Kasturi

A sweet frangrance in musk deer is Kasturi. Kasturi - kannada magazine has served it's kannada readers since ages spreading the fragrance it desires to. While I picked up the latest copy lying on the table in my house to flip pages, something caught my interest. An article on the death of Chandrashekar Azad. An unbudging man to the British, a martyr at the age of 25 - with such an impact on the British that they feared and thought twice before even nearing his dead body! It is said that the then officer NatBauer fired Azad's feet under the tree where his body laid motionless, fearing he might come to life to wage an attack anytime. Years later, the same officer shows his bullet wound marks caused by Azad with pride to a journalist.

His ashes (the chita bhasma) preserved (more than his life - through deep illness and solitude in personal life) by a relative of Azad was taken on freedom marches and anniversaries at the Alfred park, Allahabad, after his death to invoke a sense of need for freedom. A part of it was used for the Brahman rituals and another part was put in the Allahabad Museum along with all the memorials of Azad. And now, the catch - it went missing! - says the article. Gone are the days when youngsters like Azad and Bhagat Singh offered to offer and also offered their lives for the nation's struggle. Yes, there is no need for a revolution now, because we live in the post-independence period. Everyone is happy and gay with his life and enjoying his freedom of speech, expression, equality and corruption..and the presence of hedonistic political system!! Now are the days where youngsters offer their lives for a love failure and exam failure! In fact, my very own classmate committed suicide after PU exams by setting herself on fire..even after securing a first class. Rabindranath Tagore's Nobel medal and important citations got stolen! Where? How? In a bank burglary? From a bank locker? Ah..let me think..from a University Museum! (reminds me of Dhoom-2) Yes, it happens only in the Indian system. Anybody else would have preserved it like he preserves a gem in his life. He would have loved it like he loves his family. But, on the other hand, there are businessmen like Vijay Mallya who, though out of a flair for flamboyance, (but still) patriotic and a proud Kannadiga does appreciable work (apart from breweries) and brings back - specifically to Karnataka, the sword of Tippu Sultan from London and to India, Gandhiji's belongings from New York.

The same experience with historical monuments - several parts of carvings at Belur, Halebidu being severely damaged..most of it out of intended harm and experiments. And nowadays, many historical monuments depicting sagas of local love stories..I mean, 'carvings' like Nanda loves Nandita (Sorry, bad example). Individually, it does not take much to respect what is our own and in maintaining our belongings to keep them in good shape. Not littering - that's a different issue altogether. I am referring to preserving what we have, what has been passed on and holds great significance of our culture and heritage; places and things of National significance. We definitely cannot protect it from natural erosion, but let's not harm them from our side. Kasturi, the fragrance resides in our ways, like it resides in the musk deer. Hope everyone identifies his/her share present within him/her.