VIDYARTHI BHAVANA

By

 

VIDYARTHI BHAVANA

AS DRAMA…..

Yesterday I witnessed this drama. 

Vidyarthi Bhavana, well known for its ‘masala dosa’ is the favourite of we Bengalureans, especially for those who are from South Bengaluru. A drama developed on the hotel itself is probably a rare innovation. 

Believe me, the central character of the drama is MASALA DOSA itself, played by the versatile actor Sihikahi Chandru. Draped in the attire of a masala dosa, he steals the show. Dosa’s interaction with its owner and the head cook initiates the drama. 

Masala dosa declares that I’m a ‘yogi’, as per the theory PUNARAPI JANANAM, PUNARAPI MARANAM! Dosa takes its birth on the hot plate and its life ends inside stomach of customers. Dosa, the favourite of customers, irrespective of caste, creed and religion declares that I’m truly SECULAR. 

The stories of BasavanaGUDI, Gandhi bazar and Vidyarthi bhavan itself are all well narrated in the beginning part. 

Street vendors who are part and parcel of Gandhi bazar enthral the audience with a well composed dance. 

Vidyarthi bhavan has provided its delicious masala dosas to a galaxy of personalities like KAILASAM, NISSAR AHMED, MASTI, RAJKUMAR, ADIGA, BELAGERE, C ASWATH, YNK etc etc. All these characters as guests of the hotel are brought on the stage. Their thoughts, mannerisms are all well knitted in the form of interesting drama scenes. 

Who has drawn the caricatures of illustrious personalities that adore the walls of the hotel? It is one Subbaraya, who is also an employee of the hotel. The character of subbaraya too is a part of the drama. 

Generations of Customers of the hotel are nostalgic about their unique experiences with the hotel. Hotel has retained its age old form to maintain its originality. 

This hotel has also provided the meeting place for generations of romantic pairs!  An instance of such a pair who meet a happy ending is also brought in the drama. 

Overall the story of Vidyarthi Bhavan is brought as a hilarious drama, taking us down the memory lane and reminding us about the uniqueness of the hotel and BasavanaGUDI and its rich culture. 

Those who have missed, may please wait for the next shows!

18 Rahasyas of Ramayana

 

Ramayana, the greatest of Indian epics is well known to all of us.  Can there be 18 unknown secrets (Rahasyas) in this great epic, not known to most of us?  The answer is surprisingly 'yes!' Let us examine a few.

Did Rama have a sister?

The instant answer is 'no.' But Rama had an elder sister by name 'Shantha.'  Shantha was the daughter of King Dasharatha and Kausalya. But Dasharatha had given his daughter to King Romapada and his wife Varshini, who was the sister of Kausalya.  Later on Shantha was married to Sage Rishyashrunga, who was the chief of mentor for Dasharatha's Putrakamesti Yaga.

Did Rama award death-punishment to Laxman?

The answer is 'yes.' Once during the rule of Lord Rama, Yamadharma had come to his palace for a secret discussion.  Laxman was asked to be guarding the door, preventing any one who tries to enter.  Rama had strictly told Laxman that the punishment for any one who enters his chamber was 'death-punishment.'  When Laxman was guarding the doors, ferocious sage Durvasa came and wanted to meet Rama.  When Laxman denied him entry, Durvasa became furious and told he will curse the entire Kingdom of Ayodhya.  Worried Laxman who wanted welfare of Ayodhya first, decided to take the blame on himself.  He entered Rama's chamber and told him about Durvasa's arrival. Left with no option, Rama was duty bound to punish Laxman with death.  Reluctant Rama consulted his guru Vasist, who advised that giving up relationship is as good as death punishment.  But Laxman was not prepared to live without having relationship with Ram and therefore chose death as his punishment.  He left this world by walking deep inside the river Sarayu.

About 1000 different authors all over the world have written Ramayan and therefore there are 1000 versions of Ramayan.  In one version written by Kannada poet Kuvempu, Manthara was very fond of child Rama.  One day, when Ram started crying relentlessly, demanding moon, mother Kausalya and the entire staff of Palace were clueless, how to pacify child Ram.  At this stage it was Manthara, who pacified child Ram by showing moon's reflection in a bowel of water!  When she wanted to embrace child Ram, it was Kausalya who pushed her aside as she didn't want ugly and deformed Manthara to touch her child. Manthara felt insulted and waited for her turn to punish Ram and Kausalya. 

In another version of Ramayana written by a 'sulagitti (midwife),' the midwife who had performed duty while Kausalya delivered Ram, had demanded a 'golden sickle' for herself, for cutting the umbilical cord (navel string)!

Two days ago, it was the young religious scholar Sri Dushyant Sridhar who delivered a 'pravachana' on 18 Rahasyas of Ramayan at the 84th Ramanavami festival, Chamarajpet, Bengaluru.  But his set of 18 rahasyas were quite different.  Being a scholar he explained that all 'Vidyas,' like Vedas, Vyakarana, Ayurveda, Jyothisya, Shakuna are contained in Ramayan.  As per him, in Valmiki Ramayana even Buddhism is referred accommodating those who defied 'Sanatana Dharma!'  The young scholar who is just 36, knows almost all 24000 shlokas of Valmiki Ramyana by heart and can quote them at will.  A linguist who has command over English, Kannada and Tamil is an ardent advocate of 'sanatana dharma' and our epics. Being a chemical engineering graduate from BITS, Pilani, he is versatile and can correlate Ramayan with modern life and management.  

Little earlier, at the same venue, we heard the young 'harikatha exponent' Smt. Vishaka Hari who delivered a Harikastha on Ramayana.  Born in a family of musicians, she is an expert singer of Carnatic music and could have made a place for herself in singing alone. Moreover she is a qualified Chartered Accountant with a first rank.  But she has chosen the Harikatha route to enthrall the audience with her oratory and musical skills.  Supported by a full fledged team of accompaniments, she was once more a delight to watch. Her forte is melodious singing of Tyagaraja's pancharatna kritis and her ability to give pauses to explain the essence of the phrases. She can quote from Dixitar and Shyama Sastri at will, besides singing poems from Tulsidas. On that day she narrated the entire Ramayan and its relevance to frailties of human character with sumptuous quotes from Pancharatna Kritis. No wonder, she is rated above other religious speakers, because of her excellent singing, oratory and appropriate body language (she is trained dancer too).

As a concluding remark on this month long Ramanavami music festival which was celebrated throughout our Country, we can only pray Lord Rama to bless us with more and more musicians and orators who can convey the message of Rama to different corners of the world.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 

From
Lakshminarayana K                                                                                   DATED 19TH APRIL, 2022

104, 2nd Main, Shreyas Colony

JP Nagar 7th Phase

Bengaluru 560 078

To

Regional Transport Officer

Yeshvantpur

Bengaluru

Dear Sir/Madam

Sub: 1.SALE OF MY CAR KA04ME9353 TO CARS24 ON 15 02 2022

         2.SOLD CAR CONTINUES IN MY NAME EVEN TODAY

         3.FEAR OF SOLD CAR BEING MISUSED

         4.SOLD CAR NOT IN THEIR 'SALE INVENTORY' TODAY

1.I sold my car KA04 ME 9353 to CARS24 (various addresses in Bengaluru and H.O. at 10th Floor, Tower B, Unitech Cyber Park, Sector 39, GURUGRAM - 122003, Haryana) on 15th Feb 2022 for a price of Rs.1,60,842.  On same date, they have credited the sale price to my SB A/c and took possession of my car along with all documents and sale papers (blank).

ON SAME DAY, 15 02 2022, I HAVE INTIMATED YOUR OFFICE ABOUT THE SALE OF MY CAR BY REGISTERED POST AND I HAVE RECEIVED YOUR ACK ON 22.02.2022.

2.Even after more than two months, the said car  continues in my name as on today.

3.On 1st of April 2022, I have received a notice from Bengaluru Traffic Police saying that the said car was wrongly parked at a zebra crossing,  causing traffic rules violation on 20th March 2022 and I was asked to pay a fine of Rs.1000.  On contacting CARS24, they said they have cleared the fine and car is not yet sold. THERE IS FEAR THAT THE SOLD CAR MAY BE, BEING MISUSED BY SOMEBODY OR THE COMPANY IS NEGLIGENT IN THIS MATTER.

4.STRANGELY THE SAID CAR IS NOT AMONG THE INVENTORY OF 'CARS FOR SALE' IN THEIR APP AS ON TODAY.

I humbly request you to take suitable action in the matter.  

Thanks & Regards

Lakshminarayana K

Mobile Number 98455 62603

KASHI CORRIDOR CALLING!

There is an unprecedented rush to visit Kashi.  Devotees interest is more than doubled to see Kashi once again, after Modiji's dream project of Kashi Corridor linking the sacred Visvanath temple to the Ganga river. 

My Kashi tour started with a holy dip in the Triveni sangam of Prayagraj (erstwhile Allahabad). Thereafter we moved towards Kashi. Kashi which means the 'city of lights' in Sanskrit is also called by the name 'Varanasi,' a name which is derived from Varuna and Assi, the two tributaries of Ganga which flow around the city.  We entered Kashi temple through the Shankaracharya Gate and our long long queue was 

all along the labyrinthine by-lanes of old Kashi. Only after crawling for about 300 meters in the queue we could have a glimpse of the rear side of the grand Kashi Corridor, which is enhancing the glory of the Kashi temple. No discerning eye can miss the glaring view of Gyanvapi mosque built 

by the invader Aurangazeb, after destroying the Visvanath temple. The mosque which is now a specially protected area is just 20 feet away from the Visvanath temple.  A cursory glance from the queue itself is enough to understand that the mosque is built over the Kashi temple. 

It was only through the humble efforts of Rani Ahilya Bhai Holkar, (see her statue above inside the Kashi Corridor) that the structure of Kashi temple is in its present form, after the destruction caused by Aurangazeb.  

After Rani Ahilya's renovation, Maharaja Ranjit Singh donated one ton of gold to the Kashi temple for giving a golden coat to the towers of the temple.

Next day we took a boat ride towards the other side of the holy river Ganga and took a holy dip.  Thereafter we marched towards the main entrance of the grand Kashi 

Corridor. This project now consists of 23 buildings including tourist facilitation centre, temple museum and a food court. Escalators are also planned for the benefit of senior citizens.

About 1400 families were rehabilitated and 300 buildings were taken over to build this huge corridor which has now provided 5 lakh sq.ft. of space to the devotees when compared to the earlier 3000 sq.ft. With this vast corridor, Kashi temple can now accommodate almost 1 lakh pilgrims. During the process of demolition many small ancient temples were discovered and all of them are restored to their original form inside the corridor. 

Towards the evening it was time for 'Ganga Aarti.' The aarti venue is the Dashashwamedha Ghat.  We viewed aarti from the river side by 

taking a seat on a boat.  Mesmerizing Ganga Aarti is a daily event witnessed by thousands of pilgrims.  This hour long program is one more attraction for the visiting tourists. After Ganga Aarti we went on one more boat ride on Ganga river enjoying the night view of various Ghats.  Human body cremation still goes on in Harischandra 

and Manikarnika Ghats.  This is for keeping the age old tradition and honoring beliefs of our people.  Still I vouch, Ganga as we saw in Varanasi, is Clean.

Next day we visited other temples including the Kala Bhairava Mandir, Annapoorna Mandir, Vishalakshi Mandir and Sankat Mochan Mandir. Later on it was time for visiting the nearby Saranath, wherein Buddha taught Buddhist principles to five of his trusted disciples. Kashi visit can't be complete without walking through the lanes of the famous Banaras Hindu University.

History has recorded that Acharya Tulsidas wrote his 'Ramacharita Manas' on the banks of the river Ganga in Kashi.  Saint Kabir and Saint Ravidas are other historic personalities associated with Kashi.

Other famous personalities associated with Varanasi include Bismilla Khan (Shehnai), Pandit Ravishankar (Sitar), Girija devi (Vocal), Birju Maharaj (Dancer), Krishna Maharaj (Tabla).

Nearby Ayodhya is one more pilgrimage attraction for devotees.  After a long battle of about 500 years, Supreme Court judgment dated 9th Nov 2019 provided the relief and paved way for the construction of Ram Temple at the very site of Ram's birth.

Work at the Ram Janmabhoomi site is in full swing.  The temple will be built over a site measuring 70 acres, will be having a height of 161 feet and includes five domes. About 17000 granite stones have arrived from Bansi Paharpur, Rajasthan.  Red stone carvings are already complete and are just awaiting the assembly of the structure.  The whole construction complex is now a high security zone. Construction of the Ram temple is expected to be complete by 2024.

Other temples of religious importance in Ayodhya include Hanuman Garhi, Nageswarnath temple, Sita Ki Rasoi and Kanak Bhavan temple (see pic below).  Kanak Bhavan temple is believed to be the  

gift of Mata Kaikayee to Sita on the occasion of her marriage. 

Sarayu Aarti in Ayodhya which is also a daily event is less crowded and its watch is a more satisfying experience.  

Bodhgaya, near Gaya is one more tourist attraction.  It's the place where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment while doing 'tapas' under the Bodhi tree.  The present Bodhi tree which is said to be

of fourth generation is just behind the Buddha temple. The Mahabodhi temple was built by Emperor Ashoka at the very site of Buddha's enlightenment and therefore is the most important pilgrimage centre for Buddhists. The 180 feet temple was further constructed by Kings who patronized Buddhism.  Although the temple was destroyed during Muslim rulers, the glory of the temple is restored by the efforts of renovation during the previous century. 

At a small cost of about Rs.32,000 per person (onward AC train and return by flight) we have completed our Kashi Yatra including Prayagraj (1 day), Ayodhya (1 day), Varanasi 3 days), Gaya-Bodhgaya (2days), Debogarh  (Jyothirlinga-2 days), Patna-Rajgir-Nalanda (2 days).  Needless to say that India is the world's cheapest and the most exciting tourist centre.  Still it needs improvement infrastructure and management to make India a comfortable tourist destination. 

We travelled on our own.  Thanks to irctc and makemytrip sites, we could pre-book all travel and stay facilities.  Travelling on own, although tedious enables better management of places and leisure.  Still for seniors I feel travelling with well known tourist agencies is better.

I wish you all pleasurable time and a successful and blissful Kashi Yatra in the days to come.

(Tips:

1. By searching google using the train number, one can locate the platform of arrival, the position of bogies and the arrival time of all trains.  An app called 'Where is my train?' can be downloaded which will provide a comprehensive help.

2. People are expected to carry 2-3 suitcases/bags.  Writing down a list of 'where is what' will save a lot of time and search irritation.

3. Carry less cash. Make better use of payment apps and cards.  Keep cash in 2-3 places.

4. 2 complete sets of daily tablets  may be carried in different baggage.)

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 

  

 

 

 

Who destroyed Nalanda University?

Last week,  I visited 'remains of ancient Nalanda University' accidentally.  My '9-day long Kashi Yatra' was to end at Patna.  But the postponement of my flight opened the doors of a fruitful 'detour' towards the remains of ancient Nalanda University. It was just  2.5 hours drive from Patna.

'Nalanda' is not the oldest university in India. More than 1000 years before Nalanda, ancient India could boast of the glorious 

'Takshashila University,' the remains of which are presently in Rawalpindi, Pak. The city of Takshashila was built by Ramayan's Bharata in the name of his son Taksha.  Illustrious students from this university include Panini (Grammarian), Charaka (Physician) and Chanakya (Economist).

History of Nalanda goes back to the days of Mahavira and Buddha in 6th Century B.C. 'Nalanda Mahavihara,' regarded as one of the greatest universities of ancient world was founded by Kumaragupta (5th Century AD) of the Gupta dynasty. The name 'Nalanda' is derived from three Sanskrit words, Nal + alam + daa, which means 'non-stop gift of knowledge.'  King Harshavardhana of Kannauj (7th Century AD) and the Pala Kings of East India (8th-12th Century AD) continued to extend patronage to this center. 

Celebrated Chinese travelers, Huen Tsiang and I-Tsing have

extensively described about this great Buddhist institution as the learning center for subjects like Theology, Grammar, Logic, Astronomy, Metaphysics, Medicine and Philosophy. The university 

had about 2000 teachers teaching more than 10,000 students. They have described Nalanda as the first ever residential university of the world. Illustrious personalities associated with Nalanda include greats like Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Vasubandhu who took Buddhism to far off countries like Srilanka, China and other South-East Asian countries.

Excavations conducted during 20th Century AD, have revealed about the methodically developed ancient Nalanda University campus 

spread over 50 acres of land, the remains of which could be seen even now. The decline of this great institution started in later Pala period, but the final blow came in around 1200 AD by the invasion of Bakhtiyar Khilji.  Khilji frustrated by the absence of booty to loot, killed many Buddhists monks and scholars.  He is also said to have burnt copper sheets on which the scholars had recorded their centuries of research work.  Present day locals narrate that the process of burning continued for more than six months.

Earlier to this the Bodhgaya temple near Nalanda, where Buddha attained divine enlightenment was destroyed by Muslim invaders in 

the 11th century. However as seen in the above picture, the temple is restored back to almost to its original glory during the 20th century.

Decline of Nalanda University almost triggered the extinction of Buddhism from its land of birth India. But a town by name Bhaktiyarpur named after the Nalanda invader still exists as a Vidhana Sabha constituency near Nalanda and Bodhgaya! Ironically present day Buddhists (read China and many Buddhists) are teaming with the descendants (read extremist Muslim forces) of their erstwhile invaders.

Government of India has taken initiative (2010) to install a modern 

Nalanda University very much near to the erstwhile ruins. It's an international university engaged in higher studies of Buddhism, Hinduism, Environment, History and Management sciences.

All those visiting Kashi, may take this small 'detour' to know about the ancient Nalanda University and its glorious past.

-0-0-0-0-0-

 

 

KASHI YATRA 2022 FINAL

Nalanda University remains

Nalanda University Remains

Ancient Learning Centre

Nalanda

Kashi Yatra - 20th to 31st March 2022

Waiting for darshan at Debogarh

At Gaya performing Shraddha

With Bodhgaya Guide

Debogarh Hotel

Waiting for darshan at Debogarh

Debogarh Temple

Rajgir Buddhist Stupa

Nalanda

Xuan Sang Memorial, Nalanda

Cable Car to Buddhist Stupa, Rajgir

Xuan Sang, Nalanda

Vishwashanthi Buddhist Stupa, Rajgir

Xuan Sang Memorial, Nalanda

Mahaveera Birthplace, Kundalappura

Vishwashanthi stupa, Rajgir

Ropeway to Shanti stupa

Entrance Shanti stupa, Rajgir

Cable car

Shanti stupa enclosure, Nalanda

Xuan sang

Xuan sang memorial Nalanda

Hotel, Patna

Patna Museum

Patna nuseum

Patna Museum

DEbogarh temple entrance

Patna Museum

Patna Museum

Jasidih Rly Station on way to Debogarh

Debogarh Temple

Patna Museum

Bodhgaya

Patna Museum

Saranath

Buddha with this 5 disciples

Japanese Collaborated Convention Centre at Varanasi

City Corporation, Varanasi

Martyrs memorial park, City Corporation

Varanasi Rly Station

Ganga river

Rly Station, Varanasi

Rly Station, Varanasi

Sarayu Aarati., Ayodhya

Ganga Snana, Varanasi 

Rly station, Varanasi

At Benaras Hindu Univ, Varanasi

with the artist Sri Ram Gupta

Saranath

Birla Mandir, BHU, Varanasi

Birla Mandir, Varanasi

Saranath

BHU, Varanasi

Saranath

Saranath

Kashi Corridor, Main Entrance

Kashi Corridor

Varanasi

Varanasi Hotel

Kashi Corridor

Kashi Corridor

Ayodhya

Kashi Corriodor

Ganga, Varanasi

Kashi Corridor

Ganga, Varanasi Dashashwamedha Ghat

Kashi Corridor

Ganga, Varanasi

Varanasi

Kashi Corridor

Ganga Ghats view, Varanasi

Madanmohan Malaviya, BHU, Varanasi

Varanasi

Kashi Corridor

Ready to view Ganga Aarati, Varanasi

Kashi Corridor, Main Entrance

Rani Aahalya, Holkar at Kashi Corridor

Ganga Aarati

Ganga Snana

Nalanda Remains

Kashi Corridor

Kashi

Ganga Aarati

Kashi Corridor

Nalanda University Remains

Kashi Corridor Main entrance

Kashi Corridor

Birla Mandir, BHU, Varanasi

Sarayu, Ayodhya

Anada

Ganga Snana

Ganga Ghat

Kashi

Ayodhya

Ayodhya

Ganga Snana

Ganga,Varanasi

Ayodhya

Ayodhya

Ram Temple

under construction

Ayodhya

Ram Temple 

under construction at

Ayodhya

Ram Temple at Ayodhya

Ayodhya

Ayodhya

Kashi Corridor

Kashi temple, Shankaracharya Gate

Kashi Temple

Ganga Aarati Gatherings

Manikarnika Ghat,

ganga

ganga snana, Varanasi 

Ganga Aarati, Varanasi

Kanak Bhavan, Ayodhya 

Ram temple construction Ayodhya 

Ram Temple Nyas

Bhardwaj Park, Prayagraj

Ayodhya Sarayu river

Tiwari, Ayodhya Guide

Veni

Prayagraj