Month: December 2023

Posted in History-Culture

A Maharani like none other: Ahalyabhai Holkar

Posted on by veeskitchen

What an inspiring story is that of the Maratha queen Ahalyabhai Holkar. She is the one credited with rebuilding and restoring of Kasi Viswanath, Mathura, Somnath, Ayodhya among others that were razed to dust by the Islamic barbarians. Aurangzeb the mad dog, razed the original Vishwanath Mandir of Varnasi (aka Kashi/Benaras) in the 17th century CE. Some 40,000 sadhus then sacrificed their lives defending the temple against this ravaging despot. This is how much Hindu blood the muslims drank for centuries. The islamic invaders of India were so infuriated by the sight of faith and aura that resided in our holiest temples that dated back by millennia. They could not believe that nobody cared about their middle eastern cult. They could convert Hindus only by rape or by the point of sword. Babur the first of the Moghuls desecrated Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Generations later the rabid dog Aurangzeb did not spare a single standing Hindu temple. He went after the most important shrines such as Kashi, Mathura, etc. The effect of muslim Karma you see even today: how the Afghans are living a miserable life. What about Pakistan. Rani Ahalya was phenomenal and far ahead for her times. Educated, her reign lasted for over three decades. Rani Ahalya established dharamshalas for pilgrims throughout India and also rebuilt many of the temples desecrated by the islamic terrorists.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahilyabai_Holkar

The boatman in Kashi narrated to me the legend of the Maharani that led to the resurrection of the Kashi Vishwanath. A pious lady, Ahalya found herself scooping three Shiva Lingas when she was having a ritual bath in the river Narmada. She dropped them back into the river. Then she had a dream prophecy after which she once more found the three Shiva Lingas in the Narmada river. This time, the instruction was clear. She was ‘told’ in her dream to go to Varnasi and reclaim the lost/razed Vishwanath temple. Queen Ahalya went to Kashi. She put the three Lingas in the banks of river Ganga. One did not move but stayed. Rest two she gave away to Ma Ganga. The one we see today is the same Shiva Linga Maharani Ahalya brought from river Narmada, hundreds of kilometers away from the Ganges. The Shiva Linga yielded by Narmada is Swayambu and came direct from Shiva. This is the Kashi Vishwanath we worship ever since. Ahalya made a mandir where the Shiva Linga settled on its own. It was too close to the mosque that Aurangzeb raised over the desecrated original Kashi Vishwanath. Ganga probably swelled upto here during monsoons, especially centuries back. Like all rivers, Ganga too has retreated now to narrow ribbon state giving rise to muddy banks. Ahalyabhai raised once again the Kashi Vishwanath temple following the prophecy. She modeled the temple on one raised by a Maratha king closer.

Another popular version about the whereabouts of Vishwanatha Lingam:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/703379548423840

The original Garbagriha (sanctum sanctorum) was desecrated by Aurangazeb who built the hideous mosque where exactly the original Shiva Linga stood for over 3000 years in the same spot. Given the mammoth size of the Nandhi, you can imagine, how huge the original Kashi Vishwanath must have been. Even today you can see the Nandhi (bull) facing the mosque which is a dead giveaway. In Hindu temples, the Nandhi faces Shiva. Presently the Kashi Viswanath Nandhi overlooks the masjid. Now a court case is on reclaiming the disputed land, with irrefutable evidence provided by the Nandhi. Even monsters like Aurangzeb leave some loopholes in history, as we reckon. What made him not take out the Nandhi is ponderable. Perhaps he wanted Nandhi for his mosque, with the Nandhi paying obeisance to his desert god, gazing at the mosque. Today that single error of his is giving us Hindus wide scope to recover our lost temple. We are the passive, complacent Hindus. We go the legal way. Muslims live pathetic lives in many countries where they are majority. As a goodwill measure, why can’t the Indian muslims handover the original historic holy shrines of Hindus back to us. This is Hindu India where Dharma is our culture.

Rani Ahalya rebuilt many more temples including Ayodhya and Mathura, the birth places of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna that were also ransacked by the muslim marauders. The islamic way of life is plunder, thievery and bloody murder. They had no ethics, no culture. Even the arab countries that are seeing oil wealth today were historically pirates only who waylaid maritime vessels in the high seas and looted merchants. Every mosque in India thus stands on desecrated Hindu temples only. Somnath was raided for over 14 times as it was the richest temple of India then. India was the richest country in the world with most advanced civilization, culture and heritage. With the conquest, the islamic marauders razed everything to dust and decamped with diamonds and gold jewelry just the way they burnt down ancient India’s Nalanda university to ashes destroying tens of thousands of priceless manuscripts that put Bharat back by centuries.

Ahilyabai Holkar, the Maratha Queen like no other who constructed and restored Hindu temples which stand tall even today

The congress deshdrohis inflicted unspeakable damage on Hindus even as late as Narasimha Rao’s time:

Let us hope that Vishwanath reclaims the Gyanvapi mosque which is originally His. The people of Kashi are pained and have been living with the trauma for generations. No Hindu family in Kashi is able to digest the mosque in the Hindu holy shrine. They have been told the bloody story by their great grandparents and grandparents. As you do ‘pradakshina’ (circumambulation) in Kashi Viswanath, as the mosque looms larger in the background, your blood boils.

As it turned out, Aurangzeb realized his folly much later in life. Probably he had a premonition that Karma would be catching up with the muslim invaders soon. After him the Moghul dynasty started nosediving as the Marathas were gaining upperhand. Had the British not arrived, the Marathas would have reclaimed entire India and reconverted many muslim converts. Belatedly like a penance, Aurangzeb raised a dozen Hindu temples in compensation for the heinous and blasphemous crimes he committed. But his repentance came too late. By then the irreversible damage was done. Rest is history as we bear witness to how the west pounds the islamic nations rendering them to dust.

Compared to muslims, the British feared touching Hindu temples. Many British actually worshipped at Hindu temples and became ardent devotees. The legend of ‘Eri Katha Ramar’ temple is well documented for instance.

There is a ghat that goes by Ahalya’s name until today in Kashi. Of the 84 ghats that dot the Ganga, there are those named after Raja Ranjit Singh etc. Many Hindu kings were patrons of our temples who contributed richly to building of our temples. Our dharamshalas were dorms that were free guesthouses for pilgrims visiting from all across India.

Some snippets from Ahalya’s life:

  • Widowed at 29, she was stopped from committing ‘sati’ – the Hindu custom of throwing oneself into the funeral pyre of the husband when widowed, by her father-in-law. Hindus live like the albatrosses. Whereas even in 50s, the muslim and christian men and women are looking for dating. Ahalya never remarried, being so young and rich and born a princess. In Islam, such a princess must have remarried a dozen times to different men begetting sons and daughters from different men.
  • Home schooled. Traveled across the length and breadth of India when there were no roads or efficient modes of transport.
  • Able administrator and warrior princess who led the battalion from forefront that won respect from the British.

Imagine how sick Kareena and Saif must be to name their son Timur.

Posted in Economic

Gomudra is odourless and bitter.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Got to sample Gomudra, the cow urine, during my recent temple tour to the Kumbakonam-Mayavaram belt. We Hindus normally do ‘prokshanam’ (one or two drops on our head) with river water or sea water or cow urine for cleansing (if not bathing). But there are friends of mine who may gulp down a glass of gomudra (!) without batting their eye lids – for their medicinal properties (as well as spiritual). As per Hindu culture and traditions and as per Ayurveda, the Hindu medicine system, gomudra is anti-cancer and has potential to cure many severely debilitating diseases and improve our immunity at the same time. So then came the Americans who as usual patented the cow urine benefits stealing one more Hindu practice and announcing it to the world that it is their discovery. What Hindus have been observing for thousands of years is just like that American invention now. So much has been stolen from our Vedas and claimed to be invention by Europeans and Americans, so what is this really. First they ridicule you, then they study your works and ways of life and then they present it as research papers and patent Asian ways. I have to add here that the NRI Americans are the No.1 culprits who are good at backstabbing India.

Anyway, Gomudra did not have odour! It tasted bitter. I just had a gulp that’s all. More than that I could not manage. Walking on barefoot on the goshala (cow shed floors), I was asked not even to wash my foot or my hands (after handling the gomudra stainless steel tumbler that had stains). I didn’t. The very old caretaker and his wife who took care of the goshala asked us not to rinse our hands and retain the goodness as long as possible. I believe in ancient Hindu wisdom. A motherless calf won my heart. We fed heartily the cow mothers and calves and even one or two bulls, all pure Indian strains.

Temple Tanks: the best Rainwater Harvest Systems of Chennai

A Hindu temple is a complete eco-system supporting goshalas (cow sheds), gardens with stala vrukshas (maintained gardens with local tree as flagship tree for the temple), performing stages for artistes such as vocalits, instrumentalists and dancers, sales counters for holy items such as rudraksha (prayer beads) etc., madappalli (kitchens where Neivedya (food for offering) may be prepared for the Gods and later for the ‘Prasad’ to be distributed to devotees), dining halls for free lunch for devotees (financed from temple collections/donations). In front of the temple or within temple complexes will be one or two or even three water tanks with steps from four sides leading to the water, minimum an acre in size. This is how ancient Hindus raised their temples: acres huge with a life on their own. The ancient Hindu temples boasted of a self-sustaining economy with trades executed within the temple walls. The temples even had granaries/barns within them.The temples had four grand entrances with towers raising to several hundred feet with marvellous architecture in four different streets east, west, north, south. Jewelry of the gods and goddesses invited the moslem invaders and the British who engaged in mindless looting and destruction. Even today many ancient temples down south stand erect, easily thousand to two thousand years old. They still function to be repository of vast information and wealth. The intrinsic wealth of India even after centuries of onslaught by the muslims and by the British cannot be estimated in figures. One has to see it to believe it. You need years to undertake a complete tour of the ancient Hindu temples of India. The bronze and gold and ‘panchaloka’ figurines themselves along with stone sculptures cannot be given a price tag. And imagine, this is after the destruction of everything Hindu for centuries by muslim invaders. The British simply shipped so much of our Hindu wealth including gems and jewelry and sculptures to Britain. Yes, including the Kohinoor diamond that belongs to Badrakali, the fierce goddess of Warangal. Whoever stole the gemstone from her will stand to be destroyed. This is why Queen Elizabeth never wore it. UK will become the first European caliphate within a century.

North is left with hardly a grand temple structure because the moslems razed everything Hindu to dust. Taj Mahal is believed to be a razed Hindu marble temple typical of north, going by name Tejo Shivalaya. It has a kumbh sitting atop and it has water in the front, which is synonymous with Hindu temples. Qutb Minar in Delhi still has Hindu temple pillars standing and supporting the islamic place. Every single Hindu temple was struck down by islamists who raised their mosques and worse still, mausoleums over the rubbles. But look at Afghanistan now. Look at Islamic nations in general. Karma.

Without ablutions, devotees were never allowed into temples until a century or two ago. You had to take the mandatory shower and enter the temple sanctum only in wet clothes. Which is why, Hindu temples were always located by sea side or river side. Even so, they came with the customary water tank holdings that improved underground water levels in the surrounding areas and served as storage in summers. For instance, the city of Chennai alone has at least 15 one acre water tanks attached to Hindu temples, each storing valuable rain water harvest and recharging the ground water table of Chennai. This is why I as well as fellow Hindus never hesitate when it comes to taking a sip of the cow urine from our temple goshalas or even outside it. Our forefathers knew what they did. The Indian cow milk is also rich with A2 minerals, something not found in the Jerseys or other strains from Europe. Next to mothers’ milk, only A2 milk can be digestible to newborn babies and can be used as a substitute. Hindus never introduce babies to A1 or the buffalo milk until 2 or 3 years as family practice. Now A2 is also patented by America and A2 milk is sold in cartons. Every single Indian cattle genetic line is fused with European bulls ensuring maximum destruction of A2 productivity in Asian nations. Already we are at the stage where an Indian cow cannot reproduce on her own but can only be impregnated via IVF with the semen from the imported Jersey bull. Not only India, every other Asian nation is caught in this trap. America and Europe produce only A1 milk whereas A2 milk helps in brain growth and is supposed to be a reason for the children’s smartness in India. Tamil Nadu, my home state, fought a terrible battle against PETA, etc., to retain certain local customs that engaged in bull racing but protected and stopped the native strains from going to extinction. The foreign NGOs had imposed a court ban on Indian traditional life, how is this?! We in India try our maximum to save native breeds of cattle apart from saving native food grains and seeds without contamination from the western strains imported from America or Europe.

Cow urine has been granted US Patents (No. 6,896,907 and 6,410,059) for its medicinal properties, particularly as a bioenhancer and as an antibiotic, antifungal and anticancer agent.

This is intellectual theft in broad daylight from Hindus who have been saying this for thousands of years. India never cared for patents because we believe, we have no need as this is our natural way of life for centuries, millennia – until the Europeans and Americans came along and started patenting everything native and Hindu as theirs! Lost a lot and losing lot more. Lost neem patent for poxes, lost some herbal patents for jaundice, etc., etc. Now we cough up in dollars to the international pharmaceuticals that sell us in capsules our own formula. India is fighting a losing battle.

Very recent addition to the list is the Turmeric latte sold by Starbucks. While it is everyday Indian bedtime drink, I don’t think Starbucks ever attributed the recipe to Hindus/Indians. Especially in winters or when we run a cold or sore throat, having a hot mug of turmeric milk, with or without ground peppercorn added, is our typical home remedy. Turmeric is added to every single Indian recipe and there is simply no Indian cuisine without turmeric. Now world knows Turmeric latte as American/Starbucks’ invention.

Posted in Lateral Thinking

‘Work from home’ will not make a CEO out of anyone.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Sometime back Shri. Narayana Murthy, the Infosys founder, came out strongly against the WFH/Hybrid culture that is gaining grounds not only in India but around the world. Working from home started in a big way from Covid times even if it existed minimally from earlier. A friend of mine has been working from home for a multinational IT company in Bangalore for over twenty years now, due to family circumstances. WFH is not entirely a new or strange concept. But those who engaged in WFH formerly, already had a sound working experience in office environs. They reached a point where WFR made no difference to their productivity or output. Career-wise they probably peaked and had lengthiest service behind them, looking forward to retirement in near future. Whereas the new crop of WFH have no idea what it is to work for an organization and as a unit and build an institution together. They worked like individual islands with least co-ordination. They may fail to get the overall picture. Work-life balance is fine but that shall get you nowhere. THERE IS SIMPLY NO SHORT-CUT TO SUCCESS. You don’t become a CEO overnight. Nobody who became one worked from home. Those who made it to the top slogged in office buildings for 17-18 hours per day to reach the spot where they are today. I can’t help agreeing with Murthy. Murthy also came down heavily against the so-called ‘moonlighting’ by WFH staff whose integrity and loyalty to their paymasters took a beating with their growing greed for making it bigger and better in shorter duration. The very ethics and work morals of the working people became a question mark. There have been instances of WFH guys getting thrown out of their jobs when it was discovered that they divided their loyalty with more than one employer at a time with moonlighting practice. Working in office with co-staff gave one the discipline and transparency and motivation to work harder and achieve common goals and targets. Working in tandem resulted in improved growth parameters. That is what made leaders in the corporate world. The very human touch is absent in WFH environment. So if you consider yourself a CEO material, stay focused and work harder. The words of the founder and mentor of the first Indian corporate to get listed in NASDAQ are not to be taken lightly. They are of profound wisdom from rich working culture bred from ethics and values and morals that are found lacking in current generation. These are the bricks that build the foundation for a strong and healthy nation. WFH/Hybrid culture may work out anywhere but not in India.

Posted in Lateral Thinking

Vande Bharat: At What Cost.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Imagine climbing up a flight of stairs – some 20 steep steps – from platform 9, walking over the footbridge and then descending down another 20 with your travel bags wheeled or unwheeled, shopping bags, handbag, etc., etc. by morning 4 am when not a single porter is around. That is how I recently got to Egmore station exit after alighting from my train. Egmore, Chennai is the second main railway station in the city after only to Chennai Central. All the trains to the state start from Egmore. Other state trains start running from Central. Egmore is also where Chennai Metro converges at underground level with Egmore railways station. So essentially we have two railway systems in the city converging at Egmore where passengers interchange trains/stations depending on their destinations. That makes Egmore railway station a hotspot.

There is a single elevator and a single elevator at service on one far end in Egmore (at the side entrance) but even they work only upto reaching the level of footbridge. From the footbridge to the train platform, you have to haul your luggage, no other go. And most importantly you can avail of either facility only when you go to Egmore to board a train for your onward journey. Both are not available when you are on return to Chennai and are unlucky enough to disembark at far-off platforms wherefrom you cannot walk out without climbing up and down flights of stairs. The plight of the elderly who have already spent tiring hours traveling by train is pathetic. No question of the station being disabled-friendly. So when you don’t take care of the basics, what is the need to go for Vande Bharat first of all. I have boarded the same Vande Bharat o Madurai CONVENIENTLY FROM PLATFORM 1 or 2 that don’t need you to sweat it out. Chennai is the state capital and if one of the two main railways stations in the city must be lacking fundamental amenities for passengers, then why do we need Vande Bharat at all.

My only solace was that, I carried 20 kg suitcase of mine, my shopping bags and my handbag all together up 20 steep steps and down again to catch a cab back home. I heaved for breath but I made it in single piece which means my heart must be ok! But this is a poor excuse to pardon the railways department for failing commuters grandly in basic and important matters which make them unreliable. This is not just gross negligence, this is the habitual apathy of our government that’s all. Most of us in my age band have life conditions such as blood pressure and diabetes. I am not used to hauling weights as well. I was worried really how my heart would take it. Up the stairs meant that I had to physically lift my luggage and could not drag it. Railways department puts those like me to unnecessary hardship. If this is the scenario in Chennai, think about the state of affairs in tier 2, tier 3 cities and towns.

This is why I am against modernization of Indian railways. Luxury can wait. First cater to the basics. Build more paid lavatories in the junctions which is more important. Every single railway station in India must have an escalator and an elevator both ways up and down connecting the two ends of the footbridge. The upper middle class of India can fly out easily. The Indian railways is for the middle classes and lower middle classes. This is why Indian railways must NEVER be privatized. There is more need for added essential/vital amenities at our railways stations and junctions than for the superfast and sleek Vande Bharat series of trains. And to give the best accessible platform to Vande Bharat trains is another sad reality. It is also alleged that to maintain time for Vande Bharat express trains, other trains meant for the general janata are put on hold at signals. Having traveled by Vande Bharat to Madurai, I appreciate the service. But overt focus on sophistication of Indian railways may be diverting funds meant for upgrade of the services and amenities meant for the welfare and comfort of the masses.

Indian government must focus on improving the quality of life for the man in the street not for our creamy classes at the expense of middle classes. So are the middle classes only your vote bank who don’t deserve to be treated better? Who is the tax evader? The business communities fudge figures not the salaried middle classes who have nothing to hide. Its the elite of India who run a parallel black money market, not the hardworking and honest and transparent tax paying middle classes. Hoping to see what is necessary done at our Egmore station in near future. I am tagging PMO, PM, INDIAN RAILWAYS.