Kohinoor: The Cursed Diamond?

The tour manager handed over the entry tickets to the tourists and announced:

“Please pay attention. Indian tourists visit Paris to meet Monalisa at the Louvre, and London- for a selfie with Amitabh Bachchan at Madame Tussaud’s, and this Tower Museum for the privilege of proximity with the Kohinoor at a kissing distance! Beware, you are prohibited to kiss, touch, or click a photo inside the museum.

Don’t miss it. It is among the Crown Jewels collection. When you reach the section exhibiting the most precious jewels with two conveyor belts on either side, take the belt to your right for better visibility. Kohinoor is at the end, set in the cross at the front on the Queen’s Crown. Do not fret if you miss to spot it, you may step onto the belt once again, or climb up two stairs to watch it from a little elevation.

(Queen Mother's Crown with Kohinoor embedded, Image Source: Smithsonian Magazine)

How could the tourists miss the Koh-i-Noor (Mountain of Light) with such detailed tips? Among the thrilled tourists were an amateur historian and a pundit on India’s puranas who continued to discuss the history and legacy of the Kohinoor for a few hours after the museum visit.

“Kohinoor is none other than the fabled Syamantaka mani[i] mentioned in Srimad Bhagavata. In Kali yuga, the mani had passed on from Utkala-Kalinga to the Vijayanagara empire from which the Mughals plundered it and renamed it,” said the purana expert.

“But that’s mythology, not history.”

“Our puranas are called itihasa, meaning ‘thus it happened,’ and therefore, historical.”

“Is that one of the arguments offered by India claiming ownership and repatriation of the diamond?”

“Not sure, but they must cite it.”

“UK claims it has legally obtained Kohinoor.”

“That’s the height of sophistry. Wasn’t Maharajah Dalip Singh only seven years old when he was coerced to sign the Treaty of Lahore in 1846, and ten years old when he ‘gifted’ Kohinoor to the British at the Lahore Durbar on March 29, 1849? And why did the British overrule Maharajah Ranjit Singh’s last will and testament gifting the Kohinoor to Lord Jagannath of Puri? What if it was an oral will, didn’t it have the same validity and force as a written and registered will?”

Maharajah’s Last Wish

Sensing that his end was near, Maharajah Ranjit Singh summoned Dhyan Singh, his wazir, and the treasurer of the toshkhana, and instructed them to donate many jewels including the Kohinoor to Jagannath temple of Puri. Knowing that his end was near, the wazir and the treasurer promised to comply with his orders, but didn’t.

Why did the Sikh Maharajah donate this precious diamond to a Hindu god? Hoping for a miracle to save his life, or to return the precious stone to Jagannath, the Ruler of Utkala-Kalinga (with the Gajapati King as His First Servant), and owner of Kohinoor, an alluvial diamond possibly found in the Kollur mines of river Krishna, or in Hirakud at the confluence of Mahanadi and Ib?

Kohinoor: A Cursed Diamond?

As recently as 2016, India has reiterated its demand for the repatriation of the Kohinoor from UK, but the present status of India’s claim is unknown. Has UK summarily rejected it, ignored it, or constituted a committee to consider it after due deliberations by its civil servants whose exceptional competence is known to all the world through Yes Minister?

Is the Kohinoor auspicious or cursed; is it famous or infamous? It depends on who is replying to the query. At present, the British have it, as a prized possession, a symbol of their past glory even though the Empire in which the sun never set is dead and gone. India wants it since it is a product of India and an emblem of its wealth and eminence prior to the colonial plunder. For the Encyclopaedia Britannica, it is the world’s ‘most famous;’ and for authors Dalrymple and Anand, it is ‘world’s most infamous’ diamond.

Notably, during the coronation of King Charles III on May 6, 2023, Queen Camilla wore a newly-designed crown, and not the crown embedded with the Kohinoor which Queen Elizabeth wore during her coronation in 1936. Was that to ward off the evil eye or to avoid diplomatic problems with India?

Were the British very superstitious or sensitive, they would have long since sent back the Kohinoor to India or Pakistan or Iran or Afghanistan, each of which has claimed ownership of the precious diamond. Cunning as they are, they could have even devised a formula for rotating ownership based on several critical parameters such as place of origin, duration of ownership, and legal title.

Why should UK give back the precious diamond? Because, possession of Kohinoor is invariably followed by a series of misfortunes as is evident from history.

The British summoned the Lahore Durbar on March 29, 1849 and proclaimed annexation of the Punjab to the Empire. Maharajah Dalip Singh, the ten-year old boy-king, was made to hand over the Kohinoor to the British. A gift at the point of a bayonet, as author Anita Anand calls it.

What happened to the East India Company (EIC), the United Kingdom and the monarchy after the acquisition of Kohinoor?

India’s First War of Independence in 1857 surprised and shocked the British, and the administration of India passed from EIC to the Crown; thus commencing the decline in the fortunes of EIC leading to its demise in the future. UK was devasted by World War I and II. In 1922, Ireland seceded from UK and became an independent country. In 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne. In 1947, UK lost India, its Crown Jewel. In 1956, UK was humiliated in the Suez Crisis. In 1997, the British Empire finally ended with the handing over of Hongkong to China. In 1996, Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorced; the royal ‘affairs’ diminished the monarchy; and the Peoples’ Princess met a tragic death in 1997.  Sanjiv Mehta, an Indian entrepreneur acquired the East India Company (EIC) in 2015. An ironical reverse-colonisation! UK quit the European Union in 2020, and is still struggling with the adverse economic impact of Brexit. Rishi Sunak, a grandson of Punjab became UK’s PM and moved into 10, Downing Street in 2022.

Lest it be condemned as a gravedigger’s morbid list, it is asserted that each event mentioned above is historical and verifiable.[ii]

Has the Kohinoor brought in prosperity to UK? Possibly not. Is the diamond a curse? The British are still mulling over the matter. However, to protect the country and the monarchy and the Tower of London, they have appointed six guardian Ravens to ward off the evil eye.[iii]

Kohinoor before 1849

Did the Kohinoor bring prosperity to its possessors before 1849? Consider the following events.

Shah Jahan got Kohinoor embedded in the Peacock Throne, but his own son deposed him and incarcerated him in the Agra Fort. After eight years in jail and solitude, he died a broken man.

The mighty Mughal empire was humiliated when Nadir Shah seized and plundered Delhi, and returned to Iran with the prized war trophies- the Peacock throne and the Kohinoor.

Following an assassination attempt on his life, Nadir Shah suspected his eldest son of complicity in it and blinded him.

Nadir Shah was assassinated by his own people. After his death, Kohinoor fell into the hands of his general, Aḥmad Shah, founder of the Durrani dynasty of Afghans.

Ahmad Shah’s descendant Shah Shoja, when a fugitive in India, was forced to surrender the stone to Maharajah Ranjit Singh.

After the death of Maharajah Ranjit Singh in 1839, his successors- Kharak Singh, Nau Nihal Singh, and Sher Singh- died during a brief and bloody period of four years (1839-1843).[iv]

Moral of the Story

Jewels and diamonds may be objects of desire and prized possessions but do not guarantee prosperity for the possessor.  Syamantaka, the fabled auspicious mani, did not save Krishna from death by a hunter’s arrow, and the Yadava clan from total annihilation. Diamond engagement rings do not make marriages indestructible, nor guarantee togetherness ‘till death do us part.’

Born in India, a hundred kilometres or more in the womb of the earth, pushed up by volcanic eruptions, and excavated by a river; Kohinoor may or may not be auspicious, but its restless movement across empires and geographies is notable. Possessed temporarily by empires dead and gone- Utkala-Kalinga, Vijayanagar, Mughals, Shah of Iran, Afghanistan, and Lahore; it’s only a question of time before Kohinoor decides to travel again, from London to Delhi to Puri.

Empires are not forever, nor are diamonds.

***

Resources & References

·      Fall of the Kingdom of Punjab – Khushwant Singh

·      Kohinoor: The World’s Most Infamous Diamond by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand, published by Juggernaut!

·      Encyclopaedia Britannica

·      The Last Queen by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

·      Srimad Bhagavat (Odia) by Jagannath Das

·      Krsna by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

·      Discourses on Srimad Bhagavata by Swami Tejomayananda

·      Co-Pilot, Meta AI, archive.org

·      Link for image of Queen’s Crown set with Koh-i-Noor: https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/the-crown-jewels/#gs.cybh3e

The True Story of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond—and Why the British Won't Give It Back | Smithsonian (smithsonianmag.com)

---

[i] Syamantaka Mani

The Sun god gifted it to Satrajit (a Yadava in the city of Dvaraka) whose brother Prasen wore it during a hunt, was killed by a lion which was killed by Jambavant (the ancient Bear-General of Sriram in the Lankan war) who gave the mani to his child to play. To retrieve the gem, Krishna wrestled for 28 days with Jambavant who realised that Krishna was Vishnu and gifted his daughter in marriage with the mani as an accompanying gift. Krishna gave it back to Satrajit who gifted his daughter Satyabhama in marriage to Krishna and the mani as an accompanying gift. Satadhanva killed Satrajit and snatched the mani. Fearing Krishna’s wrath, he gave the mani to Akrura before running away. Krishna chased and killed Satrajit.

Thus, Syamantaka, too, had a gory legacy.

 

[ii] Events related to Kohinoor (1846-2022):

1846: The British won the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-1846). Maharajah Dalip Singh, aged seven years, was made to sign the Treaty of Lahore.

1845-1852: The Great Famine of Ireland, aka The Great Hunger. The worst year was 1847. More than one million people perished from starvation.

1857: India’s First War of Independence which the British choose to call the Sepoy Mutiny. The vehemence of the upsurge to drive away the firangs caught them by surprise.

1914-1918: World War I devastated UK’s economy. The country lost 7.15 men in the war, 10 per cent of its domestic assets and 25 per cent of its global assets.

1922: Ireland seceded from UK and became an independent country.

Dec 11, 1936: King Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry the woman he loved.

1939-1945: England was devastated and enfeebled by World War II.

1947: The British Empire lost India, its Crown Jewel; but before quitting partitioned the country with disastrous consequences.

1956: Britain’s humiliation in the Suez Crisis confirmed its diminished status as a second-tier global power.

1996: Prince Charles and Princess Diana formally divorced on August 28, 1996 after four years of separation.

July 1, 1997: The End of the British Empire with the handing over of Hongkong to China.

2005: The East India Company was acquired by Sanjiv Mehta, an Indian entrepreneur who uses it for his luxury goods business, hoping to capitalise on the brand value of EIC!

January 31, 2020: Brexit- the UK officially left the EU.

October 25, 2022: Rishi Sunak became the Prime Minister of UK. His grandparents were from Punjab! Revenge of the Punjab Kingdom?!

 

[iii] Ravens of Tower of London:

At least six ravens must protect the Tower of London at all times. This tradition is based on the superstition that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, both the Crown and the Tower will fall. Currently, there are usually around nine ravens reside in the Tower premises, their expenses met from the Exchequer!

 

[iv] Events related to Kohinoor (17^th CE-1849):

Early 17^th century: Reign of Shah Jahan (1628-1658), the Golden Age of the Mughal Empire during which the glorious monuments- Taj Mahal, Moti Masjid, Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Agra Fort- were constructed, and the Peacock Throne was fabricated. Kohinoor was possibly the prized war-trophy from the Deccan conquest.

But Shah Jahan was dethroned by Aurangzeb, his son and incarcerated in Agra Fort from 1658 to 1666 when he died sad and miserable.

1739: The mighty Mughal empire was humiliated when Nadir Shah seized and plundered Delhi, and returned to Iran with the prized war trophies- the Peacock throne and the Kohinoor.

1741: Following an assassination attempt on his life, Nadir Shah suspected his eldest son of complicity in it and blinded him.

1747: Nadir Shah was assassinated by his own people. After his death Kohinoor fell into the hands of his general, Aḥmad Shah, founder of the Durrani dynasty of Afghans.

1813: Ahmad Shah’s descendant Shah Shoja, when a fugitive in India, was forced to surrender the stone to Maharajah Ranjit Singh.

1839: Death of Maharajah Ranjit Singh.

1839-1843: Death of successors to Maharajah Ranjit Singh- Kharak Singh, Nau Nihal Singh, and Sher Singh.

1846: The British win the First Anglo-Sikh war, and Maharajah Dalip Singh signs the Treaty of Lahore ceding Kashmir and the fertile Jullundhur Doab.

1849: The British win the Second Anglo-Sikh war, and Punjab is annexed to the British Empire.

 

 

A Rainy Day at Bhopal

Waking up to the rapturous roar of Laharpur river, I know it has rained heavily last night. Yellow alert for Bhopal, and orange alert for six districts of MP.

When I open my laptop, Microsoft Start tells me about the weather- Rain: Bring an umbrella. It’s raining now, and rain will continue for at least two hours. The hourly graph shows the expected precipitation for the rest of the day.

Thanks for the advisory, MS; but I’ve no plans to go out today. A rainy day must be celebrated with pyaz ke pakode with tomato-garlic-coriander leaf chutney. I don’t even open ‘Under 300 calories breakfasts for 7 days of the week’ published by TOI 3 weeks ago; why bother about such stale news? Why also ruin the mood by grieving at India’s 3 medals at Paris Olympics till date whereas US has 61 and China 37?

Focus on the positives. The monsoon this year has been generous to Bhopal which has received 980.7 cm rainfall till date – 80% more than normal. Bhadbhada (how onomatopoeic!) gates for Bada Talab, as residents have named Bhopal lake; Kerwa dam, and Kolar dam have been opened drawing flood-watchers and creating traffic jams.

For me, July and August are the best months of the year during which monsoon nudges Bhopal to turn on its charm as a hill station. Located on the Malwa plateau, with an average elevation of 500 mtrs (1401 ft), Bhopal is like a base camp for the north Indian plains climbing up to the Vindhyas. Bhopal is well-known for its purdah, garda (dust), zarda (tobacco), and na…da (I’m not going to name that!); but once the dust is washed off by the first showers, Bhopal is truly transformed, and its green cover is a feast for the eyes and the soul.

I eagerly look forward to the rains for another reason. Once it rains heavily for two days or more, Laharpur river wakes up from its stupor, and roars remembering its days of yore. The muck and garbage dumped by the city’s callous residents is washed away, and the river emerges like a shining snake after shedding its skin. This year it happened on July 26.

If you live in Bhopal, come and see the beauteous stream gurgling with delight. Not a big river, but it feeds Betwa which feeds Chambal which feeds Yamuna which feeds Ganga which pours into the sea. We are in love with her because she flows by our house, and her brief monsoon roar is mesmerizing music for us.

(Laharpur River on 4 Aug 2024, photos by blogger)

~~~

River Song

You may not believe it,

But I was born beautiful.

Alas, no album with me

To convince you.

Many who frolicked with me

Are no more,

Go check with those few,

with failing vision, and wrinkled skins,

Bhairon Singh and Bhagat,

Walking with a limp and a stick,

With distant memories still faithful and radiant,

A well-preserved negative,

Which can hopefully yield a vivid picture.

Born beautiful,

But mauled, and defiled

By the swelling hordes

With insatiable hunger and unquenchable thirst.

 

II

But I’m not Ganga,

To wash your sins and make you pure and clean,

I return your pestilence,

The carcinogenic poison loaded in my veins,

To your dining table;

The wheat, and maize, salads and veggies, and the fish;

My conscientious interest payment,

On your substantial deposits.

 

III

Every winter the birds still come,

Though the numbers have dwindled over the years;

Those who arrive wonder,

Where have all the fish gone,

Why the water is putrid and stinking,

Why the swamp is now a garbage dump

Of imperishable plastic?

I wish I could tell them why,

And also counsel them to find a better habitat

Soon,

For the swamp is dying, and

This might be my swan-song, too.

 

IV

Am I a river or just a little stream?

Honestly, I don’t really know.

Haven’t checked what they have written

In the geography books for school children.

What did the irrigation engineers write,

When pushing the project proposal

For sanction,

A dam on a river, or on a stream?

When does a stream graduate to be a river?

A teen an adult with right to vote and drink alcohol?

Here are my coordinates:

23.1966° N, 77.4790° E

Come and see for yourself,

The confluence of two streams

At Laharpur;

That makes me a river,

A small one,

But yes, a river, not a stream.

 

V

Mercifully,

I’m reborn every year,

Like a snake shedding its skin,

For its new, shiny body.

The rains run a transfusion,

Pouring new blood into my veins,

Flushing out the putrid, toxic, and life-threatening muck.

Come for a visit,

Spend a little time,

On Laharpur Dam,

See for yourself,

My beauty and grace.

It’s short-lived,

But that transfusion keeps me alive

for the rest of the year. 

***

Note: ‘River Song and Other Poems,’ the author’s first collection of poems, takes its title from this poem.

***

 Comments

R. Parasuram, a senior colleague

A delightful piece to read on a rainy morning looking at the green foliage of the ever green Kadam here. 

But with chai pakode looking across at the Laharpur reservoir must be like being transported to Srinagar giving a feel of the misty Dal in winter. 

Enjoy the rain and the pakodas with garam chai. 

M.M. Upadhyay

Since the time of Kalidas and even beyond, the rainy season of Sawan Bhadon has been  nudging the poets in each one of us to create poem il that could wash away all over worries and the ever chaotic thoughts.

 your  poetic composition is beautiful and loved every word of it.

 Kalidas used megh  as the Messenger  conveying all the longings to the beloved.

 The lahar of the laharpur river has been perfectly captured in your poetic slopes and undulations, good enough to tempt those who haven't seen it swell to become an ocean.  Though once in a while.

The muck is all around and each of us has to clean it in it's own little way.

G. Subbu

I loved this :

I return your pestilence,

The carcinogenic poison loaded in my veins,

To your dining table;

The wheat, and maize, salads and veggies, and the fish;

My conscientious interest payment,

On your substantial deposits.

Jailaxmi R. Vinayak, a poet

Beautiful ,elucidation of A Rainy Day

Liked Onomatopoeic usage in Bhadbhada.

M.S. Khan, a senior colleague

The description of the Sawan ki Barkha is so enchanting, yet the  poem of the Autobiography  of the River is more Captivating !

Thanks for sharing !!

Vijaya Lakshmi Lingamneni, Teacher and occasional writer

Nice one Prasannaji! We experienced something similar in Nagpur, trees full of dust n scorched leaves would turn into a beautiful lush green after the monsoon arrived.

Mrs Kiran Mathur

'Don't remove above 2 please. I haven't  read them.'

Kiran Ji sent me this WhatsApp message. She refers to the links for this blog and the one before.

Ma'am, your message has made my day! I'll NEVER remove those blogs. Regards.

P. Rangarajan

'Excellent, especially the poem ! ( Of course I had read it in the book and note subsequent changes !)

The second stanza is particularly good.

A well structured, graphic autobiograpgy!

(Was too impatient to learn to comment in the blog itself-apologies !)'

No issue, Dear Friend. Thanks for your appreciation. Regards.

Prof. Lalita Mathur

What a beautiful description of a rainy day, Prasanna.....

made all the more enjoyable with onion pakoras and garam chai !! 

Loved your poem too , "The River Song" . The poet in you is as strong as the writer, if not more. You create the most delightful word pictures with your vivid , minute and lucid description. 

Thanks for this beautiful blog. 

Warm regards.

 

Marg for Meghadutam: A Route-Map for Cloud Messenger

 

Marg for Meghadutam:

A Route-Map for Cloud Messenger

In Kalidasa’s Meghadutam, the Yaksha beseeches: O Megh, go to Alaka, but

‘Listen first,

while I describe the way

fitting for your journey which you will follow

resting your foot on mountains when weary,

refreshed when wasted by the clear water of the streams..’

Why did the Yaksha suggest a spectacular and scenic but circuitous route for the Cloud Messenger? Clouds have been navigating the skies since times immemorial, and know their route like the back of their palm; so why do they need the yaksha’s guidance and a map?

Banished from Alakapuri to earth to suffer a year of separation from his wife, the yaksha had travelled a bit, been charmed by the beauteous earth, and was eager to share his joy with the cloud messenger, it seems.

From Ramgiri, head north, tells the yaksha. Why did Kuber dump the cursed yaksha at Ramgiri, identified with Ramtek which is 50 kms north-east of Nagpur?  Was he exiled there to suffer in a mountain as forlorn as Mount Kailash was fabulous. Of course, Ramgiri had been sanctified by Ram’s brief exile here, and the yaksha’s penance in this holy place might have earned him enough merit to return to Alaka to take up his lost position in Kuber’s court.

Instead of Ramgiri, had Kalidasa placed the yaksha at Kerala’s Anamudi (Elephant Head) mountain, the Everest of South India, at a height of 2695 mtrs; the yaksha would have described to the cloud messenger the beauty and majesty of Kaveri, Krishna, Godavari, and Mahanadi, too. Maybe, Kalidasa was not very familiar with the territory to the south of the Vindhyas.

Were the clouds to soar high up in the sky and speed north to Alaka like an arrow, how monotonous that would be. Kalidasa draws up a list of ‘must-visit places’ – the picturesque hills and mountains, the beautiful rivers, the fabulous cities, shrines, and hoary lands.

The mountains – the Vindhya ranges, the Mekhala (mekhala is an ornament – a waist girdle for women, and refers here to the Maikal mountains), Ramgiri (Ramtek), Chitrakuta, Amrakuta (Amarkantak), Nichai hills (the low hills near Vidisha), Kanakhala hills (near Rishikesh where Ganga descends to the plains), Gangotri, Krauncha Pass (the Himalayan Pass used by migratory birds), Mount Kailasa, and Alaka.

The rivers – Narmada, Vetravati (Betwa), Sindhu (Kali Sindh), Nirvindhya (Newaj), Shipra, Gandhavati, Gambhira, Charmanavati (Chambal), Yamuna, Sarasvati, Ganga; the Manasa-lake. Alas, Gandhavati and Sarasvati have vanished, and Mount Kailasa and Manasa-lake are now in Tibet!

The fabled cities – Dasarnas (area around modern Bhopal), Vidisha, Avanti (one of the three most powerful ancient kingdoms, the other two being Magadha and Vatsa), Ujjayini, Dasapura (Mandsaur), Brahmavarta (the Indo-Gangetic plains, home of the early Vedic people), Kurukshetra (the battleground of Mahabharata); Alaka (the seat of Kuber, Digpal or custodian of the North).

The shrines at Ujjayini -  Chandesvara or Mahakal, Bhavani; Skanda on Devagiri; Shiva on Mount Kailasa.

That is an amazingly vivid description of the physical geography, and the mythical, historical, and political map of central and north India and Tibet in Kalidasa’s times.

Kalidasa was one of the navaratnas (nine gems) in the court of Vikramaditya, most likely born in Ujjayini or deeply in love with the city where he worked, loved, and lived. His audience in the king’s court would be familiar with the rich references to places of significant importance in the Meghadutam.

Kalidasa may not have travelled to all the places mentioned in this poem, but he may have heard about those fascinating places from traders and travellers, or may have read about these wonderful places. He was deeply in love with Bharatavarsha, his motherland, and he pays a rich tribute to her fascinating treasures.

Meghadutam is among the finest Sanskrit kavyas, and an excellent travel-guide to explore and enjoy the amazing beauty of our country, ‘a brilliant piece of Paradise come down to earth.’

~~~

Kalidasa’s vivid descriptions: a few samples

Narmada

You will see ‘Reva’s streams spreading dishevelled at Vindhya’s holy feet rugged, rock-strewn,’ and ‘peak after peak fragrant with wild jasmine.’

Vidisha

‘At that royal city, Vidisha by name widely renowned, you shall … (be) tasting Vetravati’s sweet waters as a lover his beloved’s lips.’

Ujjayini

The ‘way to Ujjayini is a detour no doubt; but do not therefore turn away from a visit to her palace-terraces..’,

‘Indeed, you would have lived in vain

if you do not dally there

with the tremulous eyes of the city’s beautiful women

that dart in alarm at the branched lightning’s flashes.’

You will be dazzled by Ujjayini ‘glowing in splendour like a brilliant piece of Paradise come down to earth.’

Mahakal on the bank of Gandhavati

At Ujjayini, you will see the holy shrine of Chandesvara,

‘its garden stirred by Gandhavati’s breezes

scented with the pollen of blue-lotuses

and fragrances wafted from unguents

used by young women sporting in the waters.’

Himalayan Forest-fire

After you reach Gangotri,

‘If a forest-fire born of cedar branches

clashing in the blowing wind

should assail the mountain, and its fiery sparks

scorch the bushy tails of yaks,

pray quench it fully with a thousand sharp showers.

The riches of the great are best employed

to ease the miseries of the distressed.’

Way to Our Home

Once you reach Alaka, this is how you will spot our home:

‘There, to the north of the palaces

of the Lord of Treasures stands our home

recognizable from afar by its arched gateway

beautiful as the rainbow

close by grows a young Mandara tree

nurtured by my love like a son and now bending

with clusters of blossoms

within reach of her hand.’

Also note ‘the beautifully-drawn forms of lotus and conch on the sides of the door, you will know the mansion..’

My Beautiful Beloved

‘There you will see her, in the springtime of youth, slender,

her teeth jasmine-buds, her lips ripe bimba-fruit,

slim-waisted, with deep navel

and the tremulous eyes of a startled doe,

moving languidly from the weight of her hips,

her body bowed down a little by her breasts

-Ah! The Creator’s master-work among women,’

though she would appear ‘like a lotus-plant struck by the chilling hoar-frost,’ or ‘the miserable moon stricken pale when shadowed by you.’

Acknowledgement

All quotes are from:

Meghadutam, The Complete Works of Kalidasa, Volume One- Poems, Translated by Chandra Rajan, Sahitya Akademi, First Edition – 1997

***

Postscript

  Meghdoot by Rabindra Nath Tagore

Tagore composed his kavya Meghdoot in 1890. Sahitya Akademi's publication Rabindra Rachana Sanchayan carries a translation of this poem by Ramdhari Singh Dinkar.

Here are the first three stanzas of the poem:

मेघदूत

कविवर !

कब, कौन वह, विस्मृत वर्ष था,

आषाढ़ का कौन-सा प्रथम पवित्र दिन,

जब तुमने मेघदूत लिखा था ?

विश्व में जितने भी विरही हैं, उन सबके शोक को

तुम्हारे मेघमन्द्र श्लोक ने

सघन संगीत में पुंजीभूत करके

अपनी अँधेरी तहों में छिपा रखा है।

उस दिन उज्जयिनी के प्रासाद-शिखर पर,

न जाने, कितनी सघन घटा, कितना विद्युत्-उत्सव,

वायु का कितना उद्दाम वेग,

मेघों का कितना गुरु-गुरु नाद था।

बादलों के संघर्ष के उसी निर्घोष ने

एक दिन सहस्र वर्षों के अन्तर्गूढ़

वाष्पाकुल विरह-क्रन्दन को जगा दिया।

उसी दिन काल के बन्धन को तोड़कर

मानो, बहुत दिनों का अवरुद्ध अश्रुजल

तुम्हारे उदार श्लोकों को सिक्त करके

अविरल रूप से झर पड़ा।

संसार के जितने भी प्रवासी थे,

उस दिन क्या उन्होंने करबद्ध होकर

आकाश में मेघों की ओर मस्तक उठा,

प्रियतमा के गृह की ओर मुँह करके

एक ही स्वर में विरह का गान गाया था ?

क्या उन्होंने अपनी अश्रुवाष्पयुक्त प्रेमवार्ता को

नये, निर्बन्ध मेघों के पंखों पर बिठाकर

उन सुदूर वातायनों में भेजना चाहा था

जहाँ मुक्तकेशिनी, म्लानवेशिनी,

सजलनयना विरहिनियाँ ज़मीन पर सोयी हुई थीं?

More than fifteen centuries after Kalidasa imagined a cloud carrying the message of a lonely yaksha, Tagore saw in the same cloud the accumulated sorrow of all who live in separation. The messenger had become timeless. Every monsoon, as clouds gather over the Indian sky, Meghadutam begins its journey anew—through memory, poetry and the imagination.

***

Comments

T.C.A. Raghavan

Dr T.C.A. Raghavan, Former Indian High Commissioner to Singapore and Pakistan; and author of Attendant Lords and The People Next Door grew up in Madhya Pradesh where his father served as a Civil Servant:

"Dear Prassana, Many thanks. Why dont you organize a short Kalidasa tour this winter- Ujjain, Vidisha, Mandsaur, Udaigiri?  Would love to participate. Raghavan"

Thanks, Dear Raghavan. I have requested Sheo Shekhar Shukla, PS, Tourism to curate a 'Kalidasa Scenic Tour', one during the rains, and the other in winter.

P.G. Mankad, an esteemed senior colleague

The first time I had read the summary of this incredible book- poem - literary gem,  ages ago, what did strike me even then the most was this amazing ‘ mapping ‘. No Survey of India Maps, no possibility of getting aerial views ( vihangam drashya, ) no gps of course, and yet, what a combination of accuracy, imagination, and descriptive prowess ! 

Trivia - my maternal grandfather’s  house in Rajkot, built I think in the early  Sixties (when he finally retired after first the service in Princely States and then in the IAS in Saurashtra and Undivided Bombay Province before Maharashtra and Gujarat were created ) was named Megh Doot. Finally sold off about four five years back as only a spinster cousin of mine remained as an occupant .

Kedar C. Rout, a colleague and a dear friend

Meghadutam is classified as Sandeshkavya (messenger poem). Kalidas's grasp of India's  geography (rivers, forests, flora and fauna.. that you also get in Ritusamharam) was simply astonishing. The point to be noted: when Europe was already sunk into the dark age (blame it on Christianity),  our poets were composing erotic and naturalistic poems... leave aside rich discourses on epistemology,  metaphysics and ethics.

Look at the elegance where he describes his beloved's ( she is unnamed... I wonder why?) both physique and feelings...!!

M.M. Upadhyay

जहां हर शब्द में कविता है,अगर उसे ग्रंथ को आपको खोजना है तो कालिदास को पढ़ना अनिवार्य होगा । कालिदास ने प्रकृति और श्रृंगार का इतना सुंदर वर्णन किया है कि आप हैरान हो जाएंगे कि कैसे कोई व्यक्ति अपने सीमित जीवन काल में आज से 2000 साल पहले की भौगोलिक स्थिति , भारतवर्ष के दर्शनीय स्थान को इतनी सुंदर और आकर्षक शैली  में वर्णन कर सकता है । कालिदास के साहित्य और नाटकों में जो स्थान का वर्णन है उनमें से कुछ स्थानों पर हमें और आपको रहने का सौभाग्य मिला है।

 निश्चित रूप से आज से 2000 वर्ष पूर्व  विक्रम आदित्य के समय में यह कितने दुर्गम वन रहे होंगे जो अपनी प्राकृतिक सुंदरता से परिपूर्ण थे।

 निश्चित रूप में किसी भी रसिक प्रवृत्ति के व्यक्ति में कविता या नाटक का उमड़ जाना स्वाभाविक है।

 कालिदास की यादें अपने पुन: जागृत कर दी।

आपको बधाई इस सुंदर ब्लॉग के लिए।

K.M. Acharya

K.M. Acharya, an esteemed senior colleague shared this gem - Baba Nagarjuna's address to Mahakavi Kalidasa:

मेघदूत 

महाकवि कालिदास - 

रोया यक्ष कि तुम रोये थे ?

वर्षा ऋतु की स्निग्ध भूमिका

प्रथमदिवस आषाढ-मास का

देख गगन में श्याम घनघटा

विधुर यक्ष का मन जब उचटा

खडे-खडे तब हाथ जोड़कर

चित्रकूट के सुभग शिखर पर

उस बेचारे ने भेजा था,

जिनके ही द्वारा संदेशा

उन पुष्करावर्त मेघों का

साथी बन कर उड़ने वाले

कालिदास ! सच सच बतलाना

पर-पीडा से पूर-पूर हो

थक-थक कर और चूर-चूर हो

अमल-धवल गिरि के शिखरों पर

प्रियवर ! तुम कब तक सोये थे ?

रोया यक्ष कि तुम रोये थे ?

कालिदास सच-सच बतलाना !

- बाबा नागार्जुन

Professor Malashri Lal, Academician & Author

Hello Prasanna, in your essay, for the first time,   the physical and sacred geography of Meghadutam merges. A Kalidas / Meghdutam tour is a superb  idea from one of your readers. At least an illustrated talk on YouTube with maps  and photos can be done by you quite easily. Warm regards. Malashri

My reply

Thanks for your suggestion, Malashri. Read Meghadutam once again and marvelled at the poet's amazing knowledge of botany and zoology, too. Regards.

 

 

Monsoon’s Magical Melodies

Monsoon has a myriad moods and melodies, effortlessly traversing the vast distance from nursery rhymes to kurals to kavyas to megh malhar to kajris to Bollywood songs.

Years ago, a nursery rhyme for our KG students sang: Rain, Rain, go to Spain; Don’t show your face again. Kids in chilly, smoggy, drizzle-drenched London might hate rain; but in our country they break into euphoric dance at the onset of the monsoon, and so appetising is petrichor, the heady aroma of wet earth that many kids are tempted to lick it when mother is not watching, like Krishna did much to Yashoda’s exasperation. I hope NEP (National Education Policy) might now have dropped the nursery rhyme more apt for English weather, and introduced one imbued with Bharatiya sanskruti; something like kale barshatu parjanyah: may the rains shower their timely blessings.

O Megh, Heavenly Visitor!

O Megh, today, on आषाढस्य  प्रशमदिवसे[i]:

ashadhasya prashama divase – the auspicious final day of Ashadha, I welcome you with a handful of red-and-white fragrant madhukamini, snow-white jasmine, chandni, yellow kaner, and white champas with a yellow navel (ignore the clue-less angrez who call this holy flower offered to our gods the ‘Singapore Graveyard flower’). All your creations - तेरा तुझकौं सौंपता – with reverence.

Look, how the trees - neem, kachnar, saptaparni, chirol, peepal, amla, bael - dance like dervishes drenched in divinity. Soft, green shoots of grass wearing tiny white, pink, yellow, and violet flowers carpet the earth to caress the tender feet of your rain-drops. Countless butterflies – white, cream, yellow, black, striped, orange, and maroon – dance merrily making ever-shifting mobile festoons for your welcome.

Listen, the cuckoos lead the concert of birds - magpies, drongoes, purple sunbirds, doves, pigeons, and others – playing their much-rehearsed welcome songs, and squirrels, frogs, and jhingur also join the chorus. Enjoy their soothing song at dawn before the cacophony of human noise drowns it. Ignore those loud-speakers screaming prayers to competing gods; you know well that a silent but sincere prayer reaches the true god that makes better humans.

How thoughtful of you to extend your cool feet all the way from the skies for me to touch and salute, O Megh, Carrier of Water, the nectar of life. Thank you for the oh-so-comfortable floating water-bed in my mother’s womb; but for that primal water, I won’t be here at all.

O Megh, now that humans rush about like breathless Blinkit delivery ‘partners’ to finish a million tasks and meet impossible deadlines; it may be apt to welcome you with a few humble kurals, with apologies to Tiruvalluvar:

 

Rain, Heaven’s Free Nectar;

Consume with CARE!

 

Rain, Life of Life;

Without, only strife.

 

Blessing pours as rains;

Curse, when fails.

I am no yaksha banished by Kubera from majestic Alakapuri to forlorn Ramgiri to suffer a year’s separation from my beloved spouse, so I have no message for you to carry to distant Mount Kailash. But permit me to welcome you with a few words inspired by the great Kalidasa:

 

Instantly drowning all cacophony from below

The thunder-claps play their celestial music;

Contemptuously eclipsing the meagre man-made lights

Luminous lightning paints the sky in bold strokes;

Varsha ritu marches through this water-starved land

Hydrating all life with ambrosial drink.

 

O Megh, why does Ujjain no longer look like a ‘brilliant piece of Paradise come down to earth’? Why is Shipra so emaciated and sickly? Did Mahakal open His third eye to instantly evaporate Gandhavati[ii], the Fragrant Stream flowing at His feet, for some unpardonable transgression?

Why are Vindhya, Mekhala (Maikal), Satpura, Amarkantak, Chitrakut, and other hills and mountains tonsured? Did someone in their family die recently? Why are there gaping wounds in their bodies? Have they returned from some bloody war?

Kalidasa

Ritusamharam was possibly Kalidasa’s maiden kavya, a majestic depiction of the six ritus (seasons) of the Indian sub-continent.

The Hindu year begins with grishma, the summer season, and Chapter 1 (Prathama Sarga) deals with it. Chapter 2, Dvitiya Sarga deals with Prabrut Kala or Varsha ritu.

Here is Chandra Rajan’s masterly translation of Kalidasa’s opening and concluding stanzas portraying Varsha ritu[iii]:

“With streaming clouds trumpeting like haughty tuskers

With lightning-banners and drum beats of thunder claps,

In towering majesty, the season of rains

Welcome to lovers, now comes like a king, my love.”

The poet concludes Ritusamhara’s dvitiya sarga, his 28-stanza rain-song in anustubh chhanda with:

“A source of fascination to amorous women,

The constant friend to trees, shrubs and creepers,

The very life and breath of all living beings –

May this season of rains rich in these benedictions

Fully grant all desires accordant with your well-being.”

 

The Excellence of Rain: Tirukkural

Tirukkural, Tiruvalluvar’s seminal work, presents 1330 kurals or short, pithy couplets traditionally organised into three books.

Each kural is a pithy statement in just seven words – four in the first part and three in the second. It’s often an aphorism, the distilled wisdom of the community, but mostly capturing the contemplative essence of Tiruvalluvar’s own experience and wisdom. No wonder, he is venerated as a sage and a seer.

In Book I, after the opening ten kurals ‘In Praise of God,’ the next ten illustrate ‘The Excellence of Rain’. That’s how important water was even during Tiruvalluvar’s time.

Tiruvalluvar applauds rain as the heavenly nectar that nourishes all life; but eight out of these ten kurals brood on the severe distress that would ensue from lack of rain. Not man alone would suffer; the grass its seedbeds won’t grow; oxen herd would be sullen; even the vast ocean would decay.

“Even as Nature, without water goes pitifully a-begging, Man’s compass without rain loses its bearing.”[iv]

Saavan ke Geet

I made an oral farmaish to You Tube to play saavan ke geet, and of the several playlists it readily offered, I picked up one, and was delighted when it played my favourite - saavan ka mahina, pavan kare sor. This song from Milan (1967), filmed on Sunil Dutt and Nutan, sung by Lata and Mukesh, written by Anand Bakshi, and music composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal became an instant hit. Anand Bakshi’s talent for mellifluous lyrics had already been noted from his hit songs for Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965) which included the evergreen romantic song paradeshiyon se na ankhiyan milana filmed on the 27 year-old Shashi Kapoor, the ravishingly-handsome heart-throb of ladies young and old.

I had heard this song several times over the years; but now I listened to it, and read the lyrics to better appreciate the song. Being a Hindi-challenged Odia, I was stumped with the mukhda itself, and sought help from my dear friend Madan whose mother-tongue is Hindi, and he is a published poet.

‘Shor (शोर) means noise, and sor (सोर) is root; so why does Sunil Dutt teach Nutan the incorrect pronunciation?’ I asked.

 ‘शोर’ is correct, but the hero using the local dialect sings it as ‘सोर,’ he explained.

All these years, I was clueless about this basic distinction in pronunciation that illustrated the yawning difference in ‘class’ between Gopi, the rustic boatman and Radha, the elegant, suave, and educated daughter of a zamindar.

Reading the lyrics further, I stared at mauzuua; mauz is fun but what does mauzuua mean? The English translation of the song helped, and the Urdu Dictionary at Rekhta.org further clarified: it means waves. What cryptic message do the waves carry for us, asks the heroine? Where are you headed, asked the river? Tragically, the lover duo drowned when the boat capsized in an eddy.

Anand Bakshi was born in saavan on July 21, 1930 at Rawalpindi, and his family migrated to Delhi during the Partition. He had brief stints in the Navy and the Army before settling down at Bombay to write songs for Hindi films. Why did he write this song in a curious mix of Braj, Awadhi, and Brijbhasi dialects; to suit the character of the hero, a chora Ganga kinarewala, and a boatman for whom shor was sor and whose jiyara frolicked in vanma with the joyful abandon of a mor at the advent of saavan?

The lyrics include the traditional tropes for saavan songs –away at videshva is balam bairi whose sandeshva the most helpful purvaiya has brought for the pining beloved. Eastern UP and Bihar have been exporting their men-folk to distant lands since long; and the separation is most painful to both parties especially in saavan ka mahina.

Thus, this hit song was written by a poet born in Rawalpindi, raised in Delhi, and settled in Bombay using a medley of dialects – Brijbhasa, Avadhi, and Bhojpuri – with a few Urdu words (mouzuu, ishara, marzi) thrown in. Note the delightful turn of phrase in naiya sambhalo kit khoye ho khivaiya – Steady the boat, O Boatman; where are you lost? Ignore the ingredients, enjoy the superb flavour and taste, as millions have enjoyed and continue to enjoy (You Tube hits of more than 40 million!)

Further Readings

After reading this blog, Shri K.K. Chakravarty, an esteemed senior colleague, and a scholar recommended reading of Tagore’s essay on Meghduta. Found on archive.org a Hindi translation of Tagore’s seven essays on Prachin Sahitya, written in Bengali in 1907. ‘Hindi Granth Ratnakar’ of Bombay had published the Hindi translation in 1933, and the book was priced Nine Annas Only!

Loved Tagore’s essay on Meghduta. Hope to read the other essays soon.

Link for this book:

https://archive.org/details/SP8150PrachinSahityaByTagoreHindiTrnaslationHindiGranthaRatnakar/page/n7/mode/1up

 

Resources & References

1.   The Complete Works of Kalidasa, Volume One- Poems, Translated by Chandra Rajan, Sahitya Akademi, First Edition – 1997

2.   Sanskritdocuments.org for Kalidasa’s Ritusamharam and Meghdutam in Sanskrit

3.   Kalidasa Granthavali (Sanskrit text with Hindi commentary by Pt. Ramtej Shastri, Choukhamba Surbharati Prakashan

4.   Tiruvalluvar: The Tirukkural, A New English Version by Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Aleph Classics, 2015

5.   Tirukkural – English Translation & Commentary by G.U. Pope, W.H. Drew, John Lazarus, and F.W. Ellis; First published by W.H. Allen & Co, 1886

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[i] A variant of the more popular ashadhasya Prathama divase; Source: The Complete Works of Kalidasa, Volume One- Poems, Translated by Chandra Rajan, Sahitya Akademi, First Edition - 1997.

[ii] Ibid: Mahakal temple was located on the bank of Gandhavati, an arm of Shipra. Sadly, the river no longer exists.

[iii] Ibid.

[iv] Tiruvalluvar: The Tirukkural, A New English Version by Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Aleph Classics, 2015.