God in the eyes of man

The exquisitely decorated Lord Ganesha sculptures on the side walls of the mukkula Vinayagar temple in Pondicherry brings out a joy and exuberance in life instantly. The adorable god, Ganesh, is sculpted as he is been worshipped in different countries across the world. The depiction doesn’t reveal the god’s identity but helps in identifying a man’s perception conjured in his visual image.

In India, he is mostly seen as a humble and joyful god, who is happy to rest under a peepal tree as well as in the corner of streets, looks distinct in each sculpture. The Japanese made the trunk of the god in sculpture straight but very short who sits merrily with his pot belly, and doesn’t seems complaining about his short trunk on the walls. The Cambodian Ganesha brings surprise when he shows off his flat stomach and a thin tusk in the figurine. I found him conscious in the carving, may be, because I was taken aback with his healthy and fit stature.

The Bangladeshi Ganesha gives darshan with his four hands and a sword rested on his shoulder which usually spotted in the hands of goddess Durga. I presume he is looked upon as a god with the combination of brain and braveness, holds lots of similarities to goddess Durga in his carvings.

The Chinese Ganesha is unique with his trunk carefully folded towards its right side with a sharp edge. It resembles mandarin alphabet’s fine strokes that drawn with precision. The Ganesha in Sri Lanka looks similar to our Indian sculptures but the measurement varies. He is shown with broad shoulders looking little big to his size that we are accustomed to and also looks short in the carving.

Apart from the depictions of other countries, our sculptors chiseled few things from their figments of imagination. In a figurine, he thrills us with six hands and in the other he is adorned with jewels. The sculpture of Bal Ganesha poses the famous posture of Lord Natraja where Ganesha manages his whole body weight with one leg and the other leg is suspended in mid-air. Another distinct one, infant Ganesha rest on the laps of his father, god Shiva, and in the adjacent sculpture he is in the hands of his mother, goddess Parvathy.

An interesting sculpture of Ganesha sitting atop his vehicle, rat, and both of them look away furiously. In the other, he has taken the avatar of mayur (Peacock) where he is adorned with peacock feathers and, needless to say, makes a pretty picture.

The human’s way of perceiving things reflected in these sculptures and has more to do than mere appreciation of an art. Now, I am reminded by the Nobel peace prize winner, Wangari Mathai, - she said Jesus Christ, worshipped by her and her clan, is black. Indeed. 

Story of the nature overpowering mankind

   The importance of co-existence among nature and humankind has got its fittest reply with the country handling a natural disaster in Uttarkhand. The flashfloods in the Uttarkhand brought the region to its primitive existence as water gushes out from its repositories to land and the roads and bridges wiped from the face of earth; nailed the humankind for curtailing its existence by being pervasive now.

The official figures reveal about 822 died in the flashfloods till now and thousands left stranded in the disaster. More than 40 choppers are ferried in the inclement weather to distribute essentials and in airlifting the stranded people. The choppers ferry ghee and woods to carry on with the mass cremation, the locals are alerted to abstain using water in the hills and outbreak of deadly diseases is on high alert. Further, the chaos looms larger with the kith and kin at a frantic pace in search of the missed ones heightens the distress situation in the hills.

Within 24 hours of the onset of flashfloods, center declared it as a national disaster and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) acted on a full swing to mitigate the crisis. The Uttarkhand Chief Minister, Vijay Bhagugan, disheartened, said not expected floods during this monsoon season. The funds poured in from all the corners and the state governments ensured that pilgrims belonging to their state airlifted safely amidst the relentless operation.

As the events unfold, the environmentalists are fraught with the damage done to ecologically sensitive areas. The watershed of Bhargyarati and Mandakini Rivers comes under ecologically reserved areas that bar any developmental activities in the region. Further, in 2005, the Ministry of environment notified the state government of Uttarkhand to abstain from the activities that bring hazards to ecology but the Uttarkhand government defended those activities on the pretext of bringing development to the state.

In the following years, the state invested heavily on the tourism by laying new roads and widening the existing ones. The tourist buses crossed the mark of a lakh in 2010 and records the time gap of seven minutes between two vehicles plying in the hills. Subsequently, plying of heavy vehicles to ferry the growing tourists’ population weakened the mountains which triggered the landslide and created slits during the flashfloods. The construction companies and contractors drilled the mountains haphazardly without using advanced technologies and precautionary measures to minimize the ecological hazards. Subsequently, this man made construction changed the course of the rivers and thus disturbing its natural flow.

The generation of hydropower energy in Bargavati River tends to be lucrative to the state with high tariff rates but the series of bumper on the River to produce energy shrunk the water source.  Some parts of the river are parched and even during lean period the sharing of water is impossible. According to the claims the existing projects already did 80% damage to the river. 

The heavy drilling into the mountains for the construction of dams, roads, and bridges haphazardly without using sophisticated technology severed the mountains. The private contractors while building hotels and resorts drilled randomly without a prior knowledge laid many contractors bankrupt.

Apart from it, abode of Shiva, is a seismic zone, prone to landslides and earthquake. Back in 2002, the state experienced a massive earthquake jolted people from its normal life. Even during this rescue operation the hills recorded a quake of 3.5 Richter scale. The ecologists call the young Himalayan hills as ecologically fragile zones and claims the government has carried out the development at the cost of the environment.

The construction of buildings not adhering to the types belonging to seismic zones paid heavily during the floods. The environmentalist endorse any planned construction using technology withstands floods and earthquake. The flouting of rules and unregulated constructions wreaked havoc in the hills during the flashfloods are the strong claims of environmentalists.

Even after witnessing havoc, the Chief Minister, Vijay Bhagugan, shrugs these reasons as childish leaving ecologists in despair. As rescue operations drawing to a close and news stories on flashfloods moved to inside pages raises doubts on the momentum that can be seized for a better future of nature and humankind.

Only time will tell- Perfect tick to its sequel

The famous line of Old Jack Tart-“ not cut from the same cloth”- , perhaps, describes best Hugo Barrington in the novel but it is more suitable in describing this Jeffrey Archer’s ambitious work of Clifton chronicles first part,  ‘Only time will tell’. It is clearly a step above from his other works and reminds he is the master of storyteller with his impeccable narrative that shimmers as silver lining of clouds.

The author drops a tip in the beginning where a woman, Maisie Clifton, gives away herself to a stranger, Hugo Barrington, before her marriage can be a probable contention in the following pages of the novel. It seems right in a half way through the novel, after it spell a cast on Maisie life. Maisie rises her only son, Harry Clifton, after losing her husband in the hull of a dock and battles against Hugo who nurses the fear of Harry inheriting his title and property,thus preventing his son, Giles, who born out of wedlock.

The fate takes little Harry to Old jack Tar who enlightens him with his worldly knowledge that helps him in clearing a choral scholarship to a scholar school and in there he befriends Giles. The story is narrated through the eyes of Harry Clifton till he finishes his high school and after it the story narrated through fellow characters who give dimensions to loosen strings that finally unravels the mystery of Harry’s biological father.

The essence of drama and thrill of finding the other side of coin from each character’s narration only sets a pace to the novel. For instance, the Old Jack’s contribution in Harry’s life little known until he reveals his past life as captain and his acquaintance with Harry’s mother, the headmaster, and Hugo’s father unravels the mystery in Harry’s father's death.

Maisie mother asks every time when her daughter dates a guy-‘what’s his game?’ These exact words we would like to think on the onset of every character’s narration. The transition to each character’s narration is smooth and an easy glide. They take Harry forward from high school to Oxford for his graduation. Example, the narration of Emma, Harry’s lover and the daughter of Hugo, slide along from their first meet to their wedding day, indeed, make a tireless reading.

After knowing reason of his father’s death and finding the biological father, Hugo, on his wedding day can make it believe that Clifton chronicles comes to an end. But it shatters, for good, in the last page when we find out the reason for Harry stranded in New York soon after his naval ship torpedoed by enemies during the outbreak of World War II is a clever twist which lays a cornerstone for the sequel as well as to make us relentlessly wait.