Friday, 14 February 2020

Saheen Bagh & Sarjeel Imam – an aberration or by design


Saheen Bagh & Sarjeel Imam – an aberration or by design
The area that Sarjeel Imam wants to block

            The incidents that unfolded in a lightening manner after the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (now Act) [referred to as CAA hereinafter], got me thinking about the reasons for such an adverse reaction, particularly when this amendment in no way was an impediment in the general welfare & position of the Muslim community per se.  However, the follow up at the now infamous ‘Saheen Bagh’ and the commentaries from its so called organizers, whom I would like to refer to as perpetrators, especially the sinister scheme of cutting off of Assam from rest of the Country, tickled my brain cells to take a look at the issue in a holistic manner.

            Assam struck a chord because my father & uncles were uprooted from their lands because of the partition as it unfolded and I had heard a lot from my late father about it, especially about Sylet and his mention of names like Surawardy, Shaudllah and Gopi Nath Bordoli etc.  Most the newbies, born much after the partition have not even heard about the miseries brought about by the partition in the life of ordinary residents on either side and Sylet was not an exception.  Therefore, I looked into some books, articles etc. and this narrative is my own interpretation of the events and is brought forth to educate the youth about the facts & circumstances.   The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has especially segregated the petitions from Assam and Tripura from those emanating from other States and in order to understand the reason, one has to delve into history of the region, which is specifically being suppressed by a major section of the media.  Thus, the younger generation in particular is not aware as to why the people of Assam rose up against the CAA and the media coloured it, as being an uprising because the Muslims had not been covered in the said amendment, which is the main stay of the present campaign in other parts of the country and based on false premises.

            I have a strong belief that the partition of Bengal, over and over again, by the Britishers was to vent their anger and frustration at the acts of residents of Bengal, who had spearheaded the independence movement, especially at the final stages.  It could especially be because of Netaji, whose actions was the final nail in the British coffin that prompted them to take such drastic action, especially so in Sylet, which was the breeding ground for many revolutionaries and patriots of that time.  I am not delving into much details about the life and contributions towards independence movement of these luminaries, as it would take away the narration from the present essence of this write-up. 

            The Britishers in order to channelize their ‘Tea Garden’ establishments and business had amalgamated Sylet with Eastern Bengal & Assam in 1874 and thereafter, in 1912 brought it into folds of Assam.  Both these amalgamations had brought about intense reactions and resentment, especially from the Bengali Hindus of Sylet, who wanted to remain with Calcutta (as it was known at that time) and within the jurisdiction of Calcutta High Court, as they could identify themselves with Bengali speaking gentry there.  However, despite several assurances given by the Britishers, this request was never acceded to.  The people of Sylet, where both Hindu and Muslim sects, who were influenced by the contemporary saints of the Bhakti cult like Chaitainya Maha Prabhu (an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna) and Muslim saint Shah Jalal (a Sufism follower), had overwhelming influence on the residents of this district, as both belonged to this region and had widespread following on either side and acted as a strong cohesive string in the region. 

            However, after the amalgamation of 1912 large number of Bengali Hindus from Sylet joined the Government jobs in Assam Secretariat and this planted seeds of insecurity and fear of being over-run by Bengali speaking people amongst the Assamese gentry.   Thereafter, in late 1920’s when the Khilafat movement was introduced by Gandhi ji, the concept of separate country for Muslims had taken firm hold amongst the educated Muslim gentry, despite the fact that the movement was scrapped by Gandhi ji because of violence associated with it at a later stage, but the seed of partition planted through this movement had taken firm roots.  In pursuance of this sinister design to include Assam as part of larger Muslim nation, the demographic profile of Assam was constantly being changed with influx of Bengali Muslim population migrating from East Bengal and there was a substantial rise in their numbers from 1911 to 1941.  Despite introduction of ‘Line System’ in 1920 that did not allow immigrant population of settle in certain regions their influx continued and the Muslim leaders tried all means available to settle them in Assam.  The Muslim dominated Assembly, continued making all efforts to abolish this line system and when the Gopinath Bordoloi Ministry took charge on 19th September, 1938 it was faced with this piquant situation of trying to stop this illegal Muslim immigration into Assam.  However, his ministry was again brought into minority and Mohammad Sadullah regained power on 16th November, 1939 and again started tampering the Muslim immigrant’s settlement in Assam.  Thereafter, in order to further change the demographic profile of Assam, the Sadullah Government during the 1941 census again tried to tamper with the records by grouping the residents of Assam by their category i.e. naming them as tribals instead of earlier religion based identification.  This resulted in grouping the indigenous residents of Assam, who earlier were enrolled themselves as either Hindus/Buddhists etc., as tribals and this census resulted in reflection of a huge fall in number of Hindus in the region in the census and explosion of Muslim population by many folds.   For this his Government came under severe criticism alongwith the land policy being followed by it and it was forced to tender its resignation on 12th December, 1941.  The resignation was also perpetrated because of the statement made by one Muslim league member by name of Kazimuddin Ahmed who stated that – “….We want to see Assam as Muslim majority province.  The settlement of the immigrants is the best means of doing it”.  However, through his machinations Mohammad Sadullah again returned to power on 25th August, 1942 and again started following the pre meditated design to settle illegal Muslim immigrants into the State.  The high handed actions of the Sadullah Government was resented by one and all in Assam, including the Hindus settled there and finally Sadullah was forced to call for a conference to debate upon these issues from 16th to 19th December, 1944 of the major opposition parties, who denounced the acts and suggested reforms vide resolution dated 16th January, 1945.  But the same was not implemented and as Congress gained an upper hand in the Assembly, Sadullah got unnerved because of stiff opposition to his policies and announced his resignation on 23rd March, 1945.  However, his resignation was preceded by a secret pack between Gopinath Bordoli, R.K. Choudhury and Sadullah and accordingly, the ministry was reconstituted with all the five Muslim ministers being retained in Cabinet alongwith one Tribal and four non-Muslim members being nominated by the Congress party.  Thereafter, the Constituent Assembly was dissolved on 1st October, 1945 and general elections took place on 9th January, 1946 in which the Congress party alongwith other parties gained complete majority and government headed by Sh. Gopinath Bordoli took charge on 11th February, 1946.  Thus, it is evident from the narration hereinabove that the Muslim League and its allies were mainly interested in incorporating Assam into East Bengal/Pakistan and were using their machinations to change the demographic profile to Assam by settling illegal Bengali speaking Muslims in large numbers in Assam and exodus of Hindus was negligible, except for in respect of Government jobs, for which they were found more suitable.

            The other part of this sordid saga was the design of the Muslim leadership to include Calcutta (as it was known then) in East Bengal/Pakistan and a brief sketch of this sinister design requires narration at this point, to stitch together the larger picture that was being drawn by the Muslim leadership.  Calcutta was the only city in the Bengal region that had a majority of Hindus, but due to larger number of Bengali Muslims in erstwhile East Bengal, the Government in Bengal was headed by one uncouth Muslim leader known as H.S Surawardy, who is also known in the annals of history as the ‘Butcher of Bengal’.  The whole of Bengal at that time comprised of about 42 percent population of Muslims, but Calcutta had around 64 percent Hindus.  This notorious character, who had assumed power as head of Muslim League Government in Bengal in 1945, after having been inducted into Constituent Assembly of Bengal in 1937.  From the initial days itself, he was hell bent upon annexing Bengal, especially Calcutta with East Bengal/Pakistan into the Muslim nation.  After assuming power in 1945 he started working with this ulterior motive and the most noteworthy one is that he started changing the demographic profile of the Calcutta Police by inducting tribals from North West Frontier Province of Pakistan  into the Police forces instead of the traditional induction,  as per the then prevalent A,B,C,D formula i.e. induction of police constabulary from Arrah, Balia, Chapra and Deoria who were Bhojpuri speaking people and being well built and loyal, but were steadfast Hindus following Lord Hanuman and Lord Ram and reciting the Hanuman Chalisa regularly.  This constabulary did not meet the sinister designs that Surawardy had in mind, as he was aware that they would not harm the Hindus at any cost and would rather revolt in case of atrocities were meted out upon Hindus.  Therefore, he roped in one ICS Officer named Niaz Mohammad Khan the then District Magistrate of Midnapore and known for the perpetration of brutal repressive force upon the protestors during Civil disobedience movement, who was sent to the North West Frontier Province to recruit locals for induction into Calcutta Police with intent to Muslimise it.  All this was the build-up for the final assault to subjugate and terrorize the Hindus to refrain from voting during referendum.  Upon call of Jinnah for ‘direct action’ against the British Government to force them to implement the partition on religious lines, it was decided that the same would be launched on 16th August, 1946. This date was specifically chosen by Jinnah, as 16th August, 1946 was the eighteenth day of Ramzan and it was on that day that Prophet Mohammad had waged the bloody Battle of Bard, which culminated in the first decisive victory for the Prophet over the heathens and consequent conquest of Mecca.  Radical Islamists celebrated this day as a decisive day for Islam. 

As per the pre-planned action that unfolded on 16th August, 1946 the Muslim League leader Khawza Nizamuddin was the lead speaker, followed by H.S Surawardy, who delivered speeches to the Muslims after the Jumma Namaz (Friday prayers) and slogans like -
Maar ke lenge Pakistan, lad ke lenge Pakistan, le kar rahenge Pakistan, Allahu Akhbar, nara-i-takhbir”. 
were raised and the crowds instigated to kill Hindus and burn their properties.  The infamous H.S Surawardy had conspired with Bengal Governor of that time named Fredrick Burrows, an equally infamous character, to block the Police forces from reaching the riot affected areas.  He had during his speech informed the Muslims about this position, which had emboldened them further.  Thus the ‘Great Calcutta killings’ commenced with this call in Central Calcutta region and spread all around, the estimated Muslims engaged in mayhem were estimated between 60,000 to 2,00,000 in numbers and this mass killings of Hindus continued unabated from 16th August to 22nd August, 1946.  Where after, the Viceroy’s rule was imposed on 21st August, 1946 and the battalions of British, Indian and Gurkha troops marched into Calcutta and the rioting finally stopped on 22nd August, 1946.

            As a reaction to these killings in Calcutta, riots had erupted in adjoining areas of Bihar and United Province (now Uttar Pradesh), but the most catastrophic riots took place in Noakhali.  As per his grand plan of annexing entire Bengal with East Pakistan, the nefarious H.S Suhrawardy’s close associate Gholam Sarwar Husseini, another botched up character, ran a different kind of ‘Direct action’ and killed an estimated 5000 Hindus and as many number of Hindus were maimed in Noakhali and further, about 4000 Hindu women were raped and thousands of families forcibly converted into Islam between October and November, 1946 under aegis of the H.S Suhrawardy.  There are a plethora of communications, in form of letters, establishing the connivance between these two nefarious Muslims that is available in the National Archines in India and in the United Kingdom.  As a result of this action the Hindu population of Noakhali declined dramatically, as per the diabolical plan to these two nefarious characters.  Although Gandhi ji tried to intervene and reached the region on 7th November, 1946, but on persistent opposition by Muslim League left the place on 2nd March, 1947.  Immediately thereafter, the Muslims started the mayhem against the Hindus all over again and even resorted to burning them alive.  When a fresh appeal was made to Gandhi ji, he merely stated that Hindus should either leave or perish.

            However, the sad part of this entire sordid drama that had been enacted at the time of partition of India, particularly by the villainous Surawardy, has been in a sinister and systemic manner swept under cover, by the Marxist & Nehruvian historians and this trend still continues today, wherein history and historical facts are convoluted and concocted to placate a particular community.  In this tryst, they have gradually brought about a stand that H.S Surhawardy, who later went on to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan, as a respectable figure, contrary to the facts that history presents before us. 

Another clever narrative devised by these Leftists is the word ‘secular’, which only encompasses Hindu reactions blown out of proportion and is completely silent on Muslim atrocities, much akin to the story of ‘Emperor’s new clothes’, where despite the fact that a conman had made the King walk naked, everyone thought that speaking out the truth, would make him look like a fool, till a harmless little child pointed out the folly.   In the present context, it can be seen that a rather clean politician, who sees the inherent danger of fracture of our democracy by the bigots and is acting save the national interest, but because of his stand every, so called educated Hindu does not like to align with, because of the fact that if you speak out for Hindus, one is termed as a communal, bigot and illiterate.  In this confusion, most of educated Hindus have started acting as those characters watching the King walk naked and rather not talk about it, for the fear of being termed as illiterate and communal.  This is kind psyche that the leftist & Nehruvian machinations have created, especially by conspiring and convoluting the text books and historical facts that a modern day kid is totally unaware of.

From the above narration it is quite evident that in their grandiose design for making a comprehensive Muslim nation, their leadership and the community at large, were besieged with the idea of including Calcutta and whole of Assam into East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).  They had left no stones unturned to achieve this, as is evident from the narrations hereinabove.  Apparently, this unfinished task still remains in the memories and is etched in psyche of the Muslim gentry, who are still trying to achieve it, albeit now with support of some known Political parties, both in Bengal and elsewhere.  Therefore, what Sarjeel Imam stated in his speech regarding cutting off Assam from rest of India, is not something that is just an aberration, but it is a sinister historical design of the particular sect of Muslims, who are still striving to achieve this.    Thus, the rhetoric’s and chants heard in places like Saheen Bagh, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Aligarh Muslim University, Jadavpur etc., echoes the same narrative that happened earlier in history and more recently in erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir in early 1990’s, when the Kashmiri Pandits were thrown out of their own land, can be deciphered as the bugle of the same sinister design that is again being nurtured for fracturing the nation further on religious lines.  The Citizenship Amendment Act in no way affects the rights of the Muslims residing in India in any manner, but is an enabling provision for granting citizenship to minorities in some neighbouring Islamic nations.  Whereas, the National Register of Citizens is maintained in most of the countries across the globe, is being opposed by a particular community in connivance with certain political parties, with the same design that was being followed in the past, the aim being to annexe Assam prior to partition.  The same agenda is now again being brought to fore i.e. to increase their population or numbers by hook or by crook and any legal attempt to subvert it is taken as a challenge by these bigots.  Every rationally thinking individual, who wants to protect his nation and his identity, needs to look through this sinister design and act appropriately to defend himself, but by no means as per the methods adopted by the Muslims in Bengal during pre-independence days.  One should stand in unison and deliver their verdict by their pens and ballots or else if we continue to fall for the fallacy perpetrated by leftist oriented gentry and acting like so called seculars, would cost them their dignity and way of life at the end.
© S Roy Biswas

Edit - These elements i.e. Sarjeel Imam and Umar Khalid's bail applications were reject by Hon'ble Supreme Court of India, as their activities were found to be against the interest of the nation - here is the link to the gist of the judgement - https://www.scobserver.in/reports/supreme-court-rejects-umar-khalid-and-sharjeel-imams-bail-pleas-says-continued-detention-not-constitutionally-impermissible/
Here is a link to Sarjeel Imam's speech seeking to cut off Assam - https://x.com/i/status/1575742855355985920
[The edit was necessititated for the Supreme Court Judgement]

Saturday, 9 February 2019

Kumaon – the cradle of saints


Kumaon – the cradle of saints

The famed Neem or Neeb Karoli Baba sitting outside his Kainchi Dhaam ashram
There are three famous saints, whose glory is spread far and wide, who trudged this part of the holy land that is known as Kumaon of Uttarakhand.  The trio of saints comprised of Neeb (also Neem) Karoli Baba, Hairakhan Baba and Sombari Baba.  The lives of these holy saints appear to be intertwined mysteriously in this siddha bhoomi (pious land) of Kumaon.  All the three holy saints are Siddhas and one who is fully accomplished and self-realized beings and in consonance with the Gods.  Out of these three, only Shri Shri Sombari Baba does not enjoy much of international fame, but the remaining two i.e. Hairakhan or Haidakhan Baba and Neem Karoli Baba have a substantial following in the Western hemisphere as well.

Sombari Baba
The ashram of Sombari Baba in Padampuri
Sombari Baba does not enjoy any substantial following in the West and the main reason for the same is that he had passed on to his heavenly abode in 1919 and very few westerners had the opportunity to meet him.  This famed saint got his name from the day of a week i.e. Sombar or Monday, as he used to organize a langar (community lunch or dinner) on Mondays for all those who visited him on this day.  An anecdote is associated with this act of his.  It is said that the saint was a great healer and used to give medicine in form of various plants and their by-products to the locals, who had started thronging his Ashram for the same.  This affected the business of Doctors doing business in Almora and they started a vilification campaign against him and due to regular interference by the Britishers, on behest of these doctors, he abandoned his practice of providing medicines.  But he came up with the innovative way of providing food to the visitors that acted as medicine and for this act of providing the free food on Mondays, he came to be known about as Sombari Baba.  It is said that through one of his miracles, food never ran short even if the number of visitors were in great numbers and no one knows as to from where he got the resources for running the said community food kitchen.
Sombari Baba
             No one knows for sure as to where this great Saint was born, but assumption is that he was born in between 1815-1827, in a small town called Pind Dadankhan.  The holy saint had no belongings except for a small cloth bag, a tiger skin and a chillum.  He was a very simple person, never seeking anything from anyone nor took to preach anyone.  He resided at two places namely Karkarighat during summers and in Padampuri during winters.  The other saints who roamed the region during his period or afterwards regarded him in high esteem and Neem Karoli Baba even built the Ashrams at the two destinations that the Sombari Baba lived in.  About his divinity, it is said that all those who visited this holy saint from far and wide were never ever attacked by any wild animals (that roamed this region in large numbers, especially tigers) or any bodily harm came upon them while traversing the treacherous hilly terrain to meet him. 
Another photograph of  Sombari Baba
             From the sources in internet, it appears that Sombari Baba was a ‘haat yogi’ and practiced a kind of ‘fire ritual’ as way to appropriating the Gods.  It is said that he used to get up very early in the mornings and prepare four wood ‘homa kunds’ (Fire ritual pyre) along the four geographical directions and used to sit in the middle of it meditating for hours.  It appeared as if he had been engulfed by the fires raging all around and it is said that every ‘homa kund’ emanated a different color of flame.  It is said that he told one of his followers that ‘Agni’ (Fire) is the vehicle on which life sustains within the entire universe and to be one with the all-encompassing God, one has to propitiate him appropriately.  It is also said that this holy saint always had the premonition about the person who was about to visit him or for what purpose the person had come.  It is sad that none of this teachings or preaching’s or methods of ‘Yagna’ (lighting of holy fire pyre) could be preserved for posterity, as he did not have any well versed follower at that point of time who could record the same.
Sombari Baba with his chillum
            At present the ashrams where Sombari Baba spent most of his time i.e. Karkarighat on Almora highway and one at Padampuri are functional and may be visited by those desirous of experiencing the places venerated by this great soul.

Hairakhan or Haidakhan Baba
Temple and ashram dedicated of Hairakhan Baba in Chinyalisaur, Ranikhet
The Kumaon region of the present Uttarakhand State was a place endowed with rich flora and fauna in the past and small townships and villages were scattered all along the hills, especially near streams and other water sources.  One of such small hamlets was called Hairakhan village that was situated on the south side of the Hairakhan jungle.  During the late nineteenth century, the villagers were intrigued and beguiled by a strange bright light that appeared on a hill top in the mountain in the jungles during the evenings.  After a few days, this strange light started appearing near the village as well.  The people started gathering around the place from where the light was emanating and they found a saint with a radiant glow all around him.  Since he had emerged from the forest of Hariakhan, the villagers started calling him Hairakhan Baba.  The villagers wanted this saintly person to stay with them and after detailed discussions, it was decided to house him in the room of the forest guard named Dham Singh, who used to stay alone.  Afraid that the Baba would wonder out by himself in the forest or will be taken away by persons of other nearby villages, he used to lock up the Baba in his room, whenever he went out for his daily duties.   However, one day some other folks from nearby villagers wanted to visit Hairakhan Baba during the day time, during absence of Dhan Singh and reached his shack.  The villagers found the doors locked and all windows properly barred, so they broke open the lock but could not find Babaji inside.  Thereafter, Hairakhan Baba appeared in a cave in the Hairakhan jungle.  It is believed that Hairkahan Baba was another form of the famed Maha avtar Babaji, who is believed to be a form assumed by Lord Shiva himself to visit the Earth plane and Babaji’s appearance was sudden in the year 1890 and was interspersed with sudden disappearances and re-appearances in the Northern region of India till his final disappearance in a ball of light before his devotees in 1924.  He is said to have traversed back to holy Kailash to meditate.

Maha avtar Babaji

A possible photograph of Mahavtar Babaji
            It is said that the holy Hairakhan Babaji did not communicate frequently and ate only when offered food by his devotees.  He appeared to be a person of slim body with a youthful radiance and had an unusually fast gait.  His appearances and disappearances were always unpredictable.  He was seen with Tibetan Lamas on many occasions and the Buddhist monks and his attire consisted of a Lama Skull cap.  It is said that Baba was proficient in many languages and used to communicate with the persons/devotees in their language and hence it was very difficult to identify his place of origin as well.  He had all the known siddhas (Yogic powers) and occasionally performed miracles in a natural way according to the circumstances at hand. But mostly people were drawn to him because of the bliss they experienced in his presence.  His fame grew after a devotee, named Mahendra Bramhachari, who had a divine vision about him 1949, started collecting information about Hairakhan Babaji and spent thirty five years traversing the places visited by Babaji and collected first had accounts and anecdotes associated with Babbaji.  He penned his collection under the title ‘Punya Smriti’ under the pseudo name of Guru Chanasrit.  The other source of information about the famed Hairakhan Babaji can be accessed through another book written by Baba Hari Dass titled ‘Unknown’ published in USA in 1975 by the Sri Ram Foundation.
The said reincarnation of Hairakhan Baba - Sri Sri 1008 Hairakhan wale Baba
            The present day, so called reincarnation of famed Hairakhan Baba and known as Sri Sri 1008 Hairakhan wale Baba made his appearance in 1970 and left for his heavenly abode on 14th February, 1984.  At present there is a temple cum ashram dedicated to this holy saint at Chinyalinaula in Ranikhet and another at the place he originally appeared i.e. Hairakhan village.

Neem or Neeb Karoli Baba
The famed ashram of Neem Karoli Baba at Kainchi Dham
The most famous of the trio of Saints was the Neem or Neeb Karoli Baba.  Born to a Brahmin family in the year 1900 as Lakshmi Narayan Sharma in Akbarpur in Uttar Pradesh to the family of Durga Prasad Sharma, this great saint left for his heavenly abode in the year 1973.  It is said that he had a vision in his 17th year of life wherein Lord Hanuman is said to have initiated him on to the way of sainthood.  Fearing loss of his child, he was married off by his father and after the birth of his youngest daughter, he left his home to become a Sadhu.
Neem Karoli Baba during his younger age
          It is said that after a few years of wandering around, one day while travelling on a train, the Ticket Collector sought his ticket and on informing that he did not have any money to buy the same, he was unceremoniously deboarded from the train at a small station called Neem Karoli in Nanital region.  Thereafter, Babaji went and sat under the shade of the tree near the Kosi River and when the train started, despite the engine running, the train failed to budge from its place.  Despite several engineers trying to make it run, the train would not budge, in spite of the fact that there was nothing wrong with the engine.  Finally some passengers pointed out to the Railway authorities that they should approach the Sadhu and seek his forgiveness.  After many attempts, since the train failed to move, the Railway authorities approached Maharaj ji, who agreed to board the train on one condition that a regular station would be built at the village of Neem Karoli and upon his boarding the train, it moved easily.  After this incident, he came to be known as ‘Neem Karoli Baba’, but as the westerners were unable to pronounce the word ‘Neem’ it gradually became ‘Neeb Karoli Baba’. 
Neem Karoli Baba during his mid life
On hearing about this incident, his father immediately rushed to the village of Neem Karori to meet and get his son. There he met Maharajji and ordered him to return home. Maharajji followed his father’s instructions and returned. This was the beginning of two different types of life that Maharajji led. One that of a householder and the other that of a saint. He devoted time towards his responsibility of a householder and at the same time he continued to look after his bigger family i.e. the world at large. However, there was no difference in his life and style of living when discharging duties of a householder or that of a saint. In his family as a householder he has two sons and a daughter.
Neem Karoli Baba in his late life
               Neeb karoli Baba also called ‘Maharaj ji’ by his disciples, preached that all were one – ‘Sab Ek’, he emphasized upon loving all beings, serve everyone, to tell the truth always and to remember God.  He was an ardent worshipper of Lord Hanuman and being deeply devout, followed the ‘bhakti path’ for attaining enlightenment.  He was also known as the miracle baba, as he could manifest himself at two places at the same time or putting his disciples in deep state of trance or Samadhi with touch of his fingers.  There are several anecdotes related with his miraculous ways, one goes as that during a huge community lunch being hosted at his ashram, there was shortage of ghee, upon being informed, he asked the cook to fill one drum of water from the nearby rivulet and he just touched it and the cooking medium poured forth from the container.  Another one goes that one day during hot summer afternoon, one of his ardent devotee visited him, on his way back a patch of cloud continuously moved and shielded the devotee from the rays of the relentless sun till he reached his residence.  Yet another one goes that one of the daughters of his disciple was very sick and on his request he visited his household and cleverly occupied the bed the girl was sleeping on, he suffered pain and fever throughout the night and the girl recovered fully the next day.  It is touted that during their struggling days both Steve Jobs and Kottle had visited his Ashram in India, although Maharaj ji no longer manifested in the worldly form, yet after their brief stay at Ashram, both of them reached the zenith of their business i.e. Apple Inc.  On advice of Steve Jobs, the founder of Facebook, Mark Zukerberg has also admitted regarding his visit to the famed ashram during the period when he was struggling to establish his business.
Baba Neem Karoli during is old age
At present the disciples of Neeb Karoli Baba maintain several ashrams all across India and abroad, but the two that stand out are the one at Vrindavan and other at Kainchi Dham on the Almora Highway in Nainital District of Uttarakhand.

[The information and photographs have been sourced from the internet and books, especially after reading the 'Autobiography of a Yogi' – this article is to provide a short & precise insight into the lives and works of these three famed Babas of Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.  Please feel free to comment, if any inputs are factually incorrect.]

Tuesday, 14 February 2017

A Social Mirror For Teachers

A Social Mirror For Teachers

All of us start eulogizing the role of teachers on the occasion of ‘Teacher’s day’ but are the doings by some sections really call for such act on our part. We have now reached a stage wherein we have to put forth a question to ourselves that as to whether these present day teachers still desrve all the accolades we bestow upon them? Therefore, I would like to put forth the other aspect of these present day teacher’s, as a social mirror to gauge themselves.

I have been closely associated with the education system during the course of my service and watched very closely, what I term as the other half of these teachers. No doubt that a cadre of highly dedicated and outstanding teachers still existing, but their numbers are miniscule. However, I sincerely do not want to hurt their ego and state that my noting is not targeted against them and hence they may excuse my observations regarding remainder of their kind. I have classified the teachers with abominate qualities into three main categories – (1) Those who are primary & secondary stage teachers; (2) Teachers in higher & professional institutions; (3) Teachers who have grown to become administrators.

The main draw back of this first category of the teachers is that majority of them lack motivation and take their duties as mundane rather then a challenge as the future of this Nation is their hands. The other aspect of this category of teachers is that unlike the past when this profession was chosen with the best heads over their shoulders, now a days it has turned out that all those who are left out in the race for the coveted jobs or opportunities opt for this profession, more as a matter of last resort rather than by choice. I have also observed first hand that the frustration, of not getting what they aspired for, makes them depressed & disillusioned with the Society. As a result of this, they behave like animals with the students, neither sharing their feelings nor trying to understanding the students’ predicament. This is apparent especially in Government run institutions or those aided by the Government despite the fact that these teachers are one of the best paid in comparison to those having employment outside this specified sector with all kinds of perks to go for. The most abhor able character that even further degrades their stature is their demand for money underhand by means of giving private tuitions. Although this is barred by the Government, yet goes on clandestinely. I will give an example wherein the daughter of my ‘Press wallah – Ironing person’ has been failing in Hindi, despite that being their mother tongue, in Class VI since past two years just because he cannot afford to get her daughter to take private classes/tuition for her from the concerned teacher. No doubt that the poor girl may have to drop out of school, but at whose cost?

Although the private run Institutions do not face this problem, specifically so because of the fact that most the parents whose wards study in such institutions are reasonably well placed as compared to their Government school counter parts. But here there is an entire set of priorities which govern the teaching. The teachers for their career sake will help out students whose parents are reasonably well placed as compared with others and as also they will pay special emphasis on the outstanding students. In this run of the mill attitude, the poor average student, who occupies a bench from the second or third rung to just above the last rung are the most affected. However, if the teachers just but browse through the list of persons who have made it good in life, they will find that most of them never had an outstanding academic record but were average students and the leading light amongst them is Thomas Alva Edison. Therefore, is it not the burdened duty upon the teachers to encourage and bring out the best from even the quietest & average of students because you know not which shell shall bring forth a shining pearl?

The next level of educational tier is the Professional Institution or College and therein even upto a few years back the Science stream was the most preferred. The teachers in these Institutions hold a distinct advantage from the first category of teachers discussed hereinabove. The teachers in this category are amongst the best educated and have a healthy salary to go with. However, here to the lack of motivation is apparent and the misgivings of school teachers give way to a kind of arrogance which is uncalled for. The student found to put too many questions are frowned upon and the majority of the teachers just want to complete the course in a routine manner rather than to try and improve the teaching & learning experience. In the Science streams there is another major factor that comes through and that is nepotism. I have seen a Head of Department send back the Botany collection of his nephew as in comparison to the collection made by another fellow student it just paled to oblivion.  This teacher? then impressed upon the outside expert that the collection made by his nephew was far better than anyone else’s. This nephew got the highest marks in the practicals as against the student who had really worked hard for the collection. What impression it would make on a young impressionable mind? Will it not indicate to all students who were present and seen everything themselves that nepotism rather then merit is what makes sense in today’s’ world or in case of modern day ‘Kalyug’ teachers. The awe of teachers is even more pronounced in the professional colleges especially medical colleges where the teachers have assumed a god like aura and openly threaten the students of ruining their careers!  The guides for thesis will make and call for such changes which are not practical and after many a hit and trial methods may come back to the first paper submitted! At what cost and for what purpose, only to satisfy their gloated egos?  The suicides by students, some of which get reported whereas some others just go unreported and to oblivion, who is responsible? Please stand up if you have the guts and acknowledge your responsibility you owe towards the parents of such students & this nation at large!

One can go on and on with what ails our education system. But before closing I will deal with the third category of the teachers turned administrators. Such people are entrusted the task of administering our Education system as they are supposed to know the ‘ins & outs’ of the system having been born in the cadre.  However, even in a simple exercise of granting recognition to Public Schools these individuals in order to make a quick buck will recommend Institutions which do not even meet the basic requirements as designated by the Government. These unscrupulous elements will even go the extent to replace documents/forge records and indulge in all kinds of nefarious activities including attempt to literally eliminate anyone who tries to bring in a semblance of accountability in this entire chain. In whose hands have we entrusted our Education system?

As stated above, I have personally experienced some of the facts stated hereinabove in course of my career. This is a social mirror and I would request all teachers to read this and introspect.
(This article by me was posted in Sulekha.com almost 10 years ago and would like to retain it in my personal blog as well - it elicited some interesting comments - to read the same link to the original blog - http://creative.sulekha.com/a-social-mirror-for-teachers_278225_blog )

Tuesday, 13 September 2016


Divinity of Jageshwar dham

नमः शिवाय
Divinity of Jageshwar dham

Jageshwar temple complex - cocooned in the Doedar forests

Nestled in the Almora district of Uttarakhand, also known at the ‘Land of Gods’, perched at an altitude of 1870 meters (MSL) and lying in the East to North East direction of Almora township, about 37 Kms. ahead towards Bare China and cocooned in the dense forests of Deodar (Cedrus deodara), lies the temple complex comprising the reverend & famed Jageshwar dham. The place finds mention in the ancient treatise of Prasadmandanam, which describes this place as an abode of Lord Shiva and in Sanskrit it is stated as –
हिमाद्रेरूत्तरे पार्श्वे देवदारूवनं परम्
पावनं शंकरस्थानं तत्र् सर्वे शिवार्चिताः।

The Dandeshwar temple complex in Jageshwar

The self appearing Shiva Lingam inside Dandeshwar temple complex
      Jageshwar is the place of Nagesh, 8th among the Dwadasa Jyotirlingas (the ten plus two or twelve resplendent lingas of Lord Shiva established by Lord Vishnu), which is stated to exist in the forest of Deodar or daruka (Sanskrit: दारूक वन, transliteration: daruka van). Renowned Hindu Saint Adi Shankaracharya visited this place and composed this hymn in praise of Lord Shiva -

सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम् ।
उज्जयिन्यां महाकालमोकांरममलेश्वरम् ।
परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमशंकरम् ।
सेतुबंधे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारूकावने ।
वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्रयंम्बकं गौतमीतटे ।
हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये ।
ऐतानि ज्योतिर्लिंगानि सायं प्रातः पठेन्नरः ।
सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति ।
— Dwadasa Jyotirlinga Stotra by famed Hindu Saint Adi Shankaracharya

The saint is also credited with the rejuvenation of Hindu religion & repair of this holy shrine, before he moved ahead to Kedarnath, where he established the famed shrine temple.
Inside courtyard view of Jageshwar temple complex
          There are several mythological stories associated with the formation of the 12 (twelve) Jyotirlingas. Jyotirlinga in Sanskrit means ’Pillar of light’. Although some do not list Jageshwar in the list of 12 Jyotirlingas and identify Nageshwar to be in Dwarka, Gujrat, whereas in some others it does list as being in Jageshwar in Uttarakhand. The twelve Jyotirlingas are listed as follows –
1. Somnath at Prabhas Patan, Saurashtra, Gujarat.
2. Sri Mallikarjun in township of Srisailam,Andhra Pradesh
3. Mahakaleshwar in township of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
4. Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh.
5. Vaidyanath temple at Deoghar, Jharkhand.
6. Bhimashankar in Dakini, Maharashtra.
7. Ramalingeswar in Setubandanam, Tamil Nadu
8. Nagesh in Jageshwar.
9. Vishwanath in Benaras, Uttar Pradesh.
10. Tryambakeshwar Jyotirlinga near Nasik, Maharashtra.
11. Kedareswar in Kedarnath Himalayas, Uttarakhand.
12. Ghrishneshwar in Devasrovar, Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

       As stated hereinabove that Jageshwar finds mention in very ancient Hindu texts and therefore, the exact dating of existence of the temples cannot be done definitively. There are about 120 temples in the temple complex and several edicts (about twenty five in number) providing for some clues to the origin of these temples. According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), they belong to the post-Gupta and pre-medieval eras and are estimated to be about 450 yrs old. These temples range in the period from the 8th century (early Katyuri Dynasty) to the 18th century (Chand Dynasty). The temples were renovated during the reign of Katyuri King Shalivahandev. There is an inscription of Malla Kings on the main temple premises indicating their devotion to Jageshwar. The Katyuri Kings also donated villages to the temple priests for its maintenance. The Chand Kings of Kumaon were also patrons of the Jageshwar temple. Numerous Jageshwar temples were constructed or restored during the Gurjara Pratihara era. It is believed that while establishing the various maaths in Uttarakhand, like the Kedarnath and Badrinath dhams, Adi Shankaracharya too had visited Jageshwar and renovated and re-established many temples before leaving for Kedarnath. The Samsan ghat of Jageshwar is also the cremation ground of the erstwhile Chand Kings. The temples architecture belongs to the Nagara style, characterized by a tall curved spire surmounted by an amalaka (capstone) and a kalasha crown. Most of the temples enshrine a stone Lingam, surrounded by stone sculptures of various deities. The pilgrimage to Jageshwar is considered as sacred as the famous Chardham yatra.
Entrance to the Tarun Jageshwar temple

Nandi inside the Jageshwar temple complex

Performing puja inside the Tarun Jageshwar temple
       The folklore in the regions around Jageshwar tells us a gripping story about building the Main temple Near Kot Linga Temple Complex. Lord Shiva selected this place to be his abode. During the Tapasya by Lord Shiva, demons obstructed his penance. Then God "Sam" came into being as Trinetra (the third eye of Lord Shiva), who sent his ‘Ganas’/Demons to kill these demons. It is believed that Lord Sam will come to Kot Linga temple premises to save humanity and Jageshwar in Kalyuga. Adi Shankacharya tried to build the main temple at Kotlinga, but to no avail as Lord Sam wanted Kotlinga to be specifically reserved for the Meditation of his beloved Lord Shiva. Old ruins of a temple structure can be found near Kotlinga. Local people still believe that Lord Sam will come and built the real Jageshwar temple near Kotlinga and thus, save the mankind from adversities of Kalyuga.  It is also believed that anyone who prays here is saved from ‘akaal mrityu’/untimely or sudden violent death.  The temple city comprises a cluster of 124 large and small stone temples, dating 9th to 13th century AD, with many preserved by the  (ASI), which include Dandeshwar Temple which is situated upstream of the main temple complex and is in a more dilapidated condition and the lingam here is of a natural stone that is uncarved and in natural state, known as swayam bhu (meaning self-appearing).    The main temple complex that is situated next to the Jaata Ganga further downstream comprises of the Chandi-ka-Temple, Jageshwar Temple, Kuber Temple, Mritunjaya Temple, Nanda Devi or Nau Durga, Nava-grah temple, a Pyramidal shrine, Surya Temple and the Bhairav temple at the side of the entrance.  Tarun Jageshwar is one of the principal temples situated in the temple premises. The temple has two dwarapalas (door guardians) in the form of the armed Nandi and Skandi. This is a west facing temple of Lord Shiva. Here, Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Nagesh/Jageshwar.  In the middle of the temple is the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, the Shivlinga is divided into two parts. The larger one depicts Lord Shiva and smaller one his consort Parvati. An Akhand Jyoti, (an immortal flame) burns in the temple. There are two Asthadhatu statues of the Chand Kings - Deepchand and Tripalchand in the standing posture behind the Shivlinga.
Panoramic view of Mahamritynjaya temple with pyramid shaped temple in front and Deodar trees in the background

The spire of the Mahamrityunjaya temple in Jageshwar - the highest of all
        The most famous of them is the Mahamrityunjay temple, which is the largest and oldest temple in the Jageshwar temple complex. This temple of Shiva is eastern facing and the Linga is worshipped as the saviour from death. The unique linga has an eye shaped opening. Pilgrims believe that reciting the Mahamritunjaya Mantra is a fruitful, auspicious and powerful method of self-realization, removal of evil effects, and freedom from all kinds of fears, illness and negativity. The Mahamritunjaya Mantra is attested in the Sukla Yajurveda Samhita III/60 and reads as –

ॐ हौ जूँ सः
ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः
ॐ त्रयंबकं यजामहे सुगन्धिम् पुष्टिवधर्नम्
उर्वारूकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्यॊर्मुक्षीय मामृतात्
ॐ स्वः भुवः भूः ॐ
सः जूँ हौ ॐ
    The Yagna pit inside Jageshwar temple
    The statue of Bhairav inside the temple dedicated to the Lord in Jageshwar
The temple dedicated to Kuber in Jageshwar
             Visit to the Jageshwar Dham is not considered to be complete until one visits the temple complex of Vridh or Budh Jageshwar.  This temple complex is situated on a hill top about 3 Kms. from the main Jageshwar temple complex through a pedestrian hill path.  However, in case one wants to visit it by road i.e. using a vehicle, one will have to traverse back upto Bare China junction and therefrom, turn right (while coming from Jageshwar side) and head through a desolate but tranquil road for about 10 odd Kms. till you reach the end of the road, where the temple is situated.  Although there is not definitive written treatise about this place, but as per the folk lore, one of the Chand dynasty Kings who was passing through the place found a cow voluntarily milking itself at a spot and this was repeated regularly for several days.  He then visited the spot to find out a Swayam bhu Shiva linga jutting out of the land.  Since he was proceeding for a war, he prayed at the site and made a promise that in case he won the war, he would construct a temple at the site.  The King won the war and kept his promise.  The stones are said to have been sourced from a place about 10-12 Kms. from the site, a village called Panvanola and the village quarry yielded only those exact number of stones that were required to build the temple.  Inside the temple, a constant source of water flows, whose origins are unknown and this is offered as ‘Charana-amrit’ (Elixir flowing from foot of Lord – literal meaning) to those pilgrims visiting the temple.  It is said that this particular spot offers spectacular views of the Himalayas.  However, as we had visited during the ‘Shravan’ (rainy season) month, when it is considered to be the most auspicious time, the region was all covered with clouds. 
Panoramic view of Budh or Vridh Jageshwar
Another view of the Vridh or Budh Jageshwar
The temple spire of Vridh or Budh Jageshwar
Although we were albiet late while returning back after paying obeisance,  but we were treated to  a spectacular view of a rainbow while returning back.


Panoramic view of hills near Almora with rainbow across

Close up of the many hues of the rainbow
May the blessings of Lord Shiva be always with you…..


Bibliography – 1) Information has been sourced from Widipedia;
    2) Information sourced from the Archaeological Survey of India boards; and  
                           3) Information gathered from the temple priests etc.
                          4) The animated photograph of Lord Shiva has been sourced from the web