Ramayana - An epic dance drama

Who doesn't know the Ramayana?

It is a timeless classic of how good wins over evil; how parents, the elderly, and teachers should be respected; how relations between family members should be; and how a good ruler and a good human being should be. The Ramayana is relevant even in today's time where we can learn valuable lessons about different aspects of life.

We, in India, grew up listening to the stories of Lord Rama from our grandparents. In 1987, Ramayana was aired on the DD national television channel, and we all know how empty the streets were when Ramayana was aired on Sundays! The people playing the characters in Ramayan gained so much fame and respect that it created a lasting impression on the masses. I saw some videos where the people playing Ram and Lakshman refused to do any advertisements for products such as tobacco or alcohol that could hurt the sentiments of the people. Such was Ramayana's dedication and the impact it had on the characters.

For many years, Lasya Priya Fine Arts, a dance academy in Karlsruhe, has been doing the theater show of Ramayan. We were overjoyed when they announced the third Ramayana theatrical performance. We have seen Ramayan as a series or a movie, but Ramayana in a dance form? That would be something new and unique to experience.

The magnum opus unfolded in front of our eyes on September 25th, 2022, in a grand concert hall in Karlsruhe. The crowd was a mix and match of Indians, Germans, and other nationalities too. The anchoring of the program was done by three beautiful and confident ladies who explained the agenda of the evening in German and English. They gave us an idea of what we could expect in the sequences. And we had no idea what was in store for us!

The program started with a Ganesh Vandana (Lord Ganesha is worshipped at the beginning of any event, and it is believed that he helps in removing all the hindrances and difficulties that might occur during the event). The founder and main person of Lasya Priya Fine Arts, Ms. Meera Mani, performed on the stage with her two disciples. With their bright costumes, wonderful expressions, footwork, and perfect lighting and sound system, the ladies looked gorgeous. Then came a group of girls to dance on the Rama Stuti. That was also a mesmerizing performance. It was perfect coordination and graceful dance all the way through. And then started the much-awaited performances of Ramayana one by one.

It started with Balakaand (the birth of Lord Rama, his childhood days, how he and Lakshmana were approached by Vishwamitra and how they destroyed the demons, the introduction of Sita and also the meeting of Sita and Rama at the Swayamvar). The kids did a fantastic job of dressing up and being able to emote on the stage, which had a large audience. The audience cheered for all the little ones. The girls who played the parts of Rama and Lakshmana were very graceful and maintained wonderful posture throughout the performance. They were emoting with just their hands and faces sometimes, and every emotion was so perfect that it touched the hearts of the audience.

Then came the Ayodhya Kaand (events that led to the exile for 14 years in exile were depicted here). King Dashratha and Mata Kaikeyi showed their prowess in emoting helplessness and love for their son, respectively. The greatness of Lakshmana, who, without thinking twice, decides to go with Lord Rama and Mata Sita into exile, won everyone's hearts. Who wouldn't want a sibling like Lakshmana? Giving away all the riches and luxuries and going away to a forest on the command of the mother was well depicted by all on the screen.

The next in line was the Aranya Kaand( episodes in the forest that led to the abduction of Sita Mata). Surpankha (Ravan's sister who tried to seduce Lord Rama and Lakshmana and was punished by Lakshmana), Marich (the demon who disguised himself as a golden deer to lure Sita), Jatayu (the bird who tried to protect Sita Mata from Ravan's abduction), and Ravan himself were all excellently portrayed. The story of Shabari (a great devotee of Rama who tasted the fruits first and then gave them to him to eat) was endearing. We could see how much time, energy, and dedication have gone into these performances.

The Kishkinda Kaand (entry of Hanuman and his Vaanar sena) received the most applause. The small boys did a fantastic job; they played their parts well and got a lot of appreciation. The Vali (Kishkinda's king) was also well-presented.

Sundara Kaand (where Hanuman goes to Lanka in search of Sita Mata, meets her, and gives her the ring of Lord Rama) comes next. The character playing Sita Mata was fabulous. She conveyed the feelings of helplessness, longing for her husband, and faith in her husband that he would come to her rescue very well.

The last and most important Kaand, Yuddha Kaand, was the highlight of the program. When Lord Rama decides to fight Ravan by going to Lanka, all the Vanaar sena come to their rescue, and once again the crowd cheered for them. The story of Lakshmana getting injured and Hanuman bringing the whole Himalaya Parvat so that Lakshman could be cured was very well performed. The highlight was the face-off between Lord Rama and Ravan, and the moment Ravan landed on the ground, killed by Lord Rama, there were claps and chants of Jai Shree Ram in the hall. The re-union of Lord Rama and Sita Mata brought everyone together on the stage, and the show ended with all the artists coming on stage with their respective groups.

It was a troupe of 60 artisans, and the preparations had been going on since May 2022. The costumes were perfect; colorful, vibrant, and everyone looked so happy and beautiful in those costumes! The properties, be it the tail of Hanuman and the Vanar Sena or the Dhanush (bow) or the decorative swing on which the newly wed couple sat, all fit so well into the story. Some of the little kids hadn't learnt the Bharatnatyam dance form, but still they mustered the courage to come up on the stage and perform. Kudos to them, their dance teachers, and their parents, who encouraged them. The dancers of Lasya Priya Fine Arts (both professional and hobby dancers) were a sight to watch, and their dedication and hard work really paid off. Salute to all the people behind the screen as well, who were moving properties for the acts from time to time. A big salute to the people who organised it and made it happen. It was a wonderful treat for the eyes, and the soul was drenched in Rama Bhakti. Thank you, Mani family and all others on and offscreen, for making our evening memorable and special.

School time

As some of you might know, we stay in a city named Karlsruhe, in the Southwestern part of Germany, the state is called Baden Württemberg. The academic year in this state and the neighbouring state, Bayern starts in the second week of September. This year the schools began on 12th September. But for the children who attend school for the first time, the first graders and the children who will complete primary school, i.e. fourth grade and go to secondary school, to grade 5 have their first day on some other day. Their school doesn't start with the regular ones as it is a new experience for them, and they need to take it slowly and systematically. My son started going to secondary school yesterday, i.e. in class 5. Yesterday was orientation day, where parents, grandparents, and other relatives accompanied their wards to the new school. A welcome band played for us, and the school principal welcomed us all and gave a small speech to the students, hinting at the new year and the challenges that may lie ahead. Then the children's names were called out and divided into different classes. Their class teacher took them to their respective classrooms and personally welcomed them with a small note for each of them. The class teacher gave them books on seven different subjects. Till now they just had Maths and German as main subjects. But now they will have Biology, Geography, English, German, Maths, Art, Music, Sports and Ethics. They will have one dedicated teacher for one subject and the classes would have around 30 kids. It will be a new experience for them and lots of learning and hard work. 

When my son brought the books back home, I took them in my hands and smelled them. They weren't brand new. They didn't have that typical smell I remember when I was at school. Four students had used the books for the past four years and were in excellent condition. I like the idea of reusing the books and handing them down to different batches of students. It instils responsibility and accountability and motivates them to use the books carefully. The school gives a list of materials like different notebooks for different subjects with other coloured plastic covers. I picked all the stuff today from a famous stationary shop called Müller and became nostalgic about my school days.

The school was always very special for me. We had to walk to school with our friends in secondary school. We decided where to meet and at what time. We often shared each other's tiffins. We had uniforms and strict rules about how to dress up or not. We were eager to know who would be our class teacher and who would sit next to me. We could choose our bench partners at that time, and often best friends got a place next to each other. We had an annual day at the end of each year, which was a gala time for us. We participated in different dances and danced on the stage without any fear. There were inter-school singing, dancing, elocution, and poetry competitions throughout the year, and we participated in them with great enthusiasm.

During my school time, we had to buy books on our own. The school didn't give us anything. A few students who couldn't afford a new set got an old collection of books passed on from an elder sibling or some friends. On the day school gave us books, I took them in my hands and smelled them. The books were always brand new and crisp, and the black printed ink on white paper smelled so good that the enthusiasm to start studying for the new year knew no bounds. Every year, my dad always did the boring and tedious task of putting covers on all the textbooks, workbooks and notebooks with great concentration and dedication. Every book cover he cut was perfect, and there was not a single cover in which angles were wrongly or unevenly cut, or there wasn't a single cover that didn't fit the book after his fantastic artwork. Then he dutifully wrote my name on all the books with his beautiful handwriting. I was so blessed and pampered! I so wished my handwriting was 50 per cent as good as his. I always was in awe of his perfect English and his writing skills. In addition, he and my grandfather often helped me prepare speeches and essays for school. I often got prizes in the elocution competition, thanks to them!

School stationery is something that I still love as an adult, and I flip over whenever I go to a stationary shop. The different pens, pencils, colours, books, erasers, and compass boxes keep winking at me and talking to me. They ask me to pick them up though I hardly use anything else now except the laptop at work and my mobile phone. But still, I feel strongly attracted to such things, even now. I don't know why? Maybe it has some connection to my childhood, where my dad kept all this stuff in the medical shop he owned, and I spent most of my time (when I was not studying) in the medical shop with him and my grandfather. I often helped them maintain the cash register and attend to the customers. I knew all the books for sale there and often read the stories or lessons from other school books. I hoarded many pens as I loved collecting them and writing with different pens on paper. I loved my handwriting though it wasn't as good as my father's or granddad's, but I often won prizes at school for best writing and made them both proud. 

The school days were simple and uncomplicated, and the only aim at that time was to study and get good grades. We were punished and reprimanded for wrong behaviour, and the parents were convinced that we must have been up to something to invite the teacher's wrath. They never thought that the teacher had done anything wrong in scolding or even hitting us sometimes. We loved and respected our teachers, but we also feared them. They were never our friends, and rightly so! We had a few favourites and a few whom we disliked. But we were never disrespectful towards them and we didn't insult our teachers anytime. I want to say that those were the best days of my life when we were carefree and happy, and that was a sound base for our life as adults.

Times change, the medium of instruction changes, and students and teachers change. Therefore, it is essential to keep up with the changing times and prepare kids and students for new challenges and opportunities. Smartboards, online classes, and learning on Ipads and devices have become a trend. The kids nowadays don't miss writing physically. But I do! I miss writing physically with a pencil and a pen in a notebook or on paper. As an adult,  I have hardly got the opportunity to write anything except on devices. 

I was fortunate enough to have a good school and education. The education prepared me to be adaptive, responsive and ready to take on challenges. And I can't thank my family and my teachers enough. I am today what I am because of them!

सखू आजीच्या सांज्याच्या पोळ्या

सखू आजी...

मी तिला लहानपणापासून ह्याच नावाने ओळखत होते आणि हाक ही तशीच मारत होते. सखू आजी म्हणजे माझ्या बाबांची सख्खी धाकटी मावशी. ती महाड ला राहायची, म्हणजे माझ्या आठवणीत तरी ती तिथेच होती. आधी ती दादर ला होती असं आजी सांगायची मग नंतर महाड ला गेली. तिकडे तिचे दोन भाऊ, त्यांचा परिवार आणि ही आणि हीचे यजमान असे वेगवेगळ्या घरात पण एकाच आवारात राहायचे. सोबत होयची एकमेकांची आणि मदत ही. सगळे सण एकत्र साजरे होत होते आणि अडी अडचणीला एकमेकांसाठी हजर असायचे.

सखू आजी आणि तिचे यजमान, बाळासाहेब आमच्याकडे डोंबिवली ला नेहमी येत असत. मला ती आली की खूप आनंद होत असे, ती एकदम हसरी, मनमिळाऊ होती. तिचे स्वतःचे काही अपत्य नव्हते. तिचा माझ्या बाबांवर खूप जीव होता. ते जेव्हा मिलिटरी शाळेत होते तेव्हा ती त्यांना नेहमी भेटायला जायची, कारण तेव्हा माझे आजी आजोबा पंजाब मध्ये होते. सुट्ट्या सुरू झाल्या की ती बाबांना ट्रेन ने पंजाब ला घेऊन जायची आणि तिकडे थोडे दिवस राहून परत यायची. त्यामुळे बाबांचा तिच्यावर विशेष जीव होता. त्यांना ही मावशी आली की खूप आनंद होत असे, मग काय आइस्क्रीम चा विशेष कार्यक्रम होत असे ती आली की, धम्माल मस्ती, गप्पा गोष्टी. वेळ कसा जायचा हे कळायचे नाही आणि ती परत जायची वेळ यायची. मी तिला नेहमीच अजून थोडे दिवस रहा, असे सांगत असे. आणि म्हणत असे आलीस की लगेच जातेस, अजून का नाही रहात. मग ती मायेने मला जवळ घेऊन, माझ्या चेहऱ्यावर हात फिरवून म्हणायची, येईन हो दिपा परत, तूच का नाही येत महाड ला सुट्टी लागली की?

मग मी शाळेच्या सुट्ट्यांची वाट बघत असे. तिच्याकडे जायचा दिवस उजाडला की मला खूपच आनंद होत असे, बस ने तो प्रवास, अगदीच खराब स्थिती मध्ये असलेल्या बसायच्या जागा, तो बस ला एक विशिष्ठ वास, हे सगळे तेव्हा काहीच वाटायचे नाही. गावाला जातोय हाच आनंद असायचा. आजी आणि आबांच्याबरोबर महाड ला पोचलो की काय आदरातिथ्य होत असे आमचे. माझे आजोबा जावई ना तिथले, मग काय एकदम अण्णाजीं (माझ्या आजोबांचे टोपणनाव) साठी काय करू आणि काय नको असे होत असे सगळ्यांना. आजीचे दोन्ही भाऊ, त्यांच्या बायका, त्याची मुलं, सगळे आमच्या मागे नुसते, काय हवं, नको ते बघायला. मला तर एकदम एखाद्या राजकन्ये सारखं वाटत असे. माझे सगळे काका, काकू, आत्या माझे खूप लाड करत असत. मला सिनेमा ला घेऊन जा, कधी बागेत आइस्क्रीम खायला, कधी नदीवर, कधी भेळ खायला, कधी मंदिरात आरती ला, माझी नुसती चंगळ असे.

महाड च्या वास्तव्याचे highlight म्हणजे सखू आजीने केलेल्या सांज्याची पोळया. अहा हा हा, ती चव मी कधीच विसरू शकत नाही. इतकी मऊ, लुसलुशीत आणि खमंग. तिच करू जाणे! एकदा तरी पोळ्यांचा बेत होत असे. आणि मी मनसोक्त त्यावर तूप घालून तीन चार तरी फस्त करत असे. वर्षानुवर्ष तिच चव, तिच माया आणि तोच ओलावा. सखू आजी कडे दिवस कसे जायचे कळायचे नाहीत. मातीचे घर, मातीच्या चुली, तो बंब ज्यात पाणी गरम होत असे अंघोळीसाठी, तो मातीचा वास, आजूबाजूला असलेल्या फुलांच्या बागा, विहिरीवर कपडे धुवायला जाणे, गाई म्हशींचा गोठा, तो शेणाचा वास, शेणाने सारवलेल्या भिंती, पडवी, ताजे ताजे दूध, लोणी, एक ना दोन. महाड म्हटले की हे सगळं ओघाने आलेच!

सखू आजी चे यजमान वारल्यावर ती मग एकटीच यायची आमच्याकडे. तेव्हा भरपूर दिवस राहायची, खूप गोष्टी सांगायची मला त्यांच्या लहानपणीच्या. त्यांना कसं दूरवरून पाणी आणावं लागत होतं, कशी घरातली सगळी कामं करावी लागत होती, भावंडांच्या कुरबुरी, भांडणे, पण एकमेकांसाठी खंबीर पणे उभं राहणे हे सगळं ऐकून मला खूपच छान वाटत असे. मला कोणी भावंडं नाहीत, माझ्या बाबां ना ही नाहीत, पण नाती काय असतात आणि नातेवाईक काय असतात ते माझ्या आजीच्या माहेरच्या मंडळीकडे बघून मला कळलं.

एके दिवशी महाड हून निरोप आला की सखू आजीला stroke झाला आहे आणि ती आता चालू फिरू शकत नाही. मला अजूनही आठवतो तो दिवस जेव्हा मी माझ्या आजी बरोबर गेले होते महाड ला तिला भेटायला, ती काहीतरी बोलत होती आम्हाला दोघींना बघून, पण तिच्या बोलण्यावर ही परिणाम झाला होता. ती काय बोलत होती, कोणालाच काही कळत नव्हते. तिचे लांब सडक केस कापून टाकले होते, तिची अशी अवस्था मला बघवत नव्हती. सखू आजीच्या भाच्यांनी आणि त्यांच्या बायकांनी तिची सुश्रुषा केली, तिची खूप काळजी घेतली. पण ती त्या आजारातून काही बरी झाली नाही आणि एके दिवशी ती आम्हाला सगळ्यांना सोडून देवाघरी निघून गेली.

ती गेल्या नंतर मला काही महाड ला जावसं वाटलं नाही. मग माझे कॉलेज, पुढे उच्च शिक्षण, बंगलोर ला नोकरी साठी जाणे, लग्न इत्यादी मध्ये तिकडे गेलोच नाही. आई बाबांकडून कळायचं तिथला हाल हवाल. लग्नानंतर २००६ मध्ये डिसेंबर महिन्यात गेलो होतो, सगळेच, माझे सासू सासरे, आई बाबा आणि माझी आजी. सखू आजी रहात होती ते घर बंदच होते. तिकडे गेले तेव्हा उगाच वाटलं, आजी आता दाराची कढी काढून बाहेर येईल आणि म्हणेल आलीस का दिपा, प्रवास कसा झाला? चहा टाकू का थोडा? की जेवायला वाढू? तुझ्या आवडीच्या सांज्याच्या पोळ्या केल्या आहेत!!!