DAY 1894
Jalsa, Mumbai June 22, 2013 Sat 11:01 PM
The devastation and the incredible loss of life and material in Uttarakhand, in the Northern regions of the country are difficult to digest as we see the visuals on television channels ! Loss of life and lives has been such a huge tragedy, made ironic by the fact that the people that have lost their lives and those that are now suffering the uncertainty of an evacuation from the horrid floods, were largely pilgrims that were on their way to the important and most divine shrines, located through centuries at these high mountain ranges of the Himalayas. They went to pay obeisance to the Gods, the Gods did show them their fury …
A most poignant visual that I noticed, came from a group of survivors waiting for help to take them to safety … in very large chalk letters, wonder where they got the chalk from, they had written a missive to the Almighty, asking for forgiveness, that they had sufferd enough, and pleading to stop their anger !!
I remembered a moment in my early years. My Mother had a family that had almost adopted her and treated her as their daughter. The son in the family was in the Army and he was posted in Deolali in Maharashtra, close to Nasik, some hours away from Mumbai. We were on a visit on his invitation to this town during the monsoons. We did not have any understanding what monsoons meant at that time, when it rains non stop at times for days and weeks and months. On one particular very stormy and rainy weathered day, it was pouring as it normally does. For us who had come from Allahabad, where rain was scarce and modest, this phenomena was frightening. Sitting in the house and watching the fury of the clouds, with nothing to do, no where to play, I remember a lady worker of the house, or was it my Mother, decided to try an old almost tantric like procedure to try to stop this downpour. They put two small sticks together, bound them up, and dressed it up in torn clothes with a small face of a woman, and went out in the rain and stuck in the ground. The story told to us little wide eyed and mouth opened children were that when God sees this little girl in torn clothes getting wet and suffering in the rain, He would stop the rain !! In Hindi we call it ‘totka’ and there are several similar beliefs that one still witnesses all over. In the studios here or on shooting schedules, the first activity is to garland the camera and break a coconut, as an auspicious gesture. The eatable part of the coconut is then distributed as a 'prasad’, an offering to all at work. The breaking of the coconut by smashing it on the ground, making sure it divides itself in two equal parts, is a ritual at most initiating events - the opening of a new venture, the first day entry into a new house, and on …
A new car gets similar … the garland decorates the bonnet of the newly acquired vehicle, a little oil is sprinkled by the tires, four lemons are put under the tires, aroma sticks are lit, 'gulal’ or the red auspicious powder is sprinkled around, and then … the car is started an moved gently to crush the lemons… the anointing is over. Many of those that drive as chauffeurs professionally, put images of their belief on the dash board - a Ganesh 'murti' … the auspicious 786 of Islam .. the rosary with a cross hanging from the rod of the rear view mirror …
We are so fragile and vulnerable … our beliefs make us believe that all shall be well .. the strengths that we derive in prayer, the asking of the divine for well being, good health, difficult situations in our existence … all in unison the world over …
Yet .. the uncertainty of nature, its beauty and its fury prevails. In time the devastation shall be looked over and beyond. Rebuilding shall take place, and soon the rigid belief of the pilgrim shall awaken, to venture out to those very places where they may have lost loved ones, suffered personal grief, experienced harsh conditions.
“The Gods were angry”, would be their refrain, and blaming themselves for some act that could have annoyed those in charge of the Heavens, they move on … pray and give greater meaning to their belief, hoping that this would pacify the Almighty and His rage !
Scientists and environmentalists and those in administration now say that the disaster in Uttarakhand was 'man made’. It was a tragedy waiting to happen. Quite possible. Here in Mumbai, every other day buildings are falling, killing and destroying families. They say the rains cause it, but surely the constructions of it must also be a factor !
We have no answers to the several questions that arise each time nature plays with us. You may be the most modern and developed nation or environment in the universe, but the bottom line is … do not mess with nature, for if you do, it has the power to mess with you, which could put you in a situation where you would never be around to mess with it !!
Our prayers and thoughts are with those that have lost loved ones, those that still suffer the pain of separation and those that survive and wait to be brought back home from the most treacherous terrain that they have all been caught in …
Amitabh Bachchan
