The Discordent Ensemble

 

The discordant ensemble

This happened a few years ago. I boarded the 3 tier A/C compartment of the Express train from Mysore to Mayavaram ( more appropriately mayiladuthurai) to attend the ear piercing ritual of a relative’s grandchild at Vaitheerswaran Koil. I was travelling alone.

 

Gradually the compartment filled up. I was on the lower berth . The cabin consisting of 8 berths, was  fully occupied at the departing station itself ,  a matter of satisfaction since there would be no frequent intrusions by passengers alighting & boarding at  various Stations. The prospects of  a peaceful journey seemed promising.

My neighbours in the cabin  were an elderly  four member   Hindi speaking family ; two corpulent  men, a short & stout lady and a very tall one. The berths above me were allotted to a Tamil speaking couple. The side upper berths were occupied   by a thin fidgety man with beady eyes & straggly mop of hair and one of the  ‘”Hindi Bhais”

 

Now, when one travels alone, there is a temptation to keenly observe Co-passengers and  make assessments. A rather diabolical  & mischievous pastime I must confess . And so there I was travelling to Mayiaduthurai in the company of, Mogambo  & Sukhad Prasad, Golu behen  & lamp post didi ,  Devu maama & Buttoo maami  and Agile Anniyan.

 

The train journey proceeded like a dream - that is, till it reached Dharmapuri at about 9.45 pm. As if on cue, the middle berths were unfolded.  Mogambo & family pulled out two large packets from their bags, placed them on the seat and carefully opened the packets.Each contained huge heaps of some Rice preparation  packed in what looked like lotus leaves which the foursome devoured. Sukhad Prasad  downed a two litre  bottle of water to the last drop. The family seemed contented. Within 10 minutes, the cabin lights were put out indicating bed time.

 

 I  dozed off. Suddenly  a  terrifying sound woke me up.  “Had the train derailed ?”  everything remained calm for a moment. Then again that  sound, similar to  the grating noise made by pulling & shutting a rusted metal drawer emanated from the berth occupied by Agile Anniyan. He was snoring. Others  seemed undisturbed. The groaning continued intermittently.

 

In time several growls  began reverberating from all  sides : Mogambo trumpeting like a stricken elephant, Devu  mama alternately inhaling and exhaling &  wheezing like a beached whale,

“Whorf.Whorf…Whorf” Sukhad Prasad was delivering booming, gruff , low-frequency single syllable   snorts

The ladies were more courteous: while Buttu Maami displayed  musical competence by rendering a mellifluous  “Wheee , Heeee”,  lamp post  restricted herself to intermittent  hisses & squeals Unruffled by the din Golu  Behen was  sleeping peacefully .

 

Realizing  that my sleep had become a myth and that I had to survive the night, I walked to one end of the compartment , and sat on the small folding seat meant for the Ticket Inspector. the Train reached Erode Junction at about 1.00 am., I attempted to give sleep one more chance, and went back to the berth.  The commotion had not abated, Tired and groggy I hit the sack..

 

.I was rudely woken up by someone at 3.45 am.   The train had reached Tiruchirapalli Jn.  Maama &   Maami were up and awake.   They “Requested” me to give room to enable them pull their luggage out from under my berth.This done   Maama                              exclaimed: “you  Must  to be very tired.  You were snoring hard ” .The couple walked towards the door.

 

At 7.15 am the train reached Mayiaduthurai.

 

Sitting in  the auto, I thought about   Maama’s parting  shot. I laughed aloud. The startled Driver enquired ” Saar romba sandoshama Irukkiga”? ( maybe he was thinking I was crackpot or had one too many). I stammered with “Vaitheeswaran darishanam kidaikkapogira santhosam daan.”

At the Hotel room, I began recollecting the events of the previous night & the train journey .  There will always be co passengers. All or some could be indulging in the type of pernicious Assessment I fabricated .On this journey alone I could have acquired seven  sobriquets

Considering the large numbers of Aquaintences, detractors, family & friends there could be any number of  epithets , monikers , nicknames, surnames….you name it ,  that remain shrouded in secrecy for  obvious reasons.  I am itching to hear at least a few  of them, just for the heck of it, than let it assume the nature of an obituary.

 _____________________________________________________________

 Without the  epilogue this spoof will Fizzle out like a damp squib.

I arrived at Sri Vaitheeswaran Koil at the designated time for the ritual. Made the Circumabulation and had peaceful Darshan. As per temple tradition, washed at the “Kolam”, and placed packets of Salt & pepper in the specified tray. Still no sign of the relatives & child. Suddenly I remembered that I carried something called “Mobile”. I gathered that the event had to be cancelled .

 

With the train to Mysore scheduled to depart only at 5.55 Pm, I utilized  time roaming the lanes of the temple town  . The Small eateries and hotels here carry strange and funny names: Melmadi Club, Bite of Burma mess, Koorai Kadai, Singam Power Hotel …..

 

I could have done so many logical things before embarking on the Journey, but it never occurred that I should !   A Comedy of errors? Or

 

Was my visit Ordained by  GOD and deremined by Nature?

 

 

 

आत्मत्वम्

 

आत्मत्वम् -  (Spirituality- as I Understand it )

The roar of motorcycles, cars, buses, aeroplanes and trains, the clanging and thudding of heavy  machinery, the noise of construction equipment, incessant  chatter of radios, music players &  TVs in  cars ,houses ,pop music blaring in every  restaurant,eatery  & Loud speakers perched on every pole in every  conceivable nook & corner     .

 

The crust of planet Earth is now almost completely covered with concrete and the deadly plastic, destroying other  inhabitants like plant and animal life. The mellifluous, natural sounds of the Earth are drowned by a cacophony of man-made  clatter. And we  live amidst   this Commotion,

 

People  have lost touch with their ‘original self’. Silence and serenity, so very essential for happiness and peacefulness are things of the past. In the modern world Tnanquility has practically ceased to exist.    

 

Welcome to the Modern world.

It is difficult to believe that a hundred years ago quietness & placidity prevailed everywhere all the time, even in the the busiest cities.

 

Stay Indoors? You must be kidding! The noise levels inside homes are is unbelievably high. It is impossible to visit a home where a TV is not Blabbering away even if nobody is watching or a radio , gaming station, Computer is not booming.It is astonishing that the the sound of residents conversing is conspicuously   missing.

 

The sounds of nature; of   birds singing or of the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze is pleasing and calming. Sadly it is now confined to very few places. .In contrast, the man made mechanical noises amidst which we are forced to live is omnipresent & induces agitation inside us .it makes life dismal.

 

Our senses have to constantly absorb the bombardment. The  modern Human has even become addicted to noise. People have become accustomed to the furious pace  of daily life.  If there is nothing to occupy their attention even for a few moments they feel  restless and in the absence of   noise they become queasy.

The extent of external incitement may gradually shatter our ability to relax , thereby exposing us to living a permanently run- Down, dispirited life.

.  Silence is an unnoticed enemy in contemporary world. Nevertheless, silence can be our greatest benefactor, and if allowed to proclaim itself can lmpart a significantly refreshing effect on us.

As if the noise outside is not enough , the noise ‘inside’ is equally irritating.

Just like natural quietness and stillness of the world around us is always drowned in  man-made noise, natural quietness of our mind is constantly perturbed by  murmur in our brain morning, noon & dead of night.

This ‘inner noise’ has as many bad effects as the mechanical noise outside. It actually hampers our routine. Constant inner chattering also prevents us from paying attention to our surroundings and to the routine activities our lives. Our attention is always divided by perennial thoughts, rendering us  incapable of immersing in our routine. We’re never completely In Charge..

The frenetic   pace of our lives, the collosal volume  of external incitation we’re pummelled with, and the deluge of information which the media shoves at us  have made our minds terribly fidgety.   Every innovation or  new information which  we encounter is potentially the trigger to  a whole new stream of debate that will grip  the mind.

Ultimately, the Grave   consequence of either type ; External man made racket & inner chattering is that they alienate   us from our original selves.

 The uproar, tumult and clatter we absorb from the surroundings and the impressions which nibble our minds are similar to the batteries that drive a toy train. Our ‘original Self’ is like the toy itself which remains   even when there are no batteries to drive it.

 The amount of external battering our senses are subjected to  and the profusion of hustle going on in our minds determine whether we will be able to recognize our Original self or not.

 The action taking place around and the persistant ‘inner noise ’ divides our attention. Thus we are rendered ineffective in our pursuit to recognize and be in contact with our original self.

 To be in contact with our ‘original self’ one has to attain a state of detachment, with   mind completely calm & empty.

 

 Therefore, it is  essential to go out of our way to cultivate silence ourselves.

It is gratifying to see more Young people moving themselves away from from the din , venturing  into the countryside,  soaking in Nature and attempting to quieten their minds

 Over aeons, every species on Planet Earth has played its part in preserving environment. It is an aberration that Humans have assumed their super intellect as Power. Plundering and ravaging the planet human avariciousness has wreaked havoc on this planet and annihilated other inhabitants.

 

Nature has begun flexing its muscles . Earthquakes,Floods, disappearing glaciers , extinction of vulnerable species.& micro-organisms, new strains of deadly viruses  and other  undetected devastations are threatening  life on the planet.

  We can either appreciate the  cause of our existence or decide to dive into abyss .Only a thin line separates presumed Genius and lunacy.

 Fortunately ancient wisdom has provided effective tools to attain this consciousness.

 Meditation,Yoga, Dhyanam, Pranayama, samatha, dhikr are some of the time tested techniques.

 We need silence, stillness & tranquility to become our true selves and to be absolutely happy‘

 What better environment than mountains, forests, gurgling rivers, sprawling grasslands,  the mighty oceans ? Surely there cannot be a better place than the Creator’s own unblemished home  to help  cleanse our mind & find ‘ ourselves’. God’s playground needs to be respected, venerated and worshipped.

  Heaven and God are in front of our eyes. It is up to us to appreciate the fact that we don’t  need to look anywhere.! For the ‘superior’ species time is running out. We can either decide to  respect  the  cause of our existence or  dive into abyss

 

मयाध्यक्षेण प्रकृतिः सूयते सचराचरम् । हेतुनानेन कौन्तेय जगद्विपरिवर्तते ॥

( With  Me as her Supervisor, PRAKRITI (nature) produces the moving and the unmoving; because of this, O Kaunteya, the world revolves ).

 

 

इष्टान्भोगान्हि वो देवा दास्यन्ते यज्ञभाविता: |

तैर्दत्तानप्रदायैभ्यो यो भुङ्क्ते स्तेन एव स: || 

( The celestial gods, being satisfied by the performance of sacrifice, will grant you all the desired necessities of life. But those who enjoy what is given to them, without making offerings in return, are verily thieves.)