OPEN LETTER TO JAYA BAHADURI BACHACHAN

 

                  

Dear Madam Jaya Bachchan,

I have grown up idolizing you, yes there was a time when I aspired to be like you. No, not a movie star, a fearless straight forward person but over the years, you have disappointed me immensely.

Let me ask you a few rhetorical questions, which will put my points regarding my disenchantment, vis-a-vis you, and try to explain.

Why did you join the SP? That was the first shocker. Try as hard as I might I could not justify this act. It is a party known for its extreme appeasement and yes,  deny it if you want to, but it polarizes the society like no one else. Isn’t it laughable that a party which calls itself socialist is completely dynasty run,  contrary to its ideology? It is dynastic and the dynasty is filthy rich. Need I say anymore?

You, certainly had no qualms to join such a party! Deny it however much but no one can defend its sullied picture, as that of standing by all unsocial elements. This is not contrary to the general tendency of socialist regimes the world over. Dig a little into socialism, and you come across a bunch of people (EDUCATED/QUALIFIED) but not (KNOWLEDGEABLE /WISE) in Europe and Asia, who planned to wrest power from the Monarchs and appropriate it all under the garb of being the Messiah of the POOR. It is so easy to speak inane rubbish, when one has no intention of delivering, isn’t it? You chose to associate with such people, speaks volumes about ethics!!

If you had the welfare of the downtrodden close to your heart, pray then why did you not take up the case of your home state, ever? After Independence Bengal was one of the leading states of India industrially. However, first the LEFT and then the TMC has brought the state to the sorry state that we find it in today. You did go and stand by the woman accused of atrocities against women. Should I give you a standing ovation for it?

I never faltered in observing you minutely and my belief in your lopsided judgment grew as days went by. Lynching is a horrendous crime, which is on the rise now and should be condemned by one and all. But here too,  you were choosy like others, some lynchings were vociferously raised by you and likeminded people and some were swept under the carpet. Makes you biased, don’t you think so? All right let’s for arguments sake say that you had your political compulsions, for siding with the AWARD WAPASI GANG and their ilk. I strongly believe a person who prides herself on her ethics should have walked away from such people. Did you do that?

Now I come to the latest faux pas you have made. First one: the famous ‘THALI ME CHED’ remark which was in very bad taste but you tried to pass it off as an outrage against… what exactly may I know? Murder of a fellow star or the dirty, murky, dark world of drugs, what were you outraging about? Few videos are there in public domain, wherein your family members are seen in inebriated condition, are the videos doctored? If yes, have you lodged and FIR or raised the issue anywhere? If no then are you in any position to have made such an observation? Isn’t it hypocritical Ma’am?

Came to know today that the boundary wall of your house has to be demolished, to widen the road. The authorities however, are not able to find contractors to do so !! What an example of doing your utmost for the needy ! Mind blowing indeed !!! 

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhFBEGPf0Gc&ab_channel=Pratipaksha 

So, your tirade yesterday came as no surprise, you did what you always do. Rave and rant about misdemeanors of the present government, not in favour, of the innocent but once again for the guilty. The 12 RS MPs can be seen on camera not only behaving like hooligans but thrashing Marshals, but you won't’ stand up for the rights and dignity of the Marshals, will you? So, what conclusions do I come to? Do I believe that you are an upright person but you side with goons? Isn’t that a contradicting prospect? What I see however is, my faith in your goodness descending into a very very deep abyss.

Isn’t it time to introspect and stop making a public spectacle of yourself? Hard to fathom, why you are doing this to yourself? It’s with a very heavy heart that I am writing this, I know I will be dismissed as a Sanghi and bigot, etc. Neither, am I expecting any answer from you, but if I able to make you, ponder and tarry a bit, then I will have achieved my goal.

 

Cabal Exposed- Time to Introspect and Reform

 Indian democracy is under attack from internal and external enemies of  the country. It has become the new normal to make sweeping comments about everything Indian. What is strange is that these attacks are made by people who actually have no idea about India! They blatantly disregard the complexity of the Indian culture and the Indian way of life. Clueless they simply parrot what a few chosen self-proclaimed elite feed them.

A peep into the history of India since it won its independence, in 1947 shows a coterie of English speaking, westernized bunch of entitled people usurp power. They were completely alienated from everything Indian, being under the influence of the British way of life. They wanted to foster their love for everything British onto the common populace of this country. Thus, began their task of re-writing the history of this great land, deriding the Hindu way of life and promoting their thoughts, of what was right and what was wrong. An ecosystem, gradually came into being, consisting of a motley crowd of politicians, media personnel and so-called intellectuals.

This ecosystem had one goal and that was to become the de facto, undisputed rulers of the country. The common masses during that period were not qualified and more importantly a gullible lot. So, trusting were they that they had no inkling of suspicion regarding the subtle but repeated attack on their culture, religion and heritage. Unhindered, the cabal re wrote the history and highlighted the history of the invaders and glorified them, endlessly. Gradually a sense of inferiority complex developed among the majority, so much so that they started being ashamed of their lineage. Conversion was rampant and division of the Hindu populace on the basis of caste was undertaken on a war path.

Words like secularism and socialism were touted and ultimately during the Dark days of Emergency these words were surreptitiously introduced in the constitution, obviously without any opposition. Why? The voice of the opposition had been stifled, so it was a very smooth transition. However, this secularism was lopsided to say the least, Hindu temples were taken under the umbrella of the government, but all other religious places of worship were free to run them according to their beliefs and rules. This did not worry the majority much in those days. After 2014, with the advent of the Narender Modi government things changed.

Information, which hitherto had been kept tightly under wraps came into public domain. Another reason for the free flow of information was the advent of IT and SM platforms. By this time a large number of people had acquired reasonable degree of education, they could now process various events, understand them and draw conclusions.

A very ugly vicious campaign to wipe out the rich cultural heritage of this great land unfolded before them. Therein began an era of countering the newfangled narratives of decades set by the cabal. Obviously, all hell broke loose, the cabal could not digest the fact that they were being challenged and their leadership was not only in danger but was ridiculed. The majority was in no mood to accept their dictates’ anymore. They, yet believed that just like they had been able to cobble up a majority, to defeat Shri Atal Bihari ji in 2004, this time round in 2019 they would repeat the feat. Imagine their horror when the Modi government came back with an even larger majority, dashing their dreams, sending a chill down their spines as they knew, all their corrupt practices would be further exposed.

Their fear brought them together and a campaign to malign Narender Modi was undertaken on a war footing. Every straw was clutched at, their extreme nervousness made them blind to the fact that this was a New India. This India saw right through them and openly questioned them. Moreover, all their efforts to spoil one man’s image came to naught, as the beneficial work for the downtrodden was actually being undertaken. As their lives changed and they started asserting themselves, the cabal became more and more hypersensitive. Their taut nerves stretched to breaking point, made them desperate. They never relished when their greed for power and an entitled life drove them towards an acute hatred towards anything and everything undertaken by the Modi government.

They have now started colluding with vested foreign powers to hamper all the developmental work, as it meant a plus for the ruling party and a negative for them. Media personnel loyal to the cabal, who had lost their sheen and lay exposed before the populace, as vicious lobbyists gladly jumped to their help. A new way of changing the narrative and defaming the ruling party came into being termed as toolkit. Ironically, so stupid have the pushers proved themselves to be that they, exposed their motive repeatedly.

The country was again and again pushed into chaos and lawlessness, the vultures waited with bated breath, with each new attack to score a point in their favour. Alas! Each time they were thwarted, as the PM guessed what they were up to and did not bite the bait. On the other hand, their ulterior motive and extreme hatred against the Hindus is now out in the open for everyone within the country to see. All the paid media inside and outside the country and the sharp attack on Hindus, to the extent of labeling them as radicals and terror outfits have further boomeranged on them.

In conclusion, it would be a better idea to be a constructive opposition rather than an extremely negative body of disgruntled has-beens. This country is finally coming to terms with its rich heritage and every step to ridicule it will further demean this cabal. It is highly advisable that they introspect and stop all anti national activities, only then can they expect forgiveness and acceptance.

THE CABAL SMELLS BLOOD AGAIN

 

    

Drug binge, ruthless brutal lynching of people in Lakhimpur Kheri, in the midst of so called farmers’ protest is hogging the limelight, this certainly has provided ammunition to the cabal once again.

With what fervor has the cabal gone into overdrive mode once again! Two different cities, two different disturbing turn of events. In Mumbai its NCB raid on a rave party which has the cabal coming out from their hideouts gradually in support of a 23 year old child who is being hounded by so called fascists of India. Oh! How wicked of them to demand law to take its course without interference from the entitled of our country. Look at the audacity, they want equal treatment to be meted out! The imprudence of the common man has united the cabal, they can’t claim any such thing, so the transgressor should be protected at all cost and the persecutors should get a bloody nose.

It’s the same old, oft repeated drama unfolding – have lost count, is this Toolkit 5, 6, 7, etc.? Can’t really be blamed, can we? The toolkits are innumerous and never ending. All right, so whatever number, it is indeed unfolding, that to, two on a single day. If in Mumbai it is defensive technique to be undertaken in U.P., of course it is offensive.

Without complete information the crass cacophony has begun with a vigor. Big names, on slumber mode during the various rapes cases in Mumbai have started defending the big star’s son and are requesting the public to exercise restraint and wait for law to take its course. How shamelessly they do the same thing, without even batting an eyelid! We are obviously biased and are to be derided and shamed, and very soon the tables will be turned, the common man asking for justice will start defending their stance. Isn’t that the story every time?

At Lakhimpur Kheri it is party time as celebrity after celebrity will descend there demanding the PM’S resignation followed by sob stories of how the innocent farmers have been ruthlessly brutalized. Wild rumours will do the rounds, the sleeper cells out of the country will be activated and the pressure mounted to paint the Yogi- Modi duo yet again in bad light. After all U.P. is special with elections soon to be held there.

Going by Yogi ji’s reputation, one can rest assure that the law machinery must have started unscrambling the chain of events and will soon place before all the truth of Lakhimpur Kheri. Even the cabal knows this so they will certainly make the most it and get as much mileage as possible before their game is up.

Whatever has been written above had become mundane in every Indians life, why then has the topic been taken up? The only reason is to tell the cabal that even a child on the street who has been observing them knows their modus operandi. We are tired of such gimmicks and the disruption it causes to our lives. Can the stop, once and for all?

How many bells have I been able to ring within my readers is a matter I leave to them.

 

 

 

The Akbarian Myths Vs Facts—Bitter Truths Of Mughal Dynasty

 History, I believed till a few years back, to be unadulterated relation of facts. Based on facts (written sources- which include official records, biographies or auto biographies) and also archeological sources. However, I would always be perplexed about different versions on similar topics. How could it be acceptable? How could historians twist facts to suit agendas of individuals? Why were different versions not challenged with facts and denounced? Questions which have not yet been answered to my satisfaction, today I will be taking up one such topic and hope will receive answers for my queries. I will lay before you all a much touted version and its counter.

Like many Indians, I too have grown up to the stories of Akbar-Jodhabai eternal love story but I few years back I came across a series of book written about the Mughal Dynasty written by Alex Rutherford (Empire of the Mughal). I was completely miffed after reading the complete series, the tales were very different from what I had read thus far.

Pic credit: Fineart

The true colours of Akbar

Be it Bollywood movies, story books or other academic books Jodhabai has been named as Akbar’s wife, his Pathrani (the main queen) and his one true love. Imagine my surprise when I read that his wife and the mother of his first child, was the princess of Amber but her name was Hirabai, as recorded in page 119 of Empire of The Moghul Ruler of The World. Intrigued, I read on, Akbar, who is portrayed as a benevolent, just and kind ruler had no remorse on the mayhem he undertook during his campaign in Chittorgarh. Many brave Rajputs lost their lives in the battle. He was satisfied with the outcome as he believed a strong message has to be sent to all the rulers of Rajputana. The women had undertaken Jauhar (self-immolation) en masse and this had enraged many across Rajputana. Many, on the other hand, were subjugated into accepting the suzerainty of the Mughals.

One of the Rajput kings who extended his hand in friendship to Akbar was Raja Bhagwan Das, the king of Amber and the father of Man Singh. Akbar wanted to consolidate his hold on Rajputana and knew that brute force would help him win territories but not the trust of his subjects. So, he had planned to forge matrimonial alliances with friendly Rajput clans. The very first Rajput wife he chose was Raja Bhagwan Das’s daughter Hirabai. The proposal was offered and eagerly accepted. Akbar had chosen shrewdly as Bhagwan Das was not only powerful but also ambitious, but the quality which enamoured him to Akbar was his known enmity with the Rana of Mewar. Sadly, this enmity was nothing new among the Indian kings and was the main reason for the establishment of foreign rule in Bharat.

Mewar

Hirabai’s revenge

Though both father and brother had accepted the marriage proposal, Hirabai had to accept without being able to register her protest. Those were days when a daughter had to agree to the dictates of the elders in her family, so no one really knew what the princess actually had in her heart. Ignorant about Hirabai’s state of mind the wedding was concluded. Little suspecting what was in store, Akbar, entered eagerly to his wife’s bedchamber. The first encounter can be read in page 132, and it was wrought with hatred on the part of Hirabai and extreme surprise on the part of Akbar. Akbar was able to save himself from any harm as he had been warned by the expression on his wife’s face, before she could attack him with the knife she had with her.

Pic credit: Pinterest

He could not for his life understand why she had tried to kill him and when he confronted her, she told him, she wanted to avenge Chittorgarh. She did not change her stance, even on being threatened with death sentence. She however, maintained silence and went through with the marriage on being reminded about the dishonour it would bring to her family. Their first and only child (Salim later known as Jahangir) was born after a long gap and with the blessing of Shaikh Salim Chisthi. Thereafter she refused to have any relation with Akbar and told him to beget more sons from other queens. She was not even the Padshah Begum (King’s favourite) and cared nothing for it. Ruquyya Begum was the Padshah Begum and the closest to Akbar.

Ruquyya Begum

I come back to my dilemma regarding the variance in the narratives and also wonder at the motive behind it. The mystery surrounding the so called Jodhabai is heightened by another version doing the rounds- that she was a Portuguese lady.

What has baffled me endlessly is the narrative highlighted via print media and also through movies and television. I fail to understand what did such people hope to achieve? I agree that a country as vivid as ours should have an atmosphere of trust and brotherhood, that most probably was the reason for the liberals of our country to bring in narratives to boost fraternity.However, non stop lopsided potboilers and unabashed biased versions have had just the opposite effect on the masses. Our liberals failed to understand that taking the side of the underdog and putting them on a pedestal would not endear them to people who have suffered enormously at the hands of invaders like Akbar. Akbar from all accounts was a shrewd politician and played to the gallery all his life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariam-uz-Zamani

If Akbar was really a religious liberal then why had he converted his Hindu wife? Why have the liberal seculars of our life never made this fact known ?Many unanswered questions, but I truly believe its time now to depict history as it is not some warpped version of misguided people.

Confounded, I leave it to the jurisdiction of my readers to draw their own inferences.

Chhatrapatti Shivaji Maharaj-In Quest of Swaraj

                                 

Chhatrapati Shivaji, The Great Maratha, has not been accorded his due place in the annals of Indian History. In these times of receding moral values however, it becomes imperative to tell all the children as well as the youth, the stories of such illustrious Indian Kings. The “Kaliyuga” has descended on us and has brought in a degradation of goodness and every noble qualities in humans. Tilak had understood the importance of narrating these stories to the common man in the language of their comfort and level, to refurbish their lost self-esteem. He knew that a country could not stand up for their rights, if they are in the grip of inferiority complex. He awakened the society that had gone into the cultural hibernation for many generations He revived the Indian culture and reinstate it into sleeping masses via his write ups on Indian history and community celebrations of festivals like Ganpati Utsav. So instead of cribbing about our education system, let us, in our best individual capacity, narrate the history weaving anecdotes into our narration to make the intellectually underprivileged fellow Indians comfortable to understand the true value of our culture.

                            

Let me begin my efforts in this direction by devoting today’s article to to narrate a few motivating incidents from Shivaji Maharaj’s life.

After a difficult labour, Maa Saheb Jijabai gave birth to Shivaji on 19 February 1630 at Shivneri fort near Pune. Those were challenging times, Deccan was chaotic, so much so that his father Shahaji Raje Bhosle was on a campaign and could not remain present at the time of Shivba’s birth. The area was reeling under draught, the Mughals were trying to capture Deccan and the offshoots of the Bahmani Kingdom were busy fighting each other.

Under the guidance of Jija Mata Shivaba grew up dreaming about Swaraj. His close friends Netaji, Yesaji, Tanaji, Baji Prabhu, Balaji, Chimnaji, Dadaji Naras Prabhu, etc., looked up to him and shared his dream. They together had taken an oath in the Raireshwar Temple of achieving Swaraj   and freeing the Marathas from the tyrannical rules of the  Niazam Shahi, etc. A new threat from the Mughals was also looming large on the horizon. Neither Raje nor his friends were in any way intimidated by such adversaries, they stoically went on with their plans and preparations. Soon they began their campaign in earnest, won over major forts and territories.
                                                                                                                                 
                             

Due to the infighting among the descendants of the erstwhile Bahmani Empire plus the continuous attack of the Mughals, the once powerful Bijapur Kingdom became irrelevant. After the death of Adil Shah, his eldest wife Badi Begum wanted to restore Bijapur to its former glory. She began by deciding to bring Shivaji Raje to his knees. Once she decided, she set out to find a nobleman in her durbar brave enough to undertake the deed. She called all the Durbaris and asked them who was ready to defeat Shivaji Raje, capture him and bring him to the court of Bijapur. A ‘Paan cake’ was kept before them (it was customary then to keep a paan cake while issuing a challenge, whoever picked it up, automatically accepted the challenge) but except Afzal Khan no one came forward to pick it up. Afzal Khan had also heard about Raje’s exploits and was eagerly waiting to take him on. Afzal Khan had also been responsible for the death of Shambhaji Raje the elder brother of Shivaji. Afzal was a brute and had a huge, well-built body. He was very arrogant and overestimated his prowess.
                 

The Wai province was his jagir and he   was also appointed the Subedar of Bijapur. Khan set out with a huge army to crush Raje and win back all the forts Raje had captured. The news of the Khan’s advancing army reached Raje, he immediately started planning along with his coterie the steps that would be taken to not only defeat Khan but also save Swaraj. Raje was under tremendous pressure as his first wife Saibai was on death bed. She had not been able to gain back her health after giving birth to Sambhaji Raje. In spite of going through immense mental trauma, Raje did not allow himself the luxury of taking himself away from all the strategic parleys.

Wai was Khan's jagir and Shivaji was sure that he would stay there till the monsoon receded. Shivaji backed off into the fort of Jawali and decided to force  Khan for a showdown in this territory. Jawali was a difficult terrain and had dense jungles around it thus it was a safe haven to take on enemies not conversant with the narrow gorges and the thick forests. Moreover, the fort of Pratapgarh was also impregnable, so Raje decided to operate from there.
                

As expected the Khan descended on the Marathas with a mighty army and proceeded to ravage the countryside. Shivaji had asked his vassals to surrender before the Khan and even join him so that too many Maratha lives were not sacrificed. He attacked and ravaged the Tuljapur Temple, in fact he took sadistic pleasure to break the Moorti (idol) of revered Tulja Bhawani. He did not stop at that, next he destroyed the temple at Pandharpur and Vithoba Moorti was also not spared.  Khan    knew that Tulja Bhawani was Shivaji's family deity, and expected to draw out Shivaji Raje when this news spread like wildfire. Raje was no fool and did not leave Jawali to fall into the trap of Khan. Meanwhile he lost Saibai, yet had no time to mourn her. In the battle of Wai   Khan lost patience first and sent Krishnaji Bhaskar for negotiations to Jawali. This was what Shivaji had been waiting for all along. He sent Pantaji Gopinath, a  astute statesman with a letter to   Khan and also some valuable gifts. The greedy Khan now became impatient to lay hands on all the treasures under Shivaji. So, he agreed to come to Jawali to talk about settlements, in reality he had plans to capture Raje. Raje was no man’s fool and knew that Khan would betray him, so he made careful plans. He set up the meeting at Par, which was a relatively flat area. He allowed   Khan to enter Koyna Valley with a massive army, but he had already asked his men to surround   Khan’s army from all sides. The will Khan had no idea about these developments. His greed was getting the better of him, all he could think of was the immense treasure, which would come under his control after he had defeated the Maratha Forces.
                

Twenty soldiers from each side were allowed to come up to the meeting place. It was also decided that   Khan and Raje would be allowed to take two personal bodyguards along with them. Khan was a massive man and brought only one guard, Syed Banda, whereas Shambhaji Kavji and Jiva Mahala accompanied Raje. .After the customary greetings, all three guards stepped outside. Once alone, Khan pretended to be very benign and invited Raje forward to embrace him as a token of good will. The humongous Khan held Raje in a bear hug, at the same time he slyly took out his hidden dagger and tried to stab Raje. The ever cautious Raje had worn an armour below his shirt, and thus, was not injured. Simultaneously Raje tore opened Khan's stomach with his 'Wagh Nakh'. Khan let out a roar of pain and began shouting to alert his men. Khan had also hit Shivaji which broke the helmet he was wearing. Raje was saved because of the helmet, even though it broke. However, Raje was stunned by the blow and at this juncture Jiva Mahala, Shammbhaji Karvi and Syed Banda rushed into the tent. Jiva was quick to cut of Banda‘s hand and then follow the blow with another fatal blow. Thus Jiva saved Raje’s life, Karvi in the meantime had chased Khan, who had gone rushing out of the tent. He beheaded  Khan before he could escape in his palanquin.

The Maratha army was signaled and they descended heavily upon   Khan’s mighty army. Shivaji Raje had specifically ordered the capture of all the cannons and other arms and ammunition, this would enhance their artillery power. This was exactly what the Maratha soldiers achieved. Once inside the safety of his fort, Shivaji Raje sent the news of the Khan’s defeat to Maa Sahib Jijabai. The Maratha Kingdom rejoiced but Raje immediately went forth with his army and not only captured Wai but many other forts. He also freed all the territories, which had been taken over by   Khan.

This was a decisive win for Swaraj and now Raje had become a force not to be taken lightly. Even though the Khan was mighty yet minute planning and indomitable spirit helped Shivaji Raje win the battle against the mighty Afzal Khan. This also proved to be the turning point of Swaraj.

Jai Bhawani, Jai Shivaji.

               

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THE ETERNAL AND HAUNTING LOVE STORY OF MAHADEV AND SATI MAA

                                           
                                         

The eternal love between Mahadev and Sati Maa has been immortalized in this world and will be remembered till the end of times and beyond. I am writing this story on the basis of Puranik Kathas, Devon ke Dev Mahadev and Goswami Tulsidas’s  Shree Ramcharitmanas .

I believe it is time to spread such stories so that our youngsters do not remain ignorant about our religion, culture and heritage. With the blessings of Mahadev, I will begin my story.

Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu were hoping for Aadi Shakti and Aadi Purush (Mahadev) to unite and bless their creation even further. During these times Daksh Prajapati, a son of Brahma and Aditi  performed a severe penance to beget another daughter. He was the proud father of thirteen exceptional daughters before this (and would be having total of 24 daughters all in all), yet he always found something missing in his life, hence the penance. Aadi Shakti was very pleased with him and promised to be born as his fourteenth  daughter
                        

Overjoyed Daksh returned and soon Prasuti and he were blessed with a beautiful daughter. They named her Sati (the feminine form of truth) as per the wish of Aadi Shakti herself. Sati, from her childhood, showed all signs of greatness and was the darling of everyone around, especially her father. Daksh doted on her and pampered her to no end. Time seemed to fly and very soon Sati was of marriageable age, which set Daksh worrying about finding the perfect the groom. He wanted to give up his gems only to the most deserving groom. He approached his father Brahma, who told him, Aadi Shakti could only be married to Aadi Purush and Daksh agreed.

This is not what has been shown in Devon Ke Dev Mahadev, however, so I beg the indulgence of my readers. This is written in the Purans. After many hurdles they were arrived but were never, wholeheartedly blessed by Daksh. Soon after their wedding the couple was invited to attend a ceremony, which they attended in all their splendor. Daksh too was an invitee and was received very warmly by everyone present. In respect to his prominence, everyone but Mahadev stood up in greeting. Daksh was very annoyed and pledged to organize a huge ‘Yajñá (यज्ञ)’ and invite all prestigious people to the most common people to the ‘Yajñá’ but not Mahadev and Sati Maa.

Mahadev is ‘Trikaal Darshi’ and he had seen this future event and the outcome too, that was exactly the reason why he had not been ready to wed Sati Maa (as Aadi Shakti had been born as a human and had no recollection of her original form). As destiny would have it, Sati Maa was adamant about attending the ‘Yajñá’ invited or not. She refuted all advice, and told Mahadev in no uncertain terms that she could not  think of any discomfort in her own father’s house and go she must. All appeal fell on deaf ears, as even Gods are not spared by destiny when they are born as humans.

There is another tale too, which I have read in Shree Ramcharitmanas and seen in Devon Ke Dev too. Once, Mahadev was relating the story of Shri Ram to Sati and he told her that even in his human form Ramji knew that he was an incarnation of Lord Visnu and was able to recognize all the Gods. This was very perplexing for Sati, maybe because she had not yet been connected to her real self and so she decided to test Shri Ram. However when she disclosed her plans before Mahadev, he was horrified and forbade her to do so. The human trait within Sati did not pay heed nor did she try to understand  why she had been asked to desist. She soon went to the sea shore where Shri Ram was searching for Sita in Dandak Aaranya.  Here Sati Maa made her second and an unpardonable mistake, to test Shri Ram she disguised herself as Sita Maa. She was not able to fool Shri Ram, he immediately recognized her and asked her to bless him, and he also addressed her as mother.

The enormity of her folly struck Sati but the deed was already done and she could do nothing to undo what was already done. Mahadev not thought it fit to disturb Shri Ram, so after Sati Maa came back, both returned to Kailash. An infuriated Mahadev informed Sati that she had lost the right to sit on his left side (Vamangi) as his wife because she had taken the form of Sita, whom he worshiped as mother. This further saddened Sati Maa and she resolved to go to her father’s ‘Yajñá’ come what may. It is believed that Sati Maa had lost her purity and thus had to shed her human form to become Mahadev’s true partner in life.

Sati Maa was insulted by Daksh on her arrival and when he abused Mahadev in the vilest of language, she could bear it no more. She took her real form (Aadi Shakti) and self-immolated herself. The wrath of Mahadev could not be withstood by anyone and Daksh had to pay with his life. However, Mahadev brought him back to life at the ardent prayers of Prasuti and all the people who were present at the venue.

So deeply did Mahadev love Sati that he carried away her body and roamed about in abject misery? At last to stop his anguish from destroying “Shristi”, Vishnu Bhagwan parted the body of Sati Maa into 51 parts  and scattered them in different places on the earth. These places were converted into Shakti Peeths by Mahadev and then he went away to an unknown place to meditate and pledged never again to be pulled into any relationship. He wanted to meditate and teach himself to be an ascetic from there on. Who among us can hold a candle to this colossal love? No one ever can.

HAR HAR MAHADEV!!!

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Hey Woman Bear It All

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSAjnqg7OeE&t=10s

How many of you have heard the above song? Every time I hear it, tears well up in my eyes, very few songs have depicted the plight of women so explicitly. Through centuries, woman has borne the brunt of inhuman debasement. Today she has carved out a niche for herself after a very long and excruciating battle. She not only is excelling at academics but also in every field she is stepping into. In all walks of life, she is proving her mettle but if we seek an honest reply from her male counterparts about their acknowledgement of her achievements, a completely different story enfolds before us.

I would like to make it clear that I do not favour the so called FEMINAZI. I think they are actually, harming the real challenges that women are trying to surmount. Women have, by the sheer dent of their hard work and persistence, overcome all odds and are scaling new heights every day. What I find affronting , is the male attitude of generalizing women, even after she has proved herself again and again. (Of course, I am equally uncomfortable generalizing men too.) Wherever she has found a foothold, she has conquered, she has beaten men too. Why then do we still find crude jokes on women, referring to her intelligence as far below her male counterparts, portraying her as a shrew still doing the circles? I will  showcase a few such wisecracks:

           

Such inane jokes are circulated on a daily basis but no one ever tries to question these. Why do women have to put up with such degradation? What have they done to deserve such ridicule?

Women are very emotional by nature and this makes them very vulnerable. Thanks to the changing norms of the modern world a new breed of cockroaches have emerged in our midst, what am I referring to? Well it is not what but who am I referring to. I am referring to a very large number of roadside ROMEOS who can be found hanging around the houses of girls. These loafers come in all ages and their only aim in life is to beguile girls into accepting them as their sweethearts. They choose the girls who are vulnerable and once assured of their affection, they take disadvantage of the girl’s feelings. Many such girls are exploited, made to go into prostitution, change their religion, join terrorists and some are dumped after they have been sexually exploited. Even lonely, hapless middle-aged women also fall into these traps.

Case 1. https://www.asianage.com/india/crime/090919/19-year-old-girl-steals-rs-10-lakh-from-home-to-help-boyfriend-held.html

Case 2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nashik/girl-detained-for-theft-of-rs-6-6l-to-fund-boyfriends-bike-phone/articleshow/76431706.cms

Case 3. https://www.opindia.com/2020/06/love-jihad-ludhiana-meerut-ekta-deshwal-shakib-aman-murder-chopped/

Google has n number of such cases, where n is very huge, people read these gory tales but society does not try to do away with this malaise.

Things have come to such pass that women are viewed as objects of pleasure, no one bothers about the destruction one leaves behind. So many lives have been sacrificed at the altar of lust and male ego. Voices are raised but the public memory is too short and who actually has time for silly women.

Another sad and disgusting stigma a woman has to live with is the general tendency of people that she has no credit to her success. A successful woman has to put up with a lot of aspersions about her character. The moment a woman makes a mark in her chosen field, tongues start wagging and filth is spread about her. The tendency is that a woman cannot reach the pinnacle as she does not possess enough abilities. A lady I admire a lot is Smriti Irani, she has admirably handled the rogues but the fact cannot be denied that she has had to face public humiliation.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ATLCg9ajfU

Watch the video, in some corridors the male ego is so bloated that they brazenly spew venom and think nothing of it. Will there ever be a change in this type of sick attitude? When will women be treated as equals by everyone? How long will she have to put up with being treated as inferior to men or their toys? There are many men who regard women are extremely courteous, look up to them and also worship the path woman walk on. However, these men constitute a miniscule number. Women are the worst enemy of their own kind, the day every mother, sister and wife teaches the men of her family to respect women this prevailing unfairness will come to an end. Let us begin now, stop taking women for granted, stop using them and don’t just spout platitudes about loving and caring about them, follow it up with actions. Be loyal to them and see how they blossom.

Women too need to be sterner, not get carried away by their emotions and they should never believe to the extent that they take leave of their gut feeling. Women stop being used, stand up for your dignity.