By Dr. C.D. Sreenivasa Murthy

Title:      Pranab My Father: A  Daughter Remembers

Author:  Sharmistha Mukherjee

Year:       2024

Pages:   368 pages

Price:     Rs. 795

Publisher: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd.

A boy aged 11 years had come to Calcutta to attend the wedding of his eldest brother. The day was 16th August 1946, an infamous day in India’s history. Probably the worst communal riots in Bharat took place on that day, incited by the call for direct action given by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Founder of Pakistan. The family could not return to their village for several days till it was safe to travel.

The boy was restless. Someone handed him a notebook and a pencil to keep him occupied and asked him to write down his daily observations. This practice of chronicling his daily life and impressions every night after his hectic work schedule continued for over 70 years.

This young boy, Pranab Mukherjee, went on to become a six-term MP and a Minister for 23 years holding various high-profile portfolios of External Affairs, Commerce, Finance and Defence. The habit of diary writing continued throughout his busy life schedule.

When he retired after a full term of five years as the President of India in 2017, his diaries were 53 big volumes. These were handed to his daughter Sharmistha for safekeeping, with strict instructions to open and read them only after he had breathed his last.

Sharmistha has published the book ‘Pranab My Father: A Daughter Remembers,’  based on the late President’s diaries. The book is also partly biography and personal memoirs. It is also a chronicle of the political story of his times. The desire to publish the diaries posthumously is understandable as they have many frank and unflattering remarks about his contemporary political figures.

Mamata Banerjee was a long-time family friend of Pranab. She would frequently visit their house and often dine with them. Yet she vehemently opposed when Pranab was nominated for President of India. When Sharmistha asks about the strange behaviour of Mamata, her father’s philosophical comment is that she is always unpredictable. Eventually, the West Bengal CM changed her stance and supported Pranab Mukherjee for the Presidency.

Pranab was a lifelong staunch Congress party man. He was a protege of Indira Gandhi and he always looked up to her as his mentor. He was a stickler for rules, procedures and constitutional propriety. Surprisingly, his diary entries seem to be silent on the Emergency imposed by his leader. Probably, for whatever reasons, he had made his peace with the excesses of Emergency and his inner voice.

Despite his fanatic loyalty to Indira and the party, he had to face the ignominy of being suspended from the party by her son, the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. This suspension he attributes to machinations of the coterie around Rajiv. After about two years, he was reinstated in the party due to the efforts of his friends.

He mentions sycophancy culture and the absence of dissent in the party and general political discourse. Sharmistha sought her father’s advice about leaving the Congress party after her defeat in the Delhi elections, his answer was cryptic. He asked her to remember the sentence from the Bhagavad Gita, ‘Swadharme Nidhanam Shreyah’. (It is better to perish in your dharma), cryptically advising her not to change her swadharma which is the Congress party.

Like any ambitious politician, Pranab had his ups and downs in his political career. In one of his diary notings, he writes a political activist should always be alert, always active and develop objectivity, most importantly the ability to absorb disappointments is necessary.

His comments about Sonia Gandhi and her family are quite frank and acerbic. He tells his daughter that Sonia will never allow him to become the Prime Minister because there is a trust deficit between them. Again he ascribes this to the clique surrounding her. He is critical of Rahul Gandhi for publicly tearing the ordinance promulgated by the Manmohan Singh Government.

His sarcastic comment is that Rahul has the arrogance of the Nehru-Gandhi family, without their political acumen. When Pranab was honoured with the Bharat Ratna, the first family members were conspicuously absent at the ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Pranab Mukherjee spent most of his public life in the Parliament, both in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. He had a deep understanding of the Parliamentary procedures and the Indian Constitution. He had many friends across the aisle in all the Opposition parties. He administered the oath of office to Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi in 2014.

Both had risen from diverse backgrounds. Modi was a committed RSS person having risen from a Pracharak to the high office of Pradhan Mantri. Pranab Mukherjee was a die-hard Congressman having risen from a Cabinet Minister to the high office of Rashtrapati.

Surprisingly the PM and the President had great bonhomie in their relationship. It is said, the PM always touched his (Pranab) feet whenever he came to meet the President. Modi reciprocated this friendship by conferring the nation’s highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna on him. When President Pranab accepted the invitation to be the chief guest at RSS annual meet, Congress party urged him not to attend.

His daughter Sharmistha too dissuaded him and told her father that by attending the event he was giving legitimacy to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). His reply was, “Who am I to give legitimacy when people of this country have given it by electing a humble Pracharak of RSS to the highest political office of the nation.” The book, brimming with filial adoration, has many explosive comments, well-written with candour and appears a teaser for publication of the full transcripts of the diaries. The volume reminds us of the political landscape of those times and is eminently readable and unputdownable.

The post Book on Pranab’s diaries appeared first on Star of Mysore.

By R. Chandra Prakash

Title: VARNA, JATI, CASTE  – A Primer on Indian Social Structures

Authors:  Rajiv Malhotra & Vijaya Viswanathan

Year:     2023

Pages:  160

Price:     Rs. 250

Publisher:  OCCAM, BluOne Ink LLP, India

Caste system has been arraigned for creating extreme discrimination in the Hindu society. It has also been a political tool to condemn Sanatana Dharma. Even during independence struggle caste-factor had been under the focus of political class. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s demand for separate electorate for ‘The Depressed Classes’ in the Provincial Assemblies, which  led to the signing of the Poona Pact of 1932 between him and Mahatma Gandhi stand testimony to that. After the Mandal Commission Report of 1991, caste started to systematically make its headway in the political sphere.  

The  ‘intellectuals’ of Indian origin in Ivy league institutions of the United States have started  campaigns alleging caste based discrimination in jobs there.  Some US States have even passed laws to prevent such ‘caste based discrimination.’

With BJP coming to power at the Centre since 2014 and the emergence of Hindu political  consolidation has now forced the exasperated Opposition parties, mostly dynastic and regional parties, to make the caste-factor as a main plank to regain their lost importance. No surprise that recent utterances by a group of politicians from Tamil Nadu against Sanatana Dharma and similar echoing statements from other parts of the country have been making headlines in the recent days.

So much so, the Indian National Congress (INC) party, which ever since independence  had very vigorously opposed any attempt to bring the caste factor into the political discourse, is now trying to come back to power at the Centre in 2024 by competing with  regional Opposition parties to carry out Caste Census!

How interesting it is that  despite such a diabolic historical and political role, there is no clarity about the origin or even the existence of ‘castes’ in Sanatana Dharma! The book under review,  Varna, Jati, Caste – A Primer on Indian Social Structures by Rajiv Malhotra and Vijaya Viswanathan provides much needed authentic information on this vexed subject.

Historical Contours of Castes 

Authors have established with facts and figures that ‘caste’ was never a part of Hinduism. It was ‘innovated’ by the British during their Census exercises of 1830s. They state that unable to fathom the heterogeneous social classifications prevalent in the contemporary Hindu social groups, the Census Officials adopted the Portuguese term ‘caste’ as a common denominator.  Thus started the ‘official’  use of caste nomenclature in the discourses of the country.

To substantiate their stand the authors provide a brief social history and explain the social fabric of Sanatana Dharma under the sub headings — 1. Early Vedic, 2. Late Vedic, 3. Dharmashastras (overlapping with 2), 4. Muslim Rule, 5. European Colonial Rule, 6. Post Independence and 7. Globalisation. They go on further to explain what our Ancient Texts state under Vedic Era, The Upanishads, The Bhagvad Gita, The Mahabharata and The Dharmashastras.

Vedic Sustainable society

The authors explain how Hinduism’s Vedic Civilisation was very scientifically evolved. They are of the opinion that “during the early Rig Veda period we come across artisans, farmers, priests and warriors. Society was basically egalitarian. We do not have evidence of a deep-seated, institutionalised and hierarchical classification of people. Even during the later Vedic and Itihasic period, the idea of varna was in its nascent form and not rigidly dependent on birth. Artisans such as metal workers, chariot-makers and carpenters were not dependent on birth… were not necessarily birth based occupational jatis.”

Megasthenes is quoted as having said that slavery was unknown in India,  no Indian slave existed and all Indians were free. Greek writers refer to the Shudras as Sodrai and describe them as an important community of northwest India at the time of Macedonian king, Alexander (326 BCE). “This is contrary to the view  presented by modern scholars that Shudras and Dalits have been slaves since Vedic times.”

Manusmriti

It is a fashion these days to blame Manusmriti for creating the  present caste system. However, “The Manusmriti explains that jatis originated due to intermarriage between different varnas. This shows that different varnas did inter-marry. Thus, sixty-one jatis are mentioned in the Manusmriti and more than one hundred are mentioned in the Brahmavaivarta Purana… During the post Maurya period (187BCE-320CE) there were inter-marriages between different varnas and  jatis were giving birth to newer jatis.”

As per available information there is common agreement that birth based varna came after the Vedic period and untouchability came after Buddhism.  It can be seen that “Many rishis were born as non-Brahmins…Valmiki (author of the Ramayana) and Vyasa (author of Mahabharata, and editor/compiler of Vedas) and even the great sage, Vashista. They were all born in the lowest strata. Kalidasa, respected as the greatest Sanskrit poet, came from a humble and obscure origin.”

Dharmashastras and Manusmriti are accused of inculcating the  practice of untouchability. On the contrary, as per these texts persons following disapproved vocations (hunting, butchery etc.) became untouchables.

The authors try to analyse the core Hindu texts to prove that the modern scholarship has been unreliable and reductionist, and deserves to be contested.

[To be continued]

The post A timely book on caste system and politics-1 appeared first on Star of Mysore.

By R. Chandra Prakash

Title: Through The Broken Glass-An  Autobiography

Author: T.N. Seshan

Year: 2023

Pages:  350+

Price:     Rs. 795

Publisher: Rupa Publications Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi

[Continued from Dec.20]

T.N. Seshan was  aware  that elections had become a symbol of corruption. He records, “The practices and traditions of hol-ding and con-ducting elections were going down the wrong way; it had to stop somewhere, the Republic had to fight back.”

Seshan was conscious of the fact that as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) he was answerable to none except the Parliament, the Laws, the Courts and that he had to abide by the Constitution  if he were to pursue the goal of executing free and fair elections.  Therefore, within a day after his taking over as CEC Seshan in his press briefing  had said, “And a lot more needs to be done in almost every sphere of the electoral process, including the electoral rolls, polling stations, code of conduct and the role of civil servants and the polling personnel to make the elections foolproof.”

Cleaning the rot within

However, when Seshan visited the Election Commission of India (ECI) Office for the first time after taking over as CEC, the realisation dawned on him that he had to start the election  transformation process first from within, because of ‘the easy-going atmosphere, the stinking toilets and the broken furniture told him that a lot needed to be done first at the ECI itself! ECI had got inflicted by the overall work atmosphere prevailing in the country at that time.’

He was surprised to note that there was huge ‘overtime’ bill. He records, “I was more than certain that the amount of work done in the ECI did not require so much time that the staff need to do overtime. The overtime bill of the Commission dropped drastically from Rs.7 lakh to less than Rs.1 lakh per month after I took over. Similarly, the surprise checks helped in improving the general discipline. The house-keeping helped in sprucing up the work environment… A major bank had a branch in the premises of the Commission and it had accounts of all kinds of people not connected with the Commission. The fact that many people not connected with the Commission were visiting the body’s premises was not acceptable, as it undermined the Office’s discipline. Soon, in the place of that bank, another major bank set up a branch to serve the Commission and to its employees exclusively.”

The ECI uses the lent services of the  selected local Government employees for a short period  to carry out the gigantic task of conducting free and fair election. Till Seshan took over as CEC such borrowed staff hardly knew their full responsibilities or were hand-in-glove with local bosses, both political and others, or some did not hesitate even to refuse to accept these electoral duties. In a nutshell, the Commission was hamstrung in performing its duties effectively. Seshan had to  use all his experience of a successful bureaucrat in converting such recalcitrant group of Government employees  into a battle ready ECI army!

His autobiography is replete with examples of how he tamed unruly officials and trained them to be an effective election army. Within a short time, ECI started to make impact on electoral scenario of the country under his leadership. And politicians and political parties started to feel the unprecedented heat. That set in motion a  campaign against Seshan the CEC!

Reforms and Repercussions

Seshan was very clear that “The responsibility of CEC is not only to run the electoral process efficiently but also to identify and implement ways and means by which the electoral process would improve.” Since the State Governments were used to bulldoze their agendas during the elections, every step Seshan took led to confrontations and cases in various courts challenging the authority of the ECI. He realised that “The executive was trying to bully the ECI into a subservient position in relation to elections.”

Seshan recollects, “I had been cautioning the Government with two alternatives open to me: that I would stop all election processes; and two, that I would take the matter to court with suitable jurisdiction to obtain a decision on the matter.”

Soon the Tamil Nadu election provided Seshan with the opportunity to strike, which he did. Expressing his inability to carry out his constitutional duties as CEC due to lack of co-operation from the executive he declared that he is compelled to postpone the elections. Since such action was unexpected from the ECI, all the hell broke loose.

During this very time, as if providential, the Supreme Court in its judgment on 19th August 1993, relating to the State of J&K, upheld the steps taken by the ECI to reform the poll process. Looking back, Seshan felt that ‘his  electoral reforms, 2-19 August 1993, should be considered red-letter days in the history of the Commission. It was important because it clarified that the Constitutional scheme gave control to the ECI. Otherwise,  free and fair elections would not have been possible.

‘Sarcar’ hits back

Earlier to T.N. Seshan’s arrival at the ECI, his predecessors did not seem to have a proper understanding of the scope of the ECI’s autonomy. The Govern-ments, rather the political power-centres, had become addicted to  run the elections as per their whims. Therefore, the political power-groups prevailed upon the Government at the Centre to ‘clip  his (Seshan’s ) wings.’  And within a short period of the Supreme Court’s autonomy judgment on 19th August 1993, the Sarcar hit back at the ECI .

On 1st October 1993, an  Ordinance was passed appoi-nting additional two Election Commissioners at the ECI — G.V.G. Krishnamurty and Dr. M.S. Gill ! The Ordinance that enabled the appointment of the two Election Commissi-oners was called “The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Condition of Service) Ordi-nance. These appointments were justified by the Government on the ground of “to assist” Seshan in his work! Whereas Seshan himself felt that his workload at the ECI “took about 10 minutes in the morning and three minutes in the afternoon.” And the rest of any working  day he was free of any demand from the ECI’s Office,  he rather spent time ‘solving The Times of India crossword.’

Seshan fights it out

This new situation led to Seshan going to the Supreme Court to seek the equivalence of the CEC and the other Election Commissioners. On 15th November 1993, in its stay order on the Ordinance, the two-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court gave a relief to Seshan through its interim order by stating that: “…we direct that the Chief Election Commissioner shall remain in complete overall control of the Commission’s work…”

However, till the final deci-sion, which came only in 1995, he continued to provide the additional Commissioners necessary official facilities and involvement in the decision-making  process at ECI. But the several unsavoury incidents narrated in the book reflect very badly on the behaviour of some people appointed to an autonomous body like the ECI. The deliberations in the court, summarised by Seshan in  some  details, make very interesting reading. It becomes quite obvious that the ECI had become a proxy for the politicians who wanted to keep the manipulating power in the election processes.

Despite pin-pricks from additional Commissioners, executive obstructions from Government and legal challe-nges from politicians and political parties, Seshan continued his 360 degree election reforms. He cleaned up the laid-back and casual attitude of the staff within ECI and set standards for immediate actions. He created an aura of autonomy and self-restrained functioning within ECI.

He inculcated discipline among the executive staff on deputation for election work, from DMs, Police force to the last official at the booth-level. The power of ECI to discipline the erring Officer on election duties, which was established by the Supreme Court order of 19th August 1993, was set in motion by penalising those who treated the ECI orders casually.

EPIC and a strong foundation

His pet project was the issue of EPIC — Election Photo Identity Card. This was the time when except for the Passport Indians did not have any individual Id cards. The  cost-effective technology was not available and it was abhorred by the politicians and the parties as they feared a tight ECI control over the booths during the conduct of election. Entire abuse thus far at the booth- level, such as booth capturing, voter impersonation etc., would be impossible with EPIC! Later on EPIC became a game-changer in the election process. With the  introduction of Aadhaar now every Indian has at least two valuable personal identity cards.

In the annals of Indian democratic process, Seshan’s contributions have become strong foundation. He single-handedly bulldozed every impediment that came his way, be it executive processes or legal hurdles, he faced them head-on with full courage, his administrative acumen and experiences with political  class.

Prediction of post-1996 political scenario?!

The following quote sounds like Seshan had some premonition of things going to happen:

“My greatest agony was whatever changes I had made in the electoral process could be undone once I left the Office of the CEC. Whenever I had tried to get the Government to make systemic changes, I had met a stone wall. I almost thought this was done by the PM and his party deliberately. An indifferent successor could, in collusion with non-benign PM, take elections back to not only the joke they were, but even worse than they had been.”  The demand from certain political parties to bring back ‘voter slips’ and to do away with EVMs is very much in tune with Seshan’s fears.

A concurrent history

Seshan was a very vibrant and dynamic personality.  His biography reflects these qualities as also his intellectual sharpness. Looking back he felt his “Life has been great — stormy, but great.” Photographs of various stages in Seshan’s life enhance the utility of this autobiography. It is not only about his life, but is equally nation’s recorded concurrent history — a turbulent period of 1991-1996 which trans-formed the economic structure from planned economy to one of private sector driven one;  and  a period which challenged the very core political values of our democracy. However, no book review or for that matter not even an exhaustive autobiography itself, can do justice to the dynamic life of a Maverick that T.N. Seshan was.

[Concluded]

The post T.N. Seshan-Maverick in Action appeared first on Star of Mysore.

• Title:  “Hundred Years of Philosophy in Mysore University – An Overview”
• Editors : Dr. S. Venkatesh and Dr. V.N. Sheshagiri Rao
• Year:  2021
• Pages: 296
• Publisher:  Chairman, Department of Studies in Philosophy, University of Mysore, Manasagangothri, Mysuru- 570 006

By Gouri Satya, Sr. Journalist

The Department of Philosophy, University of Mysore, is as old as the University itself. The University was established on July 27, 1916. The Department came into existence the following year under the stewardship of Prof. A.R. Wadia.

Prof. Wadia had his higher education in Oxford and Cambridge. He reported to duty as Professor and Head of the Department on Jan. 1, 1917. Before that, there was a make-shift department                    with one tutor, Prof. Hiriyanna (1871-1950), widely known for his deep knowledge of Sanskrit.

After Prof. Wadia, Dr. Brajendranath Seal, a distinguished personality, became the Vice-Chancellor. He was himself a Professor of Philosophy and great Indologist from Calcutta and a classmate of Swami Vivekananda. He re-framed the Philosophy syllabus at the University.

Over a century, the Department has seen many stalwarts, who have brought fame to the Department and the University. They have taught hundreds of students in Philosophy, many of whom have contributed to the Indian thought of philosophy. Distinguished among them was none other than Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, who later became the President of India.

He joined the staff of the Department as an additional Professor. It was here that he wrote his book “Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore”. Within a short period of three years at the University, he took the Department to national and international fame.

The other learned teachers included Professors K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar, M.A. Venkata Rao, G. Hanumantha Rao, Y.J. Padmarajaiah, T.A. Purushottam, N.A. Nikam, M. Yamunacharya, H.N. Raghavendrachar, H.K. Raja Rao, C.V. Srinivasa Murthy, Muddalinganna, M.N. Narasimhan, A.D. Mendonza, S.S. Raghavachar, S. Rangachar, H.T. Shanta, K.B. Ramakrishna Rao, C. Parvathamma, G. Srinivasan, A.L. Shivarudrappa, D.L. Patil, Srinivasa Rao and many others.

To mark its hundred years, the Department conducted a three-day national seminar from March 22 to 24, 2018. It was inaugurated by Prof. S. L. Bhyrappa, former Professor of Philosophy and Saraswathi Samman awardee. The valedictory address was delivered by Prof. B. Sheik Ali, former Professor of History and former Vice-Chancellor of Mangalore and Goa Universities. Now the proceedings of the seminar have been brought out under the title, “Hundred Years of Philosophy in Mysore University – An Overview.” The book is edited by Dr. S. Venkatesh and Dr. V.N. Sheshagiri Rao.

Scholars were invited to present papers on various aspects of 100 years of Philosophy at the University. Reminiscing how he took up the study of Philosophy, Dr. Bhyrappa recalls, in his address, that Dr. Purushottam Naidu, who was the head of the joint Department of Philosophy and Sociology and also the Principal of Maharaja’s College, had a dislike for Philosophy. He called Dr. Bhyrappa and said, “Young man, your scores are excellent. But you may not know that Philosophy bakes no bread. Take Sociology. You will have a lot of job opportunities.”

Dr. Bhyrappa replied immediately, “Sir if Philosophy does not bake any bread, I will open a bakery and earn my bread. But I want to study Philosophy.” However, he later took to literature beginning with ‘Vamshavriksha’, finding perusing D Litt “dry” and creative literature “full of rasa.”

In his valedictory address, Prof. Sheik Ali spoke on the ‘History of Philosophy’ and analysed how Philosophy is related to history. “The Seminar is really history and created history in the University,” he remarked.

The book has nearly 50 papers presented by scholars, former students and relatives of the former Professors who served in the Department. They trace how the Professors of the Department enriched Philosophy by their thoughts and works. 

Prof. Yadurajan describes Prof. A.R. Wadia as the most humane and exemplary philosopher. Belief in Karma and reincarnation were basic to his philosophy of life. Prof. Radhakrishnan’s philosophy centred around mainly three concepts — spirit, religion and intuition. These were the key concepts of his philosophy, says Prof. V.N. Sheshagiri Rao.

Speaking about Prof. M. Hiriyanna, a towering intellectual who was called the saint of Maharaja’s College, Dr. Sibnath Sarma says Philosophy for Prof. Hiriyanna was a quest for perfection and a study of values. 

Acharya Brajendra Nath Seal, a multi-dimensional genius of India, made known Indian philosophy to the world at large, especially the West, where there was a misconception, explains Dr. Bhupendra Chandra Das. Speaking about Panditaratnam Lakshmipuram Srinivasacharya, Prof. V.N. Sheshagiri Rao says he was for seeking and doing equal justice to every Darshana. Prof. K.S. Yadurajan and Dr. N. Chinnaswamy describe Prof. K.R. Sreenivasa Iyengar as one of the most outstanding academic philosophers of 20th-century India. D. Krishna Murthy observes that Prof. G. Hanumantha Rao was a multi-faceted personality. He founded the Mysore University Prasaranga. G.H. Krishnamurthy, G.R. Shylaja and Bharati Kasaragod also made presentations about Prof. Hanumantha Rao and said he had underlined the need to bring harmony between Philosophy and Science.

According to Prof. M.A. Venkata Rao, says Dr. V.N. Sheshagiri Rao, there was a wealth of philosophical material in India waiting to be analysed and interpreted. H.R. Ramachandra observes that Prof. H.N. Raghavendrachar believed that Dvaita had a message of peace and goodness to the whole world which is riddled with anxiety, frustration and insecurity. Prof. K.B. Prabhu Prasad touches upon the contribution of Prof. T.A. Purushottam. While Dr. S. Shailaja Nikam writes about her father, Prof. N.A. Nikam and how he made an impact on her, Prof. V.K. Nataraj observes that the most significant achievement during his term as the Vice-Chancellor was making the new post-graduate campus, Manasagangothri, functional. “It is a pity that the University has not commemorated the contribution of Prof. Nikam appropriately,” he laments. Prof. V.N. Sheshagiiri Rao also recalls Prof. Nikam’s contribution to making Manasagangothri functional, a great milestone in the history of Mysore University.

M.S. Iyengar reminiscences about Prof. M. Yamunacharya. Prof. Yamunacharya was very close to Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, who invited him and celebrated his birthday. Prof. Yamunacharya assisted the Maharaja in writing his famous book, “The Philosophy of Dattatreya.” M. Govinda Prasad, Dr. D. Kumar and Prof. R. Vishweshwaran also spoke about Prof. Yamunacharya. Her father, Prof. C.V. Srinivasa Murthy, says Prof. C.S. Kamala, was a man of religious thoughts, but he was not for ritualistic practices. Prof. K.B. Prabhu Prasad writes, for Prof. H.K. Raja Rao Vedanta was as high as any other Western system of Philosophy. Dr. V.N. Sheshagiri Rao says Prof. S. Rangachar’s fields of interest were Ethics and Moral Philosophy. He also highlights the contribution of Prof. Y.J. Padmarajaiah. Prof. V. Muddalinganna is of the view that Vedic tradition is mostly a tradition of moral thought.

N.G. Mahadevappa describes Prof. S.S. Raghavachar as the “Modern Vacaspati Mishra.” Prof. Raghavachar’s knowledge was so vast he could speak on any of the Vedanta Darshana with authority, says Prof. V.N. Sheshagiri Rao. Prof. M.A. Jalihal describes Prof. L.V. Rajagopal’s keen interest in the study of A.N. Whitehead’s Philosophy which prompted him to produce a voluminous Ph.D thesis. Prof. M.V. Sridhara writes about some aspects of the English Mathematician and Philosopher, Whitehead. Shubhada recalls memories of her grandmother, Prof. H.T. Shanta, while Dr. V.N. Sheshagiri Rao highlights Prof. Shanta’s devotion to Bhagavata. Prof. R.I. Ingalalli chose the subject “The Eastern and Western View about Philosophical Scepticism,” while Prof. P.B. Bhat the “Nature of Metaphysical Statements.”

Describing Prof. M.N. Narasimhan as a “noble thinker, visionary and his communication was direct, clear and sharp,” M.K. Krishna says he had a unique love, Bhakti and faith in Acharya Bhagawad Ramanuja. Dr. H.M. Mallikarjunaswamy writes on the contribution of Prof. M.N. Narasimhan to Philosophy. K.R. Vijayalakshmi pays tributes to her father, Prof. K.B. Ramachandra Rao. Prof. Pradhan Gurudatt and Prof. U.A. Vinay Kumar also write about Prof. Ramachandra Rao, while K.V. Shivaswami on Prof. Ramakrishna Rao and Bhagavad Gita.

K.L. Padmini observes, according to Prof. Srinivasan, God is significant in any philosophical system. A philosopher needs God as the principle of explanation of coherence, regularity and orderliness which he finds in the universe. According to G.R. Nandan, Prof. Srinivasa Rao advocated the separation of religion from philosophy. He was of the opinion that interpretations coupled with religion were largely responsible for our (mis)understanding of schools of philosophy which continues unabated even today.

Others whose papers are included in the book are H.R. Shankaranarayana (about Prof. A. L. Shivarudrappa), Prof. Satyanarayana (Dr. C. Parvathamma), Prof. K.M. Poonacha (Prof. A.D. Mendonza), Dr. C.P. Ramasesh (Prof. D.L. Patil) and Dr. S. Venkatesh (V.N. Sheshagiri Rao).

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Title : Haruva Nari Mattu Itara Parisarada Kathegalu

Author : Dr. H.R. Sanjay

Year : 2022 (second print)

Pages : 134

Price : Rs. 180

Publisher : Kaveri Prakashana, Rajashekar Hospital, Mysuru

Mention birding, the name of renowned ornithologist Salim Ali pat flies through one’s mind, especially those who are aware of the internationally renowned ornithologist’s contributions to the world of winged friends, including in Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary in Srirangapatna taluk, Mandya. What was a rarely practiced hobby during the time of Salim Ali, later saw many taking to bird-watching in the country not just as a mere hobby but also for research purpose with a professional approach, with many wildlife NGOs pumped with enormous funds.

The City of Mysuru that has nurtured many birders in the past and continues to do so, has in its womb Kukkarahalli Lake that is still considered as the paradise of birds. Though it is replete with commonly found winged species called neighbourhood birds, it is still a delight to watch them flying in precision with their wings wide open, with the mirror image in water, a perfect shot for shutterbugs. Hadinaru, a village in Nanjangud taluk in the district, 20 kms away from Mysuru city, is still the itinerary of many avid bird-watchers, for the lake by the same name in the village attracting not just roosting birds, but also rarest migratory birds from faraway countries like Mongolia.

What brings all these to one’s mind is the latest work on diverse bird species ‘Haruva Nari Mattu Itara Parisarada Kathegalu’ by Dr. H.R. Sanjay, a doctor by profession and surgeon by specialisation. Dr. Sanjay showed his literary trait in Kannada with the release of this book in July 2021. As an evidence to his way of narration, like a freshly minted graduate eager to explore the world, Sanjay’s book met with a good response and saw its reprint in June 2022.

Haruva Nari, if loosely translated into Kannada means, flying fox. Here the writer is speaking about a species of bat found in India and also Karnataka that is addressed as  Haruva Nari in Kannada, but mentioned as ‘Painted Bat’ and ‘Salim Ali’s Fruit Bat’ in English.

The opening chapter titled  ‘Mareyalarada Neeli Hakki’ on Indian Roller aka Neel Kanth bird (in Karnataka) which is also our State bird, the pride shared along with Telangana and Odisha States, gives a glimpse of how the writer as a school-going boy was smitten by the colour of the bird, only to end up late at school, to suffer the bite of a dog by stepping on its tail. Neeli Hakki is ‘Neel Kanth bird’ meaning ‘blue throat bird’ in English.

The 16 chapters running into 134 pages have descriptions majorly on various species of birds and one chapter on Asian Palm Civet Cat, interspersed with his real life experiences that explain about his parents and siblings support in all his endeavours. But, it is only after poring over the chapters, will they be able to understand the meanings behind the titles of chapters like Pekara Hakki, Kur Kur Mama…!, Hakkigalu Swargavu, Haruva Nari, Hotteyalli Dani, Kalalli Kivi, Neladamele Nalku Mottegalu…

Dr. Sanjay has not only authored the book but has displayed his tryst with brush with colourful paintings of birds, along with Bhagyashri Patavardhan. A painting of various nests of birds hold mirror to the innate ability of the author for not missing out on the finer details of the bird world, all encompassed by nature.

—OSR

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When the f ive senses and the mind are still, and reason itself rests in silence, then begins the Path supreme.

This calm steadiness of the senses is called Yoga. Then one should become watchful, because Yoga comes and goes.

—Katha Upanishad

Title : Yoga Arogya Jyothi

Author : S. Sudesh Chandra

Year : 2022

Pages : 168

Price : 150

Publisher : Sri Upanishat Yoga Kendra Trust, Kuvempunagar

These days, Yoga is considered as one of the alternative medicines like Ayurveda, Unani, Homeopathy etc., for universally accepted and preferred medicine Allopathy. Yoga, in fact has also a spiritual side to it. It is assumed that the practice of Yoga will take one closer to the divine as in the case of Suryanamaskara which is part of Yoga practice and asanas.

Therefore, it is not surprising there is mushrooming of Yoga Schools with classes conducted by Yoga Gurus all over the world though it originated from India as an ancient religious practice which did good to one’s body, mind and soul.

In Mysuru city, Yoga found its place as an important centre because of a number of Yoga Gurus residing here and imparting knowledge of Yoga as a discipline of life for good health and seeking                   spiritual truth.

The most famous names among Yoga Gurus in city are late K. Pattabhi Jois, Sharath Jois, Dr. K. Raghavendra Pai, Yogacharya Dr. P.N. Ganesh Kumar among others and this legacy is being continued by so many others.

No wonder, foreigners were making a beeline to learn the art and skill of Yoga at the feet of these Yoga Gurus, thus making Mysuru in a sense a city that earned good foreign exchange                                   through Yoga.

One of the books on Yoga published recently in Kannada is ‘Yoga Arogya Jyothi,’ written by Yoga Master S. Sudesh Chandra.

The book describes various types of Yogasanas numbering 21. It takes the reader into various other related aspects of Yoga that will benefit Yoga practitioners. Interestingly, the book also mentions different advantages derived from  several asanas. — OSR

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• Title: Dakshin: South Indian Myths And Fables Retold
• Author: Nitin Kushalappa
• Pages: 252
• Price: Rs.206
• Publisher: Puffin Books

By C.P. Belliappa

Reading the compendium of fifteen South Indian fables retold by Mookonda Nitin Kushalappa will transport the reader to a wonderous world of fairy tales full of angels, demigods, kings, queens, talking animals, birds, insects and the ubiquitous villains.

Nitin has carefully selected the stories from popular folklore with their origins in Southern India.  He has given the book the title – Dakshin – which is most appropriate. These fables are several centuries old and have been passed from generation to generation by grandparents, parents, and the professional story-tellers of yore.  I am sure, every time a story is narrated it would have undergone some changes, additions and further fantasy added on.  In retelling these stories, Nitin has given them a new flavour with his distinctive writing style. 

Each of the stories takes the reader on a whirlwind of fantasy.  As the story builds up you get drawn into phantasmagoria of the fable. By the time the story peaks the reader is drawn into the vortex of the tale wondering what comes next.  Every story invariably has an unexpected ending. And every story has a moral. The book is targeted at children nine years and older.  It’s a collection that can be enjoyed by young adults, adults, and senior citizens as well. 

The book is richly illustrated by Pari Satarkar.  There are four stories from Nadikerianda Chinnappa’s Pattole Palame, enhanced with the protagonists in Kodava attire, that will warm the hearts of Kodavas. 

I was very happy to read the inclusion of the story of Punyakoti which I am sure will bring childhood memories to those of my generation.  My mother used to sing this ballad to us when we were young.

Dakshin, published by Puffin Books (Penguin Random House), has already topped the charts on several platforms.  There are rave reviews of the book by the young and old.  The book is on its way to becoming a classic.  Hearty congratulations to Nitin.  I am sure he has many more tales to tell.            

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Title : Bhyrappanavara Krithigalalli Taytanada Teregalu

Author :  Prof. L.V. Shantakumari

Page s: 144

Price : Rs.175

Publisher:  Sahitya Bhandara, Bengaluru

By Prof. G.L. Shekar

Bhyrappanavara Krithigalalli Taytanada Teregalu,’ authored by Prof. L.V. Shantakumari, a critic and a translator, is a critical work that salutes motherhood delineated in its myriad forms and manifestations in Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa’s novels.

Joys and sorrows of motherhood, the power of creation, protection and destruction of motherhood are powerfully portrayed in these works.

While the short story  ‘Gatajanma’ written by Bhyrappa in his teenage expresses the helplessness of an uneducated, economically dependent mother who cannot protect her daughter in some novels, we get the picture of mothers-to-be,who have to terminate their pregnancy owing to personal, social and other pressures. Here, the mothers-to-be are educated and are shown how they can live economically independent.

Savitri of ‘Sakshi’, Manohari Das of ‘Mandra’ and Amrita of ‘Anchu’ are some examples. Mother like Lakku turns revenge incarnate, when she knows Manjayya has seduced her daughter Latha. Motherhood here transformed itself as savior of all innocent girls from vicious clutches of diabolic beings like Manjayya. We are made to witness that trial and the tribulations, agony and pains, joys and responsibilities of motherhood from Katyayani of ‘Vamshavriksha’ to Sita of ‘Uttarakanda’.

Prof. L.V. Shantakumari, who has enriched the Kannada language through her many-splendoured literary works, has delved into the novels of Dr. Bhyrappa in such a depth that when we read ‘Yugasakshi’ and ‘Pratibhana’, we feel that the characters of the novels converse with her and empty their hearts to her. The same insight has worked in the writing of ‘Taytanada Teregalu’ as well. 

She has unveiled a fascinating world of different facets of motherhood through Bhyrappa’s works. Her keenness in understanding the conflicts of motherhood has covered a wide spectrum of mothers starting from seemingly unimportant and a nameless mother of ‘Gatajanma’ to the most powerful, magnanimous mother, Kunti of ‘Parva’. She brings out with examples the warmth, dedication, affection, sacrifice and strength of mothers and at the same time throws light on the evils a motherhood does to the society when it gets possessed by selfishness. A totally convincing depiction makes the book an enjoyable and thought provoking reading.

‘Taytanada Teregalu’ book was released recently by Shatavadhani Dr. R. Ganesh at Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs, Bengaluru in the presence of Dr. Bhyrappa, Dr. Chandrashekhara Kambara and Dr. S.R. Ramaswamy. The 144-page book, published by Sahitya Bhandara, Bengaluru, is priced at Rs.175.

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The Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP), which was formed in Mysuru in the year 1989, has been active in the cause of providing quality civic services to Mysuru’s about 15 lakh citizens. During its 34 years of service to the community as an NGO, there is hardly an area that MGP has not touched and helped the community with better service and infrastructure.

At present Mr. Sreeshail Ramannavar is the President of an eight-member Executive Committee of MGP. The Working President is Mrs. Sobana Sambasivan, a retired Professor, Secretary is Sridhar Gundappa Gowda and Treasurer Mr. S.V. Shankar, a retired Bank Officer. MGP at present is said to have more than 600 members, though a majority of them are silent members. Their philosophy is in the good-old saying ‘Consumer is the King.’ Naturally, it will promote good governance for Mysureans.

Dr. Bhamy Shenoy, the Founding-President of MGP, has brought out a small booklet of 32 pages with photographs titled ‘MGP – A Retrospect.’ He says, “This book gives a brief account of the various projects that MGP took ever since it was formed in 1989 saving parks, preserving lakes, saving Chamundi Hills, greening and cleaning Mysuru, dropping Chamalapura coal power plant, reforming power sector, prevention of food adulteration, fighting against corruption, improving water supply and sewage handling system etc.”

The objective of writing this booklet, according to him, is to inspire the MGP members to take more interest in the activities of MGP by involving themselves personally whenever a call comes for action.

The booklet is a pictorial history of MGP and its journey in the service of Mysureans in the past 34 years. Rightly, the booklet is dedicated to Dr. H.A.B. Parpia, who was one of the first members of MGP. Late Dr. H.A.B. Parpia was the Director of CFTRI and lived in Mysuru till his last days. He was a committed social worker, deeply involved specially on matters connected with road safety and traffic control and education to the poor  and the downtrodden. He was one of the guiding forces of MGP along with Maj.Gen. (Retd.) Sudhir Vombatkere. There are also other distinguished persons whom Dr. Bhamy Shenoy has mentioned in the booklet.

One important annual activity of MGP was holding the World Consumer Day for which senior Government Officers would be invited. Food adulteration was another cause and the parks that are badly maintained in different parts of the city is also in its focus. MGP had even started a mouthpiece newsletter in its early days to educate the consumers about their rights and responsibilities. The booklet puts on record various causes it has fought over the years.

It had taken up the cause of making our city plastic-free with a slogan ‘Say No to Plastic,’ but does not seem to have succeeded. However, it has created awareness about the adverse ecological effect as a result of using the plastic bags, plastic bottles etc.

There was a time when Mysuru won the national award as one of the cleanest cities in India. Sadly, Mysuru has lost its place and cities like Indore, which were nowhere in the picture, are getting the recognition as clean cities. Whatsoever it be, Dr. Bhamy Shenoy’s effort in bringing out this booklet will yield result only if it is distributed among all its members, who in turn should distribute it to the residents in their respective layouts and areas.

The booklet is priced as ‘Suggested Donation’ at Rs. 40 and those who wish to have it can contact the MGP Office at No. 6/1, Vivekananda Road, Yadavagiri, Mysuru – 570002 or call Ph: 0821-2515150. —OSR

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Kala Kaustubha’, a book on the life and contributions of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Mysore T. Chowdiah, his compositions with notations and photographs, authored by SOM music critic     Dr. Padmavathi Narasimhan will be released at a programme to be held on Sunday, 26th February at Nityotsava Convention Centre, Krishnamurthypuram, at 11 am. Renowned musician Chitraveena N. Ravikiran will release the book. Senior mridangist A.V. Anand will preside. Dr. Anasuya Kulkarni, senior disciple of T. Chowdiah, will speak about the book. Prior to the book release event, Vidu. Jyotsna Manjunath, who is the only seven stringed violinist today, will give a violin recital at 10.30 am.

Tirumakudalu Chowdiah was a gifted violinist and a legend in the realm of Karnatak music. He was at the forefront of establishing a bridge between musicians of the Mysore State and Madras (Chennai). When the Chowdiah Memorial Hall in Bangalore, built in the shape of a violin, was named after him, it was for the first time a musician in India had received such an honour.

Born to Agastye Gowda and Sundaramma in Tirumakudalu, a town 30 kms from Mysuru where the rivers Kaveri and Kapila merge, Chowdiah’s childhood was spent on the banks of these rivers, in the lush green fields and in the temples of Agasthyeshwara and Narasimha. Chowdiah learnt music from Gaanavisharada Bidaram Krishnappa, a vocalist and composer, who was an Asthana Vidwan (court musician) of the Mysore Royal Court.

His first public appearance, at the age of 17, was purely by chance as the violinist intended for the concert failed to turn up. Bidaram Krishnappa asked Chowdiah to accompany him on stage and he rose to the occasion and made a mark. From then on, Chowdiah was a regular accompanist to leading vocalists of the day. During a concert in Madras in early 1920, Chowdiah accompanied the leading vocalist of the day, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, with his guru amongst the audience. Thereafter, he accompanied maestros like Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Musiri Subramaniya Iyer, Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, G.N. Balasubramaniam, Alathur Brothers and others. Chowdiah’s dedication and devotion towards Karnatak music made him a renowned violinist. Under the guidance of his guru, he reached great heights. In addition to being a sought-after accompanist, Chowdiah was a soloist as well and his concerts attracted large crowds.

Innovative artiste

During concerts, he observed that people who sat in the back rows could not hear his recital properly and this was due to the fact that during his time, sound amplification devices were non-existent. To overcome this shortcoming, he developed an innovative idea and added three more strings to his four-stringed violin, and began to practice on it. From then onwards in all his concerts he used his improvised violin.

His guru however was unaware about Chowdiah’s endeavour. Eventually when his guru discovered his innovation, he was reportedly very angry. However on Veena Seshanna’s intervention his guru relented and later appreciated Chowdiah’s innovation. The sonorous sound of the seven-stringed violin gave volume to the concert, which was in part responsible for making Chowdiah a sought-after accompanist to the stalwarts.

Administrator, composer

His guru nurtured a wish to open a higher institute of music and in order to fulfill his guru’s wishes, Chowdiah established the Ayyanar College of Music with the help and support of K. Puttu Rao. The College has trained hundreds of exceptional vocalists and instrumentalists and even blind students over the years. The College functioned out of the premises of Bidaram Krishnappa’s Prasanna Seetha Rama Mandira, the construction of which Chowdiah helped complete. He produced a film, Vani (1943) in which he acted in a dual role and for which he also directed the music.

Chowdiah composed nearly 50 compositions, mainly krithis and thillanas, under the pen name Trimakuta. The compositions are in Kannada, Telugu and Sanskrit languages and in well-known ragas. He was awarded the prestigious Sangeetha Kalanidhi title by the Madras Music Academy in 1957. He was awarded the Fellowship of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi in the same year. Chowdiah passed away in 1967 at age 72. He remains one of the greatest musicians of Karnataka, and indeed one of the great legends of Karnatak classical music.

Till date, there have only been two books on the compositions of T. Chowdiah. First of these is a publication of the University of Mysore, edited by Chowdiah’s prime disciple Prof. V. Ramaratnam and the second publication is by another disciple Dr. Anasuya Kulkarni. Both these books are in Kannada. The need of the hour is that his compositions reach the global audience. It is hoped that ‘Kala Kaustubha’, containing the English notations of the compositions and his life, serves to fill this gap and reaches students, aspirants and connoisseurs all over the world.

‘Kala Kaustubha’, authored by Dr. Padmavathi Narasimhan, includes the life and biography of T. Chowdiah with interesting anecdotes and some rare photographs, a detailed description of his innovation — the seven stringed violin — the violinists who played the seven stringed violin during Chowdiah’s period and afterwards and an elaborate analysis of each of his 33 available compositions with notations. All the compositions are given with meaning and notations. The readers who are curious about the literary value of the compositions can look into the meanings. Students of music and musicians can learn the compositions and present them on platforms. It is hoped that the book serves the interest of a wide range of music enthusiasts.—OSR

Vidushi Dr. Padmavathi Narasimhan, who has done her Ph.D on the life and contributions of T. Chowdiah, has authored an authentic book on the life and compositions of Chowdiah. She has studied the compositions in depth and explained in a simple way so that any reader can easily understand her analysis. Her analysis of compositions provides a fine window to understand the depth of Chowdiah’s knowledge of lyrics, Ragas and Talas. As she has chosen to present this monumental work in English, it can reach sangeetha rasikas globally.”

— R.K. Padmanabha, Senior Musician, who has written the Preface for the book ‘Kala Kaustubha.’

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