Ramayana- Fact or Fiction

What I write now is based on article published in the" TimesOfIndia" a few years back under the "Speaking Tree".It was entitled "Dating the Ramayana with Valmiki"s clues" written by Saurabh Kwatra.
Kwatra has tried  to use astronomical data  provided in Valmiki's Ramayana to date the events mentioned in the Ramayana in a chronological reality.What I am trying to do is to summarise what the author has written in his article.
That ancient Indians had an accurate method of time measurement is today an accepted fact.They regularly used and recoded the" tithis" or dates according to the phases of the Moon,the months,the solstices,equinoxes  and the positions of astrologically relevant luminaries like the Sun,Jupiter,Venus etc.All this meant that the timings of events were recorded in the astronomical format.All that is therefore required to use this information on h of the Ramayanaeavenly positions into a simple calendrical time line.
Rishi Valmiki,the celebrated composer of the Ramayana records the birth of Rama in Uttarayana in the Chaitra month,in bright fortnight,on the ninth day  of  Punarvasu nakshatra on a Monday and under Karka Lagna.Rishi Valmiki also gives details of the birth with various planetary positions in the zodiac:
Sun in Mesha at 10deg.;
Mars in Capricorn at 28deg;
Jupiter in Cancer at 5deg;
Venus in Pisces at 27deg; and
Saturn in Libra at 20deg.
These starry combinations  have occurred only once so far as measurable history is concerned and therefore helps to fix the important date,the birthday of Rama,as 4December,7323BC.Today this tithi, celebrated as Ram Navami, has shifted by about 4months in the course of the last 9300years.
Another important date in the Ramayana is the date Rama left Ayodhya on his 14 year exile.Valmiki gives the following stellar positions for this event:
"Crux(Trishanku),Mars,Jupiter and Mercury have cornered the Moon.Vaishakha and MilkyWay are shining in the sky".Using this additional input,astronomical rules fix Rama's exile at a time he turned 17years of age.Another event,Hanuman's return from Lanka after discovering Sita (in Sundarkanda) can similarly pin pointed as occurring on a Pushya Poornima.
Using the above techniques, the pivotal events of he Ramayana can be fixed at the following dates:
Rama's birth                                         5December,7323 BC
Rama's marriage with  Sita                  7April,7307  BC
Rama's exile                                        29November,7306BC
Hanuman's entry in Lanka                   1Sept,7292BC
Hanuman's meeting with Sita              2Sept,7292BC
Construction of Ram Setu                    26-30Oct7292BC
Beginning of the War with Ravana       3Nov7292BC
Kumbhakarna's death                            7Nov7292BC
Ravana's killing by Rama                      15Nov7292BC
Rama's return to Ayodhya                      6Dec7292BC..
The last event,celebrated as Deepawali, should also have advanced by about four months, but strangely the event falls in Oct-Nov each year.No one has been able to explain this satisfactorily so far.
According to Kwatra, the birth chart and the course of events in Rama's life is so precise that it can be used as a case study in support of Astrology as`a science.The natal chart indicates a`yogic RajyaYoga a very rare planetary combination where the native rises to be a king but leading a life renouncing wordly pleasures.It is an establshed fact that  Rama lived a simple hermit's life.Mars in 7th,exalted.indicates a bold and courageous spouse,but at the same time with a sharp tongue.It was the latter that led Lakshamana to leave Sita alone in the cottage and go in search of Rama.Venus' exalted position in the 9th house of travel and destiny gives a public life with the spouse.Sita followed Rama during his exile while Lakshmana had to leave his consort behind.The Jupiter-Moon  conjunction in Cancer forms the well known Gaja Kesari Yoga blessing the native with simplicity,honesty,and religiosity and  confers fame.Sun the significator of soul  in deep exaltation (in the Aries) in the 10th house of karma suggests that Rama was a higher,perhaps a dual soul.The King of Ayodhya and the Divine Incarnate of Lord Vishnu simultaneously."

 

Our Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb- Where has it gone?

I do not like to comment on existing social issues in my blog but am making an exception this time.The provocation is a panel discussion on NDTV 24x7 channel yesterday on the present day treatment/status of minorities particularly muslims.
We were brought up as children in the last days of the British rule in India. I do not recall any prejudice whatsoever at that time towards muslims. Our parents had muslim friends and so did we.Our household had muslim servants who had been with us for twenty, thirty years and had acquired the status of extended family;they expected and received the respect, affection and loyalty that they gave us.We used to welcome our muslim friends to our house as we were welcomed in theirs; both celebrated the joys and sorrows of each other and celebrated each others festivals. My father who was a Civil Servant had very few friends, but the closest I remember was a muslim gentleman who had been his colleague in service but had taken retirement early and had taken up service to his muslim bretheren.We used to refer to him as Shah Saheb;I still remember he would always turn up in his conservative dress with rosary and a skull cap.When he marriage of a daughter was to take place in our family, Shah Saheb volunteered and took the entire responsibility of arranging everything both at our house and the place where the bride groom's party would be putting up. My father always said that if you want loyalty, you will get it only from a muslim;that even if his limbs  were torn to bits, he would remain loyal until his last breath. I had similar experience with my friends; whenever I was in any kind of difficulty, my muslim friends were there to help me.
The divide between Hindus and Muslims came after both communities were made conscious of their position in society with the sole purpose of dividing them.From being Indians we were made to think as Muslims or Hindus for purely political purposes.This vivisection ultimately lead to partition of the country.Unfortunately, our leaders thereafter took no steps to bring back the feelings of Indianness and instead started using them as vote banks to keep themselves in power. Things have gone much beyond that now. In Linguistic States and with Mandalisation we have created castes, sub castes and sub sub castes.It suits politicians of all shades to keep the average person ignorant and uneducated. Because if they become conscious of their exploitation they would throw off the shackles of these self serving politicians. who treat them merely as pawns in the game of politics and as mere vote banks.
The biggest damage done to our nation since independence has been in the field of education.It has been totally ignored.Unlike Soviet Russia or Israel which emphasised its importance and that too in their own language.Russian elitists wrote and spoke French as Russian was considered to be too crude for them. Under the Soviets,however, Russian language developed beyond one's wildest dreams and became one of the leading languages in the world, both in the field of Diplomacy as well as in Science and Technology;Similarly, Hebrew, long considered a dead language, was developed by the Israelis and the language is alive and kicking and how? Both the Russians and the Jews had immense pride in their heritage and a fierce determination to make a mark in modern world. We in India have never really cared  about our heritage and have never exhibited any pride in our own languages or any desire to develop them as a means of improving the lot of the common man.We have adopted an ambivalent/lukewarm attitude primarily because no understood how to use education as a weapon of social uplift. Consequently,all communities continue to  wallow in misery and ignorance. Particularly affected have been the Muslims who  felt that they were suspected of being actually looking to Pakistan as their mother country. and expected to prove their patriotism all the time.To some extent,this did affect their development in economic and educational fields. despite existance of institutions like Aligarh Muslim University,Jamia Milia etc.To rectify the anomaly,
some people advocate affirmative action, as in the US. My answer is that it is not one particular group or community but the entire nation which is today wallowing in the filth of ignorance and affirmative action is required for ALL CLASSES.This means a total revamp of our priorities and massive investment in education which alone will bring social upliftment.Perhaps,and perhaps,then we may see our composite Ganga Jamuni culture back again.     

Jinxed?

Are somethings jinxed?Or is it just a coincidence that makes you think like that?
My sister in law lives in Akola, a small but prosperous town in Vidarbha, (earlier known as Berar) and now part of Maharstra.We are a very closely knit family but our visits to Akola or our participation in celebratory functions in my sister in law's house is jinxed.Why do I say so? In 1978, her daughter was getting married in Delhi and we had got our reservations done to participate in the same.But a couple of days before the event, I had to cancel my trip since my boss' father became sick and my boss had to proceed to his home town to look after him.I being the senior most officer in the Division, had to take over charge. The result: my children travelled by themselves to Delhi to attend the wedding and represent us. Similarly, in 1981, when their son was to get married in Calcutta, we could not attend since I had been down with a heart attack and admitted to the hospital.Again, my daughter represented us in the wedding. Later on, though posted in Bombay, I could theoretically visit them at Akola any time, I could not go to Akola though I would pass through the town when out on official duties. Once, towards the end of my official career I thought that enough was enough and made out an official itinerary to visit Akola. Everything appeared perfect till a day before when I received summons that I had to brief the Railway Ministry on an important subject which was to be discussed by the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament.I therefore had to fly to Delhi at the eleventh hour. In a recent incidence, another wedding was to take place, and we had booked our passage and looking forward to it.However the visit was never to take place as my wife fell seriously ill just a few days before and we had to cancel our trip.
The last we visited Akola was in 1966 and though we spent a major part of my service in Maharastra, have not been able to visit the place despite all intentions from our side.
Is there some sort of a jinx which operates and negates our efforts to participate in their family functions and/or to visit Akola? I dont know.What do you think?

What If?

When we are in a pensive and reflective mood, we try to ask the question 'What If" with reference to the important events in one's life.In fact, all the turning points of life we can pose the question.Those who have a good imagination are particularly prone to this.I would like to quote two instances from my past.One, when I was filling up the form for my High School examination in 1948, I decided on the spur of the moment to change the spelling of my surname from "Kakkar" to "Kacker".This was as two illustrious members of the family had been spelling it that way.Later on, when I mentioned this to a numerologist friend of mine, he said it changed my life and took away so many positives that would have otherwise accrued.In fact, he went on to suggest that I revert back to the original spelling.That was in 1966 or 1967. At one time I seriously thought of doing so but then decided to stay that way, for better or for worse.Would my life have been different if I had not changed the spelling?

In 1953, I was selected for appointment to the Engineering Branch of the India Navy and was among the five Indians selected to undergo a course at the Royal Naval Academy at Dartmouth,U.K. I could not go as there was some hesitation on the part of my parents and had to be satisfied with staying in India and finishing my University education and then appearing for the Civil Services examination where fortunately I made a mark on both occasions I took the examination,in1956 and again in 1958. What if I had joined the Indian Navy. An astrologer who I held in esteem mentioned that my selection was due to a favourable transit influence of Mars which would shortly have ended and it was good I did not join. Again, what if?Would I have been a success there? And how would I have compared to what I achieved after my entry in Indian Railways Traffic Service?

Like myself, my wife, Vijay, also changed her name while filling up the form for High School examination from "Vijay Lakshmi"to Vijay. I have been kidding and say that with that change the Lakshmi (wealth) left her!!What if she had stuck to the original name?

What If?

Destiny or Individual Effort?

What decides whether we succeed or fail in our lives?What decides our status in society, our marital and social happiness, our financial status etc.Some would say it is our individual effort while others would ascribe it to destiny?I am reminded of an incident published some years back about the experience of a Science Graduate who lost a year because another student opened the water tap which splashed into the Gravimetric powder kept ready for weighment,and blew it off resulting in poor marks in Chemistry practicals.Was it his carelessness in not keeping it covered?Surely, he would have been doing it hundreds of time during his time in the Chemistry Lab; the chance of someone opening the tap was perhaps one in a million but in this case it happened.Could it have been prevented?Or was it destined to happen and therefore happened.
In another case, a palmist travelling in a train decided to pass his time by examining the palms of a passenger sitting next to him.To his surprise he found that the life line indicated that the life span was over. He turned to another passenger in the coach and observed a similar situation.The palmist was surprised when he found that all the passengers whose palms he examined were travelling in the same boat i.e., their life span was also over. He tried to caution his co passengers that some disaster was likely to happen and advised them to get down at he next stop.No one listened to him.He then went to the Station Master and requested him not to allow the train to go ahead as he saw a disaster waiting for it.No one listened to him and the train rolled away leaving the palmist behind.Subsequently, the train was involved in a major accident and all the passengers in the coach where the palmist was travelling were killed.Who should be blamed? Destiny or individual effort or lack of it?
When I undertook the Civil Services examination, in the 1950's, the results of the competition were very revealing.Some of us got the Service of our choice, while others felt they deserved something better.And some who never made to it included some of the brightest and most meritorious of our colleagues.What factors played their role in such cases.How is it that some get all that is aspired for and even more while some do not get even a fraction of what they deserve?It includes all aspects of life.
Is it destiny, which is beyond our control, or some action we did or did not take?I wonder.

.Cars,cars everywhere,no roads to drive...

Once upon a time India had only two varients in cars ,the Hindustan 14 and Fiat 1100.In due course, they were succeeded by Hindustan Ambassador and Premier Padmini. Cars in those days were highly prized commodities;a long wait after registration with the dealer, unless you were among the privileged few, when you could get it within a few weeks against Government quota.Total production of cars in the country was in unit of thousands.And the roads though poor in quality could cope with their traffic.
And then came economic reforms. Today we have almost all brands of cars from the most expensive Maybach to the cheapest.Name the variant and you can spot it on the road. if you look a little while.We have petrol and diesel variants, we have hatchbacks, sedans,SUVs. Now the problem is where to run these cars and where to park them. Our roads are choc a bloc with cars.But our roads are the same antiquated ones, narrow ill maintained full of potholes.There is no discipline among the drivers and no one to enforce the same.Result accidents injuries and the loss of lives and limbs.Worst sufferers are the old, the sick, women, and the pedastrian. They do not know whether they can cross the road and still be safe.
Countries like Singapore have limited the number of cars/vehicles on road.Anyone wishing to buy a car has to obtain a COE (Certificate of Entitlement) from the Government which is auctioned to the highest bidder.Each such COE is issued against a scrapped vehicle so that their number remains the same.Today, as per my best knowledge, a COE costs about S$80,000, which is over and above the price of a car which is also heavily taxed with duties at the time of import.The result; a manageable number of vehicles on road which are among the best maintained inthe world.
Can India follow that pattern?To some extent yes.But it also requires creation of a good bus/train/metro system so that the need of a car is not that acute.
Will our traffic planners rise to the occasion?

Twitter as a medium of Social Exchanges

In the past over one year, I have been tweeting and today have over Five Thousand tweets.These are on various subjects ranging from current affairs, religion,politics, international affairs, the works..It has also given me an opportunity to get in touch with specialists on strategic affairs,like B.Raman , a former Head of RAW, Barkha Dutt, one of the celebrity TV anchors and Group Editor News in NDTV, Poetry lovers like Rana Safvi,and last but not the least Kaveri Ahuja, a former cancer patient,brilliant analyst, former teacher and mother of two young daughters. These are just a few of my favorite tweeters.Information available through this medium is vast;you have access to blogs,articles from international documents/papers,videos etc.The list is endless.It all depends on your capacity to use it to your benefit.
I feel it was a stroke of good luck that I started tweeting.I have made friends from so many foreign countries and get their points of view, thus enhancing my perspective and passing on mine to them.
Lots of thanks to you, Twitter.