this sandal.

    Hearing this, the Parrot called out
    To all the feathered creatures.
    They came, birds of every kind,
    Indian birds led by the Peacock,
    Birds of Tibet behind the Vulture,
    The water birds followed the Goose,
    Domestic birds, the red-breasted Cock.
    They settled in rows, saluted the Cuckoo,
    Give us the good Dharma, they said,
    Free us from this cage of suffering;
    Give us the good Dharma, they said,
    Dispel the ignorance in us.
    Great and noble bird, the Parrot said,
    We are all deluded by Samsara,
    Give us the good Dharma, the Saddharma!
    That we may ponder on it, know it!

    Thrice, the Great Bird shook his wings,
    Koo! Koo! Koooo!
    That’s a mighty entreaty, so I will speak.
    Listen, said the Cuckoo, there are just three,
    Three treasures to attain the sole refuge,
    In this life, as also in all life hereafter.
    First, said he, Reflect, in earnest reflect,
    On life’s impermanence and on death! Koo!
    Second, Commit kindly acts, never an evil one, Koo!
    Third, Allow within only thoughts good and benign.
    Koooo!

    Rose the Peacock, framed by a fan of splendour
    Kog Go! Kog go! Yours is the loss! Yours is the loss!
    Without Dharma, yours is the loss of the Buddha!
    If you do not give, yours is the loss of possession!
    If you disbelieve, yours is the loss of all blessing!

    Then, the Master Parrot, skilled in speech, said
    Dwell in samsara, you lose, for you lose yourself!

    Said the Brahminy Duck, of velvet plumes,
    Os Gtor! Os Gtor! Do without! Do Without!
    In the world of Samsara, do without bliss!
    With no compassion, do without blessings!
    With no Dharma, do without deliverance!

    The Great Cuckoo spoke to the winged assembly,
    Again after a week, then after a year.

    The red-beaked thrush, it rose and said,
    Bcud loh! Bcud lon! Profit from! Profit from!
    Profit from your possessions, give them all away!
    Profit from pure doctrine, choose a lowly place!
    Profit from discontent, withdraw from samsara!
    Profit from Buddha, awaken to absolute essence!

    The Master Parrot, skilled in speech, said
    Profit from the holy Dharma, find yourself!

    Thus spoke many birds, but some stayed silent,
    For still unsure were they, in doubt, in angst,
    If samsara is unreal, they wondered perplexed,
    At this instant, are we real, is this assembly real?
    Is then this teaching itself unreal, our listening unreal?

    The Great Cuckoo nodded, and said,
    You wonder right, you intuit right!
    All assembled here, this assembly itself is a dream
    All birth is dream-birth, all death a dream-death,
    It’s all a drift, even the drift itself a dream-drift.
    So are all the Buddhas but dream-Buddhas,
    Koo! Koo! Koooo!
    Transient is everything, just a gust of air,
    The echo of a bird-call across a valley,
    This blue-green tapestry of a cloud,
    Meditate on this mist which is illusion,
    And, thereby, thirst to grasp the truth.

    Only perfect truth is not unreal,
    Knowing oneself by oneself!
    Salvation through Absolute Thought.
    Bestows the highest wisdom, the Dharma!
    And the absolute mind of Dharma,
    Holds only compassion and enlightenment,
    Compassion for all beings,
    And enlightenment that seeks to impart, in turn,
    Compassion and enlightenment to all!
    So that each living being gains both,
    As that twin wave of Dharma rides ahead!

    Hence, added the Cuckoo, the Great Bird,
    Seek the infinite, abiding life-essence,
    For only in compassion, in law of karma,
    In the knowledge of the Good Dharma,
    Is there truth, is there permanence,
    As real as the impermanence of Samsara!
    This, then, is the seed of knowing,
    Quintessence of action and life,
    Act ever for others, if you desire peace,
    It is an easy song of harmony, sing it!,
    Complex is samsara! Simple is Dharma!
    Koo! Koo! Koooo!

    The Master Parrot saluted the Great Bird,
    Lord Avalokita, Lord of the permanent realm!
    Profound and true is your lesson,
    And, when a bird such as you teaches it,
    Then the lesson flies deep, it flies light,
    For such a lesson lives to wing, wing far!

    All the birds sang, wishing others abounding joy.
    Danced, wishing others abounding Dharma.
    Then, they slept under the tree of fragrance.
    When, at dawn, the sun rose over Jambudvipa,
    That we call the land of insight, land of India,
    The birds, they all circled thrice the tree,
    Where they had received the Good Dharma,
    Then, on wings of light, flew to their dwellings.
    There to impart, in turn, the Good Dharma.

    And, instantly, the Cuckoo, the Great Bird,
    Entered once again into a perfect trance.

    IV. THE INNER RESOLVE

    The birds set forth in thousands unease-suppressed,
    Inspired by Hoopoe, persuaded, curiosity-piqued,
    Wings feathered space, will turned into waves.
    Every blue and the sun-fed, red-ochre
    Witnessed spans of sails in awe and wonder
    Across skies and horizons, began journey to a King,
    Mysterious that King, who caused such longing!
    The birds flew over mountain peaks and passes,
    They flew, they flew, led by promise of Hoopoe,
    Who urged them to fly, to rise and to soar.

    Then, in valleys, they would alight to pause.
    But valleys do dilute the resolve of many!
    The faint said No Further, the tired folded wings.
    But many are valleys to cross for one to rise high,
    Seven on the journey to Kaf, the King’s pavilion,
    The valleys of Quest, Love and Understanding
    Of Detachment, Unity, Amazement and Death.

    The Valley Of Quest

    The Valley of Quest says, Become Empty,
    Make space for winds to blow through you,
    Give up needs, even of love, of respect,
    Jettison all, own nothing, journey on alone,
    Till dogma, doctrine, belief, unbelief all vanish.
    Questing out will not reveal the one passage,
    Quest for it, that which is so near, so within,
    To know that there is one door never shut
    Where burns the pure lamp of the one Majesty!

    The Valley Of Love

    After long, distant flight was the next valley,
    The Valley of Love, said Hoopoe, is flaming fire,
    Flee not, become the eager fuel of this pyre,
    Plunge burning, unbridled, to your blazing end,
    Love feeds on flames, not the smoke of reason,
    Reason and love, each considers other a folly,
    But reason, not love, is blind to inner sight,
    Approach that one door, others lead nowhere,
    If truly you burn, your embers will hear, “Enter”

    The Valley Of Understanding

    Birds, yet of endurance, began their flight again,

    Winging once more for long years, till, said Hoopoe,
    Let us pause, here is the Valley of Understanding!
    Of extent beyond reckoning, no end, no beginning.
    Granting jewels of insight to every explorer,
    With slender butterfly perfection or hurricane force.
    Discard the petrified mind, in atoms see the whole,
    Our paths differ; each takes a preferred route,
    One in a mosque, before a deity, or just inward,
    But when the sun rises and lights up the land,
    The seeker is a pilgrim welcome everywhere!
    Perception is full when you truly watch you,
    Look with your longing, till your self recedes,
    Look till all you can see is an immortal Friend!
    Seas of gnosis, Truth’s mysteries are infinite,
    Even at God’s throne, implore, Is there more?
    Can I still submit to the Way and know more?

    The Valley Of Detachment

    Here, in the fourth, the Valley of Detachment,
    All desire expires, lust for meaning disappears,
    New and old, all existence but a moment’s mirage,
    Worlds as sand grains, stars spilling are leaves falling,
    Planets fade as sparks, dust, not paradise, is Heaven’s arc!
    All that is not given is lost, that not given up imprisons us.
    At the Throne, all that is, will be and has been, exists not.
    Devastated is totality of sense, space and substance,
    Hence, ponder on the drop from which all is formed.
    This valley is limitless, halt if you wish to petrify,
    Advance, but all you’ll hear is Further! Go yet further!
    In this valley, learn acceptance and thankfulness,
    Discard the thinking self, be one to clasp and grasp!
    Passive in the aura of Truth, active in comprehending it!

    The Valley Of Unity

    It’s a mysterious valley of one, everything else naught,
    Every number is one or repetitions of that single one.
    Many or few on its road, all become one element here.
    The scorpion asleep within will awaken as hundred dragons,
    If you connect to temporary glory, you do to disappointment,
    Happiness is the core within you, not the ornament on you.
    If you see many here or only a few, they are but one,
    No matter how many appear, unit and number are gone,
    There is neither Ka’aba nor Pagoda, see nothing not Him!
    We are in Him, by Him, with Him, sun of single essence!
    Where shall I prostrate? I, but a melted ray of that sun.
    I know not if Thou art I or I am Thou, duality un-found.

    After Truth’s melody, I crave not eternity, only Unity.
    Just as an old woman gave a sheikh a piece of gold,
    Which he refused, saying, I accept things only from God.
    And, she asked him, “Where did you learn to see double?”

    The Valley Of Amazement

    I am the flame that’s frozen, ice that’s torched,
    After my experience of Unity, where is the whole?
    I’m in love, it is with Him! But I don't know Him!
    Am I drunk or sober, will I stray thus forever?
    Soul shredded, heart weeping, love-filled but empty.
    I’m bewildered, unsure even of doubt, no road left!
    The face of perfection in the sun, was it a fantasy?
    Now I’m mute even as I speak, blind even as I see!
    Hundred hills lesser than an instant of this uncertainty!
    The Hoopoe said, Take heart! Your grief will rain mercy.
    Even your bewilderment has its purpose in this Valley,
    Important and unimportant, here, do not exist,
    Nothing is trivial, but is witness of divine wisdom,
    An ant holds His grace, nothing is superior to nothing,
    A man was crying out, he had lost his key,
    The Sufi said, I have neither the door nor the key!
    Search for both, for all, perfume of the big and small,
    Remain amazed, then you’re ready for the next valley!

    The Valley Of Death

    Here all that’s lost is found again, that’s the deep mystery
    You rediscover anew, become one, both here and not here,
    Not being separate is beauty, for you exist, you exist not.
    One moth circled the candle flame, another embraced it,
    Flame-wrapped, burning red, of the candle it then knew
    That a thousand shadows can disappear in a ray of light!
    Deny dignity, seek obscurity, find death then immortality.
    If you yearn to truly arrive, fearless, put aside the self,
    What use is your I when you’ll disappear with not a trace?
    Annihilate yourself, outsoar all desire of this mortal cavern,
    If you’re are a pilgrim of no identity, then unfailing alchemy
    Takes you to empty, to eternity, frees you to be as God!
    Your prayer heard since you burnt reason, gave in to folly!
    The ocean of beautiful pearls will then seek you, the drop,
    Be the drop swallowed by the ocean and know its secret,
    The drop becomes infinite, sees the hidden truth all seek,
    In the ardent wooing of the fire by the light-bright moth!

    The Destination Is The ‘I’

    At last, swirl after surge after wave, curtains parted,
    After a journey arduous, despairing and triumphant,
    A journey that bestowed luminous humility and clarity,
    The thirty birds, in single quest, reached the King!
    Finally, finally they reached the abode of the Sovereign!
    But there, no great King was, but they themselves.
    They saw each other, and each of them was Simorgh,
    Simorgh, the King, was each of them, all of them!
    Shedding all, small enough to see own greatness,
    They knew the King now as inner truth and witness,
    The journey itself was salvation, it was the destination!

    Were you there, Simorgh, were you who we were?
    At our journey’s start as you are at its end?
    There, with us, as we traversed the seven valleys?
    Were you us, perhaps, even before we started,
    Were you us, wondering where to look for a King?
    The nameless one, possessed of greatest meaning?

    I am the thirty birds that have come here
    I would be forty if that many had reached.
    Also am I the thousands that will set forth,
    As the thousands remaining in own environs,
    Each soul-bird consumed by hundred sorrows.

    A bird is bound tight by two, me and the sky,
    O bird! Be free! Be chained only to the I!
    I am closer to you than your very veins
    But you have travelled so far from you,
    When all your roads get lost, you’ll find me,
    It’s a journey only as long as you make it,
    But each will cover the distance, eventually,
    To find me that is you, inside of you that is me!

                                                                                          V. FINALE — A WINGED SYMPHONY

    A bird is a being of winged learning,
    A lithe accent of the heights of earth,
    The water, the land and tree heights,
    The heights of forest, peak and sky.
    It is the soul-bird in our heart flights,
    All singing in our silence an eternal trilogy
    Of Devotion, Compassion and Oneness!

    You drench in this mystic fount of life,
    When flocks of immortal birds each day,
    Soar together to sing their symphony,
    An infinite concert of the radiant truth.
    They awaken us at many dawns of the day,
    Many voices, one harmony, Fly to the I,
    The ‘I’ of Tawheed, of Dharma, of Bhakti!

    This is the telling of the King and His clay
    By the Crow, the Cuckoo and the Hoopoe.
    Lost in the King, from vain debate be free!
    Lost in the King, from your own self be free!
    We will all tell this telling again and yet again,
    As will you, who now can also tell the telling.
    And all, till we tell the telling, we’ll keep silent.

    ******




    The Anthem with a message you can’t help admiring

    If you wonder how to contribute to India’s Progress watch this

    This video should be shown in Cinema Halls in place of the National Anthem. The tune is that of the National Anthem but the visuals are totally different.

    Holistic concept…. It is already a big hit in social media in less than 24 hours of its launch…superb work and great message

    http://youtu.be/jtHNRxVZy9g




    Watch “10 Everyday Ways To Become A Better Indian” on YouTube