Being Delulu

My two younger children (twins, a girl and a boy) were born in 1999. I used to call them dot.com kids because that was the period of the dot.com bubble. Being digital natives, they started handling computer keyboards before touching a pen. Now kids of that vintage are called the Generation Z. I had to rejig a lot of my ideas and acceptances to be in line with the changing mores of that generation. So, sleepovers were all too frequent; being glued to mobile phones was normal; best gifts one could give them ranged from game consoles to ipods, and so on. 

Much of the time, our house has been full of their friends, other gen Z kids. Slowly, I realised that they speak in tongues. It’s English but nothing like what we know as the English language. When I first heard my son’s friend say, “I’m bouncing,” I was aghast. Talking of weird behaviour of some anatomical parts? Or about some game? Or was it acrobatics on the trampoline? Later I learnt that he meant he was leaving. Then there were the one-letter words, acronyms and shortened phrases. That’s a big W meant that’s a big win. L meant Loss. IRL meant In Real Life. Delulu meant Delusional or ungrounded in reality. 

I thought I knew the term ‘drip.’ For us, it meant a weak, ineffectual person. Now, it’s almost the reverse – it actually means stylish look. For us, ‘thirsty’ meant grabbing a glass of water. Now it describes a person desperate for attention or validation. ‘Ate’ meant filled one’s belly, now it means doing something with style or impressively. 

Mercifully, some words haven’t changed much. ‘Vibe’ still means overall mood or atmosphere. ‘Low-key’ means understated. We also used ‘slay’ to mean perform exceedingly well. Something ‘hit different,’ when it had a unique and powerful impact. ‘Cringe’ was something embarrassing or awkward. It remains so. 

From time to time, I’m dropping some of the new lingo on my kids’ unsuspecting friends, to the acute ‘cringe’ of my kids. I no longer dress Low-key; I’ve graduated to High-key, with floral prints dominating my wardrobe. My socks are lurid shades of red, electric blue, bottle green and so on. Ditto, my T-shirts; I hardly wear shirts any more, even when I’m teaching a class because quite a few of my students are Gen Z. I wonder if I ‘slay’ them with my ‘drip’ look. Probably I’m being perpetually ‘thirsty,’ (requiring validation all the time). 

Sometime back, I wanted to simp glow-up but IRL, that kinda thing becomes a big L if you can’t vibe with your age. It can look sus to fam. So, while you think you’re lit or slaying with your drip, no fam member thinks you’re snatched. They think you’re being cheugy and delulu. Positively cray. Periodt. 

The above passage, roughly translated to our (old) generation lingo: 

Sometime back, I wanted simply (simp) a positive transformation (glow-up) but in real life (IRL), that kind of thing becomes a big loss (L) if you can’t be in sync with the overall mood (vibe) of your age. It can look suspicious (sus) to family (fam). So, while you think you’re exciting or amazing (lit) or doing exceptionally well (slaying) with your stylish clothes and fashion accessories (drip), no family member thinks  you’re looking amazing (snatched). They think you’re being outdated and uncool (cheugy) and delusional (delulu). Positively crazy (cray). Period, emphasis added (Periodt)! 

No cap (to tell the truth), it’ll feel salty (bitter). 

There is an upside to it also. Heaven forbid, if I ever go to a night club and make a jackass of myself, the bouncer won’t have to do anything. I’ll myself bounce. Fast. Because I know the lingo. 🕺🏻🕺🏻

Aur janab kya chal raha hai?

 

Uff, so much spin by India, Pakistan, US, Prez Trump, PM Modi, PM Sharif, Defence Ministers Rajnath Singh and Khawaza Asif, international media, national media (both Godi and less-Godi – there’s no non-Godi media left!), Defence community and so on, the head is positively spinning now. But, through the fog, some things are evident. 

We thought, with our far superior air power, we’d just be all over Pakistan and they’d roll over and die. That didn’t happen. Both the sides had war-gamed long and hard. However, there were two deficits in the Indian war-gaming. We didn’t realise how long and how well Pakistan had been preparing for it. When the Pahalgam massacre happened, I thought Munir was being foolish – he should’ve known better after the Balakot strike. However, it seems, Pahalgam was not just trigger happiness on his part. He initiated it after working out the subsequent stages. 

What was expected to be a surgical airstrike without crossing our airspace turned into a large-scale dogfight with a huge number of aircrafts involved. It is not possible to hide this because the moment an aircraft is airborne, it can be tracked by the radars and satellite and the real-time data is preserved for a while. I do believe the estimate by various sources of around 125 aircrafts of both sides involved in the stand-off. Scrambling so many aircrafts so quickly does indicate serious advance preparation by Pakistan. 

Where the script went wrong for India is that we probably didn’t have enough or full information about the technological advancements Pakistan had managed in terms of acquiring Chinese 4.5 generation jets (J-10C) and PL-15 air-to-air missiles. The world had underestimated the effectiveness of these platforms and weapons.

While India gave clear-cut denials for all the other claims by Pakistan, on the question of downing of Rafale/s, it said, “There’s no evidence …” Hello, the Indian government doesn’t need evidence to know whether any of its own aircrafts was downed. It would’ve been inconvenient to admit, hence this answer. Plus, in the immediate aftermath, the Chengdu Corp (manufacturers of J-10C) stocks soared by 60 % while Dassault (manufacturer of Rafale) stocks climbed down by 7 % [both have market-corrected now]. It’s safe to assume that India lost aircrafts including Rafale/s. There’ve been no specific claims regarding Pakistan having lost any aircraft. In the air skirmish, it’s about honours even, with a slight tilt in favour of Pakistan. 

What worked better for India was the Air Defence system. While our S-400 withstood most of Pakistan’s sallies, India could breach the Pakistan defence system HQ-9/P and hit the nine intended targets on the first day and several airbases/ airports subsequently. Pakistan also managed to get through our system and hit a few things in the later stages of the conflict, but far less compared to India’s strikes. 

Looks like, while Pakistan was intimidated by the perceived appetite of India to prolong the tit-for-tat, India was also surprised by the scale and perseverance of the Pakistan retaliation. In the end, both sides were desperate for an out. 

This is just background. What I’m trying to get at is that India’s target/s were not achieved. The target was not hitting nine known ivy-league terror universities. The target was to overwhelm Pakistan and intimidate so that it considers terrorism as an expensive no-win proposition. That hasn’t happened. If anything, Munir, chasing institutional credibility and support has managed it and is pumped up. He must also be feeling how easy it is to organise a mini-war and benefit quickly before USA and others call time in short order. It’s his cost-benefit calculus that alone counts in Pakistan's policy so he’ll organise another terror attack whenever it’s convenient or desirable for him. 

Regardless of the spin, the people at the helm know exactly what the situation is. The two sides haven’t reached a Nash Equilibrium point where any (mis)adventure will assure mutual self-destruction. Further terrorist incidents are round the corner. So what should we do? 

First and foremost, we must go all out to build a fool-proof air defence system, an impenetrable "iron dome." It should be so robust like Israel’s that not a single missile should be able to barge through. 

Next, and simultaneously, we must shop around for 5^th generation aircrafts which will be the best in the world and have them in bulk. Whatever enhancements are required for the existing Rafales must be undertaken urgently. 

Simultaneously, this defensive shield and offensive capabilities must extend to the intelligence domain too. We should have such a robust system that terrorists can’t sneak through or operate. In case a terrorist attack does materialise, we should be able to detect and destroy the perpetrators within no time. Obviously, we’ve miles to go in this. Not only that Pahalgam could not be prevented, there were glaring lapses in the security arrangements and till date, we haven’t been able to find out who, what and why. There has not been a single arrest. 

We must develop the Covert Action Capability (CAC) of intelligence, manpower and equipment such that we could match how USA took out Osama Bin Laden without the faintest idea of his harbourers or the Israeli intelligence killing/ injuring thousands of Hezbollah operatives in Syria and Lebanon through simultaneously exploding pagers and walkie-talkies (Operation Grim Beeper, 2024). If we could’ve eliminated Dawood Ibrahim and LeT Chief or organised simultaneous explosions affecting a few Pakistani top generals immediately after Pahalgam, that would’ve been a decisive victory. Plus, we could’ve basked in the deniability like that of Pakistan on Pahalgam. All this is difficult but possible, if the priorities are right. After all, we’ve the money – we are an economic powerhouse; we should make it count. 

In my estimate, we have about a year before the next terrorist attack. We should prepare so well that the response to that one should be decisive. 

Meanwhile, aur janab kya chal raha hai? 

Hindustan aur Pakistan, dono jagah fog (of war) chal raha hai.

Your revdi or mine? Anywhere, anytime

 

The other day, our household help was complaining about how corrupt and unfair the political system and governance system are; how everything was skewed in favour of the rich and against the downtrodden, etc.. When I asked her why then she kept voting for Didi, she said Didi was giving her Lakshmir Bhandar. In fact, the scheme has been so popular that when the feisty MP Mahua Moitra was campaigning in the rural areas of her constituency in the last Parliamentary elections, the first question she used to ask the poor women was whether they were receiving the Lakshmir Bhandar money and used to be greeted by grateful affirmatives. 

I thought this must be a huge amount or some high-value goods. Turned out, it was just Rs. 1,000 per month (Rs. 1,200 for SC/ST) for women not employed by government and certain other bodies or retired from them drawing a pension. Yet, this has been a real game changer for the political fortunes, earning sustained loyalty from millions of womenfolk. This shows how desperately deprived and marginalised a large section of our society is. It led me to think a little about the so-called “revdis.” 

On July 16, 2022, speaking in Kaitheri in Jalaun district after inaugurating the Bundelkhand Expressway, Prime Minister Modi derisively said, “Today in our country, attempts are being made to collect votes by distributing free revdis (sweets). This revdi culture is very dangerous for the development of the country. People of the country, especially the youth, need to be careful of this revdi culture. People of revdi culture will not build expressways, airports or defence corridors for you. People of revdi culture feel that by distributing free revdis to people, they can buy them. Together we need to defeat this thinking. Revdi culture needs to be removed from the country’s politics.” 

Yet, the Prime Minister has now become a zealous champion of endless revdis and the revdis have improved the political fortunes of his party. 

In the last Madhya Pradesh elections, facing huge anti-incumbency, everyone predicted that BJP was down for the count. Even BJP leaders were making rueful statements. Then came the ladli bahna scheme on 28.1.23 and the party romped home with a landslide in the November 2023 elections. Again, the amount was a paltry Rs. 1,000 per month. The elections were fought on the promise of increasing it to Rs. 1,250 initially and Rs. 3,000 eventually. 

In Haryana, the BJP announced Rs 2,100 monthly allowance for women, scooty for girl students, free dialysis for patients and two lakh government jobs. For Maharashtra, as many as 146 freebies were announced by the NDA. It was widely reported that the Maharashtra election dates (due with Haryana elections held on 5.10.24) were deferred so that the beneficiaries of Ladki Bahin Yojana (announced on 28.6.24, launched on 17.8.24) would’ve received two instalments of the money before the elections eventually held on 20.11.24. 

In Delhi, the AAP’s freebies list included raising Mahila Samman Yojana from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,100 per month and a Sanjeevani scheme to provide free health care to those above 60 years. The Congress promised Rs 8,500 for skill training of the unemployed, Rs 2,500 as pyaari didi yojana and Rs 25 lakh insurance under Jeevan Raksha Yojana. BJP promised Rs 21,000 for pregnant women, Rs 2,500 per month to women voters, and a Rs 500 subsidy for LPG cylinders in Delhi. 

During the last UP elections, some of the news portals were predicting a rout for Yogi. However, I saw an interview of some rural people where they were saying how they were happy that they were getting ration twice a day, “subah ka Modi se, aur sham ka Yogi se.” I presume, they were referring to the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and the state scheme. Then I thought, no, Yogi has a much better chance than the news portals were predicting. 

It is true that the single purpose behind this competitive revdi-politics is grabbing the votes. However, is it such a bad thing? 

As long as these schemes are announced before the Model Code of Conduct kicks in, they don’t fall foul of any law or rules. Plus, there is a problem of what exactly is a revdi or freebie. Free bus ride to women is as much of a freebie as reduction in corporate tax – the latter can indirectly influence vote purchase by adding to the coffers of a political party. Cooking gas subsidy which Amitabh Bachchan took one and a half years to forego is as much of a revdi as free cash transfer without any reciprocity or charge. While reduction in corporate tax might have some positive impact on investment (this is dubious, to say the least), free cash will augment human capital and also increase consumption expenditure, leading to demand side stimulus. Even revival of Old Pension Scheme is a freebie. There is an argument for ‘merit’ goods alone but it’s difficult to know which is not a merit good if the externalities are factored in. 

On the other hand, much of these so-called revdis are actually going to sections of society whose voices are invisible in policy making – women, backwards, marginalized, and so on. This adds to their much needed social protection which is not available to them but for these democratic negotiations of vote-bank politics. 

Estimates indicate that the current state expenditure on freebies ranges between 0.1% and 2.7% of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). This is not so bad when we consider that India’s social protection spending is merely 4 % of the GDP compared to Brazil’s 17 % and China’s 7.9 %. Even this small amount of freebies have led to not only some sense of a security net amongst the marginalised, it has resulted in substantive human capital growth. 

A recent report by SBI Research showers praise on the Ladli Bahna scheme, saying it has impacted the behavioural habit of marginalised women in such a way that beneficiaries have increased their spending at merchant outlets by 3.5 times. 

So, is there a problem with revdis? Yes, there is. These revdis are actually government schemes paid for by the taxpayer. Using them for brand promotion of a political leader by putting her/ his photos on ration bags or entitlement certificates is actually illegal and unethical. All promotion of these schemes should be informative only and should be devoid of any photograph of anyone. Also if the election process (e.g., polling date) is manipulated around the revdis, that delegitimizes the democratic exercise. 

My considered opinion is, the general public is interested in only three things: micro benefits, prices and crime/law & order situation. What the governments should do is to encourage revdis but prevent financial profligacy by mandating budget deficits both at the Centre and the states to be below 3 % of the national and state GDPs through legislation. This is one legitimate role that can be given to the President and the Governors for strict enforcement. [Despite all the aspersions on AAP’s freebies, Delhi reported a fiscal surplus (0.4% of GSDP) in 2022-23.] Meanwhile, all this will go haywire if the crime and law and order situation is not robust. So, that’s another argument for earnestly implementing the police reforms as mandated by the Supreme Court order of 2006. 

So net, net? Your revdi or mine? Anywhere, any time. Conditions apply.

Make English Great Again

 

I’m sick and tired of all these endless but pointless debates about Hindi vs English, Bengali vs Hindi, Odia vs Bengali, Marathi Manus vs Macaulay putra, Hindi vs Tamil, etc.. The real debate should be about English vs English. 

Contrary to what some language chauvinists would have us believe, Hindi is NOT our national language. In fact, India doesn’t have a national language. As per Article 343 of the Constitution, Hindi in Devnagari script with international form of Indian numerals was designated as the official (not national) language of the Union. However, the article provided for continuation of English also as the official language of the Union for 15 years. Later, the Official Languages Act, 1963 allowed for continuation of English alongside Hindi in the Indian government until it is changed through legislation. Till date, that position has not been altered. So, we have two official languages for the work of the Union, English and Hindi. 

As per Article 348 of the Constitution, all proceedings in the Supreme Court are in English. Even in the Parliament, if there is a conflict between the Hindi and English version of the bills, the English version is the authoritative text. For the High Courts, the proceedings are in English unless otherwise prescribed and adopted by the concerned state. Even so, the High Court orders need to be in English. 

There is a High-Level Committee which looks into the progress made in the use of Hindi for the official purposes of the Union. Its Sub-Committees audit different units. I faced this Sub-Committee thrice, once as no. 2 of a Central organisation, once while heading that organisation and once as part of the Ministry delegation. 

In the first instance, before the meeting, we scrambled to fill up the pre-audit questionnaire as well as we could so that our progress in the use of Hindi would show in the best possible light. As the day of final reckoning approached, we were “conveyed” various “requirements” for the audit. Some of them pertained to the honourable members’ culinary preferences for the luncheon but chief amongst them was that the back-present had to be high value but small so that it could be easily carried in the luggage. I’m not detailing the other “requirements” here. On the day of the presentation, the Committee members took turns to indulge in Mann Ki Abuse. We presumed that our job was to be seen and not heard so we put on appropriately submissive expressions and nodded at appropriate places. 

Then came the questions. The Committee asked why ALL our communications were not in Hindi. When we pointed out that we had to correspond with foreign airlines and entities most of the time, the Committee got worked up and said this was a colonial mindset. If an airline or an entity wanted to operate in India, they had to learn Hindi. There is the small matter that all communications between the pilot and the air traffic control need to be in English everywhere as mandated by international norms whether the airline or the airport is French, Russian, Chinese, whatever but the Committee just “directed” that all our pilots must communicate everything in Hindi. Next was why our Service Books were not written in Hindi. They specifically pointed to my Service Book. When I answered that I’d spent much of my career in West Bengal and the notings were in Bengali/English, they were furious. After a brief lull in the aggression, they again pinned us down to why not a single book in Hindi had been purchased for our library in the previous year. When we informed that we didn’t have a library because we were in make-shift accommodation, they went ballistic. They said that couldn’t be any reason for not buying any Hindi book. When we said that no book in any language was bought because there was no library, all hell broke loose. The situation nearly got completely out of hand when the Chairman suddenly realised that one of our group members happened to be from his state. After that, he took pains to calm things down. Phew! 

In the second instance, we were wiser. We bought one single book in Hindi for our non-existent library and showed the percentage of Hindi books in our library as 100 %. The committee was very pleased. 

By the time the third faceoff happened, all the units of the Ministry were genned up and did their level best to please the committee members. A fancy resort was booked for everyone – the committee members, the officials, and so on. The meeting was going well until one of the members raised the point as to why we were not signing in Hindi. Now, a signature has no language. It is an identification – simply any mark a person puts on documents as proof of identity and intent. Some persons sign with name, some with decorations, some with a squiggle, some with a thumb print and so on. Also, a person’s signature starts much before he joins a service, definitely much before he faces a High-Level Committee. It’s not desirable to change it. Now, how does one affix one’s thumbprint in Hindi? 

It’s not true to say that a majority of Indians speak Hindi. Variants of Hindi are not Hindi. If speaking some words of a language qualifies as speaking the language, a majority of Indians either speak English or aspire to speak English or have acquaintance with it if you include EVERYBODY in Punjab after 8 PM or three Patialas, whichever is earlier, whole of Orissa when they want to impress or argue, much of the south of the Vindhyas and most states. The version of English differs from state to state, region to region and time to time (8 AM vs 8 PM). English is more of a link language than Hindi. 75 years on, we need not be emotional about it or cast things in terms of colonialist hangover or make it a prestige issue. Look at the advantages of not being apologetic about English and our fluency in it – access to global business opportunities, connectivity with more than 150 countries where English is commonly understood by natives, better access to science and technology literature, integration of south, north, north-east, east and west. 

If we are less hung over and more practical, we would try and standardise Indian English across states, regions and economic class. Make English Great Again. MEGA.

Some old, some new

 

Some old, some new. 

With the overwhelming response and blessings of the readers, “Police in Blunderland” has now seen a second edition. This edition retains some of the old pieces and contains new pieces from later blogs, newspaper publications and some write-ups not yet published elsewhere. 

Do buy. Following are the options: 

Amazon: 

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0F2T1G2ZZ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ANZIBCRPTLWK&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.UpSC3_w0M54-bZd7hyn7eTK9tnNQHuQhfS4fU_WdXsfZCKSurVxT3z62NzYlPoOO.3pcZ0-yCb7BxUQd3qCCXvxk7rUfkG-y1UV9JSVugIwI&dib_tag=se&keywords=police+in+blunderland&qid=1743158103&sprefix=police+in+blunderland%2Caps%2C243&sr=8-1 

Flipkart:

https://www.flipkart.com/police-in-blunderland/p/itm38758cecf9567?pid=9798895410844&q=bibhuti+dash&store=search.flipkart.com&srno=s_1_3&otracker=AS_Query_HistoryAutoSuggest_1_6_na_na_na&otracker1=AS_Query_HistoryAutoSuggest_1_6_na_na_na&fm=search-autosuggest&iid=ee7e330e-41ad-4cf1-addf-6d1ee85137f4.9798895410844.SEARCH&ppt=sp&ppn=sp&ssid=x8fl27wpq80000001743158203353&qH=e57bc0ff80320b42

Pothi: 

https://store.pothi.com/book/bibhuti-dash-police-blunderland/ 

https://store.pothi.com/book/ebook-bibhuti-dash-police-blunderland/ [e-Book]

[Pothi option is the cheapest - the print version avoids the shipping charges. There is a link for it on the right also.]

For the people outside India, the above links should work; else, pl go to your country’s Amazon or Flipkart website (or Pothi.com) and search by book title or author name (Bibhuti Dash).

 
Do leave a review or rating (good, bad, indifferent), if possible.

Death becomes me

I’m turning 65 this year. Some of my friends and colleagues are no more. Every Fellowship dinner of cadre IPS officers and every school/college reunion bring forth news of some more people one knew but have passed on. Increasingly, my thoughts are turning to death. Mine. 

Death worries people. Lust for life is too great and so is the fear of the unknown because no one knows what happens after death. My father passed away suddenly at the age of 65. It took me a long, long time to come to terms with it. 

It feels sad when news of another death comes in. However, I don’t think I’m afraid of death. When I was diagnosed with Cancer in 2017-18, it was a bolt from the blue. As my knowledge of the disease and treatment scenarios were extremely limited then, there was a certain period of uncertainty. I didn’t know how much time I had and whether I’d live to see another birthday. Since then, I’ve taken each day as a gift. Also, I’ve taken care to tie up the financial aspects so that the family members won’t have to run around too much. 

I go to many palaces, forts, museums and historic structures. I think about all those big and grand people who built or sponsored them. All of them must have felt so important and so powerful. Quite a few of them must have thought of themselves at the moment as invincible, possibly immortal. What were their last days like? Did they realise the futility of it all, or did they prepare for it well? 

With the current progress of science, death is still an unconquered frontier and inevitable. In fact, every day after being born, we progress a little towards death. With that realisation comes a certain acceptance. However, if possible, I’d like to have minimum suffering for myself and others. Some people say that many times, one simply knows when the time has come. I hope, when my time comes, I’ll just go quietly, without fuss and without pain. I also hope, I’ll not live being dependent on others. Death is the last thing I’ll do in life; I want to do it gracefully, preferably in style, not “mewling and puking” and sobbing and crying. Life has many aspects, including death. I’d like to accept death as an aspect of life. 

What would my Obit look like if I were to write it myself? May be: 

"There went a guy who looked serious

But was actually very, very mischievous.

He took life as a bloody joke

His job, his career, his relationships all brushed with that one stroke.

He was occasionally good but mostly mediocre

Didn’t mind being an under-achiever.

Now he’s gone but before going, he reminded

Everyone to eulogise or bitch about him but be even-handed." 

Hindus prescribe that when one visits a temple, one shouldn’t exit immediately after the rituals but sit for a while before doing so and quietly meditate upon a prayer: 

"Anāyāsena maraṇaṃ vinādainyena jīvanaṃ

dehānte tava sānnidhyam dehī me parameśvarama ..."

Translated: 

"Give me death without pain

Grant me a life that I’m not dependent on any one [let nobody has to help me sit up or lie down or feed me; let me not be perverse]

When death comes, let me think of and see only you.

O Lord, kindly grant me these three wishes."

I’m not particularly religious but do respect the beliefs of all religions. So, whenever I visit any place of worship, be it a temple or a church or a gurudwara or a mosque, I try to spend some time just sitting there and thinking of the above. 

I like reading and rereading a poem of Emily Dickinson: 

"Because I could not stop for Death –

He kindly stopped for me –

The Carriage held but just Ourselves –

And Immortality.

 

We slowly drove – He knew no haste

And I had put away

My labor and my leisure too,

For His Civility –

 

We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess – in the Ring –

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –

We passed the Setting Sun –

 

Or rather – He passed Us –

The Dews drew quivering and Chill –

For only Gossamer, my Gown –

My Tippet – only Tulle –

 

We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground –

The Roof was scarcely visible –

The Cornice – in the Ground –

 

Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses' Heads

Were toward Eternity –" 

A corner for the Sun-god

 

Nothing dominates life on earth and human life as the sun. It’s the source of all energy on earth except for nuclear energy. Our entire life cycle  is conditioned by the sun, the metabolism of plants and animals, every single cell in every living body, the mental outlook, the health matters, and so on. No wonder, the sun occupies pride of place in most cultures and religions. In ancient Egypt, the Sun-god, Re was the highest of gods. Incans worshipped the sun as one of their highest gods. Japanese, Aztec and Indian civilisations followed the same pattern. 

Befitting this primacy was a grand temple, Konark (Kona: corner, Arka: Sun) in Odisha. The temple is now in ruins and only the entrance (Mukhashala) and the base (Upana) of the main temple are extant. Even this small part fills one with a sense of awe at its grandeur, architecture and craftsmanship. The temple was of epic imagination and vastness representing the brightest flicker of the formidable Odisha architectural incandescence. 

Whoever designed the temple must have been an uber genius. As per folklore, his name was Bishu Maharana. He had conceived the temple as a colossal chariot of the Sun-god being pulled by seven horses on 12 pairs of wheels in the sky towards the east. Some people claim that the seven horses represent the seven colours of the rainbow combining to create sunlight; others claim that they represent the seven days of the week. The dozen pairs of wheels represent the 12 months of the year. Each wheel has eight large spokes, each section representing the three-hour time periods of the day (praharas) prevalent in those times for time-measurement. 

The temple was designed in such a way that the first ray of the sun fell on the image of the Sun-god in the sanctum sanctorum. The temple’s façades were broken by five small projections producing the effect of light and shade creating an impression of one continuous line (thus, pancha-ratha-rekha deul). 

On the wheels, there are different personified representations of the Sun-god depending on what time of the day the sun rays fall on them. So, the image on which the morning sun rays fall depicts the God in a calm and exuberant demeanour; the one where the noon/ early afternoon rays fall depicts Him in a powerful demeanour; and so on. 

Legend has it that the temple was built into the sea at the confluence of Chandrabhaga river (a distributary of Kadua river) and the sea so that the waves would wash its feet all the time. The workers used to put the stones and the construction material in the water but the waves used to carry them off. After a lot of trial and error, Bishu Maharana was dejected and went away, not intending to return. On his journey of unpremeditated destination, he stopped at an old woman’s house for a meal – in those days, it was common to ask for food at stranger houses and be fed. The old lady served him hot rice and accompaniments (in some legends, ‘kheer’). Bishu Maharana dipped his hand into the middle of the hot rice mound and his hand got scalded. The old lady, unaware of his identity, laughed at him and exclaimed, “You’re eating your rice just like that Bishu Maharana is constructing the temple.” Hearing this, Bishu perked up his ears and asked what was wrong with the temple construction. The lady told him Bishu was starting the temple from the middle of the water just like he had dipped his hand into the middle of the rice mound. He should start eating from the edges and gradually move towards the centre and similarly Bishu should build from the shore into the sea. This was an epiphanic moment for Bishu. He returned and followed the old lady’s advice and the temple got built. [The sea has now receded and is at a distance from the temple; Chandrabhaga river is extinct.] 

As per the stories, 1,200 craftsmen worked on the temple for 12 years. They were not allowed to leave the site until the construction was completed. However, at the end, there was a glitch. Essentially, the rocks were balancing on top of each other through their sheer weight although they were connected by iron dowels and cramps. The crown which is the most important part of temples in Odisha and which balances the whole structure was not getting fixed properly after several attempts. The king was angry and gave a deadline of 24 hours failing which he would order severe punishment including and up to death. Meanwhile, Bishu Maharana’s son, Dharmapada who was born a few months after Bishu left for the temple site and was now 12 years old came searching for his father whom he had never seen. On hearing about the king’s diktat, Dharmapada climbed to the top of the temple, detected a defect, rectified it and succeeded in fixing the crown. The craftsmen were now petrified that the king would be even angrier because while they had failed, a small boy was able to succeed. In order to save them from the king’s ire, Dharmapada climbed the temple again and committed suicide by jumping into the sea from there. The next day, the king came for consecration of the completed temple. However, on hearing about the small boy and his sacrifice, he was remorseful and cancelled the consecration that day and deferred it. This legend has been immortalised in moving poetry in Odia. 

In 2017, I visited Machu Pichu in Peru. Tens of thousands throng there round the year and are wonderstruck by a city built on top of hills. I was also impressed until the guide said that it was built in the 15^th Century; in fact, I asked her whether 15^th Century AD or BC – turned out, it was 15^th Century, AD.

[Machu Pichu]

To me, it was just a bunch of rough-hewn stones making up tiny houses. There was hardly any architectural or artistic merit. Meanwhile, there was awesome grandeur, unbelievable architecture and unreplicable artistic excellence at Konark where, as Rabindranath Tagore put it, “the language of stone surpasses the language of human.” And it was built in the 13^th Century AD!

[Mukhashala and Upana of Konark main temple. Rest of the main temple no longer exists.]

[With the plasticity of their texture, the elephants look like living, breathing 

beings. There are more than 1,700 elephants carved on the Upana alone.]

[The famous Konark wheel - there're 12 pairs of them, each with a diameter of 9' 9"]

Konark also fills one with a lot of questions and conjectures, adding to its mystique. When a genius conceived such a magnificent structure of truly astounding scientific, architectural and artistic marvels, why couldn’t he fix the crown (if the legends be true)? For the temple, why did he make the mistake of choosing Khondalite rock which is highly susceptible to weathering and proved fatal for the longevity of the monument? The massive rocks used for the temple are not available in the vicinity. How were they transported and set in position in prodigious blocks atop one another up to 200 feet height? What was the significance of the temple’s location when it wasn’t the capital city? The sculpting/ carving was done on the huge stones in situ after they were placed in position to make the temple; they were not sculpted/ carved and then used in construction. One single mistake in one stone in the middle or bottom part would’ve meant constructing the whole temple afresh. How come, the craftsmen had such supreme confidence in their ability to do this? The carvings are of progressively better quality and by more accomplished craftsmen as one goes up and the best quality would’ve been at the top. The temple being so tall, who would’ve seen the upper carvings and why were the carvings continued right up to the top? What was the significance of all the eroticisms on the walls? Why was the Sun-god image removed to Jagannath temple in Puri? 

The lines from Rig Veda: