Manu Khajuria
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Posts by Manu Khajuria
Social Revolution and Shri Krishna
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Happy Janamashtami to All. Happy Janamashtami sounds corny and forced to my own ears so Shubh Janamashtami 
A my kinda post on this occasion.
Shree Krishna, the Avatar/Re-incarnation is a subject I am incapable of touching upon. I will just take some instances of his life to show what a great Social Reformer, Brilliant Politician, and a Teacher of Spirituality he was. [His life and its meaning are things I have learnt and am still learning].
There was a time when every body’s motto was Eat, Drink and Be Merry. The Brahmins were not independent and were patrons of the ruling elite. The subjects taught did not include Life Lessons…did not explain ways to truly develop one’s life. The Ruling Class was egoistic and running after sensual pleasures and material wealth. The same behaviour was mirrored by the society at large. Though the people were materially wealthy they lacked in character, integrity and were floundering through life. Clueless as to why professional and material success and fame did not bring peace.
During such a time was born Shree Krishna to show us the power of Social Cohesion and stress upon the act that power and money are not what are needed for a Sangathan/Collective Strength and Social Revolution. He came to protect the Righteous (Saadhu) and punish the wrong doers. To set things right. He stopped the Indra Puja which was a way to worship Vaibhav/Material wealth. He advocated and started Govardhan Puja….Go meaning Upanishad and those who protected and spread the ideas of Upanishads…a spread of Naitik Mulya/ Moral Values.
He endeared the women and stirred up a women’s movement by spending time with the Gopis and making them into Brahmins…a people who spread the thoughts of God and Godly behaviour. The famous Raas Lila is just that …Lila…a romanticized version of a 7 year old Krishna’s interaction with much, much older women. He knew that a woman is instrumental in bringing about change in her home, extended family and society.
“Grihe Grihe Gopvadhukadamba“…the revolutionary ideas were taken from door to door by these Gopis as they sold milk.
He accepted the title of “MaakhanChor” to bring about a change…starting from the children of Gokul. There was no dearth of milk and butter in Gokul but all of it was sold to Mathura. The children of Gokul were deprived of essential nutrients. Krishna who was not lacking in any way stole milk and butter and distributed it amongst his friends. Another perspective is that Maakhan symbolized Sad Vichaar or good thoughts. He took the good from each family in Gokul and passed it on to the children. He sent the message that both a healthy body and mind are needed to make these children able citizens of tomorrow. These very Gopal’s along with Krishna changed the society.
And finally ShreemadBhagvad Geeta…not a religious text but Shree Krishna’s gift to Humanity. It answers all possible questions one can have about life. All doubts will be cleared and dilemmas settled. But secular education does not allow for a study of spiritual texts. And outside school we have better things to do…Art/Ballet/French/Tuitions/Coaching more tuition and more coaching.I say have Bible/Koran/Vedic Classes in school. Otherwise where do I learn the true purpose of my life. How do I find my inner peace which stands so shallow today. We are a generation which is stumbling through a fog. Happiness does not last. We are full of angst and so full of ourselves. We are living in a false truth.
I fear for my child who will surely learn how to make a living but will grapple with the fundamental issues which will determine his course and his happiness.
The cycle of good and bad is eternal. The society 5000 years back was no different from the society of today. The Land where Krishna was born is dipping down to new depths. And the behaviour is being cloaked behind the Right and need to earn money and fame, the Right to practice proudly the Philosophy of I, Me, Myself….the new mantra of emancipation for all. The Right to Cowardly hide behind…’Kaliyug hai…kya kiya ja sakta hai’.
In todays scenario there are some fundamental and glaring issues. It has suddenly become necessary to excel in University (definitely not a Center of ‘Higher Learning’ but a Center of ‘Higher Earning’) but not imperative to be a man/woman of character.
The justification I hear often is that parents gave birth to us and brought us up because they ‘wanted’ to. They did not reproduce because they wanted us to take care of them in old age. So its only practical if I let my sick and alone parent,to die far away!! I know of someone who could not go for his mother’s last rites. And I know of many more who say it was not ‘practically’ possible.
I recently read an ad ..” Wanted a Nanny for a 4 month old baby girl from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm. I know that the mother does not need to work to support herself financially. I know that she also does not need to be employed for Asmita/Self-Respect/Intellectual Stimulation/Application.
12.5 hours..the child will spend with a hired help/professional and then she is expected to be emotionally attached to her family or anyone for that matter? Then why should it come as a surprise later, that she/he is lacking in values and valuable life lessons. Gone are the days of Tapovan and Gurukuls…we need to recreate them in our homes. And ‘paid’ personnel can never do that. ’Gurudakshina‘ is not ‘tuition fees’ and hence do not expect the same results. But I forget Full-time Mothering a child one brought into this world is asking for a great Balidaan/Sacrifice which we might not be prepared for.
I see no political will to defend and uphold the honor of the Nation. From China to the much weaker Pakistan to Australia and even internal problems like Kahsmir, Naxals and the ultras in North East….they will never hear a strong clear Indian voice.
The greed to hoard is overwhelming. Enough is never enough. Hence the collapsing buildings, train derailments, loot, rape and murder. Live Life King size means ‘Upbhog’(consumption) of the highest order. Retail therapy is fast replacing Spiritual therapy. Upgrade whenever boredom sets in. And how easily bored we are today.
A spineless government and a spineless and an even weaker society.
In such times the lessons given by Krishna hold good. Time has not stolen his lustre.
Knowledge and Devotion must be combined with Action. There are too many Bakasurs(Bak meaning False Pride), Aghasurs (Agh meaning Sin). And Asurs are not the ugly monstrous,fictional, Indianized versions of Vampires but real immoral,corrupt,bloodsucking Rakshas(sucking away at the society and the Right Way of Life/Dharm) to duck and lie low.
- He showed us the Middle Path between Consumption and Renunciation.
- He asked us to keep our personal obligations/promises and loyalties aside for the greater good.
- He showed us that we can fill our lives with laughter and play and yet tackle the evil within and outside.
Janamashtami is not just about fasting and feasting but renewing our pledge to carry forward Shree Krishna’s work and blaze the trail for a Social Revolution. Rise and Shine!
Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum!!!
The Lure of the Land – Some stories from Poonch
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The connection to the land is natural and unbreakable. We may go away for a multitude of reasons but it is easier to snip off the umbilical cord than cut away the tie which binds us to our villages and towns and cities….to the land of our forefathers. I have known this 
for a fact and experienced it at close quarters, having lived quite a nomadic life, traveling far and wide. Nothing can beat the pleasure and ‘the heart will burst’ kind of happiness when I come back “home”….to my home state of Jammu and Kashmir.
I saw this emotion amply reflected in the stories I heard this summer during my trip to Poonch. Poonch is also known as Chhota Kashmir and aptly deserves the title, for the regions beauty and splendour are breathtaking. As I traveled by road I repeatedly asked myself as I crossed vales and mountains that how could one ever leave this place and be really happy. The majestic Pir Panchal range in the backdrop, forests, and gurgling streams, crisp fresh air, rugged men and the beautiful women and children…all pulled at my heart strings. I gasped and sighed when I saw the Surankote valley and was left speechless as I entered the town of Poonch.
The history of the region left me intrigued and my fascination with the place increased. Poonch has also been called the battlefield of Kashmir since many rulers who staked a claimon Kashmir had to fight it out in the Poonch valley. There is a book by the same name “Poonch – “The Battlefield of Kashmir” by Mr. Maini a Poonch local which is a must read for all those who want to know more about the history of this region.
I met many people from various backgrounds and the common underlying theme with all of them was a desire to live peacefully and harmoniously. Not one of them was untouched by militancy and the politics of the region. Landmines in the adjoining hills, militant hideouts in the hills of Mendhar, friends and neighbors crossing over to Pakistan, the bloody guerilla warfare, and the infamous ‘Operation Hill Kaka’ to flush out ISI operatives and militants. Obviously the region is considered sensitive and the existing peace fragile.
Considering that it is a land of Saints and Sufis it is a crying shame. This is a land which is abound by similar yet different testaments to the Almighty…Buddhe Amarnath, Nangli Sahib, Shahdara Sharief to name a few. I visited all three and found them equally moving.
Who could leave such a place and yet some did. Some of them at least whose stories I heard have become refugees in their current country of choice, realizing too late that they became victims of propaganda, pressure and trends of their community and a falsely created fear psychosis. The DC/DM of Poonch Shri Kuldip Khajuria told me that there were people who have come back to Poonch on visitor visas and have had to be literally forced to go back after they exhausted their stay limits that too after extending their visas and stay as many times as legally possible.
Many have openly said that they are worse off in Pakistan occupied Poonch economically and socially. This fact was quite clear in my visit to the LOC. One could clearly see ‘kuchha’ houses across the border compared to the modest but pucca houses on our side of the hills. The Principal of Sheesh Mahal School (the oldest girl’s school in Poonch) told me about an ex-student who visited from POK. The ex-student said that they were fed with stories of persecution of Muslims in India by the Pakistani officials. They were told that the Muslim population was denied the right to education and debarred from offering Namaaz and going to the mosque. Upon hearing from the Principal that in a school of 300 plus girls, there were only 35 Hindu girls, the man broke down and cried in the school assembly organized in his honor.
We were saddened to hear that one of my mother’s muslim neighbor and friend moved to Pakistan in the 70’s. He visited Poonch his place of birth many times once it was possible to do so. Common friends told us he regretted his decision all his life and died a heartbroken man.
Some ties bind us all our lives and there is a love which is equal if not greater than the other facets of love and that is a love for our land. A love which blurs the differences in religion and unites us on the common grounds of language, cultural practices, folk lore, dance, music, literature and so much more. It is for the individual to understand this fundamental truth and the politics to let it be.
Manu Khajuria
“The Land where the Sun Shines Mildly”…Kalhan
6A people exiled, a people at war, a people trying to find a voice of their own….the Kashmiri Pandits, Kashmiri Muslims, the Dogras and the Ladakhis.
The state and its people stand divided…one man’s terrorist is the other man’s freedom fighter. Wars have been waged at its frontiers, and the war within has gone on for too long.
Bharat Mata ki Jai clashes with Jeeve Jeeve Pakistan and Ragda Ragda ( a war cry that was invented by the separatist elements last year, to be shouted while stomping on the Tricolor). Is it the same state I ask where at the border 10 years back the cry of ‘Dil Maange More’ became famous? But then the Nation almost forgot that war too.
The cries of Muzzafarabad Chalo last year were deafening, as is the silence on that route today. No fruits being traded through that route. So what was the drama about?
The Poonch-Rawalkote trade route which is used more by the Dogra traders is also losing its pace because of a fear of money being blocked in the barter system of the trade.
The Shopian case caused a furore and rightly so but is the silence over the killing of a 3 year old by the terrorists not telling? Human Rights have been taken for a toss in some very obvious ways. Then there are lesser heard of stories which also speak of loss of rights and dignity.
We can always rely on the politicians to amp up the levels of disturbance when they seem to wane. Amarnath Issue was nothing more than a malicious gossip (to achieve a specific purpose) taken way out of proportion and given such a color that the country at large still is not sure what it was all about. When our claim to the Title of The Most Disturbed State seems threatened the politicians (State and National) pitch in to defend the title. After all considering the amount of money being poured into the state, a lot is at stake.
From the Jammu region the demand for a separate Assembly has arisen. The Jammuites are tired of the Bandhs and the lack of development in the sate which is driving their young away. The valley to them it seems has gotten used to the strikes and minimal working days. The state exchequer is burdened but the people are guilt free for drawing salaries for almost no work. The whispers for a separate State – Duggar Pradesh are also picking up volume.
When the Kashmir issue is discussed at any forum we wait with baited breath for a Solution. Sometime back I believed that the end was in sight. But as of today I know its not coming soon… if it all it is coming.
I have grown up hearing stories of valour and peace. I have grown up seeing the beauty of its people and its geography. Last year during the Amarnath issue I as a Dogra understood what it feels like to scream and yet not be heard.
I got to know many Kashmiri Pandits …angry, hurting and seeking revenge.
I also got a chance to interact with many Kashmiri Muslim youth …one in particular I fought with, argued, and debated with for hours. I finally befriended him. He is like a brother today (the rakhee has been duly sent to Baramulla) and we discuss spirituality. We avoid discussing his much desired Azadi and my love for an integrated India. Much in common yet a fundamental difference.
What unites us is our mutual respect for faith,intertwining cultures,love for the people and the land and prayers for peace.
We have also agreed upon one thing…Victory to the Righteous…words not spoken but implied. I only wish that this ‘game’ ends before leading to another ‘Dharmyuddh’.