वसंत का, कोई वादा थोड़ी है?

 वसंत का कोई वादा नहीं है 

सदा की सर्दी, सदा ही गर्मी 

चिरंतर मन की प्यास 

धरती के कुछ भागों में 

आता नहीं मधुमास 

नन्ही पोटलियाँ बीजों की, 

नवजीवन का उल्लास 

कुछ नहीं बचता बर्फों में, 

पल्लव, अंकुर, न आस 

 वसंत का, कोई वादा थोड़ी है? 

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Quotes of the day - Don't know my mother tongue, and proud of it.

Illiteracy is seldom declared proudly, unless you are a metro citizen of India, declaring your Hindi illiteracy. 

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I rarely judge, but one has to work really hard to not know one's mother tongue. 

************* 

Ignorance because of lack of opportunity deserves support. Ignorance because of unwillingness to learn deserves understanding, but pride in the latter kind of ignorance deserves whole hearted laughter. 

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One is rarely judgemental, but to not know one's mother tongue and then to be proud of that illiteracy, is, as Poirot would put it, Twice imbecile.

I would use a Sanskrit reference, but like, you wouldn't get it. 

*************** 

Book Review: Folklore of Punjab by Sohinder Singh Bedi

 

I am a Punjabi, so it felt strange to read about one’s own state in an academic book. But a lot of the things that we see around the house are rarely explained by the elders in their right context. This book provides the academic and cultural background that really helped one understand my own state better. After this, I am quite looking forward to the other books in the series that we have at home.

 This is not a collection of folk tales. In fact, this is a rather academic book about the culture of Punjab. The culture it references is the culture of undivided Punjab – some of the folk songs and myths are clearly associated with pre-partition Punjab.

 The book starts easily enough – with a description of the land and its brief history. It then moves to myths, magic and religion etc. I didn’t enjoy these sections because much of this is not relevant any more. The fun started with the fun and fairs chapter. I loved reading about the main fairs of Punjab, and then the language and dialects. I didn’t know that Punjab has Jhumar dance too! And a variant of the Gidda called the Sammi. I also liked the part about the folk performers of Punjab. Punjabis are a very jovial community, so I was researching Punjabi folk humour performers for a while. This book answered that question, albeit briefly. I am still looking for a more detailed description of Punjabi folk performers who were in the humour genre. All leads welcome. 

The appendices, which mention some riddles, sayings, and other folk content, really opened my eyes to the intellectual superiority of the people of Punjab. The riddles were as intelligent as the Sanskrit riddles one reads. That was my favourite part of the book. 

 While the writing style is rather narrative, this book covers many aspects of cultural anthropology in a succinct manner. If cultural anthropology is a field of study that interests you, then this entire series of books by National Book Trust, focusing on one state at a time, is a treasure trove. People are not just individuals, there are so many cultural bricks in the foundation of our personalities. 

What didn't work 

One, the Sikhs were not given adequate representation in the book. The Sikh culture is predominant in Punjab, yet the myths and superstitions pertained to the peers and valis, which were more prevalant in Eastern and Mughal led Punjab. 

The second issue with the book is that it glosses over the social ills of Punjab. The caste system, the rampant female foeticide and the tacit cultural approval that makes the practice so prevalant. Without taking a stand, it was still possible to mention them as clearly as the valis and other myths and magics were mentioned. 

The third issue with the book was not enough illustrations. Culture and anthropology is one area where a picture is worth a thousand words. The plates were grossly inadequate, given the rich subject matter of the book. A simple picture of Sammi and Jhumar, for instance, would have made a world of difference. 

Flowers

 जब फूल मेरे घर आते हैं 

तो मैं उन्हे मरने देती हूँ। 

न पानी में डालना, न नमक, 

न दांडी आढ़ी काटना 

सब टोटके आते हैं

पर उनको मरने देना 

जल्द से जल्द 

मुझे अधिक सहृदय लगता है। 

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When i get flowers 

I let them die 

No putting in water 

no salt, no diagonal cutting of the stalks 

i know all these tips

but letting them die

as quickly as possible 

feels kinder. 

 

Birthday Thoughts

 छोड़ आए हम वो गलियाँ .. is a freedom song. 

From all bonds of the past, 

All things that held us captive, only because they captivated us once 

All things that mattered once, but should have stopped mattering long ago. 

Everything that held us back, like the chain holds the elephant. 

This is the song: 

Chhod Aaye Hum Woh Galiyan - Superhit Popular Hindi Song - Maachis - YouTube

This has been the year of छोड़ आए हम ये गलियाँ । 

Maun

 मौन 

प्रमाण है 

कि सुनने की 

सीमा होती है 

देखने की,

सूंघने की -

वह सब 

जिसे हम कहते हैं 

इंद्रिय 

एक नन्ही सी परिधि 

के खिलौने। 

कहो  तो,

इंद्रियाँ 

बोध का द्वार 

खोलती हैं 

कि बंद करती हैं? 

On Languages

ਚੁੱਪੀ ਤੇ ਹਾਸਾ 

ਪੜ੍ਹਨਾ ਸਭ ਜਾਣਦੇ 

ਤਰਜੁਮਾ ਨਾ ਜਾਣਦਾ 

ਕੋਈ 

Chuppi te haasa 

padhnaa sab jaande 

tarjumaa na jaanda 

koi 

मौन 

और मुस्कान 

समझें सब 

समझा  न पाए कोई 

Silences and smiles 

Always understood. 

Never translated. 

Today's Conundrum: Why the Dwivachan?

 Actually, this conundrum is not new. It has been troubling me since i started learning Sanskrit. 

As far as I know, most languages in the world have 2 states -Singular, and Plural (Ekvachan- Bahuvachan)

Sanskrit is the only language where there are 3 states - 1, two, and more than 2 (Ekvachan, Dwivachan, Bahuvachan)

None of the derivative languages of Sanskrit have inherited this unique trait of Sanskrit, not even Hindi, which is grammatically closest to Sanskrit.

We have not found this (in as much as we know) in Prakrit or Pali either.

The Dwivachan is so important that for every word, every verb, there is a Dwivachan defined. - Akarant, Ikarant, Ukarant, Pulling, Stiling, Napunsakling, Dhatu Roop - everything.

That meant significant work for Panini and his team.

WHY was the count of 2 so important?

I think that the day we solve this puzzle, we will answer some very important questions about Indian history.

संरक्षण / Sanrakshan

पहाड़ों में 

राजे राज नहीं करते 

राज करते हैं 

देवी, देवते, और बामन 

पहाड़ों में 

राजे रक्षा नहीं करते 

रक्षा करते हैं 

देवी देवते, और बामन 

पहाड़ों में 

राजे क्रुद्ध नहीं होते 

कुपित होते हैं 

देवी, देवते, और बामन 

पहाड़ों में 

मंतर पूजा नहीं करते 

पूजा करते हैं 

फूल, कथा, और करम 

"वनदेवी को बुरा लगेगा"

"इस पेड़ की आत्मा खुश होगी"

"कुलदेवता का मंदिर है"

पहाड़ों में 

वैज्ञानिक संरक्षण नहीं करते 

संरक्षण करते हैं 

देवी, देवते, और बामन