VAMAN the Vedic Scholar had predicted disastrous culmination of the exhibition and Satya, his revolutionary father, had cautioned him about the repercussions! He had ignored both as reflections of their perceptions. But when both proved right it was more a surprise than a shock!
Vaman’s instant confession which justified his arrest, created a confusion in Kranti Bharti’s mind. He was unable to understand whether a Sage has projected himself as Nostradamus, the man who knew all about future, or a visionary has followed the path of Greek scholar Socrates to gulp poison with a purpose?
KRANTI is used to getting involved in an intellectual father’s convictions with interest and enjoys his wise mother’s narrations about Mythology with curiosity! Thus he strikes useful materialistic conclusion in between two extremes! But this time their confessions about Vaman and his driver Gopala, conveyed on Media’s global transmissions with religious angles, have added confusions to his own ‘Ifs & Buts’ from his administrative angles! Thus the situation has created a vacuum which has blocked the confession of a humiliated Deputy Commissioner!
SATYA has appreciated free, frank and fearless confession of Vaman. But instead of blaming himself for his son’s official debacle, he has elaborated Gopala’s mission to canvass his popularity as charismatic effect of Kranti Prakash’s ancestral background instead of Kranti Bharti’s administrative capabilities. And thus he spotted him with a mark of identification by birth. Justified his apprehensions for being spotted and punished for his high caste surname which nipped his desires to get admission in professional colleges! He mentioned about consecutive rejections and dejections during his education and profession which had dragged him to conclude that ‘Prakash’ was like a bag filled with mercury tied with an ace swimmer‘s arm for locking his capabilities and blocking opportunities for competitions.
Satya confessed his bitter demonstration against the religion which justifies events of sorrows/joys as unwritten, unheard, unchallenged dictates of destiny according to deeds done in previous lives! And his blitz with logical explanations that neither allegories verify nor materialistic evidences certify birth with option for choosing ‘Place & Parents’, why are they punished for their birth which is neither a sin nor a crime committed by them!
He admitted that when his genuine grievances were not redressed by Government, Judiciary and even Law makers in both houses of Parliaments he chose a new path. He legally removed his surname ‘Prakash’ and groomed his son as ‘Bharti’ a traveler who paved his own road to reach to the desired destination.
Kranti Bharti with his genetic brilliance in academics, his voracious reading in school, college, public libraries and sharing his father’s voracious reading for sufficient global general knowledge helped him getting selected in Indian Administrative Service!
Satya claimed Kranti’s success as an ecstatic victory for a clerk’s materialistic planning! He conveyed his pleasure about his son’s first posting as a Deputy Commissioner of a city known globally for linking ‘Once upon a Time’ to ‘Times Now’. He revealed his desire to convert synthetic fragrance of well-maintained ancestral Vedic culture into the aroma of modernization! And get involved in socio-economic growth of the city with his guidance to the budding reformer. But he blamed Gopala for a tsunami effect and confirmed his strategical victory in blocking the dynamic confidence of a progressive administrator with static faith in Vedic scriptures particularly transmigration of souls and the charismatic importance of immersion of ‘Ashes’ of cremated mortal human bodies! He dared to define all Vedic rituals as illogical, psychological and camouflaging processes for benumbing fertile minds with tranquilized blind faith!
An emotionally shattered father has sought global media’s attention to Gopala’s confessional sarcastic smile which is mocking at his defeat without fighting a war! But the logically convinced revolutionary has expressed his regrets for reformer’s suicidal deliberation!
SHRADHA’s interview has contradicted her husband’s conclusions. Her detailed descriptions have glorified Divine City with reverence to her faith in invisible ‘Param-Eshvar’ the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva, the supreme power controlling universe! She is convinced with ancestral belief that when millions of centuries before Shiva left heaven with poisonous serpent Vasuk, he met Shakti on snow clad mountains on earth! And they started a continuous process for invisible immortal souls changing visible mortal bodies either in the form of immovable short lived bushes to centuries old massive trees! Or movable crawling, walking, swimming and flying creatures. All of them living life which is a time-bound, predestined journey which starts with ‘Birth’ & culminates with death.
She is fully conversant with the importance of immersion of Ashes of cremated mortal human bodies in the sacred river! That not only culminates a time-bound, predestined journey but also brings the soul along with the deeds done during just culminated life in the notice of invisible Chitragupta who disassociates souls with all materialistic objects and subjects and then on his perusals of up to dated ‘Karamas’ (or deeds) that keeps on monitoring either their blissful reception in ‘Heaven’ or torturous dragging to ‘Hell’! Either ‘Salvation’ from Transmigration for a few who can opt for human form just to bail out their devotees from deep waters! Or another life as insects – reptiles, beasts-birds and humans any form anywhere on the globe! Only ‘Humans’ are blessed with five senses and even the sixth sense, though in rare cases.
Shradha is capable of doing some deeds with positive (or negative) intentions during the current life. Therefore she is convinced that her current life in human form is a reward for her good deeds in previous life.
Shradha confessed that she accepts her revolutionary turned reactionary husband’s physical as well as mental tortures as a punishment for her bad deeds done in previous life! She accepts the significance of devotional performance of rituals which penetrates opaque walls of invisible Trinity who provides umbrellas to reduce the intensities of destined scorching sun, nonstop snowfalls! When cross-questioned about the validity of the event as predestined, instead of replying she asked a question “How do palmists, face readers and astrologers predict future?”
With reference to her own experience, Shradha has expressed her excitement about her son’s destined life graph exactly as predicted by her father who was well known for making horoscopes with reference to place, parents, exact time of birth and position of Sun, Moon and Planets in the orbit! She specifically mentioned that her husband and son have almost identical birth-charts! But the little difference has made Satya Prakash an unnoticed person and his son a shining star! And his specific mention that all those born as ‘Paupers’ and destined to be ‘Princes’ get banquets for their good deeds done without expectations of reciprocations!
She even faces unpredictable situation with courage and thus gets ecstatic results for litmus tests of God in human form! Gopala’s ‘Mystic Smile’ boosts her hopes in unexpected but destined meeting of two strangers Kranti and Vaman for either settling credits and debits of previous life or creating an eye opening event with either surprises or shocks! She hopes for the best but she is prepared to face even the worst!
For the first time Vaman also preferred to follow his mother and instead of responding to either media’s highlighted probing or the confidential official questionnaire he has preferred to confess! And his confession before Inquiry Commission revealed that he has been enjoying his posting in the Divine City right from the moment his jeep driver Gopala received him on railway station. Then with his briefing during his official and private sorties it was a bliss to watch crowded river bank, markets, public places and share feelings with masses & classes, sages & scholars, preachers, Indian & Global Pilgrims! All of them performing identical rituals without discussions & arguments, explanations & interrogation; descriptions & derivations with deletions & modification! Thus living a peaceful global society without conflicts on caste creed & color!
Devoid of knowledge about rituals Vaman had to depend on Gopala’s help to enjoy strategical alignment with religious masses and classes! But he admitted that Gopala’s knowledge about invisible Trinity—air—immortal souls and visible water-soil on Earth, Sun-Moon-Planets-stars in sky, all linked to life, created a curiosity about his ancestral religion. Particularly when his materialistic doubts about destined life were explained by Gopala with reference to Late Vidya Sagar, a dissident of Rajarshi, known for his amazing predictions on the links between current life with previous life. A preacher of Vedic Philosophy, he used to worship an ancient book with allegoric collages on every page. He would ask the devotees to open a page with closed eyes. And then with his interpretation highlight ‘Past’ & its carried over effects on ‘Present ’ & ‘Future’!
He used to accept both good and bad events as the unwritten unchallenged dictates of destiny! He advised his followers to face both agony and ecstasy with devotional faith! When the country was celebrating its first Republic Day celebration he found a newborn baby abandoned for having a normal head but abnormally short legs and arms! Without raising hue and cry he adopted the infant as a destined event! Named him in the name of Vaman Autar, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu!
Kranti has put it on record that Vaman, the dwarf Vedic Scholar, is following his father’s ancestral traditions but instead of worshiping religious books he keeps on reading already read ancient books again and again. Neither for discovery of nectar in deserts and snow clad mountains nor attaining spiritual bliss to conquer death. But for exploring clues to the energy which helped Savitri to stall her husband Satyavan’s destined death. The same energy which helped Bhishma to remain mentally alive with his dead body on arrows during Mahabharata. Instead of elaborating their idol worshiping for devotional strength he insists on ideal concentration for exploring energy to counter natural calamities and human catastrophes which he keeps on predicting with his computerized materialistic feedback! Thus he rejects algebraic perceptions on assumption and presumptions and prefers arithmetic results with his conclusions on materialistic interpretation of allegoric, philosophic or symbolic knowledge hidden in ancient scriptures.
That is the reason for his not being popular in masses! But he has confessed his admiration for the visionary’s approach more like a teacher than a preacher! And applauded him for his conversion of a Museum on ancient books into an art gallery with exhibits conveying logical interpretations of allegoric scriptures! Defining Shiva Shakti as Matter; Energy, Trinity as a Tree—its roots depicting ‘Brahma’ trunk depicting Vishnu & branches with time-bound leaves and fruits depicting Shiva! Quoting flying chariots as jet fighters! defensive or offensive powers of Savior ‘Devtas’ & destructive ‘Rakhshas’ like Yudhushtra Pandav the peace lover and Dayudhan Korva stubborn war monger as present day nuclear powers! International Organizations for peace as messengers of ‘Vishva Kutamb’ — the global art of living a peaceful life!
Thus his aim is to establish logical links of all discoveries, innovations and inventions with allegoric treasures of knowledge! He admitted that their frequent meetings revived his curiosity about mother’s religion and garlanded pictures she worshiped! His father used to wipe his impressive conclusions with rejection of unrealistic glamorized pictures as interpretations of allegoric scriptures and biased imaginations of artists. Then tarnish pleasant impressions with his expressions in caricatured illustrations to ridicule Gods and Goddesses! But when he kept on illustrating his imagination about his gathered knowledge he discovered the oldest religion of the world as an art of living without offensive or defensive reference for caste, color and creed discrimination! With a desire to share his expression with likeminded masses and classes he had organized a conceptive exhibition!
Everything was going well as planned and participation of social & cultural activists in their patent getups, writers and artists with mannerism depicting creative urge, media icons with their cameras and lovers of art had glamoured the event! While all of them were acknowledging each other’s importance for dominance in a routine get-together some young and old viewers kept on enjoying his free, frank and fearless freedom of expression with curiosity! Some of them, trying to find their own reflections in abstract exhibits and the rest, were amazed for not finding Mythological characters in human forms with ‘Vishnu’ in bluish complexion, Lakshmi in pink, Sarasvati in white, and Ganesha in saffron robes.
But curious to understand the pictures drawn on white paper with pestles and charcoal, a jubilant gathering instantly caught attention of loud arguments of few youngsters demanding action against the Government officer for presentation of ‘Ram, Lakhshman, Bharat and Shatrugan’ as four temperaments in all human beings— elaborating Ram as cool tolerant supreme savior with a warning to those who oppose him! Provoked youngsters removed and burnt all exhibits! They were followed by their supporters with their storm like intrusion inside the open air exhibition! He confirmed that both offenders and defenders were mute spectators till Vaman’s confession was followed by his hand cuffing. Thus he was shattered to watch discussions with their own perceptions instead of eye witnessed realty — projecting a transparent progressive venture as a communal intrigue!
Vaman’s confessional statement was released by Inquiry Commission a day after the bye-election! And subsequent actions taken by Government telecast insets in Global media’s hyped exit poll result have turned his transparent speculations in translucent confusions!
Vaman’s participation in the exhibition in support of voice of people was appreciated but his confession as a suicidal sacrifice to save an instigator was rejected! Sage was released with honor and Kranti Prakash transferred for misusing official position to escalate the horror of a very sensitive dispute on religious faith! He is thus convinced that confidence without experience is similar to a robot devoid of five senses. He admits he should have understood his father’s apprehensions about his spotted victimization! Confesses without confusions that he too has been punished for sins and crimes he did not commit!
Satya’s pain in hallucinations has ended abruptly as if awakened to realize that though he has no logic to reject Shardha’s claims for getting rewarded for devotion yet he has no evidence for being an atheist! He regrets for not realizing it then when his volatile demonstrations against his own religion used to get wide angled global media coverage but his demand for ‘One Life’ with efforts, merit and worth though never throttled yet always ignored censored thus nipped! Thus his humble and furious disgruntled voice for social injustice against the caste-based reservation on vote bank considerations was never heard! He was convinced that his son’s victimization has been scripted by those who exploit religious feelings for implementation of their hidden plans. And for the first time he was optimistic about his son’s escape from devil’s trap with a miracle from his wife’s devotional energy!
Gopala’s mystic smile is boosting Shradha’s expectations in Vaman’s miracle as an incarnation of Vishnu!
Kranti has been targeted for polarization of caste votes in election! Vaman is shocked but not surprised about Kranti's victimization! Tight lipped visionary's logical speculations were ignored by the revolutionary as a fortune teller's illogical sermon! Thus feels shattered!!
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Veerindar Patwari is a Civil Engineer currently enjoying a retired life in Egypt. He is a well-known Urdu short story writer besides a playwright and an acknowledged scriptwriter for TV and films. He has so far published 14 compilations of short stories and dramas in Urdu. Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir and Bihar Urdu academies have awarded him for his literary contribution. |
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