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THAMES KI SARGAM Thames Ki Sargam <Author’s name> Translated By Sheel Nigam Translated by Sheel Nigam Page 1 of 181 THAMES KI SARGAM Contents Foreword .......................................................................................................................... 3 1 ...................................................................................................................................... 4 2 .................................................................................................................................... 23 3 .................................................................................................................................... 42 4 .................................................................................................................................... 60 5 .................................................................................................................................... 78 6 .................................................................................................................................... 91 7 .................................................................................................................................. 110 8 .................................................................................................................................. 129 9 .................................................................................................................................. 144 10 ................................................................................................................................ 156 11 ................................................................................................................................ 168 12 ................................................................................................................................ 177 Translated by Sheel Nigam Page 2 of 181 THAMES KI SARGAM Foreword It was in my soul‟s spiritual journey to the almighty that the author‟s beautiful Hindi words and thoughts transformed themselves into English expression. As I translated this passionate work of art, it felt as if I was transferring the beads of the author‟s swarnamala onto another thread in which I crafted my own garland. At one level stood Tom‟s oppression, a symbol of British yoke and at another deeper level, the spiritual love of Krishn which transforms a British lady into a true Indian. Cruelty only seems to destroy the soft power of love but the eternal soul remains unscathed and merges with the divine. The pure love of Chandidas and Diana appear to surrender to Tom‟s malice but they find their true abode and ultimate peace in Krishn, leaving behind their memories in the form of their child, Ragini. The symbolism is powerful yet delicate. The pure love in an illegitimate relationship shatters the social mores of orthodox Indian society and culture and embellishes a relationship full of love, attachment, emotion and true Indian ethics. Eventually, Ragini becomes a part of ISKCON which gives her immense peace of mind. As I translated this work, I could feel that it was not just the words but the emotions and imagery that were being transformed from Hindi to English. Such is the power of the imagery that I was by Ragini‟s side wherever she went, be it the by-lanes of Mathura and Vrindavan with Krishn and Radha, or in Bombay and Calcutta with Chandidas, or at the Kumbh fair in Allahabad and Prayag. I was with her not only in India but also in aristocratic London where the river Thames flows. Indeed, this journey has been one from source to sea, a voyage down the Thames and the saga, a song that the river sings. Sheel Nigam Translated by Sheel Nigam Page 3 of 181 THAMES KI SARGAM 1 It was a long, cold night. Snaking shadows fell on the earth like a wounded bird fluttering its wings, when Diana came to Calcutta with her husband Tom Blair, a ranking official in the East India Company. She sensed that the land of India, the cities, roads, gardens, trees, plants, rivers and mountains, were her own. Nothing seemed unfamiliar. She had been sad when she boarded the ship at London and had felt that she was going to a place where nothing belonged to her. She had felt insecure while leaving her own city, fabulous mansion and all the servants. She had watched the formidable dark waves of the ocean, standing alone on the deck while Tom was enjoying a drink with his British friends in a cabin of the ship. She was unaware of how long she would have to live in India. She had a flourishing business worth millions of pounds in London. It would not be possible for her to grow this business because her parents had passed away and she was the only child left behind. It would also be very difficult for her to maintain all the properties belonging to her. When Tom was appointed in the East India Company she did not even think while leaving London that an emptiness would surround her and that she would feel her body was going ahead leaving her soul behind. But the moment the ship entered the shores of India, she forgot the boundaries of countries and felt that she had simply come from one home to another. Tom had been allotted one of the elegant bungalows constructed only for British families. This was in an area where only Britishers resided. There was a Black Town meant for blacks to reside. Tom was very proud of this. He used to call them slaves - black slaves. He had a black slave in his bungalow who used to work for him as a servant. His name was Bonomali. He was a santhal youth belonging to the Odao tribe. His body was as black as charcoal. His eyes were yellow, full of compassion. He used to sing boul songs on his musical instrument iktara in his spare time. Parvati used to cook food in the bungalow. People used to call her Paro. She was a medium-sized dark Bengali lady. She used to wear white shankha bangles on her wrists, vermilion in the parting of her hair which was tied in a big bun. She used to cook very delicious food; Indian, Mughlai, Rajasthani and had learned the English way of cooking as well. An aged gardener used to maintain the beautiful garden of the bungalow. The driver used to wait for orders, sitting on the seat of the jeep or car. Tom used to live surrounded by a crowd of servants but Diana was more modest, simple and full of love. She was not very proud of her beauty or her wealth. Her hobbies were music, books and traveling. She had become a fan of Bonomali‟s boul songs. When he played songs on his iktara, it sounded like millions of bees buzzing together and their echo stirred deep emotions in her heart. Diana could listen to his songs whenever she wanted. Bonomali also used to find occasions to sing for her. He knew that she was fond of music. “I will call Chandidas to meet you. He has learned music from Shantiniketan. His songs have the power to change the flow of a river.” “Oh! I see”, she was mesmerized by the magic of music... the flow of a river? Here, magically lamps light up, clouds shower rain, deer forget to sprint and stand still. India is full of mysteries... religion, philosophy, literature, music, art... India is full of the strange and wonderful energy that puts life into stones. Translated by Sheel Nigam Page 4 of 181 THAMES KI SARGAM Even though Diana had unlimited wealth in her father's house, she had no interest in worldly things. She had gained knowledge by reading a lot of books which had increased her curiosity. There were many questions in her mind, like why do the skies, the stars, the moon and the sun exist? Why do mornings, evenings and nights happen on the earth? Where do we go after our death? Is it true that the soul takes another birth after the death of a person as per the belief of the Hindu religion? Her mind was entangled in these questions. Whenever she felt that there was no satisfactory answer to these questions she would get on her carriage and go for a long ride on the streets of Calcutta. The carriage used to pass through the streets of Chowringhee, where there were many artistic buildings. There were British town houses... magnificent high-rise turrets with huge windows and doors... the gates opened into a dense forest of bamboo and eucalyptus trees... the dry, brown, pointed leaves of white eucalyptus, strewn on the green lawns gave a strange feeling. In the darkness when a motor car or jeep passed by, its bright headlights made the shadows of the trees dance on the outer walls of the bungalows and then disappeared slowly. The carriage would run on the road along the banks of the river where the bungalows of the Britishers were situated. Black slaves worked as gardeners in those houses. There were servant quarters for them, at the back of the bungalows. White and pink lotus flowers bloomed in the small ponds in the gardens. On one side there was the grand wealth of the British Raj and on the other the wonderful and exquisite natural beauty of India and its mysteries. Diana wanted to uncover the hidden secrets of these mysteries. India was a very rich country. There was no shortage of anything for its people. It was a land of abundance and prosperity. The doors of the palaces and temples were embedded with precious diamonds, pearls, sapphires and emeralds. England was exploiting this rich heritage of India. Back home, its foundation was getting wealthier. The rich were becoming richer and the even the poor were getting rich. England was flying its flag high as it stood firmly on the wealth it was gaining from Indian heritage.

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