Paa, Papi And Poetry

How do you connect the three

Paa and 3 Idiots figured among the must-see Bollywood movies – which I heard from my children, and our cable walla aired them late night. The movies proved what a good team –comprising story writer, script writer, director, makeup man, song writer and actors, can do. If allowed to opine let me tell you, those youngsters and elders, who can hum I want to grow up once again, throughout life; will find viewing of the two together beneficial. All is well  is a good mantra, especially in drowning  shrieks of tense times, though at times sab theek hai call -of jail watchman; used sarcastically in a movie (I can’t recollect its name presently) of my teenage days after hangman does his job, sends shivers down ones spine because all is not with my valley-people.
 

Story of Phontsok Wangdos and Chhoto Rancho focuses on the education system and 90% students who flock the coaching capital of our valley yet fail to gain employment or good things of worth will relate better to 3 Idiots & so will their parents and teachers. Today I will not dwell on it but on Paa, alone.

Amithbh Bachchan as Auro

It was great viewing; watching AB doing the role of the 13 year old the child, budha- bacha, named Auro- born out of wedlock and AB that of the father who sired him. Very existence of the child had been kept a guarded secret by the unwed gynecologist mother (mama/ ma) because soon after conception he had asked her to get it aborted; parliament was his ambitious goal. The child was afflicted with premature-aging; a genetic disorder that helpless mother had to coup with, besides the sufferer. In school the word bastard; when uttered by mates, made Auro faint and subsequent heart attack took his life, though the mast girl- turned into a courageous mother and the hero-inwardly coward ever surrounded by personal body guards, do confess in the reality show/ face the truth situation of life and undertake half-circle pheras while Auro is about to die and grandmother- bum instead of badi ma, recites the shaadi ka mantra.

In this fast track world, relationship is a casualty and learning lessons in a hard way may be illustrating the dictum- recompense for the wrongs committed, proportionately but since I am not standing on any pulpit for doling sermons of a particular group, I haven’t started this write up for talking about extramarital relations. Whether the child is 50% unwanted – Auro or 100% dream-kids with more familiar names like Armaan & Tammana it makes in real sense no difference, because the institution of marriage has a social dimension that has been nurtured since centuries-even when viewed as a contract, essentially between two individuals. Violation is not tolerated by conditioned people, even by those couples who wouldn’t wish to see each other’s face in next Jannum & agree that all relations are based on some sort of comprise. Greeks floated the concept of a different type of commune and people like Osho tried to experiment on different lines but nothing succeeded in reality. West is more liberal, of course, but is it an ideal situation? What price do these stray individuals pay? As of present the word sin haunts them and the bye-product of such dalliance swoons on hearing the word 'bastard'. Label matters, though in essence a child is a child- a Hindu or a Muslim, boy or a girl, gifted with right package of genes or otherwise. Owning the ‘mistake’ may be the first step but life and the harsh circumstances & social set up around derive its pound of flesh. Not many years have passed since we heard of the genomics, creating animals-Dolly the sheep? Had Einstein and his lady friend been lucky enough to be born at a point of time where the possibility of inheriting good looks of flirty Ma and the Grey matter of Einstein would be 100% out, instead of the reverse that he feared, world would be richer. But till then better not to yield to temptations. Watch out.

In this context today I  present to the readers the translation of Nida Fazili’s poem titled Walid ki waffat par / On His Death, besides quoting some lines from poem Daddy written by American poetess Sylvia Plath (1932-63AD) -as these two are equally shocking and telling narratives on human relationship.
 

Sylvia wrote:

Plath

…Daddy, I have had to kill you….
..i thought every German was you
And the language obscene….
Every woman adores a Fascist,
The boot in the face, the brute
Brute heart of a brute like you.
….I was ten when they buried you
At twenty I tried to die…
Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I’m through.

 

Now here goes the free translation of Nida Fazili’s nazm.

I did not come / To offer prayers on your grave
For I know / You could not die.
A liar he was who / Spread the true news of your death.

Swayed by the air / A dry leaf fell down . .
.. no that wasn’t you.

My eyes are caged / By your images.
Whatever I see / Whatever I think
That is the same world of your ignominy and fame.

Nida Fazli

Nothing has changed, anywhere.
Your hands / Breathe in my fingers.
Whenever I lift pen and paper
To write
Seated in my chair / You / I find.
The blood that fills my body
Flows / With your faltering and failures.
Your mind / Hides in my voice.

In my ailments you live
And
In my helplessness, too.

Nothing, but a liar, is he who
Wrote your name / On your grave
For there I lie / Buried / In your grave
And / You live / In me.

Come to offer Faatehaa
If ever you get time
(O’ Father).

Date with Calendar

Of days, weeks, months and years

What if, last time on the same night you said
A New Year begins
What ends and begins with the flip of calendar’s leaf
Is a sleight of visions……….
Drains are still painted red in my nightmares.
How long is the way to Cuckoos nest?
Can you tell me? O’Friend.

Thank God the pain has subsided since I wrote the poem titled RSVP- more than a decade back when turbulence was raging all around; out of which I have quoted the opening and closing verses as preface to today’s write-up, reason being the word calendar that figures in it; purchase of which, for my office-room and home being a ritual for me, like many millions of people - bringing to my mind instantly two questions- why no industrial unit has come up in our state for manufacturing different type of calendars, diaries, organizers & other related items and second why can’t the chairman J&K Bank ensure gifting corporate calendar to all clients, without discrimination.

Regular rising and setting of Sun, waxing and waning of moon and recurrent cycle in women must have given mankind the concept of day and month from the earliest days of existence on this planet. As thoughtful eyes lifted towards sky much more was observed and knowledge enabled incorporation of meaningful changes in the time-reckoning system.

Earliest calendar was based on the movements of the moon and the twelve moon-cycles formed one year. Since the Lunar year did not conform to the solar year one extra intercalary lunar month was inserted in computation.
 

The ancient Babylonians, Greeks & Romans followed this lunar calendar. Hebrew calendar- that began probably 3760 years before the beginning of the Christian era, was based on lunar cycle; with twelve months which are alternately of 29 & 30 days (354 days). An extra month of 29 days is intercalated seven times in every cycle of 19 years.
 

Islamic calendar- that began from hijrat of Prophet (SAW) around 15 July 622AD, is same as of Hebrew. Thirty years form a cycle and eleven times in every cycle one extra day is added.

Long before the Christian era, Egyptians made month a purely arbitrary unit, not corresponding to the actual lunar cycle, and divided year into 12 months of 30 days adding five extra days. In 238 B.C Pharaoh III added a new day to the calendar every four years. In 321AD emperor Constantine introduced the seven day week of the Julian calendar. As actually one year corresponded to 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes & 46 seconds efforts were made to adjust the fractional difference which cumulated to a significant quantum over years, The Gregorian calendar was accepted by the English in 1752 AD, by Japan in 1873, China in 1912, Russia in 1918 & Greece in 1924 AD.
 

Tibetan Calendar

The Chinese calendar was probably introduced by the Mongols, whose name is preserved in the Calendar (Hor-zla)- Hor is for Mongol and La is a Tibetan word meaning both crop & year, as was the case in the archaic China. The system of reckoning time is by the 12 year and sixty year cycles of Jupiter. The system invented in China had been taken over by the Turks, but to lessen the possibility of confusion the Chinese had combined this cycle with another ten signs, so that a given composite year-name only recurred every sixty years. The Tibetans subsequently adopted this system but the ten signs were replaced by the five elements; each divided into male and female. The 12 years are denoted by animals in this curious duo-decimal cycle. Rat (Yos), Ox (Lang), Tiger (sTag), Rabbit ( Biwa), Dragon (Drug), Serpent (Rul), Horse (Sta), Sheep (Look), Monkey (sPray), Bird (Cha), Dog (Khi) and pig (phag). The five elements are wood (Shing), Fire (me), Earth (sa), Iron (chak) and water (chhu). Each element comes twice, first as male and then as female; e.g Male Water Tiger, Female Earth Pig year etc. Thus each great cycle consists of 60 years. The Tibetan year is a lunar one, necessitating corrections.
 

In modern Tibet Farmers New Year (Sonam Losar) falls in the 10th or 11th lunar month and it is distinguished from the Kings New Year (Gyalpo Losar) which is the same as in the Chinese calendar (i.e. first lunar month). Thus in Tibetan Calendar February is the 1st month but the farmers New Year has persisted besides it and this is tied to the winter solstice at the end of the 10th or the first of the 11th month. Interesting enough, the Sonam Losar was celebrated; it is said, by villagers of Shigatse Tibet with a distinguishingly remarkable custom. For several days servants and masters changed robes. In the carnivals of ancient china, the world is turned upside down to mark the uncertain interval of crossing from the old year to the new.

The Tibetan cycle of years began from 1027AD and Ladakhis inherited the same system along with many other things but the association with elements began only in 16th century AD. In Ladakh the months (dawa) are numerically named as 1st month –chikpa, 2nd nispa, 3rd sumpa and likewise. The days (Za) and weeks are the same as we have and the days are named, as in Aryan System, after sun, moon and the five anciently known planets; Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus & Saturn. Thus days are: Nima (Sunday), Zaldawa, Migmar, Lakpa, Phurba, Pasung & Spinba (Saturday). The inherent inaccuracies of lunar system have put historians and research scholars to great difficulty in working out dates from Ladakh chronicles and hats off to those who remained undeterred in such odds.

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Of leading foreigners who visited Ladakh in last seven centuries

The lure of the moonland-- Ladakh has beckoned many visitors- travelers, scholars, expeditionists and the rest, in last seven centuries; most of them Westerners, who have contributed towards a better understanding of this mystery land. Let us make a brief mention of these FIRST-comers as this is the first compilation on this information.

During the reign of the grandson of Rinchen Lha-Chen-Khri-tsung-de, that is between 1380 and 1400 AD, a large number of Nestorian Christians is first believed to have migrated to Ladakh, as refugees from Central Asia but not much is known about their visit and may be the un-deciphered writing on the rock at Tangsey, Durbok in Ladakh belongs to them.

In the first half of 15th century the two kingdoms of Shey and Basgo were reunited and the founder of the united dynasty took the surname of Namgials. Senge Namgial who ascended the throne in 1616 A.D was the great king of Ladakh. During his reign Father Francesco de Azevedo and Giovani de Oliveiro visited Ladakh. These Jesuits describe Senge as “a man of tall stature, his ears adorned with turquoise and he wore a string of skull bones around his neck”.


In 1715 when Nyima Namgyal ruled Ipolito Desideri passed through Ladakh and saw the lake of Shey blue like turquoise; alas! at present there is no trace of this lake. William Moorcroft along with George Trebeck stayed in Ladakh from 1820 to 1822 and it is believed the former put forth the advice of building a fort to the king. During the same time Alexander Csoma de Korosi spent over a year in a monastery in Zanskar. In the wake of stirs of Ranjit Singh’s expansionist empire, King Tsemphel Namgial made an offer of allegiance to East India Company through William Moorcroft.

In 1834-35 Henderson came to Ladakh and acted as informer of Dogras. Commander of chief of Dogras Zorawer Singh invaded Ladakh and built the fort at Leh in 1836. G.T. Vigne, author of Travels in Kashmir, Ladakh and Iskardo: was in Leh from 1835-38 and he speaks of the restrictions and the troubles Dogras gave him in Leh. 1838 brought Dr.Falconer to Leh. In 1846-47 Alexander Cunningham surveyed and demarcated the boundaries between Ladakh, Spiti and Tibet. During 1852-54 he wrote his book Ladakh and West Himalayan Tibet. In 1856 Hermann Von and Emil Schlagintweit visited Ladakh. Hermann was the first visitor to have obtained a manuscript of ex-King of Ladakh-Jygmed Namgial, which was later published in German in 1866. He is also believed to have introduced poultry in Ladakh.

In 1862 Frederic Dew, a geologist traveled Ladakh and Coyley was the first British Joint Commissioner of Leh in 1867. Johnson, who served as the governor of Ladakh from 1871-83, was the first British to have conducted the geographical survey of Ladakh. Authour of Life of St. Issa -unknown life of Jesus and the renowned Nicoles Notovitch, visited ladakh during 1866 and also later in 1890 when he was treated by Dr. Karl Marx in Hemis Gompa. In 1870 and again in 1873 Douglas Forsythe crossed Ladakh while going to Yarkand and Kashger for forging trade between East India and Eastern Turkestan.

In 1871 Robert Shaw, the British Joint Commissioner at Leh and ambassador designate, traveled to Kashghar. His agent Andrew Dalgleish settled in Yarkand and for 14 years was engaged actively in Leh-Yarkand trade. Andrew was assassinated by an Afghan, Daud Mohamud, enroute. In 1864 Morovian mission had penetrated Leh. In 1885 Leh became the headquarters of the Morovian Church mission and the Leh church was established by Rev, Ratslab. Dr Karl Marx was the first medical missionary doctor in the mission hospital Leh.

In 1892 two Britons Major N. Malcolm and Captain Neilly Wellby accompanied by six Ladakhis; including Baba Kalam Rasul Malik- the greatest known expeditionist of Ladakh after Galwan Rasool, left from Leh to Peking via Tibet. In 1902 the English traveler A. Reeve Herber was in Leh. In 1903 Rev. J. Peter of the Morovian Mission started a newspaper- Ladakh Phoyian, in ladakhi language; the first paper in J &K state. In 1906 the Swedish explorer and author of Trans Himalaya, Sven Hedin came to Leh and stayed at Lamayuru gompa in July 1906. After Karl Marx-who perhaps died around 1890, his brother in law Dr. A.H. Francke, also of Morovian misson, came to Leh. On being sponsored by Director General of Archeology in 1909 Francke worked on the same manuscript ( La-dvags-rgyal-rabs- chronicles of Ladakh) on which Marx had worked. He compiled Antiquities of Indian Tibet and History of Western Tibet- published in 1926 and 1927. One F.E. Shaw was in Leh during Francke’s time. Francke’s history of Ladakh is a pioneer and fundamental work which was consulted by all historiographers and improved by few.

Since 1930s Prof G. Tucci and Prof L.Petech have become and still remain the chief authorities on the history and culture of old western Tibet. Tucci wrote Indo-Tibetica and Petech A Study of the Chronicals of Ladakh. Recently in 1986 a ladakhi scholar has brought out a book on history of Ladakh in Bodhi Language. Snellgrove and Skorupski who worked on Monastic paintings of Ladakh, remained here from Oct 1974 to Feb 1975. The noted writer Heinrich Harrer visited Ladakh six times from 1944 to 1978. Writings of these leading and undaunted visitors have contributed greatly to the appreciative understanding of this mystery land, its people, its religion and culture.

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