One oft-repeated phrase of our time is, “Change is the only constant thing of this world.” And this is a very apt statement. I call it a phrase of “our time” because the world never moved as fast as it has been moving in the past decades. Almost everything has undergone fundamental changes; be it the way we live, the things we own, the things we looked forward to own, and even our value system. Our relationships have also changed. But my focus right now is not on the macro level changes happening at global scale. I am looking at the way things change for the constant person within his/her lifetime… This change is something which has remained constant over time, though the nature and intensity of changes always vary…  

The kid is free from the burden of expectations on him. He can shout, cry, sleep, or laugh whenever/wherever he wants or feels like. It doesn’t remain the same as he grows up. At times even kids feel that their early-childhood was better than their then-childhood’s stage which is more mature and responsible. Along with time, they feel they are able to enjoy lesser things and in lesser ways and have to live up to the patterns of the society. As they grow up to a certain age, they get to know and feel things which had been invisible to them so far. They get to know that their friends are of two types – boys and girls – and hence they decide to make groups amongst the same gender. “Discipline” is a word which youngsters listen a lot, and at times to the frustrating limits. Their freedom is chained and their behaviors are monitored. Life becomes less fun and more mechanical. After some more years, during what we call adolescence or teenage, when they confuse themselves between being a kid and a grownup man/woman, they get revolting feelings. Their relationships to even their parents are not the same. There is more thinking, judging, and protest, than simply obeying. These years can be very turbulent, depending on the circumstances and environment shaping them. Boys and girls have now their distinct individual personalities, aspirations, value system, philosophies, likes & dislikes. Almost everything changes now, and there is also a kind of “clarity” which they experienced never before. By the time they survive the teen years, they almost become what they had never dreamt of becoming – “part of society” confirming to its standards…  

It is interesting to think that all through the changes, is there something which remains constant? Spirituality will say that only our “soul” remains constant, while our body, our mind, and everything else changes. But talking on a different plane, I wonder again: is there anything which remains the same? It is obvious that everything material would have undergone changes – be it our house, city, gadgets, technology, our bodies, our hair, etc. Are the soft aspects of life the same? Even our likes and dislikes would have changed much. Some things may not change, like kids with sweet tooth may grow up but still love sweet stuff; may be cakes instead of candies. Now, do our relationships change? A son who has now a boss in office and a wife at home to please, does he remain as warm and sweet to his parents as before? A daughter who has got an altogether new family to adjust in and entertain, will she have a change in her priorities? Will a brother behave the same with his sister who is married now? Will a father interrupt his daughter like before even if she has a whole new world to look after? It seems life becomes more complex, more challenging and difficult – but at the same time people also become tougher, abler, and stronger. The point is not the way things go – for better or for worse. The point is that almost nothing remains the same… Is that a pity? Is that a blessing? I am sure more vote would go for the former, but that is not because of facts of life but because of the way we are designed…  

I think we are all designed in a way that we like and seek stability and security. Things which seem predictable to us, things which we can understand and hence judge, look better to us than things which are unpredictable, opaque, dark and aloof, even if appearing more profitable. Hence I think that along with our growing up, we tend to have more insecurities and fears piling inside us… The more we are exposed to new and changed things, somewhere inside our system we should be seeking more stability and less changes, in some way or the other… These insecurities or fears may turn out into complexes of our mind, or may make us do or not do some things. Again the question is not if this is good or bad, because by and large we don’t have a choice! Yet, I think the more we are ‘aware of ourselves’, the ‘stronger’ we are from the inside, and hence better we shall be able to manage these changes… And in the end, managing the changes is same as managing ourselves…  

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While reading “Recess: The Penguin Book of Schooldays” (Penguin Books; Edited by Palash Krishna Mehortra; ISBN 978-0-14-310011-9), I came across some curious portions which touch internal conflicts within Indian society during growing years of Christianity:  

1. … Calcutta in 1834 when I came to that city from my native village. There were then four principle schools – the Hindu College; the General Assembly’s Institution, always called Duff’s School; the School Society’s School, called Hare’s School; and the Oriental Seminary, usually called Gour Mohana Addhya’s School. The question with my father was – into which of these schools should I be put? … There remained then the General Assembly’s Institution, where admission was given generously…  

But, then, there was one serious drawback. Dr. Duff (he was then simply Mr. Duff) was a most zealous Missionary. He made no secret of it, but publicly avowed, that his chief object in setting up the Institution was to initiate Hindu youth into the principles of the Christian religion. He had already appeared as a Public Lecturer on Christianity, and his Lectures had taken Calcutta by storm. Those Lectures had not only created a great sensation in the Hindu community, but had brought to the Christian faith some of the brightest and most intelligent youth of the city. Only a year and half before, Dr. Duff had baptized Krishna Mohana Banerjea (now the Reverend K. M. Banerjea); and the conversion of Krishna Banda – as he was then universally called – had produced a tremendous impression on the Hindu community.  

“Is it right – is it expedient,” argued some of my father’s friends, “to imperil the religion of your son by putting him for education into the hands of so zealous a Missionary, of a man whose avowed object is to eat the religion of young Hindus, of a man who has already succeeded in eating the religion of several young men?”…  

(From Lal Behari Dey, Bengal Peasant Life, Folk Tales of Bengal, Recollections of My School-days (1876), edited by Mahadevprasad Saha, Calcutta: Editions Indian, 1969) 

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2. The Mission School and the Girls’ School were housed in a large bungalow, and were separated by a wall. Only Christians studied in the Girls’ School. The fear of losing caste was so great among the Hindus that they would not send their daughters to school.  

(From Fakir Mohan Senapati, Story of My Life (1918, published in 1927), translated from the Oriya by Jatindra K. Nayak and Prodeepta Das, Bhubneshwar: Sateertha Publications, 1997.) 

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3. “What an annoying fellow that old teacher is, to be sure. If it were not for the English I wouldn’t tolerate him a bit. I had a good mind to give it to him this day. What does he mean by always dinning into our ears the Bible, as if we had no Shastras of our own? I told him today, when he took me aside and spoke to me in serious tones about my spiritual condition, to learn a little more of our Shastras. What can compare with our grand old Vedic religion and our scriptures?” 

“That is right T…! Make the old fellow a convert to our religion,” says an old dame jocularly. “We will give him some marks on his forehead and besmear him with ashes. He will be a perfect Brahmin.” 

“Ha! ha! ha!” laugh all the females, while the males put their heads down and deign to smile inwardly and wear a pleased expression.  

“The polluted old one, how dare he speak of the religion of the pariahs to you, my dear son! I greatly fear him,” says the mother.  

“No need of fear, mother! He will be a convert first before I become one. I am quite a match for him and can hold my own. I tolerate him and the school only for the English. Do you mean to say I like him?” 

The father chuckles in silence. The meal ends and the son majestically stalks out with a heap of books under his arm. The father says to the women with a wink in the direction of the young man, meant to express a sort of a self-satisfied pride. “Leave him to himself. He knows how to manage the old fanatic. Be sure he will come out scatheless. He is no ordinary lad.” 

(From Krupabai Satthianadhan, ‘The Story of a Conversion’, in The Satthianandhan Family Album, Edited with an Introduction by Eunice de Souza, New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, 2005.) 

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4. Ours was a Lutheran Mission School – mostly for boarders who were Christian converts. The teachers were all converts, and, towards the few non-Christian students like me, they displayed a lot of hatred. Most of the Christian students also detested us. The scripture classes were mostly devoted to attacking and lampooning the Hindu gods, and violent abuses were heaped on idol worshippers as a prelude to glorify Jesus. Among the non-Christians in our class I was the only Brahmin boy, and received special attention; the whole class would turn in my direction when then teacher said that Brahmins claiming to be vegetarians ate fish and meat in secret, in a sneaky way, and were responsible for the soaring price of those commodities.  

(From My Days, R. K. Narayan) 

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‘Kama Vs Yama’ (Fun in Devlok Series); By: Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik; Puffin Books (Div of Penguin Books); ISBN: 978-0-143-33195 

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik is one of India’s most popular present day mythologists. I am a big fan of his writings. In his “Fun in Devlok” series of books for children, Dr. Pattanaik tells simple and very interesting mythological stories of Hinduism explaining concepts in the easiest ways for children to grasp, appreciate and love telling to others too. ‘Kama Vs Yama’, as the title suggests is a book about two gods, Kama and Yama. In Hindu mythology, Kama is the god of love and desires while Yama is the god of death. I think their relation or comparison is a new dimension which is explored in this book and it has come out very well.  

In this book, a young kid Jayshree curiously finds god Kama in her neighborhood garden. She was rather a very studious student, but on that day somehow she got the idea of not doing the homework but watching the TV and eating potato chips. Kama becomes her friend and while they planned a shopping trip, suddenly Yama appeared there and started asking Jayshree not to follow Kama’s advice. While the gods argued and Jayshree evaluated the two propositions, she discovers many facts of life and messages which both gods Kama and Yama carry for all… In the end, she finds a perfect ‘balance’ where she could have fun as well as perform all her duties. I will leave more particulars for you to get when you actually pick up this book.  

The book is full of sketches friendly to children and font sizes are big. The book as categorized by the publishers is fit for 6+ years. But I am sure readers from any age group will certainly find this book a thrilling experience. It is also a wonderful gift to children. I highly recommend this enlightening book to one and all.

‘Saraswati’s Secret River’ (Fun in Devlok Series); By: Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik; Puffin Books (Div of Penguin Books); ISBN: 978-0-143-33196-4 

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik is one of India’s most popular present day mythologists. I am a big fan of his writings. In his “Fun in Devlok” series of books for children, Dr. Pattanaik tells simple and very interesting mythological stories of Hinduism explaining concepts in the easiest ways for children to grasp, appreciate and love telling to others too. ‘Saraswati’s Secret River’, as the title suggests is a book about Saraswati. In Hindu mythology, Saraswati is both the name of Goddess of learning, education and wisdom as well as the name of a sacred river. It is believed that on the banks of Saraswati, some greatest scriptures of Sanatan Dharma were written during the Vedic era.  

In this book, Mrs. Sivakami, principal of Madame Mira High School gets a curious visitor who is none other than Goddess Saraswati. Goddess Saraswati is in search of a missing river and enquires if Mrs. Sivakami is aware about it. Mrs. Sivakami is surprised in the beginning but as she goes on in her conversation with Goddess, she actually commences on an eye opening journey which changes the way she looked at education and the modern schooling system… She realized that river Saraswati had stopped flowing in her school because her students were no longer curious… I will leave more particulars for you to get when you actually pick up this book.  

The book is full of sketches friendly to children and font sizes are big. The book as categorized by the publishers is fit for 6+ years. But I am sure readers from any age group will certainly find this book a thrilling experience. It is also a wonderful gift to children. I highly recommend this enlightening book to one and all.

‘Cradle Takes of Hinduism’; By: Sister Nivedita (Margaret E. Noble); Advaita Ashrama; ISBN: 978-81-85301-93-8 

The land of India/Bharat and its innate religion Hinduism have attracted many souls from all across the world. Sister Nivedita, born Margaret Elizabeth Noble, a Scots-Irish social-worker and disciple of Ramkrishna-Vivekananda is one such, and she is an icon in herself. Recently I have had the opportunity to read some of her writings and I consider myself lucky in this regard.  

‘Cradle Tales of Hinduism’, as the title suggests is a compilation of Hindu mythological stories. Most of these stories are already told to us by our mothers, grandparents or elders, and lessons from these stories shape our characters, thinking process, and culture. This is a wonderful book where the stories are told in English in a very touching manner. The writing style of these texts is simple but very charming. While reading the story of Sati, tears came to my eyes many times where she had to sacrifice herself and when Shiva learnt about her loss and felt a pain in heart (which the great God had never experienced before). Or the heart wrenching love story of Nala and Damayanti – though it ended in a happy note. The story of Prahalada and Dhruva – the great devotees is also so touching. And a cute lovely part is the one of Gopala who gets Krishna as his friend and companion because of his mother’s pure devotion. The story of Bhishma, Yudhisthara, Bharata, Vikramaditya’s throne, and even Prithviraj Chauhan are so heart touching that yhis book indeed teaches the readers about the virtues which our religion wants us to practice.  

A highly recommended book for one and all.

‘Forget the Elephants, Watch Out for the Fleas’

By: Justin Herald

Allen & Unwin

ISBN: 978-1-74175-691-3 

This book starts by a powerful thought:  

“You never know how many apples are in a seed.” 

Justin Herald is a successful entrepreneur and was named one of the 50 most influential leaders of the next generation in Australia. The main concept of this book is that most of our problems start out as small as a flea (at times we don’t find them, or see and ignore them), but too often those problems eventually become as huge as an elephant (which we can’t ignore, and these threaten our survival).  

Though the idea looks pretty simple, the author has made it more interesting with his examples and expansions. The language of the book is friendly and I think anyone who reads this book will really enjoy it and learn many things from it.

‘Art of God Symbolism’

By: Swami Chinmayananda

Central Chinmaya Mission Trust

ISBN: 8179570588 

Hinduism is a mysterious religion for many. Are there millions of gods in Hinduism; and so many goddesses? Why there are so many different images in worship – at times opposite and so different than others? Why gods have sometimes four hands, sometimes four heads; and at times they are not even in human image but with a head of a lion or an elephant! There is even a Monkey god in Hinduism, whom Hindus worship with equal devotion! Did Lord Ram really leave Sita Mata and yet is idolized as ideal husband? Such questions are many and the journey to find clear answers to these is not readily available… Until, we have this book in hand.  

‘Art of God Symbolism’ is a wonderful book which explains the real meaning of so many diverse images in Hinduism. It also reveals real meanings of many mythological stories which led to the development of these images. I can’t thank Swami Chinmayananda more; he has done a really brilliant work publishing this book. I am sure it will help in dispelling a lot of wrong perceptions amongst us. The writing in this book is of very high quality and content is not heavy too.  

I have just purchased some more copies of this book which I am gifting to my friends. I think this is a must-read and must-have book for all of us.

‘Emotion, Intellect and Spirituality’

By: Annie Besant

Pilgrims Publishing (2008)

ISBN: 8177695959 

We Indians know Annie Besant as one of the major freedom fighters during our freedom struggle against the British. She was also a Theosophist, women’s rights activist, secularist, writer and orator. As part of her Theosophy related work she had travelled to India and took part in its freedom movement becoming President of the Indian National Congress in 1917.  

This book is a publication of one of her lectures at the Theosophical Society. It gives sight of her thoughts which represent also those of Theosophy. Her thoughts are very learned and she has a deep understanding of human psychology and life. I especially remember the portion of this book where she tells about the importance of a balanced development (intellect Vs emotional) and also her pointers towards our one incarnation to the other.  

This is a small-size book. I think the topic is not light and her writing can best enjoyed by being reflected upon in a second read.