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A Golden Date with Maharaja

ಅಂಬಾ ವಿಲಾಸದ ಅಂಗಳದಲ್ಲಿ

It was love at first sight. And my wife didn’t mind one bit. In fact, she felt the same. Well….before you plan on a fanciful flight of imagination, I am referring to the throne….The Golden Throne of the Wodeyars. It took quite a while for the feeling to sink in that I was feasting my eyes to one of the most magnificent thrones in the world. To top it all, I was doing so from inside Ambavilasa (Diwan-e-Khas, Private Durbar Hall) – the sanctum sanctorum of the Mysore Palace built during the Regency of Maharani Kempananjammanni of Vani Vilasa Sannidhana – where mighty kings of Mysore, His Royal Highness (HRH) Sri Nalvadi Krishna Raja Wodeyar and HRH Sri Jayachamaraja Wodeyar had made important decisions regarding the State and its People in consultations with stalwart thinkers like Sir. Mokshagundam Vishveshwaraiah and Sir. Mirza Ismail, Dewans of Mysore. This was the very place where many social, educational, industrial and technological issues and the plans for Krishnaraja Sagar Dam, Brindavan Gardens, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Government Engineering College (now UVCE), University of Mysore, Bangalore Agricultural University, State Bank of Mysore, Mysore Soap Factory and Bhadravati Steel factory were discussed and approved. It was also very likely the room where HRH Sri Jayachamaraja Wodeyar had to make the hard decision of abdicating the throne to accommodate a democratic notion that had swept the nation post-independence. However, the rosewood doorway on the north-eastern end with ivory motifs depicting Krishna on a Peepal leaf; the silver central door on the east portraying the 10 incarnations of Vishnu on the outside and pictures of Krishna’s formative years on the inside; Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara’s pictures above the lintel, with corresponding images of Saraswati, Mahishasuramardini and Lakshmi on the exterior; the 24 colorful pillars that lined the central third of the hall; the stained glass ceiling above them; the majestic gold throne that adorned an illustrious lineage of kings from the time of Pandavas; the magnificent chandeliers that hung down like a bunch of grapes made out of diamond; the richly crafted mahogany roof panels on either side of the glass ceiling; or the Gandabherunda glass etchings staring from atop each of the four windows gave away no hint to their participation in these momentous events that shaped up Mysore’s History.

Today, they were witnesses to a new world which, but for their grandeur, neither knew nor cared about their historical significance, to a new generation of people with new ideologies and new lifestyles, and to the service of a new Maharaja. A party of 100-odd people was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the scion of the erstwhile Mysore Royalty, one of the few people in the country who is empowered to use the title “Maharaja” (unlike a la Ganguly), Sri Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar Bahadur. The occasion was the Private Durbar that the King holds during Dasara celebrations. As the people waited for the King, all eyes were fixed on the Golden Throne that sat centrally with resplendence in the western end of the hall. A kid, sitting closeby, excitedly asked his mother if the throne was really made out of gold. She responded in the affirmative and added that only the King could afford such luxuries and indeed we were fortunate to be sitting in such close proximity. This conversation transformed me to an era gone by to agrahaaras (social settlements) outside the palace, where mothers used to feed their children by telling stories about the luxurious lives and the valorous deeds of Kings and Princes. It was so surreal to experience such a déjà vu when one was not even part of it, but for hearsay, the first time around :) This vindicates, if any such thing were required, the inscription on the rim of the umbrella above the main seat that describes HRH Sri Mummudi Krishna Raja Wodeyar as “The Lord of Karnataka Ratna Simhasana” and that the golden umbrella of the golden throne, which he had inherited from his illustrious ancestors, evoked the awe of the whole world. This ancestry, in terms of the possession of the throne, supposedly goes back to the time of Pandavas of Hastinapura. The throne is later thought to have been brought down South to Andhra Pradesh, where it lay underground undisturbed. It was dug up by Sage Vidyaranya who was instrumental in founding the Vijayanagara Empire in 14th Century and it was on this throne that the Vijayanagara Kings brought forth the Golden Age of South India. After the decline of the Vijayanagara dynasty, the throne came in to the possession of Wodeyars in early 17th Century. And it has been so till today to tell us its glorious past.

If that bit of historical piece does not invoke wonder, maybe this will. The Golden Throne is about 6 feet high and the main seat comes to about 4 feet. The exuberant decorations include those made out of gold, silver, pearls and other precious stones that I can’t name. It has intricate carvings all over it, the most conspicuous of them being the Mysore Royal Emblem of Gandabherunda (a mythical bird with two heads) flanked by two Sharabhas (a lion’s body and head with a trunk of an elephant, considered to combine the strength and valor of both). The four sides of the throne are accentuated by gold-etched creepers, with elephants on the east, horses on the south, soldiers on the west and chariots on the north. Carvings of the Hindu Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara give semblance to the fact that the King is considered the protector of his subjects. There are six steps that lead to this seat and each has two female figures that form the banister. The golden umbrella, atop the main seat, is highly decorated and has a tortoise seat as its base. The seat, the steps and the umbrella can be enjoined, as I heard later, with an interlocking system.

While I was taking in all these details, I could sense the room being filled with a lot of excitement and expectation. Dressed up in brilliantly colored shawls and religious marks adorning their foreheads, the priests who had been walking up and down the hall with superior grins, hurried down to stand by their plush seats in front of the throne. The naadaswaram (a traditional Indian wind instrument used in auspicious occasions) was adding to the growing crescendo and when the soldiers lined up the path along the north-eastern door, all talking ceased. I had decided to stay close to the eastern door from the beginning so that it would be a vantage point both for the entry and exit of Maharaja as well as to the throne that was right across on the western end of the hall. I had been cautioned by one of the soldiers from using any kind of camera/mobile phone lest it should be confiscated. My Nikon D80 was already downstairs locked up with some security guy who sincerely thought it was an armored tanker. I didn’t want this Nokia N73 to vanish before I said “hey”. That didn’t stop me from surreptitiously making videos by pointing it aimlessly in the not-so-brilliantly lit room.

The announcement of King’s arrival got everyone up on their feet. Amidst the chanting of Vedic mantras, a rendition of "Vaatapi Ganapatim Bhaje" on the naadaswaram and proclamation of his various titles, Maharaja Sri Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar Bahadur walked in with a cohort of soldiers and court officials in royal garb. A couple of soldiers were smartly twirling two large pieces of silk, in a symbolic act of cleaning the pristine and luxurious carpet in front of the Maharaja. The King walked down the entire length of the hall, went around the throne, bowed respectfully and with some difficulty, climbed up the six steps. All this time, I was making video with the mobile phone from behind a soldier. Now, with some goading from him, I threw all caution to wind and moved towards the eastern door and stood across the throne in full sight of Maharaja! That’s how we were for the next 10 mins – a Maharaja at one end of the hall sitting comfortably on the golden throne, and a Chakravarthy (Emperor) on his feet at the other end with a mobile phone that had lousy video and zoom options. The irony of life, eh? Anyways….I really missed my still and video cameras, and the knowledge that I may never ever get such an opportunity did not help matters. The King stood up on the throne and saluted the audience while the naadaswaram played a fast tune. After the King had settled down, the soldiers who had lined up in front on either side showed their respects by lifting their swords and tributing him with various impressive titles. The court officials and the priests came in front of the king as quartets and showered praises upon him. The King posed for a few official photographs, stood up again, and saluted. Then he walked down towards the eastern door, turned left and made way to another much awaited ritual.

The soldier, who had quickly become my Palatial God Father, insisted that I follow the royal brigade for the next event. Without a shred of doubt or concern, I followed the troupe which consisted of two soldiers, the Maharaja and 4 other court officials….and me! When I looked back, I saw Ramya earnestly trying to convince the soldier that her husband was part of the royal entourage and that she was only following his footsteps, as any ideal wife would ;) Right! So thought the soldier, and the large rosewood door closed behind us. I knew I would see Ramya….eventually…if I was not thrown to the lions or elephants for this royal sacrilege. So, I followed them promptly with the mobile phone video capturing the backsides of this royal staff. See, that didn’t sound right…so I decided to go around a few of these officials to get a better shot of the Maharaja.

Rule number 42 of Mysore Palace Etiquette clearly states – “Never try to break into, and overtake, a royal brigade in order to get within 2 feet of Maharaja.” Not dozing off during High School History classes would have helped.

One of the officials turned around and asked me what the hell I was doing there and I vaguely remember saying that I had come along with the Town Planning Bigwig. I was politely asked to march back and one of them stood behind to ensure that I did. We were in the off-the-limits area on the first floor, an open quadrangle from which the royal women-folk would observe the proceedings beneath in the Kalyana Mantapa (Marriage Hall). I doubled back and ran around the corridor to be on the other side. I had no clue what to expect. About 20 people had gathered here to see the next and the last act of this royal play.

There was a small, but elegant, east-facing throne that had a footon in front. There were two silver vessels, one with scented water and the other with flowers. Facing the throne, there were about a dozen ladies who wore exuberant and expensive looking sarees (traditional Indian dress - a long piece of clothing that is draped around the entire length of a woman’s torso and legs). This was quite a different setting from Ambavilasa. It did not have any of the extravagant display of wealth. The lighting was somber and the mood not so upbeat. After a couple of minutes, the Maharaja walked in from the far southern corridor and sat on the throne. Maharani (Queen) Pramoda Devi broke away from her royal aides and sat in front of the footon. She washed the King’s feet with the water (paadapooja) and offered flowers to him. She applied tilak (a red paste signifying prosperity) on his forehead. The Maharaja got up and walked back the same way and the Queen joined her group. This act represented a tradition where in the Maharaja was worshipped as the Protector and the Queen was also wishing him luck to perform his duties to serve his subjects.

I moved south to the back entrance of Ambavilasa. The crowd had already dispersed. There were a few who had gathered around the Golden Throne. Ramya was frantically trying to reach me on my mobile and was relieved to see that I was in one piece. We set out to have a closer look at the main attraction. A few policemen were in the process of cleaning it up and ensuring that no valuables were misplaced or lost. Some of the pearls from the canopy that adorned the main seat had fallen off and were being carefully gathered. An old woman was very gratified to receive some of the flowers that were used to decorate the throne. Another guy was agitated that his camera was impounded by the police, who eventually returned it with a warning. I managed to make a quick shot of the throne with the help of an empathetic policeman. After a couple more shots in Ambavilasa, we moved down and out into the Palace grounds to cherish a very memorable hour.

While you need to behold the Ambavilasa proceedings with your own eyes to appreciate the glory, you will have to do with this story and a link to the video (will shortly follow...I'm trying to convert the .mp4 video to a more suitable format), which in no miniscule way can do justice to the visual splendor. What must have been once an event that was the highlight of Maharaja’s Dasara itinerary has now become a mere symbolic façade. Although I was wistful for an audience during the reign of earlier Maharajas, where the visitors had to be dressed up in the Dasara costume, could meet Maharaja and be honored with a garland, I was pretty glad to be part of this traditional event that has stood the test of time!

I'll leave you with some not-so-impressive pictures from my Nokia...

King goes around the throne...to a standing salute... and settles down comfortably. 

The soldiers...and the officials show their respect...as the silky twirls continue.

Soldier who goaded me into following the Maharaja...as he exits

Long live the King!! Peace to All!!

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The 30-List

Attributes of Life are perceived differently in various cultures. However, the social structure and customs do vary within the same region over time. Not so long ago in India, a lifetime was divided into 4 ashramas or categories - Brahmacharya, Grihasta, Vaanaprastha and Sanyaasa - phases respectively of education, marriage and family responsibilities; transfer of these duties to generation next with partial guidance; and finally giving up all worldy desires to meditate upon the supreme force of energy. Ofcourse things have changed considerably these days - a person without even a faint trace of a psuedo-capitalist view is looked upon as a social outcast!

The Western world has a different set of checkpoints. The three major phases can be roughly classified as ) when you believe in Santa, b) when you don’t believe in Santa and finally c) when you are Santa :) The upsurge in foot-loose adventures of the childhood peaks as a teenager and plateaus at the age of thirty….after which its usually considered going down the hill ;) After one such long discussion with my fellow PhD student Albena, I decided to make a list of 30 things that I had to absolutely finish before I hit that all-distressing 30 year-conundrum. This list should have ideally contained 30 achievements, each of which could be grouped in 3 or a multiple of it. This gave a full three years to satiate my false sense of accomplishment. However, amongst many, I realized to my horror that I had overestimated my abilities to complete a PhD as well as in the breeding efficiency of my mice :) Before I knew I had hit that thick stone wall, I had only managed to…

1) Learn to say “Hello, I am Sridhara. I am 30 years” in 13 languages – Sanskrit, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Frisian and Arabic

2) Travel 3 continents – Asia, Europe, North America

3) Visit 17 countries – India, Switzerland (3), Germany (4), France (2), UAE (1), Netherlands (8), England (2), Belgium (2), Spain (1), Czech Republic (1), USA (2), Mexico (1), Lichtenstein (1), Austria (1), Italy (1), Vatican City (1) and Luxembourg (1).

4) Visit 3 wonders of the world – Taj Mahal, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Eiffel Tower

5) See 3 oceans – Atlantic, Indian and Pacific; and 5 major seas - Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, North Sea, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean Sea

6) Learn how to swim

7) Direct music for 6 songs for a teleserial

8) Compose music in 33 ragas (scales)

9) Write 21 songs in three languages – Sanskrit, Kannada and English

10) Publish 2 scientific papers and a Thesis

11) Meet and interact with 3 Nobel Laureates – James D. Watson, Eric Kandel, Seymour Benzer

12) Start learning Yajur Veda from scratch

13) Skydive - from 3 kms (9000 ft)….and stay alive!!! (Teuge, Netherlands)

14) Sea/River raft (IJmuiden, Netherlands)

15) Fly kite on the beach (IJmuiden, Netherlands)

16) Rock climb (Melukote, India)

17) Wall climb (Amsterdam, Netherlands and Lucerne, Switzerland)

With Martijn, Lonneke, Bart, Arne and Jamilja

18) Scale 4 peaks – Tadiyandamol (Coorg, India); Jungfrau Joch and Mount Titlis (Switzerland); Ugrastambham (Ahobila, India)

19) Learn to Ski (Winterberg, Germany)

20) Go-Kart (Amsterdam)

NIN Co-PhDs

21) Work at an orphanage and old age home

22) Cook 24 Indian dishes

23) Visit the three Ranganatha Temples along Kaveri on bike the same day (450 kms)

24) Start writing a treatise on the three branches of Indian philosophy propounded by Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhwa Acharyas.

25) Publish a photograph (of Gross Munster Church at Zurich) in the International Library of Photography

26) Learn Salsa dancing

27) Play the coolie

Bangalore Railway Station

28) Appear on Television both as a singer as well as a judge

29) Take part in 2 Flash mobs in Amsterdam.

Outside ALBERT HEIJN

30) Build a bird house

All said and done, that does not look like a bad list :) Life is too short and extremely precious! So, make your lists, be you 18 or 60 and realize your dreams. Many a time, you may not get what you want, but that should not stop you from dreaming. If you aim for the stars and get the Moon, that's no less a feat :)

Go get them, Tiger!!

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In Search of Eutopia...

The huge hovering cloud of unhappiness had settled down all around. In the back seat of this black hearse was the forgotten notion of all the wonderful things that life had to offer. The new mantra that emanated to be one with the cosmos was the constant chanting of all misfortunes in this self-centered, civic-less world. The woeful self-pitying narrations continued to hound anyone who was around to listen, oblivious to the lack of any sign of empathy or interest. It was as if the stories had a mind of their own and relished drowning in their sea of misery. The dark veil of shrouded heart-wrenching bickering was too stifling.

To state simply, I was disillusioned. As many of us do when we are sick of this characteristically unfair world, I went into a mode of introspection. The first impulse was to do something "rationally" drastic before I got sucked in entirely! So, I decided to resort to the most common, time-tested way out. But where would one go if they had to run away? My initial reverie was the unknown, and hence the exotic, civilization-free, soft whiteness of the Himalayas; the place we were told that saints made their abode and people rediscovered their identities; where conifers were the backdrop of five major rivers that flowed to make this land the spiritual heart of mankind. The thoughts flowed and fused to the calm waters of Ganga in Varanasi, the city where the Lord decided to settle down; the seat of Knowledge in medieval times but now home to floating, half-charred bloaters. No... I would go to His Holiness, wait at His door till He thinks that I am ready to transform into the insightful person I ought to be before I receive the sacred mantra. But wouldn't I still have to deal with people? Or should I take refuge in the isolated comforts of Science, that has been my religion for a decade, and go to the land beyond two mighty oceans, to indulge in concepts that meant next to nothing? Dash it all! I was running away from all the materialistic things that made people go crazy. Had I already turned into the person whom I was chastising?

What makes people run away from things, anyways? Is it the lack of courage to face the loud music? Is it the forlorn hope that it was going to end in a whiff of ash or termite-food? Or was it the realization that there was no where to run? Being disillusioned is way better than being confused on top of it!

If this was it, what the heck was life all about? There are many who believe that they have figured out Life, what it means, how it should be approached, what the priorities are, the insights to goals and measures of success. Imagine a burst of light, followed by millions of years of darkness, billions of gaseous entities moving away from each other at mind boggling speeds in a space filled with ethereal nothingness. And one fine day in a small bluey gooey place, there was a very fine line between forms that had “life” from those that didn’t. Just like that… there was Life. How does one conceptualize this, let alone trying to explain the vagaries and innocuous details of what transpired an entity to cease believing in itself and choose an identity to become the prototype for something that can make more of itself? Was this some kind of a sick joke to put a few life forms on this watery rock to make them realize and feel miserable at their inadequacies to understand what the game was all about?

There was no way that I would feel happy resorting to any of these escapades. How can I find peace by running away to a Kashi or a Rameshwaram? There would always be a “what next?” I had to look for that place from which there was no return, the elusive Paramapadam or Eutopia, where things were orderly and peaceful. But how am I to look for the path to such a place when there is so much negative unrest in this world? Or is that the idea – the strength to persevere and fight these forces is what makes you eligible to finally fuse to reverberate and be one with the Source? Then isn’t it a struggle of an individual against all odds? When one is so preoccupied battling for this chi, how does one even realize if there was a helping sign board in the form of a Guru that shows but only the path?

The Sanatana Dharma (read as Hindu Philosophy) edifies that the meaning of life cannot be comprehended in one lifetime. The constant refinement in ideas and deeds to result in knowledge of a higher order should finally culminate, by traveling in space and time towards attaining perfection, in Nirvana. But the law of averages should have caught up to show us at least one person who was in his last stages to reach the highest pedestal, the man who was in peace with himself and the world; the man without any miseries and conflicts….. Hmmm!!!

The circle of human life – birth, education, marriage, raising children, old age and eventual death - has been going on for ages. From the first steps towards freedom, to the last intelligent thought; from the first experience of putting the sense organs into full blast, to the final journey of a long undisturbed sleep - surely, there should be a meaning to all this! But when you look around, there is not a single soul who can truly say that he understands contentment. So, why do people undertake this stupid ritualistic act when they very well know that they do not possess the tools (or make use of it comprehensively) to appreciate the concept? It is scary and disgusting to think that generations of people have been perpetrating these acts without any hint of a goal in mind! So, shouldn’t the greatest regret a man can have be that he was born?

Most delving thoughts are very tiring. And after each such long sojourn, you hit the ground with a shuddering realization. If you query the very existence of man, what do you do? Was this extensive thought process a waste of time? I think not.... it is a good check to see if the inquisitiveness of a child still remains and blends with the experience of what one has learnt growing up. More importantly, this allows one to appreciate life and to approach it more pragmatically. Now that man is born, he has to restrain from exercising one option - that of looking backwards. Those left to choose are the dual core issues of whether he wants to sit and brood about the unfairness of the world or get his act straightened up in the limited time he has. It is very easy to get lost in the sea of life which takes you up on an exuberant crest only to bring you back down the trough with a sickening thud the next minute! Recognizing that these two extremities are but just a façade is the first step towards the long road to decipher the unknown. In these few short hours of a very individualistic journey, the innate feelings of the social animal have to come to the fore. Choose your personal motto to make you and those around you happy, safe and content. Life, however short, is what you make of it!

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