Sanskrit, sans SPIRIT

Had an interesting discussion with Bili the other day. It arose as we were ambling around in Gandhi Bazaar and discussing an upcoming Sanskrit Sammelana (conference) in Bangalore that both of us plan to attend.

Sanskrit always brings back fond memories of Vijaya High School, where I completely fell in love with the language.

As the name implies, Samskrutham = Samyak (well) + Krutham (done) Iti. (A language that is) well done. Period. There is an inherent quality of appeal in Sanskrit that is difficult to explain. You got to experience it.

And hey - like all languages, Sanskrit expects certain rules to be followed. I don't understand why people make a big deal out of it.

That's what Bili and I were discussing. Why is Sanskrit so MYSTIFIED, especially by people who don't know the language ? (I don't mean to sound pompous, I am no expert honestly) Anyway, the talk of Sanskrit, almost always, seems to imply " something to do with religion" ?! I don't understand why people confuse "antiquity" with "divinity". Yes, it is an ancient language but that doesn't make it divine per se.

Back in Vijaya High School, we learnt Sanskrit just as we did any other language. We played around with words and grammar, discussed language intricacies during lunch breaks - I remember a particular incident when our headmaster EAVESDROPPED into our conversation and began sharing HIS opinions! A great scholar of the language, he soon had us hanging on every word of his. And not only that, unknown to us, there was a small crowd developing around the entire flight of stairs where WE were accosted by HIM!

So, that's how our sanskrit teachers at Vijaya High School were. They made the language exciting to learn, simple. No divinity, no mantras, no fear. For us 14 year olds, it was pure play ! I remember we were disappointed that the language didn't have many(any?) abuses and so we even tried inventing a few !!

After all, don't you know namma Sanskrit has its POLI (Kannada for naughty/saucy) aspects as well ? Haha.

I remember a Subhashita that goes : "Durjanam Prathamam Vande, Sajjanam Tadanantharam. Mukha Prakshaalanaath Poorvam ___ ____".
[ Although a little vulgar, the metaphor is good, lets admit it !]

And can 17 year old males (who did PU-II Sanskirt) ever forget that racy dialogue on female underclothing from Kalidasa's Shakuntala ? LOL

OK, if you just felt that I am trying to "besmear" this ancient language, clearly you haven't understood my point at all. Sanskirt is one of our most treasured possessions and any semblance of "revival" can only be possible if we starting treating it like a "normal" language.

Remove the spiritual paraphernelia that is suffocating its existence.

We need Sanskrit, sans(without) spirit.

Games !

As I walk in front of my street, I hear kids playing cricket with a good measure of, what is most essential to gully cricket, Screaming.

Yes, be it fighting over who gets to bat first (because the ball is invariably lost before the end of the game) or over a misfield ("thoothu!") - screaming in gully cricket is the highlight of the kids' evenings, as much as it reminds home-owners of their dear glass windows.

Back in 5th grade, I remember playing endlessly in the hot sun on weekends. Too bad the ground I used to play in, has been converted into a park - 'keep off the grass' - Blah!

Vinay, Me, Amit, D.T, Asim, Junaid, Baddi, Vaadi and Chunts. (Hmm..Who am I missing?) We had a team of 11, and we fought cricket battles every weekend with the formidable "Scouts" and the quite-beatable "Korag-ers"[ LOL did you get that? 'Koragu' is Kannada for 'Crib'. They were notorious for cribbing on wanting to bat]

Good times.

So the culture of gully cricket, replete with all its expressions, has passed intact to today's kids.

" BOWLED'IM !!" probably made sense but, it took me a loooong time to realize what "AWZAAAAOUT !!" meant back then or how one should spell 'SCREEEZ' !! LOL.

So, that's the good news about cricket.

But what makes me a little sad is that I hardly see kids playing BUGURI these days. Buguri is an expertise game, where you spin wooden tops with metal tips using strings of ropes. An advanced players can hoist those tops anywhere - make them spin on their palms, for example (ouch). And then we had contests where we break the opponents' spinning Buguri with ours. Very skillful I must say. I wonder if shops even SELL buguri's these days.

And then there was LAGORI. Yet another amazing game. You pile up stones of different sizes and make a pyramid. There are two teams with opposing goals - of 'making' the pyramid and of 'breaking' it. The team making it must dodge the attack of the opposite team, which uses a ball as its projectile. Highly recommended when you have a big group.

There was CHINNI KOLU and there was TYRE ! The latter was totally a no-brainer. Meant for kids of the AATAK-UNTU-LEKKAK-ILLA variety. Essentially, those who were too young to understand any rules. You just give them a stick and find an old discarded vehicle tyre lying around somewhere. (We couldn't afford the whole vehicle you see!) And off you go speeding tyres and maneuvering them with sticks. Gosh ! I used to get so black and dirty playing with tyres :)

I wonder if kids today get out and get dirty as often as we used to.

Actually, today's kid prefers a WHOLE car to play with. Not just a tire. Hmm, evolution.

Liberal Bull

This is an advertisment. Not for a soap, nothing tangible. I want to advertise an idea. I chanced upon this very well-written piece (Facebook has its uses after all !) and felt totally compelled to advertise it. Here you go :

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/clicklit/entry/don-t-pity-us-arundhati-not-yet

It is amazing what Arundhati Roy manages to get away with. Don't get me wrong. By 'get away with' , I am not saying she got away with not being 'jailed' or 'punished'. She gets away with insulting your intelligence. I mean, her arguments are so supremely dumb : "Dalit" soldiers - ROFLMAO !! Even people born yesterday know that the Indian Army doesn't have a caste system.

Btw, I found "God of Small Things" boring and even kind of disgusting (couldn't even complete the book)...Really I don't know why she is what she is.

Well, feel free to disagree with me and the article above. I am probably "liberal enough" to allow comments. Whatever.

Ayodhya

The same land, but two buildings of stone
" Mine's sharp while yours is round "
1 billion people can only think of geometry
When His true nature is that of Unity
Ekam sat vipraa bahudaa vadanti.

Riddles anyone ?

My first is the last of an American gent
His writings dark, of hearts that tell tales

My middle is a first of a Latin address
Famous-speak before a Roman treachery

My last is a Third, yet only a prefix
That Newton pondered in equal and opposite measure

Your greatest clue in this game’s feature:
I am this that you see and this is..me !

Douglas Adams: An Epilogue

Life, Universe and Everything.
An honest man's profession.

Software engineering.
An ideal. For a country of 1 billion.

Outsourcing.
The fountainhead of Indian software.

Low cost.
The birth of outsourcing.

Exchange rate.
42 Indian rupees for 1 U.S. Dollar.

42.
The Answer to Life, Universe and Everything.

The Chill Pill

I think I am making the same mistake all over again :-

Taking life too seriously.

I don't know why, but it is definitely something to do with growing old. If this were 1997, I would have been that white-shirt-khaki-pants school kid, cycling back home in my Street Cat, excited about those interesting things I learnt in school (from GB's sanskrit subhashita's to TKP's geometry ryders !)

I wouldn't worry so much about 'life', like I sometimes do now.

Grow down Kandarp, grow down.