Guruji of Adilabad

Dec 2002: I was at Adilabad for two months. It’s a tribal area of Andhra Pradesh, very close to the Maharashtra border. Ashish, my senior from IRMA, introduced us to Ravindra Sharma (fondly called Guruji). This man, in such a place, spoke to me in a Hindi that put me to shame "Aapki dincharya kya hoti hai? Aapke shodh ka vishay kya hai? Iska prayojan kya hai? Aapne vishraam kiya na! Agar sihran ho to mutthhi baandh lein, thand muthhiyon mein band ho jaayegi!!!!"............

http://pa-jugalbandi.blogspot.com/2007/10/besaba-baat-badhaane-ki-zarurat-kya-hai.html

What he remembers well is Rama's story in Awadhi, and his knowledge of languages is intact....... his cow's family has grown now to three, and NIFT students are now taught by tribal supervisors....... He still speaks to Ashish in the same SHUDHH HINDI.

He signed off a recent conversation by saying, "Ye purabiya log (people from Bihar and West Bengal) sangeet ke rasik hote hain. Maine desh bhraman ke beech dekha, unke jeevan ki har lay mein ek geet hai, har kartavya mein ek sur mila hua hai, har kadam mein taal ki anubhuti hoti hai. Isliye hi wahan chinta nahin hoti....... desh mein kuchh bhi ho, garibi kitni bhi aaye, baadh aapki saari jama poonji baha ke kyun na le jaye.... agli subah wo phir muskura denge. Samaaj ka dhancha wahan mazboot hai, saahitya sabal hai, aur shayad isliye arthvyawastha kamzor. Woh geet nahin suna - O ram-e-ram, saiyaan daaru pee-ke unghalad khet mein....... naayika roti hui apne sasur se keh rahi hai ki mere pati ko dhund laaiye. Sood bahut chad gaya tha, to saahukaar ne hal waapas le liya........ Acche log hain ye purabiya, unke jaisa nazariya rakho to jeevan mast hai, sahal hai, sulajha hua hai."

Chicken Soup for the soul - In Hindi. Nahin!?

Amrita and Imroz

Amrita and Imroz...... its almost a decade since I first read about them. Since then, have read or heard quite many times of their unique relationship which is difficult to define in terms of social or familial ties but not that difficult to understand.

Amrita Pritam is one of the famous punjabi-Hindi writer from 1950s, imroz is an impressionist who sketched for the publishing house that published Amrita's novels. Amrita was from present day pakistan, she was a rebel of sorts. First married when she was a teen, she took divorce and started living in Delhi. There she met imroz first in late 1960s.

Imroz is a very good artist. I have seen his published work. Amrita is a good writer, specially when she writes about herself and her surrounding. Her autobiography "raseedi Ticket" - The revenue stamp - is a masterpiece in Indian literature. Her creative writings are not as good. But this book alone places her on the top.

Imroz is younger to Amrita by some 6-8 years. Amrita moved with him with her children. They never lived like couple. They were soul-companions. Their collection of letters I read at piyush's place last week at pune. It rekindled life, a part of it, inside me. Its intensity touched me. Amrita writes for Imroz - mere mehboob, my letters are like 800 kms long hands of my love reaching you. On women, she had views that you can't term feminist. She says: Any civilisation will be termed evolved when a woman is able to say no to any physical advances made against her wish. Amrita was criticised for her exressions in Punjabi literary circles, but she was much liked in hindi. Imroz paved that way by being there, caring for her, being more than a friend and almost like a soulmate, except for physical intimacy.

They lived with it, made their life the talk of folk lores. Their love and friendship is an example, not only of mitigated differences of religion, language and cultures, but also of intensity, dedication and companionship.

Grandma experience - addition by my sister

Tumhara blog padhe. Dr. v ke bare me pahle bhi padha tha, sach aise log isi duniya me hai jankar achcha lagta hai. tumhara dusra blog trishul wala logo ko padhna achcha lagega.

Waise ek bar aisa kuch hum bhi face kar cuke hai. indu phua ki sas ur ma hamari dadi ur nani yad hai tumhe? ramayan mahabharat ke kaphi salo bad ramanad sagar ka krishna deta tha. hamare yaha koi bhi regular nahi dekhta tha use. anni hi kabi kabi dekti thi. ek sunday ko dadi ur nani subah me 9 baje hamare yaha tv dekhne aayi per ussamay tv band tha. une bahut nirasha hui ki hum bhagwan krishna ke darsan ke samay tv band karke baithe hai.

khair tv khola gaya. sabse pahle dadi ne do agarbatti manga ur jalakar tv ki puja ki. phir tv ke uper hi stand lagakar use rakh diya gaya. phir wo dono jamin per baith gayi humne bahut request ki uper baithne ke liye per nahi mani.ulta hume hi phatkar pari ki puja ke samay upper baitha jata hai kya. lastly mat per jameen per hi baithi. sath sath hume bhi baithna para.

pure ek ghante dono hath jore tanmayta se tv niharti rahi. bich bich me unka facial expression dekhne layak tha. kabhi aankhe khushi ke aasuo se bhar jate to kabhi dust rakchsh ke uper gusse ka bhav. tv se jyada aanand to unhe dekhne me tha. ye silsila kai hufto tak chala. darasal light ki wajah se koi rukawat na ho isliye wo yaha chali aati thi. humne apni dadi ko to dekhne ka jyada mouka nahi mil paya per enhe hi dekhkar bara achcha lagta tha.