Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Rasikatvi parasparshu jaisa.....
Rasikatvi Para-Tatva Sparshu…!
There is a beautiful verse in Jnyaneshwari the profound commentary on Bhagavat Geeta, which runs like this:
“Vache Barave Kavitva / Kavitvi Barave Rasikatva / Rasikatvi Para- Tatva / Sparshu Jaisa…!” Ch.18/47.
Here, the word ‘Rasik’ has been used that does not possess an exact alternative word in any other language as far as I am aware. The word ‘appreciator’ or connoisseur in English describes it only partly.
Indeed, a Rasik is one who tastes and enjoys and therefore appreciates. There are many types of Rasiks; some are sub-servient to ‘Rasana’
that is taste (tongue) and some who enjoy a blissful state through speech, touch, taste, form and fragrance! However, a true Rasik cannot refrain from an appreciative response (‘Daad’)! In addition, every response is distinct and new every time. Truly speaking it is a grunt of contentment, which springs up from the bottom of one’s heart; an instant acknowledgement that wells up naturally.
I was just recollecting such of the responses that I have witnessed thus far, and was amused to find those to be enormous!
I nurture a strong belief that amongst hundreds of Values conferred on man by the Lord, the virtue of ‘appreciation’ (Rasikatva) should find a prominent place in the list. While creating this universe, the Lord made beautiful items right from the sky down to an ant, the insect and blade of grass and each item was given a distinct peculiarity (‘Khasiyat’) that includes both vice and virtue.
However, He restricted the virtue of appreciation only for the humans!
Appreciation and a response thereof, are indeed two sides of the same coin and these have been beautifully illustrated in the character of Kakaji in the drama ‘Tuze Ahe Tujapashi’.
There is always an immediate response, even if momentary, while one is contented of ‘Rasana’ (in fact, Rasana can never be fully satiated!). Even if momentary, the joy or satisfaction blurts out a response like ‘Wow’! Wonderful! Excellent! Or, ‘Badhiya’ as per Indore style exclamations!
While remembering our Indore days, I vividly remember a large number of people, both the most ordinary as well as the highly distinguished ones, who have etched in my memory their profound sense of appreciation (‘Rasikatva’). Those personalities include the ordinary Tangawala or Rickshaw-wala, Paan-wala or the cycle-mechanic Anvar; in addition, the dignitaries seen and heard in the Sahitya-Sabha! I can never forget their unique ways of responding and appreciating!
A profoundly learned scholar of Philosophy and erstwhile Professor in that subject at the Holkar College, the late G.V. Kaveeshvar, was otherwise a very serene and sober personality; however, while commenting upon the Literature produced in cities like Bombay or Pune, he remarked ironically that there is lot of Lambee (length) and Rundee (breadth) in the Literature created in those cities; however (pointing his thumb downwards), there is no Kholee (room) (depth)!!
That particular comment produced such a beautiful ripple of laughter, that it created a permanent place in my heart!
Another occasion comes to mind, when Pundit Kumar Gandharva was singing in a concert. Immediately on beginning his renditions, indeed right from the first ‘Shadj’, the audience was getting enthralled in the melody and had started appreciating as well. However, when I casually turned round and looked at the audience behind me, I saw Mr. Rahul Barpute, Mr.Vishnuji Chinchalkar, Mr. Baba Dike and some other knowledgeable dignitaries appreciating almost every tune and note and some special ‘places’, with forceful gestures! As a natural consequence, I was induced to look towards them frequently while listening to the ongoing concert, thereby enjoying the pleasure of the melody many more times indeed!
While in Indore, we were fortunate to arrange at our residence discourses on the Jnyaneshwari by a very learned, cultured scholar Sri Prabhakar Ghate, who wielded profound lexis of vocabulary. I vividly remember the way he explained certain very soft-sounding words yet more softly and delicately, like ‘aloo-maloo’, ‘avadharijo’! etc. However, everyone from the audience would appreciate his wealth of words from the heart while listening through their ears; in fact, everyone used to allow those words seep into their hearts!
When two or more highly talented artistes share the same dais, the appreciation exhibited by each towards the other is indeed worth seeing! Many years ago, the veteran Sri Sudhir Phadke (Babuji) was rendering his classical Geet-Ramayana at Indore. The rendition had indeed hot up when Pundit Kumar Gandharva entered the hall and while he was making his way through the audience, Babuji half-arose to pay his respects to Punditji while singing. Simultaneously, while in the process of taking his seat, Punditji appreciated one of the notes being sung by Kumarji. Indeed, that particular instance has made a very pleasant nick in my heart!
I could watch two great artistes in Indian Classical Music, Sri Bhimsen Joshi and Sri Bala Murali Krishnan render ‘Jugalbandi together, at the Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai that was telecast over the Television. Both of them were spontaneously appreciating each other during the rendition and it was a uniquely pleasant experience watching them thus.
It was a joyful blend of melody and equally pleasant sight! (That reminds me a line from one of Mangesh Padgaokar’s poem, “Even an ugly looking singer appears charming, while he renders pouring his entire heart!”(‘Rangoon Gaat Asatana Kurup Gavayee hi Sundar Disato!)
Likewise, the appreciation exhibited by Mrs. Shobha Gurtu and Mrs. Suhasini Mulgaokar used to be worth watching!
On the Cricket Grounds, the powerful but attractive shots from Sachin and Saurav Ganguli; the foot-work of Brian Lara; the elegant ‘flicks’ by Mohd. Azaruddin; delicate ‘late-cuts’ by Gundappa Vishvanath; technically correct shots and solid defense from Vijay Manjrekar and Sunil Gavaskar; towering ‘sixes’ from big-cat Clive Lloyd; scathing and hard punches from Viv Richards; the smooth and rhythmical run-up of Courtney Walsh, Van den Holder, Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar; the electrifying ‘fielding’ of Jauntie Rhodes and Eknath Solkar, was indeed delightful to watch!
Moreover, while listening to the ‘running commentary’ over ‘All India Radio’ by V.M.Chakrapani, Sardendu Sanyal, Devraj Puri, Vijay Merchant and ‘Bobby Talyarkhan, it felt as if we were physically present on the sports ground!
Indeed, it is common knowledge that many times some of the dialogues, monologues, scenes and songs from cinema or drama are breath-taking, with a spontaneous sigh of ‘Wow!, Wonderful!, Superb! And so on. In addition, some of those happen to be such that do not tire one to see or hear repeatedly!
We have inherited the legacy of dramatization and dramatizing! Even though not on ‘stage of theatre’, my own drama on the worldly stage has been unwittingly successful for at least sixty-five out of my sixty-eight years of existence on this earth! And I sincerely wish to ‘appreciate’ that Lord of Lords for having assigned me a ‘role’ such as this! Indeed, my own conviction of me being ‘an actor’ has become firmer ever since I heard a story from one Mr. Vartak belonging to ‘Kelshi’ in Konkan area of Maharashtra!
The story, whether true or fictitious, as narrated by Mr. Vartak goes something like this. The famous Marathi and Hindi stage and cinema artiste Dr.Sriram Lagoo was in Kelshi a few years ago along with his wife and both of them visited the Goddess Mahalaxmi Temple nearby, attired in traditional Maharashtrian religious outfits for Pooja. Since Mr. Vartak was aware of the views of Dr. Lagoo on Gods and Goddesses being an atheist, he enquired rather surprisingly as to how come both were heading towards the temple with all the paraphernalia! Dr. Lagoo in his typical slow and tremulous accent said, “This is only a drama!” And when enquired about his views over Gods, he quipped,”That is also a drama!!”
Indeed, All of us are mere ‘Actors’ on this mammoth stage of the world (perhaps the Nuts and Bolts of that Huge Machine), and this fact must never be overlooked. Nobody has yet been able to know as to who and where is the Writer, Director and Anchor of this colossal stage of the Universe; or the Architect, Engineer and Manager of that gigantic machine. Even if some people might have known Him, they are not available to us as of now!
However, it may not be impossible to Know His Nature and His Whereabouts! Many Saints and Sages, great poets and even ordinary poets came forward to define and describe ‘Brahma and Para-Brahma’.
Even the Vedas found That as imperceptible and beyond description; therefore, those had to rest content with ‘neti-neti’ (not this, not this)!
However, poets persisted to describe that meaningfully.
Indeed, if one is endowed with the virtue of ‘Appreciation’ (‘Rasikatva’) to the brim, it is not impossible to identify and get acquainted to That Para-Brahma Vastu; however, that is likely to happen only if one can remain aloof and detached like an ‘actor’, yet keep enjoying the Bliss therein! Moreover, even if one has not inherited that much of ‘Rasikatva’ since birth, it can still be acquired and enhanced by living in the company or congregations of those who possess that virtue!
The serene, quiet atmosphere on the banks of a lake; a mildly fragrant and cool breeze; a casually heard caressing tune from Lata Mangeshkar; a gentle, soft poem from Anil; a poignant ‘Gazal’ from Suresh Bhat; few lines from Jagjit and Chitra Singh, the Darbari Kanada from Bhimsen Joshi and ‘Pasaya-Daana’ from Maoolee; everyone of these make our inner conscience tingle, sentimental and blissful. Indeed, even if momentary, it gives us a taste of that extremely blissful state, which in Marathi is described as ‘Brahmanandee Taalee Laagane!’
Therefore, it makes it succinctly evident, “Rasikatvi Para-Tatva Sparshu…..!!!
Dr.P.S.Rahalkar London
There is a beautiful verse in Jnyaneshwari the profound commentary on Bhagavat Geeta, which runs like this:
“Vache Barave Kavitva / Kavitvi Barave Rasikatva / Rasikatvi Para- Tatva / Sparshu Jaisa…!” Ch.18/47.
Here, the word ‘Rasik’ has been used that does not possess an exact alternative word in any other language as far as I am aware. The word ‘appreciator’ or connoisseur in English describes it only partly.
Indeed, a Rasik is one who tastes and enjoys and therefore appreciates. There are many types of Rasiks; some are sub-servient to ‘Rasana’
that is taste (tongue) and some who enjoy a blissful state through speech, touch, taste, form and fragrance! However, a true Rasik cannot refrain from an appreciative response (‘Daad’)! In addition, every response is distinct and new every time. Truly speaking it is a grunt of contentment, which springs up from the bottom of one’s heart; an instant acknowledgement that wells up naturally.
I was just recollecting such of the responses that I have witnessed thus far, and was amused to find those to be enormous!
I nurture a strong belief that amongst hundreds of Values conferred on man by the Lord, the virtue of ‘appreciation’ (Rasikatva) should find a prominent place in the list. While creating this universe, the Lord made beautiful items right from the sky down to an ant, the insect and blade of grass and each item was given a distinct peculiarity (‘Khasiyat’) that includes both vice and virtue.
However, He restricted the virtue of appreciation only for the humans!
Appreciation and a response thereof, are indeed two sides of the same coin and these have been beautifully illustrated in the character of Kakaji in the drama ‘Tuze Ahe Tujapashi’.
There is always an immediate response, even if momentary, while one is contented of ‘Rasana’ (in fact, Rasana can never be fully satiated!). Even if momentary, the joy or satisfaction blurts out a response like ‘Wow’! Wonderful! Excellent! Or, ‘Badhiya’ as per Indore style exclamations!
While remembering our Indore days, I vividly remember a large number of people, both the most ordinary as well as the highly distinguished ones, who have etched in my memory their profound sense of appreciation (‘Rasikatva’). Those personalities include the ordinary Tangawala or Rickshaw-wala, Paan-wala or the cycle-mechanic Anvar; in addition, the dignitaries seen and heard in the Sahitya-Sabha! I can never forget their unique ways of responding and appreciating!
A profoundly learned scholar of Philosophy and erstwhile Professor in that subject at the Holkar College, the late G.V. Kaveeshvar, was otherwise a very serene and sober personality; however, while commenting upon the Literature produced in cities like Bombay or Pune, he remarked ironically that there is lot of Lambee (length) and Rundee (breadth) in the Literature created in those cities; however (pointing his thumb downwards), there is no Kholee (room) (depth)!!
That particular comment produced such a beautiful ripple of laughter, that it created a permanent place in my heart!
Another occasion comes to mind, when Pundit Kumar Gandharva was singing in a concert. Immediately on beginning his renditions, indeed right from the first ‘Shadj’, the audience was getting enthralled in the melody and had started appreciating as well. However, when I casually turned round and looked at the audience behind me, I saw Mr. Rahul Barpute, Mr.Vishnuji Chinchalkar, Mr. Baba Dike and some other knowledgeable dignitaries appreciating almost every tune and note and some special ‘places’, with forceful gestures! As a natural consequence, I was induced to look towards them frequently while listening to the ongoing concert, thereby enjoying the pleasure of the melody many more times indeed!
While in Indore, we were fortunate to arrange at our residence discourses on the Jnyaneshwari by a very learned, cultured scholar Sri Prabhakar Ghate, who wielded profound lexis of vocabulary. I vividly remember the way he explained certain very soft-sounding words yet more softly and delicately, like ‘aloo-maloo’, ‘avadharijo’! etc. However, everyone from the audience would appreciate his wealth of words from the heart while listening through their ears; in fact, everyone used to allow those words seep into their hearts!
When two or more highly talented artistes share the same dais, the appreciation exhibited by each towards the other is indeed worth seeing! Many years ago, the veteran Sri Sudhir Phadke (Babuji) was rendering his classical Geet-Ramayana at Indore. The rendition had indeed hot up when Pundit Kumar Gandharva entered the hall and while he was making his way through the audience, Babuji half-arose to pay his respects to Punditji while singing. Simultaneously, while in the process of taking his seat, Punditji appreciated one of the notes being sung by Kumarji. Indeed, that particular instance has made a very pleasant nick in my heart!
I could watch two great artistes in Indian Classical Music, Sri Bhimsen Joshi and Sri Bala Murali Krishnan render ‘Jugalbandi together, at the Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai that was telecast over the Television. Both of them were spontaneously appreciating each other during the rendition and it was a uniquely pleasant experience watching them thus.
It was a joyful blend of melody and equally pleasant sight! (That reminds me a line from one of Mangesh Padgaokar’s poem, “Even an ugly looking singer appears charming, while he renders pouring his entire heart!”(‘Rangoon Gaat Asatana Kurup Gavayee hi Sundar Disato!)
Likewise, the appreciation exhibited by Mrs. Shobha Gurtu and Mrs. Suhasini Mulgaokar used to be worth watching!
On the Cricket Grounds, the powerful but attractive shots from Sachin and Saurav Ganguli; the foot-work of Brian Lara; the elegant ‘flicks’ by Mohd. Azaruddin; delicate ‘late-cuts’ by Gundappa Vishvanath; technically correct shots and solid defense from Vijay Manjrekar and Sunil Gavaskar; towering ‘sixes’ from big-cat Clive Lloyd; scathing and hard punches from Viv Richards; the smooth and rhythmical run-up of Courtney Walsh, Van den Holder, Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar; the electrifying ‘fielding’ of Jauntie Rhodes and Eknath Solkar, was indeed delightful to watch!
Moreover, while listening to the ‘running commentary’ over ‘All India Radio’ by V.M.Chakrapani, Sardendu Sanyal, Devraj Puri, Vijay Merchant and ‘Bobby Talyarkhan, it felt as if we were physically present on the sports ground!
Indeed, it is common knowledge that many times some of the dialogues, monologues, scenes and songs from cinema or drama are breath-taking, with a spontaneous sigh of ‘Wow!, Wonderful!, Superb! And so on. In addition, some of those happen to be such that do not tire one to see or hear repeatedly!
We have inherited the legacy of dramatization and dramatizing! Even though not on ‘stage of theatre’, my own drama on the worldly stage has been unwittingly successful for at least sixty-five out of my sixty-eight years of existence on this earth! And I sincerely wish to ‘appreciate’ that Lord of Lords for having assigned me a ‘role’ such as this! Indeed, my own conviction of me being ‘an actor’ has become firmer ever since I heard a story from one Mr. Vartak belonging to ‘Kelshi’ in Konkan area of Maharashtra!
The story, whether true or fictitious, as narrated by Mr. Vartak goes something like this. The famous Marathi and Hindi stage and cinema artiste Dr.Sriram Lagoo was in Kelshi a few years ago along with his wife and both of them visited the Goddess Mahalaxmi Temple nearby, attired in traditional Maharashtrian religious outfits for Pooja. Since Mr. Vartak was aware of the views of Dr. Lagoo on Gods and Goddesses being an atheist, he enquired rather surprisingly as to how come both were heading towards the temple with all the paraphernalia! Dr. Lagoo in his typical slow and tremulous accent said, “This is only a drama!” And when enquired about his views over Gods, he quipped,”That is also a drama!!”
Indeed, All of us are mere ‘Actors’ on this mammoth stage of the world (perhaps the Nuts and Bolts of that Huge Machine), and this fact must never be overlooked. Nobody has yet been able to know as to who and where is the Writer, Director and Anchor of this colossal stage of the Universe; or the Architect, Engineer and Manager of that gigantic machine. Even if some people might have known Him, they are not available to us as of now!
However, it may not be impossible to Know His Nature and His Whereabouts! Many Saints and Sages, great poets and even ordinary poets came forward to define and describe ‘Brahma and Para-Brahma’.
Even the Vedas found That as imperceptible and beyond description; therefore, those had to rest content with ‘neti-neti’ (not this, not this)!
However, poets persisted to describe that meaningfully.
Indeed, if one is endowed with the virtue of ‘Appreciation’ (‘Rasikatva’) to the brim, it is not impossible to identify and get acquainted to That Para-Brahma Vastu; however, that is likely to happen only if one can remain aloof and detached like an ‘actor’, yet keep enjoying the Bliss therein! Moreover, even if one has not inherited that much of ‘Rasikatva’ since birth, it can still be acquired and enhanced by living in the company or congregations of those who possess that virtue!
The serene, quiet atmosphere on the banks of a lake; a mildly fragrant and cool breeze; a casually heard caressing tune from Lata Mangeshkar; a gentle, soft poem from Anil; a poignant ‘Gazal’ from Suresh Bhat; few lines from Jagjit and Chitra Singh, the Darbari Kanada from Bhimsen Joshi and ‘Pasaya-Daana’ from Maoolee; everyone of these make our inner conscience tingle, sentimental and blissful. Indeed, even if momentary, it gives us a taste of that extremely blissful state, which in Marathi is described as ‘Brahmanandee Taalee Laagane!’
Therefore, it makes it succinctly evident, “Rasikatvi Para-Tatva Sparshu…..!!!
Dr.P.S.Rahalkar London
