In the world of diamonds…….

In the world of diamonds…….

A recent news coverage on the TV flashed the donation of diamond embedded artificial eyes to Karvirnivasini Goddess Ambabai or Mahalakshmi of Kolhapur. The form of the Goddess was shown in all its glory with her eyes full of compassion – an image that is embedded in memory and so very familiar. Later they adorned her eyes with the diamond cornea and the face of the Goddess glowed with the glitter.

And yet the image suddenly became so very strange as the heart had absorbed the plain eyes that conveyed kindness. Have you ever realized that the people that you have grown up with, you always nurture an image of that youth and even when you meet may be 20 years later it is these memories that flash before your eyes, totally discounting the aging lines of the person that you meet in the present. I exactly got the same disturbed feeling on seeing my Goddess in this new avtar.


Later when I read the news in the newspaper, I realized that the eyes were donated by an ocularist who had obtained a patent for developing the eye jewellery branded as Laser Eye jewellery, in which the lenses can be decorated with precious stones and was to launch it in the market. As a precursor to this venture, he had offered artificial eyes to the Goddess for seeking her blessings.

We all know that wax body parts are placed at the dais of churches like say  Mount Mary of Bandra in order to seek the healing. Or for that matter the eyes of the Lord Ballaleshwar Vinayak (one of the Ashta Vinayak deities) are traditionally adorned with diamonds. However the donation of diamond eyes by an ocularist had transformed the Goddess (revered as mother) to a fashion icon to popularize the product.  This piece of news tickled my funny bone.

Imagine an optician launching fashion shades in diamond jewellery donating sunglasses or spectacles studded with diamond & rubies to the Goddess. The temple is more than 700 years old and so does the mother now need reading glasses too? She is ageless and beyond the finite. For that matter in the hope that the Goddess more intently listens to the prayers one could donate a hearing aid to her, to be used only when the devotee visits her. Another devotee could donate battery operated bejeweled heart so that it throbs in response to the prayers. One can donate a crystal studded writing pen to be sported by the Goddess to give autographs to the faithful. How would Ambabai look? Sporting sunshades on her eyes, hearing aid on her ears. She is the ultimate symbol of perfection, least requiring these appendages. The list could be endless as one’s imagination can run riot.

While faith has no binds (so the phrase - blind faith) and such donations are manifestations of deep rooted belief, one has to draw a line somewhere. After all faith is not a means of satiating one’s desire for PDA. (public display of affection) or a marketing tool but a simple pious prayer of the heart.


Anagha Hunnurkar
22nd February 2012

Time and Tide wait for no man

Time and Tide wait for no man

Ragini returned home all happy and excited as she was nominated for a coveted training program by her company – a token of appreciation. The training program itself being prestigious she wanted to absorb every bit of it. Despite being on Sunday, she hardly felt the pinch and was all upbeat to wake up early morning so that she could make it to the venue well in time.

Both Ragini and her husband Suresh always had their morning tea together, before Suresh left for the gym. As she pored over the morning newspaper with the morning cuppa, she   came across an article about life and death statistics. Fascinated, she turned to her husband and said, "Did you know that every time I breathe somebody dies?"

"Really," he said, "have you tried mouthwash?”

Although it was an innocent and spontaneous remark, as Suresh looked up from his newspaper, he realized his folly as he met Ragini’s red faced gaze. Not wanting the situation to get out of control, he quickly hastened to wrap up and leave for the gym. Ragini decided to keep her cool as she did not want anything to upset her on such an important day. She set on to do her yoga practice but the remark had left an indelible mark that did slow her down. She did not want to be delayed so she cut short her routine to a few practices  and then went for bath.

As luck would have it, there was no water for bath as the tap ran dry. She stepped out of the bath and asked her maid , about the problem. It seems that the watchman had made the tank full but someone in some other apartment had let the tap open and so all the water had drained out. Frustrating as it was, Ragini decided to make do with the little water from the bucket and got ready to go. She realized that she was getting late.

She came to the car park only to find that someone had parked his car at such an angle that Ragini just could not take her car out. She beckoned the watchman to go to the owner and request him to move the car. In this entire milieu, she lost another 20 minutes. Ragini drove off in a huff but the thought of the training soon brought her mood back. Listening to her favorite music, by and by she landed at the venue.

The training was housed in a conference facility in a huge multi storey mall and being a Sunday, the elevator and reception area near the car park were closed down for service maintenance. She had to take an alternative path to the venue only to find that the gutters were being cleaned. The stench was intolerable but time was ticking by. The training would start at 8.30 am and it was already 8.20 am now. She had planned to reach there by 8.15 am, she thought to herself. ‘Keep cool, keep cool’ she pacified her troubled mind….it’s ok ,I’m alright….a lot of self talk , she smiled to herself.

Finally she reached the venue and seated herself. As she was organizing herself, to her dismay, she figured out that she had left her Blackberry in the car. ‘Oh no’ she thought to herself. Again she had to go all the way to the car park and overcome the entire hurdle race , once again , as it would have been risky to leave the mobile in the car. Fatigued, she plonked herself in the seat and looked at the watch - it was 9 am already and the lecture had long started.

Despite her best efforts, she thought to herself, she was late. If destiny wills the other way, even with best intentions, one is helpless.

 A wise man has said : If you really want to worship something, worship TIME and keep him in your favor.  Cause once Time decides to turn against you, just no one can save you. 

Anagha Hunnurkar

12^th February,  2012.

A date with Divinity

A date with Divinity

‘HI dear, how are you?’ Shubhangi was on the line, ‘It’s February already and we haven’t yet met this year. How about meeting up this Saturday?’

‘Oh sure, but when and where?’ I piped with glee. When we meet,  we meet as threesome (Shubhangi, Shaila and me) Our kids are welcome to join. Kids are now teenagers and barring a few occasions we have always been meeting as threesome. We spend a day together and go home happy and contended to have spent a carefree day with all the liberty to let our hair down, indulge in favorite food  and fill our quota to the brim of all talk including girl talk. So I was just too eager to meet.

‘This time we are planning to go to Gorai to see the Pagoda!’ –Shubhangi

‘Oh , I am game’

‘Wonderful! We will meet up at Borivli station at 9 am’ –Shubhangi

As usual each one of us packed a meal (always with some surprises) and met, to proceed to Gorai. At Gorai we had to cross the creek by a ferry. The quay was teeming with people fully lined up mostly with youngsters in groups who had come picnicking to Esselworld. While the queue was long and winding, the stench of decayed fish had filled the environment. With the sun showing bright on the top, it was just too sickening. Luckily for us, the queue was moving very fast and in no time we were aboard the launch and set sail.

It’s just a 15 minutes ride and within minutes, we could see the golden Pagoda standing tall amongst the mangroves and trees all lined up at the shore. No sooner did the launch dock at the other side of the creek , all young and old headed to the gates. One gate opens to Esselworld and Water kingdom while the other gate opens to the Pagoda.

After the initial security check as we walked past the meditation centre, a world of fantasy unfolded before us. The huge ornate gate with two lion statues welcomed the visitors. Peacock frescos adorned the pillars of the gate and the Burmese styled  structure is a tribute to Myanmar who had so painstakingly preserved through generations the meditative teachings of Buddha and Vipassana.

The entrance to the Pagoda is flanked by statues of bell carriers on one side and drum carriers on the other. The steps to the Pagoda are welcoming and smooth and the expanse is so huge that one is dwarfed by the sheer size. As we finish the steps two huge elephant statuettes in vajrasan mudra pay obeisance to the Divine. The global Pagoda envisioned by Satyanarayanji Goenka is homage to the seers and Myanmar. 

It is constructed entirely through donations world wide (so the word ‘Global’)  be it the land or the intricately carved wooden doors of Burma Teak. The biggest and the best have been used to render the Pagoda as one of the most exclusive monument of modern India. The metallic flag studded with rubies and diamonds, the three foot long crystal housed on the pinnacle, the spire of gold – its extravaganza with élan. The rest of the pagoda is covered in gold paint. It is laced with a canopy intricately carved .It is painted in gold and red. It serves as a catchment for rain water harvesting. The spire is topped with a special ornamental umbrella piece donated by the Burmese. The cherry on the topping is that this pagoda houses relics of Buddha that adds to the energy of the structure.

The foundation of the dome consists of basalt, while the dome itself is made from sandstone imported from Rajasthan. The individual blocks of sandstone weigh 600–700 kg each and are joined by lime mortar. The key stone at the top is about 8 tonnes and balances the huge structure. The circumambulation path is laid in marble.

As we were walking along this path, suddenly we heard screeching sounds followed with cackled laughter. There were plenty of voices intermingled into continuous moaning shrieks. The noise perplexed us for a minute. Soon we realized that they were the outpourings of the populace taking rides in the Esselworld. What a contrast, I thought to myself. Housed together were two structures – one an acknowledgment of man’s need for entertainment and other satiates his spiritual urge. 

Since we were not Vipassana sadhaks , we were not allowed inside the dome. Yet not wanting to give up, we sat and meditated on the bench just outside one of the gates of the dome. It was one of the most divine deep meditations that refreshed and rinsed us internally.

As we saw all this in awe, there was more to come. The video gallery narrates in detail the making of the Pagoda .The art gallery with its large paintings on the life of Buddha coupled with the commentary of each painting is a treat nay feast to the eyes. 

As we wound up for the day, there was just one thought.We surely need to carve out ten days for the Vipassana course. The journey back home was with a heart full and flowing to the brim. Thanks Shubhangi and Shaila, for making my day!

Anagha Hunnurkar

5^th  February 2012