The Future Sits in India's Lap

He whose lap seats the child global,
Eyeballs the singularity beyond the zenith.

My colleague of Kozhikode, Kerala, India, and I were attending an international seminar hosted by the Architectural Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal. As a send off, the gracious people at the IIT organized a luncheon-inclusive half-day session at a picturesque archeological site some 30 kilometers out of Kharagpur. A few of the faculty joined us with their families. The child sitting on my lap eating an apple is a Professor's son.

My colleague saw us sitting, sensed a photo and soon after sent a copy to me (January 2001). The serendipitous theme, which makes the subjects in the photo coincidental, occurred to me almost immediately, as did the idea of sharing it. I add these words:

Bhavishya Bhaarat Ki Gode Mein.

Thuumak baithaa ho jiski gode mein, svayam vishwa bhavishya
Vyom paar uuse terey vah, jo huumak banaa Param Eesh

Feel free to share this photo with anyone you wish, just include the photo-credit ("Photo by Bipin M. C."). Acknowledging feedback would be most welcome. Thank you.

- Vyom Akhil and boy, November 5, 2000, at the IIT Kharagpur Internation Seminar, hosted by the Architectural Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal.

- Photo by Bipin M.C.

Wisdom and Weapons

A friend sent along his son's bar Mitzvah speech, comparing Superman to Moses and Aaron, which took me back to Sanskrit. I like it. Then almost everything needs to me to render it in English in keyboard script. I hate that part. But here it is:

Translation: In front, to lead me I have the four vedas, but behind, on my shoulder, I have the bow and the quiver. I am thus equipped with wisdom and weapons (Shaashtra and shashtra); I shall, therefore, prevail.

I like that Sanskrit calls weapons 'shashtra' and wisdom/scriture/knowledge etc "Shaashtra". The resonance is terrific and onomatopaic shhhhh..; but also as always having a 'tra' sound as well.

About the latter "tra" one of the meanings in the dictionary is "there are eighteen of them...names.. in which the sages have shown the actions and duties that are of benefit"....

Then there is the unusual use of the word shaapa (shapadapi). Usually it means a curse but here it means the "power of knowledge" (perhaps, to cause mental anguish/pain").

The Vedas also instruct, "youth is worthy of a bow," and the Upanishads have this litany of attributes that deserve to be called youthful.

In fact there is a monograph-booklet by Shäshtri Pändûranga Åthävalé on them in Hindi. It was, of course, eye-openingly inspiring to me when I first read it. In fact, I used it for a series of Sunday lectures I was invited to give to one of the local classes that practice a form of yoga that is reinvented by a local genius.

The Bar Mitzvah boy and all children everywhere, are rightful claimants to all that humankind, in its various variants - Jewish, Hindu etc - has.