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SUNDAY, 17 MARCH 2019 03

Ramayana too has them, viz., Bali-Sug- somewhat unintelligible. The e-mail of riva, Ravana-Vibhishana. She argues authors is a good idea. A few lines Akbar’s Razmnama names the epic as about each author would be very help- a book of war for the first time. ful. One major problem is that most of A story of tangible and In , the rift between broth- the texts quoted are not trans- ers is only among non-humans, a side- lated. Most readers have little or no knowl- issue, whereas in MB that is central to edge of Sanskrit and diacritics. Since they a royal family. The MB is too close to us! cannot follow the meaning of the vers- One notices a problem in the essays. es, much of the arguments of the writer Most of the authors state that Jaya con- are lost on them. Another problem is intangible heritage sisted of 8800 shlokas, Bharata 24000 and use of technical jargon without an MB more than a lakh. The vulgate clear- explanation. These essays become fair- ly mentions that the 8800 verses are the ly obscure to the reader. What is striking about the book at explain why it is called the “Khila” of the ly following the plan. But riddling, knotty verses strewn through The Draupadi Dream Trust and its epic and critically look at the excisions. how can we be sure that these remains the epic to confuse . cre- untiring chairperson, Misra, deserve con- first glance is its presentation. It They examine eight sections in detail are of the epic cities? The essay does not ated Bharata first with 24000 vers- gratulations for their valuable contri- and claim that these should never have contain any such evidence. It has inter- es and later increased it to 60 lakh of which bution towards establishing the epic’s is tastefully conceived, very been removed. Though too long, the essay esting plates depicting the excavations. one hundred thousand was meant for date and historicity and revising the CE. is rich in information. Yvette Ram Rani Dosser, in an emo- the human world, to be recited later by They have organised three manthans elegant and pleasing. The Abhay Singh holds that history is made tional article, rues the negative and mock- Vaishampayana. and a lot of amrita has already appeared. miniature used on the cover is by incorporating both historical facts ing attitude of occidental Indologists and A rose must have its thorns. Why repeat The volume of information and insights and cultural truths. The methodology occi-centric Indian scholars and his- the Introduction in the second vol- presented in these two beautiful volumes beautiful and relevant... A review CE adopted has risked missing out the torians towards Indian ethos and tra- ume? A table of contents would have is phenomenal. cultural truths of that society. The MB ditions. sufficed. More careful editing and proof- “more than 215 specific astronomy ref- is like a free-flowing river, an oral tra- Alexis Pinchard takes the discussion reading were required. Lack of this has The reviewer retired as major SHEKHAR SEN gen- erences” in the text. This is fortified by dition, gathering stories and facts as it to the rarefied sphere of theology, ontol- rendered some articles non-astronomical evidence in the MB travels, reflecting the social and indi- ogy and philosophy. He declares that raupadi Dream Trust, New such as, hydrology, climatology, oceanog- vidual values of the time. It is therefore MB is a story of tangible and intangi- eral, Delhi, has brought out a two- raphy, anthropology and genetics. futile to try to get to the root. So, the CE ble heritage ~ the intangible world of Addl. volume set of 30 papers, edit- In an excellent article, BR Mani deft- is just another version. “The best way gods and the tangible world of their DG of ed by Neera Misra, founder ly considers most of the evidence final- is to let the streams of diversity flow human avataras, born to fulfil some pur- Army D Postal trustee and chairperson of the Draupadi ly arriving at 3102 BCE as the year of the unabated without diverting.” pose. The intangibles know their Ser- Dream Trust and Air Vice-Marshal war. Mohan Gupta, in another fine essay, BVK Sastry urges identification of avataras but the tangibles do not know vice. Rajesh Lal. These were part of the Inter- fixes 17 October, 1952 BCE for com- monuments related to the epic and pre- their intangible selves. That enables the He is national Conference held in July 2017 mencement of the war and provides other serving them. The problem is that these human tragedy to be played out. an indolo- in New Delhi. The focus is on the his- connected dates. Ashok Bhatnagar’s must be validated by textual refer- Indrajit Bandyopadhyay travels gist toriography and historicity of the epic highly technical essay, using astro- ences. His point about the revision of through the maze of Vedic-Puranic lit- and a critical evaluation of the Critical nomical software, pinpoints Bhishma’s the CE is well-taken. A long essay, full erature to find the similarities between Edition of the MB. Related topics like demise on 20 September, 1793 BCE, the of insights and an engrossing read. Draupadi and the Vedic Vak-Sarasvati. geography, archaeology, astronomical war beginning on 14 October, 1793 Heramb Chaturvedi shows how the He shows how Draupadi, , Bri- dating, philosophical perspectives, etc BCE, etc. Indian system of writing history is more hati, Pandita, a dynamic, strong, bold have also been covered. The valedictory Thus, there is total confusion. The comprehensive than the European. woman must have been the inspiration address by Dr Bibek Debroy, eminent possible date ranges between 900 BCE The Vasisthas, the Bhrigvangiras (Veda for the Vedic Vak-Sarasvati, another Krish- economist and Sanskrit scholar who has and 5561 BCE! But one thing is clear. Vyasa included) and sutas were respon- na, Brihati, “majestic among the mighty translated the Critical Edition into Eng- The scholars are on the right track. There sible for the development of the historical ones,” protector, a dynamic woman who lish, prefaces the book. The book also are possibly some glitches in the Stel- and the sacred traditions. is also the goddess of war, wealth and has some impressive plates at the end larium and Planetarium softwares Frederick Smith in a fascinating - power. The “lost Sarasvati” of the of Volume 1. Due to paucity of space only which need to be looked at. Archaeo- cle writes about the development of the is indeed the “lost Draupadi” of MB, both some important papers are reviewed. logical evidence must be more conclusive. regional MBs through the ages. The ever- suffering narrative loss. Bandyopadhyay What is striking about the book at The Critical Edition (CE) of the developing local and oral versions are delves into the scriptures, sometimes the first glance is its presentation. It is Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute as important as the CE. The Pandava Lila so deep that it becomes difficult to keep tastefully conceived, very elegant and (BORI) was completed in 47 years performances or Panduan of Garhwal up with him, to establish their real as pleasing. The miniature used on the cover (1919-1966). Five articles deal with it and has roots in Indian religious culture that well as spiritual and metaphorical iden- is beautiful and relevant. The editors and all of them criticise it. Jhanavi Vidhur are “so deep that the Paharis themselves tities. He describes Draupadi beautifully: the publishers must be congratulated holds that the CE “satisfies not Indian are barely aware of its extent.” The Brihati essence in an anushtup body. for such an attractive production. It is readers but European scholars.” It “dele- actors identify with the epic characters, So is Sarasvati. A very erudite and indeed a collector’s item. gitimised the traditional reception of the “acting as magnetic centres through remarkable essay. Six papers examine the date of MB MB as a Dharmashastra and a Mok- whom the local people see and identi- Jana Bandyopadhyay compares two from literary, archaeological, astro- shashastra”. As a combination of kavya fy with their deep history.” Thus, in Raithal Draupadis ~ Bharavi’s (Kiratarjuniyam) nomical and geographical angles, del- and , it should be studied with village near Bhatwari the actor who per- and Vyasa’s. Quoting copiously she uging us with a plethora of differing dates. the commentaries. formed as Arjuna for 40 years, decided narrates how Bharavi depicts the BB Lal gives a date of 900 BCE depend- Pradip Bhattacharya’s essay approach- to pass on his role to his son. The pro- aggressiveness of Draupa- ing on genealogical tables of the Pau- es the CE through the attempt to strip cedure he followed was almost exact- di’s character and how Vyasa ravas from and some archae- Draupadi. It is a veritable storehouse ly the one described in Brihadaranya- portrays multiple aspects Spot ological finds of pottery ware. DK and of information. He points out that the ka and Kaushitaki . of her character as a learned, Hema Hari give the exact date of Krish- CE did not study several important JN Ravi traces the geographical infor- compassionate, consider- na’s birth as 27 July 3112 BCE, the MB versions e.g., the Nepali palm-leaf mss, mation contained in what he identifies ate and understanding wife. Light war as beginning on 22 November 3067 the Razmnama, the Arabic translation as the Jaya section of MB (from Bhishma- She points out that “Drau- BCE and many other dates. They claim etc. He lists inconsistencies, contra- parva till Sauptikaparva, the duration padi is capable of shattering the Mohenjodaro steatite of 2600 BCE dictions and repetitions in the CE, of Sanjay’s cosmic sight). He identifies patriarchal norms and Manthan, depicts the Yamalarjuna episode of underlining the need for revision. He locations of the epic, regions, mountains, stereotyped Vols 1 & 2, Krishna’s life, so that Krishna existed cites from the epic and other Sanskrit rivers, oceans, with the present, with boundaries” and that before 2600 BCE. This interpretation is works to establish that Draupadi was charts and maps, ignoring information “she is a bold and deter- Neera Misra not generally accepted. The three- never stripped by Duhshasana. Still that appears unreasonable and exag- mined woman rep- and headed seal in the Dvaraka excavations the CE includes it. His well-laid argu- gerated. It is a long essay, simply writ- resenting the status and Rajesh Lal (ed) is claimed to tally with the identity seal ments can hardly be ignored. The essay ten, devoid of technical jargon and full empowerment of woman in “given to the people of Dvaraka in the has some remarkable pictures. of interesting information. ancient India”. BR Publishing Mahabharata text”. No date of the seal The CE has excised many portions Bhuvan Vikrama writes about cities Misra wonders why the Corporation, 2019; has been given. Hari Nilesh Oak and of the Harivamsha even though Indi- in Panchala times archaeologically MB, the Pancham Veda, is Aparna Dhir conclude that the war an tradition has held it is part of the MB. (Ahichhatra, Sravasti, Mathura, etc). The shunned in Indian homes. Rs 5000 occurred in 5561 BCE on the basis of Harindranath and Purushottaman excavations reveal they developed most- If it is for fratricidal wars, Life & Letters With innumerable mythological tales Signifying bonhomie, togetherness and equality, may be regarded as a sweet protest against apartheid that still prevails in different shapes and forms in the Celebrating world ing pyre with Prahlad in her lap. But her tation. On the other hand, craved Needless to say, various legends and cheap and bright chemical colours pre- on a well decorated palanquin in West sinister desire backfired because she was as her consort once again. There- historical events associated with Holi pared with toxic metal-based pigments Bengal. In this regard Basanta Utsav in unaware of the fact that the boon would fore, she summoned the Hindu god of mainly recognise the ultimate victory of including mercury sulphide, lead oxide, Shantiniketan deserves special mention. BUDDHADEV NANDI work only if she entered the blazing fire love named on . good over evil. It is also the harvest time aluminum bromide, copper sulfate and Rabindranath Tagore introduced the alone. So, the magical cloak that had so , the god of love and passion, and Nature turns into a collage of colour- so on. It is heartening to note, with the occasion in his Vishva Bharati Univer- oli is one of the major Hindu far protected Holika from the rage of fire shot his arrows at Lord Shiva to break ful landscapes. The festival of colours ever increasing sense of health-con- sity. There, students celebrate the occa- festivals observed predomi- flew away from her body and instead his meditation but he opened his third plays the role of a mighty leveller to do sciousness, the use of organic and herbal sion by singing, dancing and throwing nantly in the Indian subcon- wrapped Prahlad leaving him unhurt. eye and burnt Kamadeva to ashes. Thus, away with discrimination and differences colours are gaining ground again. colour powders. Many tourists from tinent with pomp and grandeur. But Holika was burnt to death. As a mark Lord Shiva had conquered carnal desires. among people irrespective of their cast, Holi is celebrated in different ways our country and abroad turn up to H Vikram Samvat According to the Hindu of the great triumph of a true devotee Then , the wife of Kama, with the creed, complexion, sex, age and social in different parts of India. “Lath Mar Holi” become the part of the Basanta Utsav. Calendar, Holi is celebrated on the full of Lord , the effigies of Holika are power of her meditative asceticism, status. is celebrated at Barsana, a town near Bishnupur of Bankura district also has moon day of the month of Phalgun. This burnt in huge in many parts of pacified Lord Shiva who revived the god Holi is also a symbol of freedom. In Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. Women with a rich tradition of celebrating Holi in the boisterous Hindu festival befittingly Northern India. Therefore, “Holika of love. The day of Kamadeva getting back this regard, one may recollect how one sticks run after and beat men who pro- precinct of the famous Madanmohan equates Rituraj Basanta (King of Sea- Dahan” symbolises the victory of good his life is celebrated as the festival of Holi. thousand widows shunned the fetters tect themselves with shields. In Mathu- Temple. The Malla kings of erstwhile Mal- sons) when there is a riot of colours in over evil. According to another legend, there of social stigma and played Holi with ra, Vrindavan and other parts of the Braj labhum (now Bishnupur) encouraged nature with blooming Palash, Simul Another legend explains that it was was an Ogress named Dhundi. She colours, gulal and flower petals at about region, Holi is celebrated almost in the their subjects to observe Dol Yatra with and Krishnachura. Therefore, Basantosav, the Ogress Putana who was sent by troubled little children. But no one the Meera Sahabhagini Ashram in Vrin- same manner. The festival lasts more than the presentation of devoted songs hail- another name of Holi, is the eponym of Kansa, the king of Mathura, to kill his could suppress her as she was endowed davan a few years ago. Therefore, it is two weeks there. ing Lord Madanmohan and Sri . “Basanta Ritu” in the Bengali almanac. maternal nephew Lord Krishna who was with a boon bestowed upon her by Lord no exaggeration to say that Holi is the Holi in Gujarat is called Dhuleti, Now this has turned into dirty political There are a number of mythological then a new born baby. But Krishna Shiva. The boon made her almost invin- festival of bonhomie, brotherhood and which is celebrated with rangoli and colour contention. Transcending the bound- stories surrounding the festival of Holi. killed Putana. Therefore, the day is cible. However, the boon also entailed above all humanity in the true sense of dusts. In Bihar, Phagua or Phagu Purn- ary of our country, Holi is celebrated in According to Hindu scriptures, the name observed by burning the effigy of Putana that her defeat could be possible only the term. ima is the name of the festival of Holi. Nepal, Indonesia, Fiji, US, UK and even “Holi” derives from Holika, the sister of symbolising the same theme of the tri- by the crazy group of boys. Therefore, In the past the hues and colours Huge is lit with cow dung cakes, in Pakistan. king who was umph of good over evil. on the day of Holi, in some parts of the used to smear one another were wide- araad and redi creepers and even grains However, Holi is a vibrant festival con- killed by Narsimha (semi-man-semi-lion), Another legend says that Holi origi- country boys hurl abuses and play ly derived from herbal and organic ori- from the fresh harvest. Abeer or colour taining multifarious aspects. It is the fes- one of the ten incarnations of Lord nated when Lord Krishna was extreme- pranks to chase away Dhundi. gins. Green was obtained from mehen- powders and water colours are applied tival of bonhomie, forgiveness and Vishnu. Though Lord Vishnu was the ly jealous of Radha’s fair complexion in Historically, Holi dates back to sev- di and dried leaves of neem, gulmohar to observe Holi. Besides, Holi is known equality. In the blaze of the bonfire sworn enemy of Hiranyakashipu, his comparison with his dark one. He often eral centuries before the inception of the et al. Yellow, red and orange were extract- as Dulandi Holi in Haryana, Rangpan- called Holika Dahan, six rudimentary young son Prahalad was an ardent devo- whined and wondered why Radha was Gregorian calendar. In ancient Hindu lit- ed widely from turmeric, whereas, indi- chamiin Maharashtra, Hola Mohollain enemies including lust, anger, greed, jeal- tee of the former. Despite his sincere efforts so fair. His doting mother Yashoda erature and the Puranas, there are ref- go plants were the basic sources of Punjab, Kama Dahanamin Tamil Nadu ousy, conceit and craving ingrained to kill his own son, the demon king failed advised her son to smear Radha’s face erences to Holi. Besides, the celebration blue. Besides, a variety of fruits, flow- and so on. innately in our character are supposed to get rid of him. with different colours. is mentioned in the book by the great ers and vegetables including grapes, beet- But the festival of colour is popular to combust. The burnt ashes of Holika Then he invoked his ogress sister Holi- In South India, Lord Shiva has a con- poet Kalidas in the four century and the root, tea, amla, hibiscus, palash, krish- as Dol Yatra in Bengal and Odisha. In turn into colour powders of different hues ka and entrusted her with the onus of nection with the legend of Holi. After the seventh century Sanskrit drama Ratnavali. nachura et al were widely used to pre- Odisha, the idols of Jagannath, Balaram of the rainbow. The festival may well be killing Prahalad. Holika was empowered self-immolation of goddess Parvati, The reference of Holi is engraved and pare colour dust and gulal of different and Subhadra are installed on the podi- regarded as a sweet protest against by a strange boon —she could enter the Lord Shiva, renouncing his duties towards painted in sculptures and murals of hues. But in this modern synthetic age, um called Dolamandapa, whereas, the apartheid that still prevails in different fire unscathed. Holika entered a blaz- the universe, plunged into deep medi- ancient Indian temples. herbal colours have been replaced by idols of Radha and Krishna are placed shapes and forms in the world.

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