The philosophical king who never was!

The Emperor Who Never Was
Dara Shukoh in Mughal India
Author: Supriya Gandhi

Genghis Khan (and Timur, who followed suit later) likely established the tradition of not designating a successor. He believed that the issue of ascension should remain open. It was anticipated that the most capable individual, able to vanquish rivals for the throne, would emerge as the strongest ruler and govern the Empire more effectively. It was irrelevant if brothers, stepbrothers, widows, and uncles fought against one another; politics took precedence over emotions. Primogeniture, the right of succession granted to the firstborn, as seen in feudal rule, is noticeably absent in the Mughal Empire.

Naturally, the Mughals, whose ancestry arose from these barbaric races, continued that tradition. After Babur, animosities among siblings to usurp the corridor of power were frequent occurrences. Factions formed, with one parent siding with a particular son or grandson. Moreover, emperors had multiple wives. Shah Jahan, known as Kurram before seizing the throne, faced such a situation. Khusrau, Kurram's elder brother, had a long-standing battle with their father, Jahangir, before Jahangir blinded him. After becoming emperor, one of the actions he took was to execute his stepmother, Nur Jahan, and his half-brother Shahar, among others. Such was the brutal process of succession. During the later part of his reign, Jahangir was half the man he once was. Long-term use of opiates and alcohol had taken a toll on his health. Nur Jahan effectively took over the realm.

We have all read about Aurangzeb and his antics during his lengthy reign as one of the last emperors of the Mughal Dynasty. However, we rarely hear of his elder brother and half-brother, Dara Shikoh.

Dara Shikoh was Shah Jahan's third child and his firstborn son. Jahanara, Shah Jahan's first child, grew up as Dara's confidante, seeking wisdom. She was erudite, never married, and followed the path of spirituality. Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal had four sons: Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja, Aurangzeb, and Murad Baksh.

It is fantastic to read about the childhood these princes had. Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb were caught in Shah Jahan's bizarre mutiny attempt against his father, Jahangir. Jahangir took Dara and Shikoh hostage in a political chess game. Naturally, they matured precociously.

By the age of 19, Dara showed his killer instinct by hunting down and slaying an amok elephant. Following in the footsteps of his father, Shah Jahan, and his grandfather, Jahangir, Dara Shikoh displayed an affinity for exploring spiritualism, Sufism, and other religions prevalent in India at the time. Perhaps, like his great-grandfather, Akbar, who proposed 'Din Illahi', he was moving toward the monotheistic concept of a One God common to all religions. In the tradition of the Mughal courts, Dara was proficient in Farsi, Sanskrit, Urdu, and Arabic. He was favoured and groomed by Shah Jahan as his successor. Dara endeavoured to promote religious tolerance in his philosophical journey in association with the renowned Chisti and Qadiri Sufi Orders, much like Akbar before him. He translated the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita into Persian. Throughout his life, hardships, such as losing two newborn children, illustrated his susceptibility to depression, much like how his father, Shah Jahan, was affected by the loss of Mumtaz, his favourite wife, who died of haemorrhage after her 14th delivery. Perhaps this is why Shah Jahan kept him close, depriving him of the military exposure that proved crucial later on.

Dara Shikoh

To keep Aurangzeb out of the throne's loop, Shah Jahan sent him far away with the army to conquer new lands in Central Asia and Kandahar, ensuring the vassal states towed the line. Aurangzeb received his religious guidance from more hardline orthodox Islamic scholars, who were quick to label Dara Shikoh a heretic. 

One day in 1657, Shah Jahan was afflicted with what is now assumed to be infective prostatitis. Dara Shikoh was designated as the natural successor, being the philosophical ruler who understood the scripture, earned the respect of the masses, and demonstrated courage. He was also Shah Jahan's favourite son. Upon hearing this, the remaining brothers rushed to Agra to assert their place in the Empire. Aurangzeb, the one skilled in military affairs, emerged victorious. He had his father, Shah Jahan, imprisoned and had Dara decapitated. His head was presented on a platter to Shah Jahan while he was having dinner. This exemplifies how much brutality was normalised in the Mughal Empire.

At a time when intolerance masquerading as faith is prevalent, the name Dara Shikoh shines as a beacon of hope that united all of India.

[P.S. Plato's idea of a perfect leader is a philosophical king who possesses profound knowledge and a love of wisdom. These qualities, in Plato's eyes, made them true rulers, not just power-holders, to rule justly in a harmonious society. Obviously, in the real world, increasingly the sword and the wealthy hold the corridors of power at ransom.]

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The Man with so many Dark Secrets!

A Convenient Death (2020)
The Mysterious Demise of Jeffrey Epstein
Authors: Alana Goodman & Daniel Halper

The turn of the 21st century witnessed the rise of conspiracy theories, including Pizzagate, #MeToo, following the exposé of Harvey Weinstein, and QAnon. One prominent news story that captured public consciousness was that of Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein began life as the modest son of a refuse collector in Coney Island. Although poorly qualified and lacking a university degree, he fabricated his resume to secure a teaching position at a school. He was an intelligent man, but when his deception was revealed, he transitioned to the money market. Despite lacking formal qualifications, he succeeded in persuading his clients to invest significantly through him.

Epstein claims to have made millions for his clients, but some insist that he keeps the liaisons going through well-crafted blackmail.  

He is said to have made tonnes through his shady business of pimping minor girls and arranging them for some 'special' clients. His close clientele may include Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Bill Gates, Woody Allen, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson, Alec Baldwin, MBS, Ehud Barak and maybe Trump.

Many of those mentioned in his later exposé deny ever knowing Epstein, but video evidence is plentiful. The mastermind behind Epstein's recruitment was Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of Britain's disgraced media baron Robert Maxwell. She is reported to have a network for procuring underage girls to get the ring started.

It is said that Epstein was audacious in his actions. He flaunted his private jets, including a Boeing 727 whimsically named 'Lolita Express', about the 1962 film 'Lolita', to win over VIPS, and even acquired his own island for his alleged illicit activities. His net worth remains questionable. Some even doubt whether he is truly worth what he claims to possess. Conversely, much like he does for his clients, he may have concealed his wealth in offshore accounts, beyond the scrutiny of prying eyes. Epstein was known to be a philanthropist, donating to numerous institutions of higher learning and funding research. His most prominent client was Leslie Wexner, the owner of 'Victoria's Secret', who availed himself of more than just his financial management services.

In 2005, one of the girls recruited as an escort reported to the police. This soon opened a can of worms that would not disappear. Epstein's house of cards collapsed. Ghislaine was also implicated. One by one, Epstein's acquaintances claimed not to know him. After receiving a jail sentence for soliciting a prostitute and an underage one, he was released in 2009. In 2019, he was rearrested on federal sex trafficking charges. A month after his arrest, having rewritten his will and preparing for his trials with his team of lawyers, he was found dead in his cell. The cause of death was determined to be suicide by hanging. Even though Epstein was on suicide watch, the CCTV was not functioning. No staff had observed his activities for an extended period. The post-mortem findings were contradictory, such as the ability of a tall man to hang himself without sufficient leg space. The pattern of neck injury was also questioned by detractors.

For a man carrying so many dirty secrets which could tarnish the image of many, there is every reason for him to be dead and not wash their dirty linen in public.

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The Mysterious Demise of Jeffrey Epstein

By 

By 

In a secular nation?

Hindus in Hindu Rashtra(2023)
Eighth-Class Citizens and Victims of State-Sanctioned Apartheid
Author: Anand Ranganathan

I felt as if I were listening to him debate on Indian internet television. For the uninformed, a debate in the Indian context differs from the BBC's 'Hard Talk' or a conventional debate in which one person is given the stage to speak while others listen.

On these Indian shows, what we see on our monitors are multiple smaller windows, reminiscent of those in 'Brady Bunch' or ‘Hollywood Squares’, with everyone yelling at the top of their lungs simultaneously to make their point. With the rapid-fire speed of speech, often seen in speed debates, and the caustic choice of words, it is quite a spectacle. Everything is drowned out in the cacophony of each speaker's voice. Amidst all this, the anchor begins to argue at a higher pitch without turning off the guests' microphones. Sometimes, I wonder why the guests bother to attend at all. 

Anand Ranganathan has attended numerous such debates. His strong command of English and fluent expression of thoughts make him a standout in right-wing media. 

After listening to so many of his arguments on X, the book evokes a sense of 'déjà vu'. His premise is that Hindus in India are receiving a raw deal. After being overrun by foreign invaders from the West before the Common Era, India finally attained independence 75 years ago. Despite the change in rulers, he argues that Hindus continue to be treated as the stepchildren of the nation. The British governed this vast country using their 'divide and rule' tactics, which, regrettably, persist to this day. 

Ranganathan presents eight points regarding why Hindus in a Hindu nation are receiving a raw deal. Although India's Constitution declares the country to be secular, the State deems it appropriate to oversee the management of Hindu temples. For thousands of years, the temple ecosystem has served as a centre for worship, education, community living, trade, economy, statecraft, and even defence. Every invader understood that to dismantle India, they had to dismantle the temples. The law allows for the appointment of non-Hindus to the boards managing temples. In contrast, mosques and churches govern their own affairs. Court cases seeking the independence of Hindu temples have been ongoing for years.

Back in the 1990s, 700,000 Kashmiri Hindus were systematically driven out of their homes. Thirty years after the massacre, the state finds it more profitable to have them return as tourists for foreign exchange, but not to their ancestral homes. In contrast, Rohingya Muslims are permitted to settle in Jammu and Kashmir. Is the abrogation of Article 370 the right path to rectify the status quo?

The Waqf is considered the third largest landowner in India, after Defence and Railways. What began during pre-Independence times by the British to appease the Muslims has since expanded. Many prominent landmarks around Delhi, as well as Ambaini's house, are now believed to be Waqf land. Any property adjudged arbitrarily by Muslim law irrevocably belongs to Allah for all time. It reached a point of absurdity when a 1,500-year-old Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu is claimed to be situated on Waqf land, despite Islam being only 1,300 years old. The archaeological and physical evidence of lingams at the Gyanwapi Mosque serves as proof that it was constructed atop the grand Kashi Vishwanath temple. Even Aurangzeb, in his verified biography, Masir-e-Alamgiri, conceded to demolishing the aforementioned temple to erect a mosque. The 1995 Waqf Act solidifies the authority of the Waqf Board; however, these days, Parliament is attempting to amend this.

The Right to Education Act (RTE) of 2009 is said to be leading Hindu-run schools towards extinction. The Act dictates financial control, as well as the choice and quota of students and teachers, selectively applying these rules to non-minority schools; failure to comply results in closure. These restrictions compel schools to raise their fees, forcing parents to seek alternatives in schools run by minorities. Even in states where Hindus are a minority, the Act continues to operate against their interests.

The author highlights legislation that appeases non-Hindus but targets Hindus. For instance, bigamy is illegal under Indian law, yet it is permitted under the Muslim Personal Law of 1937, illustrating the double standards. Feminists advocate for equal rights but remain silent when the court permits Muslims to marry upon puberty. The corridors of power are intent on reforming Hinduism and addressing the social ills that characterise Hindu society, while the Abrahamic religions remain untouched.

The author also has a bone to pick with India's fixation on glorifying the invaders of the land. He is particularly scathing about naming one of Delhi's main roads 'Aurangzeb Road,’ referring to a ruthless conqueror who found solace in destroying pagan religions, particularly Hinduism, upholding Islamic law over his territory, imposing jizya on non-believers, and forcibly converting Sikh spiritual leaders. The nearest train station to visit the remnants of Nalanda University is Baktiyapor, named after the invader who burned Nalanda, thus losing centuries of knowledge and wisdom. 

It appears that the actions of the courts show no hesitation in attempting to alter Hindu practices, such as in the Sabarimala case, where women of menstruating age are not permitted to enter the Swami Ayyappa temple. However, the courts chose to remain silent regarding other religions, as exemplified by the case of Nupur Sharma, who is blamed for the killing of an innocent tailor for commenting on the Quran. Ranganathan further illustrates the bias of the Indian courts against Hindus.

Even though the author is an engineer by training, he chose to dedicate most of his time to highlighting the plight of the second class of Hindus in a country where the majority are Hindu. He even states that there is a legislative, judicial, and constitutional apartheid against them. 

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A giant awakens?

Awakening Bharat Mata: The Political Ideologies of the Indian Right
By: Swapan Dasgupta (2019)

History tells us of a time when Indian soft powers ruled beyond their lands. Indian (read Hindu) way of living was the only way to live to the East of the land irrigated by the Sindhu Saraswati river systems. The nearest advanced culture to them was the Persians. Now they had an issue pronouncing 'S'. They did not have 'S' in their spoken language but used 'H' in places occupied by 'S'. Hence, the people living around the Sindhu Valley became known as 'Hindus', and their way of living was Hindu.

The perplexing thing is that from an era when the whole world was imitating their culture whilst the rest of the world was in the dark ages, at the time of its independence, it was a nation quite apologetic to its way of life and its history. What gave?

Perhaps it was the repeated invasions and trans-generational traumas with a tinge of Stockholm Syndrome. Still, the bulk of Indians, during their independence from the British colonial masters, had a very low esteem of themselves. They tended to look at other civilisations as superior and scorn upon their own way of living. Maybe because they had missed the bus of the first and second Industrial Revolution and the mercantile type of economy ruled the world, the socialist-minded Prime Minister and his ruling party thought it was pertinent they should be followers, not leaders of the world. They even refused a UN Security Council seat. Government-sanctioned leftist historians reinforced Western false narratives. 

The 1991 Indian general elections must have been a watershed moment in the right-wing movement. Even though they did not win the elections, they sowed their idea of a Ram Rajya (Hindu nation) in the Indian psyche. Their election promises to rebuild the old Ram Mandhir in Ayudhya fascinated the population at large. Just about that time, archaeological excavations revealed that a mosque indeed built atop the site considered the birthplace of the much revered Prince Rama of Ayodhya.

With widespread news of corruption and mismanagement, the 2014 general elections saw the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), headed by the Indian Congress Party, lose to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a coalition headed by BJP. BJP, on its own, secured a majority, surpassing the much-needed 272 seats.

The right-wing Hindu parties have always been in the bad books of the Indians. Ever since Godse, a Hindu nationalist, assassinated MK Gandhi, RSS, the social arm of BJP, and other Hindu parties have been painted with the same brush. The anglophilic apologists and leftist historians have created a centre stage for a dichotomy of anglophile 'intellectual elites' versus homegrown saffron politics.

In the late 1960s, Congress weakened, and a wave of anti-Westernisation swept through the nation. The public was uncomfortable with the outward display of modernity and the intellectual move towards the West. They started reminiscing about the alternative intellectual ecosystem initiated by Hindu nationalist bulwarks like Tilak, Aurobindo, Savarkar and more. The new BJP-RSS combo was not anti-Western and anti-technological development but would use technology to improve administration quality.

After much deliberation, Modi was put forward as the PM material for the 2014 election. His economic success story in Gujarat worked in his favour. The naysayers, including the Western media, were rapacious in putting him as the villain in the 2002 racial riots. The foreign press went on a rant that he was bad news for Indian harmony. His visa to the US, UK and EU was denied as he was deemed too controversial.

Tired of the Nehru-Gandhi dynastic brand of politics with ineffective leaders in the Nehru's descendants, in 2014, NDA with BJP as the majority was voted in to rule the biggest democracy in the world. The going on till the time of writing of the book, at the end of BJP's first term, has been anything but smooth sailing. Quickly, many day-to-day issues can be made out to be big deals, even though the general public is not too bothered by them. The politicians and their desire to create a mountain out of a molehill are the root of the problem. After all, historically, India has a reputation for embracing all cultures, including Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity and more. They had played host to many refugees.

A simple recital of a national independence hymn like Vande Mataram can become a national issue. Muslim leaders refuse to allow their people to chant this old anthem as it is considered not secular. Cow protection on one side and insistence on beef-eating as a birthright without compromise is another thorn in the Hindu-Muslim relationship. Even though the Indian Constitution bans cow slaughtering, occasional skirmishes and lynching continue. This is not a new problem. Even in 1966, Sadhus demonstrated in front of the Parliament to criminalise cow slaughtering unsuccessfully.

It is all right for a country to be ruled by Christian, Islamic or even Jewish ideologies. However, it seems Hinduism is not compatible with modern democracy. So says the rest of the world. The colonial masters even thought it was pertinent to emphasise in the Constitution that India is a secular country. In the mind of the right-wing Hindu politicians, Sanathana Dharma is secular. In the eyes of the world, Hindutva is a bad word, implying combative fundamentalism. In reality, it just denotes Hinduness.

In the understanding of the right-wing Hindu leaders, a Hindu is someone born in India, with the cultures of India, bowing to the nation of India. So, in their understanding, a Muslim or a Christian is a Hindu. It is wrong, say a Muslim to have allegiance with their religion and show reverence to an external force whilst turning his back to Bharat.

The book tries to clear many misconceptions started by the colonial masters and the subsequent Anglophile Congress leaders who just held the helm on their behalf. They try to allay the misinformation that RSS and BJP are anti-intellectuals or are lacking intellectual depth. They try to break the mould of slave mentality among the citizens and rewrite the distorted Indian history penned previously by leftist historians to maintain the hegemony of the colonial masters over their subject. 

A good read. 

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A land of the holy...

Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India (2009)

Author: William Dalrymple

This is a true travelogue—one in which the writer has all the time in the world to identify what he wants to write about and knows the best places to source his writing materials. Of course, being a historian, a prolific award-winning author, and a podcaster on the side helps.

This book is a nice, readable one that looks at some of the sacred practices in India. The writer's job is just to tell things as he sees fit. He respects the local culture and does not insert his elitist twang to belittle the traditions that have gone on for generations. That is the trouble with most anglophile travelogues. They give their condescendingly haughty views on the happenings on the ground. Foreigners and sometimes the English-speaking Western-educated local punks are guilty of this. For the record, Darylmpol was born in Scotland and now resides in Delhi. I guess he is one of the many Caucasians, like François Gautier, Mother Theresa and perhaps Annie Besant who received a calling to reside in India. In the days of the East India Company, James Mills would call this Brahmanisation of the superior European minds. In his syllabus for young officers who were to be posted in the Empire, John Mills told the recruits to beware of being charmed by the mystic of the East. Warren Hastings, who started off hating India, ended up singing praises of the superiority of the Indian culture and the Sanskrit language.

Digambara Nun

In the first description, 'The Nun's Tale', we see a young, intelligent lady with an excellent future paved in front of her, deciding to give it all up for a life of celibacy and sacrifice as a Jain nun in Sravanabelagola, Karnataka. The most extreme of the Jain ascetic monks are the Digambaras, the completely nude male monks who have reached a level of consciousness where there is a total lack of external appearance in exchange for inner beauty. This youthful nun went fully bald by plucking her every scalp hair follicle. As a Digambara nun @ Mataji, she lives on a rigorous diet that avoids anything that grows below the ground. By plucking these subterrestrial plants, the plants die. By harvesting rice or wheat, the plant does not die, so it is alright to consume these cereals and fruits. The monks and nuns cannot beg for their meals but instead eat what the general public gives them, preferably uncooked.

Another thing that came up is the concept of sallekhana, an act of embracing death by starvation. After performing his worldly duties when he thought it was time, Chandragupta Maurya withered away in this manner. Sallekhana is done voluntarily under the guidance of a guru and, the Jains emphasise, is not a form of suicide. Sravanabelagola is the very place where Chandragupta Maurya decided to end his life.

Theyyam dancer

In the following story, 'The Dancer of Kannur', the author spends time with a man who spends three months of a year as a Theyyam dancer. Theyyam is a religious ritual in Kerala. The dance gives the dancer so much purpose in life. His other jobs are as a jail warder and a well builder. None of the other jobs gives him as much satisfaction. Something that strikes him is that, as he is all dolled up in the outfit of Theyyam and goes in a trance, people look at him beyond his Dalit caste. At that time, he feels like a conduit to connect with the Divine. The concept of Theyyam (God in Sanskrit) is something that popped out of non-Brahminic places of worship. Since it has spread to become a local attraction, its practice continues. In a way, it empowers the Dalits to hold the mantle in worship. Theyyam worship transcends all religions and castes. The Theyyam performers can tell the worshipper's plight to God and the Dalits' to the world. The three months just whizzed through, and he did not realise what he had done throughout.

In 'The Daughters of Yellama', the author speaks to and learns about the plights of sex workers in Karnataka. He goes on to discover the concept of devadasis, when young girls are offered to serve in temples. What started as a noble intention to serve God, pre-pubescent girls were packed off to live in temples, akin to Nuns in a Catholic Church. Some took charge of the temple's upkeep, some helped out the Brahmin priests, and others danced to show their devotion to God. When the Portuguese came to India and saw the grand Chola temples with buxomly murals and statues lining the walls, their first impression was that these temple girls were courtesans, dancing girls or concubines. The erotic Sangam poems cemented their opinions. For information, the female statue that we frequently attribute to Mahinjo-daro is said to be that of a dancing girl.

Devadasi

Devadasi (servants of the Gods) were once held in high esteem as intermediaries between the general public and the ruling class. Now, they must resort to begging or entering the flesh trade for survival. They compare themselves to the Goddess Yellama. Yellama was Lord Parashurama's (Vishnu's 7th avatar) mother. Yellama's husband was a sage who delved deep into spiritual practice and practised celibacy. Once, when walking to fetch water from the river, Yellama saw a couple embraced in passionate lovemaking. After years of celibacy, she momentarily longed for intimacy. Her husband, Jamadagni, a powerful sage, knew of this from his high level of spirituality. After much melodrama of the obedient Parasurama axing his mother and obtaining a boon to revive her, Yellama was sent off by her husband wandering in the wilderness. The devadasis compare themselves to Yellama (their patron goddess), pushed astray when not needed anymore.

In the next stop, the author takes us to the deserts of Rajasthan to tell us 'The Singer of Epics'. Here, we meet a singer of ancient epic poems. It has been his family tradition to sing a 600-year-old oral tradition of Pabuji, a protector deity that protects them from the elements of the harsh Rajasthani elements. The 4,000-line poem is committed to memory, and no one can continue the tradition. It is not merely a song; it is divinity. There were other such poems like 'The Epic of Dev Narayan'. There is a real risk that these poems will lose out to Bollywood songs.

'The Red Fairy' is about the activities in a Sufi shrine in Sindh. The Indian brand of Islam has spread to Southeast Asia. The Muslims I knew when I was growing up were quite accommodating of others and others' way of life. They had no qualms about having non-Muslims consult their holy men in their compound to seek blessings and obtain holy water for ailments from their holy men. One of the reasons for this was the spread of Sufism in India. The Sufis in India accepted mysticism as part of divinity and a legitimate way to reach divinity. In a way, it bridged the demarcation between Hinduism and Islam. Some even tried incorporating Lord Siva's tandava (cosmic dance) into Sufi's journey to divine bliss with music and poems.

Nadaraja

Slowly, the Iranians showed the world that the Muslims could stand alone. The Saudis, too, started sending their brand of radical Islam, Wahabbism, worldwide. In the end, we have ended up with a fire-brand intolerant form of Islam that wants to have sharia law the world over.

'The Monk's Tale' narrates a monk's dilemma when he had to pick up a rifle to protect his monastery in Tibet from the invading Chinese Red Army in the 1950s. He became one of the Tibetan refugees who became natives of Dharamsala. In a rather fateful turn of events, he was utilised by the Indian Army to fight Pakistan. Imagine a person who gave up his life for ahimsa having to kill a man.

The intricate art of murti making is described in 'The Maker of Idols'. In Swamimalai, Tamil Nadu, the forefathers of the Stpathys have been making murtis since the reign of the Chola dynasty. Bronze casting was perfected at the time of Rajaraja of the Chola Empire. Witnessing 'Valli Thirumanam' (Valli's wedding to Murugan), the author discusses the finer aspects of murti making, the worship of the Lord, Chola poetry and many more. The future of idol-making is in limbo as the descendants are keener to obtain tertiary education and keep their hands clean, away from this divine art form.

In 'The Lady Twilight,' the scene moves to a Calcutta temple notorious for Tantric practices and animal sacrifices. Followers there speak of getting the blessings of Ma Tara, the sometimes embracing matriarch and sometimes the ferocious protector, who empowers them to combat the toughness of daily life. Even though the learned and the communists scorn such beliefs, these very same people throng the temple to make animal sacrifices and gain blessings from the Goddess to succeed in their endeavours.

Lord Muruga @ Swamimalai

'The Song of the Blind Minstrel' talks about the several thousand saffron-clad wandering minstrels or Bauls found wandering about in the middle of January and gathering around near Shantiniketan, Tagore's famous home (and school). The author speaks of three singing holy men armed with a miniature cymbal, drum and a single-stringed musical instrument (ektara) with perfect voice to match, going around pulling a crowd with their captivating songs praising the divine. Each has a tale of how they ended up doing what they were doing. One was blind by smallpox and inflicted with a spell of bad luck. Another, born to a Brahmin priest, was ex-communicated for being too friendly with other castes. Much like a singing band, the trio travel from place to place, singing and spreading the words of a secular divine being. They mostly travel free, given Indian's reverence for holy men. Old Munk rum and ganja provide much-needed inspiration for their song and relief from life's hardship.

A good read and highly recommended. A template for how travelogues should be written.

(P.S. Many years ago, I asked my housemate, who had spent many years studying in India, for his honest opinion about India. His reply stayed with me, "If you want to learn humanity, go to India!")

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