SAVITRI

Last Sunday, that is 24th May early morning I drove to BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus to pick up my son after one year of his study at this new campus. On road, I had some visuals that is quite common back in Odisa. And that reminded me the day is special, at least in Odisa as 'Savitri Brata' . Yes, the visuals I was telling is – rushing to temple with wife on back seat of a scooter. You will never miss this in towns in Odisa. Now you may find cars instead of scooters for slide ups of today's Satyabans. You may be wondering how did I could have that in Secunderabad. It's simply a courtesy of huge Indian Army that draws people from different parts of India. In that sense Indian Army is an efficient integrator. Some Odia middle aged jawans were trying to comply with this duty before they took up their duty with army. After all, this occasion comes once in year only. Ofcourse, it reminded me of that job too. But, I'm off this sort after my kids have put their hands on wheels. This is something in Odia said: 'patni samarpi putra pase chaliba athaba sanyase.' For my non-odia friends – I should explain: One in old age can take up Sanyasa (detachment) on leaving his old wife with their son to take care'. Feminists as well as humanists may raise their swords on this. I will not dare to delve with this more. But, I should say it's true at certain time you feel like saying 'enough is enough and time to relax'. Looks I have reached that. And waiting for the days when kids will say 'it's enough of you' , so that I can retreat, ofcourse, to my village that many Savitris may not agree to.

Savitri, as popularly known in Odisa, atleast coastal districts is interesting. In towns, the previous day people just become so sincere and rather aggressive in purchasing fruits for ladies who will be denied to eat cooked foods to remember how the real Savitri grueled without food, living only on fruits available in forest and worshiping Yamaraj to save her husband from death. In my childhood I remember we used to collect fruits from forest to be true to the Savitri. May be four years back, on this day I was in Bhubaneshwar to witness the great hurry of husbands. I was also directed to pick up some traditional stuffs for puja in Hyderabad and I was trying to make it up with several calls to Hyderabad to check up I'm purchasing the right thing. Today on returning home, I found Savitri is under progress. And my wife is frantically searching for 'brata katha' that's obviously misplaced for its year long no usages. Fortunately, Intenet came to rescue. I remembered a site some enterprising Odia lovers have put up www.odia.org with a lot of classical stuffs a nostalgic Odia would love. I had a great admiration of this site and people behind of it. Savitri katha – the story on Savitri was there on site for everybody's happiness at home.

For nearly last one month I'm reading a Odia book 'Atimanaba: Sambhabana and Pratisurti – Nidse and Sri Aurobindo” by Mohapatra Nilamani Sahu and Dr. Archana Nayak. It's a fantastic scholarly book on two philosophers who dealt with the issue of Superman that can conquer Death. This 'conquering' attitude of human is very interesting. And the wish of conquering death is its highest form of manifestation. The van with a write-up on its body saying ' On Aging : Ford Foundation Project' in University Campus and an advertisement of a location with a caption 'Stop Aging' are typical signatures of that great desire of intellectuals – rishis and scientists. For common people – Savitri is an annual reminder of the quest, I wonder !

In Savitri, Sri Aurobindo tells:

Into the little room of mortal life
I saw them cross the twilight of an age,
The sun-eyed children of a marvellous dawn,
The great creators with wide brows of calm,
The massive barrier breakers of the world
And wrestlers with destiny in her lists of will,
The labourers in the quarries of the Gods
The messengers of the Incommunicable,
The architects of immortality.

From Savitri epic written by Sri Aurobindo.


Hrushikesha Mohanty
28th May '09

The Greatwar! - Odia Poem

This Odia poem is published in Surjyaprabha
5th April '09 edition.

Hrushikesha Mohanty
6th April '09

To Understand Your Laugh

The Second part of the Odiya Poem published in Surjya Prabha Odiya Daily
on 22nd March '09

To Understand Your Laugh

A part of the Odiya Poem published in Surjya Prabha Odiya Daily
on 22nd March '09

To Your Wah! Wah!

If you say Wah! Wah! To everything I do
even though I like to hear it
but fear of long dark hands of ‘wah wah’
that may drag me
down and down.


Still at times being undetected
that shapeless thirst grabs me
at the dark of shadows
instigating me to hear and record
all what you say
to drink it later
and to relish it at my leisure.


If you rarely even say ‘wah! wah!’ to me
when we meet at our office canteen
or at the suburb market
I wish to offer you a tea
or a sugarcane stick
expecting – eventually you will be pleased
so that a ‘wah’ will escape
through your front two teeth
during your unending chats.


If you neither say ‘wah! wah!’ nor
you visibly avoid me
I encircle you with hope
wearing red shirts and escorting you
through shopping malls
expecting one ‘wah!’ at least will drop off
your mouth
before you reach your home.


If you ruthlessly say ‘NO’ to tell me
‘wah! wah!
should I feel wrong of my followings,
feel ashamed or curse my fate
to count the coins left in my purse!





I will ask myself why did you say ‘no’
to understand how
I lost myself to my village banyan tree,
why
I can only purchase dry oranges in suburb market
and
to loose all - for the torn bag I have,
the way
the plasters fell off my walls
at the whispers of my neigbours!


***


Hrushikesha Mohanty
7th March 2009.

My Daughter goes Environment Concerned

My daughter Anwesha has participated in City level final painting competition
on 'Environment-changes' succeeding two-tier screening.
Here she is spotted in local newspaper Eenadu 2nd Feb. '09 edition and
Eenadu TV also.

I'm glad to post this on my blog (the paper cut and translation in English here).

She is the second girl in the left row.

regards
Hrushieksha
-------------------------------Paper Cut--------------------------------------------------

Children show their talent in painting Competition:

Narayanaguda: little kids have sharpened their brains...
Life was given to paintings showing the vision of Future. They gave a call to save environment (nature).
With the support of Center for Media Studies (CMS) & AP national green Cops a painting competition was held in Indira Priyadarshani auditorium, Public Gardens on the topic 'Environment-changes'. A little one painted Green fields, villages in pleasent environment, cities filled with dark suit & smoke in a single paiting. Picture of Burning earth due to global warming, the disturbed lives of people.. etc were chosen as theme for their paitings which warned of the consequences that we have to face in future. CMS Program officer Rohit singh, Project Manager PriyaVerma etc examined the paintings.

Salute the Sculptors

Searched your footsteps on sandy beach,
fingertips on stones you carved
but could hear the whispers of the bulls
telling the tales of your artistic hands
that could write on stones the poems
I read.

Your vastness I imagined
Saw your signatures on chariots and elephants
spreading across
the lands and oceans
calling the people through years
showcasing your gifts
to us and generations.

Heard the pangs of the stones,
their long waitings with sighs and longings
for your
soft touch and humming with chisel,
perseverance and passions to excel
to make the flowers blossom on sands
and the sea emotes to sing your songs
forever and ever,
to make us hear
as if you are standing there.

Felt in morning mist
as if you touched last night the stones
with your sweat-soaked hands;
Saw you in mystic darks
as if lying along
Mahavali in slumber
to get up one day to repair
the worn outs,
to rededicate it for ages
to come and live
among and make us learn
what should we garner
in this long run!

Salute the sculptors -
the pious and the humbles
preferred to humility being anonymous.
Oh! salute you the great sculptors.

Hrushikesha Mohanty

On visiting Mahavalipuram on 26^th January 2009.