A Memorable Photo

I often marvel at the amazing dexterity of the brain, especially the mysterious ways in which it stores memories. Neurologists and psychologists explain that the human brain has separate storage locations and vaults for short-term and long-term memories, and its filing and retrieval system is so powerful that it easily produces the required data in a jiffy, just like the hard disk of a powerful computer. Except when memory slips in old age and is progressively erased when afflicted with Alzheimer’s. Whenever I can’t recall the name of a person I have known for years, I’m terrified. Is this the onset of the dreaded A…?

There had been a strong shower on Friday night, and forecast of further rain at Bhopal. I was tempted to stay at home and enjoy an unfinished novel, but chose to drive to attend the Saturday Club meeting. It was worth the effort since Mr. D.S. Sood, a former ASI official made an excellent presentation about India’s rehabilitation and conservation project - Ta Prohm – an important monument of the Angkor Wat UNESCO World Heritage Site. Anshu Vaish, former DG, ASI presided over the session.

Angkor Wat at Siem Reap, Cambodia is the largest Hindu temple in the world, originally dedicated to Vishnu, and built by Khmer king Suryavarman-II in the 12^th century AD. With annual tourist arrival of about 26 lakhs, it is one of the most-visited monuments in the world.

(Image Source: Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia)

After the Khmer kings shifted their capital from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, these monuments fell into ruins. UNESCO designated it as a World Heritage Site in 1992 and began a global rehabilitation and conservation project supported by 30 countries and organizations with France, Japan, India, and Germany as the major contributors. ASI, with funding support from MEA, has been associated with this global initiative since 1986, even prior to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Hollywood film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) was partially filmed at Ta Prohm, one of the iconic temples within the Angkor Archaeological Park. This temple, known for its intertwining tree roots of silk cotton and strangler fig trees growing through ancient stone structures, provided a dramatic and atmospheric backdrop for the movie's adventurous and mystical scenes. Angelina Jolie starred as Lara Croft, bringing the video game heroine to life; a Lady James Bond with loads of oomph. Daniel Craig who acted as the tomb raider helping the villains would later play James Bond in Casino Royale (2006) and four other James Bond movies!

Mr Sood presented several interesting slides, and read from his detailed notes. During and after the talk, he answered several queries competently. He is very knowledgeable having been associated with Angkor Wat project since 1986, and has been honoured by Government of Cambodia more than once.

Of the many slides Mr. Sood presented, one lit a bulb in an obscure corner of my brain. The slide showed the wooden bridge across the moat to take the tourists to the temple complex.

Do you remember that bridge? My brain asked.

Of course, I do.

Is this the scene that you recall? The brain brought up a picture post-card with the flourish of a magician.

After Mr Sood’s talk, the vote of thanks, and before the few members in the audience dispersed, I shared the following memory.

A Memorable Photo

A memorable photo of which I have no copy!

Arriving at Siem Reap via Bangkok on a Sunday morning, we spent the better part of the day visiting the heritage site and the monuments with an ASI official as our friendly guide.

The massive, sprawling Angkor Wat temple was impressive even from a distance. Our guide said, ‘The best photos with the entire monument in the backdrop are clicked from this lawn. Once you go nearer, you can only click it in segments.’

We clicked solo and group photos after which we proceeded towards the complex. Before we climbed the wooden bridge to take us across the moat, from among a group of Chinese college students, a girl approached me and said, ‘May I have a photo, please?’

‘Of course,’ I said and waited for her to give me her camera for me to click her photo.

‘No, I want a photo with you.’

A bit amused, I said okay, and she got her friend to click our photo with the Angkor Wat monument in the backdrop.

‘Thank you very much,’ she said with a beaming smile.

‘Why a photo with me?’ I asked.

‘Oh! You’re so handsome,’ she said blushing a little.

Once she and her group of chattering, boisterous, bubbly friends were beyond ear-shot, Anant Swarup, my younger colleague gently rebuked me, ‘Sir, you should have said no.’

Why so? I asked.

‘You’re a senior government official with a sensitive assignment in the Ministry of Commerce, and she could be a Chinese spy preparing a dossier on you.’ Anant wasn’t joking, he was truly concerned.

‘I very much doubt that. I’m no Secretary, but a mere Joint Secretary, a middle-level official. Why would China waste its resources on me? Maybe, Chinese college girls have a thing for middle-aged Indian males; or, the bewitching sunrays made me look a bit like Shah Rukh Khan with kale kale mukhde pe kala kala chasma!’

Thanks, Dear Brain, for that heart-warming recall; but my spouse (who had accompanied me to the meeting) wasn’t amused for I had never shared it with her, dismissing it as a trifling incident.

***

Postscript

When did I visit Angkor Wat, was it 2007 or 2008? Back at home, I checked my old passport: Siem Reap- Arrival: 22 July 2007, Dep: 26 July.

Were you at Siem Reap in July 2007? I texted Mr. Sood.

Yes, I had joined as the ASI Team Leader in May 2007, he replied. 

Mr. Sood, requested by Embassy of India at Phnom Penh, had received us at the Siem Reap airport, and had taken us for the visit to the monuments.

I had forgotten that, but not the incident with the Chinese girl!

***

Notes

Angkor Wat

Angkor derives from the Sanskrit "nagara" (नगर), meaning "city" or "capital." In Khmer, it evolved to "nokor" and then to "Angkor," reflecting its role as the central hub of the Khmer Empire.

Wat derives from Pali/Sanskrit "vatta" (वत्त), meaning "enclosure," "sacred precinct," or "temple." In Khmer, it specifically refers to a Buddhist or Hindu temple complex.

Built in the early 12th century during the reign of King Suryavarman II (1113–1150 CE), it was originally a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, with the central tower representing Mount Meru and the surrounding moat symbolizing the cosmic ocean. Later, when Cambodia transitioned to Buddhism, Angkor Wat became a Buddhist shrine while retaining its Hindu iconography.

“After the Cham people of modern-day Vietnam sacked Angkor in 1177, King Jayavarman VII (reigned 1181–c. 1220) decided that the Hindu gods had failed him. When he built a new capital nearby, Angkor Thom, he dedicated it to Buddhism. Thereafter, Angkor Wat became a Buddhist shrine, and many of its carvings and statues of Hindu deities were replaced by Buddhist art.” (Encyclopaedia Brittanica)

Ta Prohm

In Khmer, Ta means "ancestor," "elder," or "grandfather," conveying respect and reverence. Prohm derives from Sanskrit "Brahma", the Hindu god of creation.

The name "Ta Prohm" can be interpreted as "Ancestor Brahma" or "Grandfather Brahma," reflecting its dedication to spirituality and the veneration of familial and divine lineage.

King Jayavarman VII possibly built this temple for his mother, and installed an idol of her personal deity Prajna Paramita (Saraswati) here. During the Buddhist period, an idol of Avalokiteshvara, one of the most revered Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, embodying infinite compassion and mercy, was installed here.

Avalokitesvara

“Avalokiteshvara, in Buddhism, and primarily in Mahayana (“Greater Vehicle”) Buddhism, the bodhisattva (“buddha-to-be”) of infinite compassion and mercy, possibly the most popular of all figures in Buddhist legend.

Avalokiteshvara supremely exemplifies the bodhisattva’s resolve to postpone his own buddhahood until he has helped every sentient being on earth achieve liberation (moksha; literally, “release”) from suffering (dukkha) and the process of death and rebirth (samsara). His name has been variously interpreted as “the lord who looks in every direction” and “the lord of what we see” (that is, the actual created world).

The title invariably used for him in Cambodia and Thailand is Lokeshvara (“Lord of the World”).”

Avalokiteshvara, China

(Quotes & Image: Encyclopaedia Brittanica)

***

 

Dr. Manmohan Singh: A Tribute

April, 2004. I was at AIIMS, New Delhi for an eye test, waiting in the corridor for my turn. I don’t recall why our two daughters had tagged along. Maybe, their annual exams were over, they had a few days off, and I had promised to take them to a book store on our way back.

The girls began fidgeting since the wait was much longer than they had anticipated. Then I noticed a frail patient – a senior citizen in white kurta pajama walking out of the consultant’s room with his medical papers in hand and proceeding to another room down the corridor for a further test, I guess.

Do you know who that gentleman is? I asked my daughters.

He’s a Sardar, said the youngest.

Well, I’ve seen his photo in the papers, but can’t remember his name, said the eldest.

He’s Dr. Manmohan Singh, our former Finance Minister, and at present the Leader of Opposition, I said.

Do you note anything special about him? I asked.

The girls waited for me to elaborate.

‘He’s all by himself. No chaperon, not even a relative. Had he so wished, he could have called the Director, AIIMS to avail of VIP treatment. But here he is, walking the corridors of AIIMS, and queueing up to meet the Consultant.’

I think my daughters got what I wished to convey.

Dr. Singh was sworn in as Prime Minister on May 22, 2004; and for a 2^nd time on May 22, 2009.

Rest in Peace, Dr Manmohan Singh- humble professor, economist, former FM, former PM- with a frail body but a feisty spirit; and on whose lean shoulders the weight of power and position sat ever so lightly.  

***

Postscript

Several colleagues and friends have shared their own fond memories of Dr. Manmohan Singh, a few which are given below.

He not only impressed world leaders, peers, colleagues, opponents, and critics with his intelligence, integrity, quiet determination, and unwavering commitment to serve the people of India; but also all left a mark on all who came in touch with him, in his own gentle manner.

Hema Ramanujam, spouse of R. Ramanujam

‘I had an interesting and soul touching interaction with Dr Manmohan Singh when he was the PM in 2012.

My husband was then Secretary to the PM and we had been invited to a dinner at the PM’s residence. It was a fairly large gathering and  Honourable PM and Mrs. Kaur were moving around and meeting the guests individually. When the PM came to us, I thought since we didn’t have to be introduced, he would just smile and move across. Instead, he stopped and started to speak to me with folded hands and all seriousness:

“Mrs Ramanujam, your husband has been given a massive responsibility in the PMO. He has to work long hours. If you think he is neglecting the family, I’m responsible for this. I’m sorry.”

I was stunned at this completely unexpected statement coming from the host who was no less a person than the Prime Minister of the country. I didn’t know how to respond. Probably mumbled something that it was my husband’s duty and it was nothing new for me as he had always had jobs that required him to work hard. It was amazing that the PM was so humble and could spontaneously say what a wife would ideally like to hear. No wonder he could easily disarm even his worst critics with his soft spoken, caring, warm and friendly disposition. A truly great leader who impressed and inspired with his professional competence and human values!!

Sharing a pic of that meeting:

R. Ramanujam

I had myself been floored when I made a courtesy call on him soon after joining. He had asked me to generally share my experiences in civil service and I counted back from the year 2011 to 2000. I thought I should not take more of his time and about to pause when he interrupted me and said you have also worked in Vajpayee’s PMO. He then listed a number of things he would like me to drive from the PMO on his behalf and finally asked me if I had anything to say. I said I would try to live up to his expectations and indeed felt blessed to have been picked up for such a prestigious assignment. His reply was “No, no . We are the ones who are fortunate to have your services”. It was a pleasure to interact with him whenever I met him for briefing on specific issues. Have very fond memories. May he attain supreme and lasting bliss.

S.C. Khuntia, my batchmate, and a dear friend.

‘I was Director in DEA when Dr. Manmohan Singh was FM. For some time, I was looking after Europe, and there used to be many dignitaries like FMs of other countries. As Director, I used to brief him before the visit, and then remain present during the meetings. He was very thorough, gentle, and courteous with everybody. He would go through the notes in the file carefully. Many times, he had marked portions of my notes as Director, and referred to the same in his notes while approving proposals.

I handled one of his visits to Germany to attend an Indo-German bilateral economic cooperation meeting, and he was regarded very highly by the German FM, and team. His talk to their Chamber of Commerce was superb.

As Joint Secretary, there were many occasions to meet him during presentations and he was always a keen listener and gracious. I had met him in Bangalore once in ISEC, where he attended a discussion at the invitation of Prof. Govind Rao, and another time in 2017 when he came to inaugurate the academic session of Dr. Ambedkar School of Economics.’

 

Hail Hilsa: Queen of Fish

For no reason, yesterday I recalled a familiar Odia saying: chakiri kariba Polisi, maacha khaiba Ilishi (Dream job: Police, Tastiest Fish: Ilishi!). Hilsa, the Queen of Fish, is for the Bengalis Ilish, to be pronounced Ileeeesh with a loving, lingering caress! I rushed to the BHEL weekly market and bought a hilsa fish weighing 890 grams, much less than the ideal size of 1.5 kgs, but a great catch for Bhopal market. I’m not telling you the price; that’s easy to figure out, just ask Google.

Never had I bought a hilsa; never even searched for it at Bhopal assuming the Bengalis who every year import large consignments of Padma ilish from Bangladesh were most unlikely to allow this precious commodity to cross their state border.

‘Bengali Cut?’ the fish-seller asked. I nodded with no idea what that was. When he came to make the last piece with the tail, he held it for my inspection, and asked again, ‘Okay?’ Make it smaller, I said. He instantly knew I was no Bengali, and had never bought Hilsa.

Back at home, I looked up two You Tube recipes for ‘Sorisher Ilish (Hilsa cooked in freshly-ground mustard paste),’ for I had once enjoyed that dish at Oh!Calcutta near Chittaranjan Park, New Delhi. Even though the Hindi video maker claimed to be a Bengali, I followed the video in chaste Bengali. Overhearing from the sidelines a perplexed spouse asked: Gud goes into that recipe? No, I said, the chef is suggesting a few spoonfuls of halad gu(n)d, haldi powder.

Requested spouse to stay away from the kitchen, and not interfere with my maiden tryst with ilishi. Once I begin cooking, I never revert to the videos, confident that my memory serves good for the ingredients and the recipe.

I finished cooking in about 30 mins. Next time, I can do it even faster if all the ingredients are neatly lined up at the cooking platform.

Result: Wow! Is there more rice, I asked, and the cook said, ‘I made as much rice as every day, and it is never finished. Sorry.’ Chef with a Dash had cooked so delicious a sorisher hilsa curry that we ran out of rice to go with it!

Here is the proof of the Tryst with Hilsa:

I dedicate this blog to Shri B.K. Saha who taught me decades ago Lotus 123 (ancestor of MS Excel), and once took me to the fish market at Indore to teach me an essential life-skill - how to buy pabda fish.

Tell me, how would you know that the fish is fresh, he asked?

You inspect the gill, it should be blood-red; was my smart reply.

You’ve no experience, it is evident. The smart fish-sellers apply a little colour to the gill to fool novice buyers like you.

This is how you evaluate the fish, he said, picking up a fish and sniffing it briefly. No seller can hide the smell of fish that isn’t fresh, he said from years of experience of buying and cooking fish. He sent us a serving of pabda sorisher curry cooked by himself. That was truly yummy. Thank you, Shri Saha.

Hilsa Diplomacy

Hilsa catch in West Bengal is dwindling over the years, a matter of grave concern and culinary crisis for the Bengalis in Kolkata, Assam, and Tripura.

After Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, with Professor Muhammad Yunus taking oath on August 7, 2024; it was feared that Bangladesh would enforce total ban on export of Hilsa to India. However, such is the persuasive power of the Bengalis of India that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of  Bangladesh on 21 September, 2024 permitted export of 3000 MTs of Padma ilish - believed to be the most delicious and connoisseurs’ delight - through the Petrapole border, despite the aggravating diplomatic tension between the two countries, as a Pujo Gift! Fish, for the Bengalis, transcends politics.

How to Savour Hilsa

Hilsa is no pedestrian stuff like alu or begun (brinjal), and must not be eaten casually but with the reverence appropriate for partaking prasad which is received by the devout in small servings with the choicest portions reserved for those members of the family who matter more than others. Never to be eaten on the go or while standing; Hilsa is no fast-food and must not be served for buffet meals which would constitute a grave insult to the Queen of Fish. The partaker must be seated preferably on the floor on a mat with mind fully focussed on the sacred act of enjoying the heavenly taste of the fish that swam from the Bay of Bengal to Padma or Hooghly to delight the palate of an entire household.

Once a generous portion of rice is heaped on the plate and the maachher jhol with a piece (or two, if it’s your lucky day) of Hilsa topped with several green chilis sliced vertically are placed before you; first take in the aroma wafting from the steaming curry as you would sniff a bottle of premium wine after the first sample is poured; size up the piece (big, small, head, or tail) in your curry and devise the best strategy to make the most of it. You’re a bhadralok, no uncultured, famished barbarian; and hence the piece must not be greedily devoured but be made to last till all rice is finished in sync with the last morsel of the fish and the last drop of the jhol.

Before you begin your meal, remember to say a silent prayer to God who created Hilsa; Varun (the Lord of Oceans), and Ganga (the river goddess) who nurtured the exquisite fish, and nudged it to swim from the seas to fresh water to breed. Thereafter, profusely and intermittently thank the lady of the house – the presiding deity of the kitchen – who cooked the delicious curry.

Now, proceed to enjoy Hilsa mindfully, staying fully focussed as in a session of meditation under the watchful eyes of a Master. Hilsa is packed with nutrition, tastes great, but is generously endowed with numerous fine bones which have the uncanny ability to lodge in your throat; surely a protective mechanism evolved by the cunning fish. It is also a parable for Life. Eating Hilsa is like a journey to the heaven of culinary delight, but the path is not a bed of roses but strewn with many thorns to negotiate which you must have the intelligence, wisdom, patience, and skill. No risk, no gain.

Noronha’s Fish Curry

On 26th January 1958, Mr. R.C.V.P. Noronha (ICS:1938), Commissioner, Jabalpur was on tour to Narsinghpur. Mrs. Noronha and their three children were also with him.   They stayed at the picturesque Barman Rest House overlooking the majestic Narmada. The next day, Mr. Noronha was to inspect Gadarwara Tehsil.

Mr. Noronha was very fond of angling. He caught a fish from Narmada, made a nice curry, and invited Mr. Manohar Keshav (IAS:1953), Collector, Narsinghpur to dine with him. The fish curry was delicious and eaten with much relish. Unfortunately, a fishbone got stuck in Mr. Noronha’s throat and caused him much distress.

Assistant Surgeon, Narsinghpur was called in. He was a Bengali. No problem, he said. Just make a big ball of rice and swallow it at once. That’d fix the problem. Much tried and tested, Sir, he said.

Mr. Noronha tried the prescribed remedy more than once, but no sooner did he put the ball of rice into his mouth than he began to chew vigorously as was his habit. He failed since he had never before swallowed a big ball of rice at once.

He abandoned his proposed inspection of Gadarwara tehsil and rushed back to Jabalpur to have the fishbone removed by a surgeon.

A fish from Narmada ended up on the dining table but took sweet revenge by causing some pain and distress to the angler and also aborting the stern Commissioner’s Inspection, much to the relief of the Collector, SDO, Tehsildar and the office staff.

***

Note:

1. As narrated by Mr. Manohar Keshav to the author on 01.09.2016.

2. R. C. V. P. Noronha was the longest-serving Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh (1963-68 & 1972-74). Chitra Mishra has written an excellent memoir of the legendary officer for which the link is:

Remembering Noronha (1916-1982), the Legendary Officer – Tryst with Dholpur House (wordpress.com)

3. A Tale Told by an Idiot by Mr. Noronha is a must read for all civil servants. The book has been translated by Mr. I. S. Dani into Hindi: Ek Anadi ki Kahani.

***

Postscript 

Limericks by G. Subbu, my friend 

Mr Noronha caught a fish ,
Made a curry that he thought he would relish ,
The vengeful fish, although dead , had a mind of its own ,
In the commissioner's throat, got stuck as a bone ,
And the angler rushed to the hospital in anguish !

A few old ones on Illish ;-)

The new Bangla govt is so selfish ,
Has banned the export of Illish ,
How will a Bong celebrate Durga Puja ,
Without his dose of Macch - Hilsa ,
Isn't this policy a bit hawkish ?

odi baaba, they all exclaimed in unison,
Ei tho punishment bheeshhon,
For the ilish,
Is not just any feesh,
It's nothing short of a cultural starvashon !!

Long ago , due to the crook Churchill ,
The famine brought Bengal to a standstill,
Mohd Yunus , the Nobel Prize economist ,
Has now shown a tight fist,
The Hilsa ban, during Puja , certainly sounds quite shrill !

Brinjal of the Sea

Dr. R. Kannan, a dear friend and a distinguished scholar sent me this quote, ‘Fish are the brinjal of the sea- Yagyanvalkya.’ I looked for the Sanskrit quote but without success. ChatGPT tells me that though the quote is sometimes attributed to Yagyanvalkya, it is not factual. Yagyanvalkya was a revered rishi mentioned in Brihadaranyaka  Upanishad, but his philosophical contemplation did not include such mundane matters as fish and brinjal.
CoPilot fished out the Sanskrit phrase that conveys the idea that "Fish is the brinjal of the seas":
मीनः सागरे वर्तकः" (Meenah Saagare Vartakah)
- मीनः (Meenah): Fish
- सागरे (Saagare): In the sea
- वर्तकः (Vartakah): Brinjal/Eggplant

***

 

Zakir Hussain Joins the Celestial Band

(Photo Source:timelinedaily.com)

Ustad Zakir Hussain has now joined the celestial band to delight a heavenly audience including the divinities of music whom he worshipped – Shiva, Saraswati, Krishna, and Ganesha.

Years ago, in an interview he had said, I have much to learn, to make learning easy for others, and miles to go before I sleep. True to his word, he had extensively toured the world in 2023 and 2024 giving concerts and performances that delighted connoisseurs of Hindustani classical music and global fusion music – for the creation of which the Shakti Band (with McLaughlin and others) was a pioneer.

His speaking fingers would continue to mesmerise his audience – worldly and heavenly.

Journey to Mount Kailash

Zakir loved to innovate, surprise, and delight his audience. In an amazing video, he produces the sounds of Damaru (Shiva’s percussion instrument played with one hand) and Shankh (conch) through his tabla strokes.[i] The humble maestro offered it as a tribute to Lord Shiva, the God of Music and Dance.[ii]

Before playing, he said a few introductory words: Lord Shiva played the Damaru at Mount Kailash, Ganesha heard the exquisite sound, and set it to music or Tala through pakhavaj, his favourite instrument. All music originates from Damaru, and Ganesha is the Deva who taught humans music. We are humble disciples of those Great Masters.

Then he requested the audience to imagine the primordial scene at Mount Kailash where Lord Shiva played the Damaru, and his ganas (an army of fanatical followers of Shiva, sometimes highly-excitable and difficult-to-control) blew the conches.

‘I will attempt to create that divine ambience through my tabla strokes. My performance is an offering, a seva, a puja,’ he said.

As We Speak Pashto This Moment

Who are ‘We,’ and why are they speaking Pashto This Moment? That is a no-brainer if you are a music lover. Five Indian musicians – Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, Flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, Singer Shankar Mahadevan, Violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan, and Percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram - won Grammy 2024 Awards announced on February 4, 2024.[iii]

Ravi Shankar was the first Indian musician to win a Grammy in 1968. Several other Indian musicians have won Grammy Awards over the years, but 2024 was the Best Year for Indian musicians at Grammy Awards since it commenced in 1959. Grammy is an abbreviation for Gramophone, and each awardee gets a golden statuette of a gramophone, that ancient device that played music records in the decades gone by.

This Moment

This music album by Shakti which won the Grammy Best Global Music Album has 8 tracks with total play-length of 57 minutes.

As We Speak

As We Speak, which won the Grammy Best Contemporary Instrumental album, has 12 tracks with play-length of 74 minutes.[iv]

The tracks have interesting titles such as – Rickety Karma, Owl’s Misfortune, Trade Winds Bengali, Beast in the Garden, etc. I have no clue, but there must be a good reason for such interesting titles.

Pashto

Pashto which won the Grammy Best Global Music Performance is a 12-minute track played by Bela Fleck (Benjo), Edger Myers (Guitar), Zakir Hussain (Tabla), and Rakesh Chaurasia (Flute).[v]

Music: A Confluence of Cultures

Zakir said: Music in India is a confluence of Hindu and Muslim cultures. We are all pujaris of Saraswati. We grew up worshipping Saraswati, because she is the Goddess of Music. India’s musical tradition originates from Shiva’s damru, Krishna’s flute, Saraswati’s veena, Ganesha’s pakhavaj, and Nandi’s mridangam.

Zakir to Ustad

I was playing with Pandit Ravi Shankar at Xavier’s College, Bombay. It was about 3.30 AM on 26^th January 1988. From the nearby Times of India office, news reached my father who was in the front row, and he passed it on to Pt. Ravi Shankar, who put his sitar down, and announced: Ustad Zakir Hussain has been awarded Padmashri. That was the first time I was called Ustad. I was not yet 37.

Zakir was awarded Padma Bhushan (2002) and Padma Bibhushan (2023).

Tabla: Dignified

Of the amazing variety of musical instruments of India[vi], the Tabla was a humble percussion instrument to accompany great musicians playing on sitar, sarod, santoor, etc. However, gifted musicians not merely create beautiful, unique music; they also transform the status of the instrument they play. Ustad Zakir Hussain, along with his illustrious father and guru Alla Rakha, elevated the Tabla from an accompanying instrument to an instrument which could be played solo and with endless creative possibilities.

Zakir Sings

Karan Thapar interviewed him for The Wire in 2000.[vii] At the end of the interview, upon Karan’s request, the Ustad sings a few lines from his own composition:

रात ढलने लगी

बुझ गये हैं दिये

राह तकते हैं हम

जाने किसके लिये

 and bows out by playing a tabla note on a table and with his mouth.

Jugalbandis

Zakir has jugalbandis with legendary maestros – Ustad Alla Rakha- his father and guru, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Kishan Maharaj, Pandit Hari Prasad Chourasia, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma; and his peers and juniors.

He has also co-created music with others: Jai Hanuman with Amitabh Bachchan (vocal), Shiva Shankara with Shankar Mahadevan (vocal) and Purbayan Chatterjee (sitar); and many others.

Most of these tracks and albums are available on Spotify, Jio Saavan, and You Tube. The CDs and Audio-files may also be bought from Zakir Hussains web portal.

Humility

In his tribute to Zakir, Pandit Sajan Mishra mentions: Artists always honour their elders and ustads, but Zaakir Bhai also respectful to younger artists. He was five years older than me, but while touching my elder brother Rajan Mishra’s feet, he would also touch my feet. When I tried to dissuade him, he said, ‘I’m offering my pranam to Saraswati who resides in you, not your feet.’

Early Initiation

A day after birth, when Baby Quereshi, yet to be named, came home from the hospital, his father cuddled him in his arms, and cooed into the baby’s ears no prayer as per custom, but a musical rhythm much to the consternation of the devout mother to whom he said, music is my religion. That might have given me an early induction into music, said Zakir.

Born into a Muslim family with a highly conservative mother, and a liberal father for whom music was divine; Zakir grew up in an eclectic environment.  He went to a Catholic school, attended church and weekly mass, and graduated from St Xavier’s College, Bombay.

A child prodigy, he was only 7 when he began training under his gifted father, and at 12 was proficient enough to accompany the maestros – Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, and Alla Rakha on stage. At 19, he became an Assistant Professor of Music at University of Washington at Seattle, USA for which Pandit Ravi Shankar was instrumental. Later, he was a full Professor at Princeton University for a year, and a visiting Professor at Stanford University.

Farewell, Maestro!

Ustad Zakir Hussain was a gifted musician, always eager to learn, experiment and innovate; unfailingly humble, and  with a great sense of humour. He has left behind an enduring legacy that would inspire future generations of musicians.

Farewell, Maestro; keep charming all with your amazing music and winsome smile.

Further Readings

1.   Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music – Nasreen Munni Kabir

2.   The Speaking Hand: Zakir Hussain and the Art of the Indian Drum – A 2003 documentary by Sumantra Ghosal

3.   Zakir Hussain: The master percussionist who could reveal deeper truths than a million words – Parul Pandya Dhar’s article in the Economic Times-22-12-2024

Postscript

Day after I published this blog, a friend forwarded the following pic:

(Source: WhatsApp)

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[i] Both instruments - Damaru and Shankh – have great significance in Hindu mythology. Damaru represents the primal sound AUM, believed to be associated with creation, preservation, and destruction of the Universe. The sounds of Shankh herald all auspicious events. In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna blew the Panchajanya to declare the Kurukshetra war open, and the other Maharathis blew their respective conches – Arjuna (Devadatta), Bhima (Paundra), Yudhishthir (Anantavijaya), Nakula (Sughosha), and Sahadeva (Mani pushpaka). It was the great war to annihilate all evil, and hence auspicious.

[ii] https://youtu.be/D63zBpI-Am4?si=06B7DODy0ZwD48TA

[iii] On 4 February 2024, Hussain received three awards at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. Hussain's first win came for Pashto, written and recorded in collaboration with American banjo player Béla Fleck, American bassist Edgar Meyer and Indian flautist Rakesh Chaurasia. Hussain's second Grammy of the night was for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, which he won alongside Fleck, Meyer and Chaurasia, for the eclectic classical-meets-jazz album, As We Speak. His third win of the night came for the album This Moment, the critically acclaimed comeback of the pioneering world-fusion band Shakti.

[iv] https://youtu.be/cTsE_8JNhqE?si=xNK6MwhGiDvTLIyr

[v] Https://youtu.be/Ob7P3JVjnzw?si=WXydQhZaEsBmMbE3

[vi] Musical Instruments of India

How many musical instruments does India have?  A credible portal (indianculture.gov) provides a list of 278 musical instruments along with pictures.

Bharat Muni in his Natya Shastra (200 BC – 200 AD) provided a four-fold classification of musical instruments:

•        Avanaad Vadya – Membranophones or Percussion instruments

•        Ghan Vadya – Autophones/Idiophones or solid instruments

•        Sushir Vadya – Aerophones or Wind instruments

•        Tat Vadya – Chordophones or Stringed instruments

European classification of musical instruments to Membranophones, Idiophones, Aerophones, and Chordophones is based on Bharat Muni’s classification.

[vii] https://youtu.be/FTPOifwx2i8?si=z-_EPfKHULZrDX1n

 

Quest for Immortality

Yaksha Prashna: Enigmatic Question

To revive his dead brothers, Yudhisthira must correctly answer one hundred and twenty-six questions which the Yaksha asks. One of these cryptic questions in the Mahabharata, (Q. No. 97), just in two words, was -

Yaksha: किमाश्चर्यं? What is most bizarre?

Yudhishthira:

अहन्यहनि भूतानि गच्छन्तीह यमालयम् ।

शेषाः स्थावरमिच्छन्ति किमाश्चर्यमतः परम् ॥

Day after day, countless beings go to the abode of death. Those that remain desire to be immortal. What can be more bizarre than that?

Quest for immortality is like chasing a mirage; but the numerous current projects by anti-ageing, life-extension enterprises confirm that humans are unwilling to abandon the bizarre aspiration for a long, very long life.

Fear of Death

Fear of Death is the greatest human fear. While survival instinct is common to all living organisms, ‘death-awareness’ is unique to humans.

All religions are rooted in man’s fear of death, and attempt to handle the angst of annihilation of the body with various myths and postulations. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna consoles Arjuna with one such comforting concept - rebirth:

जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च ।

तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥2.27॥

Death is certain for the born, and certain is birth for the dead; therefore, you should not grieve over the inevitable.

Religions also offer Heaven as the best country for permanent abode - ambient climate, zero-pollution, high society, freedom from hunger and thirst, eternal joy, etc.- though with citizenship permits more restrictive than US Green Card. Yet, isn’t it ironical that everyone defers a journey to that exotic destination as long as possible and by all means available, preferring life on earth with all its limitations and imperfections?

Chiranjivis

Can humans be immortal? Even the avatars of Vishnu – Sri Ram and Sri Krishna – were not. However, a pratah smarana mantra recites the names of the eight chiranjivis, of whom five are human, in Hindu mythology – Ashwatthama, Bali, Vyasa, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Kripa, Parashurama, and Markandeya – with the hope that the reciter or the listener will be rid of sickness and live up to a hundred years. Eternal life was no blessing for all the chiranjivis; it was a terrible curse for Ashwatthama who had committed the unforgivable sin of deploying Brahmastra for infanticide.

Life Extension Enterprises

The quest for immortality is no longer the stuff of dreams; today it is vigorously pursued globally by more than 700 biotech companies and startups with USD 30 billion or more invested in anti-ageing, life-extension technologies, and solutions.[i] One of these companies aims to ‘cheat death,’ nothing less!

Aubrey de Grey, the promoter of SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence) and co-founder of SRF (SENS Research Foundation), claims that the human who would live for 1000 years has already been born!

Ambrosia offers blood plasma from donors aged 16 to 25 at US $8000 per litre, and a bargain price of $12000 for two litres!

Cryonics facility is offered by several US companies - Alcon Life Extension Foundation, Arizona; Necome, San Fransisco; Cryonics Institute, Detroit; etc. Whole body can be frozen, and revived anytime in the future, for a very affordable cost of US $200,000. Freezing only the brain costs much lower. A minor inconvenience is that the liquid which will be injected into the body or brain for freezing will kill the person!

Ray Kurzweil has predicted that AI will surpass human intelligence by 2045, humans and machines will merge, and brain-computer interface will phenomenally enhance human capabilities. The physical limitations of human brain will be transcended by using the vastly superior processing capacity and speed of a virtual brain. It may be feasible then to upload the physical human brains preserved under cryonics to a computer, in which case those brains would be immortal!

Venki Ramakrishnan, winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009, takes a gentle dig at the entrepreneurs who are funding or promoting anti-ageing, life extension technologies and research:

These “tech billionaires are mostly middle-aged men (sometimes married to younger women) who made their money very young, enjoy their lifestyles, and don’t want the party to end. When they were young, they wanted to be rich, and now that they are rich, they want to be young.”

An American tech entrepreneur, Bryan Johnson, 47  is determined to achieve a biological age of 18 for which he has adopted an interesting lifestyle under his Blueprint project; he eats his dinner at 11.30 AM, sleeps at 8.30 PM and sleeps for 8 hours and 34 minutes on the average, swallows 30 or more pills a day, and has 43 biomarkers monitored by a team of 30 medical professionals. It costs him about two million US dollars a year.

“I have achieved the best biomarkers of anyone on the planet,” he said in a recent interview. My Hb1ac is 4.7, he mentioned. Hb1ac below 5.7 indicates you are non-diabetic. Your blogger’s Hb1ac is 5.4, almost perfect for his age, without spending two million US dollars per year!

Over the last six months, Bryan claims to have recorded the best sleep score in human history. He also participated in the world’s first multi-generational plasma exchange with his then 17-year-old son and 70-year-old father; but discontinued further exchanges for lack of any tangible benefit!

He is in the news for his first visit to India during which he prudently skipped New Delhi, the toxic gas chamber, but visited Mumbai, a less-toxic gas chamber, and held a free-wheeling discussion with the Economic Times team at their office. Unwilling to jeopardise his lungs with Mumbai’s poor-quality air, he carried his own air purifier, the size of a suitcase, to the media office. ET (Indore/Bhopal edition of 6 December 2024) devoted two full pages to enlighten readers about Bryan’s ‘Don’t Die’ philosophy. His motto is emblazoned in red on his tee-shirt!

But why is Bryan visiting Mumbai, a city with such poor air quality, and drivers with the suicidal hobby of staring at their smartphone screens while driving on the city’s crazy streets? It was a near-death experience, said Bryan.

It is understood that he would meet Ambani, one of world’s richest man. Is he soliciting investment in his age-reversal project? Soon, we will know.

Duet of Life and Death

At the cellular level, there is an amazing, perpetual duet of life and death in our body. Cells, the basic unit of life, die and new cells are regenerated. Blood cells are regenerated rapidly; each RBC lives for about 4 months, 100 billion RBCs are discarded, but more than that are created by the body every day. Most of the cells in the liver are replaced within 3 years; about 40% of the heart tissues are replaced in a life-time. “Millions of our cells die every day. Not only do we not mourn their passing, but we are not even aware of it,’ observes V. Ramakrishnan.

Human Longevity

Some claim that medical technologies – biotech, cellular engineering, stem-cell therapy, gene-editing, etc. - will soon enable humans to live at least up to 150 years provided one can buy new body parts and solutions and supplements. Venki Ramakrishnan thinks human lifespan may have an upper limit of 120 years. In either case, the rich are more likely to enjoy a longer and healthier life; creating a further divide between the rich and the poor. That is a serious ethical issue to address.

In 1900, the average life expectancy of a newborn was 32 years. By 2021, this had more than doubled to 71 years. When humans routinely live up to 120 or 150 years, it would significantly change the structure of human society and throw up many challenges.

Thoughts and Views on Death and Immortality

On death and immortality; scriptures, philosophers, thinkers, writers, and humourists offer interesting perspectives a few of which are shared below.

Bhagavad-Gītā (2.28)

अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि व्यक्तमध्यानि भारत ।

अव्यक्तनिधनान्येव तत्र का परिदेवना ॥

All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state, and unmanifest again when annihilated. So what need is there for lamentation?

Mark Twain

“I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.”

Twain’s quote echoes the thoughts of the preceding Gita shloka!

Bertrand Russel

“I believe that when I die, I shall rot and nothing of my ego will survive. I am not young and I love life. But I should scorn to shiver with terror at the thought of annihilation. Happiness is nonetheless true happiness because it must come to an end, nor do thought and love lose their value because they are not everlasting.”

Woody Allen

“I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve immortality through not dying. I don’t want to live on in the hearts of my countrymen; I want to live on in my apartment.”

Susan Ertz

“Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.”

How best to cope?

Human life comes with inescapable frailties – disease, old age, decrepitude, and death. How best to cope with these limitations?

One could despair:

“What shall I do with this absurdity —

O heart, O troubled heart — this caricature,

Decrepit age that has been tied to me

As to a dog's tail?” (The Tower, W.B. Yeats);

 

Or sing loud in defiance:

“An aged man is but a paltry thing,

A tattered coat upon a stick, unless

Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing

For every tatter in its mortal dress,…”

(Sailing to Byzantium, W.B. Yeats)

 

Siddhartha Gautama was so unsettled that he abandoned his wife, infant son, and the royal palace to seek a remedy against these human sufferings. But lesser humans have stayed put, and met these handicaps with stoic resignation or defiant resilience.

 

Resources, References & Suggested Reading List

·      Why We Die: The New Science of Ageing and the Quest for Immortality – Venki Ramakrishnan (2024)

·      The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human – Siddhartha Mukherjee (2022)

·      The Body: A Guide for Occupants – Bill Bryson (2019)

·      The Singularity is Nearer: When We Merge with AI – Ray Kurzweil (2023)

·      Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI – Yuval Noah Harari (2024)

·      The Death of Ivan Ilych – Leo Tolstoy (1886). A poignant story of a man’s tryst with impending death.

·      The Curious Case of Benjamin Butt – F. Scott Fitzgerald (1922). There is also a Hollywood movie with the same title; Brad Pitt plays the character that was born old and grows younger over the years. A fantastical reverse-ageing!

·      My previous blog: https://pkdash-author.blogspot.com/2023/05/why-i-dread-to-live-for-150-years.html

Note

If you have time to read just one book on the subject, I suggest ‘Why We Die’.

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[i] The field of anti-aging and life extension is rapidly evolving, with numerous biotech companies working on innovative solutions. While some companies offer direct-to-consumer products, many are focused on research and development, with their primary goal being to develop groundbreaking therapies and treatments.  

Here are some of the most prominent companies in this field:

•        Altos Labs: This company is focused on cellular reprogramming techniques to rejuvenate cells and potentially reverse aging.  

•        Calico Life Sciences: Backed by Alphabet (Google's parent company), Calico aims to increase human lifespan by understanding the biology of aging.  

•        Unity Biotechnology: This company is developing drugs to target senescent cells, which are believed to contribute to aging and age-related diseases.  

•        Genentech: A leading biotechnology company that is exploring various approaches to aging, including senolytic therapies and regenerative medicine.

•        Elysium Health: This company offers a range of supplements and products designed to promote healthy aging and longevity.  

•        Juvenescence: This company is focused on developing therapies to slow down aging and extend healthy lifespan.