Waiting for G

The Queue

They had been in the queue for more than an hour, and it looked like it would take an hour or more for darshan. When he felt rather tired and a little irritable, he chided himself:

You are not Waiting for Godot, but for G. Call it by whatever name- God, Guru, or Guru Granth Sahib- you are seeking the blessings of the Divine. In Becket’s absurd play, Godot’s arrival is promised but in vain; here the merciful Guru is ready and waiting, and you will soon be ushered into his holy presence. Do not be impatient. Many others, some of them much older and frailer than you, are in the queue ahead long before you. Your turn will come in due course.

Of course, like all Indians he had much experience of waiting, and waiting long – to finish college, get a job, get married, the first car, the first trip abroad, own house, over and above the routine wait for a bus, train, movie ticket, a gas connection, etc. He had trained himself to be patient and cool while waiting. No point in fretting and fuming for that did not ripen the tender mangoes on the tree, cook the rice faster, or bring in the cool showers before time, he always reminded himself.

Spouse was very keen to visit this holy place though of a religion other than their own. Isn’t God everywhere, at our prayer alcove at home, at the temple so very near our house, in fact in the very air we breathe, he had asked? But spouse was determined, and no highfalutin philosophy would budge her from her resolve to visit this famous place of pilgrimage. Travel, stay, and transport would cost 40k or more, he mentioned, but even that argument failed.

That is how they were in the middle of a very long queue early in the morning at the Golden Temple, Amritsar. After checking in at the hotel the previous evening, he had asked, ‘What is a good time to visit the temple? Is the queue very long?’

‘Morning is the best hour. It is a week-day today, no special festival and hence not much rush, you would have a hassle-free darshan,’ informed the concierge.

They had got up at 4.00 AM, showered, hailed a cab, walked from the drop off point to the temple, taken a token bathe by sprinkling on their head water of the holy tank, and joined the queue at 5.30 AM. The weather was pleasant, the air salubrious, and the prayer from the sanctum sanctorum reverberated throughout the vast temple complex and beyond from loudspeakers hoisted on numerous poles and pillars. Many devotees waited in the jumbo queue – 10 shoulders-wide but miraculously expanding to accommodate 15 or more when the number of devotees peaked. No single file since devotees were here to offer prayers, not to gawk at Monalisa at the Louvre or to buy a Big Mac.

We are about 80 metres from the sanctum sanctorum, he made a guess, with the tail of the queue about 100 metres behind and lengthening every minute.

The large clock on top of an adjacent building showed the time – 6.45 AM. The queue had been moving since the last half-an-hour but by inches, the progress managed manually by Sevadars through the ancient but time-tested system of a large bamboo pole used as a manual drop gate permitting or blocking onward progress of the devotees.

He was startled when something soft and cool crawled up his left foreleg, and peering through the mass of bodies found a child of two at play on the floor secure between the sturdy legs of his grandfather and further fortified by those of his grandma. He nudged spouse to look down and whispered, ‘Isn’t that a huge risk? A little stampede could be fatal.’ But the grandparents were confident that the grace of Guru would keep the little child and all others safe and blessed.

Intermittently, a few young mothers with infants cradled on a single arm used the other shoulder to shove and pierce through the crowd, and amazingly the mass of flesh gave way heeding the determination and ferocity of a tigress to protect her cub.

A few metres ahead, a young man with a four-year child perched on his shoulders was denied the privilege accorded to the young mothers with infants, and a fight broke out, angry words were hurled and it appeared likely that fisticuffs would commence. Luckily, the tall and burly Sevadars with their fierce stare chastened the unruly ones and things became quiet and monotonous again.

Darshan

O God, when shall we be blessed to enter your sanctum sanctorum, when will you give darshan, he prayed?

The priests conducting the morning rituals began a new prayer and the lyrics in Gurmukhi and translation in English flashed on the TV screens, with a few devotees singing those well-known prayers a step ahead of the official priests. A few Kabir songs, a few by Guru Ram Das and other saints followed, each song calling upon the devout to a life of virtue and rectitude, to break free from the fetters of the illusory world and to sing the glory of Wahe Guru Ji. He recalled Gagan Mein Thal, the beautiful prayer composed by Guru Nanak at Jagannath temple, Puri during his udasi.[i] That prayer is sung during the evening rituals, though.

At last, they were at the check-gate and when it was lifted walked up a few steps to enter the holy abode and joined the ceremonial, soulful prayer. They folded their palms, closed their eyes, and offered their salutations to God, and after three minutes or less in the holy presence were ever so gently nudged out.

It was 8.55 AM. It took us three and a half hours, he stated. Thank God, we had a great darshan; faith conquers all odds and difficulties and even infirm devotees make the trip to Vaishno Devi, Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Amarnath, spouse quipped, ruling out any further discussion on the travails of waiting.

Langar

Guru Nanak had introduced langar where all visitors regardless of religion, caste, gender, or class are served free hot meals. The langar service at Harmandir Sahib operates round the clock every day of the year and feeds 50000 to 100000 visitors daily.

They joined the langar and partook the simple but delicious prasad, marvelling at the efficiency of the non-stop service managed mostly by volunteers, from cooking to serving to cleaning the utensils. A boy volunteer served drinking water to the seated devotees by pressing the lever of a jugad water-dispenser donated by a Gurudwara in Abu Dhabi.

Waiting: A Test & A Sermon

About a week after return home, he was reminded of the visit.

How was it?

Who is asking, please? God, or my inner voice?

The query is important, not the querist, said the voice.

We had a good darshan.

Good?

Well, a very good darshan.

Still sore about the long wait?

Not really, but I wish I had known about the length of the wait.

Why didn’t you check? The AI-powered Assistant on your phone would have told you that the average wait is from half an hour on a lucky day to about 3.5 hours on a rush day.

How would the Sevadars know how many devotees would come on a certain day or at a particular hour? Didn’t you come all on a sudden? Add two to the impromptu crowd.

I get it. But could there be a ‘Guidance’ booklet, as for ‘The Queue’ at the Wimbledon, and upon joining the queue a ticket with a number and time stamp? (He had not gone to the Wimbledon, but had seen on TV tennis enthusiasts pitching tents for the night for an early lead at The Queue.) Could the queue not be in single file?

Darshan is not a sport, a movie, or a ticketed show. God has great patience, and does not run out of time. All devotees who arrive are ushered into his presence. How often have you waited long?

Decades ago, half a day to withdraw 500 rupees from my bank account. Years ago, a four-hour wait in summer outside the American Embassy, New Delhi for a Visa, and the application rejected for unknown reason. For the recent UK Visa, two and a half hours wait at an overcrowded Metro station in New Delhi; no bhajans or soothing music, only the tense faces of the visa aspirants, some with their infants on strollers, and the grave, non-smiling VFS assistants at the counters scrutinising the bunch of documents.

Do you know that for an Akhand Path at Harmandir Sahib, the wait is for a year or more; for Udayasthaman Pooja at Guruvayur temple, the current wait time is 6 to 8 years?

Devotees of Lord Ayyappan keep a fast and a strict penance for 41 days and trek 46 kms to Sabarimala temple; Kawadiyas walk several hundred kms to carry holy water to Baidyanath Dham. Have you not seen the mannat devotees who visit Sharada Mata at Maihar, Madhya Pradesh performing prostrate salutations during the entire journey from home disregarding the hot sun and the scalding metal road?

How long did people queue during Note-bandi, and how many kilometres did the poor workers walk during Covid lockdown from Surat or Mumbai to their home in UP or Bihar? How many succumbed to those arduous tasks?

How long did India wait for independence? Remember the traumatic Partition March?

Waiting Mindfully

Think Positive. Count all your blessings, especially the ones that you received while waiting for the darshan.

What may they be, he asked, even at the risk of sounding a little rude?

How many times do you pray to God daily?

Once daily, or in a week, maybe.

How many times did you pray to God that day?

All the time I was in the queue, I kept praying, ‘O God, when will you usher me into your presence?’

While waiting what other thoughts crossed your mind? State of your country, the world, Russia-Ukraine, or Israel-Hamas war?

None, God, God, and none other than God.

That was mindful prayer, don’t you agree?

How often do you join satsang?

Maybe a few times a year when I attend special kathas or events.

Didn’t you join the satsang that day with thousands of devotees?

Yes, I did. Also listened to the prayers all the time. More than I do on a normal day.

When did you have your last TMT?

Not lately.

That day, you stood firm despite the shoving and pushing (a free full-body massage!) for long which equals five or more back-to-back TMTs at zero cost. You are quite fit. Your kidneys are also fine. You could manage without going to the loo for four hours.

Waiting for God is not meaningless and futile. It tests, exercises, and rejuvenates your body, mind, and soul.

Longest Wait

David Beckham waited for 13 hours in the queue to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II lying in state.

Exodus began before Moses, continued after him, and took 80 years including 40 years in the desert for the Jews to reach Mount Sinai and Israel, the Promised Land.

Tarakasura stood for 1000 years on one foot to obtain his boon; Ahilya waited for a yuga for Lord Rama to release her from the curse; Jaya and Vijay, Vishnu’s own security guards waited for three yugas or 38,88,000 human years for their curse to end!

You did not wait that long for God! Stay Blessed.

***

Postscript

Comments by Geetika Kalha

"Just FYI . One does not go to the Golden temple to get darshan.. there is no concept of Granth Sahib giving darshan ..( Darshan is given ..not taken)
Idea is to bow before the Guru Granth Sahib ji in respect and to listen to the Bani contained in it . The latter being the most important."

Thanks, Geetika for your coments. Much appreciated. Devotees across religions believe tthat a visit to a holy place happens only with the grace of God.

Comments by Kedar Rout

The last portion has interesting facts... many people waiting for long to realise their respective dreams...

Not long ago ( in October, 23) I along with Aditi visited Golden Temple, Amritsar... had langar also..

I had read Beckett's Waiting for Godot many years back.. Recently seen a drama also (thanks to YouTube). Life is also, in a sense, waiting for.... (something/someone)... finally waiting for Nirvana /Moksha (if you are a Hindu/ Buddhist)..

Beckett's absurdity of life (at a deeper level) is comparable to Hindu view of Maya(Upanishad) which was further articulated by Schopenhauer,  Nietzsche and Hermann Hesse (all German)...

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[i] Link for my previous blog Lord Jagannath and Guru Nanak:

https://pkdash-author.blogspot.com/2023/05/lord-jagannatha-and-guru-nanak.html

 

Odisha Famine of 1866:
Na-anka Durbhiksha

Why is Odisha poor?

As per NITI Ayog’s Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) published in 2021, Odisha is no longer among the poorest states of India *; yet many people ask: why is Odisha so poor?

Of several reasons, the most prominent are – the curse of geography, and the exploitation of the peasantry. Odisha has suffered persistent famines and floods, and the famines during the British rule have been the most devastating owing to the flawed policy of the Empire and the utter callousness of its key administrators. Usurious land revenue, particularly during the Maratha and the British rule, sucked out the lifeblood, as it were, of the peasantry.

Droughts continue to occur in years of failed, delayed, or erratic monsoon; but Amartya Sen argues that democracy has been instrumental in eliminating major famines in India since independence.[i]

Desh Kaal Patra

Desh Kaal Patra (1992) is the title of a historical fiction in Odia by J.P. Das, and translated as A Time Elsewhere by J. Nayak. The novel presents a panoramic view of Odisha’s (Desha) momentous history in the latter half of the 19^th century (Kaal) and the role played by several political, historical, and literary stalwarts (Patra). The book, available at Amazon.in, archive.org, and Google Books is a must-read for readers interested in the history and culture of Odisha.

The heart-rending portrayal of the terrible 1866 famine of Odisha (aka Na-anka durbhiksha** since it occurred in the ninth regnal year of Gajapati Divyasinghadeva), is an eloquent indictment of the callousness and ineptitude of the British officials. 

Cecil Beadon, Lieutenant Governor, Bengal Presidency had visited Puri and Cuttack during February 13-16, 1866 to address a Darbar at Cuttack. By then, Collectors of Puri, Cuttack, and Balasore had already apprised Commissioner, Cuttack about the acute rice shortage and starvation of the masses. Yet, this is what Beadon said in his speech at the Darbar:

"Such visitations of providence as these no government can do much either to prevent or alleviate." Dismissing proposal for intervention of the government to regulate the price of rice, he said, "If I were to attempt to do this, I should consider myself no better than a dacoit or thief."

The Famine Commission appointed by the Government of India in December 1866 submitted its report on 6 April 1867. On 2nd August, Sir Stafford Henry Northcote, Secretary of State for India, winding up a debate on the famine in the House of Commons said:

"This catastrophe must always remain a monument of our failure, a humiliation to the people of this country, to the Government of this country and to those of our Indian officials of whom we had perhaps been a little too proud. At the same time, we must hope that we might derive from it lessons which might be of real value to ourselves, and that out of this deplorable evil good of no insignificant kind might ultimately arise."

The British House of Commons censured T.E. Ravenshaw, Commissioner, Cuttack; the Board of Revenue of Bengal; and Cecil Beadon, Lieutenant Governor for their failure to provide required relief to avert the calamity in which one million people- about one third of Orissa’s population- died of starvation. 

The Indian Famine Code was drafted in 1880.

A Summary

A summary of the book is given in the end notes.[ii]

What reminded me of the book?

A few years ago, I had read the novel and learned much about the catastrophic Odisha famine of 1866-67. What reminded me of the novel now?

A Hollywood rom-com – Ticket to Paradise (2022), set in picturesque Bali, and with the still-adorable Julia Roberts (56) and George Clooney (61) in the cast.

Plot: Lily, a young American girl graduates from a Law college and is to join a top law firm soon before which she takes a holiday in Bali where she falls in love with Gede, a local seaweed farmer. Her distraught divorced parents bury the hatchet and ‘lockstep’ to sabotage her imminent marriage. The engagement ceremony is deferred since the ring is stolen by Julia Roberts using the ‘banana trick.’ That is when the prospective groom mentions ‘Desh Kaal Patra’ to invoke the Balinese custom of ‘right place, right time, right persons.’

That is a familiar saying in Odisha, but how did the script writers (Ol Parker & Daniel Pipski) get it, I wondered? From their research about Balinese culture, or overheard from an Odia? Were they aware of the best-selling fiction with that title?

The characters in the film mouth a few more words and phrases (Swasti Om, putri, etc.) to unsuccessfully present a look and feel of Balinese custom and culture. No wonder, the film has been panned by the critics and trashed by the audience (Rotten Tomatoes: 56%). The only saving grace of the film is the talented veteran duo whose on-screen chemistry sparkles and entertains.

Ecclesiastes: Right Time for Everything

This book of The Bible has that famous passage: There is a Right Time for Everything.[iii] That is Kaal!

Balinese Hinduism

My hypothesis that Balinese Hindus are of Odisha origin is based not upon historical research but on amateur archaeology, and semantics. During my trips to Bali, I had visited a few functional Hindu temples whose medieval architecture, especially the gargoyles at the simhadwara, was like that of Odisha temples. Further, Bali Dvipa was possibly so named by the Odia traders of ancient times upon sighting the sprawling, spectacular beaches there. In Odia (also in Bengali), bali means sand. Other sea-faring traders of India’s east coast - Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam - have other words for sand.

In ancient India, the Bay of Bengal was known as Kalinga Sagara, indicating the importance of Kalinga in the maritime trade, and the east coast was dotted with several ports - Tamralipta (now in Bengal), Katikardama (Cuttack), Kalingapatnam and Masulipatnam (AP), Calicut (Kerala), and others.

Commencing their journey when the sea became calmer after the monsoon and favourable winds blew, Utkala-Kalinga’s sea-faring traders travelled on sturdy Boitas as far as Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and Bali. This maritime tradition is still celebrated every year as Bali Jatra and Boita Bandana festival on the banks of river Mahanadi on Kartika Purnima at Cuttack and other places in Odisha.[iv]

Notes

* For an excellent summary of the current state of Odisha's economy and prognosis for future growth, read 'Keep the Juggernaut Rolling' by Poonam Gupta, Director General, NCAER in Economic Times of 11 Apr, 2024.

** Durbhiksha (Sanskrit & Odia) literally means the non-availability of alms or charity. In normal times, if someone hungry and poor is at the door, he or she is never returned empty-handed and is given food or alms. During a famine, most households are too impoverished to offer charity.  

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[i] ‘Though Indian democracy has many imperfections, nevertheless the political incentives generated by it have been adequate to eliminate major famines right from the time of independence. The last substantial famine in India — the Bengal famine — occurred only four years before the Empire ended. The prevalence of famines, which had been a persistent feature of the long history of the British Indian Empire, ended abruptly with the establishment of a democracy after independence.’ (Amartya Sen, The Idea of Justice)

‘No famine has ever taken place in the history of the world in a functioning democracy.’

Amartya Sen (2011). “The Idea of Justice”, p.343, Harvard University Press

[ii] A Time Elsewhere, written by J. P. Das and translated by J. Nayak, is a captivating novel that seamlessly blends fiction and history. Set in nineteenth-century Orissa, the narrative spans fifty years and intricately portrays the fortunes of the ruling family of Puri.

The central character, Divyasingh Dev, inherits the throne but descends into debauchery and eventually commits murder. As a consequence, he is banished to the Andaman Islands for life. Amidst this turmoil, Divyasingh's mother, Suryamani, the Rani of Puri, emerges as the true ruler. She skilfully navigates the pressures imposed by the Empire, revealing her shrewdness and grace.

A Time Elsewhere also delves into the intellectual and cultural ferment of the era, where figures from Oriya history play pivotal roles. Notable personalities include:

1. Fakir Mohan Senapati and Radhanath Ray, who challenge the dominance of English and Bengali languages.

2. Gourishankar Ray, instrumental in establishing the first Oriya printing press, publishes the Utkal Dipika, a periodical that becomes Orissa's conscience keeper.

3. Pyari Mohan Acharya, expelled from school for defying British authorities, pens Orissa Itihas, a historical account of the region.

Lucidly translated from the original Oriya best-seller ‘Desh Kaal Patra,’ ‘A Time Elsewhere’ offers a riveting glimpse into the lives of a people during this transformative half-century.

(Source: Bing)

[iii] ECCLESIASTES 3

There’s a Right Time for Everything

1: There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

2-8: A right time for birth and another for death,

A right time to plant and another to reap,

A right time to kill and another to heal,

A right time to destroy and another to construct,

A right time to cry and another to laugh,

A right time to lament and another to cheer,

A right time to make love and another to abstain,

A right time to embrace and another to part,

A right time to search and another to count your losses,

A right time to hold on and another to let go,

A right time to rip out and another to mend,

A right time to shut up and another to speak up,

A right time to love and another to hate,

A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

[iv] I have published a blog previously on Bali Jatra for which the link is: https://pkdash-author.blogspot.com/2023/11/bali-yatra.html