When
the blue jay flew
overhead…
the sun caught its wings
and
a haiku was born
The Indian Roller has
been a fixture on Dolphin Hill, inconspicuous on a perch, in a picture of
peaceful solitude. In flight, the dun-coloured apparition transforms into
royalty when it unfurls its blue shade-card plumage, deserving of the epithet
of Blue Jay or Neelkanth (blue
throat, in vernacular lingo). Its languid twirls and swirls on wings make the other
sobriquet of “roller” apt indeed.
The Blue Jay is a
bird of the countryside, a friend of the farmer as it is a natural “pest
control”. Not for nothing is this beauty the state bird of several states
including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Karnataka. Just as I was revelling in its antics comes
the news that poachers are all out to net the unsuspecting creature.
Why would anyone want
to do so? According to popular belief the bird is sacred to Lord Vishnu and its
darshan is supposed to be propitious,
particularly on the occasion of Dasshera. The Neelkanth is said to be sacred to
Hindus. Likewise, the owl that is denigrated in many cultures as “evil” or
“foolish” is revered by Hindus as a symbol of knowledge. Uluka (owl in
Sanskrit) is the vehicle of Goddess Laxmi; inherent in this concept of vahan is the idea of conservation. And
yet, the owl suffers a similar fate as the blue jay.
We know only too well
what ill-fortune befalls snakes towards Nagpanchami and temple elephants that
are kept chained or paraded for pelf, routinely. Going by the track record of
such barbaric practices one can only imagine the plight of these hapless birds.
Isn’t it a travesty
that birds are venerated and then exploited for its “religious” significance?
Unlike many anthropocentric
religions which place Man on a pedestal, Hinduism places Nature in the same
bracket as humans. The religion preaches love for and worships Nature in all
forms—the five elements, animals, birds, fish, even stones. And yet some of its votaries carry on pernicious
practices in the very name of religion.
Man exploits animals for
sport and food, for greed and in the name of God. He ensnares, captures, maims,
poaches, declaws, defangs, gouges, skins, and slaughters creatures to fulfil
imagined desires and fetishes. Vegetarianism is not the bone of contention
here, but animal cruelty certainly is. My focus is on unethical treatment of
animals and activities that are forbidden by law for being unjust and insensitive.
These “criminals” who indulge in trade of animals and animal parts of
vulnerable and endangered wildlife often go scot-free and untraced by moribund
authorities. Laws such as Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 are mere paper tigers.
Criminals are
deliberate offenders but what about those who seek “darshan” or partake of such
rituals because of their blind beliefs? How does one trace or book them and how
many will you crucify? This section of “offenders” is a subset of the masses for
whom religion is the opium, for which they can kill or instigate killing of animals.
Who is to say they may not extend the same discourtesies to humans?
What I do not
understand is why don’t any of our more respectable spiritual leaders such as
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Jaggi Vasudev, to name two, raise their voice against
these practices and condemn them as anti-Hindu? Why don’t they take up the
mantle of animal rights activists to protect our wildlife and try and stop such
inhuman practices in the name of “God”?
I am an avowed
spiritual Hindu who takes pride in the ideals of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and sarva
dharma sama bhava; a jnana yogi,
if you will. I distance myself from
rituals, symbolisms, and idol worship. I go to a temple to “see” its art and
architecture, learn about local deities, and not necessarily to pray. I am not
a “practising” Hindu or a “believer” in the traditional sense. Having said that
let me add: I am enamoured by Hindu epics, mythology, rituals and festivals for
the stories and significance behind them. I am besotted by the pantheon of
Hindu Gods and Goddesses—some in animal avatar and others with their animal vehicles—for the million manifestations of mankind.
I am completely smitten by images and symbolisms, therein, for the sheer ingenuity
and artistry. The universal principle of
Sanatan Dharma appeals to me
intellectually.
In recent times
though, some political “Hindus” are giving the religion a bad name. I don't identify with that kind of collective, institutional brand of militant Hinduism.
I wish to reclaim the pristine nature of my religion. I much rather worship
trees, birds, animals, sun, moon, stars…that exist, if it will help break barriers, than create Gods,
label them, and form a cult. Nature—the Earth—has existed for eons and is
universal to humankind irrespective of geography, history, and borders. You
just have to look at a tiger or an elephant, watch its behaviour in the wild,
to know what Satyam Shivam Sundaram stands
for.
Look at the
serendipity. As I was anguishing the roller birds’ fate and mulling over this
piece, I happened to see the life-changing Marathi film, “Dr. Prakash Baba Amte—The
Real Hero”, on television.
A blog will do not
justice to his life-story. Let’s just say that here is a man who not only won
the confidence of isolated Adivasi of interior Maharashtra and changed their
lives, but also that of orphaned wild animals such as lions and leopards. For
Dr. Amte, whose life and work is phenomenally inspiring, Nature is the binding
factor for all humanity. It is mother, teacher, provider, healer et al. Dr. Amte chose Nature over man-made religion
to establish peace and harmony in his karmabhoomi,
Hemalkasa, which is an El Dorado, of sorts.
The extreme right-wing
elements of the party in power and the fringe will do well to remember that they are doing the
biggest disservice to Hindu religion—to its inclusive nature—of which they
proclaim to be custodians of. They better back off soonest.
TERMS EXPLAINED:
“...the turquoise and
sapphire-tinted splendour of his wings…" - description of a roller from JL Kipling’s, “Animals in India”
Haiku:
A three-line verse of Japanese origin usually with Nature as its theme
Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam: The World/Earth is one big family
Sarva
dharma sama bhava: All religions deserve equal respect
Jnana
Yogi: A “seeker” or one who follows the path of Knowledge, one of the
four paths to attain salvation
Vahana: Favoured vehicle of travel of Gods and Goddesses according to Hindu mythology
Santana Dharma: It is not a faith, but an idea that there is no beginning or end to Universe and that Truth—whether we know it or not—is universal and eternal
Satyam Shivam Sundaram: Truth, Divinity, and Beauty
Satyam Shivam Sundaram: Truth, Divinity, and Beauty
Karmabhoomi:
The concept of “land of work” where one’s purpose in life is to be fulfilled
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS IN THIS BLOG AND WEBSITE ARE THE AUTHOR'S ORIGINAL WORK/COPYRIGHT.
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