Aaj ka Mahabharat

Now on Twitter @ManoharPandit

Right from my childhood I was informed that Mahabharat (महाभारत) was a war between good and evil, scrupulous and unscrupulous, virtuous and dishonest. Mahabharat says that the one who follows Dharma (धर्म) will always win. There was no apparent reason for me not to believe this. During Mahabharat the good guys were outnumbered by bad guys and it was a heroic deed to win over the large number of bad guys. Pandava (पाण्डव)  represented good characters and the Kaurava (कौरव) were just the opposite. Reason for the war was larger numbers practiced evil and drove away the virtuous marginal by unfair means. Shakuni Mama (शकुनी  मामा) designed the crooked strategy. A stage came when Draupadi (द्रौपदी)  was also lost in gamble and was to be disrobed in public. Draupadi who was an asset (not in sense of physical property) to Pandava, raised some valid questions in the gathering of Kaurava and other royals. Bhishma (भीष्म)  was the only sensible person in Kaurava’s camp who played safe. He claimed Dharma is subtle. Many stalwarts from Kaurava camp were unable to resolve her queries. Her question was laced with legal, moral, ethical, cultural dimensions. The question was whether baiting Darupadi, in the gambling by the Pandava was acceptable to Dharma? As a sequel this has raised an issue that who has authority to decide about Dharma? In Mahabharat era all the characters knew relevant meaning of Dharma and each one practiced it for one’s own benefit.  The question was not complicated but the answer was. No one could reply and ultimately the zing of unscrupulous rulers forced the noble out. The war got ignited because the virtuous were denied their rights. The war was won by noble who were in miserable minority.

The war could have been avoided, had the natural rights been recognised, had a common meaning of Dharma been accepted by the warring parties. A natural right like the right to liberty comes first, and then comes the civil society and then the political parties. The individuals therefore are allowed to express their concerns. Government shouldn’t be insensitive to the individuals seeking natural rights. Even Mahabharat has made it amply clear that the King (government) is morally responsible to protect its citizens, which includes their rights.

Today are we heading towards Mahabharat, but with some differences? Is it Mahabharat of Kaliyug (कलियुग)? The civil society has overcome the barriers of political parties to unite for abolition of corruption and for better governance. Today the Pandava are still a minority but unfortunately are they scrupulous? They hold all productive resources and wealth but their asset Draupadi is not with them. The Kaurava are once again in majority, but now they are scrupulous. Today Kaurava are held to ransom by handful Pandava, who have no answers to the questions of Draupadi. The mighty and learned Pandava and their faithful are unable to answer the simple questions that Draupadi has raised about corruption and civil society. Today also her questions are laced with legal, moral, ethical, cultural dimensions. The questions are not complicated but the answers are. The answers are like boomerang, that’s going to hit back the Pandava. No one wants to reply. No one is ready to reply to the basic question of Dharma? In today’s context is it the civil society important or the governance by political parties is important? With some difference a noted English scholar John Locke also voices similar views. Today’s Pandava should realise that his ideas and views were responsible for intellectual revolution in Europeans and also gave birth to the American Declaration of Independence.  

The zing of unscrupulous rulers should not be intimidating Draupadi and Kurava. Today’s Mahabharat unfortunately does not have a Bhishma. Both Kaurava and Pandava have changed their colours and with this change, now  Kaurava must win. The battle ground is not very off from Kurukshetra where first Mahabharat took place. Kaurava army is swelling and Draupadi is leading the peaceful battle. Pandava had won Mahabharat with deceit, today also they want to try the same old trick for yet another win, but Kaurava are more alert, they have learnt from past experiences. They have decided not to take up the weapons and still win the war. The Shakuni Mama has changed the side, he went to guide the Pandava, however his wicked tricks will not work now. The game is on. Now the civil society is Kaurava and handful of Pandava are trying very hard to disrobe Draupadi and to further the misery of Kaurava. This has to stop and Pandava have to respect the natural rights and in turn the civil society. There is no Krishna (कृष्ण) to mediate, it’s we against corrupt you. Let’s resolve to win. Win without violence and with dignity.

Disclaimer: No disregard for Mahabharat is meant. I have immense respect for the same. The article is just to highlight how large numbers of people are supporting anticorruption drive and a handful of persons are not in favour. Apology in advance is any sentiments are hurt.

Govinda

It all started with Krishna (कृष्ण) who wanted to have his share of butter from the Gopis (गोपी). In the days when refrigerators did not exist, the only way to store butter was in earthen pots (Handi हंडी) and that too well above the ground. It served many purposes; the Handi (हंडी) kept the butter naturally cool and prevented melting. Tying the Handi (हंडी) well above the ground and close to the ceiling ensured better cooling due to air circulation and safety from cats, Krishna (कृष्ण) and his teammates. Krishna devised a simple method to reach the Handi (हंडी) by forming human pyramid. May be a two or three layer pyramid would suffice to reach to the Handi (हंडी) and ‘steal’ the butter.

It’s surprising how of all other communities, only the natives of Girgaum in south Mumbai picked up this act of Krishna and started the event that has today assumed large dimensions and is known as Govinda. What was once upon a time just emulating Krishna, turned into a social event and then a sport. The landlords of Girgaum on the day following the Krishna’s birth would mingle with their workforce, stand shoulder to shoulder to form the pyramid, hit the pot (हंडी) hanged well above the ground and share the contents that included eatables. It was truly a social event. Over period of time the nature of the game changed. It can be a matter of research, but not the scope of this article. The social event turned into a sport, first unorganised and later on organised. Local teams got formed. The landlord and workforce aspect got eliminated. Different people from all strata of the society joined hands for this event. As the height of the pot from the ground kept on rising; the eatables were replaced by cash. Higher the height more was the cash. Teams became mobile and started visiting neighbourhood to scale newer heights to break the Handi (हंडी) and of course to earn more prizes.

All this was fine and acceptable. But the politics crept in. The team size increased as the height of the Handi (हंडी) increased. The lowest circle had to be large with stout members, more layers were needed leading to increased numbers of team members. More the members, so the more expenses and this resulted in the need for a sponsor. And when the sponsors are needed, how could the politicians miss on the opportunity. Politicians always need followers, and that too at a minimal cost. Sponsorship that offered a tee shirt and a Vada Pav (वडापाव) with Chai (चाय)  a day was the least that a team would expect and the most that a politician would offer. More money would be spent on hoardings and media advertising. Due to higher expenses, the Handi (हंडी) with low prize money was not attracting the teams. The Handi (हंडी) went into a competitive spiral. Thanks to politicians. The Handi (हंडी) of few rupees started swelling. Hundreds became thousands, thousands became lacs and this year lacs have turned into crore. The greed increased, so the layers in the human pyramids increased. Seven layers to eight, eight layers to nine and this year nine layers to ten, making the sports more dangerous. Accidents became more common, resulting in death or paralyzed individuals. The sponsors offered lip sympathy or meager compensation in such cases. It is said that many a times the promised amounts were not paid even after taking all the risk to break the Handi (हंडी). Few sweet words and false promises help the politicians to keep the teams with them.

There is no doubt that this sport needs lot of organisation, planning, team work, physical efforts, strength and of course funds. Teams have to start the practice at least three months ahead. During this period the team members must have some incremental diet to meet the enhanced caloric requirements. The cost of this incremental diet can be minimum Rs.20/- per day per team member. If he team comprises of one hundred members then the incremental expenses are Rs.2000/- per day. For a period of three months it would be nearly Rs. 200,000/- per season. Add to this the travelling and other expenses incurred on administration, travelling etc. This all can run upto Rs.250,000/- at the least per team. To retain and motivate the participants who are mostly from poor families, the amount may have to be four to five times more than the bare minimum. If you want insurance and medical facilities, snacks on the D day, the expenses swell further. Does any sponsor rally shells out this kind of money? More money is spent on media. The electronic media is flooded with sponsorship advertisements. All political parties compete to gain the mileage at the cost of poor participants. The returns are minimal for the efforts. A team can break maximum three to four Handis (हंडी) in a day. In order to attract teams and for political propaganda the prize money keeps on increasing. Unfortunately at some places the Handi (हंडी) remains unbroken or the prize money promises are broken.

Govinda (गोविंदा) must remain a clean sport; remain away from politics and undesirable risks. It’s a cultural heritage and it should not get corrupted with politics, power play and money power. Healthy competition is welcome with organised efforts to take Govinda (गोविंदा)  around the world.

Have a safe and enjoyable Govinda (गोविंदा) . Best luck.