Little Paradise

Little Paradise

Brought up in the lap
Of multilayered colorful Hindu
Mythologies, stories,
And having
Witnessed numerous plays
Musical ballads and the early
Mesmerizing Black and White movies
With
Exquisite costumes and stunning characters
Paradise is not strange for me
I could daydream and lose myself
In a trance – there I would vividly
Imagine and see in the fluffy tropical clouds
The sensuous and out-of-world
Beauties – beauties
Like Damayanti, Urvasi, and Menaka
And -
Not only that I even came across
Extraordinarily sweet and gorgeous
Dames – maidens that would put all
The average movie actresses to shame
I’ve met them
In our village
In my high school, college,
And at the institute
At the typing classes
In the corridors
And of course none could match
The beauty of imagination
Woven in
My own sweet dreams
Like the cotton candy
Sold in my village during
The annual fair near the tank
During winters in December

But today
As I was sitting for breakfast
A simple breakfast of chai and toast
I glanced gently at our deck
With the peeling paint
There’s nothing special about
The wooden deck
Yet it offered me the pleasure
Of visiting a little paradise
Across the sliding glass door
There
Barely thirty yards from the
Backyard waterfall
This deck hosts dozen plants
With delicate flowers and vegetables
There is a mango, sacred basil
The papery-petaled Royal purple bougainvillea
Red single hibiscuses, little finger eggplants,
One-foot high tamarinds, citrus, and
Tasty amaranthus
And aha! The betel leaf creeper too
Some times we’ve cilantro and fenugreek
In rectangular pots on the side
The only thing the garden lacks -
Is a greenhouse!
A shelter for those cold months
That precede spring and suddenly
Follow the vivacious autumn
You can grow a few more tomatoes
Eggplants or okra
But still this little garden
In the shade of tall maple trees
Is almost heavenly
Mother would’ve been ecstatic
With such a little garden
Next to the kitchen
In the village she’d often
Grow fresh tall amaranthus
Gongura, beans, snake gourd
White pumpkin, and tasty aromatic
Bananas
She provided her children
With nutritious meals
Grown almost entirely in our garden
With backbreaking hoeing and tending
Decades later I realized how lucky
We’re
To have such a mother
She gifted us good eyesight
Strong bones and well-formed teeth
And most important – “dharmic upbringing”
Yea
Paradise can happen anywhere
If the courage to dream
And
Willing muscles for hard work

Exist

Copyright 2020 by the author

Lyrics of "Dandamu pettEnura"

దండము పెట్టేనురా కోదండ పాణి చూడరా 

దండము పెట్టేనురా

అండజ సువాహనా మార్తాండ చంద్ర లోచన 

కుండలీ శయన బ్రహ్మాండ నాయకా || దండము ||

పేరుకా ప్రతిష్టకా ఊరికా నిను వేడితి

ఊరివారు వీధివారు ఒక్కజాతి వారు కారు

వారిని చెయి పట్టి విడువక త్యాగరాజార్చిత || దండము ||  

danDamu peTTEnuraa

anDaja suvaahanaa maartaanDa chandra lOchana 

kunDalii Sayana brahmaanDa naayakaa

pErukaa pratishTakaa uurikaa ninu vEDiti

uurivaaru viidhivaaru okkajaati vaaru kaaru

vaarini chEpaTTi viDuvaka tyaagaraajaarchita  

( I learnt this unique song from an audio cassette. Dr. Balamuralikrishna gave a performance at Pittsburgh SV Temple with a mix of compositions. Lucky for us we have two tapes out of the performance.  The second stanza in this song says: "Did I approach you for name, fame, or village? Did I ever ask you for such things? I want you to hold all the people - (my) villagers, street neighbors, and people of all tribes/races. Hold their hands and do not leave them in the lurch." For that I (Tyagaraja) prostrate to You. దండము = చేతి కఱ్ఱ, staff. This means literally I fall down at Your feet. O Rama, the wielder of Kodanda bow, the One who has Garuda as the vehicle, and who has Sun and Moon as eyes. The description of eyes should be understood in the context of "Knowledge". There is a vast pervading darkness (of a-vidya, ignorance) all around. In that context of utter invisibility, the Lord shines with His eyes, showing us the path.) 

Namo Bhagavate Song Lyrics in Telugu

ఓం నమో భగవతే వాసుదేవాయ

 

1. గోవిందం గోకులానందం గోపాలం గోపీవల్లభం 

గోవర్ధనోధరం ధీరం తమ్ వందే గోమతీ ప్రియం           ||ఓం|| 

 

2. నారాయణం నిరాకారం నరవీరం నరోత్తమమ్ 

నరసింహం నాగనాథం చ  తమ్ వందే నరకాంతకం  ||ఓం||

   

3. పీతాంబరం పద్మనాభం పద్మాక్షం పురుషోత్తమమ్ 

పవిత్రమ్ పరమానందం తమ్ వందే పరమేశ్వరమ్     ||ఓం||

  

4. రాఘవం రామచంద్రం చ రావణారి రమాపతిం

రాజీవలోచనం రామం తం వందే రఘునందనం       ||ఓం||

  

5. వామనం విశ్వరూపం చ వాసుదేవం చ విఠ్ఠలం  

విశ్వేశ్వరం విభుం వ్యాసం తం వందే వేదవల్లభం        ||ఓం||           

OM namO bhagavatae vaasudaevaaya 

gOviMdaM gOkulaanaMdaM gOpaalaM gOpeevallabhaM 

gOvardhanOdharaM dheeraM tam^ vaMdae gOmatee priyaM

 

peetaaMbaraM padmanaabhaM padmaakshaM purushOttamam^ 

pavitram^ paramaanaMdaM tam^ vaMdae paramaeSvaram^ 

naaraayaNaM niraakaaraM naraveeraM narOttamam^ 

narasiMhaM naaganaadhaM tam^ vaMdae narakaaMtakaM

raaghavam rAmachandram ca raavaNaari ramApatim

rAjIvalOchanam rAmam tam vandE raghunandanam

vAmanam viSwarUpam ca vAsudEvam ca viTHTHalam

viSwESwaram vibhum vyAsam tam vandE vEdavallabham

(I learnt this song from Sri Pandit Mukesh Desai in a scenic valley near Poconos, in a music class. He shepherded us nicely thro’ the song while his fingers played on the harmonium the basic melody. The refrain contains a very sacred chant.

We’ll explore the meaning of this song later. First let us look at this song from the perspective of “Srimad-Bhagavatam” and “Dhruva”.When the young boy (Dhruva) was crestfallen (for not getting a seat on the lap of his father) and about to do penance in the forest, sage Narada went in search of the royal prince. Isn’t it wonderful? The teacher goes in search of a student! Then, in the beginning, the wandering Dhruva did not know anything about meditation, tapas, or fasting. He had no idea about chanting or nama-japa. But he was utterly earnest about one thing, only one thing: He must find Lord Narayana, however arduous the path may be. He needed the Guru, some one like Narada to initiate, to introduce the holy “mantra”. Without the grace of Guru, one cannot succeed. If today we know about ‘Dhruva-nakshatra’ (in modern astrology we talk about the Pole Star), it is all due to sage Narada’s instruction. The peripatetic rishi taught the boy about purity, fasting, asana, and proper chanting of Lord Narayana’s name. This song encapsulates all that background and many avatars (అవతారములు, manifestations) of Lord Narayana.)

Copyright 2020 by the author

Meditations on Life

Meditations on Life (Grace Contd.) 

Those were the days of carefree play and stress-free studies. Luckily I developed a longing for studies early on. Yet in the elementary school itself I ran into major setbacks due to lackadaisical schooling or lax discipline. And on top of that we moved from a charter (sort of one room school) parochial school to a village school administered by a rich agrarian district (Zilla-Parishad). Our parents were very well organized with all the routine paper work like TC (Transfer Certificate) and other documents. But when I was taken to the village middle school, the new Head Master refused to admit me into 5th grade as per the TC! I had to take a spot evaluation test – a surprise hurdle. It was very brief; I had to take dictation of fifteen or twenty Telugu words with paper and pencil. I flunked the test. I made a common mistake – the word is “కత్తి పీట” ( త్తి not తై) (A cutting knife with attached wooden plank). I messed up the double consonant sign. I do not remember whether I took any math test. That trouble would come later towards the yearend. So, the Head Master demoted me to one class lower and I was placed in 4th grade. I had to bear this upset for three or four months, till the final (summer) exams in April (A lesson well learnt in hindsight!).

 

I was determined to make up for my deficiencies through regular homework exercises, i.e., hitting the books right after coming home. I was not bad in Telugu language but for many years I used to trip up or stumble on the nasal consonants: ఙ,ఞ. Whenever the teacher asked me to recite the whole Telugu alphabet, I would utter all the letters both vowels and consonants without any mistake. But suddenly I would get stuck at those nasal consonants – they would act as speed breakers (I got even punishment - the teacher made me stand on the bench). Yet I knew them intuitively and could read whole passages in prose and poetry without a hitch. In math, I had trouble with long divisions by hand - the long computations (iterative operations) with divisor, dividend, remainder, and quotient (ex: 10,756 ÷ 13). And then we just started learning decimal numbers (ex: 31.25 ÷ 23). India was entering the decimal (metric units) era – gone were those archaic foot, pound, and seer units. Division is nothing but repeated subtraction, now I know this elegant fact. Then, I was alone at home with no maths help. I was too timid in the new village environment with no elderly friends (brothers, friends, or uncles) and my parents never received formal education. They were proficient with mother tongue, bits of English, and basic math, enough for grocery shopping. Interest (particularly compound interest) calculations, algebra, or trigonometry was beyond them. Then in the fourth grade annual exam I again failed, this time in math. Already I was getting behind by a year and now this crisis for an innocent elementary school kid. That was when our parents (mother was the prime moving force) took charge of my studies. I was urgently put in a free remedial course (tuition) down the street a few houses away, under the wings of a smart high school senior. Within two summer months I learnt the necessary basic math – enough to secure admission into sixth grade at the local high school. That was a real miracle. Though I took many advanced math courses later I never needed any extra external help. The Mother always helps Her ward, though at times in Her own inscrutable ways. The path could be circuitous at times; but that is Her prerogative or play. May we say: "She has her own plans".

 

        This writer had numerous childhood problems and afflictions. They always came in rapid succession, giving no respite to my busy loving mother. There was no break; it could be a viral hepatitis (A), boils, stomach upsets, or prolonged fevers. Always crisis after crisis. There were no routine pediatric vaccine shots (or oral drops) back then and we were left to our own devices. Once I contracted a debilitating whopping cough. It sapped all my reserve energies and I started losing weight. Mother would make some tasty dish (like coconut chutney or cucumber dal) but I could not enjoy even few grains of it. Entire throat got irritated and nothing could soothe it. She went around looking for a cure. Finally we got some herbal medicine from a local Ayurvedic doctor. Of course, money was tight and mother did not want me admitted to any government or private hospital. Two capsules of erythromycin would cost an arm and leg in those days. Then she hit upon a potent solution: “Let me tie a talisman around this child’s neck to ward off all evil diseases.” She really took it seriously and purchased a silver coin with Pavana-putra (ఆంజనేయులు)  for me. One morning she did all her routine prayers and made me sit on a wooden pedestal. After lighting oil lamps around me she tied the talisman while chanting a sacred mantra. That did wonders for my health. For many years I had the amulet and it really boosted my spirits. I became confident about my physical prowess; sure occasionally there would be a minor cold or stomach upset but I never lost sleep over them. Her affectionate watch protected me from a distance and no evil thought/gaze could trouble me in the least. Of course, with the amulet necklace I looked a bit queer to my classmates but I just shrugged it off.

        Just through pure luck (I'd call it a benediction) I met many (more than I can count on a hand) holy persons in my life. I think it happened due to my parents' devotion; and also due to the extraordinary "penance" of my grand and great grand parents. Many times I wandered aimlessly when faced with difficult and desperate insurmountable situations. I patiently bore the burdens and waited for the "karma" to wear itself out. But once a sincere knowledgeable palmist examined my hand and commented: "Sir, why are you feeling bad? Why are you depressed? There is nothing to worry. You've bright future ahead and better prospects await you. Your current troubles are very minor. Do not lose your heart." I can never forget his soothing words. I never paid a penny for his prediction; a payment would be an affront to the affable elderly gentleman. (To be Continued) Copyright 2020 by the author

 

A Poem on Alisetty

Alisetty

Barely two years younger 

My brother;

Always thought I had

Elder brothers or elder sisters only

Felt bad about not having

Younger siblings

Only now did I realize

People like you, with pure

Kind hearted souls too

Wandered on this earth

Came to know this about

Five or six years ago!

It’s not your fault, 

Probably it’s due to society’s fault

The world’s dimensions (communication distances) 

Did not shrink due to globalization

Yet, people’s living quarters

Did get diminished (in number)

Dwelling areas got shrunk drastically

Sentiments and thoughts

Aren’t broad any more

In ’76 I started my poems

And mini-poems

Then there were no shirts

Of “minis” and “nanis” (micros?)

Even if there were any

I did not know about them in Delhi

You repented for not bestowing

Ten grams of gold –

Alas, has the yellow (metal) color

Become so scarce in Bhagyanagar? 

No, there is no

Anguish in Alisetti’s face

Dear Telugu brother! Do not fret

A bit –

Poets write, not for 

Revolution, not for 

Quenching the pangs of hunger

Not at all

Some time, a random poetic line

Created here

May stir a gentle wave of emotion

In a pretty heart somewhere

Just a (little) fond wish, that’s all

Some times that too may

Not happen at all –

Thus quipped the Great Poet Kalidasa

(Gently chided the sensitive artist)

Long back!

అలిశెట్టి 

రెండేళ్ళు మాత్రమే చిన్న

నా తమ్ముడు

ఎప్పుడూ నాకు అన్నలు, అక్కలు

ఉన్నారని, చిన్నవాళ్ళు లేరే అని

తలపోసేవాణ్ణి

ఇప్పుడిప్పుడే నీలంటి

స్వఛ్ఛ హృదయాత్మలు కూడా ఈ భూమ్మీద

తిరుగాడారని, మొన్న మొన్ననే 

అయిదారు ఏళ్ళముందు తెలిసింది -

తప్పు నీది కాదు, ఒక విధంగా

సమాజానిది (ప్రపంచీకరణతో) 

ప్రపంచం కొలతలు ఏమీ తగ్గలేదు 

కాని, జీవులు బ్రతకడానికి స్థలాలు తగ్గాయి

స్థలాల విస్తీర్ణాలు మరీ కుంచుకు (కృంచుకు) పోయాయి 

భావాలు, ఆలోచనలు విశాలంగా లేవు 

నేను ‘76 లోకవితలు, మినీ కవితలు

మొదలెట్టాను, అప్పుడు “మినీ, “నానీల”

చొక్కాలు లేవు

ఉన్నా ఢిల్లీ (దిల్లీ ) లో ఉన్న నాకు తెలియ లేదు

ఒక తులం బంగారం ఇవ్వలేదని పరితపించావా?

భాగ్యనగరంలో పచ్చరంగు అంత ప్రియమైయిందా?

అలిసెట్టి ముఖములో

అలజడ లేదు

అనుంగు తెనుగు సోదరా! ఒకింతయు చింత వలదు

కవులు వ్రాసేది - క్రాంతి పథము

వస్తుందని కాదు, కడుపులో మంట చల్లార్చటానికి కాదు, కాదు

ఎప్పుడో ఎక్కడో ఓ చక్కని ఎదలో 

ఇక్కడ వ్రాసిన కవిత, ఓ పదము 

అక్కడ ఎదలో ఒక లలిత  

భావ తరంగాన్ని చెలరేపుతుందని 

ఒక చిన్ని ఆశ. అంతే 

అదికూడా ఒకప్పుడు 

జరగక పోవచ్చు -

అని మహాకవి కాళిదాసు 

సున్నితముగా ఎప్పుడో 

వక్కాణించారు! (Copyright 2020, both by the author)

(I penned the Telugu original first and then the English translation followed. Both poems were first posted at my blog at Sulekha. Alisetty Prabhakar needs no introduction from me. I feel unconsolably sad whenever I hear poets succumbing to TB or any other "curable/manageable" disease. In England John Keats was one such unlucky creative extraordinaire, plucked out at an early age. Alisetty's portrait photo radiates the life of a "consummate artist". This short poem is a modest homage to the Telugu brother.) 

Farewell To The Autumn

Farewell To The Autumn

This morning

I was idly watching -

Through the inert gas filled insulated 

Double pane glass sliding door

At

The brick red painted deck

The season is slowly turning

Colder and drier by the day

Now in the backyard 

All the trees are nude, baring their brittle

Gray barks and ribbed trunks -

Like the dry skin on my calf

A lone squirrel holding a dry bronze

Maple leaf between its tiny jaws

Perhaps for building home 

For its naked young -

It’s the only silent activity 

I notice from here

But the sour morning mood

And the leady overcast day

Got suddenly lighted 

And buoyed

By a shy blue jay

Pecking at the abandoned pots.

The dried pumpkin vine on the

Electric-blue painted

Wooden parapet appeared inviting too -  

To

The feathered darlings

With open heart; with its stretched out banner

Of large dehydrated circular paper leaves.

The deck with the leftover autumn 

Crispy-potato-chip-like dry leaves

(It)

Is a bit disconcerting to the

Civilized eye with its own rules 

And scales

Of beauty, symmetry, and cleanliness.

Yet

The crested blue jay

And

A pair of slate-colored juncos

Tucking at the dry amaranth seeds

What a glorious morning sight!

Just across the glass door

On the deck we’ve three winged guests

If an average person looks

At our deck – he wouldn’t approve

There is disorder everywhere

The plastic pots from the summer

Kitchen garden

Traces of successful eggplant growth

And a big blue bin with leftovers from

The pumpkin vine

The straw-like rope still hanging 

And piles of dried maple leaves

Yet

There is beauty all around

A beauty sensed by the inner eye

It only got enhanced by my

Avian visitors

You don’t need binoculars

To look at these lovely birds, up so close they’re

There, standing in our warm home

We saw ‘em all

A small downy woodpecker 

The blue jay and the migrating junco couple

Heaven is not what you think,

Dream, or design. 

Heaven happens with what you’ve

With what’s available now

Right now, in front of you

When all life is peaceful around

When nature bears

The weight of seasons without complaint;

Sadly

Man cannot adjust

And live without discordance

And time is slipping away fast

The juncos tell me winter

Is almost here.  © 2020 by the author

Lyrics of "nagu momu galavani" Tyagaraja Kirtana

మధ్యమావతి రాగము 

ఆది తాళము 

నగు మోము గలవాని నా మనోహరుని

జగమేలు శూరుని జానకి వరుని

దేవాది దేవుని దివ్య సుందరుని

శ్రీ వాసుదేవుని సీతా రాఘవుని

సుజ్ఞాన విధిని సోమసూర్య లోచనుని

అజ్ఞాన తమస మణచు భాస్కరుని

నిర్మాలాకారుని నిఖిలా ఘహరుని

ధర్మాది మోక్షంబు దయచేయు ఘనుని

ప్రేమతో పలుమారు పూజించి నేనా

రాధింతు శ్రీ  త్యాగరాజు సన్నుతూని (సన్నుకూని)  

nagu mOmu galavaani naa manOharuni

jagamElu SUruni jaanaki varuni

sujnaana vidhini sOmasuurya lOchanuni

ajnaana tamasa maNachu bhaaskaruni

dEvaadi dEvuni divya sundaruni

SrI vaasudEvuni sItaa raaghavuni

nirmaalaakaaruni nikhilaaghaharuni

dharmaadi mOkshambu dayachEyu ghanuni

prEmatO palumaaru puujinchi nE

naaraadhaatintu srI tyaagaraaju sannutuuni

(కహరః = నిట్రాడు, main pillar for support)

(I first heard this song in a cassette of Dr. Balamurali. There are some unique Tyagaraju compositions. They fully embody the spirit of "praise" (స్తుతి). They simply contain the names, epithets, and qualities of Sri Rama. Just pure song with exceptional music and nothing else. There are no complaints, no entreating, and no pathos. We try to reach Him in whatever way possible, with our humble tools at hand - our silly mind and 'imperfect devotion'. We just surrender finally.)