The following article has been published in "The Times of India", dated 9th Jan 2017

Understanding Ego:

Ego is neither good nor bad. Ego is false. This is what we must understand.

False is given to you for you cannot reach truth without passing through the false. There is no way to perceive the truth directly. That is the sole reason why you have been given the falsity called ego.

When a child is born he is not aware of himself. He does not know himself as a body or a mind or any such entity. It is through his senses that he grows in awareness and creates an identity for himself. But all his senses open outwards be it see, touch, smell … whatever. Thus he develops a concept of himself in contrast to the outside world. Do you see this? There is no way for him to know himself by himself.

Usually a child’s first encounter is with his mother and through her only he becomes aware of his own body. Thus a centre is born which is in reference with the world outside, in this case, the mother. If the mother caresses the child and treats him with love, the child feels he is loveable. If the mother rejects him the child feels he is not good enough and is worthless. This is how his concept of himself develops. This concept of oneself which is based on treatment of the outside world is ‘Ego’. It is not our reality but it is the image of ourselves or the concept of ourselves that has formed based on how we are treated by the outside world. It is a reflected awareness. And that is why it is false.  

Gradually this center becomes the kingpin. After all we live and grow up in a society. And society always reflects. If you go to school your teacher reflects who you are. If you be in friendship with other children, they will give opinions about you. When your parents interact with you they exhibit their opinion about you. You see, everybody adds something to your image and it gets reinforced day after day. You start living your life from this centre and believe it to be yourself. It is for this reason that when someone suggests you to drop your ego you cannot. You feel lost then. You do not know where to go?  Remember! You cannot drop your ego. It drops by itself. It’s just like a leaf of a tree. When it matures it drops by itself without causing any damage to the tree. As if nothing happened. But if you try to remove a fresh leaf from a tree you will damage it. Do you see this?  

Our ego or self-image is our social need. We interact with the world with the help of this friend or foe. If we have a healthy Ego we behave strongly in the society. Whereas, a weak or an ill-formed ego makes us behave either as a victim or a victimiser.  Psychologically speaking, all that comes to the conscious from unconscious passes through the barrier of Ego. If this barrier is not strong & healthy then uncensored desires and wishes will come to your conscience and you will be confused. You will be tempted to gratify them uncontrollably and this is what they call a psychological disorder. Therefore, all psychological disorders have something to do with the health of this centre called Ego. And it is false in the first place because it is given by the outside world. No one is born with it. We must see this great fallacy of the human birth.

So the whole story is you come here without an ego, get it here from outside, have to mature it and then let it drop! You have to get over it or see through it for the simple reason that you cannot know the reality unless you see this falsity as falsity! We often miss this last part and spend our whole life without getting an inkling of the real thing. Do you get this? Your pleasures are false as well as your sufferings are false too. They all relate to a centre that is not your own doing. And this centre demands a lot. Its food is attention and you have to keep feeding it. So you make ten thousand efforts to get attention. But however much you get it you are not satiated. Why? For, it’s like trying to be happy with the beauty of a plastic flower. However beautiful an artificial flower may be you always know it’s not real. It’s a dead thing. However fragrant it may be you always know you have put the scent into it yourselves. It cannot come on its own. So nothing really brings you peace! In fact there is one more irony. Your ego helps you stand up in this world and brings you success. Hence, it becomes very dear to you. But you have no guarantee it will always remain strong and friendly to you. It’s just a matter of time. A slight turn of events can change everything and leave you as confused as a pigmy. We all know how Arjuna, a great personality of his time had gotten confused in the very beginning of a battle that was most crucial to him.

Know! O, Sage; that you were always in the state of ‘being’ before your birth and will return to it again after your death. The “Space of Being” is your true centre. The moment you are free of your false centre you are in the space of your being. And that is the true freedom. That is your home. No suffering can touch you here because suffering is irrelevant to the space of being.  

Saints try to make you understand but your false centre comes in between..  They want to give you the real pleasure and the real scent, (which if realised once, will never leave you) but you want petty toys only. They say your toys will break soon but you do not want to believe. It’s not your fault. You are living from a false centre.

You have to just explore a little more and see the false as false. By its very seeing it becomes transparent and loses its grip over you. Then ups and downs will not affect you so much.

Kashmir: The valley of saints and sinners

The valley is under fire once again. It is a sad story and worse still we have very coloured and limited information about the whole issue. Recently I read "Kashmir - the storm centre of the world" written by Shri Balraj Madhok. I have yet to find any other book that is so authentic n so honest on the whole issue. Of course Mr Madhok's political leanings come at places more than one yet no one, in my view, has dealt this subject so originally &  with such geo political details. Another book I remember is  "India after Gandhi" - by Shri Ramchandra Guha which also gave some interesting details. However, Mr. Guha's  communist mind set  and love for Nehru (which I think is a natural corollary for every communist) probably stopped him from calling a spade a spade. Since Mr. Madhok was originally from Kashmir and had been an active player in all the events his analysis is extremely sharp. He also enjoys the gift of pithy, crisp n clear expression. For anyone who is interested to know about the whole issue these two books are invaluable.

In my view every Indian should be concerned about the affairs in Kashmir as they can drag us in a world war like situation any time. Since we have been cut-off all along, we are not able to see the danger that is brewing there.

The problem of Kashmir is our diplomatic failure instead of anything else. We won all the three wars yet could not settle anything with Pakistan for only one reason: Diplomatically we were confused 😖!

In my view , there are 3 vital aspects of this issue :

a) what is the genesis of the problem?
b) who wants to solve it and who wants to keep it alive forever?
c) what should be our line of action?

We want to be in denial on all of the three points above that is why I say ours is a diplomatic failure. For example we think the issue had its origin in the dilly dallying attitude of Maharaja Hari Singh and his not acceding to either India or Pakistan by Aug 15, 1947. But we are blissfully unaware why it happened in the first place? What were the reasons behind Maharaja's indecision. Dogras (the clan to which Maharaja belonged) were patriotic Rajputs and it was too natural for the Maharaja to prefer India over Pakistan. Still he could not decide. Why?

We have see the situation in its entirety and scratch a little deeper.

Long before Aug 1947 and sometime around 1925, the English had begun supporting a Muslim guy in Kashmir who was raising the cause of Muslims dissatisfaction in the valley. Though Dogra rule was there for more than 100 years and the whole state (including Jammu n Ladakh region) was more than happy, this guy raised the issue that higher administrative positions were dominated by Hindus. The guy was highly ambitious to become champion of Kashmiri Muslims and destabilize Maharaja's government. He was well versed in Koran, a gifted orator, a tall n handsome personality n master of histrionics. Kashmiri Muslims immediately fell for this guy, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah and a party by name Muslims Conference came up under his leadership. Sheikh had full support of the English. It's at this point that the first seeds of communalism were sown in Kashmir valley otherwise it was the single state in the country where no rioting took place in Aug 47 and  Buddhist, Sikhs, Dogras, Pandits n  Muslims all lived peacefully totally unconscious of their religious identity. They were all Kashmiris. That Mr. Abdullah was a first choice for the British is not as unfortunate  as the fact that it hit it off instantly when he met our dear would be Prime Minister Mr. J.L .Nehru. The two kinda fell in love with each other at first sight (no pun intended please). This was as early as 1925.

Year 1927 saw Sheikh leading various representations to Maharaja about the cause of Kashmiri Muslims and their rights etc.

In 1931, Sheikh Abdullah led a protest march and some arsoning and disturbances took place and curfew had to be imposed in Shrinagar. Sheikh was jailed by the state. Mr. Nehru tried to visit the valley to help his "Friend" but he was detained at the border by the prime minister of Maharaja. Sheikh was released later.

Things came to a head when Abdulla called for quit Kashmir movement in 1946 and called upon Maharaja to relinquish his rule and let the state be ruled by "awam's representative".  So much so that The Maharaja had to charge Sheikh with sedition and put him behind the bar.

Such was the turmoil and turbulence in the valley in the years 1946-47 when the question of accession came up before the Maharaja.

As is well known Mr. Nehru was a great friend of friends (and greater enemy of enemies). He had not forgotten his humiliation of 1931 when he was detained at the border by Maharaja. Hence, when the issue of accession came up, Nehru decided to settle the score. A precondition was indicated to the Maharaja that Sheikh Abdullah be released and given a high position in the administration of Jammu n Kashmir. Only then the accession will be acceptable to the government of India. It's this reason that put Maharaja in a fix. He didn't want to accede to Pakistan. He also didn't want to release Mr.Abdullah at any cost. So what to do ? This is what actually delayed the accession of J&K.

Someone, at this point,  gave him the idea of making Kashmir the "Switzerland of east" and Maharaja immediately took to it as he had himself spent sometime in Switzerland. Maharaja indicated to Mountbatten and others of his wish to remain independent and in fact proposed a stand still agreement to both India and Pakistan. Jinnah immediately signed but India vacillated to sign this agreement.

So lack of clarity in vision regarding the issue of Kashmir was nowhere else but in our own house. This we must not forget!

It's here the genesis of Kashmir problem lies.

We were in fact presented with an opportunity  when Pakistan attacked us through tribals in 1947. For, the decision that was not being taken by Maharaja became indispensable now. He had to decide in favour of India if he wanted to save his state and people from aggressors. Maharaja ate the humble pie and agreed for accession and any precondition whatever. Therefore, an "Instrument of accession" (IA), was signed in black n white like it was done with all the other princely states acceding to either of the nations after partition and government of India extended military help to protect the state as it was its own territory now.

IA is the first and foremost legal document that supports our claim on the state of Jammu & Kashmir. We Indians simply don't know why this document has been underplayed all these years? Why our diplomats n powers that be, did not put it emphatically in UN and all such international forums that we have a legal document of accession? Nothing else matters really. After aggression in fact Pakistan had lost its case totally. We had our Army already doing a commendable job and living up to the occasion. It was simply a matter of remaining assertive, driving back the aggressors and claiming our legal right. That's all! If we did it sincerely and firmly there wouldn't be any Kashmir problem today.

But we made an unforgivable blunder. We stopped our forces from moving any further and took the matter to the UN. Supposedly, it was  Mountbatten who had advised Nehru to do that. It could be so because in those times USSR n US were two super powers and there was cold war between the two. J & K had a strategic location which was not far from Russia. As such, it's possible that US n UK didn't want the whole of J&K to go to India as Nehru and his India were known to be having leftist leanings. Whatsoever be the reason Mr. Nehru got into the trap and referred the matter to UN. It's at this point that Pakistan got some footing and became a contender otherwise Pakistan had no case whatever. At UN, power politics came into play and we were defeated diplomatically when UK , US etc showed their true colours and Russia stood aloof(?). Nehru regretted his decision badly afterwards.

The UN ordered ceasefire and passed a resolution for a plebiscite with a precondition that both the nations withdraw their forces n restore normalcy. Pakistan was ordained to withdraw its forces first because it was the aggressor. Pakistan did not care for this mandate and kept fighting. Here again we lacked political will. If we really insisted upon UN to make Pakistan withdraw and somehow managed the plebiscite to take place we would have surely won. In 1947-48 nobody  wanted to go with Pakistan. But we didn't do anything and the plebiscite never happened as the precondition was never met. In my  view going to UN was not all that bad but following up the resolutions half -heartedly was.

Anyway, since  Oct 1947 Abdullah was the de-facto Prime Minister of J&K and he continued till 1953 with full and almost blind support from New Delhi where the supreme authority was his friend J.L.Nehru.

We still had one more diplomatic blunder in our fate. Now that the matter was in UN, Abdullah suggested to Nehru that there should be a constitutional link that will define the relation of India with J&K. I do not know who were the actual perpetrators of Article 370 but as per books the article was drawn by Sheikh and supported by Nehru. The constituent assembly of India did not approve it and B R Ambedker had refused its draft out rightly. Still the assembly was given an assurance that it's only a provisional arrangement and it will die its own death in the course of time. How shrewdly Sheikh secured himself a very very special status as compared to any of the other states of independent India! Right in the making of constitution he maneuvered the insertion of Article 370. It was a suicidal step for India as it nullified and in fact superseded the legality of instrument of accession which was the original legal document.

Our naivety was beyond comprehension.

The contents of article 370 were in every manner suicidal and put India forever at the expense of head of state of J&K. He could always blackmail and change posts on the strength of provisions of Article 370 (Sheikh did exactly that and in fact had to be jailed in 1953 for Anti India activities). Article 370 tied India's hands forever to make any attempt of integration of J&K into India.
I take a quote verbatim from Ramchandra Guha's book : " It was curious to see whether Sheikh was a man of Nehru in J&K or Nehru was a man of Sheikh in India." 

There was a perennial flaw in the policy of supporting Sheikh blindly. It had a reversing effect on the regions other than valley. After coming to power,  Sheikh immediately took to agrarian reforms. A ceiling was put on land and big landlords in the valley (who were mostly Hindu Dogras) had to surrender excess land to be   redistributed among Muslim peasantry. As a natural consequence  Jammu and Ladakh regions grew sceptical about anything Sheikh did and they had reasons for it. As a result parties like Praja Parishad (Peoples Party) came up to support their cause & large scale protests and marches were conducted. Mr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee supported the cause of Hindus of Jammu vehemently and ultimately paid for it with his life. In a nutshell, an environment of rift, resentment and total distrust resulted in the valley. How could Pakistan watch all this silently whose sole agenda was to snatch Kashmir from India? It did everything possible to add fuel to fire.

Pakistan has wedged three wars on us on this issue. We have won all of them yet on the table of negotiations we have failed miserably. For one reason or the other we always lost diplomatically. Reportedly, Pakistan always had a mole or two in our foreign ministry and our preparations were always leaked to it. Whatever be the cause, we haven't settled a single thing in 1947, 1965 and 1972 , though ours was a commanding position in all of them. In Tashkent in 1965, we were ditched by our friendly country USSR. Shastri was so much pressurized by USSR to return the already 'won territories ' to Pakistan that he could not bear the brunt of signing a losing accord and did not see the light the next day. A possibility of foul play cannot be denied as no post-mortem was carried.

In 1972, Mrs Gandhi showed a tough front initially. She was a goddess anyway because we had a clear victory with 90000 prisoners of war and 5000 sq miles of won territory in our hand. Bhutto withstood a lot of pressure and when talks were almost about to fail, requested one to one talks with Mrs Gandhi as a last resort. Whatever transpired in those 1-2 hours, after that Mrs Gandhi agreed to everything she shouldn't have. We returned the won territory as well as prisoners of war and couldn't even convert LOC as international border. It's said Bhutto assured her something verbally and Mrs.Gandhi believed. However,  after Bhutto returned to Pakistan all assurances went to thin air and we were back to square one as far as Kashmir was concerned i.e. the position of 1949.

The Simla accord of 1972 was such a fiasco that there were news of a military coup in India too as our Army had felt badly humiliated. After all they had put up such a gallant show and we couldn't settle even a single thing with Pakistan. Not only that, in our magnanimity, we returned everything Army had won through its blood and toil.

So, summarily it can be concluded that diplomatic failures one after the other is the underlying reason to what we are witnessing in the valley today.

Now so much of water has flown through the Jhelum that the overall situation is really precarious today. There are so many stake holders that any one amicable solution is really difficult if not impossible. But before talking of any solution we must think as to who really wants to have one? Pakistan surely doesn't want one that much I can say. Because if the issue of Kashmir is settled Pakistani ISI and polity will be jobless. We must understand this. Pakistan's interest is not in solving the issue but in keeping it burning and live. That is the sole reason not an inch of progress has been made in all these 69 years on the table of talks. As such we should keep on talking for international show and sake but should expect nothing out of it.

Kashmiri leaders have nothing to gain if the issue of Kashmir is settled because it will reduce their importance (and packages) too. If they were really interested in being peacefully integrated to India there wouldn't be any article 370 today. Just talk of review or removal of article 370 and see the reaction! Leaders of all hue and cry in Kashmir, however bitter enemies they may be internally, are all at consensus that Article 370 must remain and must not be meddled with. In reality it means that you treat us as your state as far as funds and development packages are concerned but leave us aloof as far  as demography and usage is concerned. the safety and security of the people of Kashmir is in any case your responsibility because its a state of India. Do you see the double game of Kashmiri leaders?

If there is peace and settlement in the valley what will they negotiate with the Indian government?

Then there are separatists whose agenda is to get Azadi. In a way theirs is a valid mission because common Kashmiri is fed up of this ping- pong being played by India, Pakistan and Kashmiri leaders on the table of Kashmir. But India can never afford to have an independent Kashmir that's friendly with Pakistan in its neighborhood. It will be a great threat to our security. And surely enough Pakistan will look up to creating some new trouble.

So the only real beneficiaries of a peaceful Kashmir are:

The people of India: Because there tax money is being utilized to safeguard and maintain whatever law n order requirements are there in the valley.

The people of J&K: Because they are the true sufferers of any disturbances and not able to live a normal life.

The Government of India : Because a lot of energy, resources and attention is invested in Kashmir politics and a disturbed valley is a thorn in our neck.

We must see that our stake is higher than anybody else. Therefore, we must put in more efforts than anybody else.
I have to suggest following line of action:

1.The solution is possible only through diplomatic and political prowess and of course through political will.

2. First n foremost we have to find a leader in the valley who can counter Pakistani propaganda effectively and who, in the long run, can help us do away with the Article 370. 

3. Outwardly, We have to involve all stakeholders (Kashmiri leaders, Separatists,  Pakistan etc) in peace talks, pretty well knowing that nothing is going to come out of it. These people neither have any solution nor they want it. They only seek importance which should be given to them for the time being.

4. We have to see whether we can separate Jammu n Ladakh from the valley. It is the valley that is adjacent to Pakistan and most disturbed. Jammu n Ladakh region should be separated and be made into a separate state if possible.

5. We have to bring Pakistan on the defensive which we have not done all these years. The steps like Baluchistan are a good initiative. We should also stake our claim on POK on whichever international forums possible as actually it is ours legally.

6. As an eventuality, we should keep preparing for another war with Pakistan.

The whole saga reminds me of one she'r:

तारीख की आँखों ने वो दौर भी देखा है।
लमहों ने ख़ता की  थी, सदियों ने सजा पाई।।

Here is the link for the book:
http://koausa.org/storm/doc/storm.pdf

What Happens when we die:

Death is a lovely experience. When we die and become free of our physicality, our overall understanding changes fundamentally. When we are in a body, our position is that of a “start” and an “end”. Everything in our life starts at a certain point and ends at a certain other point. We are born and at some other point of time we die. Overall, we have a linear sense of time. However, after death the sensory perceptions are over and direct perception replaces it. That is when we realize that, in reality, “time’’ does not exist in a linear sense. Jesus had said it categorically to his disciples, “In the kingdom of my father, there shall be time no longer!”     

Another fundamental change in the realm of reality is end of “fear”. In the earthly life fear is a major denominator. It is because right since the day of our birth, we are exposed to judgement by others. We are described as either fair or dark, chubby or skinny, playful or crying, good or bad ....our world is a world of definitions. Actually, when a child is just born, it is ego-less. Gradually however it forms an image of her/him which is a reflection of what it receives from its surroundings. And a false center, namely, the ego is born. Ego is always susceptible to judgement either by others or by ourselves and it is afraid of losing its ground per se. Hence we humans living through our egos resort to various defense mechanisms. After death however, the ego is finished and judgement is over hence the very concept of fear or possibility of being scared does not arise.

Related to being fearless is the possibility of being joyful. Fear kills the joy. After dying we come to realize that pure joy is unconditional. And we are rather perplexed as to why we didn’t realize it earlier?  All our life we pursue happiness and hope to get it upon certain condition being fulfilled. Only after dying we realize that conditional happiness is no happiness at all. It is opposite to being fearful. The pure happiness or pure joy is without any cause or condition and we are made of it. It is our very essence.

Third major realization comes in the form of “connectivity”. When we are ego-less we are connected and in fact unified with everything else in the universe. Actually separation in earthly life is because of separate egos.  After death the original substance, the ‘essence’ takes over. This is an all together different, a ‘love-like’ substance and within its jurisprudence, everything is fundamentally “one” i.e. everything is inter-connected. Hence people who come back from NDE (Near Death Experience) are full of love towards one and all, unconditionally. In our earthly life the unconditional love is rare as there is a sense of “difference” amongst one another. Hence our love is always with an agenda. At the most we can empathize with others but we cannot become others. This condition changes after we die as everything and everyone is “us” only.

And the ultimate of all is the realization that there is no other place to go to. Since time stops existing in a linear fashion everything is here and now. Since a state of pure joy is experienced (which is without fear and full of connectivity), heaven or any other state of being is just not needed. Everything is so perfect and heavenly here and now. This is our home.    

We take our life very seriously because we think this world and this life is real and it is the only dimension there is to it to the existence. We have forgotten our ‘essence’ and ‘magnificence’ because our perception is limited by our senses.  A true Yogi is one who has transcended sensory perception in this very life and tasted the elixir of pure “being”. He is called “dwij” or twice-born. He is the true Bramhan ! 

Above article was published in The Times of India , column Speaking Tree on 5th Aug 2016

Dying to be me: By Anita Moorjani
There was once a time in my life when I used to read 10-20 books a month on an average. Finishing 2 or 3 books in a day was a frequent feature. I had certain questions about life as a subjective phenomena and I needed an answer for them badly. This quest took me to a wide spectrum. From शेखर - एक जीवनी n नदी के द्वीप to erstwhile Paulo Coelho!...From Sigmund Freud n Erich Bern to M Scott Peck....from J L Nehru n Will Durant to Straight up to Spinoza..and finally from Paramhans Yoganand, Osho to Shri Shri....I tried to find solace and in the process got into Yoga and Spirituality. But the beauty is I didn't find any answers...instead the questions dropped themselves ! Life is to be lived and not to be understood! That's what came to me as a realization. As a consequence..hardly 4 or 5 books are read by me over an year these days. Some books beckon..as if they would love to come to me as much as I would love to go through them. One such book I finished yesterday night. Dying to be me by Anita Moorjani. Oh! What a wonderful book. It's her account on her NDE (Near Death Experience) when as a final stage cancer patient she went into coma and experienced "Dying" first hand! 😊Oh! What a wonderful expression! Cogent, clear and free of any dogma whatsoever. Anita tells you lucidly exactly how the bigger picture is. How you are transformed fundamentally when you have tasted the energy in the other(?) realm. The real dimension...more real than our current dimension which we call life. Anita explains, without terrifying or sensationalizing how extremely loving 😍 , timeless, unconditional n all encompassing the reality is. I immediately recalled the word द्विज (the twice born) ..our philosophy says the real Brahmin is one who has reborn in this very life..that is one who has experienced death( through yoga) while living and thus reborn. I was also reminded of Baba Gorakhnath's famous quote म रौ हे जोगी मरौ, मरन है मीठा । तिस मरणी मर दीठो, जिस मरणी गोरष मर दीठा See the death the way Gorakh has seen.. It's joyful beyond your wildest expectations!
When Anita came back she was 'sorted', full of joy and hope personified. Doctors had in fact declared her 'over' already so her coming back was a miracle in itself. However what was truly spectacular was that the cancerous tumours spread all over her body simply vanished within a weeks time leaving no traces whatsoever. How could this be? People asked Anita , " what is that one fundamental change that you have exexperience that has brought you healing of this nature? ". Anita replied, " prior to my NDE, 'fear' was the centre from where I operated. However, after NDE,' Unconditional joy' is what drives me. That has brought all the change.
Please mind the word 'unconditional ' here. 80% of us are driven by fear as a motivator in life. Balance 20% find joy but that is also a conditional joy. As a result by n large we remain entangled. The real freedom is unconditional joy, which if you have experienced even once changes you forever. I think that is the reason why Buddha said, " enlightenment is end to all your sufferings".
Anyway, the final message from Anita is , " love yourself unconditionally and express yourself fearlessly!". And you get thoroughly convinced with this by the time you finish the book.
Highly recommended to all the fellow seekers. 🙆

Mandav : A laid back destination in central India

If you have interest in historical ruins and remnants, archaeological sights and Afgani architecture, Mandav is the place for you. These palaces exude an irresistible old world charm and you are just transported to that era.

When I first visited Mandav I had not the slightest idea of its beauty and hidden treasures. It is a poetry written in the form of structures, lakes, forests and hills.
Mandav is a favorite weekend destination for Indorians. Its about 110 km from Indore by road. Since most of it is a National Highway (NH3) it is fun driving to Mandav on a sunny morning. You need to take AB Bypass Road from wherever you are in Indore or you need to reach Rau circle. After this keep moving on A B Road towards Mumbai.  You will bypass Mhow and then reach a small village like town…. Just after this you need to leave NH3 and take a turn towards another very good highway heading towards Dhar- Ratlam.  You will tread about 10 kms on this and find a small nice road branching out to your left. Take this road which will go  straight to Mandav.
 If we have a look on the brief history of the place, it will be even more enjoyable.Though it has very old references let’s go to 1015 AD when contemporary rulers of Malwa, the Parmars, capitalized on its strategic location and built up some forts.  They named it as Mandavgarh.  Later, In 1401 Delhi was captured by Timur and one of his vassals, Dilavar Khan, raised his kingdom near Dhar. After Dilawar, his son Hoshang Shah came to the throne. He shifted the capital from Dhar to Mandav and put his full might to give Mandav the splendor of a capital city. This was Mandav’s golden time. The city became a well known location with panoramic view resplendent with lakes and forests surrounding it. In those times Mandu was also called Shahidabd or Anadnagri.

After Hoshang Shah and his son’s rule, came Khiljis on the scene. Second in line of Khiljis was Gayasuddin Khilji who ruled for 31 years. He was a typical Afgan king with a harem of about 1000 queens. The ‘Zahaj Mahal’ was built by Gayasuddin Khilzi in 1469 AD. And it was primarily a pleasure palace or a Rang Mahal. It is said that Gayasuddin used to sit on terrace with his feet in wine and a mehfil of dance and mujra used to take place on full moon nights.

After Gayasuddin  Khilaji the history of Mandav is chequered with one or the other king taking its control. It came under Humanyu’s rule in 1534 but was lost once again to a rebel and 10 more years of feud, invasions and conspiracies followed. Finally it is in these feuds that a handsome, tall and an expert horse rider rose to prominence and was successful in establishing his control and kingdom around Mandav. This was Baz Bahadur. Baz Bahadur ruled from 1545 to 1561 almost but in between had to flee from Mandu when it was attacked by Hemu. However he regained the control. It is in these times that the famous episode of love between  Roopmati and Baz Bahadur took place. Roopmati was a hindu princess and was a worshipper of Narmada river.  Baz Bahadur built up a ‘Mandap’ for her (called Roopmati Pavaliion today), wherefrom she could view river Narmada every morning.

The love story ended tragically on 29th March 1561, when king Akbars armies defeated Baz Bahadur at the Battle of Sarangpur. Baz Bahadur fled to Khandesh and Rani Roopmati poisoned herself at her palace. Actually she was apprehensive of being taken over by Akbar’s vassal Adham Khan who reportedly had an eye on her. Within less than a year Baz Bahadur regained the control of Mandav but he was a broken heart now. More feuds and battles were in the offing which made Baz Bahadur a fugitive saving his life somehow and finally he surrendered himself to Akbar’s services in 1570.

With the above history in mind you can connect more with the various gates, palaces mosques and tombs in Mandu. You enter Mandu through one of the gates only.

In Mandav the prominent points are Jahaj Mahal, Roopmati Pavallion, Baz Bahdur’s Mahal and some lesser known spots like Rewa Kund, Shiv temple and surrounding panorama. See Jahaj Mahal Below:

Let’s first visit Jahaj Mahal. It is a huge palace having water bodies on both its back as well as front side. There is a ticket (reasonable) to enter Jahaj Mahal. It’s  justified when you find properly maintained greenery and cleanliness inside.

It is said that Gayasuddin Khilji used to sit in the evenings with his feet in the wine whence the cool breeze used to flow from the backside and he had a spectacular view in front of him (with queens swimming in open pond etc) . It was like sitting in a ship. Hence the name Jahaj Mahal.

Jahaj Mahal has a lake on its back side and garden (Mugal Style) with a manmade pond on the front side. 

The Jahaj Mahal is quite a large property and you will easily spend an hour or so roaming around. If you take a guide (Local guides are available for 200 to 300 rupees) you will come to know the interesting history as well. You also have a museum which can be visited in 15-20 minutes but will give you a feel of that era.You can roam around freely. Enjoy some solitude in this monument of love. If you are tired you can rest under the shade of a tree and have something. Little tit bits will have to be carried by yourself. It is prohibited inside. So also littering has to be avoided:

By the time you come out of Jahaj Mahal you will be hungry. You have many choices for food here. You can give a trial for local food which is Nimadi Dall Bati type. Or you can choose M P Tourism resort. The resort is on higher end because it is a chosen property with an adjoining lake. You also have a very spacious parking, well tended garden with open air sitting space and all the amenities. You can easily spend next two hours here. But choose resort for eating only if you can bear with laid back service and small portions.

In fact people from outside MP would prefer to stay a night at the resort. It has lakeside cottages and other type of rooms suitable to one’s choice and budget. M P Tourism staff is courteous as well as helpful.

Once you have had lunch and rested a bit you are now ready to move to your next destination Roopmati Pavilion and Baj Bahadur Mahal. They are two separate palaces and are built at a distance. Rani Roopmati had agreed to be the consort of Baj Bahadur only if she could be able to view River Narmada every morning. She used to worship Narmada before marriage and wanted to continue with it for her lifetime. Folklore goes that Baj Bahadur ordered to build a palace on a very short notice and at such a height that The Rani could view Narmada from its top. The palace was built up accordingly and was named as Rani Roopmati Mahal.

When you reach at the top of the palace i.e the place from where Roopmati used to view Narmada, you have a spectacular view consisting about 10-12 small lakes and a very soothing waft of breeze. The panoramic mode of a camera will get a very nice click here.

You are also able to see Baj Bahadur Mahal which is built at a lower height and a small residence (from king’s standards). Please see the middle of the photo above where Baj Bahadur’s palace can be seen.

Apart from above there are other places too like Jami Masjid and Hoshang Shah’s Tomb. There are some less talked about places too. For a complete visit two days, one night will be a better option. In this case one can have a nice stay at the MP Tourism resort too and spend the evening near the lake sipping the beer etc…

When to visit :

Mandav is best during July to September. Preferably take a sunny day when a shower or two of the monsoons are already over. This way you will have greenery all over and lakes will be full of water. Falls will also be flowing. One can also visit during winters or October- November  but Extreme winter should be avoided. So also, extreme hot months like April & May, may not be a very good idea.

Over all  Mandu is worth visiting at least once and gives a refreshing proximity with the nature as well as history. Bon voyage.

what went wrong with Tarun Tejpal?

Why Mr.Tejpal faltered?
The so called high & mighty who have made their mark and are already somebody unravel their promiscuity when they succumb to such baser instincts. This leaves a question to ponder. What is that the Indian males are still fidgeting about and are not able to get over?
I want to propose that Indian males are not giving the females the respect due to them.. Moreover, Indian males still carry this weird belief that they will get away with their lewd behavior if they are in a position of authority. Worldwide it is believed that Indians are hypocrites about their sexuality and would take a clandestine & amorous route instead of following the more acceptable (and preferable) road of consent.

What happened with a young journalist is one of the many incidents taking place every day in our working environment. The sudden growth in the working women population,fashion trends,liberalization and many such issues have rendered the male psyche in India all the more confused. We seem to have forgotten this basic principle that one cannot force a woman to concede sexual favors. And it is criminal both in thinking as well as doing.

With the incident that has come to light it is clear that Mr. Tejpal was never a gentleman.it is not only that single weak moment which he has attempted to portray as a faux pas but an all & all amorous unconscious which simply surfaced at an opportune moment. What happened is simply a combination of temptation & opportunity. To say that i was always a gentleman and faltered due to a lapse of judgement is trying to befool all & sundry.

Gentlemen hardly behave as mentors as well as rapists.

Mr.Tejpal faltered because like many other Indian males he too did not have any respect for a woman's wishes & choices. He did it because in the heart of his hearts he too could conceive only one relation between a man and a woman. And mind you, many of us are in the same league. Therefore, it is a humble request that let us start giving our women a freedom to work, dress and go where ever they please without any fear of persecution. This is what we have not done since ages. This is what is expected of us Indian males.

We have to respect women in word and spirit.

As for. Mr. Tejpal, well, the law will take its own course as he has surely violated the one.
 

We, the people.

Fundamentally, we the people are of two types: those who are life ward and those who are death ward. People who are life ward find life worth living. They are not troubled with so called basic questions of life. They are able to respond to demands of everyday situations because inherently they are endowed with the great jewel of life called “motivation”. People who are death ward find life a burden which must be carried. They delay & often complicate their responses to life situations…. Uncontrollably make wrong choices etc.…. Actually these are the people who have been wronged by life & consequently they want to rebel & revenge.  But being unable to find the real culprit they have an unconscious desire to punish --- either to those around or themselves.  

I have also seen people changing from one position to the other. People who were always death ward, when change to a life ward position become extremely enthusiastic, teachers, spiritualist etc. on the other hand people who were originally life ward ….. Full of everything that constitutes this world & the life …. When they change to other position that of death ….. are a tragedy. Only a few then can dare to explore the truth … the rest are shaken and confused. We have seen such examples around us and often we find it difficult to understand what really went wrong …

You become life ward when you are on the right side of life….that is when you are born & grow up  things fall in place the way they normally do … as a child we are given certain amount of libido or joy-de-vivre .. and in the course of our life it remains intact if not increased.

On the other hand when you grow up meeting one disappointment after another your libido is displaced. You either find the whole thing a big big bullshit or become cynical and trapped in a perpetual feeling of listlessness. In the Urdu language there is a lovely word for this position or state --- Afsurdagi. Vohi daireena bimari vohi afsurdagi dil ki .. said Iqbal the great poet … I can’t quite resist myself from uttering the complete couplet ;;;;

Vohi daireena bimari , hai afsurdagi dil ki,

ilaaz bhi iska vohi aab-e-nishat hai saaqui.

Nahin hai Iqubal na ummid apni kashta-e-veeran se,

 Zara si nam ho to ye mitti badi zarkhej hai saaqui.

Translated roughly it will mean something like this ….It’s the same old disease of being listless & feeling disheartened. O Saaqui! Its cure also rests with this water of life. Iqbaal is not hope less even if he is bestowed with an unfertile piece of land. For, if this land is slightly moist & wet it will bear much fertility.

When we do not feel like doing what we have said or wished, we are choosing death. When we keep ourselves withdrawn from the position of eminence, we choose death.  When we do not value ourselves, our wishes & our choices, we choose death.

When we welcome life’s demands & live up to them, we choose life. When we keep our words at all costs, we choose life. When we see & accept this life and this world the way it is, we choose life. Believe me it’s all a matter of simple conscious choice which we can always make. Right here & right now.

Life’s structure is made in such a manner that the type of choice you make now plods you to situations where you will make further choices of a similar nature again. That is if you keep withdrawn or have a receding attitude … life will bring you more & more such situations in which you will be avoided, not given your valid due & things like that and then you will keep cursing …. Why only me

On the other hand  when you choose & demand what is due to you from life , know your inner desires & stand up for them, more & more situations are brought for you wherein you can take a stand & demand for you what you want & of course what you deserve…. The structure is made like that ,,,, the life doesn’t listen to your logic ,,, it simple readjusts … repeat “readjusts” itself to the choices you make.

I exhort my dear fellow living beings who have gone into the trap of death.. to make … the first choice of coming out & begin at once demanding from life what is due to you.

On the other hand the fortunate(?) ones who are full of life are cautioned forthwith that the death is an essential part .. Which you can never part with ,,, as such it is wise to be equanimous when it comes in whatever form, because we don’t die only when we really do physically but there are situations quite deathlike in life ….even when we are full blown alive..