The Kavi Bhushan Way

Mahakavi Bhushan, is one of the most enigmatic poets from our history. His poems- based on veer rasa, with Shivaji as its central theme are often considered as an unparalleled collection diving into the realm of imaginary and fantasy. They have, thus been dismissed as frontline evidences which tell us our history. Another possible factor which has led to this belief is the language that has been used to compose the poems- they are in Braj, a dialect of hindi from Uttar Pradesh, and that is not fully understood in Maharashtra. Efforts by people such as Ninadrao Bedekar and Babasaheb Purandare have definitely made Bhushan more approachable for common man. Bedekar excels in this field. His lecture series on Shivaji Maharaj are filled with poems by Bhushan which adds a shine and gloss to the character of shivaji, for Bhushan has richly ornamented Shivaji with all sorts of adjectives.

Recently I happened to stumble upon a pdf of a Marathi translation of Shivbhushan – a set of poems by Bhushan ji on Shivaji Maharaj. Reading through the pages, while initially hard to understand, I started to get hold of the poems one by one. Two factors contributed to this:

1.    The brilliant style in which Shri. Bedekar recites the poems rubs off on you, and you attempt to learn new ones in the same way, and grasp them quickly. The meter to which the poems are set is that of veer rasa. It sets a tempo of excitement, bravado.
2.     The Marathi translations provided by the translator Durgaprasad Asaram Tiwari are fantastic. All poems have been fabulously translated retaining the rhyme and meaning in equal measures.

These styles of saying the poem and its valuable translations have made me understand them better. They do come out as a valid evidence of the events of the past. A lot more on this issue has been dealt with in depth by Shri. Bedekar in his cassette titled “ Shivaji ani Kavi Bhushan”. The set of four cassettes is actually a must listen to all of us,  for they bring out the reality from the 17^th century, and not the cover up versions provided by the government to appease certain people. Bhushan, thus plays a big role in fully understanding Shivaji. It has been said that his collection of poems on Shivaji do not include events such as his coronation, so there must be other, as of now unknown set of poems which do tell of these events, for they are unlikely to escape the eyes of Bhushan.

For all of us, eager to learn more about Shivaji in an unbiased way, and not the government cover up way, then such literature is of utmost importance, and efforts must be taken to translate it into English, which unfortunately has become the language to reach the masses today.  Literature given by people such as Shri Bedekar and Purandare is priceless in its value. However, to gain a better perspective, Ive also referred to books by authors such as Kinciad, Jadunath Sarkar, and Grant Duff. However, all these are latter accounts, from a point of view of the author. Such literature though, is always welcome, for it gives a fresh outlook. A few sources can, and will actually shed more light on the life of shivaji- Shivbharat by Kavindra Paramanand, Shivbhushan by Kavibhushan, other so far unknown and lost collections of KaviBhushan, and better studies of the letters, bakhars and other historical data from that period. It is totally upto us to get this task done, and uncover the glorious deeds of the King before whom even 300 years after his death we bow down in respect.

The  sole purpose of writing this article was to try and reignite the fire of history within myself and inspire myself as well as others to spend some time of our lives devoted to this glorious study. As and when time permits from my PhD studies, I go through the writings of Bhushan which are available in pdf formats. (You can contact me by mailing to me.punekar@gmail.com, I can send you the pdf) It certainly sheds a new light on our outlook on Maharaj. 

To end this post, I'm putting up one of the most famous poems composed by Kavi Bhushan and its poetic translation in Marathi by Shri Durgaprasad Asaram Tiwari, and an english word to word translation by myself. The mention of Kavi Bhushan invokes in the Marathi souls the spirit of the poem “Indra jimi Jrambha par” made immortal by Pt. Hridaynath Mangeshkar and Lataji, and refurbished with a new look by the superb duo of Ajay-Atul for a Star Majha Serial. Although both versions are superb, I still urge people to get hold of the version read by Shri. Bedekar in many of his cassettes for that is the best one we have.

The story of this poem is as brilliant as the poem itself. When shivaji maharaj was on his daily patrol of the Raigad fort, he saw a stranger sitting near the Mandir on the fort. On asking, he came to know that this stranger was a poet from North who had come to sing ballads on Shivaji. Maharaj, who was disguised at the time requested the poet to sing a poem. The poet with all his gusto sang the poem given below. Maharaj was so awe struck by the lucidity of it that he requested the poet to sing it again and again, 18 times in total, till the poet could sing it no longer. The next day, when the poet came to the royal court, he was awarded 18lakh Hons and 18 villages as gift- one for each time he had sung the poem the previous night. While this story can never be authenticated, it is a brilliant one, for it tells of the donations of Maharaj- another quality which Bhushan so often praises.

So, yes, without saying much, here is the original poem from Shivbhushan itself and its translations:

इंद्र जिमि जम्भपर, वाडव सुअंभ पर, रावन सदंभ पर रघुकुल-राज है |
पौन बरीबाह पर, संभु रतिनाह पर, ज्यो सहसबाह पर राम द्विजराज है||
दावा द्रुमदंड पर, चीता मृग झुंड पर भूषण वीतुंड पर जैसे मृगराज है|
तेज तम अंस पर, कान्ह जिमि कंस पर, त्यो मलिच्छ बंस पर सेर सिवराज है||

 जम्भावारी इंद्र, लांकापतीच्यावारी की जसा जानकीचा पती|
मेघावरी वायू, कामावरी की महादेव- ज्याची तापाची रती ||
दुःशासनाच्या वारी भीम, किंवा कन्हय्या जसा दुष्ट कंसावरी|
हा भोसले- भूप गाझी शिवाजी तसा भूतली म्लेंच्छ वंशावरी ||

Like Indra attacking Jambhasura, or as an inextinguishable fire dancing on open ocean and like Shri Ram attaking Ravana
Like the winds that blow away the storm clouds, or like Shiva who incinerates the arrogant husband of rati, and like Parshuram on Sahasrarjuna,
Like a fire which decimates the forest, Like a leopard that stalks a deer herd and like an emboldened lion who attacks an elephant,
Like the light of dawn that dispersed darkness, and like Krishna who kills Kans, like all the above the lion hearted Shivaji-the religious protector of the earth is fighting the clan of Mlenchchhas.

(I cannot make it any more poetic, I call on my friends who do it better to come up with something. Ive just given the literal translation of the original verse.)

Decoding the forts of Maharashtra

Maharashtra, is an ancient state. A state of wealth, a state of knowledge, a state of riches. The riches that its land holds, attracted ill minded people looking to plunder it in past, present and no doubt in future too. In past it was the Islamic sultanates of Delhi, Ahamednagar and Bijapur who took people of Maharashtra for granted, tortured them, plundered them. Later on it was the Britishers who took on the responsibility. All these were met fiercely by the locals who remain to this day immensely proud of their heritage and culture. The Islamic rulers were handed blows by Chhatrapati Shivaji- the first ray of hope in an otherwise hopeless situation. Later on, the Brits feared Marathi speaking people the most for their part in trying to disrupt government functioning. Tilak, Savarkar are just a few of them. But no doubt the inspiration for all Marathi people remains Shivaji Maharaj.

Shivaji Maharaj was an astute leader, who led not by using force, but by using cunning and diplomacy. If anyone has used Krishnaneeti to perfection, then its Maharaj. He knew what his strong points are and used it to full advantage against his opponents.The fleet footed marathas knew every single crack and stone in the impregnable Sahyadri Ranges. They used it to their complete advantage to achieve independence from a tyrannic barbarian blind race of rulers.

Sahyadri is a fierce mountain range. Born out of volcanic eruptions that created the Deccan Plateau, the Sahyadris generally tend to have a gradual slope from the east and a steep slope from the west. Numerous chains of mountains run perpendicular to the Main ridge in the east west direction. These mountains are impregnable. Steep slopes, Jungles beyond imagination, and dotted with hard to capture forts, make the region invincible. Quite how it fell into the hands of fanatics is a question that remains unanswered.

Forts have played a tremendous role in the history of the region. Most forts date back to the Shilaharas, Bhojas and Rashtrakutas. The islamic rule did not see any major fort building in the Sahyadri- infact, most of them were neglected. This was revived by Maharaj. He changed our outlook towards forts. Forts are essential for defensive and counter attacking. A siege to a large fort could last months. Forts provided command over the surrounding area. They kept watch on important routes. Shivaji Maharaj milked his forts to the maximum. He constructed many of his own to the already existing ones, thereby creating a chain of forts spreading from Salher in the north to Panhala-Vishalgad near Kolhapur and had this chain till as far south as Jinji. Sources say that he controlled more than 350 forts in the modern day states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. These were of various types- large ones- such as Raigad, Panhalgad and Jinji. Strategic ones such as Rajgad, Torna, Lohagad, Purandar, Salher etc, and numerous other small ones.

Today, I was trying to pinpoint a few important forts on google earth. While doing so, I realized that these forts always appear in a cluster. There is not a single stand alone fort. Every fort has another fort within 10-12 hours of it(could be 5-6, but 10 considering the difficult terrain). Geographically, the forts are a masterpiece in strategy. They stand guarding well known caravan routes- not one or two, but a chain of them. They stand overlooking potentially important towns. They stand near other strategically important and big forts acting as fall backs should the bigger fort be under attack. More often than not, near these forts are towns that flourished in history, or are rock cut temples and caves, or important religious shrines.

Im taking this opportunity to analyze the defensive importance of forts of Maharashtra, their overall importance as stand alone forts (Only the important ones) and its significance as a cluster of forts. I may need your help in doing so, so any help is more than welcome. You can email me your ideas on me.punekar@gmail.com . Id be more than happy to write on your analysis.

Here, just for starters Im putting up a snapshot of a map from google earth showing the Bhor Ghat near Khandala and the hill forts guarding it. Its well and truly important to control such vital trade routes, and what else to guard it than forts! This is just an attempt to understand the strategies behind fort construction and how Geography was used to make it simpler. If I make any mistake in the subsequent articles which deal with forts, please forgive me, and do correct me wherever possible.

This project will take possibly several years, Im determined to do it. Your help would be great!

An Einsteinian Relativistic glance at Indian classical music.

( Although this is a post related to music, I will be making frequent comparisons to possibly the most abstract concepts of all times- General theory of relativity. I do not know understand it properly. This is just an attempt to compare two totally different phenomenon possibly having common theories)

Consider an imaginary fabric, stretched tightly around the middle (waist high) throughout a rectangular room. The fabric can be considered flexible enough to absorb the weight of any object that is kept on it. Now consider an object is kept on this stretched elastic fabric. Since its suspended mid air, the object, thanks to gravity will try to go down to the ground. However, since the fabric which is elastic absorbs the energy of the object sinks, yet supporting and carrying the object. We can conclude that heavier the object, the deeper into the fabric it sinks. Similar concepts have been used by His Authority in Physics Sir Albert Einstein in his General Theory of Relativity where he says that gravity is nothing but curvature of the space-time fabric. Without plunging too much into Relativity, I will try to explain my take on its application to Indian classical music.

According to General theory of relativity, space time can be thought of as an elastic fabric. If we place massive objects on the fabric, the space time curves. A ray of light entering the region of curvature is bent by a few degrees, depending on the curvature of space time. Greater the curvature, the more it is going to deviate. If the object on the fabric has super massive weights such as black holes, not even light entering the event horizon will be able to escape it. [Singularity]. What is more important that we need to consider is that the path is slightly, significantly, or completely altered.
 
When we listen to music, we take a certain mood to it, interact with it, and after this interaction we change our mood, for better or worse. If we close our eyes, and listen, every single note of a particular raga has an impact on us. We can possibly assign hypothetical weights to each note(some relative pitch related calculation?). We then assign binary digits for presence or absence of a note in a particular raga. If a particular note is present we assign 1, else zero. We can statistically determine the frequency with which each note occurs. Obtaining a product of the frequency of note, the weight associated with that note and the binary decision variable, and adding it over for 22 shrutis, we get the weighted sum of the raag. This will possibly give the overall weight[Impact factor] of a raga. I dont know, but somehow, ragas such as Todi, Darbari, Shree, Malkauns etc always have a more profound impact(having a tone of seriousness to them?) than other lighter ragas such as Bhup, Haunsadhwani etc. [ thus, the gravity of the raga will be defined by the mood it generates(?).] 

We can now imagine our minds as being an infinite elastic fabric[mind as it is, is completely flexible and elastic- proven by the no. of thoughts that usually we get in a few seconds], and our present mood as a path followed [different moods will have different paths I suppose- how we act and stuff?]. If we are not exhibiting any emotions at a particular moment- then fantastic! we can just consider it to be a stray ray of light having no particular direction.

Now, we already have defined our ragas as optimized sum of the weight of its constituent notes. when these ragas interact with our minds- they stretch the fabric of our imagination- yes they strech our minds, and have an impact on it. This impact can be thought of as similar to the curvature created by massive objects in space time. A lighter raga, such as say jaijaiwanti, bhup,will possibly stretch our imagination to a lesser degree. It just shows a glimpse of a happy thought, we smile, alter our mood a little according to the deviation and proceed on our mood path with a slight deviation. Other ragas, such as say Puriya, Marwa, Malkauns, Jog etc stretch our imagination further. We significantly shift from our original mood paths when we listen to these. Yes, these are possibly ragas, which challenge us intellectually, and thus have more weight attached to them.The mood path may curve back in some cases. If we are approaching the raga in a correct frame of mind, we are close enough to a concept I call Force Horizon of the raga. In this context our mood gets "captured" and starts revolving around the mood of that raga[similar to how a planet will circle the sun].

Then there are some ragas, which suck you into them like a black hole. Todi, Darbari and Bhairavi are prime examples. Once you are in trance, then the impact of these are so great, that you do not want to or cannot come out of that trance. It slowly, but surely sucks you towards what can only be described as a fleeting realization of god. Ive had a particular experience with Todi, that it leaves such a deep impact, that everything else seems trivial. These can be thought of as musical singularities. as in physical world, we cannot tell for sure whether singularities exist or not, and if they do, what do they physically mean. maybe in a musical sense, we can say that obtaining a singularity is attaining that state of mind, through music, which is actually completely void of any mood and possibly of extreme quiet and serenity.

[Just as the mass of the object determines the deviation of the path of light, the impact mass of a raga can determine the path(mood) with which we approach it, and the path we reach on our interaction with it.]

These theories, as of now, have no basis. I just realized that Music and Relativity can be though of as parallels. Once I get some time to think, I will, possibly with the help of few "experts" try to draw up more methodical comparisons, and if possible, present proof for the raag-mass-mind-curvature theory. Whatever it comes out, the gravity of the raga, does indeed have a deep impact on our minds. This is just a humble attempt to point out the fact, that there are indeed similarities between two totally unrelated subjects- physics and metaphysics. Universe and Music.

2 April 2011.

२ April २०११- हा दिवस इतर दिवसांपेक्षा फारच वेगळा, फारच महत्त्वाचा. खरोखर सुवर्णाक्षरांनी लिहून ठेवण्यासारखाच.क्रिकेट प्रेमींसाठी तर नवे पर्व सुरु करण्यैत्काच मौल्यवान. त्या मागची करणे- तब्बल २८ वर्षांनी भारताने क्रिकेटचा विश्वचषक जिंकला होता. खरं सांगायचं तर हा दिवस आवर्णनीयच होता- पण अब्ज स्वप्न रंगविणाऱ्या त्या दिवसाचे वर्णन करण्याचा हा एक छोटासा प्रयत्न.

भारतात दुर्दैवाने आज परिस्थिती अशी आहे की समाजातील घटक जातीय व प्रांतीय राजकारण करून देशाचे विभाजन करू पाहताहेत. " क्रिकेट" हा एकमेव धागा आहे, जो उभ्या हिंदुस्थानाला एकत्र आणतो. बाकी देशांमध्ये क्रिकेट हा खेळ आहे, परंतु भारतात क्रिकेट खरोखरच एक धर्म आहे. परंतु या धर्माचा मुकुटमणी - "वर्ल्ड कप"  १९८७ पासून भारतापासून दूरच होता! अनेक प्रामाणिक(९६,९९,२००३) व काही अप्रामाणिक (२००७) प्रयत्न पापण्यांमध्ये फक्त अश्रु सोडून गेले होते. १९९६ मध्ये कलकत्त्याची निराशा, २००३ मध्ये अंतिम सामन्यात पराभवाचा गिळलेला कडू घास, २००७ मध्ये Greg Chappel चा मूर्खपणा- या सर्व कटू आठवणी सतावत होत्या.

पण यंदा असे काही झाले नाही. अगदी सचिन, सेहवाग पासून नेहरा, मुनाफ पर्यंत टीमचे सगळे घटक उत्तम खेळले. सचिन,सेहवाग, कोहली व युवराज यांनी दमदार शतके ठोकली. झहीर एकापाठोपाठ एक असे बळी गिळंकृत करीत होता. क्षेत्ररक्षणामध्ये रैना, युवराज सज्ज होते. युवराज ने तर कमालीची खेळी केली. सेनापती धोनी कायम थंड होता. दक्षिण आफ्रिकेविरुद्ध जरी हार पत्करावी लागली असली, तरी इंग्लंडविरुद्ध टाय व हॉलंड, विंडीज, बांगलादेश व आयर्लंड विरुद्ध दमदार विजय मिळवून भारताने उपांत्यपूर्व फेरी गाठली.

उपांत्यपूर्व फेरीमध्ये भारताचा सामना - जगज्जेते ऑस्ट्रेलियाशी! जुना शत्रु! याच गानिमाने २००३ मध्ये १ अब्ज स्वप्न बेलगाम चिरडून काढली होती. आज सूड घ्यायचा दिवस उजाडला होता. कांगारूंना कापायला भारतीय तलवारी म्यानामध्ये तळपत होत्या. पहिले फलंदाजी करताना ऑस्ट्रेलियाचा कर्णधार व भारताचा पक्का वैरी - पोंटिंग-(भारतासाठी हा जल्लाद!) पुन्हा एकदा नडला व त्याने शतक मारले. पण पेटून उपसलेल्या भारतीय तलवारी रक्त प्यायल्याशिवाय शांत होत नाहीत. सचिन, गंभीर,युवराज व रैना यांनी कांगारूंवर जबरदस्त प्रतिहल्ला चढविला. १४ चेंडू राखून एक अविस्मरणीय विजय साकार केला. ऑस्ट्रेलिया चा १२ वर्षांचा क्रिकेटवरचा अंमल भारताने एका रात्रीत नष्ट केला. २००३ चा बदला पूर्ण झाला. विजयी चौकार मारल्यानंतर युवराजने सिंहगर्जनाच केली - "बोला-कोण येत आहे आता आम्हाला टक्कर द्यायला! नाही यमाकडे पाठविला, तर नावाचा युवराज नाही मी!". तळपणारी खड्ग कांगारूंचे रक्त पिऊन तृप्त झाली. गांगुली, द्रविड,कुंबळे, श्रीनाथ यांचा २००३ साली झालेला अपमान पुसला गेला! आता उपांत्य सामना रंगणार होता खुद्द पाकिस्तान विरुद्ध!

(युवराज ची सिंहगर्जना)

ऑस्ट्रेलिया चा पराभव झाल्यानंतर भारताला एकदाचे पराभूत करायचे असे मनसुबे आखत पाकिस्तानने उपांत्य सामन्याचा विडा भारताविरुद्ध उचलला. पाकिस्तान आणि भारत - एकाच आईच्या पोटी जन्मास आलेले दोन देश, पण पाकिस्तानातील धर्मांध प्रजा व भारताची जोरदार आगेकूच पाहून जाळणारे नेते, यामुळे पाकिस्तान ने भारताचे वारंवार जबर नुकसान केले. मानसिक डावपेच रचून,चहाड्या करून, भारताला बदनाम करू पाहणाऱ्या कुत्र्यांचा हा देश. या कुत्र्यांना नरकात देखील जागा नाही अशी त्यांची विचारसरणी. जुन्या शत्रुविरूद्धच सामना होता. क्रीडांगणाचे रणांगण होणार यात काही वादच नव्हते. २६ नोव्हेंबरला मंबई मध्ये हल्ला केलेल्या नामर्द हल्लेखोरांना त्यांची जगातली जागा दाखवून द्यायची ही पहिलीच संधी होती. बस्स!

नाणेफेक जिंकून भारताने पहिली फलंदाजी करायचे ठरवले. सचिनच्या ८५ च्या जोरावर एक अवघड-पण साधता येईल असे लक्ष गानिमापुढे ठेवले. ते कमी पडणार की काय असे वाटू लागले. परंतु सेनापती धोनीने आपले कौशल्य वापरून पाकिस्तानला चक्रव्युहात ओढले. भारतीय गोलंदाजांनी अचूक मारा करून पाकिस्तानी धावगती रोखली. चहूबाजूंनी पाकिस्तानवर हल्ले केले. एक एक करून पाकिस्तानी शिलेदारांना हैराण करून तंबूत परत केले. पाकिस्तानची अवस्था अडकित्त्यात अडकलेल्या सुपारी सारखी झाली. त्यांनी व्युह फोडायचा प्रयत्न केला, पण ते करत असताना त्यांचा शेवटचा मोहरा- मिस्बाह भारताने पाडला- व या जन्मजात शत्रूचे सर्व मनसुबे पार धुळीला मिळविले. भारतात जल्लोष सुरु झाला. "हर हर महादेव" च्या गर्जना करीत भारतीय तरुण मध्यरात्रीच झेंडे, ढोल-ताशे घेऊन बाहेर आला. १ अब्ज हातांचा हा सुप्त नृसिंह ताडकन जागा झाला, व त्याने मोहालीत शत्रुचा कोथळाच बाहेर काढला. भारतात आतिषबाजी सुरु झाली. त्या लख्ख प्रकाशात पाकिस्तान आंधळा झाला. फटाक्याच्या, वाद्यांच्या व संगीताच्या त्या ध्वनिलहरी लाहोर, पेशावर,कराची, इस्लामाबाद या शहरांना कानठळ्या वाटू लागल्या- ती सर्व नगरे भारतीय डावपेचांमुळे बधीर झाली! या देशाकडे वक्रदृष्टीने पाहणाऱ्या सर्व शत्रूंना आम्ही रणांगणात असो व मैदानात- हाणणारच! आता प्रतीक्षा होती ती केवळ अंतिम सामन्याची!

१९८७ साली ऑस्ट्रेलियाने भारताचा मुकुट जिंकून घेतला होता. त्यांचाकडून तो पाकिस्तान, नंतर लंका असा गेला. पण ९९ मध्ये ऑस्ट्रेलिया ने तो पाकिस्तानला हरवून परत जिंकला होता व १२ वर्ष राखून ठेवला होता-व क्रिकेट विश्वावर अधिराज्य गाजवले होते. श्रीलंकेने त्यांना नेहमीच लढाई दिली होती. परंतु २००७ मध्ये त्यांचा पूर्ण पराभव झाला होता. परंतु अत्यंत चांगला खेळ करून यावेळी सुद्धा लंका अंतिम सामन्यात पोहोचले होते. आता भारत आणि विश्वचषक या मध्ये फक्त लंका उभी होती. परंतु ही लंका रावणाची नसून संगा ची होती. पण लंका ती लांकच. रावणाने जसे सीतेस पळविले, तसेच आजची लंका भारताचा धर्ममुकुट त्यांच्या नजरेखालून चोरू पाहत होते. वेळ आली होती आता लंका दहनाची!

सामना रंगणार हे गृहीतच धरले होते. दोनीही संघांमध्ये महारथी होते. लंकेत जयवर्धने,मुरली, दिलशान आणि त्यांचा सेनापती संगा. भारताकडे सचिन, सेहवाग, युवराज आदि. पण मुंबई मध्ये खेळला जाणारा हा सामना कौशल्य, डावपेच व दवास्त्र(Dew factor) या वर जिंकला जाणार होता. अगदी सुरुवातीपासूनच लंकेने कूटनीती वापरण्यास सुरुवात केली. नाणेफेक हरल्यावर ऐकू आले नाही हे धोरण वापरून पुन्हा नाणेफेक करायचा रडीचा डाव साधला व तो जिंकून पहिले फलंदाजी करत दवास्त्रासारखे भेदक अस्त्र कूटनितिनी बळकावले. पण भारत खचला नाही. कर्णधार धोनीने अचूक चक्रव्यूह रचले व झहीरने भेदक मारा करीत लंकेस रखडले. परंतु महेला व संगा यांनी लंकेचा डाव सावरला. महेलाने चोख प्रत्युत्तर देत आपले शतक साधले, व भारतापुढे २७४ धावांचा डोंगर उभा केला. लक्ष अवघड होते कारण लंकेकडे दवास्त्र होते. आता भारत उत्तर कसे देणार याकडे सगळ्यांच्या नजरा फिरल्या.


लंकेचा धावांचा डोंगर फोडायला सेहवाग व सचिन हे महारथी उतरले. परंतु मलिंगाच्या भेदक माऱ्यापुढे ते जास्त काळ टिकू शकले नाही. दोन वीर एकापाठोपाठ एक सुरुवातीलाच पडले. भारताला चांगलाच धक्का बसला. आशा सुटणार की काय असे भय वाटू लागले. परंतु गंभीर व कोहली यांनी उत्तम खेळ करत डाव सावरला. पण डाव सावरतो न सावरतो,तोच कोहली बाद झाला! आता! वाढत्या दबावाखाली परत भारत ढासळणार असे वाटू लागले. १ कोटी लोक आपला जीव मुठीत धरून बसले. कोण या परिस्थितीचा सामना करणार? या अवघड कोंडीतून टीम ला बाहेर काढण्यासाठी खुद्द सेनापतीच मैदानात उतरला. लढाई चांगलीच अटीतटीची सुरु झाली. मिनिटामिनिटाला रणाचे रंग बदलंत होते. कधी लंकेचे पारडे जड होई, तर कधी भारताचे. अन तेवढ्यात घात झाला! गंभीर बाद झाला! शतकाला अवघ्या ३ धावा बाकी असताना गंभीर बाद झाला! लंकेचे पारडे चांगलेच जड झाले! आता मैदानात उतरला खुद्द युवराजच! पण तोवर सेनापतीने रणाची सर्व सूत्रे स्वतःच्या हाती घेतली होती. इतक्या जवळ आल्यावर तो मुकुट मिळवायचाच असेच ठरवले त्याने. लंकेच्या गोलंदाजांवर वाज्राघाती हल्ले चढवले. पाहता पाहता लंकेचा धावांचा डोंगर पोखरून निघाला, अन विजयासाठी फक्त ४ धावा राहिल्या! अन मग झाले- एका क्षणात झाले! भीमाने दुर्योधनाची मांडी फोडावी अशा घातकी तडाख्याने धोनीने जणू त्याची गदाच फिरवली व चेंडू सीमेपार केला! भारत जगज्जेता झाला होता!
अन..घराघरात भावनांना आळा घालून बसलेला भारतीयांचा आनंद एकदम आषाढघनासारखा बरसला! फटाक्यांची सरबत्ती सुरु झाली! मध्यरात्री बंदी असताना सुद्धा चाहु दिशातून रणवाद्ये घुमू लागली. अशावेळी झोप ती कोणाला येणार! एकाच आनंदात अवघा देश बुडाला! ९६,९९,२००३,२००७ मध्ये डोळ्यात अश्रु होते. आज पण अश्रु होते, पण ते आनंदाश्रु होते! ते गोड होते! ते सांडताना कोणतीही खंत नव्हती! अवघा हिंदुस्थान घरातून बाहेर पडला. विजयी घोषणा, ढोल-तशा-तुतारी यांनी रस्ते दुमदुमत होते! गल्लोगल्ली तिरंगा निर्धास्त नाचत होता. अवघा जनसागर रस्त्यांवर उतरला. काय पाहावे, काय बोलावे, काय ऐकावे, काय करावे, काहीच सुचत नवते. अवघे भारतीय या जनसागरातून उतू जाणाऱ्या आनंदात मनसोक्त भिजत होते... १९४७ नंतर बहुदा प्रथमच या प्रकारचे उधाण भारतातील रस्त्यारस्त्यावर उठले असावे... हा तर केवळ सुवर्णक्षण!

(फर्ग्युसन रस्त्यावर सुरु असलेला जल्लोष)

The Vijaynagar Connection

The world is well and truly a small place. I am a believer in this motto for quite some time now. I can recollect many instances where people who I have never met before know me-either by reading my nonsense written on this blog, or through mutual friends.  Most of the times-the latter. Sometimes, you come to know people, become friends with them, and when you add them on social networking sites, you are surprised to see that they know a few people who you too know, and are left clueless to the question “How on earth do they know each other!”(Especially if the two people are living in different cities, and sometimes even in different countries.) The world certainly seems a small place- and quite often, owing to its smallness, throws quite a few surprises at you. 

People tend to observe other people on public transport systems, especially in foreign countries, to look out for people who speak same language as them, or are from the same city as them. I'm a Marathi manoos, so it is but obvious that I tend to seek Marathi speaking people on the train, and if I come across one, I do make a point of going and talking with them. The most interesting thing about such interactions is usually the “common link” that connects the two of us. The following incident, was of such random “common link” seeking action total brought upon me the sheer awesomeness and respect that Vijaynagar/Chandrashekhar society in Mumbai commands, and undoubtedly, the fame my mama and aai have in that society.

I had had an awesome Chindian (Chinese Indian) dinner at the city center in Singapore, and was on my way home. I jumped into the MRT that connects City Hall to Boon Lay, and engaged myself in playing cricket on my mobile phone. God damn cricket is so addictive-as a topic to view, chat and play on grounds as well as on mobiles and PCs. Anyway, I was going well, a 10 over match between India and Pakistan, where my Indian batsmen were thrashing the Pakistani bowlers at a run rate of over 24 runs an over. Then suddenly, I heard something that made me lose the wicket of my well settled opener- people conversing in Marathi. I turned around and saw that a couple were in the train right next to me and speaking in Marathi- and immediately, I could conclude that they were from Mumbai(Me alelo-finish!) I decided to complete my innings- only 2 overs were remaining, and go and greet them. So, with a greater urgency, I thrashed those virtual Pakistani bowlers for 50 runs in 2 overs, saved the game and went to have a chat with my Marathi co-passengers.

I greeted them in customary way you greet unknown Marathi people here. “Tumhala Marathi boltana aikla” then introduced me, and what I do here. The couple also introduced themselves, and we got talking about how we so seldom meet Marathi people here, although now that is changing. Then we got to the topic of where we live. Me being a true Punekars, the first response was “Sadashiv Peth” instead of Jurong West, which was probably the expected answer. They also said that they were actually from Mumbai, but have been living here since before I was out of school. So the focus now shifted to where in Mumbai, since I had already closed the loop from my end by stating Sadashiv Peth. I guess that identity must have been enough for them to remember me, although I must admit my physical characteristics and typical Pethi mannerisms leave a more vivid an lasting image. Anyway, so the focus was now on where in Mumbai. Since I have lived in that place- and that too in a society like Vijaynagar Colony, I thought that I had enough ammunition with me to prove a point that even in knowing Mumbai, Punekars are better! 

My co-passenger told me the location of his suburb in Mumbai, and I also got talking I used to live in Andheri before I came here(Somehow i relate Andheri East-Vile Parle =Sadashiv Peth of Mumbai). His wife seemed to take particular interest when I said Andheri, and enquired further about where in Andheri. I don’t need second invitations to declare my ties with Mumbai through Vijaynagar/Chandrashekhar, and promptly replied, “Chandrashekhar Society!” And Behold! The person who I was talking with for more than 10 minutes had grown up and lived in Vijaynagar Society till 1988. Once the Vijaynagar link is established, a special kind of bond is created I guess. I don’t know why, how much I curse Mumbai, I simply cannot fault this place. It’s unique. The people there are unique. We got talking about the society and how it has changed now and how it was much better before. I have fortunately witnessed both-but for me it’s still the same, for a place is known by the mentality of the people there- not the buildings. 

 

The comparison which gets me recognized at the unlikeliest of places!

(Left: Me, right: Mama)

While the discussion on Chandrashekhar redevelopment was going on, he asked me whether I was related to Shirish Chaphekar (my Mama), since him though I looked a bit like him and Chaphekar kaka (My grandfather) and my Mom. Lots of people have told me this thing; I do admit I bear a great deal of resemblance with my Mama. I'm regular subject of this comparison in Pune and Mumbai( sometimes my mother calls me as “Shirish” by mistake! ), but I had barely expected this comparison anywhere outside these two places- let alone on a train in Singapore. To say I was a little bit surprised would be an understatement. This is the unique kind of thing that probably happens because of the affinity all people from the colony have about each other and the social programs that happen over there, which brings everyone together.  After talking for a while, I came to know that he knew my Mama, my Mom, my Mavshis, and he used to sometimes come and take tuitions from my grandfather. When I told him Im Shubhadas son, there was a smile and a shaking of head follwed by "vatlach mala".

Time flew by as we were talking about the colony and life over there and how everyone, especially some old aaji-ajobas are doing, and how many of them are still alive. Finally, his station came. We bid goodbyes to each other, and no doubt will definitely meet sometime soon- for a Vijaynagar Bond has been established. But the incident left me in sheer awe of the society. I had a brief stay of about 6 months over there, but those six months were enough to provide me with memories which can be cherished for a lifetime, and unexpected surprises such as the one just narrated. I do really miss this place.

[Anyone from society if you are reading this, please click a nice photo of the society and email it to me, so I can attach it here]
[Im deliebrately not mentioning the name of the person I met. Creates more mystery. Plus, on previous occasions ive been told off for doing so. Anyway, the gentleman from Vijaynagar used to live in the old number 5, and was 2 years my Mamas junior and a classmate of Medha Mavshi]