BAJRANG BALI & BADA MANGAL !!
Hanuman,is a favorite deity of Hindus,specially UP,and definitely the most popular Hindu God of Lucknow.Bajrangbali,or Hanuman,is not only the idol for all the young bachelors but also of devotees of all ages!
While Hanuman mandir can be found in every locality,mohalla and even lanes of the city, there are four temples that are most popular,The Purana Hanuman Mandir of Aliganj,Hanumansetu mandir ,Hanuman Temple of Hazratganj and the CDRI Hanuman temple.Though all have the same deity,their history and fan following are different ! The CDRI Temple is more for,few selective families and ardent loyal bhakts,leaving the remaining three to fight for the lime light.
The purana,Aliganj temple,is the oldest and the original main Hanuman mandir of the city,It was patronized,at time,when Aliganj was outskirts of the city,with IT College being the end of Lucknow in those good old days.As time passed,and when there weren't many vehicles or a good public transport system in the city,popel realized the need of another Hanuman Temple,in the centre of the city,and what other place could be the best for it,other than Hazratgunj,the heart of the city.Initially the temple started in the sixties as a statue under the peepal tree,next to Krishna Restaurant.The statue was without a roof,and once in the summer months,people saw the statue crying.The care-taker,in his desperation to have a temple for the hanumanji had played a trick.He had drilled holes in the eyes of the statue,and would hide ice behind it,which would melt and come out as tears.People got highly emotional,that hanuman is crying as he doesn't have a home,and donated ,generously and the temple came up,almost overnight.
The hanuman temple,pulled a large number of bhakts toward itself,and became the hub for the rendezvous of youngsters,specially from Lucknow University.All young men,from the hostels of Lucknow colleges,gathered around the temple every evening,and their power and popularity was evident by the size of Tika,the pundit put on their foreheads.Though tradionaly and conventionally hanuman is the symbol of brahmcharya or celibacy,the Ganj Hanuman Mandir also became the place where many a love affairs started and many eloped couples got married,in those good old days.
A bridge was then started to be built over the Gomti leading to the University.It would collapse every time,it reached a particular height.It happened several time,and then people,thought they should offer prayers.They made a small,make shift hanuman temple,at the side of the bridge and named the bridge,Hanuman Setu.The trick worked,the Lord was pleased and the bridge was completed,and then they constructed a proper temple,at that site,under the ages of Karori Baba,which soon became popularized as the Hanuman Setu temple.The temple became a hot favorite,almost overnight and has remained so for over four decades.
Tuesday,being the day of hanumanji and hanuman ji being popular in Lucknow,Tuesday,or mangal,is special for the city,specially the Bada Mangals, the Tuesdays of the month of Jeht month of the Hindi calendar,which fall usually in the month of June.In spite of all the scorching heat and sultry humidity,during the month,the four and occasionally five mangals are celebrated with great fervor.My memories of bada mangal go back to sixties,when the only temple,one could or rather had to visit,was the Aliganj mandir.We would get up early,and leave home,even before the sunrise,to avoid the heat and then would take hours to reach by rickshaw,and then the never ending serpentine rows of devotees.Something real spectacular was to see the young devotees,in red thongs(Langots) crawling on the hot blazing tarred road,to reach the temple,from far distances.As time passed,due to the distance and lack of space,infrastructure and glamour,the attendance started thinning at Aliganj and gradually almost finished,till it was revived few years back,but Hanuman Setu temple still remains the hot spot!
The main attraction of the bada Mangals,besides the prasad of boondi laddu,are the piyaoos or the stalls offering water to the devotees.Earleir they use to offer just cold water,then batashas and later boondi,but now the few of these are replaced with innumerable lavishly decorated counters which serve roohafza,neembo pani,lassi,juice,frooti,puri sabji,halwa and even proper meals cooked in pure ghee,and all these are in such large quantity,that often there are more people to serve than those to be served! All this gives the Hanumanji of Lucknow a separate identity,but I often wonder that if we stick to just water and prasad for all devotees,then from all the money that is spent during these four days,on the rest,we can easily place and run water coolers,at several places of the city,to function round the year.But if the rich devotees of bajrangbali,want it so,be it so !
Jai Hanuman
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
CAN RAM BE MARYADAPURUSHOTTAM
WAS RAM ACTUALLY MARYADAPURUSHOTTAM !
I am not sure if Ram ,was actually the incarnation of GOD,or even if he was a historic figure,but he is definitely the hero of the great Indian epics,Ramayana and Ramchatramanas,where Balmiki and Tulsidass have presented him as the ideal man !
Ram,as characterized in these epics,is supposed to be the Supreme man-the savior of prestige and honor ! Born in Ayodhya as the eldest son of raja Dashratha,after the consumption of the Kheer received as prasad from the Agni Devta,following a havan,by his mother( Probably artificial insemination ! )he was an adorable child , an obedient student and a great son.He married Sita after a Swamwar,and happily sacrificed the throne and willingly left for fourteen years of exile,to fulfill the wish of his step mother,only to keep the honor of his fathers promise.He subsequently has an intense and prolonged battle with Ravana,the king of demons on earth,and rescues his wife Sita,from ravan's clutches and kills him,relieving millions of people,from his terror.
The good part of Rama seems to end here.Before he accepts his wife,he insisted that she undergoes a test to prove that she has not had any physical relationship with Ravana.He becomes the king,and that too, a considerate one.When he hears one of the citizens,criticizing his decision to accept his wife,after she had been captive of ravana, to please his kingdom,he abandons his pregnant wife ,and has her left in he jungle and that too in a clandestine way.Few years later when he comes to know,that he has two brave sons,he is willing to accept them,but not his wife,who then ,unable to take insult after insult,commits suicide.
On several occasions and specially on this day of Ramnavmi,when we celebrate the birth of Lord Rama, I think if he can really be called the Maryada-Purushottam ! All the above has been explained by several preachers of Ramayan and Rambhakts, as to why all this was essential and how it is the facade to a devine plot,but I refuse to accept it.Ayodhya could get another king,but Sita and her kids had Rama,as the husband and father.If he was born and grown up to be the responsible king,for whom duty came before self and kingdom before family,then he should not have married.Matured man,as he was and is considered to be,he should have the discretion to react to things said by any and everyone.Distrusting a wife and making her publically prove her fidelity is bad enough,but to abandon a pregnant lady to the jungles is criminal.Even the female convicts,when pregnant are given considerable relaxations.A man who cannot fulfill his responsibilities,for whatever reasons,has no right to take them over.
Charity begins at home.............a person who is a bad ,inconsiderate and irresponsible husband and father,can never be a good ruler.He sacrificed his married life,not due to his love for the kingdom,but due to the fear of loosing his throne.If he was a great man,and wanted to please the public,he could have handed over the reign of kingdom to his brothers and left with his pregnant wife.The kingdom did run smoothly for fourteen years without him !
A husband who cannot trust and protect his wife or shoulder the responsibilities of a father,cannot be Mariyadapurushottam !
Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
I am not sure if Ram ,was actually the incarnation of GOD,or even if he was a historic figure,but he is definitely the hero of the great Indian epics,Ramayana and Ramchatramanas,where Balmiki and Tulsidass have presented him as the ideal man !
Ram,as characterized in these epics,is supposed to be the Supreme man-the savior of prestige and honor ! Born in Ayodhya as the eldest son of raja Dashratha,after the consumption of the Kheer received as prasad from the Agni Devta,following a havan,by his mother( Probably artificial insemination ! )he was an adorable child , an obedient student and a great son.He married Sita after a Swamwar,and happily sacrificed the throne and willingly left for fourteen years of exile,to fulfill the wish of his step mother,only to keep the honor of his fathers promise.He subsequently has an intense and prolonged battle with Ravana,the king of demons on earth,and rescues his wife Sita,from ravan's clutches and kills him,relieving millions of people,from his terror.
The good part of Rama seems to end here.Before he accepts his wife,he insisted that she undergoes a test to prove that she has not had any physical relationship with Ravana.He becomes the king,and that too, a considerate one.When he hears one of the citizens,criticizing his decision to accept his wife,after she had been captive of ravana, to please his kingdom,he abandons his pregnant wife ,and has her left in he jungle and that too in a clandestine way.Few years later when he comes to know,that he has two brave sons,he is willing to accept them,but not his wife,who then ,unable to take insult after insult,commits suicide.
On several occasions and specially on this day of Ramnavmi,when we celebrate the birth of Lord Rama, I think if he can really be called the Maryada-Purushottam ! All the above has been explained by several preachers of Ramayan and Rambhakts, as to why all this was essential and how it is the facade to a devine plot,but I refuse to accept it.Ayodhya could get another king,but Sita and her kids had Rama,as the husband and father.If he was born and grown up to be the responsible king,for whom duty came before self and kingdom before family,then he should not have married.Matured man,as he was and is considered to be,he should have the discretion to react to things said by any and everyone.Distrusting a wife and making her publically prove her fidelity is bad enough,but to abandon a pregnant lady to the jungles is criminal.Even the female convicts,when pregnant are given considerable relaxations.A man who cannot fulfill his responsibilities,for whatever reasons,has no right to take them over.
Charity begins at home.............a person who is a bad ,inconsiderate and irresponsible husband and father,can never be a good ruler.He sacrificed his married life,not due to his love for the kingdom,but due to the fear of loosing his throne.If he was a great man,and wanted to please the public,he could have handed over the reign of kingdom to his brothers and left with his pregnant wife.The kingdom did run smoothly for fourteen years without him !
A husband who cannot trust and protect his wife or shoulder the responsibilities of a father,cannot be Mariyadapurushottam !
Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
Saturday, January 16, 2010
ARE WE READY TO REJOICE
THE GAP IS WIDENING !!!!!!!!!!!
My heartiest congratulations to all those who are responsible for Indias progress in every feild.We and the media seem to be celebrating it,every day but I wish that they choose a realistic rather than a glamorous picture of India,as their story.
Without sounding a pessimist or a leftist ,I cannot resist but to say that we are really not ready for the extravaganza and glamour display that we are doing at present!
Progress in every field is mandatory and we are progressing,but the problem is that this progress is not uniform and not in all spheres and all fields.Growth is welcome,and is being felt too,nationally and internationally but it is not universal!!
Improvement in lifestyle and elevation of standards are not only being seen but are dazzling the eyes,but this improvement is seen in a small section of the country and amongst a very small part of the population
Almost half of the Indian population is still deprived of the basic amenities,like,food,home and drinking water leave alone education,electrification and medical facilities,which also are almost the basic right of every citizen of a so called progressing country!
Even in a city like Delhi,which looks like a model of progress and wealth,the recent census showed that only 7.5% Delhites fall in the upper income group,even when the grading has been made on a very stringent scale ,where to qualify for this elite class one has to fall in the group with a monthly expenditure of just over Rs 3500 per person.This amount is peanuts for Delhi,and is a stark indicator of the struggle ,the majority have to undergo,for survival in Delhi,Mumbai,metros or in most of the cities and villages of India for day to day survival.
IPL matches were a great entertainment,and so are other such lavish events,where we spend over a couple of thousand crores for each,but how much of this goes to the common man.Some people do make a livelihood from these events,but majority goes in the pockets of organizers,sponders etc,The rich are the actual beneficiaries from such megaevents and projects!
Leave alone the financial and monetary stagnation,a major part of the population and society is affected by social maladies like,child labor,female feticide,selling of daughters,flesh trade,AIDS etc,Can we call ourselves progressed,progressive or even progressing in this scenario?
The rich becoming richer,and Ambanis featuring in the list of top rich people of the world,is no indicator of progress.
We can sleep comfortablely only if every Indian has a roof,drinking water,food,electricity ,education and medical aid and above all a safe and healthy society and surrounding to live in
And this is more distant than one can imagine
and can be achieved not only by pumping in of money from the exchequer ,but by fair governance and a responsible role,played by every Indian
So lets join hands,in contributing our little,but significant share,in the progress of our dear country!
Its miles to go,before we sleep . . . . . . . .
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
My heartiest congratulations to all those who are responsible for Indias progress in every feild.We and the media seem to be celebrating it,every day but I wish that they choose a realistic rather than a glamorous picture of India,as their story.
Without sounding a pessimist or a leftist ,I cannot resist but to say that we are really not ready for the extravaganza and glamour display that we are doing at present!
Progress in every field is mandatory and we are progressing,but the problem is that this progress is not uniform and not in all spheres and all fields.Growth is welcome,and is being felt too,nationally and internationally but it is not universal!!
Improvement in lifestyle and elevation of standards are not only being seen but are dazzling the eyes,but this improvement is seen in a small section of the country and amongst a very small part of the population
Almost half of the Indian population is still deprived of the basic amenities,like,food,home and drinking water leave alone education,electrification and medical facilities,which also are almost the basic right of every citizen of a so called progressing country!
Even in a city like Delhi,which looks like a model of progress and wealth,the recent census showed that only 7.5% Delhites fall in the upper income group,even when the grading has been made on a very stringent scale ,where to qualify for this elite class one has to fall in the group with a monthly expenditure of just over Rs 3500 per person.This amount is peanuts for Delhi,and is a stark indicator of the struggle ,the majority have to undergo,for survival in Delhi,Mumbai,metros or in most of the cities and villages of India for day to day survival.
IPL matches were a great entertainment,and so are other such lavish events,where we spend over a couple of thousand crores for each,but how much of this goes to the common man.Some people do make a livelihood from these events,but majority goes in the pockets of organizers,sponders etc,The rich are the actual beneficiaries from such megaevents and projects!
Leave alone the financial and monetary stagnation,a major part of the population and society is affected by social maladies like,child labor,female feticide,selling of daughters,flesh trade,AIDS etc,Can we call ourselves progressed,progressive or even progressing in this scenario?
The rich becoming richer,and Ambanis featuring in the list of top rich people of the world,is no indicator of progress.
We can sleep comfortablely only if every Indian has a roof,drinking water,food,electricity ,education and medical aid and above all a safe and healthy society and surrounding to live in
And this is more distant than one can imagine
and can be achieved not only by pumping in of money from the exchequer ,but by fair governance and a responsible role,played by every Indian
So lets join hands,in contributing our little,but significant share,in the progress of our dear country!
Its miles to go,before we sleep . . . . . . . .
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
Sunday, January 10, 2010
CORRUPTION
CORRUPTION
There are innumerable scams being unearthed these days,and corruption is being said to be on rise.Corruption and dishonesty is a global phenomenon and has existed since time immovable,in fact since mankind came into existence.Handling money is not corruption alone......................giving bribes,using source,misuse of office property and resources,using influences,and even working less at work place are all forms of corruption.
Even gods and religion has encouraged it,in form of Prasad and mannats.
It is generally believed that most human are vulnerable to corruption,and those who are not into it,are often those who have not had an opportunity..........................most off us,if not all,have a breaking point!
Am reminded of a short story that my father told me,who had heard it from his grandmother
Once there was a great king,and everyone was very happy with him,He asked his old mother,what else he should do ,to make her happy.................the illiterate lady said,that,achche raja ke raaj mein doodh ki nadi bahti hai ( canals of milk flow in the kingdom of great kings ) And the king decided to do so.He built a canal on the national highway from the palace and announced its inauguration on the coming Poornmashi.He also announced that though the maintained of the canal and replenishment of milk will be done by the royal treasury,the ahead of each house of the kingdom will bring a bucket of milk,on the inauguration day,as a mark of solidarity.The day came,and great prayers were offered by the Rajpurohit......why then asked the collected citizen to pour the milk from their buckets into the canal....................no one did so ! Guess why........................all had brought water,thinking that the rest will bring milk,and he will mix his water,save his milk and get away,uncaught !
That's where we all are standing today....................we keep blaming everyone..............but keep indulging in some form of corruption,big or small,quite often.If each one start monitoring him or herself we may not have to police the rest......................charity begins at home.
Jago Insaan jago !!
Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
There are innumerable scams being unearthed these days,and corruption is being said to be on rise.Corruption and dishonesty is a global phenomenon and has existed since time immovable,in fact since mankind came into existence.Handling money is not corruption alone......................giving bribes,using source,misuse of office property and resources,using influences,and even working less at work place are all forms of corruption.
Even gods and religion has encouraged it,in form of Prasad and mannats.
It is generally believed that most human are vulnerable to corruption,and those who are not into it,are often those who have not had an opportunity..........................most off us,if not all,have a breaking point!
Am reminded of a short story that my father told me,who had heard it from his grandmother
Once there was a great king,and everyone was very happy with him,He asked his old mother,what else he should do ,to make her happy.................the illiterate lady said,that,achche raja ke raaj mein doodh ki nadi bahti hai ( canals of milk flow in the kingdom of great kings ) And the king decided to do so.He built a canal on the national highway from the palace and announced its inauguration on the coming Poornmashi.He also announced that though the maintained of the canal and replenishment of milk will be done by the royal treasury,the ahead of each house of the kingdom will bring a bucket of milk,on the inauguration day,as a mark of solidarity.The day came,and great prayers were offered by the Rajpurohit......why then asked the collected citizen to pour the milk from their buckets into the canal....................no one did so ! Guess why........................all had brought water,thinking that the rest will bring milk,and he will mix his water,save his milk and get away,uncaught !
That's where we all are standing today....................we keep blaming everyone..............but keep indulging in some form of corruption,big or small,quite often.If each one start monitoring him or herself we may not have to police the rest......................charity begins at home.
Jago Insaan jago !!
Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
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