Seeding the run down settlement

In the dark, dank stretch under the flyover, the monster of modern world, a slum has sprung up. In few months, it gobbles the adjoining lanes. Till date, it has already been crossed the few neatly built brick houses.

The mighty ugliness has nothing to do with pruned miniature garden house or the posh locality or beautification plan of the city. So what if it is just a stone throw from the Sadar Thana. Slums are the prices and facts of modern world, the urbanization. As a monster of urbanization, it is ready to engulf what may come its way!

Piles of sacks stuffed with rags lie strewn all around the boulevard few days after the hurricane. After math of hurricane Ailla has rushed the displaced hoards to the neighboring metro. The hunger stuck, fatally tired drifters have been collapsing at any accessible space.

Now the place under fly over has been turning home to a couple of families. Earlier, it has been used as a parking space for dumped vehicles by police Last week only, after the years of struggle the residents have acquired permission from court to clear the place. The rising congestion and pollution have been taking toll on the wellbeing of residents. Sky rocketing graph of asthma, bronchitis and cancer were making common realities in homes.

To have some respite from the hard realities of illnesses. The elderly and office goers were looking for an open space, in the locality. The place has already been ear marked as recreational place in the municipal plan of the city. The rising temperature of city and shooting graph of illnesses among residents has been pressing the need of park every day.

But in few weeks, to the dismay of residents another settlement came in view under the road flyover. The metros by its  nature has every resource to feed the monster, the slum- job opportunities for menial work, the free accessible space, support and hands over their shoulders of local goons and callous attitude of law enforcing agencies. Who had time and concern for the safety of human lives!

Especially when the apathetic law enforcing authorities are dealing with it! For them it is job of civil authorities. The civil authorities see it as a crisis of migrant. The problems of displaced, roofless, hungry hoards!

Thus the slums were impregnating the public spaces at their very sights. The inability and the apathy of law enforcers are acting as driving force to encroachment.

The conflicts of unparallel lives of migrant and settled residents have always been seeded the crime graphs of the city. The persistent ignorance of security factors are the real germ of slum. But who does care about the securities of residents even if it is a basic need?

The low and high end of strata is the easiest recipe of crimes! Now the ingredients are fuelling the locality into potential place of crime. But who and why anyone will look into it? It is land of apathy!

The concerned authority don’t heed to the problem. Then who can resist temptation of fast bucks with cramping hunger and roofless head! It concerns none! See, another monster is in its way! Who can dare to check it?

RATHYATRA- An elucidation

Rathyatra the annual festival of Lord Jaganath with brother Balbhadra and sister Subhdraa takes place from Shri Mandira to Gudicha Temple at Puri, in Bhuneshwar. All over the country, the celebration of Rath yatra  is celebrated to remind us necessity of cleansing the self.

The origin of ten days festivity dates back to 11^th century. The aim of festivity is linked with the uplift of positive energy of the world.

Rathyatra represents our inner journey of body, mind and spirit(soul).

The inspiring festival starts at the 2^nd day of bright full moon phase.

The presiding deity of Rathyatra is Lord Jaganath. Lord Jaganath is identified with Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna.

Lord Vishnu –the kal purusha,the nurturer and sustainer of world. The one who takes care of body, mind , soul and cosmos. His sudrashana chakra (su-sunder, beautiful; darshana-vision) has the ability to eliminate negativity and boon longevity, health and knowledge. Sudarshna chakra has power of sun which cuts the ambition and greed.

Lord Krishna is the “bliss of self”. Krshna (kri meaning greatest; na meaning pleasure) or -the sacc-cid- ananda ,the real self.

So , this is the occasion  to work on and regain our real pristine self by enhancing positive energy of body.

For true healing and adequate bliss the healing of body mind and soul are required. The physical body can be healed by fasting, yoga and japa etc.

It is the soul which carries karma of past lives with perception or memories through fine bodies which acts as obstacle in present lives as well. Thus attention should be given to heal the of fine bodies and soul.

The sun energy of second day of Sukla Paksha is appropriate time to start and enhance the positivity of sun energy which heals body, mind and soul.

“The Rath Yatra signifies that the body is the chariot and the soul is the deity installed in the chariot. The wisdom/ awareness acts as the chariot to control mind and thoughts.”

- KATHOPANISHADA

The interpretation of Rath Yatra is infinite beyond the comprehension of limited human perception. Every year,  the occasion of Rathyatra  appeals me to take necessary actions for better sailing.

Let commit the ten days in cleansing the self. May the ten days festivity bring wisdom and positiveness in all spheres of our lives!

Sculpting Dreams

In the cubby holes enclosure, the artisans were engrossed in idol making. Aromas of wet clay in the damp, ill lit lanes were evaporating. It was the dingy locality of potters with rows of cramped workshops. The artisans were giving shapes to soft clay moulds.Ma had sent Munia to bring some money from Baba as   Raghu,her five year old brother had been sweltering in the fever.

She entered into the windy lane, the near completed idol were hemmed along the edges of the lanes. They captured her imagination and her pace halted, galvanized on freshly painted wide eyed Goddesses.

The festive occasion of Puja, she always counted the best time of year. At least, for her it was the annual affair to look forward for new cloth, unlike of her destined hand to down cloths of entire year. She looked at her oversize dress. She  loved the free spirit of Puja and festivity to roam around and feel the joy of the city.

Realizing the lost time, in gaping the idols, she brisk her pace. She conjured her Mother's foul mood of morning. Leaping the drain of the nartiw lane, she walked towards Sarkar Da’s  stall. The smell of raw earth, grease, paints and heaps of straw were floating in the space.

 She conjured the festivities falling few days ahead.  Though her Baba not a skilled artisans,yet he had been hired by local artisans for odd jobs as an assistant during the peak work season.

 At some of the places colorful plastic sheets were spread over the idol to protect them from unexpected rains. The artisans in front of their half sculpted mould were reverently engrossed in their work.

What would she wear on Navami…? Munia, an eleven plus was a lanky frame.Her course, near matted hair was the product of abject scarcity. Her big eyes on malnutriated face had a void but still had  yearning to have life of fullest. She had never been to school. Every few month they had to change their settlements, either in search of work or were forced by police. They were the squatters, who would usually dwell in the desolate corners of footpaths or vacant earth beneath a fly over.

With every passing day she  had  now been getting new insight about the  intricacies of life. These days after going through the hardships she would try to comprehend life. Now a days she would weigh the viable options of her life. While walking past the high rises she thought," She could work in those big, high rises." But her disheveled look didn’t allow her to enter in any one of them. "The guards standing there would certainly  reprimand  me, taking  as vagabond." She sighed while looking at the uniformed guards.

At night while family sleep on the pavement she had been getting aware of the night movements. The sights and movements of night would give her more perspiration than the sultry air. At the night, the movements of vehicles and hushed tones of strange faces, near their hoards would frighten her. Few of the girls at the pavements were taken away by them.Afterwards they didn’t return  neither sighted by anyone there.

She had listened Ma screams at night and her abhorrence to the way of life of the dwellers. Ma would often clamour,"She didn’t belong to that place so she couldn’t do all this." After a while her hysterical scream that she would return her native place would slow down. Perhaps admitting the fact that she had no place to go.

The panic-stricken vows of Ma to return to her native place, she began to understand and hollowness of her words. She knew Ma  screamed for self assurance or just to console herself. It was a sort of self assurance for Ma that there was still a place for her to return. Though she knew they would never return to their native place. As for them, in their native place, there was nothing but a roofless existence wrapped in hunger had been in waiting. It was the place which her mother would refer longingly to others.

To feel supported ,Ma evoked, her native place, a place of her own! A void! An uneven rustic place, with dingy lanes, full of cow dung stinks. There again, they had to repeat, the same story to vacate one place for another. With pangs of hunger, they had to wait for first meal till mid day. She was aware of her rib counted infancy. On the good day she would get a mouth full of  left over food of other houses holds.

These days she had been feeling some pressing gapes in the people’s eyes that would make her uncomfortable. Mother would suggest her to walk fast from there. Some times after her bath Ma would tag her along. They would walk to the temple and sit there on the stone under the banyan tree.

She walked to the market,she slowed near the T.V. shops. On the numerous screens same soaps were running. Gaping on one of them she longed  to break her vagabond life. On the screen she saw a girl child of her age. She tried to relate her life with the screen child. While watching the soaps on T.V. shops she would long for a house to sleep, to play. She loved to watch a  child in comfortable house,a secure life,a peaceful sleep in the bed.

 It was her dream- A comfortable one, at least a place of one room , a bed to sleep whenever she felt, food to eat when she felt hunger…," She smiled and prayed for her dream,"no when I  feel to have some food or to have some fun!" She conjured a home for the family with four walls.

To entertain and break the monotony of her childhood, till few years back she would play the imitation of normal life. In her play, she would long and would pretend to dislike school. Going to school and  imitating the life of a normal child were her precious dream. She would  act hurrying for school.Walking in school uniform with backpacks on the shoulder and sulkingly telling something to accompanying Ma. Sometimes she would play these games with vagrant children like her.

While walking the lean frame  tried to comprehend her life but could she? Wasn’t  a big issue for an eleven year old one?

COMBATING THE THREE HUMERALS OF BODY

The universe is made up of five elements or Punchbhuttas, and so are we. Each element has a unique characteristic. Each of them imparts their virtue wherever they are present.

Understanding the body types enables us to understand our bodies and take measures to correct its aggravations.

For instance, an exposure to cold and dry weather or stressful day makes one tired with wavering brain. It manifests as fatigue and undue anxiety and fear. It is a classic example of Vayu aggravation.

Usually I witness, persons especially students under stress of studies and exams stay in perpetual anxiety and fear. They simply fail to understand the aggravation of Vayu tattva in body and don’t seek measures to rectify it. Thus the condition persists.

Extreme cases of Vayu aggravation slide the person in a state of lower stamina and depression. As the lord of Vayu tattva, the planet Saturn is known to induce irritations, anxiety, fear and impulsiveness in an individual.

To soothe the Vayu aggravation, measures like proper diet, breathing exercise and mind soothing meditation and chanting of mantra (of planet Saturn, Lord Hanuman, Lord Shiva) help. Life style changes, according to nature’s circadian cycle work the best to deal with it.

The five elements and their characteristics-

Ether or space- is present everywhere.

Air-is a substance of varying state.

Fire-has power to transform matters.

Water-is a substance with power to flow or flexibility.

Earth- is a substance of solid state.

Each of the elements, thus show their attributes wherever they occupy the place.

The three humeral or constituents of body are Vayu, Pitta and Kapha. The three humeral of body are actually the faults or aggravations of Panchbhutas (five elements of body i.e. ether or space, air, fire, water and earth).

The three aggravations of elements impart characteristic of human body as Vayu, Kapha and Pitta. Thus the constitution or type of person varies from person to person. A person may have single constitution or may be of mixed i.e. can have more than two doshas or of mixed types.

The constitution of three humeral are Vayu (air+space), Pitta (fire+Water) and Kalpa or Phlegm(earth+water).

Body humeral  and its constitution	Involved emotions in imbalances  and cure	Diseases	Related body  organs, chakras and meridian for cure/healing	Planets and deities to soothe aggravations.
Vayu (air+ ether)	Craving Cure-practice calmess and concentration.	Racy brain,   insomnia, restlessness, mental illness, paranoia, digestive problems etc.	Head,Crown Chakra and  Third  Eye Chakras	Jupiter(ether) Deities of planet Jupiter-Planet Jupter,Lord Vishnu buddha. Saturn(air) Deities of Saturn-planet Saturn,Lord Hanuman,Lord Shiva.
Pitta (fire+ water)	Hatred Cure-create self respect and love in life.	Blood pressure, heart disease etc.	Solar plexus,  Sun Meridian (Pingala)	Sun, mars(solar plexus and spine to heal pingala or fire element) Deities to appease sun- Surya, Lord Rama, Gaytri mantra. Mercury(root chakra to heal earth element) deity of Mercury-Lord Ganesha
Kalpha (earth+water)	Ignorance Cure- shed passivity and inertia through exercise or will power.	Arthritis, Dry skin and hair.	Root Chakra,Hara Chakra	Planets-Mercury(to heal earth element and root chakra), Diet of Root chakra- Lord Ganesha Venus and the Moon(water element and Hara chakra) Deities of Moon- worship of Devies(Ma Gauri, Ma Lakshmi, Ma Saraswati.