Title : MISTY TRAIL  (Picture courtesy Ms. Neeraja Sundar Rajan)

 

Miscellaneous - Heritage, Anecdotes, Travelogues & Motivational Articles

01) Ramesh Chandra Panda
     GLIMPSES OF OUR HERITAGE - NINETEEN AVATARS OF LORD SHIVA
02) Dr Prasanna Kumar Sahoo
     ME, MY PATIENTS AND THEIR RELATIVES
03) Prof. (Dr.) Gangadhar Sahoo.
     AGONY & ECSTASY
04) Madhumathi. H
     LET'S BE THE LIGHT...
05) Lipsa Mohanty
     AN ACCIDENTAL ANALYST
     HALT, HIKE AND ENGRAVE: ON TUESDAY’S WITH MORRIE
06) Satish Pashine
     HARMONISE WITH NATURE, MASTER YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES-CELEBRATE LIFE!
07) Dr. Viyatprajna Acharya
     MONDAY BLUES
08) Nitish Nivedan Barik
     A LEAF FROM HISTORY : UMUGANDA AS PATRIOTIC AGENDA WITH COW AS THE KEY TO DISCORD AND ACCORD.                                

 

Young Magic

01) Trishna Sahoo 
     PROBLEM HI PROBLEM 
02) Mrinalini Mallick
     THE CALLING OF THE SEA
     A SMILE
03) Hiya Khurana
     LIFE THROUGH THE EYES OF A SPARROW

 

 

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GLIMPSES OF OUR HERITAGE - NINETEEN AVATARS OF LORD SHIVA

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Panda

Shiva is Atman (Soul)
“A pathologist diagnoses correctly,
and cures illness through medicines.
Similarly, Shiva is called the physician of the world,
by those who know the nature of the Principles

 

Shiva is the great Atman,  because he is the Atman of all,
he is forever endowed with the great qualities,
there is no greater Atman than him”
—Shiva Purana, Kailasa samhita, Chapter 9.17-22
                                          (Translator: JL Shastri)

Avatar – connotation 
The Sanskrit noun avat?ra  is derived from the prefix ava- (down) and the t? root (to cross over). These roots trace back to -taritum, -tarati, -r?tum which means "away" in English. Avatar means "descent, alight, to make one's appearance" and refers to the embodiment of the superhuman being or a deity in another form. The Avatar also implies "to overcome, to remove, to bring down, and to cross something". In Hindu traditions, the "crossing or coming down" is symbolism of the divine descent from "eternity into the temporal realm, from unconditioned to the conditioned, from infinitude to finitude". An Avatar is a saguna (with form and attributes) embodiment of the  nirguna  Brahman  or Atman  (soul). Avatar thus means 'Divine Descent' as per the Shrimad Bhagavatam and the Bramha Samhita . It is worthwhile to note that neither the Vedas nor the main Upanishads ever mentioned about the avatar. However, word as avatarana appears in ancient post-Vedic texts meaning as " action of the divine descending".  The term avatar is most commonly found in the context of Lord Vishnu. The earliest mention of Vishnu manifested in human form to establish dharma on earth, uses other words sambhav?mi (in verse 4.6) and the word tanu (in verse 9.11) of the Bhagavad Gita, as well as other words such as akriti and rupa in some other places. It is in medieval era, those texts composed after the sixth century CE that the word avatar appears, where it means embodiment of a deity. Thereafter the idea of avatar is mentioned, in the Puranic stories for many deities, and with ideas such as ansha-avatar or purna avatar (partial or complete embodiments). 
Even though the term avatar originated with Hinduism, It is found in the Trikaya doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism, in descriptions for the Dalai Lama in Tibetan Buddhism, and many ancient cultures. In Sikhism the Dasam Granth (Guru Gobind Singh) mentioned two avatars of Rudra: Dattatreya Avatar and Parasnath Avatar
There is subtle difference between avatar and incarnation. The avatar is sometimes referred to as an incarnation but use of avatar as "incarnation" has been questioned by some theologians, who state that an incarnation is in flesh and imperfect while avatar is mythical and perfect.  Avatars are true embodiments of spiritual perfection, one driven by noble goals, in Hindu traditions.  
Although Puranas contains occasional references to avatars of Shiva, the avatar doctrine is neither universally accepted nor commonly adopted in Shaivism.  The Linga Purana lists twenty-eight avatars of Shiva. In the Shiva Purana there is a distinctly Shaivite version of a traditional avatar myth: Shiva brings forth Virabhadra, one of his terrifying forms, in order to calm Narasimha, an avatar of Vishnu. When that fails, Shiva manifests as the human-lion-bird Sharabha which calms down lion-man Narasimha avatar of Vishnu. 

Various Avatars of Lord Shiva
Hindus in India and abroad generally know about Dasa avatars (10 Avatars) of Lord Vishnu. But many devotees of Lord Shiva do not know much about different Avatars of Lord Shiva. There are many forms of Lord Shiva. Some consider 25 forms as the most important but out of 19 of those forms are considered as Avatars. They fall into one of three categories - Yoga, Bhoga, and Vira. It is considered that everything in the world owes its existence, sustenance and continuity to Lord Shiva and in any form He benefits the universe. Generally He appears in a peaceful mood with his consort Parvati and son Skanda. As the cosmic dancer He appears as Nataraja. When he is ascetic, a mendicant, He appears as a yogi, and as a Dalit accompanied by a dog He appears as Bhairava. These forms fall into one of three categories - Bhoga, Yoga and Vira. When the Lord is in yogi form, He is without Goddess Parvati. Dakshinamurthy is a form of Siva, which is said to be in yoga form. We worship Dakshinamurthy for knowledge, material life in the spiritual strata. When the Lord is without Parvati by His side, His solitary state is reflected in the lives of mortals too. It is said that when Shiva was not with Parvati human beings too lose interest in their spouses. When followers of Lord Shiva bring in artefact of Shiva, they keep side by side the artefact of Parvati. Hence, Shiva with Parvati is necessary to make procreation possible in this world. Shiva with Parvati appears as Uma Maheswara or Kalyanasundara or Somaskanda (As Somaskanda, He also has His son Shanmukha with Him). 
Lord Shiva takes a Vira form, manifesting anger. Gajasamhara murthi and Virabhadra are some examples of His appearance in Vira form. When the Lord destroyed Daksha's yagna, He assumed the form of Virabhadra.

Some scholars indicate that Rudra is one of Shiva’s avatars. Rudra was the principal deity of Vedic period - the proto form of Shiva. Rudra (Sanskrit) is a Rigvedic deity associated with wind or storm, Vayu and the hunt. Rudra was prominently known as the destructive God of Vedic society. According few Puranas it is believed that Shiva is a developed form of Vedic Rudra in which so many other minor deities were assimilated. Shiva has eleven forms of Rudra. Shiva is generally thought to have originated from Rudra, a God worshipped in the Indus Valley during the Vedic period. Rudra was a hunter and a storm God, and was very fierce in his ways. He requested his father for a name and was granted “Rudra”, from the word rud, meaning to weep or howl. He has several names and avataras and various scriptures and religious books give different names. Shiva shares many features with Rudra, and Shiva and Rudra are viewed as the same personality in Hindu scriptures. The two names are used synonymously. A God named Rudra is mentioned in the Rig Veda.  However the 11 Rudras worshipped in the Ekadasa Rudrabhishekam Pooja is the most reliable information. The 11 Rudras as per this text are Nirriti, Shambhu, Aparajita, Mrigavyadha, Kapardi, Dahana, Khara, Ahirabradhya, Kapali, Pingala and Senani.                                       
Pashupatinath is that form of Rudra whose existence is attributed to Shiva. Pashupati is the Lord of beasts. Pashupatinath is an avatar of Shiva and is the male counterpart of Shakti. The five faces of Pashupatinath, according to Puranas, represent various incarnations of Shiva; namely (1)  Sadyojata  (also known as Barun);  (2)Vamdeva (also known as Uma Maheswara); (3) Tatpurusha; (4)  Aghor and (5) Ishana. They face West, North, East, South and Zenith respectively, representing Hinduism's five primary elements namely earth, water, air, light  and ether. The earliest claimed evidence of Pashupati comes from the Indus Valley civilization (3300 BCE to 1300 BCE), where the Pashupati seal has been said to represent a proto-Shiva figure, though this claim is rather controversial and uncertain. 

Nepal’s population is predominantly Hindu and Pashupatinath is revered as a national deity. The Pashupatinath Temple, located on the bank of the river Bagmati, is considered one of the most sacred places in Nepal. In mythology it is said that Lord Pashupatinath started living in Nepal in the form of a deer because he was enchanted by the beauty of Kathmandu valley.

In India famous Pashupatinath temple is situated on the bank of the Shivana  river in Mandsaur,  Madhya Pradesh.  It is one of the most important shrines of Mandsaur, and here Lord Shiva in the form of Lord Pashupatinath is its primary deity. Its main attraction is a unique Shiva Linga  displaying eight faces of Lord Shiva. The shrine has four doors, representing the cardinal directions.

The Linga Purana lists twenty-eight avatars of Shiva. According to some other puranas, Lord Shiva had 24 avatars. Lord Hanuman who helped Rama (the Vishnu avatar) is considered by some to be the eleventh avatar of Rudra (Shiva). .Basically, Shiva means the one who is auspicious and removes all sorrows. Hence, Shiva is the one who glows and makes others glow. Shiva is said to have eight forms which is known as Ashtamurthi. These eight forms of Shiva are Sharabha, Bhava, Rudra, Ugra, Bhima, Pashupati,  Ishana and Mahadeva and are said to be the earth, water, fire, wind, sky, yogi, sun and moon respectively. He is called as Nilakanta because his throat became blue due to the consumption of poison which emerged from the churning of the Great Ocean. It is Shiva who directs our lives in accordance with our karma. We may make plans for life and have a multitude of ambitions but whether our ambitions are realised depends on His will and plans. Imagine a man who has a cot and a comfortable mattress to sleep on, but if he is an amnesiac, can any of these help? Likewise, we may have ambitions, but in the absence of His approval, our ambitions will remain unrealised.
In fact, Lord Shiva has 19 avatars. An avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity in human form on earth. Usually, the prime motive of an avatar is to destroy evil and make life easy for other human beings.
Lord Shiva’s nineteen avatars 

1.    Piplaad Avatar 

According to the Shiva Purana, Lord Brahma had named this form of Lord Shiva as Piplaad. He was brought up by his aunt Dadhimati. According to legends, Lord Shiva took avatar in the form of Piplaad. In this avatar, Lord Shiva was born to Sage Dadhichi and his wife Swarcha. However, Dhatichi had left his son even before he was born. Piplaad being upset about his father’s behaviour had to question Devas why his father had left him. According to Devas his father had to leave him because of the unfavourable planetary position of ‘Shani’. As he grew up and learnt about the cause of his father's death. Piplaad cursed Shani, who started falling from the celestial abode. Piplaad after his birth was left under the Pippal tree with no one to look after. He lay there crying due to hunger. Hearing this baby cry the Pippal tree – which was an avatar of Vishnu, fed the baby and also protected it from hazards, it could do this because it was blessed by Devi Annapurna. Years passed away and the child grew, Piplaad was taught by the tree, it was the tree that made him aware of the surrounding world. It was then that Rishi Narad passed by, seeing him Piplaad jumped up asking whether he was his father. Narad answered in negative and told Piplaad the whole story on how his parents had to leave the world. Narad told him that all happened because of Shani Deva. The angry boy took a branch of the tree and ran to teach Shani Deva a lesson. Piplaad crossed all the obstruction and reached the planet Shani. Piplaad, at that young age challenged one of the strongest Gods. Shani Deva got angry and used his eyesight on the young boy. It was then that something astonishing happened; the sight of Shani Deva did no harm to Piplaad. Piplaad then fought and defeated Shani Deva. However, after the Devas intervened, Piplaad agreed to forgive Shani but in the form of a punishment he brought few restrictions. by saying that none below sixteen would get affected by his adverse effects. Having heard the prayers, Piplaad forgave Shani and brought few restrictions, Shani Deva will not affect children less than 17 years. Shani can only last for 18 years and come to a person once in 30 years. Shani will not affect people who always follow dharma but instead reward them. Shani Deva will not affect people who pray to lord Shiva.  Shani Deva will move away from people who help others, donate things to poor and feed cows too.

2.    Nandi Avatar

This form of Lord Shiva was born to Sage Shilada. The sage performed intense penance to seek Lord Shiva's blessings and asked for a child who would remain immortal. Therefore, pleased by Sage's devotion, Lord Shiva took birth as Nandi, who then became the gate-keeper of Kailasha (Lord Shiva's heavenly abode) and the mount of the Lord.The Nandi Avatar is the divine gatekeeper of Lord Shiva. His statue can be seen in every Shiva temple across the country. This Avatar of Lord Shiva indicates that he represents every form on earth. Many temples in India are exclusively built for Nandi. One such famous temple of Nandi is the Nandishwara Temple in Karnataka. Lord Nandi is worshipped as the keeper of the herds. He is represented with a bull-faced four hands. Two of his hands hold an axe and an antelope. The other two hands are joined in homage. This human form is known as Nandikeshwara.

3.    Veerabhadra Avatar 

V?rabhadra (Sanskrit: ???????, lit. distinguished hero), also known as Veerabadhra , Veerabathira, Veerabathiran is an extremely fierce and fearsome form of Lord Shiva. He was created by His wrath to destroy the Yagna (sacrificial fire) of Daksha, after Daksha's daughter and Shiva's consort Sati self-immolated in the sacrificial fire. .The Veerabhadra avatar of Lord Shiva is one of his fiercest forms.  Veerbhadra Avatar when his wife Sati immolated herself at the Daksha Yagna. Lord Shiva was extremely furious. He had plucked a hair strand from his head and threw it on the ground from which Veerbhadra arose to protect   Sati. This form of Lord Shiva broke all sacrificial vessels, polluted the offerings, insulted the priests, and even cut off Daksha’s head for being responsible for Sati's death, trampled on Indra, and broke the staff of Yama. He finally returned to Kailash. He is described as a warrior who eventually blinded Bhaga, subdued Indra and other Gods fled the battlefield unable to sustain His power.

4.    Bhairava Avatar

The Bhairava Avatar of Lord Shiva or Kaal Bhairava is recognized as the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva that is often connected with annihilation. It is believed that in the frightful form of Kaal Bhairava, Lord Shiva guards each of the 52 Shakti Peethas across India. Each Shakti Peethas has a temple that is dedicated to Bhairava. The Shiva Maha Purana refers to the Bhairava Avatar. When Lord Vishnu had asked Lord Brahma who was the supreme creator of the Universe?  Brahma being arrogant told Vishnu to worship him as the supreme creator. This behaviour of Brahma had angered Lord Shiva who then incarnated into Bhairava to punish Brahma. He beheaded Brahma (one of Brahma’s five heads), who since then only has four heads. Bhairava has been depicted carrying the severed head of Lord Brahma in one hand. Referred to as Dandapani, the Bhairava Avatar punishes those who are greedy, lustful and arrogant. These negative traits often lead to one's downfall, and hence the purpose of the Bhairava avatar.

5.    Ashwatthama Avatar 

Ashwatthama or Ashwatthaman  or Drauni was the son of guru Drona and he is the grandson of the Sage Bharadwaja. Ashwatthama is the “Vish Purusha” that sprung out of Shiva when he consumed Halahal during Samudra Manthan. He is the Ansha Avatar of Lord Shiva, he was granted the blessing that he could kill the oppressive Kshatriyas.  He would take birth as Bharadwaja’s grandson and be raised as Brahmin but would be attracted to Kshatriya hood. Ashwatthama took birth as Vish Purusha to Drona and Kripi. It is the Puranic legend which narrates that Guru Dronacharya had performed intense penance to please Lord Shiva. He wanted the Lord to be born as his son. Therefore, pleased by Guru Dronacharya's devotion, Lord Shiva took birth as Ashwatthama, an able warrior who played a pivotal role in the Mahabharata. Ashwatthama is a mighty Maharathi who fought on the Kaurava side against the Pandavas. Ashwatthama is considered as avatara of one of the eleven Rudras and one of the seven Chiranjivi. Along with his maternal uncle Kripa, Ashwatthama is believed to be a living survivor of the Kurukshetra War. The rumours about his death led to the death of Drona by Prince Dhrishtadyumna. The final commander-in-chief of the Kauravas, Ashwatthama slaughters many in the Pandava camp in a sneak attack. Ashwatthama was born with a gem in his forehead which gives him power over all living beings lower than humans; it protected him from hunger, thirst, and fatigue. Bhishma himself declared that it will be virtually impossible for anyone to kill or defeat Ashwatthama in war as he is the part incarnate of Lord Shiva and he because was born to become a Chiranjivi. Bhishma said when Ashwatthama becomes angry then it will be impossible to fight him as he becomes a second Shiva. No one can handle his wrath and fury. Bhishma told Duryodhana Lord Krishna and sage Vyasa also knew about this and they advised Arjuna to seek the blessing of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva blessed victory to Arjuna but warned that it is impossible for anyone to kill Ashwatthama or agitate his anger.

6.    Sharabha avatar 

This Sharabha Avatar of Lord Shiva is in the form of part lion and part bird are shown as a human with the face of a lion along with an ornamented crown. It also has side tusks that give an overall frightening sight.  The Sharabha Avatar is depicted as having thirty arms. Each arm is holding thunderbolt, chakra, mushti, Sakti, sword, musala, fire, mace, Varada, arrow, flag, a skull cup, plough, a lotus flower, a snake, and with one hand that encircles Durga in a hug, respectively. . Sharabha is an eight-legged beast that is mightier than a lion and elephant. Sharabha (Sanskrit: ???, ?arabha, Tamil: ????, Kannada:  ???, Telugu: ???) or  Sarabha  is a part-lion and part-bird beast in Hindu mythology, who, according to Sanskrit literature, is eight-legged and more powerful than a lion or an elephant, possessing the ability to clear a valley in one jump. In other literature, Sharabha is described as an eight-legged deer. According to Shiva Purana, Lord Shiva assumed Sharabha Avatar, also known as Sarabeshwara or Sharabeshwara Murti to tame Narsimha - the fierce man-lion avatar of Lord Vishnu. This Avatar has been described in the form of a bird with a golden colour that has two uplifted wings, two red eyes, and four legs in the form of a lion that touches the ground, claws upwards, with an animal tail. This form of Lord Shiva usher's good luck, cure all diseases and destroys all enemies.  This form of Lord Shiva appeared to calm Lord Narasimha after the latter killed demon Hiranyakashipu. The Sharabha avatar is one of its kinds. The Lord appeared as a being that partly looked like a lion and bird. In some texts, the Sharabha avatar is said to have eight legs. The Shaiva scriptures narrate that  Shiva assumed the form of Sharabha to pacify Narasimha - the fierce man-lion avatar of Vishnu worshipped by Vaishnava sect. This form is popularly known as  Sharabeshwara ("Lord Sharabha") or Sharabeshwara murti. The Vaishnavas refute the portrayal of Narasimha as being destroyed by Shiva-Sharabha and regard Sharabha as a name of Vishnu. The Vimathgira purana, Vathistabhaana purana, Bhalukka purana, and other puranas narrate that Vishnu assumed the form of the ferocious Gandabherunda bird-animal to combat Sharabha. In Buddhism, Sharabha appears in Jataka Tales as a previous birth of  Buddha. It also appears in Tibetan Buddhist art, symbolizing the perfection of effort. As a figure of power and majesty, Sharabha has appeared in numerous emblems, such as those of the State government of the Indian state of Karnataka, the University of Mysore, and Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited.

7.    Grihapati avatar 

In ancient times, there was a Brahmin named Vishwanar with his devoted wife, Suchismati. She wanted to have a son like Lord Shiva. So, Vishwanar went to Kashi to please Lord Shiva with his penance. He began to worship Vishweshwara Lingam with great devotion. Finally, Lord Shiva was pleased with his devotion and agreed to take birth as his son, who was named  as “Grihapati” by Lord Brahma. At the age of 9 years old, Grihapati was informed that he would die due to the evil effects of the planetary combinations because of which he proceeded towards Kashi to do penance. Lord Indra became very pleased with Grihapati and requested him to demand anything that he wished. However, Grihapati refused to do so and was attacked by Vajra as he made Indra furious. Right then, Lord Shiva appeared and protected the terrified Grihapati from the wrath of Indra. He blessed Grihapati that even Kaalvajra would not be able to kill him. \

 
8.    Durvasa avatar

According to Chapter 44 of the Brahmanda Purana, Brahma and Shiva got into a heated quarrel. Shiva became violently enraged when the Devas fled from his presence in fear. His consort, Parvati, complained that Shiva was now impossible to live with. Realizing the chaos his anger had caused, Shiva deposited this anger into Anasuya, the wife of sage Atri. From this portion of Shiva deposited into Anasuya, a child was born, named 'Durvasa' (lit. one who is difficult to live with). Because he was born of Shiva's anger, he had an irascible natureLord Shiva took Durvasa Avatar for maintaining the discipline of the Universe. This avatar of Lord Shiva was born to Sage Atri and his wife, Anasuya He was a great sage known for his short-tempered behaviour who was received with great reverence from human beings and Devas alike. Once Atri the Manas Putra of Brahma, went to do penance on the banks of the River Nivindhiya according to the instructions of Lord Brahma himself. He started to do a tremendous penance. Atri was deeply engrossed in his penance so much so that devastating flames of fire manifested from his head. This fire spread in all three worlds in no time. All the deities became much terrified by the death and destruction that was caused by his fire. Later, Atri’s wife Anasuya gave birth to three sons who were the incarnations of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva. Lord Brahma took incarnation as Moon, Lord Vishnu took incarnation as Dutta, and Lord Shiva took incarnation as Durvasa.
Durvasa had an indirect role in the churning of the milky ocean In Vishnu Purana, Vayu Purana  Padma Purana, Srimad Bhagavata and Agni Purana, a Durvasa’s curse upon Indra is described as the indirect reason for the churning of the ocean. According to a story in the Vishnu Purana, Durvasa, while wandering in a state of ecstasy, came by a Vidyadhari (nymph of the air) and demanded her heavenly flower garland. The nymph respectfully gave the garland to the sage, whereupon he wore it on his brow. Durvasa came across Indra riding his elephant, Airavata. Durvasa threw the garland at Indra, who caught and placed the garland on Airavata's head. The elephant was irritated by the fragrance of the flowers, so threw the garland to the ground with its trunk. Durvasa  being enraged cursed Indra that he would be cast down from his position, just as the garland was cast down. Though Indra immediately begged Durvasa's forgiveness, but the sage refused to retract. Seizing this opportunity, the asuras led by Bali waged war against the Gods. Vishnu advised the Gods to call a truce with the asuras and help them churn the ocean of milk to obtain the Amrita (nectar of immortality), on the pretext of sharing it with them. 

In the Uttara Kanda of Valmiki's Ramayana, Durvasa appeared at Rama's doorstep and, seeing Lakshmana guarding the door, demanded an audience with Rama. Meanwhile, Rama was having a private conversation with Yama (the God of death) disguised as an ascetic. Yama gave Rama strict instructions that their dialogue was to remain confidential and anyone who entered the room was to be executed. Rama agreed and entrusted Lakshman with the duty of guarding his door and fulfilling his promise to Yama. Thus, when Durvasa made his demand, Lakshman politely asked the sage to wait until Rama had finished his meeting. Durvasa grew angry and threatened to curse all of Ayodhya if Lakshman did not immediately inform Rama of his arrival. Lakshman, in a dilemma, decided it would be better that he alone die to save all of Ayodhya from falling under Durvasa's curse and so interrupted Rama's meeting to inform him of the sage's arrival. Rama quickly concluded his meeting with Yama and received the sage with due courtesy. Durvasa told Rama of his desire to be fed which Rama fulfilled, whereupon the satisfied sage went on his way. Rama was filled with sorrow, for he did not want to kill his beloved brother, Lakshman. Still, he had given his word to Yama and could not go back on it. He called his advisers to help him resolve this problem. On Vasishta's advice, he ordered Lakshman to leave him for good, since such abandonment was equivalent to death as far as the pious were concerned. Lakshman then went to the banks of the Sarayu, resolved on giving up the world by drowning himself in the Sarayu river. 
In the Mahabharata, Durvasa’s rare granting of boons to those who pleased him, is seen. An example of such behaviour is the episode between him and Kunti, the future wife of Pandu and the mother of the Pandavas. When Kunti was a young girl, she lived with her adopted father, Kuntibhoja. Durvasa visited Kuntibhoja one day and sought his hospitality. The king entrusted the task to Kunti. She patiently put up with Durvasa's temper, and met his unreasonable requests of food at odd hours and served with dedication. Durvasa was pleased. Before departing, he rewarded Kunti by teaching her the Atharvaveda mantras, which enables a woman to invoke any God of her choice to beget children by them. Curious, Kunti decided to test the mantra. After invoking Surya, the sun God, she bore her first son, Karna. Fearing the fate of an unmarried mother, she placed the newborn in a basket and set him afloat down a river. The infant Karna was later found and raised by Adhiratha, a charioteer for the monarch of Hastinapur, and his wife Radha. Soon after this episode, Kunti was married to Pandu, the king of Hastinapur, and, by invoking those same mantras taught to her by Durvasa, she bore the three eldest of Pandu's five sons. Apart from his hair-trigger anger, Durvasa is also known for his extraordinary boons. According to Shiva Purana once while bathing in a river, Durvasa's clothes were carried away by the river's currents. Seeing this, Draupadi, who was nearby, gave her own clothes to the sage. Durvasa blessed her by saying that she wouldn't lack clothes at the time of requirement and the Kauravas were unable to strip off her clothes in the gambling hall, thus protecting her modesty. 
In Azamgarh, a site of pilgrimage is named Durvasa where the temple of Durvasa is located. As per the priest of the temple, Durvasa took samadhi at this place in a shiva linga.

9.    Rishabha Avatar

The Rigveda and  Atharvaveda  mention the name Rishabha which connotes the the bull   and  sometimes "any male animal". The Upanishads suggests that it means "most excellent of any kind", According to former President of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a professor of comparative religions and philosophy at Oxford, there is evidence to show that Rishabha was being worshipped during the first century BCE. The Yajurveda, states Radhakrishnan,  mentions the name of three Tirthankaras ( Rishabha,  Ajitanatha  and  Arishtanemi). It is an epithet for the bull in the Rigveda:

English translation by Ralph T.H. Griffith:

1. Make me a bull among my peers, make me my rivals, conqueror:
     Make me the slayer of my foes, a sovereign ruler, lord of kine
2. I am my rivals' slayer, like Indra unwounded and unhurt,
     And all these enemies of mine are vanquished and beneath my feet.
3. Here, verily, I bind you fast, as the two bow-ends with the string.
     Press down these men, O Lord of Speech, that they may humbly speak to me.
4. Hither I came as conqueror with mighty all-effecting power,
     And I have mastered all your thought, your synod, and your holy work.
5. May I be highest, having gained your strength in war, your skill in peace
     my feet have trodden on your heads. Speak to me from beneath my feet,
     as frogs from out the water croak, as frogs from out the water croak.

As per a legend associated with this avatar, Lord Shiva appeared as a bull to kill the sons born to Lord Vishnu and the Patala Loka women. Lord Vishnu's sons caused destruction, and hence at Lord Brahma's behest, Lord Shiva appeared as Rishabha to save creation.
The churning of the great oceans brought numerous things. In fact, there was a fierce battle between demons and deities over the vessel of the elixir (nectar). Lord Vishnu tricked all the Asuras (demons) by creating an illusion of enchanting beauty. When the Asuras took note of them, they forcibly carried them to their abode - Patal Lok. After that, they came back to take control of the nectar. However, the Gods had already taken it. Vishnu went to the Patal Lok to annihilate them. However, he was caught up in Maya and fathered many immoral sons who went on to create a ruckus for the Gods. To get rid of these cruel sons of Vishnu, Lord Shiva assumed the form of an Ox known as Vrishabha Avatar and killed all the brutal sons of Lord Vishnu. However, Lord Vishnu came to fight the ox. Still, he returned to his abode after realizing that it was an incarnation of Lord Shiva. 

 

10.    Yatinath Avatar 

The Yatinath avatar of Lord Shiva appeared to test a tribal couple, who were known for their hospitality. Once there was a tribal  man Aahuk. He, along with his wife, was ardent devotees of Lord Shiva. Once, it so happened that Lord Shiva visited them in the form of Yatinath.  They had a small hut that cannot accommodate Lord Shiva as a guest. So, Aahuk had to go to sleep outside. However, unfortunately, Aahuk was killed by a wild animal. Aahuk lost his life while safeguarding his guest, Yatinath. Instead of mourning, his wife took pride in him for giving away his life for the sake of a guest. His wife decided to end her own life. However, Lord Shiva blessed them that they would take birth in the form of Nala and Damyanti in their next life and Lord Shiva would unite them.

Though this story doesn’t throw much light on the details of how Shiva’s Yathinath form is. So going by the etymology, ‘Yati’ means a sannyasi (ascetic) and ‘Nath’ means master. So this form of Shiva could largely relate to the master of ascetics. Also the use of word ‘Nath’ is made in the context of ascetics of the ‘Nath’ sect historically popular for hatha yoga and miracles. Among these the Shiva is considered as Adinath or the initiator of the tradition. Thereafter Gorakshnath, who is also called as ‘Yati’ is also considered to be an incarnation of Shiva himself. So perhaps ‘Yatinath’ refers to him. Gorakshnath has been mentioned in various traditional stories as an ascetic who could see the past, present and future and travel anywhere in no time. 

 

11.    Hanuman: 

The origin of the word "Hanuman" is unclear. In Hindu pantheon, deities typically have many synonymous names, each based on some noble characteristic, attribute, or reminder of a divine event/deed achieved by the concerned deity. One interpretation of "Hanuman" is "one having a disfigured jaw". This version is supported by a Puranic legend wherein infant Hanuman mistook the Sun for a fruit, heroically attempted to reach Sun and was wounded in the jaw for his attempt. Hanuman combines two of the most cherished traits namely "heroic, strong, assertive excellence" and "loving, emotional devotion to personal God". Linguistic variations of "Hanuman" include  (1) Hanumat,  Anuman (Tamil), Hanumantha  (Kannada),   Hanumanthudu (Telugu). Other names include: Anjaneya,  Anjaniputra  (Kannada),   Anjaneyar  (Tamil),  Anjaneyudu  (Telugu),  Anjanisuta  all meaning "the son of Anjana"; (2) Kesari Nandana or Kesarisuta, based on his father, which means "son of Kesari"; (3) Vayuputra / Pavanputra : the son of the Vayu deva- Wind god (4) Vajrang Bali / Bajrang Bali, "the strong one (bali), who had limbs (anga) as hard or as tough as vajra "; this name is widely used in rural North India; (5) Sankata Mochana, "the remover of dangers, hardships, or hurdles" (6)  M?ruti, "son of Maruta" (another name of Vayu deva); (7)  Kapeeshwara, "lord of monkeys"; (8) Rama Doota, "the messenger of Lord Rama"; (9)  Mahakaya, gigantic"; (10) Vira, Mahavira, "most valiant"; (11) Mahabala / Mahabali, "the strongest one"; (12) Panchavaktra, "five-faced" and (13) Mukhya Prana Devaru, "Primordial Life Giver".
Vedic roots of Hanuman: The earliest mention of a divine monkey, interpreted by some scholars as the proto-Hanuman, is in hymn 10.86 of the Rigveda, dated between 1500 and 1200 BCE. The twenty-three verses of the hymn are a metaphorical and riddle-filled legend. It is presented as a dialogue between multiple characters: the God Indra, his wife Indrani and an energetic monkey it refers to as Vrisakapi and his wife Kapi. The hymn opens with Indrani complaining to Indra that some of the soma rasa offerings for Indra have been allocated to the energetic and strong monkey, and the people are forgetting Indra. The king of the Gods, Indra, responds by telling his wife that the living being (monkey) that bothers her is to be seen as a friend, and that they should make an effort to coexist peacefully. The hymn closes with all agreeing that they should come together in Indra's house and share the wealth of the offerings.
Vedic roots of Hanuman: The earliest mention of a divine monkey, interpreted by some scholars as the proto-Hanuman, is in hymn 10.86 of the Rigveda, dated between 1500 and 1200 BCE. The twenty-three verses of the hymn are a metaphorical and riddle-filled legend. It is presented as a dialogue between multiple characters: the God Indra, his wife Indrani and an energetic monkey it refers to as Vrisakapi and his wife Kapi. The hymn opens with Indrani complaining to Indra that some of the soma rasa offerings for Indra have been allocated to the energetic and strong monkey, and the people are forgetting Indra. The king of the Gods, Indra, responds by telling his wife that the monkey that bothers her is to be seen as a friend, and that they should make an effort to coexist peacefully. The hymn closes with all agreeing that they should come together in Indra's house and share the wealth of the offerings along with monkey. 

Dravidian roots of Hanuman: The oriental’s F. E. Pargiter (1852–1927) had advanced a theory that Hanuman was a proto-Dravidian deity.  According to this theory, the name "Hanuman" is derived from ana-mandi a Tamil word for male monkey. The word first transformed from ana-mandi to "Anumant" – a name which even now remains in use. "Anumant" was later got inducted in Sanskrit to "Hanuman" It seems  the ancient Aryans have come across with a popular monkey deity of ancient Dravidians and the concept was adopted and then Sanskritized. According to Murray Emeneau, known for his Tamil linguistic studies, this theory does not make sense because the Old Tamil word mandi  can only mean "female monkey", and Hanuman is male. Further, adds Emeneau, the compound ana-mandi makes no semantic sense in Tamil.
 
Hanuman in epics: Hanuman is mentioned in both the  epics,  Ramayana  and  Mahabharata.  A twentieth-century  Jesuit  missionary  Camille  Bulcke, in his Ramkatha: Utpatti Aur Vikas ("The tale of Rama: its origin and development"), proposed that Hanuman's worship had its basis in the Central India tribal cults. Hanuman is mentioned in the Puranas. By the 10th century CE a medieval legend positioned Hanuman as an avatar of the God Shiva. According to most of the puranas Hanuman is Rudravatara. Hanuman is mentioned as an avatar of Rudra in the medieval era Sanskrit texts like the Bhagavata Purana, the Skanda Purana, the Brhaddharma Purana and the Mahanataka among others. Only Shiva Purana mentions Hanuman as an avatar of Shiva; all other puranas clearly mention that he is an avatar of Rudra (which is also another name of Vayu). Indologist Philip Lutgendorf writes, "The later identification of Hanuman as one of the eleven Rudras may reflect a Shaiva sectarian claim on an increasing popular God, it also suggests his kinship with, and hence potential control over, a class of awesome and ambivalent deities". oTHERmythologies, such as those found in South India, present Hanuman as a being who is the union of Shiva and Vishnu, or associated with the origin of Ayyappa.  The 17th century  Odia  work  Rasavinoda by Dinakrishna Dash goes on to mention that the three Gods – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva – combined to take to the form of Hanuman. According to some belief, Lord Hanuman is an avatar of Lord Shiva .

 Lord Hanuman is known and celebrated for his devotion to Lord Rama. He is the son of Anjana and Kesari and blessed by the God of wind, Vayu. It is believed that Hanuman is an avatar of Lord Shiva or Rudra Avatar. Several texts present him as an incarnation of Lord Shiva. After Vishnu agreed to be born as a man to defeat Ravana, Brahma felt that he would need help, so he asked Shiva to take on an avatar as well. Shiva decided to be born as Hanuman, the son of Vayu the wind god and the Apsara Anjana, who was born on earth as a vanara princess due to a curse from Durvasa Rishi. Like Rama who was unaware that he was an avatar of Vishnu, Hanuman had no idea that he was an avatar of Lord Shiva. As a child, Hanuman was very mischievous. One time, soon after he was born, Hanuman attacked the sun thinking it was a piece of fruit, and when the sun ran away, he kept on chasing it! Despite being naughty as a young monkey, Hanuman was extremely loyal and courageous. Hanuman’s best friend Sugriva was the brother of Vali, the king of Kishkindha, the land of the monkeys. Through a misunderstanding, Vali chased Sugriva out of Kishkindha and exiled him. Hanuman was the only one to accompany Sugriva in his exile. Hanuman showed just as much loyalty, if not more, to Rama as he did to Sugriva. When Rama met Hanuman during his search for Sita, the two became instant friends. They were supposed to become instant friends as the event was pre-planned by supreme Gods. Hanuman was the one responsible for locating Sita and telling her not to lose hope,  that Rama was coming for her. During the battle between Rama and Ravana, Rama’s army was badly injured and many were killed. Upon seeing the devastation, Hanuman left to find a life-restoring herb called “Sanjeevani Booti” located on a far-off mountain, Dronagiri range of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand. When he reached the herbs, he realized that there was no time to pick them, and in his devotion and loyalty, he lifted the entire mountain and carried it back to Rama and his men. Without Shiva as Hanuman, it is doubtful that Rama would have been able to save Sita in time. Hanuman as an avatar of Shiva is not accepted by everyone, but there are many learned people who believe it and it is also mentioned in Satarudriya Samhita of Shiva Purana. It makes sense that Brahma would want another one of the Gods to assist Vishnu on his quest. As Ravana was a great devotee of Lord Shiva, it was nearly impossible to defeat him. As we look into the story of Ramayana, if Hanuman had not been there, then Rama would have taken too long to find Sita and not made it back in time to keep Bharata from killing himself and the whole story would have been different.

Medieval, colonial and post independence era 

In Valmiki's Ramayana, estimated to have been composed before or in about the 3rd century BCE, Hanuman is an important, creative character as a simian helper and messenger for Rama. The character evolved over time, reflecting regional cultural values. It is, however, in the late medieval era that his profile evolves into more central role and dominance as the exemplary spiritual devotee, particularly with the popular vernacular text  Ramcharitmanas  by  Tulsidas (1575 CE). According to scholars such as Patrick Peebles and others, during a period of religious turmoil and Islamic rule of the Indian subcontinent, the Bhakti movement and devotion-oriented Bhakti yoga had emerged as a major trend in Hindu culture by the 16th-century, and the Ramcharitmanas presented Rama as a Vishnu avatar, supreme being and a personal God worthy of devotion, with Hanuman as the ideal loving devotee with legendary courage, strength and powers. During this era, Hanuman evolved and emerged as the ideal combination of shakti and bhakti. Stories and folk traditions in and after the 17th century, began to reformulate and present Hanuman as a divine being, as a descendant of deities, and as an avatar of Shiva. He emerged as a champion of those religiously persecuted, expressing resistance, a yogi, an inspiration for martial artists and warriors, a character with less fur and increasingly human, symbolizing cherished virtues and internal values, and worthy of devotion in his own right. As Hindu monks morphed into soldiers, they often named their organizations after Hanuman. This evolution of Hanuman's character, his religious status, and his cultural role as well as his iconography, continued through the colonial era and into post-colonial times. 
It is therefore, well acknowledged that Hanuman is one of the avatars of Lord Shiva.

12. Krishna Darshan Avatar 

Lord Shiva took the incarnation of Krishna Darshan avatar to highlight the importance of yagna and rituals in a person’s life. A prince, Nabhag who was kept from his share of the kingdom by his brothers had been asked by his father to educate a sage to get rid of all his attachments and to conduct successfully a yajna. When the task is completed, Sage Angiras pleased hands him all the wealth which is stopped by Krishan Darshan Avataar of Shiva. He showed Nabhag the significance of higher spiritual attainment and salvation and hence gave blessings. This avatar of Lord Shiva appeared to emphasise the importance of Yagya and the importance of remaining detached. This legend is associated with a king named Nabhag, his father Shradhadeva and Sage Angiras.. 

King Nabhag was born in the nineth geneology of Shradhadeva who himself was a descendant of Ikshavaku. Nabhag was the grandfather of Ambareesh. During his childhood Nabhag left his home for 'gurukula to get education. In his absence his brothers got the wealth of the kingdom distributed among them. When Nabhag returned home after the completion of his education, he demanded his share of wealth from his brothers. His brothers told him that they had forgotten to fix his share as he was absent at the time when wealth was being distributed. They advised him to go and meet their father. Nabhag went to his father and made the same request. His father advised him to go to sage Angiras who was trying to accomplish a yagya, but was not being able to accomplish it because of his attachment.
His father told him that "go and try to eliminate his attachment by your discourses. This way sage Angiras on being pleased with you would give all the wealth which remains after the completion of the yagya.".Nabhag did the same. He went to the place where sage Angiras was performing yagya. He preached sage Angiras on the virtues of Religiousness. As a result the Sage Angiras was very pleased by Nabhag's knowledge of religion. He gave all the remaining wealth of the yagya to Nabhag. Just then lord Shiva arrived there in his incarnation of Krishna darshan and tried to prevent sage Angiras from donating the wealth to Nabhag, instead he staked his own claim. Nabhag told lord Shiva that, since the wealth was given to him by sage Angiras himself, it naturally belonged to him. Lord Shiva then sent Nabhag to his father Shradhadev to know about his opinion. Nabhag went to Shradha deva who revealed to him that the person who was staking his claims on the wealth was none other than lord Shiva. He also told him that whatever remained after the accomplishment of the yagya belongs to lord Shiva only. Nabhag was now satisfied. He went back to lord Shiva and narrated everything what his father had said. He then eulogized and worshipped lord Shiva. Lord Shiva blessed him which helped Nabhag to attain salvation. He became free from all sorts of attachments and the yagya was successfully accomplished. Vishvarupa ("Universal-form"), also known popularly as Vishvarupa Darshan, Vishwaroopa and Viratarupa, is an iconographical form and theophany of the Hindu god Vishnu or his avatar Krishna. Vishvarupa is considered the supreme form of Vishnu. The Matsya, Kurma, and Vamana avatars of Vishnu are Lilavataras. A Purnarupa in this classification is when Vishnu manifests completely along with his qualities and powers. In Vaishnavism, Krishna is the Purnarupa. In Shaivism, Bhairava is the purnarupa of Shiva.

 

.13. Bhikshuvarya Avatar 

Once upon a time, there lived a King named Satyarath who ruled Vidarbha. During a fierce battle with a neighbouring kingdom, the King lost his life his wife was able to survive by hiding in the forest. During the time, his wife was pregnant and gave birth to a son near a pond in the forest. Unfortunately, his wife also died because a crocodile hid inside a pond that attacked her. The poor child kept crying in hunger and thirst until a bigger heard the cry of the child but she hesitated to take the child until Lord Shiva appeared before her and told her to take the child and adopt her. She named the child Dharma Gupta.
This form of Lord Shiva appearing before the beggar and the child is known to be Bhikshuvarya Avatar. The Bhikshu Arya Avatar of Lord Shiva protects human beings from all kinds of dangers. As the name suggests, Lord Shiva appeared as a beggar to save the child of a King named Sathyaratha. Since the child had lost his parents, he was brought up by a poor woman with Lord Shiva's blessings.

14.  Sureshwar Avatar 

Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati appeared before Upmanyu, the son of Sage Vyaghrapaad, and they disguised as Indra and Indrani, respectively. They told Upmanyu to stop worshipping Lord Shiva. Both of them wanted to test his devotion to Lord Shiva. Upmanyu refused even after being cursed by them. The young boy passed the litmus test and succeeded in making Lord Shiva reveal himself. Now, Lord Shiva and Parvati were totally satisfied with his devotion. Lord Shiva promised Upmanyu that he would always be present in the vicinity of his hermitage along with Goddess Parvati. Shiva was called Sureshwar as he appeared in the form of Indra.

15. Keerat Avatar

There are large numbers of stories Mahabharata which many of us must have heard, or read. It is also known that before the Mahabharata war, Arjuna had prayed to Goddess Parvati for victory, but it is less known that once Lord Shiva saved Arjuna's life, but Arjuna started fighting with Lord Shiva. This avatar of Lord Shiva appeared to test the bravery of Arjuna. When the Pandavas were in exile, Arjuna meditated to seek Lord Shiva's Pashupat. During the exile when Arjuna was doing penance to please Lord Shiva, the demon named Mudh sent by Duryodhana took the form of a boar (pig) reached there to kill Arjuna. That monster could not be killed by an ordinary arrow. Seeing this, Lord Shiva wearing Kirat Vesha reached there. Arjun hit him with his arrow, at the same time Lord Shiva, wearing Kirat Vesh, fired an arrow at the demon. Due to Shiva's illusion, Arjun could not recognize him and started saying that the swine is killed by his arrow. There was a dispute between them on this. Arjuna fought with Lord Shiva. Seeing the valour of Arjuna, Lord Shiva was pleased and came in his real form and blessed Arjun with victory over the Kauravas.

16. Sunatnartak avatar 

Lord Shiva took the form of Suntantarka Avatar to ask the hand of Goddess Parvati in marriage from her father, Himalaya. The Sunatnartak avatar of Lord Shiva appeared in the Himalayan King's court and danced with his damru. In the end, he put forward a marriage proposal and expressed his desire to marry Parvati. 
Sadguru puts this in a nicer way. There is a beautiful story in the yogic lore. The wedding between Shiva, the Adiyogi and Parvati was a grand affair. Since Parvati was a princess, the “who’s who” of the region were invited – kings and queens, gods and goddesses, each in their finery, one more beautiful than the other. And then came the groom, Shiva – dreadlocked, matted hair, smeared from head to toe in ash, wearing the fresh skin of an elephant, dripping with blood. He came fully inebriated. His entourage was all demented and distorted beings, not of human form. They were making all kinds of noises among themselves in a language that no one could understand. Parvati’s mother, Meena, looked at this groom and fainted! Parvati went and begged Shiva, “I don’t mind the way you are. All I want is you, the way you are. But for my mother’s sake just show a little more pleasant self.” Shiva agreed and put on a very beautiful form, attired himself well, and then came to the wedding again. When they saw Shiva transformed, they said he was a Sundaramurti. That means he was the most beautiful human being they had ever seen. He was nine feet tall. They say when Shiva stood; he was level with a horse’s head. When he came down to southern India, they said he was twice the height of an average woman there, who were generally four-and-a-half to five feet tall. He was approximately nine feet tall, the most beautiful man, and everyone was awestruck by his presence.

17. Brahmachari avatar

The question whether Lord Shiva is Brahmachari comes up because we know that in spite of being married and having children, Shiva is considered as  Brahmachari. He walks the path of Brahmacharya because his consciousness is filled with the Truth of Brahma. .As Brahmachari Avatar, Hindu mythology is a tapestry of stories and characters. The stories are backdrops of different aspects of personalities. Many of us suppress our highest potential. Often hurt by past experiences, we cover and our protect ourselves. Lord Shiva is no exception to this retreat process when he lost his great beloved wife Sati. In grief, Shiva sat in meditation for thousands of years neglecting his divine duties.
One day, Brahma, the God of creation, looked around and saw that nature had lost its lustre. The world was stagnating. Without Shiva bringing everything to a state of dissolution, Brahma could not create and ideas could not be born, creativity and imagination were blocked. Brahma went to the great feminine force, Shakti, for help. Shakti told Brahma she would be born in a human female form to bring Shiva back into the world. Lord Shiva was absorbed in meditation, Creativity and imagination don’t flow
Shakti was reborn as Parvati. Her whole life, Parvati had a special love in her heart for Shiva. As a young girl, she sat in the meadows fluttering her eyes at him, placing flowers at his feet, cooing his name, and daydreaming about him opening his eyes, taking her into his arms, and feeling love’s embrace. Yet this never happened. All her daydreaming was not doing anything but frustrating her.
Parvati decided to act. She went to Kama the God of love and requested him to shoot an arrow into Shiva’s heart to arouse him. She was sure this would work. Kama, always down for love, shot an arrow into Shiva’s heart and woke him out of meditation. He opened his eyes and feeling the stirring of passion in his body, became enraged that he was brought out of his meditation. With a roar, he opened his third eye, and fire shot out and incinerated Kama. Shiva closed all three of his eyes and retreated inward. Lord Shiva’s Brahmachari avatar
Fear arrives cloaked as distraction, procrastination, and dissuasion. The best way to tackle fear is through action. Parvati begins to meditate. For thousands of years, she stands on one leg in hot and for thousands of years, she stands on the other leg in the cold snow. During these meditations, she builds tapas, inner heat, and her own power grows so strong that Shiva, deep in his meditation, feels her presence and awakens from his meditation. Parvati doesn’t gain Shiva’s attention because she is beautiful. She gains his attention because her inner light was brilliant. Parvati, unable to rely on wishing and hoping, has to go on an inner journey. 
Lord Shiva tested Goddess Parvati’s determination to marry him as Lord Shiva, the latter appeared before her as a Brahmachari. He hurled abuses at Shiva to test Parvati's devotion, and Parvati, who loved Lord Shiva more than anyone else, gave a fitting reply to the Brahmachari. Eventually, Lord Shiva revealed himself and blessed Parvati.

18. Yaksheshwar Avatar 

Every avatar has a purpose. This Yaksheshwar avatar was to humble the ego and pride of Gods. The divine legend goes thus During the time when ocean was being churned first of all poison appeared from it. The deities were very terrified to see the tremendous heat it generated. They went to lord Shiva and requested to protect them from the heat of that poison. Lord Shiva drank all the poison but did not let it pass down his throat. After the poison, Nectar appeared from the ocean, which was drunk by the deities. The demons too wanted to drink the nectar, so a tremendous battle ensued between them and the deities. The Gods became victorious in this battle because they had become immortal due to the effect of the Nectar. This victory made them very arrogant. Lord Shiva was very concerned about their arrogant nature. He went to them in the guise of a Yaksha. He asked as to what was it that had made them so arrogant. The Gods responded that their arrogance stemmed from victory over the demons. Lord Shiva who was disguised as Yaksha replied- "Your pride is based on false notion, because you did not achieve victory due to somebody's grace and blessing." The deities disagreed with him. Lord Shiva then asked them to cut the grass if they considered themselves so mighty. He then kept a grass leaf in front of them. Each of the deities tried to cut that grass with their respective weapons but remained unsuccessful in their attempts. They were all amazed. Suddenly a heavenly voice was heard which said that the Yaksha was none other than Lord Shiva himself. The Gods realized their mistakes. They apologized to lord Shiva. After vanquishing the false pride of the deities lord Shiva disappeared. It was Lord Shiva’s attempt to destroy their false pride through this divine grass. This form of Lord Shiva then came to be known as Yaksheshwar avatar. 

19. Avadhut Avatar

Lord Shiva took Avadhut Avatar to crush the arrogance of Indra.To crush the ego of Indra Dev, Shiva appeared as Avadhoot. Being the king of Gods, Indra had acquired ego. Once when Indra, along with some other Gods was passing through Kailash Parvat, Lord Shiva decided to test him. He took the form of an avdhoot (sage) and blocked his way. Indra request the ‘Avdhoot’ to move out of his way, but Lord Shiva in the form of ‘Avdhoot’ did not move. This angered Lord Indra and he decided to use his ‘vajra’. But his hand was stuck. Realizing the true identity of Avdhoot, Indra prayed to Lord Shiva and asked for forgiveness.
 All of the 19 Lord Shiva Avatars teach us different lessons and each avatar was to fulfil specifics purposes. These Lord Shiva Avatars are praised by many people across the country. Each one of them is praised for their own significance and reasons. These avatars are known to sustain the law and balance of the world and save mankind from the dangers. Let us pray and hope Lord Shiva keeps this world safe and protect us from all evils.
 

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Panda is a retired Civil Servant and former Judge in the Central Administrative Tribunal. He belongs to the 1972 batch of IAS in Tamil Nadu Cadre where he held many important assignments including long spells heading the departments of Education, Agriculture and Rural Development. He retired from the Government of India as Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in 2008 and worked in CAT Principal Bench in Delhi for the next five years. He is the Founder MD of OMFED. He had earned an excellent reputation as an efficient and result oriented officer during his illustrious career in civil service.

Dr. Panda lives in Bhubaneswar. A Ph. D. in Economics, he spends his time in scholarly pursuits, particularly in the fields of Spiritualism and Indian Cultural Heritage. He is a regular contributor to the Odia magazine Saswata Bharat and the English paper Economic and Political Daily. 

 

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ME, MY PATIENTS AND THEIR RELATIVES

Dr. Prasanna Kumar Sahoo

 

A doctor’s life is an inexhaustible source of nostalgic tales which, when put into words, provide an enjoyable reading to the readers. Even the doctor, when recalls the event himself, feels fathomless joy and returns to his unforgettable past. As a paediatrician I have had my share of many hilarious encounters.

 

My tiny patients, their relatives - illiterate and educated, simple and unscrupulous, rural and urban, rich and poor, downtrodden and persons in the upper echelons of society, jobless and employed - all types of individuals are characters which revolve around me and imprint their presence in the inner soul forever. Some happenings even dampen the eyes while recollecting those golden memoirs. To some it might look like an imaginary story solely created out of fictitious events. But these are real events which, I am sure, will make the readers realize the multiple facets of human nature.

 

It was my initial year of service at Kesinga in Kalahandi, the most backward district of Odisha. Though I was a pediatrician I was posted as an assistant surgeon and treating all patients. I was the first Specialist to be posted there as the Medical Officer In-charge. People were very happy that a Paediatric Specialist straight from the Medical College was stationed in the hospital. Soon I established myself as a renowned paediatrician in the locality.

 

On a cold, winter morning I was just enjoying the warmth of the rising sun in front of my official quarters when a half clad villager holding a small calf and a rooster in his arms approached me.

“Doctor Babu. My calf is seriously ill. He is not suckling from the cow. Please treat him.”

“What’s your name? In which village do you live? Why have you brought this calf to the hospital meant for treatment of human beings like you? Take this calf to the veterinary hospital where animals are treated by the veterinary doctor. The hospital is near the Block Office only half a kilometer from this place.”

“Doctor Babu. Don’t you remember me? I am Sukru from Kinerkela village. Only one month back I brought my six days old son who was yellowish and was unable to suckle his mother’s breast, for treatment; you kept my son in this hospital for five days; treated him; he was cured and was taken home; now he is well and suckling his mother’s breast. My son was not in a position to tell you anything regarding his sickness; I described everything and as per my information you treated him successfully. This calf is also five days old; of course he can’t tell you anything but I will tell all the symptoms so that you can treat him. Please don’t disappoint a rustic from the village. I am a poor man. I can’t offer you money for your service but I swear to offer this rooster to you. Please have mercy upon me and be kind enough to treat the calf and cure him.”

 

I could not decide whether to laugh or cry. At that moment I could not resist asking Paramatma, the Almighty! “O God! Are you listening? Such simple innocent persons still exist in your creation. They don’t distinguish between an allopathic doctor and a veterinary doctor and express profound faith on the doctor. To him a doctor is a doctor from whichever stream he might be. Because I have treated his child successfully he thinks I am capable enough to treat the calf also!”

 

With much persuasion I sent Sukru to the veterinary hospital along with one of my hospital staff. Also I contacted the Doctor over land phone (the only way of communication those days) and appraised him of the situation with a request to look after the calf personally. Needless to say that the calf was treated successfully by the veterinary doctor. Of course the grateful Sukru  finally handed over the rooster to the hospital staff who was with him during the treatment session.

 

I also encountered another situation where the profound faith of a rural, simple, immaculate person, on his physician could win the battle. It was in the same year. Till then as a single doctor I was managing the six bedded hospital. Budhia, a villager from Chancher, brought his twenty year old son with history of fever for five days, yellowish eyes and irritability for treatment. The patient was immediately hospitalized and treatment started. On investigation he was found to be positive for Falciparum Malaria, the most dreaded form of the disease. The patient was diagnosed to be a case of Cerebral Malaria and accordingly anti-malaria treatment was instituted. In those days, today’s infallible anti-malaria drugs were not available. We had to treat with the available drug, i.e; Quinine. Two days passed. In spite of two days' treatment there was no remarkable improvement. But one good sign was that he was not deteriorating either. My confidence shattered as he was the only son of the poor parents. It was high time to refer the patient to a higher centre. I advised the father accordingly.

“Look Budhia. I have applied my knowledge, learning and skill to the utmost level, have given all the possible available treatment. In spite of that your son is not improving. I am clueless. Anything may happen at any time. Before that, it is better for you to take your son to Bhawanipatna, the District Headquarter Hospital, which is only thirty five kilometers from here.”

 

Budhia replied emotionally; “Doctor Babu. I know you and your efficiency pretty well, I rely upon you. I don’t know anyone at Bhawanipatna. I am pretty sure they will not treat my son efficiently like you. Why the doctors there will treat my son on priority basis? Why they will give importance to an insignificant person like me? Doctor Babu; please don’t advise me to shift him to Bhawanipatna where I will be lost in the crowd. I have got unflinching faith upon your efficiency. If my son can’t be cured by your effort he can not be cured anywhere. You are telling that anything may happen. The worst possibility is that he may not respond to treatment and may lose his life. I am prepared for that. If he is destined to die, let him die here so that I will be able to take the corpse to my native village and the funeral will be carried in the place where he originally saw the light of the day. Doctor Babu; please imagine if he dies at Bhawanipatna, how a poor person like me will be able to bring back the dead body to his birth place and perform the final rites? At best I will throw the body in the river and the body will be prey to dogs, crows and vultures. I can’t do this injustice to my only son. God will never forgive me. Doctor Babu; I pray you with folded hands to proceed with the best treatment possible by you. If anything untoward happens I will never curse you; instead I will curse my destiny.”

 

I was dumbfounded, hearing those words. But I accepted the challenge; I went through books; I consulted my friends working in the medical colleges, I sought the advice of the medicine specialist in Bhawanipatna; I spent day and night obsessed with finding a solution. Fortunately I found an article regarding the current treatment of Cerebral Malaria in the latest issue of Indian Paediatrics Journal. I diligently went through the journal and treated as per the guidelines. By the grace of Almighty the patient was cured and went home after a fortnight’s stay in the hospital.

 

Throughout my stay at Kesinga Budhia used to bring his son Sania to me for treatment whenever he fell ill. Sania married and became a father of two children. The grandfather never failed to bring his grand children also to be treated by me during illness. I lost contact with the family after I got transferred to the present place of mine.

 

On 16th February this year I had been to Kesinga to attend the marriage ceremony of the son of a relative. During my stay at Kesinga my relative was also serving there as a teacher and after retirement he permanently settled there. During my stay while I was seating in his drawing room, an aged person of around sixty years entered and fell at my feet. I asked him to get up and to introduce himself to me.

“Sir; don’t  you recognize me? I am Sania, the son of Budhia from Chancher. I can’t dare to forget that you gave me a new lease of life. You brought me back from the clutches of Yamaraj. Even in seven reincarnations I won’t be able to repay your debt in the form of gift of my life. My joy knew no bounds when I learnt from Rabi babu that you are attending his son’s marriage celebration. I was waiting eagerly to meet the savior of my life and offer my obeisance. At this moment I feel to be the happiest person on the earth.”

 

I asked about Budhia and Sania told me that he had departed for the heavenly abode long back. I requested my relative to feed him and he took leave of me once again touching my feet.

These types of people are the rarest specimen in today’s materialistic world.

Those were the golden days of my life. During my leisure I always recollect the song from Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Me sung by Kishore Kumar “Koi lautade mere bite hue din”.

 

(The video clip of the song is at the end of the LV page.)

 

Dr. Prasanna Kumar Sahoo,MD (Pediatrics) is a retired Joint Director Grade 1 of Health and Family Welfare Department of Government of Odisha and now a practicing Pediatrician at Vyasnagar, the Steel City of Odisha. Besides being an eminent Pediatrician of Odisha he is also a prolific writer in Odia. He pens down the real happenings around him and his characters are his patients, the parents and his colleagues. He has contributed a book in Odia " BABU SAHOO KALAMARU " which is an unique characterisation of human values and nature and is adored by one and all. He is also a Columnist in Health Problems and writing on different aspects of current health issues since last several years in a local monthly Newspaper " The Kalinga Nagara Bulletin". He has represented the state in several National Platforms. He has a record number of 24 Awards, Local, State and National, noteworthy being PURBANCHAL SISHU BISESANGYA SHIROMANI AWARD 2017 and MAHATMA GANDHI AWARD 1997 by Government of Odisha. He is Life member of many Organisations including Indian Medical Association, Indian Academy of Pediatrics and National Neonatology Forum. At present he is State President of both, Indian Academy of Pediatrics and Pediatrics Allergy and Applied Immunology Chapter.

 

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AGONY & ECSTASY

Prof. (Dr.) Gangadhar Sahoo

 

In medical practice a doctor sees many patients. To his utter surprise every patient is unique and different. Every patient comes with a different problem. I say to my students that every day in the life of a doctor is an examination and every patient is a problem to be solved. In practical life there will be no one to proxy for you or supply chits to copy. You will fail to find the exact answer either from your book or from your Google search. Many things are to be learned by observation, many things by practice and maximum things by experience. From where does experience come? It comes from mistakes by self and others. To err is human. That doesn't mean that one will go on committing mistakes because one is a human. One gains experiences only when one identifies and corrects one's mistakes. How many mistakes will one commit during one's lifetime? Only a few. 

 

 So one should be polite and patient enough to learn from others' mistakes. In my last two articles "SORRY" and "Postponed Lunch" there were sufficient materials to learn from the mistakes of others. This time the story is different. This is how it goes:

 

It was the early part of 21st century. Prof. Mishra was the Head of the Department of Biochemistry, VSS Medical College, Burla. His wife was a staff sister. With one daughter and one son, they led a peaceful life staying in a Govt. quarters. 

His son was an engineer married to a non engineering , non medical working girl from a cultured and civilized family. On the date of reception of the newly wed couple Prof Mishra told me out of fun, " Brother! Add one more into your registry . She will be the third  from my family after my better half and my daughter,  whose delivery has ready been conducted under your supervision."

 

Within one year of marriage, Prof Mishra's daughter in law, Sunita conceived. At her first check up at around 12 weeks, her clinical examination, routine investigation and ultrasonography were normal. Sunita was following all medical advice meticulously, taking medicines timely and undergoing routine antenatal check up regularly. At 20th week the routine obstetric ultrasonography including targeted scan to exclude birth defects and doppler study for blood circulation to the fetus (intrauterine baby) and placenta was done and everything was fine. Everything was going on smoothly in Prof. Mishra's family. At about 22nd week of pregnancy, on a fateful night Sunita had a miscarriage, like a bolt from the blue. It's quite unusual and extremely rare to have a miscarriage at that stage of pregnancy. It happened as if the sky had fallen not only on the family of Prof Mishra but also on me. All efforts were made to find the cause but we failed. Man proposes, God disposes. God's will is always for the best of His creation. That was the ultimate consolation.

 

She was advised to plan pregnancy at least after one year with all pregnancy support agents. She conceived in the third month of trial. From very first day she was under my supervision. In the 1st ultrasound around 12 weeks it revealed a normal pregnancy with a right ovarian tumor 5cm×6cm. Ovarian tumor associated with pregnancy is invariably physiological, due to action of ovarian hormones. After 15 weeks it automatically regresses. In Sunita's case it was planned to have a 2nd  USG at 16 weeks. The report revealed a normal pregnancy of 16 weeks size with bilateral solid ovarian tumors right being 20cm×16 cm and left was 5cm×4cm with moderate free fluid (ascites) in the abdominal cavity. Since there was no regression in size, rather huge increase in size, solid, bilateral  tumors and ascites, everything points to one diagnosis , that's malignant (cancer) ovarian tumor with 16 weeks pregnancy. What to do next. The only answer was to remove the tumors. 

 

I discussed with Prof Mishra and all concerned regarding the nature of the ovarian tumor and its line of management. By that time I had a clinical discussion about the case in the staff seminar as it's a very, very rare case. All literatures were reviewed and management plan was laid down. I had to counsel Sunita and her relatives many things, since this is one of the rarest tumors associated with pregnancy, which is a malignant one. This was the first case during my long clinical practice of 30 years or more. My sonologist had also the same experience. I counseled them that for the sake of the mother both the ovarian tumors are to be removed and sent for histopatholgical study. Accordingly post operative chemotherapy may be started as per the protocol. This period of pregnancy is the most ideal time for surgery as with increasing size of the uterus, the removal of the tumors will be very difficult because of lack of space. Replying to the query of any adverse effect of the surgery of removal of both ovaries and post operative chemotherapy on the fetus and the ongoing pregnancy I assured them that the chance is almost negligible. Rather if surgery was delayed, problems would multiply.

 

Then I discussed the options of going to better hospitals for opinion and management to which all of them in unison expressed their faith on me and my hospital. Once they were convinced , THE SURGERY WAS PLANNED.

The operation date was fixed. On the day before operation all investigation reports were reviewed. I with my team had a discussion with the anesthesiologist in charge of the Gynaecology OT (operation theater). It was decided that the next day it will be taken up as the 1st case. In the evening round I and my team spent around half an hour in Sunita’s cabin to dispel all doubts from her mind and to give her a morale booster and mental tranquilizer. One thing she was convinced that after removal of both of her diseased ovaries she may not be a mother for the second time. But with her faith, confidence and cooperation nothing would happen to her baby in her womb. Actually this confidence building measure worked. We left her cabin with a pat on her back, wishing her and her intrauterine baby good luck. "See you baby tomorrow morning at 9 AM on the OT table. May God bless you both ," was my parting emotional wish.

 

My dictum was , " Sahoo Sir's OT  begins at 8.30 am not at 9am. " I reach dot at 9 and OT starts. On that day when I reached OT complex I found the waiting space was jam packed with the well wishers of Prof. Mishra and his relatives. From the anxious faces I could read the minds of Sunita’s Parents, "Oh ! Doctor, you are the savior, you are the God. Our daughter and her unborn baby are at your disposal, take care ." Prof.Mishra and his Madam were at the gate of the OT complex to receive the VIP in the form of me. Both of them wished me good luck and didn't utter a single word. Their silence told volumes of their emotions and expectations. I wished them good luck too and asked them to pray to God. “Then I entered into the OT.

OT was ready. My team was waiting for my arrival and the anesthesiologist for my green signal. It's my routine habit, before I hold the knife my OT team go into a huddle following all the OT protocols  and pray in unison for one minute for the patient and our team's success. In this case I myself did the final assessment under anesthesia to plan for the best approach to this particular patient. My message to the team was to give respect to the tissue handling, removal of the tumors in the easiest way and with least handling/manipulating of the uterus, lest, the uterus got irritated. 

 

When the abdomen was opened I was shocked to see the exponential growth of the tumors in last few weeks, the interval between decision making and surgery. The tumors invaded the whole abdomen cavity with much ego and arrogance, burying the uterus with the baby inside as if challenging the skill of my team. I accepted the challenge , prayed to my Guru and proceeded. To my surprise both the tumors came out easily as very polite and docile babies without putting any resistance. Each tumor was so heavy that they imbalanced me and I was about to fall and break my spine. Thank God, my students, who were observing the operation,  rescued  me. The tumors were looking angry, feeling as solid as stones and as heavy as large  jackfruits. To carry them to the pathology department for histopatholgical study two special size  large buckets were ordered. The operation was finished smoothly within one hour. Then one of my associates went out to show the tumors to Sunita's husband, parents, parents in law and near and dear ones. Most of them were speechless, some ran away from the scene and some fainted. 

It was a scene worth seeing. Anyway the immediate postoperative period was uneventful. After Sunita was taken to the recovery room, those who were there had a sigh of relief. Prof. Mishra and his wife thanked me for the bravery with such a natural smile, I can never forget.

 

Prof Mishra had one relative working at Tata Memorial Hospital, (TMH) Mumbai, a tertiary cancer hospital, one of the leading cancer centers in Asia. Biopsy report of both the Ovarian tumors came to be LYMPHOMA, a type of cancer which is not that aggressive and it responds well to chemotherapy (drugs used to treat cancer). It was doubly confirmed by the experts of TMH. So chemotherapy was started as per the protocol with strict monitoring of mother and the fetus (intrauterine baby). Each day passing was being crossed on the calendar. For the best interest of the fetus we planned for delivery after 37 weeks of pregnancy. Prof Mishra had a deep faith on astrology. 

 

He came out with date and time, a pious moment for delivery of his unborn grandchild, after consulting the best astrologer known to him.

After the pious date and time was fixed, each moment passing by was adding tension to the would be grandparents and the in charge Obstetrician (the in charge physician). Gradually frequency of check up and monitoring was increasing so also proportionately the heart beat of all concerned, except the mother and fetus . Each time, fortunately the progress was satisfactory. By then the agony of previous operation had gradually started fading from the minds of Sunita and her relatives. The place was taken by the fetus. There was only one question in everybody's mind, “Will the baby be OK?" But in contrast, the tension of the mother, fetus, effect of previous surgery, chemotherapy and perioperative complications had started clouding the mind of the Obstetrician, the shadow of which was quite visible on his face.

 

After completion of 37th week a final check up was done. Relevant investigations were repeated including ultrasound. Everything was OK. Sunita was hospitalized. She was curious, ecstatic and positive, without any shadow of stress or tension. She had erased the bad memories of the mishap of first pregnancy and the anxiety of the operation of ovarian tumors in this pregnancy from her thoughts and dreams. Replacing those stands tall the peculiar sensation of motherhood, the dream of every married woman, which was now at her door step. She was confident of achieving it. Countdown started for her in hours. In contrast, her mother and mother in law were tense , anxious as if the sky was going to  fall on their heads. All spiritual books were piled up, spiritual songs were running nonstop in the cabin and prayers / promises made to all Gods and Goddesses with offerings fot the smooth delivery. In the mean time I had a clinical conference with my team comprising of my assistants, OT sister, anesthesiologist and neonatologist. 

As per the time fixed by Prof Mishra Sunita was shifted to the OT. As usual we had a huddle to pray for the safety of the patient, her intra uterine baby and the team. 

 

Cesarean delivery was done. A full term male baby, hale and hearty was delivered within the specified astrologically pious moment. Baby cried immediately and forgetting all the norms of the OT and all inhibitions he passed urine in front of all. There was no need for resuscitation. Probably all the apprehensions and dangers ran away realizing our preparation. I congratulated the mother and thanked my whole team for their cooperation. The procedure was totally uneventful. 

 

With one stroke of my knife the ghost of fear, apprehension, stress, superstition, burden, bothering etc vanished except the  shadow of the trail of the Ovarian Cancer. Meticulously she was followed up and treated. Complete course of chemotherapy was given. But cancer is such a thing that slightest complacency on our part may instigate it to take a revenge on us. I was very much watchful for that. Both mother and son were doing well. After my retirement one day I met Sunita in the office chamber of the CDMO , Sambalpur. The CDMO was my wife. Sunita had come to join as a lady health supervisor. She was quite healthy and following all follow up protocols of ovarian cancer. Her was going to school and doing well. It was a meeting almost after five years of the surgery. I was so happy to listen to all the good news from Sunita. I wished her to stay healthy, happy and blessed her before parting. She stayed back for her official work. While returning from the CDMO office the whole episode of Sunita as a patient and me as her physician rolled in front of me like a live telecast.

 

The unexplained miscarriage at 20 weeks in her first pregnancy still haunts my mind. Some people spread the message that it was preventable but I missed the trick. In the 2nd pregnancy the difficulty in diagnosis of the rare ovarian tumors and the decision of removing the both tumors raised hue and cry among Sunita's relatives. The rumor was spread raising doubts on the survival of the intrauterine baby without the ovaries. Moreover the possibility of Sunita losing her motherhood for ever was the main talking point of the town. Nobody had the slightest sympathy on the physician in the form of me - how much difficult, stressful and risky it was to take such a bold decision. After everything was over one voice was heard, "Only God can do this miracle." Not a single person can think and judge the stress and strain the doctor has taken for one case like this. Such a case can reduce the life span of the doctor by one year. 

 

This is the true life of an Obstetrician. Whatever it may be it's a life experience, once in a lifetime, a great experience whose end was well. ALL IS WELL, THAT ENDS WELL. This momentary ecstasy outweighs the agony of two years. This is the life of an obstetrician. The lesson learnt from my experience is , "Medical science is neither easy nor difficult, but it's either made easy or made difficult. Decision making and timely intervention is the key to success. Be ethical, never pay any heed to what others say. Never expect but anticipate. Hard work never goes unrewarded."

 

Prof Gangadhar Sahoo is a well-known Gynaecologist. He is a columnist and an astute Academician. He was the Professor and HOD of O&G Department of VSS MEDICAL COLLEGE, Burla.He is at present occupying the prestigious post of DEAN, IMS & SUM HOSPITAL, BHUBANESWAR and the National Vice President of ISOPARB (INDIAN SOCIETY OF PERINATOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY). He has been awarded the BEST TEACHER AWARD of VSS MEDICAL COLLEGE,BURLA in 2013. He has contributed CHAPTERS in 13 books and more than 100 Scientific Articles in State, National and International Journals of high repute. He is a National Faculty in National Level and delivered more than 200 Lectures in Scientific Conventions.He was adjudged the BEST NATIONAL SPEAKER in ISOPARB NATIONAL CONVENTION in 2016.

 

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LET'S BE THE LIGHT...

Madhumathi. H

 

The aroma of ghee-dripping sweets and crunchy savories from all the households and shops, the glitter and sparkle from all the crackers, the sheen on the new clothes... All these signs of celebration would always be a nightmare, to an orphaned, deprived child.

Life itself is a festival, to be celebrated each day and there is no need to abstain from the little joys of life; but it is equally important to celebrate life meaningfully, with a soulful purpose each day.

 

''Changes cannot happen in a day!'', Yes, but for anything to happen, we must ''begin''. We are the change! It starts with us.

Let us all resolve, to make this DeepavaLi, and every festival, more meaningful; Let us make efforts to light up the lives of the deprived, let go of crackers a little at least to begin with and gently hug our planet, embrace simplicity and contentment.

Light shines brighter everywhere, when we all together, make positive steps forward.

Children watch, observe, and learn from us; let us gradually instil the awareness and responsibility in the young minds; they need a safer healthier planet to live, and a compassionate heart, to give...

 

Every religion, teaches in common, one big truth: ''Love is light''. High time we light up lives with the same truth, kindled by compassion. Gift smiles...

The aroma of ghee-dripping sweets, let the less privileged too, relish often...

~

A bilingual poet-writer(Tamil, English), Madhumathi is an ardent lover of Nature, Poetry, Photography and Music. Her poems are published in Anthologies of The Poetry Society(India), AIFEST 2020 Poetry contest Anthology, CPC-  Chennai Poetry Circle, IPC – India Poetry Circle, Amaravati Poetic Prism, and in e-zines UGC approved Muse India, Storizen, OPA – Our Poetry Archives, IWJ -  International Writers Journal, Positive Vibes, and Science Shore.

‘’Ignite Poetry'’, “Arising from the dust”, “Painting Dreams", “Shards of unsung Poesies", "Breathe Poetry" are some of the *recent Anthologies her poems, and write ups are part of. (*2020 - 2021). Besides Poetry, Madhumathi writes on Mental health, to create awareness and break the stigma, strongly believing in the therapeutic and transformational power of words. Contact: madhumathi.poetry@gmail.com Blog: https://madhumathipoetry.wordpress.com

 

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HARMONISE WITH NATURE, MASTER YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES-CELEBRATE LIFE!

Satish Pashine

 

Aren’t  We Special?

The whole cosmic system of matter and energy of which Earth, and therefore the human race, is a part is limitless. In the observable space, there may be 100-200 billion galaxies (1 billion=100 Crores). Each galaxy may have on an average 160 billion planets. It would therefore appear at the first sight that our beautiful Earth is one among these thousands of Crores of planets. But is it is just a planet out of these uncountable number of planets? NO! It is one unique planet in that it has intelligent life on it . Not just intelligent life, it has us - considered a marvel of God’s design and creation.

 

Life thrived on earth for billions of years before we human beings ascended. We are the first intelligent and technologically advanced species on our planet. As of now life hasn’t been found beyond Earth. Scientists think that life may actually be common. But intelligent life may be very rare and people like us even rarer. There might be approximately 8.7 million  living species on Earth with 75% species on land and 25% in oceans. Since the evolution of multi-celled organisms on the earth probably 900 million years ago less than 1% survive as of now. We must be just incredible because we have survived. This makes us really special and blessed.

 

Why This Greed?

We approximately 7.8 billion people on earth account for only 0.01% of all species. We are a massive minority on Earth. Why don't we act like it? Why we the most intelligent of the life-form don’t celebrate all life? Why don’t we live and let live?

 

Sadly enough, we have grabbed 86% of the land, destroyed 83% of wildlife and 50% of the Plants in our greed since our civilizations formed. Over the past 50 years alone, about half of the animals on earth have been killed. Worse, 300 years of catching has left the oceans with only 20% of mammals. Is this celebration of life?

A vast majority of us are unable to enjoy and celebrate life? To my mind, on a macro level, it may be because of our destructive activities and vicious thinking that has created a field of negative vibrations which impinges very adversely upon our ability to celebrate living. Our overall wellbeing is a combination of mental and physical wellbeing. Both are interrelated and intertwined. It is not only what we ingest but also what  we put into our minds really affects us to a much larger measure. Thoughts of greed, encroachment, envy and vengeances pollute our minds and create negative vibes which prevent us from celebrating life and living. We really need to learn to live in harmony with our environment to start celebrating life before it is too late. Hence, the first step is to start living in harmony with the nature.

 

Master Your Circumstances

At present the COVID-19 pandemic situation has made life complicated. This is probably the tenth pandemic and more are not ruled out in future. A miniscule invisible virus has brought the whole humanity to its knees. Social distancing and loss of livelihood is taking its toll and incidents of mental disorders and even suicides have increased. Media has reported several heart wrenching cases. Even several celebrity suicides  have come to the fore globally. Bill Gates has famously warned on Twitter  that Corona virus may be bad but climate change  would be even worse. It is essential to learn to live in harmony with our environment as we have observed earlier and convert negatives into neutral and then neutral into positive.

 

However, at a more mundane micro level, to me, “celebrating life” means how to be master of our day to day circumstances which will hopefully enable us to make life a celebration. “Master yourself and you will master the circumstances of your life” is my mantra.

 

Ten Commandments To Master Your Life And Celebrate Living:

 

1. Stop Accusing Others For Your Situations. .... 

When we blame other people for our own failures we use all our energies in attempting to get other people to change their ways rather than amending our own ways which might actually help us to get ahead in life.

 

1. Take Charge Of Your Life. ... 

We all know of people who in their minds are never responsible for any of their misfortunes/failures and we know that they aren’t doing any better. When we realize and admit that everything that we get out of life is exclusively a result of our choices and actions that is the day we become a man or woman in true sense. Things move on from that day onwards.

 

1. Stop Being Irritated. ... 

Anger is often a result of frustration. When we are upset with people we hit out either verbally or physically and are often out-of-control. After the anger has passed, most of the time we regret behaving the way we did and wish that we had more self-control. It may seem impossible to change, but, we may actually be wrong. I try taking 10 deep breaths and if that doesn’t help I say a mantra in my mind (it is Gayatri mantra for me, you can try any). If that doesn’t work I simply walk out of the person who irritated me.

Majority  of angered  people may actually suffer from low self-esteem as a result of poor upbringing or dominating parents/teachers. The situation can be improved by associating with the right people who acknowledge our positive attributes and are supportive.

Paying attention to our living space, personal hygiene, grooming and health also helps a lot as we feel good about ourselves.

 

1. Be A Role-Model. ... 

Sometimes, being a role model helps us enjoy who we are. When I turned a consultant after being an executive  and people started to look up to me, I became a lot more cautious about the way I behaved. I didn’t want to disappoint people by showing them a bad role model. Same when I founded professional body chapters, organised seminars , became a housing society secretary/president, a club president and so on. You just can’t show yourself in a poor light and the result always is simply astonishing.

 

I started being a “big brother” to my client personnel, a coach and a mentor to them who is always available. No matter what I chose to do, I always made a decisions that the person looking up to me will respect me. No wonder this is my silver jubilee year as a consultant.

 

1. Forgive and Forget. ... 

When we forgive people for what we think they have done to us, we are not doing them a favour. Rather than that we are actually doing ourselves a favour. Holding grudge against people who wronged us for the rest of their lives is never healthy.

 

To become a better person and celebrate life, start today go through your past and forgive someone that did something to hurt you the most. After I was “let go” in my last job very unfairly, I went to the owner’s son (who was managing the company and was avoiding seeing me) . I  told him that I wanted to forgive him and say that what he did was probably in the best interest of his company. He was surprised, but, we are in touch even after 25 years and he has been a great help all along.

 

 

1. Be A Good Listener. ... 

We are all busy with our careers, families, and lives. We are all in a hurry. We rarely ever have time to listen to what others have to say. I find that people are busy recycling messages on social media and almost nobody seems to be reading these. I have  learned in my life’s experience  that listening to people and giving everyone a voice is one of the greatest things we all can do. I personally got to meet some of the most amazing people because I took time to greet even strangers voluntarily and listen to their stories. Being a good listener can change our life in a positive manner and help us in celebrating living.

 

1. Be Truthful. ... 

Honesty is the best policy is an old adage. When we speak the truth we don’t have to remember what we said earlier. Don’t make stories about yourself or about anybody. Sooner or later it will come back to haunt us and make life difficult. Something may be  better than nothing but nothing is definitely better than rubbish.

 

1. Do Something You Have Always Avoided. ... 

Trying what we have never done is a very easy way to become a different and better person. Growing up, I was terrified of  drowning in waters, of Ferris wheels and any adventure activities. However, I eventually decided to get over my fear and give these things a shot. I tried roller coaster in Disneyland, water scooters, banana boats in Mumbai Seas, para-sailing in Goa, white-water speed-boat in Queenstown in NZ, hot air ballooning in Cairns (Australia) and even tried to learn swimming last year -all after the age of 55. It has been fun and celebration of life indeed !

 

9. Surprise Someone You Love. ... 

We all have loved ones in our life. Plan a special surprise for them. If you know someone who deserves a nice vacation or a new gift, go buy it for them if you can. In our Alaska cruise we met an elderly couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with their son’s and daughter’s families together. Dad had paid for the package and all individuals bought their own passages to Seattle and back. They had these wonderful 7 nights together. We kept bumping into these happy people often. One of the most rewarding feelings in the world are knowing that you made someone smile.

 

1. This Too Shall Pass. ..

"This too shall pass"is a Persian adage translated and used in many languages. It reflects on the temporary nature of the human condition. It was notably employed in a speech by Abraham Lincoln before he became the sixteenth President of USA.

We all have our share of difficult situations and I am no exception. Whenever I am in a very bad position I pinch myself. I feel the pain of the pinch and am immediately relieved that I am alive and fine and this situation is only temporary. It will definitely pass and I won't always feel this way. It's just a question of how long.

 

Declaration:

(This article has a similarity index of 0% on https://papersowl.com/free-plagiarism-checker. This means this  text is unique.)

 

Shri Satish Pashine is a Metallurgical Engineer. Founder and Principal Consultant, Q-Tech Consultancy, he lives in Bhubaneswar and loves to dabble in literature.

 

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MONDAY BLUES

Dr. Viyatprajna Acharya

 

It's "Monday whites" for me....taking me back to my childhood days when I see my energetic mother up very early, taken a head-bath with a towel tied around her head and gearing up for morning Puja. She used to wear whites on Mondays and Thursdays, a practice that I've inherited from her. Whites for me is the source of all colours and fills me with divine force to work better.

 

It is amazing that each day of the week is linked to some or the other Gods and Goddesses and thus for Indians, each day is a special day. Monday is the day for Shiva Puja. Monday, also known as “Somavaara”- Soma= Moon, vaara= day. Since Lord Shiva adorns moon on his head, he is also known as Someswara and hence this day is dedicated to Him.

 

When my mother used to serve steaming hot raw rice, Dalma (Odia cuisine: lentil with vegetables and sautéed with Deshi ghee, red chilli and cumin seeds and on top sprinkled with fried cumin-red chilli powder), little bhindi fry and a small bowl of curd my hunger used to be doubled. Again, each item will be sprinkled with grated coconut that would have come as prasad from my mother's temple visit.

 

When I look back after all these years in nutritional research, I find it to be one of the best-balanced diet. A diet that used to be easily digestible and with less-oil cooking. A Deshi ghee touch might be frightening for many but against the myths about Deshi ghee, it's easily assimilable in to our blood stream, not getting deposited in the body tissues leading to adiposity.

Now ...now...now...if I say Deshi ghee is good you should not be enthused to buy a 5 litre tin of it and consume over one month in a family of four. Obesity is about intake of more calories.

 

Mondays are for us is all about a new start, rather than 'blues' and it is considered as the first day of the week in Indian calendars rather than Sunday. Sadly, the youth today starts enjoying with parties, pub visits or distant travels from Friday evening onwards (a new terminology of 'weekend' concept was introduced along with IT boom in India) and instead of rejuvenating on weekends, they feel more haggard, tired and drained out by Monday morning and hence the 'Blues.'

 

Dr. Viyatprajna Acharya is a Professor in Biochemistry at KIMS, Bhubaneswar who has done some original research on different edible oils and also has done her PhD on Obesity in young adults. She is basically a doctor who specialises in Medical Biochemistry and her arena of research is metabolic diseases, nutrition and cancer.

 

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AN ACCIDENTAL ANALYST

Lipsa Mohanty

There’s a theory about interviews. Nobody likes to taste them. They are awkward, unpredictable and scary. One would any day trade places to become an interviewer instead. While no-one enjoys giving interviews as most are typical and planned, others just click out of sheer luck. For those who have grown up watching Bollywood movies such as 3 Idiots, the dramatized interviews are a poor portrait of reality. Moreover, they do little to grow your confidence levels. Google’s standard answers doesn’t help either as the interviewer is interested in learning about you.

 

 Here’s a personal story of an epic interview which got me placed in one of the leading Data Analytics firms in the country at the time.

It was December 2012, the last day of the semester exam, a day before winter break during my post graduation in Chennai. With hopes bleak of getting placed or even getting another interview call, I felt dejected and low, more so because I was publically dumped (boyfriend dumped me for an older girl), and had a fight with my overly enthusiastic roommate ranting about the placement season in college. Finally, I left my room to go settle in another empty hostel room for the night. Not feeling like talking to anyone or entertaining another soul I ended up binge watching Grey’s Anatomy, a popular medical drama, whose lead character Meredith was someone I closely related to (I already told you I was dumped!). After binge watching 24 odd episodes to get my mind off my then pathetic life I finally went to sleep in the early hours of the morning.

The next day, I woke up to the alarm set at 10 am and immediately my mind ran the to-do plan for the day. It included one, calling a cab at 12 noon to catch an afternoon train to Visakhapatnam at 2pm, two, packing for the ten day winter break and three, deciding to look for a job on job portals during the winter break. One done, I decide to get back to my room to pack my bags until I met a friend Priya in the corridor. “Lipsa, Aren’t you appearing for the interview? Your name is on the list.”

What interview? I asked, puzzled at the question asked of me. “I’m going home this afternoon the cab is scheduled to pick me up at 12 noon”, I answered. It was almost 10:30 am and I was still in my pyjamas not having brushed or  combed my hair. At the moment I decided to take a chance, instead of last minute packing, I rushed to find my formal clothes to attend the Group Discussion, hoping out of hope for a miracle to happen. At least I would have tried everything, I thought and reached the conference hall where the GDs were about to begin at 11 am. Barely noticing the six others at the table, I found the topic given for group discussion was “FDI in retail” a current topic which I knew nothing about. But eventually I guessed and summarized the topic in the end for everyone after listening to the others in the group (in hindsight it was a smart move).

 

With even grimmer hopes of getting selected for the next round I came back to change into casuals and got back to packing for home. I thought  my cab for the station should have arrived.

 

Meanwhile in utter fiasco, I had mistakenly left my mobile back at the conference room where the interviews were taking place. Unfortunately my mobile landed in the hands of the Dean of my college and he answered my father’s call. I learnt from another student that the Dean’s Office had found my lost phone and I should go collect it. The dean returned my phone but not before sharing his wisdom and lecture on the irresponsibility of this generation. He also informed me that my father was worried if I’d started from campus to catch the 2 pm train. Without getting into another argument I got back to my room to grab my luggage to board the cab and that’s when the results of the GD came out. And miraculously my name was on the interview list. Appalled that my father would be disappointed if I missed the train whose booking was on tatkal (tatkal tickets are non-refundable), I took a chance and stayed for the interview.

 

It was 3 pm in the afternoon. After the usual introductory questions which included, tell me about yourself, few questions from my resume about my summer internship (which is a story for another time) and a few more technical questions from basic math to statistics, I was asked the dreaded question - which every interviewer asks after looking at my resume. So Lipsa, you scored a 94% in your 12th boards, how is it that you have a 49% in your Graduation? I looked as if I’d the expected question and answered, Sir, the first year of graduation is the only year you can score a higher percentage in College as it has scoring subjects. I was busy making friends at that time. Also I was outside of home for the first time and exploring Delhi as any other student would. This affected my first year results and I never recovered trying to make up in my second and third year. But I’ve worked harder in my master’s and I have an aggregate of more than 60% in the 3 semesters here at Madras School of Economics.

 

After a long pause the interviewer asked the next question. Would you be comfortable working in Gurgaon? to which I replied, Sir?—?I spent the last 4 years in Delhi studying and had even lived in Pune for 3 months during my internship. So I would be more than comfortable working from any location. And here was the catch in a phrase I’d said but the smart interviewer had caught it. Graduation is for three years. How did you end up spending 4 years in Delhi? Sir I flunked in one of my papers?—?Development economics as I’d only read the last 10 year questions for the exam and expected them to be repeated, unfortunately no questions were repeated from the previous years papers that year when I took the exam. I fell short by 3 marks to clear the exam but had to wait for a year to take the exam again. After a short pause I pitched again. Going forward Sir I would like to work for a couple of years and then do an MBA. The interviewer next asked, Are you proud of what happened? No sir, but I don’t regret any of it as it taught me to fight in any circumstance. At last, the interviewer thanked me and I left the room as quickly as I could, thinking no way on God’s green earth would I have a chance at getting selected after what I answered. More so because I had shown no remorse. Worried that I had no means of getting back home as I’d missed my train, I went back to my hostel room to get some quiet time.

 

The results came out in a couple of hours later and unexpectedly I’d gotten selected. I was overwhelmed with emotion on hearing the news. After all the trouble I had gone through and terrible answers I’d given, I thanked God for this opportunity. So missing my train did pay-off in the end as that day I had a job at hand. Feeling elated I joyfully called my parents to share the splendid news. Although my luck with boyfriend part remained hopeless ever since, I was happy I accidentally became an Analyst. It has been 9 years since my career took off but this story of how I got placed remains very close to my heart.

 

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HALT, HIKE AND ENGRAVE: ON TUESDAY’S WITH MORRIE

Lipsa Mohanty

 

The Halt

“How come you didn’t call me, coach?”

-said Morrie, a dying professor on account of his student Mitch reaching out. Mitch laughs as his old mentor takes a dig at him. This cracks him up and charges him to get back and visit his old professor during his last days after sixteen long years as they unite to impart life’s greatest lesson for one last time. On every Tuesday as his classes were held twenty years earlier.

Rarely does one come across a line, a sentence or a page from the book posted on social media that catches your attention let alone enriches you.

For me, it was this particular sentence. Or rather the snapshot of this page posted by a friend on Instagram.

“How come you didn’t call me coach?”

Intrigued by what this story was about I pondered over this magical book a few weeks later that teaches you life’s greatest lesson i.e. the Meaning of life itself. To my amazement the story was about an oldman (Morrie Schwartz) - the teacher, a young man (Mitch Albom) - his successful student and their beautiful conversations that left a profound impact on Mitch, as Morrie prepares for his last days during which he suffers from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Fate brings them together once again as Mitch gets busy running and chasing after the wrong things - one accomplishment after another in life as a failed piano-man at first and later as a sports journalist not remembering the people who helped him get there. However, he accepts Morrie’s idea to write a book about how to live which he called his ‘final thesis’.

 

The hike

The curriculum was set, syllabus laid out, orientation given, classroom assigned, attendance taken. No books were required. Everything was taught from experience. The topics to be covered were love, work, community, family, ageing, forgiveness and finally death until graduation on every Tuesday. Thus, the teaching began.

A teacher effects eternity, he can never tell where his influence stops - Henry adams

 

The professor

Have you ever really had a teacher? Someone who sees you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that with wisdom could be polished to a proud shine? If you are lucky enough to find such a teacher you will always find your way back. Sometimes only in your head and sometimes it is right alongside their beds - Mitch quotes.

For Mitch, Morrie was one such teacher. A mentor, a guide and a wise man that understood him and gave him sound advice. Morrie was also a person who’d developed his own culture. Long before he got sick, he held discussion groups, walks with friends, dancing to his music at Harward square church. He’d started projects to help people cope with mental health services. He read new books to find new ideas for his lectures, regularly visited his colleagues, kept up with his old students, and wrote letters to distant friends. He wasted no time watching television sitcoms or movies. Yet, he’d created a cocoon of human activities - based on conversation, interaction and affection which filled his life like an overflowing soup bowl.

Slowly, the disease had gotten the better of him. He was on a wheelchair paralyzed from neck down barely able to move. Except for chewing his own food, he was dependent on people for everything. Yet he lived his life unashamed even if he couldn’t wipe his own ass. He often joked about it that he gets to be a baby again. He’d even held a living funeral to hear people’s speeches about him before he died which left him heartfelt and teary eyed but turned out to be a rousing success, only he wasn’t dead yet. He also appeared on TV on a podcast of Nightline, which was a show about his last days headlined, The professor’s final course: His own death. This is where Mitch Album finds him and immediately decides to reach out.

 

Upon calling his old professor, Morrie joked and mocked “How come you never called me, coach?”. Mitch referred to Morrie by the nickname “coach” and was in turn called “player” by this coach. Upon meeting, he greeted Mitch with a warm hug and whispered “Old friend! You’ve comeback at last”. He asked Mitch if he knew Morrie was dying and decided to share the experience. That was how his last class had begun he being unaware of it. Only later making it their ritual on every Tuesday’s as earlier.

 

The engrave

From Morrie and Mitch’s conversations:

On World, Compassion and Family: Do not get busy chasing the wrong things. The way to get meaning in your life is to devote yourself to loving others, to the community around you and to create something that gives you purpose and meaning. The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and how to let it come in. Love is the only rational act. Compassion and kindness are my other favorite subjects. Also, there is no bigger security than firm footing of a family.

On Money, Regrets and Marriage: Most of us are brainwashed – we’re told more money is good, more ownership is good but no one told us that love, friendship, community, a spiritual connection had anything to do with money. Marriage and love have a few rules - Respect for one another, compromise, clear communication and a common set of values. Also, there is no experience like having children. Having children is about taking complete responsibility for another human being and to learning how to love and bond in the deepest way.

On Death, Emotion and Culture: Death ends life and not a relationship. We’re all connected. We live on in the hearts of everyone we’ve nourished and touched. There is no need to be sentimental or emotional but to rather live a detached life.

From Mitch’s observations:

Morrie’s eyes would light up everytime Mitch walked into his room. Whoever the person in the room was had Morrie’s full attention. People who came to visit Morrie with the idea of cheering him up, but after an hour, he was cheering them up — about their lives, their divorces, their work. Giving makes me feel like I’m living he often quoted. That you spend your days giving. Of your time, of your heart and of yourself. Morrie Schwartz never read a word of “Tuesday’s with Morrie”. Yet he lives on and reaches so many people just for the simple reason that he gave us his time in his last days.

 

The student

Ten years ago, Mitch was a sports writer. Today, he is still a sports writer. Yet everything else has changed around him. He wrote the book to help Morrie pay his medical bills but the overwhelming response to the book has left him bewildered. He often visits his old professor’s grave on Tuesdays just to have a chat about anything under the earth, to live his promise of talking to him even after he’s gone and to relive their old connection. His grave reads in Morrie’s words - “A Teacher To The last”. The only thing about dying with this disease (ALS) is that one couldn’t dance. There could be no better legacy than that.

 

"Lipsa Mohanty is currently working as a Manager in Citi Bank. She is a post graduate in Economics(H) from Madras School of Economics after having completed her graduation from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi. She has close to 8 years of experience working in the Banking and Analytics domain and has worked for MNCs such as American Express and Royal Bank of Scotland in the past.A bibliophile at heart and an aspiring writer who is learning the craft, she enjoys travelling, blogging and listening to music in her free time. She currently resides in Bhubneshwar with her family due to the work from home situation due to the Covid pandemic." 

 

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A LEAF FROM HISTORY : UMUGANDA AS PATRIOTIC AGENDA WITH COW AS THE KEY TO DISCORD AND ACCORD.                                                                               

Nitish Nivedan Barik

 

Imagine a country whose GDP growth rate had fallen to -50 percent. A country in which 15% of the population died in a horrifying genocide. 25 years later, the same country becomes so neat and clean that it is now called the Singapore of Africa.

 

The African state of Rwanda had the horrific ethnic strife in which an estimated 20000 people perished in 4 days of fighting. Within a span of 100 days at least 800000 people were killed. It is a small country in Central Africa, known as land of a thousand hills because there are lot of small hills that dot the country .The country is a landlocked one with Uganda in the North, Tanzania to the East, Burundi in the south and Congo in the West.

 

Historically, it is said, 18 clans were there in Rwanda which is like tribes.  Each tribe had its way of socio-economic organization and categorization. People were divided basically into two communities -Tutsi and Hutu, like India’s caste system – high and low. Thus, with time it became principally two ethnic groups. Rwanda was colonized first by Germany and then later by Belgium .

 

Like the British who played Divide and Rule policy in India, similarly when colonizers came to Rwanda the difference between Hutu and Tutsi people were built up and the divisions accentuated so that they began to consider themselves as different Races. This happened when Belgium issued Racial Identity cards in 1932. They defined strict criteria for who will be Hutu and who will be Tutsi, especially using their physical feature as the basis of differentiation. Like people with a certain shape of nose would be a Hutu, and with certain shape of face would be a Tutsi. In fact they also said people with more than 10 cows would be Tutsi, and those with less than 10 cows would be Hutu. After this racial categorization it was found 15 percent were Tutsi and 85 percent were Hutu. The Tutsi community was considered to be the elite of that country, a ruling community ,because the monarch had hailed from that community before colonial takeover . As per classification, those who had more than 10 cows would be Tutsi, and then Tutsis would be considered a rich class.

 

When Rwanda got freedom in 1962 there was lot of hatred between the communities. Some Rwandan politicians helped in making the situation go from bad to worse. They spread a lot of hatred between the two by saying many bad things as “The Hutu and the Tutsi communities are two nations in a single state".  Though they shared the same physical space, they were as if the inhabitants of different zones on the  planets. Hatred between these two communities were growing but it escalated slowly step by step. There would be outbreaks of ethnically motivated violence that would send hundreds of thousand of Tutsi refugees into neigbouring countries. Children were separated in school. The Tutsi and Hutu would sit in segregated areas. If a student could not answer a teacher in the class about the community to which the student belonged , he or she was asked to get it from the home the next day .  Militia groups were formed claiming they were advocating Hutuness. Basically civillians picked up gun saying they are proud Hutu. That they wanted to establish a Hutu country. Calling Hutu is a way of life. Talking about Hutuness.

 

Media poured oil to the simmering fire. The Radio Rwanda spread hatred. Many pampletes were printed and distributed saying any Hutu who is married to Tutsi should break their marriage and do away with such wives. Hutu should not do buisness with Tutsi. On 6th April, 1994 things reached the tipping point. Their president Juvenal Habyarimana,a Hutu was on aeroplane and the aeroplane was shot down. And all the people in the plane got killed including the President. Till today, it is not known clearly who exactly shot down the plane. But Hutu extremists blame RPF (Rwanda Patriotic Front), a Tutsi rebel group. On the contrary RPF blames on Hutu extremists saying they knowingly shot the plan because they were looking for an excuse to start genocide. Whoever the culprit might be but this was a tipping point for what followed as Rwandan Genocide. In the next 100 days 800000 people were killed  by Hutu extremists. Most of the people killed were Tutsi. But moderate Hutu were also killed. The population of Rwanda was 7 million and almost 1 million were killed in this genocide. This is the time when GDP growth rate fell to -50 percent.

 

The hundred days of 1994 was a dark chapter in Human History, a second of its kind in modus operandi after the Nazi holocaust. The UN and the International Community had failed the hapless people of Rwanda in protecting them. UN Peace keepers who were present  at that time withdrew the next day after some ten  Belgian peacekeepers were killed. The US which had lost soldiers in peace keeping in Somalia a year before was no committing its soilders for peace in Rwanda.  Soon afterward, the radio stations in Rwanda were broadcasting appeals to the Hutu majority to kill all “Cocroaches and Snakes’,meaning Tutsis in the country. It was aided and abetted by the army and the national police who directed the slaughter, sometimes threatening and killing moderate Hutu civilians too. Tutsis were identified on the basis of their Identity cards. Hutu husbands killed their Tutsi wives as they were called upon to do so .So also the Hutu neighbours would exterminate the Tustsi neighbours.   Thousands of innocent people were hacked to death with machetes by their neighbors. Radio read out the names and people were picked up from homes or places of shelter like Churches or Schools to be killed in cold blood .Some prayed to be killed in a soft way .President Bill Clinton had later called America’s failure to do anything to stop the genocide “the biggest regret” of his administration.

 

But the next 20 years is about the rebounding of their nation. The genocide ended when the Tutsi dominated rebel group RPF recaptures Kigali, the capital city The exisisting Hutu government got overthrown. And they seized power. A new constitution of the country was drafted guaranteeing equal rights for all Rwandans. A transitional government was formed where president who is Hutu and and Vice President Tutsi. Later in April 2000, Paul Kagame became the president of Rwanda. And still he is the President of Rwanda. Over the next 20 years amazing growth can be seen in Rwanda. On an average 7% GDP growth rate every year for 20 years. Their GDP per capita also increased to almost 4 times. If you compare 2000 and 2020 you see a sea change.

 

 Apart from this they specifically focus on the education and health care section where they allocate 15 percent of budget for education and 8 percent for health care. Because of this literacy growth rate took a huge leap. In 1978 there was 38 percent,  now it is around 75% literacy. The average life expectancy was 55 years in 2005, it has crossed to 69 in 2020.  The ease of doing buisness also improves that Rwanda ranks 29 world wide. Rwanda becomes the only low income country in the top 30 . They claim it is easy to register and authorize a buisness here and it takes only 24 hours. In the 2017 the corruption Perception Index becomes the third least country in Africa. Things are improved so much that it is known as Singapore of Africa. The Rwanda government is also very open to new technologies Like in 2020, the government had allocated a dedicated budget for blockchain project. Their minister had said blockchain will be instrumental in 4th industrial revolution. In 2020 the first Blockchain Training School was establised in Rwanda to educate and train people about blockchain – one of the new technologies that uses  robotics and artificial intelligence.The school is critical for training professionals, entrepreneurs and policymakers.

 

Still it is a poor country. Approximately 90 percent of the population is employed in agricultural sector and farming. The poverty rate is worse than in India . Rwanda is 38 percent while India is less than 30 percent. Their GDP per capita is less than half of India's GDP per capita. The significant thing about Rwanda is that  there is lot of cleaniless. Plastic bags are banned in Rwanda from 2008. There are different dustbins for different kind of waste and abundant in their country. They have automatic pipe system to water their flowers trees in the main road. They have another secret to mantain cleaniless callled Umuganda. Umuganda real meaning is “coming together to achieve a common purpose”. It is a mandatory community service. Their president used this strategy to make the country clean. On the last Saturday of every month from 8 to 11 in the morning, all citizen would come out and help in cleaning the country. And it would be compulsory for each citizen to participate as long as they are of able body and between 18 to 65 years of age. Penalty is imposed on them who don’t participate. It is like patriotic agenda for them now. Every month even President ,ministers and politicians also do their part of Umuganda. As a result , it is now acknowledged that the city is  one of the world's tidiest major capitals. As a CNN report says,”Driving through Kigali, the cleanliness and the lack of trash has to be seen to be believed. There is not a speck of refuse, not a piece of paper, not a thrown away plastic bottle.”

 

But more than the Cleanliness , it is the Brotherliness. Umuganda is seen as part of a wider healing process going on across Rwanda. The government has also restored the tradition of Girinka, a welfare scheme in which vulnerable families are given their own cow. Meaning "may you have a cow," Girinka has played a huge role in bringing society back together.

Cows are held in high regard in Rwanda. It is an assurance against the toughest forms of economic insecurity. And when a cow has a calf, it's expected that its owners will give the newborn to their neighbor. The idea is to foster community through traditional means.

"If you want to wish someone wealth, you give him a cow," says Edouard Bamporiki, a poet, an actor and Rwanda's  cultural minister. And to quote him, "…if I give a cow to you, it's like we're sealing our friendship. You can't betray someone who gives you a cow."

 

Mr Nitish Nivedan Barik,who hails from Cuttack,Odisha is a young IT professional working as a Senior Developer with Accenture at Bangalore

 

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YOUNG MAGIC

 

 

PROBLEM HI PROBLEM

Trishna Sahoo

 

A bald head has Problem

So also a hairy head,

Black has the Problem

So also the red .

 

Ugly has Problem

So also the Beauty,

Sober has the Problem

So also the naughty.

 

The student has the Problem

So also the teacher,

The child has a problem

So also the father and mother.

 

The rich has the Problem

So also the poor,

The manager  has the Problem

So also the worker .

 

Problem here , Problem there

Problem is everywhere.

What to do and how to get over?

The only solution is prayer, prayer and prayer.

 

Trishna  ( Natuni ) , a class V student of Sai International School Bhubaneswar, born to engineer parents and doctor grand parents is a gifted child. A disciplined and determined learner she is, as a student, family member, speaker, writer and an Odisi dancer. She is blended with traditional and cultural values, spirituality, science and arts. A nature loving girl she has taken reading books and travelling as her hobbies. Her favourite dish is Chicken Biryiani prepared by her mother. Her motto of life is, " NEVER BE A DEFAULTER. " May God bless her.

 

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THE CALLING OF THE SEA

Mrinalini Mallick

 

On an island far away,

Where the flowers are rich and varied

and the ocean breeze is fresh

Where I stood upon the shore

I could only be amazed

As I listened to the sea

while the lapping of the surf

Played music upon my ears

Then, as the cool ocean water

swirling round my feet

I felt calling of the sea

And I knew that I was home

with a great cry of joy,

And a smile I could not resist

I broke into a run

And splashed through the surf

I raised up my voice to

The gods of the sea

Oh, let me be an islander

and live here forever.

 

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A SMILE

Mrinalini Mallick

 

A smile is quite a funny thing,

It wrinkles up your face

And when it’s gone,

You will never find

It’s secret hiding place

Any blank slate can produce hate

but being angry is such a waste

 

I never knew that a smirk or a little dimple

Can make things smooth and life so simple

Forget the bad times; instead of keeping them on file

Have a fresh start, a heart and smile

 

Mrinalini Mallick is a student of class 7. She has taken inspiration for writing from her father Shri Sabyasachi Mallick, an avid reader and lover of literarure. She writes on subjects experienced by her little world in a unique way. Her poems  exude innocence and hope of an uncluttered mind.

 

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LIFE THROUGH THE EYES OF A SPARROW

Hiya Khurana

 

Hey buddy! I'm a sparrow itsy-bitsy.

Flying through the forests, living in the trees,

Once reality, is now fantasy.

Roaming round the houses, breathing stinky breeze,

Oh no! I'm so sick and drowsy...

 

My parents were shot dead,

My friends died of a disease called "5G internet",

Trust me, it's worse than consuming toxic lead,

But you'll never understand, I bet—

 

Yes, I saw, The lion was shot

And locked in a room.

In the days of war you fought,

And the forest went ka-boom!

 

I really miss my buddies,

Endangered, yes... you've learnt through your studies.

Gandhiji asked you to be non violent,

But when it comes to animals, why r u so silent?

 

Hiya Khurana is 14 yrs old and is studying in 10th Standard. She developed an interest in writing at a very young age and started writing poems at the age of 10. She has won many school level speech competitions in English as well as in Hindi. She is also interested in painting and crafting and has won many school level drawing competitions. She  enjoys playing chess.

 

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