H 2 Oh No !

 

H 2  Oh No !

Sometime in 1425 ,Sri Vysaraya Tirtha of Channapattana, an Ardent Devotee of Lord Hanuman built Gaali Anjaneya Temple on the outskirts of Benaval ooru ( town of Guards)  It is believed that earlier the idol of Lord Anjaneya had existed in the open for more than 800 years at  the confluence  of two sacred rivers Vrushabavathi and  Paschimavati ( also known as Paschmavahini). Sri Vysaraya not only performed the sacred punarodharanam for the vigraha using water from the two sacred rivers but also built the beautiful temple with stone steps leading to the river Vrushabavathi. Sri Vysaraya Tirtha built 732 temples for his beloved lord During early times, the River Vrushabavathi was considered a seasonal river that used to flow in monsoons. It was once a serene river flowing through many localities of Bangalore.

Till the mid   1960s, Vrishabavathi river  ,flowing some  55 Kilometers  through Bangalore was considered a prime picnic spot,  visited by a large number of people, some  from far off regions to spend good times on  its banks.The clear waters of the River  was a source of livelihood for thousands   and also a  place for  river water swimming ,lazing around and for  holy Teertha snanam  near the Gali Anjaneya swamy temple

All this changed as Bengaluru grew rapidly. The flood plains and the vegetation filled banks of the river were consumed by burgeoning lust for real estate   In just a short time  the river lost its pristine quality and turned into a stinking, slimy cess pool of filth .It is no wonder that the younger generation recognizes and refers to the once pristine Vrushabavathi river as.” ಕೆಂಗೇರಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಮೋರಿ” 

The swirling river which once nurtured  variety of avian and aquatic  life and  served the needs of  entire western Bengaluru, has now been  reduced to a toxic, polluted drain The water once utilized as sacred ‘teertha’ has become filthy and harmful. Unchecked flow of sewage & waste, is hastening the death of the river. Sadly, Vrushabavathi is now categorized as one of the fastest ‘deteriorating’ rivers of the country today.

Thanks to pollution and Apathetic attitude of the population, the only sacred river originating and flowing from Bengaluru is hurtling towards extinction.

“Restoring Bengaluru’s polluted Vrushabavathi River to its original glory has become a major consideration for us “ the local  Government announced suddenly. Various initiatives have been announced by the government and local body. “Clean Vrushabavathi” ,’Revive the river’ are the current subjects for discussion in every forum.

Talk of revitalizing River Vrushabavathi has further received a shot in the arm with the following incident:

Unkempt, with long straggly hair , gaunt physique, attired in dirty shirt and pants ,nobody knew anything about him excepting  that every day he would be found walking along the banks of ಕೆಂಗೇರಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಮೋರಿ  & reaching the Gaali Anjaneya swamy temple before 9.30 am. He would sit on the stone slab adjoining the temple wall  slouched  over, his long uncut hair covering the face (Anniyan style),and keep  muttering incessantly .The lady in charge of cleaning  the temple precinct would  place a plate of  Temple Prasadam and half a paper cup of tea in front of him, exhorting him to eat. But, the food always remained untouched till the woman left. However, on arriving the next day she would find the plate and cup empty and Hanuma, for that was his name ,pre-occupied with his muttering.

Arriving early on Saturday  she did not find Hanuma on the stone slab. At the same time she heard a lot commotion. 

On his regular walk, Hanuma had suddenly jumped into the thick slimy muck of ಕೆಂಗೇರಿದೊಡ್ಡ ಮೋರಿ . and got entangled  in the  metal grille erected by the local Chapter of DADI ( Distinctly Absurd  Dumb Initiative, apparently  part of the  ಸ್ವಚ್ಛವೃಷಭಾವತಿ ಅಭಿಯಾನ ) to trap Garbage. The contraption  was being operated at that time by a vagabond, drafted by the Mahanagara Nagara Palike  official in charge. He spotted Hanuma and called the official , who busy playing cards  at a  tea shop  near the temple. Even as the cacophony of voices grew louder, Hanuma suddenly burst out from the drain, like Arjun Sarja in’ Mudalvan’ (or Anil Kapoor in ‘Nayak’ if you like) covered in a thick layer of gooey slime sending shock waves among the onlookers.

He was back on his favorite stone slab & resumed his  (ab)Normal’ routine .

New moon day draws huge crowds to the Gaali Anjaneya temple and a near festival atmosphere prevails. On the said day, Sarojamma, after finishing her cleaning chores, placed the customary plate of food and tea before Hanuma. He suddenly tossed his hair back revealing his face. The lady let out a scream. A few temple staff came running. They stared in amazement. The frail and famished Hanuma  now stood at nearly 6Ft. with huge muscles. His eyes opened wide .He  bore a striking resemblance to  Lord Hanuman . But he never spoke a word and  sat on the stone slab in yoga posture   “Vajrakaya Ramaduta Sri Sri Hanuma Swami” screamed Sarojamma and the rest followed.with overflowing emotion. The name stuck !

As News and gossip spread, media began talk shows with a cross section of  Citizens.Many who had no idea of the incident , were still able to hog prime screen time.

However the most sought  after person was Sarojamma. who  received a cosmetic makeover at the behest of her unemployed Husband. He  also proclaimed that she was  Vajrakaya Ramaduta Sri Sri Hanuma  Swamiji’s official spokesperson.

Not to be out done  the government  decided to  test Hanuma  for the unique  powers.he suddenly acquired. The results confirmed the popular opinion flying around . Yes  he was now bio genetically transformed

The poisonous, frothing water  which had wiped  out all  life in the river had altered Hanuma’s genetic code and changed his physique. As media whipped up the hysteria  , an odd assortment of people : Soft ware professional who failed to get his Appraisal, engineer with no  placement offers, jilted lover, failed entrepreneur, ordinary people fed up of challenges  in their lives,  tried  jumping into  ಕೆಂಗೇರಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಮೋರಿ  to test their luck.

 On condition of anonymity a paalike  official spoke to me and  shared  some inside information . “though  unfortunate, the   event has come with a silver lining!  Our citizens (read voters) were getting a little too impatient with us in respect of the condition  of river Vrushabavathi. and our pathetic  cleaning  projects were always being castigated. But this moron’s antics have overturned everything. People are now actually complimenting us for   letting ಕೆಂಗೇರಿದೊಡ್ಡ ಮೋರಿ  flourish!  &  for preserving the river dirty!”

Holding my arm and lowering his voice he whispered “Our Paalike is also seriously considering packaging the Water of ಕೆಂಗೇರಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ........err…. Vrushabavathi River and marketing it . We’ve  applied for patent”! People have already decided that the holy water is  “Sanjeevini’ can not only cure all ills but also bestow super human powers .

Oblivious to all the hullabaloo going on around him , one wonders what will happen to Hanuma in the future.But there are strong rumours that Rajamouli ,Ram Gopal Verma,the Producers of Big Boss and a few others are meeting Sarojamma & Husband.  Something cooking??