[Reader-list] condemning ban on Charandas Chor

[anupam chakravartty]

Thanks for sharing this Murali. Here's something I read written by Soumen
De:


The Historical Context of *The Bhagavad
Gita*<http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/gita.htm>
and Its Relation to Indian Religious Doctrines

Soumen De

*The Bhagavad Gita* <http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/gita.htm> is
perhaps the most famous, and definitely the most widely-read, ethical text
of ancient India. As an episode in India's great epic, the Mahabharata, *The
Bhagavad Gita* now ranks as one of the three principal texts that define and
capture the essence of Hinduism; the other two being the Upanishads and the
Brahma Sutras. Though this work contains much theology, its kernel is
ethical and its teaching is set in the context of an ethical problem. The
teaching of *The Bhagavad Gita* is summed up in the maxim "your business is
with the deed and not with the result." When Arjuna, the third son of king
Pandu (dynasty name: Pandavas) is about to begin a war that became
inevitable once his one hundred cousins belonging to the Kaurava dynasty
refused to return even a few villages to the five Pandava brothers after
their return from enforced exile, he looks at his cousins, uncles and
friends standing on the other side of the battlefield and wonders whether he
is morally prepared and justified in killing his blood relations even though
it was he, along with his brother Bhima, who had courageously prepared for
this war. Arjuna is certain that he would be victorious in this war since he
has Lord Krishna (one of the ten incarnations of Vishnu) on his side. He is
able to visualize the scene at the end of the battle; the dead bodies of his
cousins lying on the battlefield, motionless and incapable of vengeance. It
is then that he looses his nerve to fight.

The necessity for the arose because the one hundred cousins of the Panadavas
refused to return the kingdom to the Pandavas as they had originally
promised. The eldest of the Pandav brothers, Yudhisthir, had lost his entire
kingdom fourteen years ago to the crafty Kaurava brothers in a game of dice,
and was ordered by his cousins to go on a fourteen-year exile. The conflict
between the Pandavas and the Kauravas brewed gradually when the Kauravas
refused to return the kingdom to the Panadavas and honor the agreement after
the fourteen-year exile, and escalated to a full scale war when the Kauravas
refused to even grant Yudhisthir's reduced demand for a few villages instead
of the entire kingdom. As the battle is about to begin, Arjuna, himself an
acclaimed warrior, wonders how he could kill his own blood relatives with
whom he had grown up as a child. He puts the battle on hold and begins a
conversation with Krishna, one of the ten but most important incarnations of
the Universal Hindu God, Vishnu. *The Bhagavad Gita* begins here and ends
with Krishna convincing Arjuna that in the grand scheme of things, he is
only a pawn. The best he could do is do his duty and not question God's
will. It was his duty to fight. In convincing Arjuna, the Lord Krishna
provides a philosophy of life and restores Arjuna's nerve to begin the
battle -- a battle that had been stalled because the protagonist had lost
his nerve and needed time to reexamine his moral values.

Even though *The Bhagavad Gita* (hereafter referred to as the *Gita*) is one
of the three principal texts that define the essence of Hinduism, and since
all over the world Hindus chant from the *Gita* during most of their
religious ceremonies, strictly speaking the *Gita* is not one of the Hindu
scriptures. In light of its inseparable links to one of the two great Hindu
epics (Mahabharata and Ramayana) which most Indians hold very dear to their
hearts, and because Krishna, the most venerated and popular of the
incarnations of Lord Vishnu, figures so prominently in it, the *Gita* over
the years has not only become very popular but has ascended to spiritual
heights that are afforded only to the Vedas (and the subsequent
reinterpretive philosophies that followed them) and the Upanishads in the
ancient Indian literature. The concept and symbol of God were extremely
complicated issues (see below) in the ancient Hindu religious literature
prior to the writing of the *Gita*. The notion of God and the paths to
salvation are integral parts of all religions. The manner in which Hinduism
originally dealt with these two fundamental issues was very complex and
appeared to be too speculative at times. This was one of the reasons for
which Buddhism branched out as a separate religion. When Buddhism was
beginning to grow in popularity, Hinduism met with its first challenge: To
provide a clear-cut, easy-to-worship symbol of God to its followers. For a
variety of reasons, Lord Krishna was the obvious choice. Many have even
suggested that it was one of the most pivotal choices ever made by ancient
scholars to `humanize' the concept of God in the Hindu religion. Molded in
the original image of Lord Vishnu, Krishna is an affable Avatar
(reincarnation of God) which for the first time provided concrete guidelines
for living to all mortals. The average Hindu might not know much about
Brahma, but every one knows who Lord Krishna is. Mahatma Gandhi read the *
Gita* often when he was in seclusion and in prison.

But, the universal popularity of the *Gita* has not detracted Indian
scholars from deviating from the fundamental truth about Hinduism. The *Gita
* is not the Hindu scripture even though the literal translation of
"Bhagavad Gita" is "The Song of God". The Nobel laureate Indian poet,
Rabindra Nath Tagore, rarely quoted from the *Gita* in his philosophical
writings; instead, he chose to refer to the Upanishads, to quote from it,
and to use its teachings in his own works. Of course, the teachings of the
Upanishads are included in the *Gita*; they are visible in multiple chapters
of the *Gita*. The kinetic concepts of karma and yoga, which appeared for
the first time in the Upanishads (explained below), appear repeatedly in the
*Gita*, often in disguised forms.

As with almost every religious Indian text, it is difficult to pinpoint when
exactly the *Gita* was written. Without a doubt, it was written over a
period of centuries by many writers. From the contents of the *Gita*, it is
abundantly clear that both the principal teachings of the Upanishads and of
early Buddhism were familiar to the writers of the *Gita*. So, it has been
approximated that the *Gita* was written during the period
500<http://eawc.evansville.edu/chronology/time.cgi?-500>
-200 BCE <http://eawc.evansville.edu/chronology/time.cgi?-200>. Even though
India is one of the few nations which has a continuous documented history,
very few Indian religious texts exists for which the exact date of
publication is established without controversy.

*Despite its universal appeal, the Gita is replete with contradictions both
at the fundamental level and at the highest level of philosophical
discourse. To the discerning eye, it would seem that what has been said in
the previous chapter, is contradicted in the very next chapter. This is the
fundamental complaint against the Gita, and this fact would appear to be
ironic given the fact that the Gita was originally written to reconcile the
differences between two of the six major ancient Indian philosophies
(Darshans) that evolved over the early years of Hinduism and became integral
parts of ancient Indian religious literature. The irony disappears however
when one understands what the Gita purported to achieve at the level of
philosophical and religious discourse. This fact is crucial not only for the
understanding of the principal themes of the Gita but also to locate the
essence of the Gita in the overall picture of ancient Indian doctrines. The
Gita attempted, for the first time, to reconcile the teachings of two very
abstract Indian religious doctrines into one whole. The task was a
formidable one.*

The *Gita* tried to include the fundamentals of two ancient Indian
philosophies into one document and reconcile the principal differences
between them. At the outset, one must note that the two doctrines (Darshans)
were often extremely difficult to understand. Hence the inevitable
contradictions or duality of interpretation. The Six Darshans of ancient
India were actually of differing origin and purpose, but all were brought
into the scheme by being recognized as viable ways of salvation. They were
divided into three groups of two complementary schools of thought (Darshans)
or doctrines: Nyaya and Vaisesika; Sankhyya and Yoga; and Mimamsha and
Vedanta. *The Bhagavad Gita* attempted to reconcile the Sankhyya philosophy
with those of the Vedanta doctrine. One must note in passing that the
Sankhyya school of thought led to Buddhism while the Vedanta philosophy is
at the root of modern Hinduism. In this article, we are only going to
discuss briefly the two Darshans -- the Sankhyya and the Vedanta -- the *
Gita* attempted to reconcile.

The Sankhyya is the oldest of the six Darshans while the Vedanta is the most
important of the six systems. The various subsystems of the Vedanta doctrine
has led to the emergence of modern intellectual Hinduism. The primary text
of the Vedanta system is the Brahma Sutras, and its doctrines were derived
in great part from the Upanishads, which marked the beginning of Hinduism as
is understood and practiced today. Even though the Vedas are India's ancient
sacred texts, modern Hinduism begins with the Vedanta (end of Vedas) and
attains its zenith with the Brahma Sutras.

The Sankhyya philosophy traces the origins of everything to the interplay of
Prakriti (nature) and Purusha (the Self, to be differentiated from the
concept of the soul in the latter Indian philosophies). These two separate
entities have always existed and their interplay is at the root of all
reality. The concept of God is conspicuous by its absence. There is no
direct mention of God but only a passing reference as to how one should
liberate himself to attain the realization of Is war (a heavenly entity). A
very significant feature of Sankhyya is the doctrine of the three
constituent qualities (gunas), causing virtue (sattva), passion (rajas), and
dullness (tamas). On the other hand, the Vedanta school of thought deals
with the concept of Brahman the ultimate reality that is beyond all logic
and encompasses not only the concepts of being and non-being but also all
the phases in between. It is one of the most difficult concepts in the
entire Indian philosophy. At the highest level of truth, the entire universe
of phenomena, including the gods themselves, was unreal -- the world was
Maya, illusion, a dream, a mirage, a fragment of the imagination. The only
reality is Brahman.

One can see quite clearly the sources for the *Gita's* contradictions. It
was dealing with not only two widely-differing Darshans but also with two of
the most abstract philosophical systems. We know that the *Gita* was written
long after the emergence of modern Hinduism. So it was able to draw on a
wide variety of philosophical themes -- both ancient and relatively modern
by comparison, and often opposing -- still present in modern Hinduism. Yet,
to consolidate the two schools of thoughts proved to be an extremely
difficult task -- a fact which the lyricism of the *Gita*, in the words of
Lord Krishna himself, could not camaflouge. Any serious reader would arrive
at the conclusion that even though the *Gita* mentions the Sankhyya, it more
or less elaborates on ideas that originated with the Upanishads.

The fundamental tenets of Hinduism took shape during the period
800<http://eawc.evansville.edu/chronology/time.cgi?-800>
-500 BCE <http://eawc.evansville.edu/chronology/time.cgi?-500>. They were
set down in a series of treaties called the Upanishads. The Upanishads arise
at the end of the Vedas, which earns it the name Veda-anta, which literally
means "end (anta) of the Vedas." Almost all philosophy and religion in India
rests upon the wealth of speculation contained in these works. The
Upanishads center on the inner realms of the spirit. Encompassing the
meaning of spiritual unity, the Upanishads point directly to the Divine
Unity which pervades all of nature and is identical to the self.

There are four "kinetic ideas" -- ideas that involve action or motion --
that represent the core of Indian spirituality. The ultimate objective is
control of the passions and to realize a state of void -- a concept very
similar to that of Buddhism. The four kinetic ideas are "karma, maya,
nirvana, and yoga" and they appear in the *Gita*. But one must remember that
they appeared for the first time in the Upanishads. A brief summary of the
four ideas are provided below.

Karma: The law of universal causality, which connects man with the cosmos
and condemns him to transmigrate -- to move from one body to another after
death -- indefinitely. In the *Gita*, Krishna makes an allusion to the
eternal soul that moves from body to body as it ascends or descends the
ladder of a given hierarchy, conditioned on the nature of one's own karma --
work of life or life deeds.

Maya: refers to cosmic illusion; the mysterious process that gives rise to
phenomena and maintains the cosmos. According to this idea, the world is not
simply what is seems to the human senses -- a view with which the 20th
century western scientists wholly agree. Absolute reality, situated
somewhere beyond the cosmic illusion woven by maya and beyond human
experience as conditioned by karma. Both Tagore, the renowned Indian poet
and Albert Einstein, the famous scientist, agreed on this conclusion.
Absolute reality, in their minds, was beyond human perception.

Nirvana: The state of absolute blessedness, characterized by release from
the cycle of reincarnations; freedom from the pain and care of the external
world; bliss. Union with God or Atman. Hindus call such mystical union with
ultimate reality as Samandhi or Moksha.

Yoga: implies integration; bringing all the faculties of the psyche under
the control of the self. Essentially, the object of various types of yoga is
mind control, and the system lays down the effectual techniques of gaining
liberation and achieving divine union. The word yoga is loosely applied to
any program or technique which leads toward the union with God or Atman.
There are five principal kinds of yoga: Hatha(physical), jnana (the way of
knowledge), bhakti (the way of love), karma (the way of work), and rajah
(mystical experience).

The Western world's interest in *The Bhagavad Gita* began around the end of
the eighteenth century when the first English translation of the *Gita* was
published. All religious texts of ancient India were written in Sanskrit. In
November 1784, the first direct translation of a Sanskrit work into English
was completed by Charles Wilkins. The book that was translated was *The
Bhagavad Gita*. Friedreich Max Mueller (1823-1900), the German Sanskritist
who spent most of his working life as Professor of Comparative Philology at
Oxford University, served as the chief editor of the Sacred Books of the
East. (Oxford University Press). The *Gita* was included in this famous
collection. Since then, the *Gita* has become one of the most widely-read
texts of the world. True, there are unexplained contradictions and paradoxes
in this brief book, but its wide-ranging implications based on the two
ancient Darshans of India and its allegorical meanings are still being
examined and reinterpreted.



On 8/5/09, Murali V <murali.chalam at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> The Ramayana and Mahabaratha have to be understood in the right
> perspective. Here is one such interpretation of mine which I would like to
> share.
>
> Mind – The symbolism in GITA
>
> *Bhagavad Gita* is the epic discourse given by Krishna to Arjuna in the
> battle field of Kurukshetra. This base could be very easily *symbolized*into the
> *mind and the forces involved*. The battle field of *Kurukshetra* could be
> associated to the *mind or the intellect*. The *two warring forces*, the *
> Kauravas* and the *Pandavas* needs no superior logic to conclude that the
> *Kauravas represented the evil forces* while the *Pandavas represented the
> good*, which in turn could be *associated to the bad and good thoughts or
> the negative and positive emotions*. The battle of Kurukshetra could be
> conceptualized to the constant war that takes place within the mindbetween the evil and good
> thoughts. *Krishna who stands between the two armies is the conscience*.
>
> The concept on which the Bhagavad Gita has come to stay is the fact that *Arjuna
> starts questioning all the actions* that were going to take place on the
> battlefield and the resultant reactions, to which Krishna gives his
> response. So this is the basis on which, comes the conclusion, that *one
> needs to question oneself within, of all the actions both good and bad and
> expect answers from ones conscience*. The individual takes the role of
> Arjuna, Krishna acts as ones conscience, the mind is the battlefield of
> Kurukshetra and the actual war is the internal fight taking place within the
> mind between the negative and positive thoughts.
>
> The result of the Kurukshetra war, in that the good won over the evil
> forces could be ascribed to the fact that Arjuna listened to Krishna and
> acted accordingly.
>
> *Act in accordance with the guidance of ones conscience (Krishna) and one
> is bound to succeed*.
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 1:28 PM, anupam chakravartty <c.anupam at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Dear Rajen,
>>
>> I will list these injuctions as a special order from Rajendra Bhat
>> Uppinangadi and use it to my 21st century list of commandments. I am
>> typically interested in this "mind of a woman" bit about your injunction.
>> where does it come from sir?
>>
>> And offcourse I acknowledge the fact Valmiki had undergone immense
>> transformation to have conjured such words which lead to Ramayana.
>> However,
>> I think you missed the point. If a dacoit transforms and scripts an epic,
>> why does a particular community have a problem with Guru Ghasidas's
>> depiction? Isnt it an engineered protest? When in several versions of
>> Ramayana and Mahabharata dalits and tribals are represented as Rakshashas,
>> Mlechas, later "rescued" by their savoirs, Rama or Krishna, there are no
>> objections raised. There is also no objection for Lankans being depicted
>> as
>> demons in Ramayana. Because in a plot certain characters are shown in a
>> light which needs to be understood and contextualised.
>>
>> Dear Rajen, what do you have to say about Chhatisgarh government conjuring
>> fictitious names farmers to procure paddy?
>>
>> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/How-Chhattisgarh-fudged-records-for-multi-crore-paddy-scam/488464/
>>
>> The names they have made up are also from one particular community.
>>
>> Anupam
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 12:12 PM, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi<
>> rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > Dear Anupam jee,
>> >
>> > Origin of a river, past of an ascetic,  mind of a woman are difficult to
>> > understand, so do not try say the wise.
>> >
>> >
>> >  When ramayana was written, the writer was a changed persona, will you
>> > atleast acknowledge that.......!
>> >
>> > Regards,
>> > Rajen.
>> > On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 6:55 PM, anupam chakravartty <c.anupam at gmail.com
>> >
>> > wrote:
>> >>
>> >> dear vidya,
>> >>
>> >> Very kind of you to use such words. It shows your knowledge. Rishi
>> Valmiki
>> >> was a dacoit called Ratnakar or Valia Koli. This is from a children's
>> site
>> >> (
>> >> http://www.bolokids.com/2008/0542.htm) (I am quoting from a children's
>> >> website because i think you are not matured enough to converse in this
>> >> forum)
>> >>
>> >> *Dear children,
>> >>
>> >> I am sure you enjoy reading the biographies of the great visionaries of
>> >> the
>> >> world. The bed-time stories which your parents or grand parents tell
>> you,
>> >> must have some or other reference to the Ramayana, the great epic of
>> >> India.
>> >> Do you know the name of the author of this great piece of writing? In
>> this
>> >> update I shall tell you about that legendary, eminent personality of
>> our
>> >> country, Valmiki. *
>> >>
>> >> Valmiki, universally accepted and applauded as adikavi, the first among
>> >> the
>> >> poets – in India and particularly in Sanskrit – was the foremost to
>> >> ascertain a metrical expression of epic dimension. He had the
>> apparition
>> >> to
>> >> match the emotional ecstasy of an elevated soul endowed with compassion
>> >> and
>> >> concern for all living beings. It was in such a state of identification
>> of
>> >> the human being with the universal that his immortal epic, the
>> Ramayana,
>> >> originated from his heart.
>> >>
>> >> Valmiki born as 'Ratnakar' is a legendary Hindu sage . He was the tenth
>> >> child of Pracheta. There is a religion based on Valmiki's teachings and
>> it
>> >> is called Balmikism. The Ramayana consists of 24,001 verses in seven
>> >> cantos
>> >> (kandas) and tells the story of Rama and Sita. Valmiki Ramayana is
>> dated
>> >> variously from 500 BC to 100 BC.
>> >>
>> >> Maharishi Valmiki is accepted by many Indian communities as the author
>> of
>> >> the Yoga Vasistha, this particular piece of work was taught to Rama
>> when
>> >> he
>> >> was disillusioned with the world in large. The Yoga Vasistha is an
>> >> incredible piece of text which discusses a wide array of philosphical
>> >> issues. Moreover, it appears to have been written over 5000 years ago.
>> At
>> >> his hermitage he taught both males and females. He gave Sita shelter
>> after
>> >> her banishment from Ayodhya.
>> >>
>> >> The great Valmiki, originally named Ratnakar, was from a Kirata Bhil
>> >> community. Valmiki Muni was from a backward caste community and his
>> name
>> >> before he became the Adi-Kavi (prime poet) who recorded the Ramayana,
>> was
>> >> Vailya. He was trained by the Narada Muni, who is thought to be a
>> devotee
>> >> of
>> >> Vishnu or *Narayana. In another legend that goes, Valmiki, originally
>> >> Valia
>> >> Koli, was a dacoit and a robber who would rob people passing through
>> woods
>> >> and dense forests. He would not only rob out of their possessions but
>> also
>> >> cut their ears and wear them in the form of a chain. One fine day,
>> Narada
>> >> Muni was passing through this forest and Valia Koli happened to
>> confront
>> >> him. Narada Muni asked Valia if he knows what he is doing. Valia
>> replied
>> >> saying that it is this which runs his family and the family is aware
>> about
>> >> it.* Then Narada Muni asked Valia if his family members would share a
>> part
>> >> of a burden of his sins? Valia was so moved with this, he ran back to
>> his
>> >> home and asked every member of his family if they will share if the
>> >> situation demands. No member of the family, neither his wife nor his
>> sons
>> >> replied in assertive. His wife said that the sins Valia is doing
>> everyday
>> >> are part of his life and it is his duty to feed his family and it is
>> only
>> >> he
>> >> who is responsible for the sins he has been committing. Hearing this,
>> >> Valia
>> >> changed himself completely, from a dacoit to a Sage. He returned to
>> Narada
>> >> Muni and requested him to help enlighten himself, after which he became
>> >> Sage
>> >> Valmiki by penance.
>> >>
>> >> Once Valmiki was taking a stroll on the bank of the river Tamasa along
>> >> with
>> >> his disciple Bharadwaja. The river-water attracted his concentration.
>> The
>> >> pleasing and composed movement of the waves seemed to remind the
>> prophet
>> >> of
>> >> the mature and the reticent qualities of his hero. He visualized the
>> >> purest
>> >> spark and tranquil of a pious man’s mind reflected in the flowing
>> stream.
>> >> But the very next moment he saw a upsetting panorama of a female bird
>> >> suddenly separated from her partner who was mercilessly shot by a
>> >> malicious
>> >> hunter. He could not bear the contrast he perceived between the crystal
>> >> clear water reflecting a placid heart and the work of a heartless
>> huntsman
>> >> who shot at the pair of naïve, guiltless birds absorbed in the valid
>> >> gratification of life for no fault of theirs and to no benefit for him
>> >> moreover. These two incidents had an impression on his mind and his
>> >> creative
>> >> art, which led to his composition of the greatest epic on earth, the
>> >> Ramayana.
>> >>
>> >> It is unfortunate that men of letters know very little about this fêted
>> >> poet
>> >> worldwide repute except about his epic composition, the Ramayana. The
>> poet
>> >> did not say much about himself in his work nor could history keep any
>> >> documentation and authentic account of his life – not even of the time
>> he
>> >> lived in. The word Valmika literally means an ant-hill that stands for
>> >> deep
>> >> meditation in a poised state of penance. Valmiki, the poet, is a
>> product
>> >> of
>> >> this penance. Kalidasa, a great admirer of Valmiki, glorifies this
>> aspect
>> >> in
>> >> his famous line in Meghasandesa.The revelation and the influence of
>> >> Valmiki
>> >> are seen at their best while portraying the character of Sita as an
>> ideal
>> >> woman – a sculpt for reticence, a pictogram of sophisticated
>> simplicity,
>> >> an
>> >> incarnation of elegance and dignity, an austere observer of moral code
>> of
>> >> behavior, an exceptional paradigm of ultimate love and a singular
>> >> amalgamation of valor and kindness. There are three important
>> characters
>> >> in
>> >> the Ramayana who made significant contribution to the advancement of
>> the
>> >> march of Rama from Ayodhya to Mithila, Kishkindha and Lanka. They are
>> >> Vishwamitra, Lakshmana and Hanuman—and these characters were created by
>> >> Valmiki with utmost care.
>> >>
>> >> The Ramayana, as envisaged by Valmiki, is a stride in search of man – a
>> >> man
>> >> whose humanity stands out spirituality by the asset of its translucent
>> >> transitoriness. Rama, the central figure of this march of cult presents
>> a
>> >> rare amalgamation of individual decorum and celestial ignite. He kept
>> the
>> >> sparkle to himself and within himself and widen the bouquet of complete
>> >> love, warmth, concern, restoration and healing to the planet around
>> him.
>> >> These are the vital human values and virtues more accomplished than
>> >> sermonized by Rama, the man of Valmiki’s vision. These traits of the
>> main
>> >> character by their instinctive penchant dominated almost all the other
>> >> characters in the Ramayana. Good and bad are only virtual terms for a
>> >> great
>> >> soul like Rama. They do not have any unconditional meaning for him from
>> a
>> >> comprehensive point of view. They can be changed, altered and converted
>> if
>> >> the human advance is maintained with valor, obligation and kindness.
>> The
>> >> effect of this policy and the values of life finds abundant design
>> >> throughout the Ramayana.
>> >>
>> >> The creative distinction of Valmiki lies in his genuineness in
>> experience
>> >> and ease in expression. There is tenderness in his words, equilibrium
>> in
>> >> his
>> >> emotions and innate glibness in his commentary. He speaks less and
>> makes
>> >> his
>> >> characters articulate for themselves. He has an inherent approach into
>> the
>> >> soul and a spectacular expertise in restraining the movements and the
>> >> historic actions of his characters. The secret of his success as an
>> epic
>> >> poet of predictive vision lies in his all-absorbing penance or tapasya
>> and
>> >> unassuming firmness.
>> >>
>> >> The intermediary and the communication are equally imperative for the
>> epic
>> >> poet and Valmiki has accomplished both. He never thought that his
>> sincere
>> >> concern for the pair of birds divided by a cruel shot would result in
>> the
>> >> magnum oeuvre campaigning the basic human qualities like adoration and
>> >> compassion. It assumed the form of a world classic with a message for
>> each
>> >> era to come and for the entire living beings. Valmiki is revered as the
>> >> first poet, and the Ramayana, the first kavya.
>> >>
>> >> ENDS
>> >>
>> >> It is a fact that there are several versions of Ramayana written in
>> >> several
>> >> languages. Infact, the Prime Minister in waiting L.K. Advani has
>> written
>> >> about Valmiki: http://lkadvani.in/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=5792
>> >> My point here is not to cite Ramayana or the mythological stories
>> around
>> >> its
>> >> creation. My problem lies with the fact, how a play is being banned
>> >> selectively by the Chattisgarh government by making tribals as the
>> >> scapegoat. Just like how many other opportunists operate in that area
>> >> and cash in on that tribal sentiment.
>> >>
>> >> -with regards
>> >> anupam
>> >>
>> >> On 8/4/09, Vidya <joshvidya at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> > He was just one of the writers of ramayana. and when he wrote it he
>> was
>> >> > not
>> >> > a dacoit you ignonramus ass hole. That he was a dacoit is also not
>> >> > proved by
>> >> > any reliable sources.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "anupam chakravartty" <
>> >> > c.anupam at gmail.com>
>> >> > To: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
>> >> > Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 2:01 AM
>> >> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] condemning ban on Charandas Chor
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > The Chattisgarh government perhaps doesnt realise that mythological
>> >> > epic,
>> >> >> Ramayana was written by a dacoit.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> On 8/4/09, prakash ray <pkray11 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> Press Release condemning ban on Charandas Chor:
>> >> >>> We are shocked to learn from press reports that the BJP government
>> of
>> >> >>> Chhattisgarh has banned Charandas Chor, a classic of the modern
>> Indian
>> >> >>> theatre, written and produced by Habib Tanvir. The play was first
>> done
>> >> >>> in
>> >> >>> the 1970s, and is originally based on an oral folk tale from
>> >> >>> Rajasthan.
>> >> >>> Habib Tanvir worked on this tale, introducing into it elements of
>> the
>> >> >>> art
>> >> >>> and beliefs of the Satnami community. Satnami singers and dancers
>> have
>> >> >>> performed in this play, and it has been seen by members of the
>> >> >>> community
>> >> >>> several times. In Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, there are
>> several
>> >> >>> rural
>> >> >>> troupes who are today performing some version of this play.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> The play itself is the story of a thief who, under the influence of
>> a
>> >> >>> guru,
>> >> >>> pledges never to tell a lie. He sticks to his pledge, even at the
>> cost
>> >> >>> of
>> >> >>> his life. This superb tragic-comedy, in a thoroughly entertaining
>> and
>> >> >>> artistic manner, brings into focus the moral and ethical
>> degeneration
>> >> >>> of
>> >> >>> our
>> >> >>> society, in which, paradoxically, it is a thief who ends up being
>> more
>> >> >>> honest than those who supposed to be the custodians of our
>> morality.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> Charandas Chor remains Habib Tanvir’s best-known play, and has been
>> >> >>> performed literally hundreds of times by his world-renowned Naya
>> >> >>> Theatre
>> >> >>> troupe all over India and in several countries across the world. It
>> >> >>> was
>> >> >>> made
>> >> >>> into a film by Shyam Benegal, with Smita Patil in the lead, in
>> 1975,
>> >> >>> and
>> >> >>> was
>> >> >>> the first Indian play to win the prestigious Fringe First award at
>> the
>> >> >>> Edinburgh Theatre Festival in 1982. It then did a successful run on
>> >> >>> the
>> >> >>> London stage.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> We demand that the Chhattisgarh government immediately revoke this
>> >> >>> absurd
>> >> >>> ban.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> Arvind Gaur
>> >> >>> Brijesh
>> >> >>> Govind Deshpande
>> >> >>> Javed Malick
>> >> >>> Madangopal Singh
>> >> >>> M.K. Raina
>> >> >>> Moloyashree Hashmi
>> >> >>> N.K. Sharma
>> >> >>> Shahid Anwar
>> >> >>> Sudhanva Deshpande
>> >> >>> Vivan Sundaram
>> >> >>> Wamiq Abbasi
>> >> >>> Act One Theatre Group
>> >> >>> Asmita Theatre Group
>> >> >>> Bahroop Art Group
>> >> >>> Jana Natya Manch
>> >> >>> Jan Sanskriti
>> >> >>> Janvadi Lekhak Sangh
>> >> >>> Sahmat
>> >> >>> _________________________________________
>> >> >>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
>> >> >>> Critiques & Collaborations
>> >> >>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
>> >> >>> subscribe in the subject header.
>> >> >>> To unsubscribe:
>> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
>> >> >>> List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>
>> >> >>>
>> >> >> _________________________________________
>> >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
>> >> >> Critiques & Collaborations
>> >> >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
>> >> >> subscribe in the subject header.
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>> >> >> List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>
>> >> >>
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> _________________________________________
>> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
>> >> Critiques & Collaborations
>> >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
>> >> subscribe in the subject header.
>> >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
>> >> List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Rajen.
>> >
>> >
>> _________________________________________
>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
>> Critiques & Collaborations
>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
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>>
>
>