MAHABHARAT QUIZ

  

Mahabharata Quiz

QUESTION 1. Only ten people survived the great war which lasted eighteen days.  The amount of blood that was shed was so much that the soil in this region is dark as compared to its surroundings.  Can you name the ten survivors?			No suspense. The answer is on the right.				ANSWER Kripacharya Kritivarma Ashwatthama Saatyaki Yudhisthir Bhima Arjuna Nakula Sahdeva Krishna
QUESTION 2. We all know that the Sun's chariot has seven horses. This was made popular by the hindi film titled 'Suraj ka Saatvan Ghoda'.  What are the names of the seven horses?							ANSWER Gayatri Bhruhati Ushnik Jagati Tristubh Anustubh Pankti
QUESTION 3. Draupadi bore a son to each of the five Pandava brothers.The five sons were killed by Ashwatthama while they were asleep. This occurred just after the victory over Duryodhana and the culmination of the war.  Can you name the five sons?			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER Yudhisthir's son Prativindhya Bhima's son Sutsoma Arjuna's son Shrutakirti Nakula's son Shataaneek Sahdeva's son Shrutsen
QUESTION 4. It is believed that Krishna had 16 108 wives. In reality, the 16 100 'wives' were captives of Narkasura. When Krishna killed the asura the captive women desired to be with Krishna. Hence they were brought to Dwarka. Krishna married eight women.  Can you name the eight women Krishna actually married?			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER Rukmini Satyabhama Jambwati Sukeshi Suprabha Mitravinda Sudatta Lakshmana
QUESTION 5. The Mahabharata was like the world war of the twentieth century for the Kshatriyas of the ancient times. Prior to the war, while Lord Krishna was negotiating for peace the Pandavas and Kauravas were busy engaging other smaller armies for warfare.  Two famous kshatriyas did not fight the war although they were very close to the actual participants of the Mahabharata. Can you name them?			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER Balaram, brother of Krishna.  His reason was that the sons of Pandu and Dhritrashtra were equally close to him. Rukmi, brother of Rukmini. As a brother in law of Krishna and commander of a powerful army he could not be ignored. Yet the Pandavas rejected his offer of help because Rukmi had been inimical to Krishna before. Rukmi,then went to Duryodhana who turned down the offer of help since Rukmi had already been rejected by Yudhisthir.
QUESTION 6. The Pandavas had other wives beside Draupadi. The other wives bore a son each.  Can you name them?			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER Yudhisthir / Devika // Yaudheya Bhimasen / Balandhara // Sarvag  Hidimba// Ghatotkacha Arjuna / Subhadra // Abhimanyu  Ulupi // Iraavaan  Chitrangada // Babhruvaahan. Nakula / Karenumati // Niramitra Sahadeva / Vijaya // Suhotra
QUESTION 7. There are seven chiranjeevis (who shall live forever)according to our Epics. Name them.			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER Ashwatthama Bali Vyaasa Hanumaan Vibhishana Kripacharya Parashurama
QUESTION 8.Dronacharya was killed by Dhrishtadyumna, the son of Drupada. Who killed Dhrishtadyumna?			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER Dronacharya's son, Ashwatthama. After the 18 days of war, when the tired, victorious warriors were sleeping in the night Ashwatthama killed them all. Thus the only survivors of the war were those mentioned at Q No 1.
QUESTION 9.The updesh of the Lord, Bhagvad Gita, was just after Yudhishthir and the Pandavas sought the benediction of the elders and just before the start of use of weapons. How many shlokas does the Bhagvad Gita contain?							ANSWER Total shlokas in the Bhagvad Gita are 701.
QUESTION 10. What was the name of Karna's divine bow? Who gave it to him?			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER  The bow was known as 'Vijay'. Parashuram had given this bow to Karna.
QUESTION 11. Karna had the amogh 'Shakti' weapon which he saved for use against Arjuna. But he had to use it against some other person.  On whom did he use it?			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER Ghatotkacha, the son of Bhima and rakshasi Hidimba.
QUESTION 12. Only four people knew how to enter into a 'Chakravyuh'. Can you name them?			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER  Krishna Arjuna Pradyumna, son of Krishna Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna. Abhimanyu did not know how to come out of the Chakravyuh.
QUESTION 13. The sound of the conch was a signal of enthusiasm and victory. Can you name the conches of Krishna and the five Pandavas?							ANSWER  Krishna - Paanchjanya Yudhisthir -- Anantvijaya Bhima -- Paundra Arjuna -- Devadutta Nakula -- Sughosha Sahdeva -- Manipushpaka
QUESTION 14. During the game of dice and the subsequent vastraharan of Draupadi, Krishna was not present.  Where was he?			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER Krishna was busy fighting a long drawn battle with Shalva.
QUESTION 15. Just as Sita was kidnapped during the exile of Rama in the forest, Draupadi too suffered the same fate during the thirteen years 'Vanvaas'.Ravana had kidnapped Sita.  Who kidnapped Draupadi?			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER Jayadratha.  Jayadratha was the husband of Duryodhana's only sister, Dusshala.
QUESTION 16. What was the name of Duryodhana's son.  How did he die?			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER Duryodhana's son was known as Lakshmana. He was killed by Abhimanyu, Arjuna's son.
QUESTION 17.Parikshit, son of Abhimanyu and Uttara was the sole survivor of the Pandavas. He had four sons. Can you name them?			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER The four sons were Janmejaya. Shrutasena Ugrasena Bhimasena
QUESTION 18. In ancient times the charioteer played a very important role for the warrior. Indra's great charioteer established the scale of excellence with which all others were compared. What is the name of Indra's charioteer.			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER Maatali.
QUESTION 19. After observing the sheer power of the atomic bombs dropped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the famous American Scientist J R Oppenheimer quoted a line from the Bhagvad Gita. Can you name the shloka?							ANSWER J R Oppenheimer said "Brighter than a thousand suns !"  The translation of the complete shloka (Ch 11- shl 12) is : The splendour of the mighty Lord is brighter than a thousand suns bursting forth all at once in the heavens.
QUESTION 20. Who were the Commanders-in-chief of the Kaurava Army and for how long?			The answer is on the right.				ANSWER Bhisma for 10 days Drona for 5 days Karna for 2 days Shalya for half a day. After the mace duel between Duryodhana and Bhima, the former, with broken thighs, waited for death. During this time Ashwatthama arrived and told of his intention to kill the sleeping Pandava survivors. Duryodhana was very pleased with the idea and asked Guru Kripacharya to anoint Ashwatthama as Commander-in-chief.

                                                                                        

THE MORE THE THINGS CHANGE THE MORE THEY LOOK THE SAME.

THE MORE THE THINGS CHANGE THE MORE THEY LOOK THE SAME.

It’s election times in our beloved country, India/Bharat. Coincidently I am reading ‘Madame Bovary’ a novel by Gustave Flaubert first published in 1857 set in then ruling Monarchy. The following lines sound very familiar even in today’s context and nothing, nothing seems to have changed. Our politicians organize similar farmers’ rallies and cattle fairs and speak the same words spoken some 150 years back.

“Surely it would be pointless gentlemen, for me to demonstrate to you the usefulness of agriculture. Who is it that provides for our needs? Who is that maintains our food sully? Is it not the farmer? The farmer, gentlemen, showing with laborious hand the fertile furrows of our country side…..providing food for the poor as well as the rich.”

And the tamasa goes on: read on:

‘The ceremony was over; the crowd dispersed and, now that the speeches had all been read, everyone resumed his rank and every thing returned to normal; the masters shouted crossly at their servants, the servants beat the animals and the animals returned to their barns as indolent triumph with gree wreaths between their horns’

At last Modi remembered Sardar Patel and embarks on erecting his statue on 31^st October 2013 that will be the tallest in the world, taller than the Statue of Liberty In NY. Lord Krishna for Dwarka travels to Patna to in the guise of a tea vendor and promises to wipe the tears of all Yaduvansies.

Rahul Gandhi invokes his grandmother and father and reminds us of their sacrifice.  

After elections  all will return to normal and the herds (read voters) will resume doing what they are destined to do.  

HEAVEN'S VERY SPECIAL CHILD

HEAVEN'S VERY SPECIAL CHILD

A meeting was held quite far from Earth!
It's time again for another birth.
Said the Angels to the LORD above,
This Special Child will need much love.
 
His progress may be very slow,
Accomplishments he may not show.
And he'll require extra care
From the folks he meets down there.
 
He may not run or laugh or play,
His thoughts may seem quite far away,
In many ways he won't adapt,
And he'll be known as handicapped.
 
So let's be careful where he's sent,
We want his life to be content.
Please LORD, find the parents who
Will do a special job for you.
 
They will not realize right away
The leading role they're asked to play,
But with this child sent from above
Comes stronger faith and richer love.
 
And soon they'll know the privilege given
In caring for their gift from Heaven.
Their precious charge, so meek and mild,
Is HEAVEN'S VERY SPECIAL CHILD.
 
 
by Edna Massionilla
December 1981
The Optomist- newsletter for PROUD
Parents Regional Outreach for Understanding Down's Inc.

ON BEING MODERATELY MODERATE

BEING MODERATELY MODERATE

Lot has changed since we were in schools. The changes are evident in every walk of life from the clothes we wear to the living standards we follow. Even the way we think and act in a given situation. The changes are more dramatic in the way we observe our religious beliefs or dictates.

Let us first talk about dress because that is the most visible. Nothing much has changed as far as men’s dressing is concerned because the poor fellow has a few choices from wide flared to narrow drain piped trousers, from full sleeved to muscle shirts or from flat heeled-wide toed to high heeled narrow toed shoes. Nothing really matters what he wears at home which can be a lungi to a Bermuda. All the designers’ wear for the females, of the females but not necessarily by the females. In those olden days the girls would come to school/college in salwar suits/lahanga kurta /sarees. The salwar suits or lahanga kurta were accompanied by dupattas (scarves). The saree were worn in such a way that only the small angle of the neck was visible. The whole idea was to cover the cleavage. In a way it was regressive because managing the saree was a job by itself and during summer times these dresses were quite oppressive. Things started changing for some good when skirt tops in schools replaced salwar suits/lahanga kurta at least. Currently there is some sort of competition among females in out placing each other by dressing as scantly as possible. The tops are moving upwards and the jeans/skirts are going downwards. So is the case with blowze and saree. It appears what is good for the west is good for us too. The good thing is that there are people liberal enough to accept the change but there are people who would impose dress codes in schools colleges and offices.

The other area is about religion. There are fundamentalists and there are liberals and moderates. There are rebels who would eat meat and drink alcohol much against the dictates of the tradition and there are moderates who would not mind this happening in moderation. There are fundamentalists who would want their women to dress in a particular way and there are moderates who accept the changes in moderation. There are people dead against inter cast marriages and there are moderates who do not put any hurdles.

Another area is the value system. These days it is quite common for men and women frequenting bars and discotheques and enjoying the fare late into nights. Not only dress codes or food habits or religious beliefs have changed but also the entire gamut of our way of living has changed. It will not be very correct to say that this change is visible only among the educated and upwardly mobile strata of our society. Even the middle class and lower middle class is not untouched. We should not be surprised if we find a jean top clad teenaged girl in some remote village of our country.

Moderation in moderation is good but the point is how moderate the moderate should be. Simply put how to define moderation.     

The Kashmir Concert - LIVE - Zubin Mehta and the Bavarian Orchestra

FALLEN LEAVES--POEM

1.Cloudy sky singling much needed rains, Sitting on a bench, feeling relaxed free, I’m wondering if the heat wave will go, With the lashing winds and swinging tree. 2.Suddenly winds pick up a menacing speed, And turns into fierce and revengeful dusty storm, Blowing everything on its way, tearing branches, Uprooting trees and scattering leaves of every form. 3.Do these tree lament over the fallen leaves, As humans fight to save their dear ones in vain, Do these trees cry over the broken branches? Or simply look forward to life emerging once again. 4 Such questions often remain unanswered, Why dying is must before life begins anew, Why suffering is essential before glory, And why cross leads to crown but after all hue. ,

THE HORIZON OF MY DREAMS-SHORT STORY- PART 3-THE END OF HORIZON. 3. THE END OF HORIZON

My child is no more a child. At least that is what I am made to understood in the language of a teenager. You should not worry so much for me Mom. I am grown up and can take care of myself. Dad’s DNA!!! You should take care of yourself. Look at yourself. You are just 30 and you look 50. Why don’t you have friends? Why does the smile fade away from your face, the moment we say goodbye? Do you think I don’t understand? Cheer up Mom! I want you to be smiling, cheerful and beautiful looking at all times of the day, even when I am away to school. Promise? This is how the summer vacations ended with a few words of advice from my growing up child. Back to the same crushing routine! I am, however, finding some changes in me. I dress well now. Return home immediately after office, cook the meals I like and wish I could share it with someone who cares. The past is all I have or is it the present? Does my present has a future and who will be responsible for that? I look around and find no one, not even my son. One day he too will be ‘gone’. He will have a career, a family and perhaps a place for me too. I am my own shadow. He seems to be a nice person. He has just taken over as a Head of the Business Division. He does have attitude but then he can afford it. The restructuring process that he has initiated calls for reduction of work force and relocation too. He thinks I am good enough to take charge of a branch but that means leaving the town and going far away from my son. I explain to him that career is not so important to me, my son is. He could understand. I never try to know anything personal about him except that his wife does not live with him. He does not seem to be worried about it. He is sort of a workaholic. He is the first to reach the office and last to go. Higher management is happy with his work. He has so many success stories to his credit. He does not show any personal interest. Times passes so vaguely. We have an annual office party to celebrate the successful year. After a few words of official jargons, we are left to enjoy the evening. I do not why but I thought of giving a try to a glass of wine. I do not know when and how took another glass offered by him. He can be so sporty and copious, I never anticipated. The party gave us an opportunity to open up. We are coming nearer to each other. He invites me to a late dinner on the weekend and I willingly accept it. We keep our meetings as discrete as possible. We do not want any problem in the office. He is as lonely as I am and both have the right to be happy. Old days of happiness seem to be returning. He is so caring. I think I have got my wings again. I can fly again and touch the horizons. I am pregnant and tell him so. You should have been careful, he says. I do not complain. I should have been careful in the first place. He looks worried, lest I may try to take advantage of him and his position. I am told that he has asked for a transfer. Management does not want to lose him and therefore agrees to his request. Don’t worry I tell him. It was my problem. I show him the termination of pregnancy certificate. I am not sure how he felt but I know there is no horizon. I know because I have taken many strides towards it but could never touch it. I will have to look for my horizon within myself. Concluded.

THE HORIZON OF MY DREAMS- SHORT STORY- PART 2-BLURRED HORIZON

Horizon can be so deceptive! It’s like mirage in the desert. One moment it is just within reach. You run towards it and it moves away inviting, tantalizing. Those who know its reality do not fall prey to its deception. It is however possible to possess the horizon however illusory it might be, and I know it. Reality dawn when you lose that horizon of your dreams, and I know it too. Life moves on. I have a past full of treasures, a job for support and a child for company. I am becoming selfish though for my child. I have to tell you, my child, my dear, my dream now or never. When you grow up you will understand why I had to be cruel and selfish. In a quest for a very successful life for you, I have sent you to the boarding school up in the hills. You did not want to go but my ambitious self would not budge. I promised we will meet on weekends. In some remote corner in my heart is the desire to show that I will not fail in taking care of you. Believe me it will be tough in the beginning but in the end we both will succeed. My job was keeping me away from you for hours and you were anyway spending time with others. Sometimes I failed to pick you up at the appointed time, and you had tears in your eyes. It won’t be any different but we will get used to it. Besides, you are not very far from here. I can come to you any time you want me. One day, when you will grow you will realize how this separation helped you in becoming an independent, disciplined and knowledgeable person. Our sacrifice will not go in vain. I am taking this step for your future. Deep inside I also know I am doing it because I have a promise to keep. I have to ensure that you do not hear people saying –‘only if the dad was alive’! Does life moves on for persona like me? Why do I feel my life is stuck at one place? Everything else seems to be normal. The same people are moving around. They are happy and giggling. The cycle of time moves in the same direction. Seasons come and go. The river is still flowing under the bridge. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Clouds deliver rains, sun burns the skin. But why the moonlight is not soothing? Why it looks so lonely? Am I lonely? Should I be? There is hardly any change in the daily chorus. Why is it then I do not feel like returning home after work? Why it does not look inviting? I am becoming workaholic. I am still in office when everybody else has left. In today’s global village, one can work 24x7 but my job contract does not require me to do so. I do get some extra payments but I am not working for that extra payment. I know I do not want to return home. Its empty walls close on me the moment I enter as if to crush me into powder. Sometimes I go without having anything for dinner. Lying awake on the bed does not shorten the night. Many a times my hands reach to the phone to talk to my child and then I withdraw. Five years is a long time but not long enough to forget the loved one. Five years can be very long years in a life of solitude and desertion. Every day comes as one more day of futile struggle. Every night come one more night of depression. Somehow I try to fight it out and remind myself of the goal ahead, the goal of making my child, a child of our dreams, the most adorable person in the world. It keeps me going. I do not know what would have happened to me if we did not have the child. My whole life circles around the life of my child. I am the horizon of my child. I hope you are listening, I will not fail you. My loneliness will not come in the way of your dreams because your dreams are my dreams. Continued

THE HORIZON OF MY DREAMS-SHORT STORY-PART 1-MEETING THE HORIZON

I never knew the true meaning of horizon until we met. As a child I was told horizon was the point where the sky meets the earth. I believed so because I could see it as far as my eyes could take me. I thought of going that far one day and see it for myself. I simply imagined it as best as my imagination could lead me. It was a place where the fairies resided. It was a place full of goodies, dolls, flowers, candies, fancy dresses. As I grew up, I fantasized of horizon a place where two lovers met. Then I was told there was no horizon. It was only an illusion. I tried to go by this logic but imagining, to me, was something very natural. One has to imagine things what one cannot see. Don’t we have an imaginary figure of God, our own God, different from all other Gods? We imagine places we have not seen but hope to see some day. Some places look so beautiful in photographs. May be they are or are not that beautiful in reality. I imagined of foreign lands where soil was green, not as brown and black as ours. I imagined of rainbow forests, silvery peaks, and flowery valleys. I dreamt of all what I thought was beautiful, mesmerizing and twinkling. I was not sure if they existed but I had to convince myself again and again that they did. I met my horizon in you and that convinced me that my dreams were for real. You encompassed me from all sides possessing, protecting and forgiving like the horizon encompasses the earth. I was scared and lacked confidence. You gave me wings to fly and together we flew over the mountains, down the valleys, across the oceans and along the winds. At times we flew against the winds also. Initially I was scared of flying but you were there to hold my hand and I was no more scared. You gave me strength to swim against the tides of the deep and stormy oceans, race along the fast and furious rivers. Why does it happen that faith surmounts all hills? Could I have done this without you or you were there just to witness that I could do it? I knew you will support me if I fall. My faith knew no logic. Strange it does look, but we were not even known to each other before we were made to live life together by our parents. I remember those early days of strangeness and hesitation. As days passed, realization drew home the reality of a life to be lived together. You made it so easy by taking care of me. You could read my mind and peep into my heart. How else you knew everything before I even conceived it? I agree that there are people who can do it if they are in love you. You made me so dependent on you that I could not visualize a life without you. I never wanted to be otherwise. It gave me some unspeakable pleasure and sensation beyond the boundaries of our relationship. I loved being dependent on you. You were perfection incarnate. The horizon of your love for me knew no boundaries. It was limit less. It is for this reason of need for limitless love that the earth does not want to touch the sky. How can it touch the sky that is protecting it from all sides? Illusion it may seem but touching the limitless may defile its purity. How can a mortal human be so perfect? How can one even think of touching perfection? You made me a person capable of facing the world on my own terms. You taught me everything as if I will need them. I could overcome my shyness, my lack of confidence in myself and more importantly to be always on your side in every situation good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, success or failure. You insisted that I complete my education and obtain a professional degree. You insisted that I take up the job offered to me during the placement times. And then fate snatched you away from me. You knew it. Didn’t you? Now I can recall your words why you wanted me to be strong and independent –‘you may need it Darling’. Trust me I did not fail. You must have seen it from where ever you are. I am raising our child the way you would have wanted. I am not perfect and have to stand on my guard all the time. What if I fail? What if my horizon gets blurred? Continued---

A TRUE CONFESSION-THE REASON FOR STRESS AND DISCRIMINATION IS MAN -HUMOR

My Lord! I have a confession to make. I confess that I am, the man, is the reason for stress for and discrimination against women. From the very beginning I have caused her stress and have discriminated against her in every possible way. It started from the day she innocently offered me that damn apple. Before that she was a very happy person. She would get up in the morning, go about her usual chorus, wander in the vast splendor of the mighty ocean on her boat, occasionally anchor the boat close to some island, collect fruits for a few weeks’ requirement and return to her heaven under the banyan tree for a good night sleep. Then I appeared as I had lost my way in the vast expanse of the ocean and requested her to show the way. She was kind to offer me some sweet water and a fruit which later on I came to know was called apple. I ate the fruit and drank some water and asked for her permission to leave for my destination, still unknown to me. She told me it was too late in the night and I could do so in the morning. I agreed and rested under that banyan tree. Something happened that night and in the morning neither I asked for her leave to go nor did she ask me to go. We would roam about the island, pick fruits and thought we would live happily ever after until one morning she complained of sickness. It was the first morning of sickness but many more mornings of stress. She had no clue what was happening to her nor did I. We thought it would pass. There was no question of my leaving her in this state of affairs. Her belly started growing up bigger and bigger and with this the stress became acute to the point of beyond tolerance. My Lord, since then there has been no let up in the stress level. It has only gone up. In time we were joined by another being like her. After some time she again had those morning sicknesses and then one more addition of a being under the banyan tree sometimes like her, sometimes like me. We developed some sort of feelings for them and consciously knew they were our responsibilities. My lord responsibilities add up to stress more for her because she stopped going out for the sake of them and thus lost her independence. I, on the other hand was not stressed because my job was to remain outside most of the time and for that I had a big excuse of collecting fruits. I confess I should have helped her. My Lord! I also confess I have discriminated against her, not only against her but also against like her. Like me, my likes also joined me in remaining outside for collecting fruits. They learnt pretty fast how not to return before sunset and avoid helping the ‘shes’. I sided with them even though I knew I was wrong. I made sure that those like me got all the attention, ate the best fruits and did practically nothing around the banyan tree. I discriminated against them because they were not like me. With the passage of time, we learnt more tricks to make living more living like. We covered the trunk of banyan tree from all sides and made a cover over our heads to save us from rain and cold. I would say we became sort of permanent livers under that banyan tree. The grownups like me and like her left for better living and probably settled under some tree in pairs of like me and like her. My Lord! I am the 100000000000000000000000000000000thafter as many winters. Today we are so to say modern and civilized but I confess nothing has changed for her, we call woman. I, now called man, am solely responsible for her stressful life and I leave no opportunity to discriminate against her. Still today I do not share any household responsibilities while she for long started sharing outside responsibilities. Her stress level has increased many folds but I couldn’t care less. Same with discrimination. I discriminate against her from day one. She gets lesser clothes, lesser food, lesser education and sadly lesser love. She employed lesser than us, is paid lesser than us, promoted lesser than us and forced to quit in the so called family interest. My Lord! This is my confession, my sin and my redemption. I know it is too little but I think partly it is your fault too. You could have kept me with you. She would have been still single, stress free and independent. She definitely could have lived without me. Now she has got used to me and I am used to her. Confession is the only way-out.

THE CROWD PULLER -3-IDENTIFICATION WANTED-STORY

Three days after the following Notice appeared in the local News paper. “IDENTIFICATION WANTED. General Public is hereby informed that a man, who was seen performing jugglery at several places in the town for the last one year was found hanging from a tree in the Town Hall Park. Post mortem report has confirmed death by strangulation and no foul play is suspected. So far no body has come forward to claim his body. He is about 35 years of age, medium built, wheatish color, about 5’ 7” height. His photo is given below. Anybody known to him may contact the town police station within 3 days. If no claimant comes forward within the stipulated time, the body will be donated to local medical hospital.” Normalcy has already returned in the town. Media has more spicy subjects to cover. Some journalists tried to follow the rumor of someone looking the juggler performing in nearby town but could not establish the truth. There were people swearing by their Gods or mother but that was all. They too were of no help. This only showed how unconcerned our journalists are. They need someone to take them to the subject and then only they can click their cameras, activate their mikes and open their mouths like untrained parrots. Some families who had earlier said the face resembled the face of their long lost son did come to the police station but returned without saying anything. Had the dead man left some fortunes behind there would not have been any dearth of claimants but who cares for a man so shabbily dressed lying in a police morgue with a decomposed body? The three days notice passed and if anything happened it was that the body became 6 days older and still dead. Police was left with no option but to notify that the body of the juggler has been donated to the town hospital. It was expected that the doms there will help the student doctors learning anatomy.

THE CROWD PULLER-2-TENSION IN TOWN - STORY

Curfew has been imposed in the town following clashes between two communities over the dead body of the juggler. Both sides are claiming that the juggler belonged to their community as they will perform the last rites as per their religious belief and rituals. The administration is taking all the precautions to restore peace and sanity. Until yesterday he was simply a juggler and good at that, mysterious though. He entertained people and people felt happy. The question of his religion or faith was of no concern. A juggler is a juggler and that was all. As long as he was alive nobody cared to know what he did for living, where he lived and so on. A dead body can arise the conscience of people in such a strange way was quite unexpected. Thousands of unclaimed dead bodies are disposed of by the administration without any ceremony every day and the collective conscience of people remains unconcerned. A dead juggler can do what a live juggler can’t. Leaders from both the communities sitting on their high perches are making provocative statements. Political leaders of all shades and color have descended in the town having close door meetings with their followers and chalk out the strategy. The whole atmosphere is pregnant with uneasy calm. Chances are there that if an amicable settlement is not reached in time, tempers may fly and situation may go out of control. There are some moderates who think peace can be restored the religion of the dead juggler could be established. Somebody has suggested that his penis be examined to ascertain if he was circumcised or not. If yes, he belonged to this community, if not, he belonged to that community. It was a long shot but could possibly settle the issue but leaders of both the communities opposed it for fear of losing the dead body and therefore the right of ownership. Both sides were putting forward evidences to show that their community has produced more jugglers than the other and therefore, as per the law of average, he must belong to them. History was being reread from the very beginning of creation to prove the point. This also failed to settle the issue because everybody knows that history over the period becomes fiction and biased. The recorder of events becomes more important than the events themselves. One more suggestion about how the juggler dressed was also rejected because no juggler dresses the same every second day. Besides they have their own outfit to suit their hidden tools for hypnotizing the audience. The problem was further confounded by the fact that no one had seen him visiting any religious place or eating at a particularly designated community eatery. Nobody in fact knew anything about him except that he occasionally performed in this or that or that park or pavement. The administration had to relax the curfew for a few hours in the morning so that people may buy goods of their daily need. Complete vigil was kept over the movement of people during this time. It was not necessary because nobody ventured outside their Mohall/neighborhood. Schools and offices were closed and emergency medical cases were handled under special curfew passes. Some people died even before the passes could be obtained. People were running out of essentials but were prepared to pay the price for the sake of religious pride. The worst sufferers were the daily wagers, petty traders, vegetable vendors and such other people but when the leaders have to deal with such an enormous and far reaching decision, such inconveniences are of no consequence. Print and electronic media too was washing their dirty hands in the running water as the saying goes. Depending on wishes of their akas (lords), they were playing the tunes. Their investigative journalists were coming out with stories about the juggler, about his family, background. They had met many families who suspected the photo resembles their long lost son. These families were from both sides of the divide. Confusion and only confusion reigned supreme. Suddenly from out of blue a rumor was making rounds that some people had seen the juggler performing in the nearby town. Those in the know were swearing by their holy books that the information was true. Some thought it was a canard spread by the administration to ease out the tension. If nothing else, it made people complacent and less aggressive. The administration assured the people to enquire into the whole issue and requested them to maintain peace. In the hope of seeing their beloved juggler again, people started going about their regular business and normalcy was returning. THE DEAD BODY OF THE MAN WHO WAS A JUGGLER OR LOOKED LIKE HIM WAS STILL LYING IN THE POLICE MORGUE WAITING FOR A CLAIMANT.

THE CROWD PULLER - STORY

He was a happy go lucky man or that is what people thought about him. He has that uncanny gift of attracting attention. There was something mysterious about him. He could be seen at different parts of the city pulling crowds at pavements or parks with his jugglery, antics and rare feel of forget me not behavior. He was just any common man in the streets and dressed casually. He would appear from nowhere and disappear to nowhere. People had seen him performing on the pavement and parks but beyond that no one knew what he did for a living or where he lived. With a bag hanging on his shoulders and slippers on his feet he was a man with a mission-to entertain people. He could imitate popular film stars and politicians. He could juggle with five rubber balls, spindles, rings, bottles, cups and never falter even once. He could many magical tricks with cards. He could tell exactly how much cash you had in your wallet. He could tell whether the photo of the beautiful girl in your wallet was your wife or fiancée. He could convert a torn currency note in a brand new one. He could multiply your currency many times and could let it disappear. All what he needed was stand on a pavement or in a park, blow his trumpet and crowd would assemble around him. Children were his favorite. In fact he has tricks up his arms for every age group. His shoulder bag was his store house of all his belongings and magic materials. No one including the police constable on beat would object to his roadside show even if it was obstructing traffic... For the sake formality he would politely ask him to finish it as fast as possible. It looked he enjoyed it more than anybody else. He never accepted any reward or payment. That is probably he was miles apart from other jugglers who played for money. That is one of the reasons he could keep his audience around him for as long as he wished. Sometimes people will insist that he accept the little amount he offered but he would distribute the same among the poor kids watching his show. Then he would blow his trumpet as signal for the end of the show and move as silently as he had appeared. People had different takes on his life and motives. Some went to the extent of telling that he was a CID man in disguise looking for some dreaded criminal or collecting some intelligence information. Some said he was a detective from a neighboring country. Some said he was a jilted lover taking revenge on his lover. Some even opined that he was God’s messenger distributing smile on earth in his peculiar way. It is strange that nobody had any clue where he lived. Above all one needs some sort of bed to place his back on even if it is a pavement. One needs to take a bath, wash his clothes, and have some meals all of which he apparently did. One needs a shelter to hide his head. Agreeing that he slept on pavements, used the public wash rooms and ate at some eateries, how come that he had remained elusive for all these months? How come that nobody had seen him anywhere except when he was performing? Did he change his attire after the show? These and many similar questions were the topic of discussions after the shows ended but there were no answers or may be nobody really tried. Above all he was just a juggler. Everybody however agreed that he was a crowd puller and expert entertainer. The town was abuzz with the news that a man in his thirties was found hanging from a tree in the park. Those who had seen the body were sure he was the juggler. News spread like fire that the juggler was dead. People who he had entertained for the last few months were rushing to the police station for the last ‘darshan’. Would they perform his last rites too? ODE TO THE GREAT CROWD PULLER.