Yesudas effect
Everybody thinks of Mozart effect when they hear about Music therapy .They have read about it in internet and therefore are familiar with that term. But what is Mozart effect and how did that term come to stay? Tomatis, a Medical professional tried Mozart in autistic spectrum disorders and found that the children show better response than to other types of western musical forms. And the method is called Tomatis method and the effect as Mozart effect .The greatest blame on this method and effect has been that it does not help develop or improve language in autistic children.
Probably the reason for this is the lack of vocal part in the music he used.
My method is Yesudas effect .It is vocal music based on Indian Ragas I use for my patients/aquaintances/friends/myself.. And it is a whole range of healthy and unhealthy people of extremes of age groups and adults, of both sexes and of at least four different languages affected over four decades that I have at my disposal for demonstration/proof of Yesudas effect . And ,the effect of music is not just for curing an illness ,but for a self healing process of the entire society ,and for being at peace with oneself and the world-the internal and external miliue-the biofield and cosmic field of energy that Indian classical Raaga music is devised. And I use it in such a way .I don’t know whether this can be called Suvarna’s method just as Mozart effect is called Tomatis method who did research and therapy with Mozart effect (If we adopt modern medicine standards.) But ,though I propagate the method ,it had been there for millennia used by our ancestors ,and I know that it cannot be called either my method or Yesudas effect but it is the effect of music ,of raga,of swara rendered in a specific way and utilized in a specific way. That is the Indian way of discoveries and practices in Sruthi.And music is always Sruthi.
What I did and how this started is important because it gives an idea of my method and its evolution over four decades that is ever since Yesudas started his singing career. I have been a born music lover from age 3 as far as I can remember and my first listenings were of M.S.Subbalakshmy,Chembai VaidyanathaBhagavathar, that proceeded to P.Suseela, Latha Mangeshkar and Mohammad Raffi ,not to speak of P.B.Sreenivas,A,M.Raja ,and other stalwarts of the time. .The experiments with music started on me and my study patterns (on concentration, memory) and then on the children (normal) of my own family like my brother, and kids who were given in my care by my cousins and sisters to put to sleep with lullabies. Then when I became a medical student and knew something about the peculiarities of human ear and of acoustics, and the physiology of nervous system I could understand some reasons for the effects of music on me and on children and adults .This became a real research protocol when my son was born and I studied it systematically.
Why people hear music?
The purpose of music listening is many and it is subjective.
1. Timepass
2. use as a background music while doing household chores
3. Hobby
4. Relaxation
5. Professional musicians critically hear to learn and improve
6. Out of genuine love for music.
7. as a research
In my case it started as a music Rasika (music lover) by birth and then evolved as a research due to my inherent nature of questioning and search for truth, and then as a medical professional and a medical teacher and researcher it evolved as a system of music therapy .When you are a doctor naturally the effects of music on physiology and anatomy and neuropsychoimmunology etc will be thought of and understood and experimented with. All these in a teaching profession made me think of a curriculum and syllabus and research protocols for study and treatment and this evolved through my method of Yesudas effect.
I have given these details in four of my books on music.
1. Music therapy for administration, management and education.Readworthy publications
2. Ragachikitsa.Readworthy publications New Delhi.
3. Naadalayasindhu (Raagachikitsaamritham) D C Books Kottayam
4. without a stumble. A book on spirituality of music .Nalapat books
What is important with Yesudas that helped my research protocol: _
One is the range of music he has produced.
Second is the range of languages in which they are produced so that I can do a national level protocol.
Third is that he has popular music, devotional music (in all religions), nonfilm light music and classical Hindustani as well as Karnatic music for use in any range of population speaking any Indian languages .Among the popular music itself I could find people with a range of interests like Romantic, philosophical, poetical, humourous, children songs and devotionals and all these ranges from Yesudas alone. And for autistic children the use of Yesudas music has been of use to language recognition and improving language and communication skills most of the case histories from parents themselves.
The research on Yesudas’ classical music and live kutcheris evolved out of these preliminary studies and free association surveys over several decades. The prospective research on kutcheris started in 1998 (since 12 years) and I have listened to 150 and odd live kutcheris of just this one singer for the sake of a research project on his music in these 12 years. I have a collection of many other stalwarts in classical music on several ragas along with that of Yesudas for this purpose. The reason for hearing live kutcheris of a single musician as many times as possible is that it is essential for any researcher who wants to know about the many aspects of music and certain nuances of a kutchery which one learns not from books .For a person who spent time for time pass or for hearing music as a hobby and relaxation this may not be necessary. But for a researcher who uses the vocal music of a single person and do research on its effect on health of individuals and on society this is mandatory. To follow a musician’s music is to follow his kutcherys and his recorded music as far as possible and have a rapport with him .An almost similar protocol was done on sufi music(khawali) of India and Pakistan by Regula Berkhardt as explained in her book “Sufi music of India and Pakistan”.
The journey started first by understanding how my habit of hearing music for five minutes and then studying for 15 minutes and repeating the cycles regularly helped me to concentrate more and memorise more and what type of music helped me to do so.Later on I understood that the method is actually giving me five minutes alpha waves and then allow my brain to be more receptive again to what I learn in next 15 minutes when my beta waves work .
The use of 72 melakartharaaga for therapy, I base on its mathematical, astrophysical, musical, sine cosine wave functions and also on the philosophy of ayurveda, and yoga in Indian way of life. Thus it is an integration of several sciences and arts. It depends on sine wave and harmonics which is common to music, biocycles like cardiac cycles (which is also 72/mt incidentally) and astronomical cycles. The Doppler effect as described by Sankaracharya and the other scientist/philosophers before him in India had helped them to develop the harmonics of sine waves of music to control sine waves of blood circulation and to develop Naadalayayoga.To prove this a pilot project was done at Amrita hospital and it was successful statistically .
Hence my method use the principles of medicine like:
1. Doppler effect in cardiovascular system flow
2. Principle of EEG in transforming beta waves to alpha waves or meditational waves
3. All stress and strains and tensions of life-professional, domestic and others- cause several disorders which are somatic. All these can be treated and prevented by music which reduce stress and strain
4. Psychoneuroimmunology
5. Immunological parameters
6. Both prevention and cure of disorders
7. At extremes of life and in people with and without mental retardation and with or without memory loss one can use music but the principles of use is different in each
8. In narrative medicine and family medicine
9. In cancer and heart disease and also obstetrics and gynecology
10. in surgical wards
11. in traumatic head injury and coma
12. in educational institutions
13. in professional life
14 In integration of all branches of medicine for proper healthcare of society
15. for world peace
16. in therapy for rapport
17. I think that this can also be used in agriculture for better food production and in animal husbandry since music has no boundaries between anything and anyone. I haven’t done research in that field but assume that it is possible and if anyone from these fields can start a programme of research it would be good.
It is not just an adjunct therapy but a golden thread which integrates all branches of sciences and arts, especially for integration of all branches of medical care
Thus the use is from lullaby to deathbed and the method is cost-effective and without side effects if used judiciously
I understand that God had made me an eternal music lover by birth, and a medical teacher by profession, just for doing good for society, for humanity and for the discipline of music therapy so that I am made to develop this method for education, health and integrated approach for all sciences and arts for peace of individuals, society, nation and the world. In that research protocol of God, my birth at a time when Yesudas lived and sang was probably inevitable.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Measurements in psychological field and mind space
Measurements in psychological field and mind space
Since homosapiens evolved, we have been observing, comparing, seeking to classify what we observed, recording these observations as memory of generations of human’s races .The concept of these measurements we can see in every civilization. The mathematical precision achieved by Indians, the archeological and literary evidences for it is extensive as we all know. These ancient concepts have gradually lead to human values, conditions, lifestyles, culture and development of evolution as a whole for millennia. Therefore, negation of such values and sciences and arts of our legacy is like a suicidal action which will kill our own culture, heritage as well as self-awareness.
Truth or reality is objective and can be measured or verified by methods which involve a unit of measurement. This was learned by human beings (our ancestral homosapiens) living in India from very ancient prehistoric times. They understood that knowledge for transference to next generation has to be reduced to objective dimensions for easy understanding and verification and later on integrated .For this there should be subjective experience of truth by each one verifiable by the objective measurements of truth. It is this method which we see in the Upanishad traditions.
The student who study the culture of a people is studying the stored memories ,the cognitive processes and the methods used for it ,perfected through millennia .When we speak of Indian classical music as a tool for healing individual mind, and thus the entire society and the world through principle of integration we should not forget this fact.
Meditation with chanting musically increase the coherence, harmony in our brain waves which give great synchronization of the two hemispheres .This allows a higher order to be achieved spontaneously (without effort) from a lower order .The higher order imply a higher quantum of energy potential also .Communication through music thus gives both shakthi (strength) and shanthi (peace) for individual and society.
We know the uniqueness of man is his power of communication. The symbols man created for communication are many. The language and literature, arts, sculptures, paintings, music and dance-drama, various sciences etc are such symbols of communication. The intellectual description of these as jargons like logic; semantics, lingustics, metalinguistics etc are there.
Analysis of words related to things, processes, events, meanings are guidance to the fundamental problem of relation of man in his psychosocial totality. The naama(name)roopa(form) of prakrithi(nature) is thus known by the knower(Athman/Brahman/Jeeva) or cogniser,the creator and transmitter of the symbol and his/her successors is a very ancient concept .The observation (darsana) the data (forms and details of it) stored as a symbol(naama in language with a picture as symbol drawn in caves of ancient man) started as early as human race itself .So science is not a new thing but the oldest human activity. This is the most nonviolent communication through a holistic, wholistic, scientific and artistic integrated way which was known to our ancestors of India .There had been violent communications of power and separatist tendencies in that history, but such violent actions were kept well under control by the supremacy of the nonviolent teacher (Guru) lineages who had academic, valuebased training. Even the nonverbal communication of a Guru observing silence was considered the best communication to reduce and transform the violent one-the kshathriya warrior class.
If we consider the modern schematic diagram of the spectrum of mind-brain system we know how this ancient concept is correct.
Qep=quantum energy potential possible on vertical axis
Ch time is chronological time on horizontal axis
V=violent communications (at. minimal level)
Nonv=non violent communications
Ituiti=intuitional level
Nonverb=non verbal communication (silence) or shaanthi (at maximal level)
Also see the diagram of mind states with 6 quantum jumps below which explains the maximum energy potential of mind and maximum expression of consciousness:-
Consc= consciousness
Epote=energy potential
P=physical
Psy=psychological
1= the first quantum jump of scientific thoughts
2. The second jump of discoveries
3. Observation for verification of what others say
4. Pays attention to values
5. Awareness and selfrefferal .self-analysis
6. Meditational /universal consciousness .Oneness of creation
Both violent and nonviolent communications are functions of quantum energy potential or hierarchical expression of consciousness as functions of chronological time. (That is in two developmental stages ).Violent communication is at a lower level and constructs a false duality or dwaitha(separatist feeling).Nonviolent communication is at a slightly higher level and the mind starts to comprehend the truth of oneness(advaitha) which enhance awareness of values.
Intuition is at much higher level and it works along with nonviolent communication and moves to the maximum communication even in silence as in dhyaana of a Buddha .There the timeless message between two souls happen without language (between Guru and shishya).The Bhakthi to Guru is thus at the nondual frame of mind where compassion and love are most for entire creation.
Albert Schweitzer said: - Be reverent towards life.” Because life is valuable in itself. Man’s psychological evolution is unique and it is beyond the biological evolution of Darwin. The quantum jumps happen when love for all happen and it is not an evolutionary ladder but actually a wheel that self perpetuate by repetition.
This is where the spirituality and science meet at the practical side of life as well as at the logical, analytical theoretical levels .At the right and left brain levels they merge in harmony. Whatever dissonance is there will be nullified for a total integration of personality for welfare of entire life and survival of all races of life forms, from a tiny unicellular to the complex multicultural human.
Thus the modern science and ancient spirituality are not contradictory to one another but has to be known in the proper perspective and integrated. The universal language of music is the best for integration of everyone and all branches of knowledge for healing to happen.
There is interdependency of all branches of knowledge ,since there is interdependency of our brain parts which occur between cortex,hippocampus,and between numerous nerve channels and plexuses .If an electric current is given to hippocampus, the changes will be seen in cortex though it is not getting the electric current .Brain is an integrative organ by nature. It is not hierarchical as the mosaic patternists would claim. It is what distinguishes brain from a computer. Computer is synchronous and totally regulated while brain is asynchronous. Human mind is flexible while computer is not. At the synapses lie the choice point which converts the human brain system from a dull one into an uncertain dynamic interesting functional one.
Computer Human brain
solid Animated
Programmable Defy formalities and programming
Not flexible Flexible
No free will Free will
Predictable probabilities
Synchronous Asynchronous
Hierarchical Integrative
Machine Nonmachine
Artificial Natural
Cannot comprehend natural language Comprehend natural language
How does the human mind work?
How are our intelligent thoughts propagated?
In what form memories are stored?
The first door to unbolt and find answers is the research with languages.
The second door is the research on thoughts and how our brain produce a thought. The third is to penetrate a human mind at its highest functioning order (not at clinical psychiatry and clinical psychology of deranged mind function).Then we find that our languages are only the tips of an iceberg .The expression of a thought by a specific symbol is language. It is an efficient method of communication or expression of our mind, our thoughts. The thought and language are thus intimately weaved. Language is the way to secrets of human mind. A natural language is developed by natural thinking of humanity and generates a wider universe of thoughts, concepts, and inferences from each structure it understands.
Music is another symbol which communicates very effectively and used by all our ancestors and is universal to homosapiens. The silence of tropical forests and the musical birdsongs have been suggested as the first development of saaman chanting in Indian subcontinent by researchers. Thus the first natural language a human ancestor developed is music. The human larynx and vocal cords could sing before the human thumb was developed to make him a tool-making animal. That means even before tool-making stage human ancestors sang. This is the most natural faculty and the first and best developed in a child too. Integration at this universal level is therefore most rewarding and practical.
Computer as an artificial intelligence has several important functions and impacts in current society.
1Potential impact on healthcare. The diagnostic expert systems complementing the knowledge of the physicians
2. Education:-Through computer one can set up individual tutorial lesson plans based on each student’s need and ability to learn. The vistas of educational field with computer is ever-expanding
3. Social welfare: For the isolated, the disabled, the intelligent machines as companions and as physical therapists
4. Policies:-Assess the ebb and flow of public opinion, presents reports to influence decision makers at a quick pace
5. Quality and organization of life has improved.
With all these a computer is still inferior to the human brain. And it is just another technological tool and an improvement in the tool making potential of human beings which has evolved over millions of years. It cannot replace the human brain and cannot sing the same way as a human being (even a small child) sings. Therefore to measure the child and its potential computer is not enough. A living loving person with a dynamic brain –a parent, teacher etc- is the best judge of even a child. This is true of every relationship and every judgment made by a data processing machine and a judgment made by a loving living brain.
Bharthruhari has rightly put:
To judge a jewel a goldsmith is best.
To judge Krishna only a Krishna devotee is best.
Like that to judge music a music lover is the best.
But do not forget! There are different modalities of music and types of music and each one has subjective likings. The best is to be decided by the joined effort of the client and therapist to suit the needs of each person and it is an interpersonal intrapersonal relationship based integrated approach in medicine .It needs some specific training for the therapist to choose what is best for another individual and to make it work wonders too .Compassion, love for entire creation is the message of this new discipline but it is done in the most scientific possible way using protocols of research accepted by medical science.
Since homosapiens evolved, we have been observing, comparing, seeking to classify what we observed, recording these observations as memory of generations of human’s races .The concept of these measurements we can see in every civilization. The mathematical precision achieved by Indians, the archeological and literary evidences for it is extensive as we all know. These ancient concepts have gradually lead to human values, conditions, lifestyles, culture and development of evolution as a whole for millennia. Therefore, negation of such values and sciences and arts of our legacy is like a suicidal action which will kill our own culture, heritage as well as self-awareness.
Truth or reality is objective and can be measured or verified by methods which involve a unit of measurement. This was learned by human beings (our ancestral homosapiens) living in India from very ancient prehistoric times. They understood that knowledge for transference to next generation has to be reduced to objective dimensions for easy understanding and verification and later on integrated .For this there should be subjective experience of truth by each one verifiable by the objective measurements of truth. It is this method which we see in the Upanishad traditions.
The student who study the culture of a people is studying the stored memories ,the cognitive processes and the methods used for it ,perfected through millennia .When we speak of Indian classical music as a tool for healing individual mind, and thus the entire society and the world through principle of integration we should not forget this fact.
Meditation with chanting musically increase the coherence, harmony in our brain waves which give great synchronization of the two hemispheres .This allows a higher order to be achieved spontaneously (without effort) from a lower order .The higher order imply a higher quantum of energy potential also .Communication through music thus gives both shakthi (strength) and shanthi (peace) for individual and society.
We know the uniqueness of man is his power of communication. The symbols man created for communication are many. The language and literature, arts, sculptures, paintings, music and dance-drama, various sciences etc are such symbols of communication. The intellectual description of these as jargons like logic; semantics, lingustics, metalinguistics etc are there.
Analysis of words related to things, processes, events, meanings are guidance to the fundamental problem of relation of man in his psychosocial totality. The naama(name)roopa(form) of prakrithi(nature) is thus known by the knower(Athman/Brahman/Jeeva) or cogniser,the creator and transmitter of the symbol and his/her successors is a very ancient concept .The observation (darsana) the data (forms and details of it) stored as a symbol(naama in language with a picture as symbol drawn in caves of ancient man) started as early as human race itself .So science is not a new thing but the oldest human activity. This is the most nonviolent communication through a holistic, wholistic, scientific and artistic integrated way which was known to our ancestors of India .There had been violent communications of power and separatist tendencies in that history, but such violent actions were kept well under control by the supremacy of the nonviolent teacher (Guru) lineages who had academic, valuebased training. Even the nonverbal communication of a Guru observing silence was considered the best communication to reduce and transform the violent one-the kshathriya warrior class.
If we consider the modern schematic diagram of the spectrum of mind-brain system we know how this ancient concept is correct.
Qep=quantum energy potential possible on vertical axis
Ch time is chronological time on horizontal axis
V=violent communications (at. minimal level)
Nonv=non violent communications
Ituiti=intuitional level
Nonverb=non verbal communication (silence) or shaanthi (at maximal level)
Also see the diagram of mind states with 6 quantum jumps below which explains the maximum energy potential of mind and maximum expression of consciousness:-
Consc= consciousness
Epote=energy potential
P=physical
Psy=psychological
1= the first quantum jump of scientific thoughts
2. The second jump of discoveries
3. Observation for verification of what others say
4. Pays attention to values
5. Awareness and selfrefferal .self-analysis
6. Meditational /universal consciousness .Oneness of creation
Both violent and nonviolent communications are functions of quantum energy potential or hierarchical expression of consciousness as functions of chronological time. (That is in two developmental stages ).Violent communication is at a lower level and constructs a false duality or dwaitha(separatist feeling).Nonviolent communication is at a slightly higher level and the mind starts to comprehend the truth of oneness(advaitha) which enhance awareness of values.
Intuition is at much higher level and it works along with nonviolent communication and moves to the maximum communication even in silence as in dhyaana of a Buddha .There the timeless message between two souls happen without language (between Guru and shishya).The Bhakthi to Guru is thus at the nondual frame of mind where compassion and love are most for entire creation.
Albert Schweitzer said: - Be reverent towards life.” Because life is valuable in itself. Man’s psychological evolution is unique and it is beyond the biological evolution of Darwin. The quantum jumps happen when love for all happen and it is not an evolutionary ladder but actually a wheel that self perpetuate by repetition.
This is where the spirituality and science meet at the practical side of life as well as at the logical, analytical theoretical levels .At the right and left brain levels they merge in harmony. Whatever dissonance is there will be nullified for a total integration of personality for welfare of entire life and survival of all races of life forms, from a tiny unicellular to the complex multicultural human.
Thus the modern science and ancient spirituality are not contradictory to one another but has to be known in the proper perspective and integrated. The universal language of music is the best for integration of everyone and all branches of knowledge for healing to happen.
There is interdependency of all branches of knowledge ,since there is interdependency of our brain parts which occur between cortex,hippocampus,and between numerous nerve channels and plexuses .If an electric current is given to hippocampus, the changes will be seen in cortex though it is not getting the electric current .Brain is an integrative organ by nature. It is not hierarchical as the mosaic patternists would claim. It is what distinguishes brain from a computer. Computer is synchronous and totally regulated while brain is asynchronous. Human mind is flexible while computer is not. At the synapses lie the choice point which converts the human brain system from a dull one into an uncertain dynamic interesting functional one.
Computer Human brain
solid Animated
Programmable Defy formalities and programming
Not flexible Flexible
No free will Free will
Predictable probabilities
Synchronous Asynchronous
Hierarchical Integrative
Machine Nonmachine
Artificial Natural
Cannot comprehend natural language Comprehend natural language
How does the human mind work?
How are our intelligent thoughts propagated?
In what form memories are stored?
The first door to unbolt and find answers is the research with languages.
The second door is the research on thoughts and how our brain produce a thought. The third is to penetrate a human mind at its highest functioning order (not at clinical psychiatry and clinical psychology of deranged mind function).Then we find that our languages are only the tips of an iceberg .The expression of a thought by a specific symbol is language. It is an efficient method of communication or expression of our mind, our thoughts. The thought and language are thus intimately weaved. Language is the way to secrets of human mind. A natural language is developed by natural thinking of humanity and generates a wider universe of thoughts, concepts, and inferences from each structure it understands.
Music is another symbol which communicates very effectively and used by all our ancestors and is universal to homosapiens. The silence of tropical forests and the musical birdsongs have been suggested as the first development of saaman chanting in Indian subcontinent by researchers. Thus the first natural language a human ancestor developed is music. The human larynx and vocal cords could sing before the human thumb was developed to make him a tool-making animal. That means even before tool-making stage human ancestors sang. This is the most natural faculty and the first and best developed in a child too. Integration at this universal level is therefore most rewarding and practical.
Computer as an artificial intelligence has several important functions and impacts in current society.
1Potential impact on healthcare. The diagnostic expert systems complementing the knowledge of the physicians
2. Education:-Through computer one can set up individual tutorial lesson plans based on each student’s need and ability to learn. The vistas of educational field with computer is ever-expanding
3. Social welfare: For the isolated, the disabled, the intelligent machines as companions and as physical therapists
4. Policies:-Assess the ebb and flow of public opinion, presents reports to influence decision makers at a quick pace
5. Quality and organization of life has improved.
With all these a computer is still inferior to the human brain. And it is just another technological tool and an improvement in the tool making potential of human beings which has evolved over millions of years. It cannot replace the human brain and cannot sing the same way as a human being (even a small child) sings. Therefore to measure the child and its potential computer is not enough. A living loving person with a dynamic brain –a parent, teacher etc- is the best judge of even a child. This is true of every relationship and every judgment made by a data processing machine and a judgment made by a loving living brain.
Bharthruhari has rightly put:
To judge a jewel a goldsmith is best.
To judge Krishna only a Krishna devotee is best.
Like that to judge music a music lover is the best.
But do not forget! There are different modalities of music and types of music and each one has subjective likings. The best is to be decided by the joined effort of the client and therapist to suit the needs of each person and it is an interpersonal intrapersonal relationship based integrated approach in medicine .It needs some specific training for the therapist to choose what is best for another individual and to make it work wonders too .Compassion, love for entire creation is the message of this new discipline but it is done in the most scientific possible way using protocols of research accepted by medical science.
Solving challenges for a healthy survival
Solving challenges for a healthy survival
Music Therapy:-
MahaathmaaGandhi said: Truth and love Is Ahimsa .They are the only things that count.
Science is a human activity. Therefore to think that science need not have virtues and values and should be separated from ethics is a misunderstanding. Science depends upon observation, enquiry, recording data in orderly fashion, and thus after analysis and discussion (using both own experiences and the experiences of others as references) systematically arranging knowledge and then believing them. When the same procedure is done for self-enquiry and self acquaintance of total psychological movement of our own mind-brain system in action, that also is science. This process leads us to a self-surrender of ego which leads to a perception of wholeness of life .The benevolent nature of our intellect and intuition together views the situation, and guides us to harmony, justice, love and compassion.
Life, if considered as a stream of river, on one shore we have modern technological development, chaos and entropy created by erosion of values, unequal economical planning and its disasters. The other shore has peace, harmony, justice, love, compassion, surrender of ego and selfishness, and as Gandhi said truth and Ahimsa.A balance of these have to be struck by the 21st century human being. This is a great challenge humanity is taking up at present.
The “ Value,Education,peace and modern physics –USA Townsend letters for Doctors April 1992 pp 281-83 last paragraph reads thus:-“The breakthrough in mind-brain research proposed the first model of human psyche .Let this model be examined by world physicists,scientists,physiologists,psychologists,social scientists ,educators and mystics. Such a dialogue will lead to a second model of the human psyche. This is the only way to “heal the planet”and”healing ourselves” which is called the Humanist Technology. This will save humanity from annihilation”.
Arthur Schopenhauer:-All truth passes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Second it is vehemently opposed. Third it is accepted as being self-evident.”
When I started a process of Grand Unification of all sciences and arts and sciences and the integration of both west and east (science, and philosophies) I was made to remember the famous words of Arthur Schopenhauer because I was passing through the first two stages which he mentioned for truth. My unification is through the golden thread of music for peace and self-healing which will heal all separatisms in the long run.
Challenges:
1. Restructuring science .The outer objective field and inner subjective field (physics and psyche) is a single dynamic harmonious flow. They are interrelated, interpenetrated and inseparable. The objective sciences have to restructure themselves to take subjective sciences in its fold .Because true science is the dynamic interplay of objective as well as subjective sciences. It explores all co-ordinate systems, to borrow the words of Einstein, of our mind spectrum. It implies to investigate the unit of perception, the cartography of a unified inner space, transcending all psychological imbalances, the fields of human self-awareness called realm of consciousness and his being the subject and not the object.
2. Holistic education: This is for the cultivation of the total human being. The educating the educator introduces the psychodynamics of the mind-brain system in science faculty and transpersonal psychology in art faculty at all levels. This should lead to perception of wholeness.
3. Valuebased education:-When the external perceptual –conceptual image blurs and the internal perceptual image is activated, it gives us values. Values are not mere subjective nature of thoughts .Without cultivating values education becomes a farce.
4. Integration:-The reasoning logical thinking mode and the creative value perception mode have to be integrated in human personality for character building. We have to nourish intuition –insight mode and explain it at the intellectual level. This will lead to integration of the two hemispherical functions of brain and integration of all arts and sciences.
5.Holistic health: The subjective is verified at an objective science level .The cost of medical treatment in the Developed countries, its lack of cost-effectiveness, the new diseases developing as a challenge to modern medicine causing panic among people, the stress-related major diseases (including cardiac disease, digestive disorders and cancer)on the increase etc have given awareness to levels of quantum healing and holistic health .How to regenerate and self-fortify and self-heal our own immune system (instead of killing the outside forces as pathogens) and heal the mind –brain-body complex as a single whole (by psycho-neuro-immunology principles) has become more important now .6.Ecological problems and how to solve them is another major challenge .
It is detrimental to life on earth and is causing major health problems and effective handling of it is mandatory for existence of our nature and its life forms in a healthy co-exisence.
7.Violence is another problem we see around. There are three types of violence. The physical, mental ,and intellectual level violence .All violence and crime is an expression of the inner fragmentation and separatisms .It is the sign of suppressed psychological imbalance of the person who commit it and hence of a society.
We have a fragmentaryReductionistic society.The social sciences have several branches like economics, politics ,social laws etc.The healing sciences have several branches –western and eastern- foreign and indigenous to be integrated. Similarly there are opposing ideas of religions which has to be integrated .The inner dynamic revolution is never violent but nonviolent as Gandhi pointed out .This inner revolution which is a psychological transformation from violence to nonviolence has to happen by proper educational system innovations which requires integration ,not separatist slogans.
8.Peace: Peace is related to inner space of human beings. It is a state of mind that does not create entropy .chaos/stress to the system. For this to achieve we need an inner freedom.Shaanthi is the word used by ancient Indians for peace. The search for shanthi in oneself and thus create it in society for the prosperity of entire living things is the oldest way to know a new dimension of human consciousness and remains to be so.
All these challenges have to be met by a method which is universally applicable. That method is my music therapy. It is the golden thread on which all the pearls,corals,and jewels of sciences, arts and ideologies can be strewn in a beautiful integrated way so that physical,mental,intellectual and spiritual health can be achieved for a better future.
Music Therapy:-
MahaathmaaGandhi said: Truth and love Is Ahimsa .They are the only things that count.
Science is a human activity. Therefore to think that science need not have virtues and values and should be separated from ethics is a misunderstanding. Science depends upon observation, enquiry, recording data in orderly fashion, and thus after analysis and discussion (using both own experiences and the experiences of others as references) systematically arranging knowledge and then believing them. When the same procedure is done for self-enquiry and self acquaintance of total psychological movement of our own mind-brain system in action, that also is science. This process leads us to a self-surrender of ego which leads to a perception of wholeness of life .The benevolent nature of our intellect and intuition together views the situation, and guides us to harmony, justice, love and compassion.
Life, if considered as a stream of river, on one shore we have modern technological development, chaos and entropy created by erosion of values, unequal economical planning and its disasters. The other shore has peace, harmony, justice, love, compassion, surrender of ego and selfishness, and as Gandhi said truth and Ahimsa.A balance of these have to be struck by the 21st century human being. This is a great challenge humanity is taking up at present.
The “ Value,Education,peace and modern physics –USA Townsend letters for Doctors April 1992 pp 281-83 last paragraph reads thus:-“The breakthrough in mind-brain research proposed the first model of human psyche .Let this model be examined by world physicists,scientists,physiologists,psychologists,social scientists ,educators and mystics. Such a dialogue will lead to a second model of the human psyche. This is the only way to “heal the planet”and”healing ourselves” which is called the Humanist Technology. This will save humanity from annihilation”.
Arthur Schopenhauer:-All truth passes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Second it is vehemently opposed. Third it is accepted as being self-evident.”
When I started a process of Grand Unification of all sciences and arts and sciences and the integration of both west and east (science, and philosophies) I was made to remember the famous words of Arthur Schopenhauer because I was passing through the first two stages which he mentioned for truth. My unification is through the golden thread of music for peace and self-healing which will heal all separatisms in the long run.
Challenges:
1. Restructuring science .The outer objective field and inner subjective field (physics and psyche) is a single dynamic harmonious flow. They are interrelated, interpenetrated and inseparable. The objective sciences have to restructure themselves to take subjective sciences in its fold .Because true science is the dynamic interplay of objective as well as subjective sciences. It explores all co-ordinate systems, to borrow the words of Einstein, of our mind spectrum. It implies to investigate the unit of perception, the cartography of a unified inner space, transcending all psychological imbalances, the fields of human self-awareness called realm of consciousness and his being the subject and not the object.
2. Holistic education: This is for the cultivation of the total human being. The educating the educator introduces the psychodynamics of the mind-brain system in science faculty and transpersonal psychology in art faculty at all levels. This should lead to perception of wholeness.
3. Valuebased education:-When the external perceptual –conceptual image blurs and the internal perceptual image is activated, it gives us values. Values are not mere subjective nature of thoughts .Without cultivating values education becomes a farce.
4. Integration:-The reasoning logical thinking mode and the creative value perception mode have to be integrated in human personality for character building. We have to nourish intuition –insight mode and explain it at the intellectual level. This will lead to integration of the two hemispherical functions of brain and integration of all arts and sciences.
5.Holistic health: The subjective is verified at an objective science level .The cost of medical treatment in the Developed countries, its lack of cost-effectiveness, the new diseases developing as a challenge to modern medicine causing panic among people, the stress-related major diseases (including cardiac disease, digestive disorders and cancer)on the increase etc have given awareness to levels of quantum healing and holistic health .How to regenerate and self-fortify and self-heal our own immune system (instead of killing the outside forces as pathogens) and heal the mind –brain-body complex as a single whole (by psycho-neuro-immunology principles) has become more important now .6.Ecological problems and how to solve them is another major challenge .
It is detrimental to life on earth and is causing major health problems and effective handling of it is mandatory for existence of our nature and its life forms in a healthy co-exisence.
7.Violence is another problem we see around. There are three types of violence. The physical, mental ,and intellectual level violence .All violence and crime is an expression of the inner fragmentation and separatisms .It is the sign of suppressed psychological imbalance of the person who commit it and hence of a society.
We have a fragmentaryReductionistic society.The social sciences have several branches like economics, politics ,social laws etc.The healing sciences have several branches –western and eastern- foreign and indigenous to be integrated. Similarly there are opposing ideas of religions which has to be integrated .The inner dynamic revolution is never violent but nonviolent as Gandhi pointed out .This inner revolution which is a psychological transformation from violence to nonviolence has to happen by proper educational system innovations which requires integration ,not separatist slogans.
8.Peace: Peace is related to inner space of human beings. It is a state of mind that does not create entropy .chaos/stress to the system. For this to achieve we need an inner freedom.Shaanthi is the word used by ancient Indians for peace. The search for shanthi in oneself and thus create it in society for the prosperity of entire living things is the oldest way to know a new dimension of human consciousness and remains to be so.
All these challenges have to be met by a method which is universally applicable. That method is my music therapy. It is the golden thread on which all the pearls,corals,and jewels of sciences, arts and ideologies can be strewn in a beautiful integrated way so that physical,mental,intellectual and spiritual health can be achieved for a better future.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Avathaara
Posted for Krishnavathara day special:
Bhagavatham skanda 2 chapter 7 .
Avathara of Vishnu as told by Brahma
1.Varaha protection of earth by yagnavaraha
2.Suyagna son of Ruchi and Akuthy
3.Kapila son of Kardama and Devahuthy The samkhya and the period of king Sagara
4.Datha in Athri and Anasuya Anasuya is credited with bringing rain and cultivating the fields even during famines and producing food .Dathathreya is brahmagnaani and starts the sakthy cult with his brother sage Durvasa.
5. The sanatkumara 4 in number Gnaana and Bhakthy movements
6.Nara and Narayana in Dharma and Murthy Tapas and conquering of kaama
7.Prithu son of vena –Earth and its resources identified and used for the benefit of the citizens by a just king.
8.Rishabha son of Nabhi and Sudevi(First theerthankara of Jaina and his sons the navayogins spread Bhagavathadharma for the first time on earth)
9.Hayagreeva in the sacrificial vedi of Brahma (The vedic rites and the Lalithasahasranaama and sakthy cults)
10.Matsya during the pralaya in the 6th Manuanthara in Dravidanripa Satyavratha’s period In 13600BC there had been a deluge which was experienced all over the world due to the melting of northern glaciers.If we consider this as a landmark,
11.Katchapa in the churning of milky ocean-The renewal of the earth and its life,the earth again becomes habitable after the oceans go back to original position but with some major changes in geography.
12.Nrisimha during Prahlada’s time .The earth is inhabited by Hiranyakasyapa ,and his people .The next generation(Prahlada)are worried about the earth’s fate and the new era is ushered by advent of Narasimha .(The power of destruction against destructive forces)
13 Vamana ,son of Aditi and kasyapa during Mahabali’s reign The concept of wellbeing of citizens and the duties of ideal king and ideal state and the teaching that selfsacrifice at Gods feet is the best .
14.Danwanthari(Medicine)
15 Vishnumohini –birth of Ayyappa son of Shiva and of arts and music.
16.Parasurama son of Renuka and Jamadagni-time of Karthaveerya/viswamithra and towards the end of his life Srirama is also born.. Kerala is formed from the oceanbed (Towards the end of Parasurama’s life the period of Ramayana Mehrgarh period 9000 BC)(End of Threthayuga.which is 12960 yrs)Kerala was formed during the last flood and its aftermath ,that is well before the birth of Rama.During Vamana’s time
17.Rama son of Dasaratha and Kousalya in just before Mehrgarh period roughly.
18 Balarama with the plough and
19 Krishna with the flute are contemporaries of Pandava of Hasthinapura(3100 BC)Early to Late Harappan End of Dwaparayuga.
20Paashandavesha is predicted but no name mentioned.Some consider this as Budha but Mahabhagavatha has not mentioned any name.)
21.Kalki is predicted.
(If we take the 3 sanatkumara and Nara as separate as we did with Balarama and Krishna,total 25 is there.But Mahabhagavathapurana omits Mohini and makes it 24.)
Taking the 13600 BC as the base ,
And computing the periods of traditional units of the yuga in 4:3:2:1 ratio,
17280
12960
8640
4320,
From BC 3104 beyond,the threthayuga must have ended in BC 11744 and.the yugapralaya was in kritha/threthayuga period.The Mehrgarh period is then not in Threthayuga but in Dwaparayuga and the yadu /chandravansa were having an upper hand in trade and administration
Bhagavatham skanda 2 chapter 7 .
Avathara of Vishnu as told by Brahma
1.Varaha protection of earth by yagnavaraha
2.Suyagna son of Ruchi and Akuthy
3.Kapila son of Kardama and Devahuthy The samkhya and the period of king Sagara
4.Datha in Athri and Anasuya Anasuya is credited with bringing rain and cultivating the fields even during famines and producing food .Dathathreya is brahmagnaani and starts the sakthy cult with his brother sage Durvasa.
5. The sanatkumara 4 in number Gnaana and Bhakthy movements
6.Nara and Narayana in Dharma and Murthy Tapas and conquering of kaama
7.Prithu son of vena –Earth and its resources identified and used for the benefit of the citizens by a just king.
8.Rishabha son of Nabhi and Sudevi(First theerthankara of Jaina and his sons the navayogins spread Bhagavathadharma for the first time on earth)
9.Hayagreeva in the sacrificial vedi of Brahma (The vedic rites and the Lalithasahasranaama and sakthy cults)
10.Matsya during the pralaya in the 6th Manuanthara in Dravidanripa Satyavratha’s period In 13600BC there had been a deluge which was experienced all over the world due to the melting of northern glaciers.If we consider this as a landmark,
11.Katchapa in the churning of milky ocean-The renewal of the earth and its life,the earth again becomes habitable after the oceans go back to original position but with some major changes in geography.
12.Nrisimha during Prahlada’s time .The earth is inhabited by Hiranyakasyapa ,and his people .The next generation(Prahlada)are worried about the earth’s fate and the new era is ushered by advent of Narasimha .(The power of destruction against destructive forces)
13 Vamana ,son of Aditi and kasyapa during Mahabali’s reign The concept of wellbeing of citizens and the duties of ideal king and ideal state and the teaching that selfsacrifice at Gods feet is the best .
14.Danwanthari(Medicine)
15 Vishnumohini –birth of Ayyappa son of Shiva and of arts and music.
16.Parasurama son of Renuka and Jamadagni-time of Karthaveerya/viswamithra and towards the end of his life Srirama is also born.. Kerala is formed from the oceanbed (Towards the end of Parasurama’s life the period of Ramayana Mehrgarh period 9000 BC)(End of Threthayuga.which is 12960 yrs)Kerala was formed during the last flood and its aftermath ,that is well before the birth of Rama.During Vamana’s time
17.Rama son of Dasaratha and Kousalya in just before Mehrgarh period roughly.
18 Balarama with the plough and
19 Krishna with the flute are contemporaries of Pandava of Hasthinapura(3100 BC)Early to Late Harappan End of Dwaparayuga.
20Paashandavesha is predicted but no name mentioned.Some consider this as Budha but Mahabhagavatha has not mentioned any name.)
21.Kalki is predicted.
(If we take the 3 sanatkumara and Nara as separate as we did with Balarama and Krishna,total 25 is there.But Mahabhagavathapurana omits Mohini and makes it 24.)
Taking the 13600 BC as the base ,
And computing the periods of traditional units of the yuga in 4:3:2:1 ratio,
17280
12960
8640
4320,
From BC 3104 beyond,the threthayuga must have ended in BC 11744 and.the yugapralaya was in kritha/threthayuga period.The Mehrgarh period is then not in Threthayuga but in Dwaparayuga and the yadu /chandravansa were having an upper hand in trade and administration
Ragachikitsa
Raagachikitsa as an interdisciplinary approach to healing
The Indian Samavedic 1. concept of absolute laya of chitha in Naadabrahmam (Naadalayayoga)2 is the basis for Raagachikitsa. The physical ,mental,intellectual and spiritual health of the Naadalayayogi is achieved through music.The effect of such healing music3 is studied with special reference to one of the contemporary singers as prototypes.( K.J.Yesudas)4
The interdisciplinary approach of Yoga5, Ayurveda6, Thanthra 7,Manthrasasthra8 and jyothisha9 and medical knowledge10 to Indian music and musicology is made use of.The quest is ultimately into the realm of one’s own self Athma11 ,through a medium of music and its aesthetic values in the Indian psyche ,for achieving peace,harmony and universal love.
As a part of the study, 72 melakartharaagaas12 were composed in Malayalam , A pilot project done in Amritha institute of medical sciences, Cochin to verify whether the raagachikitsa can be advised to be recommended on a policy basis in medical curriculum.
The problem was approached from the following points.
1.Raaga music is india’s ancient cultural heritage and how the theory and practice of it is well documented An attempt to do a comparison of the eastern and western concepts of therapy.
2.The need for recommending an interdisciplinary and wholistic programme linking science and art, for betterment of society,, alleviation of pain,, for overall physical, mental ,intellectual and spiritual health of our citizens. The need of a Mahaadvaitha, for the separatist tendencies of the present age.
3.There is an archetypal picture in every Indian mind just as Jung (13) had described in his psychoanalysis.I studied the presence of the archetypal Krishna and Rama ,in two historical singers,Meerabai and Tyagaraja, and then tried to study this archetypal/historical influence or effect on two 20th century singers, M.S. Subbulaxmi and K.J.Jesudas and the musical and social effect , the latter produced on Indian society ..
4.The need to have an educational and hospitalbased programme, with an attached university and a traditional Gurukulam, a curriculum and syllabus suited to the needs and combining the valuesystems and modern scientific research techniques.
5 The chakra (biological and cosmic) and the universal energy cycles and the musical mathematical patterns of raaga follow the same Euler principles 14(probability and complex numbers of Cardano,a physician, which was elaborated by Euler,and on which western music also is based and which is the basis for the new quantum theory of universe)and this was used from the date of the saamaveda.
The lifestyle, the philosophy of life and the yogic, musical traditions and its vedic , vedanthic , mathematical proofs was experimented with ,to achieve good results , in a modern scientific , hospital and university based environment 15.16
The need of using Indian music(raagabased) for prevention and cure of diseases in hospitals as part of narrative medicine, and alternative therapy and in homes as family medicine and rural medicine to meet the requirements of India. For a costeffective, safe medicare system, enjoyable by both client(clientoriented) and the professional doctor collecting data for further research and documentation (as EBM)
Ref :
1.The Saaman chants .A review of research .Indian musicological society .Bombay , Baroda,1985.G.H.Tarlikar..
2Nadalayayoga. Nadabindu Upanishad q: Without a stumble. A book on the spirituality of music: Dr Suvarna Nalapat. Nalapat books. 2003
3Healing with the voice.creating harmony through the power of sound. James d’Angelo Harper .Collins.2000.
4 Sudhasindhu . Commentary of 14 major upanishads .D.C.Books.Kottayam.2003. Dr Suvarna Nalapat.
5 Pathanjali yogasutras. Swami Prabhavananda. sriramakrishna math. Mylapore. chennai.1994
6 Thanthric texts.ed Arthur Avalon.Sharadatilakathanthram part 1.ch 1.published for Agamanusandhanasamithy.
Calcutta 1933.
7Sangheethachikitsa in ayurveda Dr Santhosh kumar.Keraleeya ayurveda samajam vaidyamadam smaranika pp 131-139.
8Varnamala. Studies in Manthrasasthra. Sir John Woodroffe. 1922.Ganesh &co.Thambuchetty street .chennai.
9.Panchasidhanthika of Varahamihira(astronomy and cosmology AD 427)commentary by DR Suvarna Nalapat N.B.S Kottayam 2nd ed 2000.
10 Jettison’s review of first 20 yrs of publications in USA by NAMT. Music therapy . Annual books proceedings 1952-63,Journal of Music therapy .1964-72.(Q: in Music therapy ,an act beyond words. Leslie Bunt . 1994. Routledge.
11 Brahmasindhu. Commentary on Brahmasoothra .D.C.Books Kottayam 2006. Dr Suvarna Nalapat
12Melakartharaaga( For Hearing experience.) CD sung by Dr K.J.Yesudas, and CD sung by Bhuvaneswari ,concept by Dr Suvarna Nalapat.
13Jung. selected writings Introduced by Anthony storr.A Fontana press original.1983.
14 Shadows of mind. Roger Penrose. Vintage1994..pp 256,219,197, 198,220,245-6,294-5
15 Metzger,L.Kay J of Music therapy spring 2004.Assessment and use of music by patients participating in cardiac rehabilitation.
16.Nadalayasindhu Part 1.Ragachikitsa;part 2.Management and education.(including curriculum for Indian music therapy) Dr Suvarna Nalapat.
The Indian Samavedic 1. concept of absolute laya of chitha in Naadabrahmam (Naadalayayoga)2 is the basis for Raagachikitsa. The physical ,mental,intellectual and spiritual health of the Naadalayayogi is achieved through music.The effect of such healing music3 is studied with special reference to one of the contemporary singers as prototypes.( K.J.Yesudas)4
The interdisciplinary approach of Yoga5, Ayurveda6, Thanthra 7,Manthrasasthra8 and jyothisha9 and medical knowledge10 to Indian music and musicology is made use of.The quest is ultimately into the realm of one’s own self Athma11 ,through a medium of music and its aesthetic values in the Indian psyche ,for achieving peace,harmony and universal love.
As a part of the study, 72 melakartharaagaas12 were composed in Malayalam , A pilot project done in Amritha institute of medical sciences, Cochin to verify whether the raagachikitsa can be advised to be recommended on a policy basis in medical curriculum.
The problem was approached from the following points.
1.Raaga music is india’s ancient cultural heritage and how the theory and practice of it is well documented An attempt to do a comparison of the eastern and western concepts of therapy.
2.The need for recommending an interdisciplinary and wholistic programme linking science and art, for betterment of society,, alleviation of pain,, for overall physical, mental ,intellectual and spiritual health of our citizens. The need of a Mahaadvaitha, for the separatist tendencies of the present age.
3.There is an archetypal picture in every Indian mind just as Jung (13) had described in his psychoanalysis.I studied the presence of the archetypal Krishna and Rama ,in two historical singers,Meerabai and Tyagaraja, and then tried to study this archetypal/historical influence or effect on two 20th century singers, M.S. Subbulaxmi and K.J.Jesudas and the musical and social effect , the latter produced on Indian society ..
4.The need to have an educational and hospitalbased programme, with an attached university and a traditional Gurukulam, a curriculum and syllabus suited to the needs and combining the valuesystems and modern scientific research techniques.
5 The chakra (biological and cosmic) and the universal energy cycles and the musical mathematical patterns of raaga follow the same Euler principles 14(probability and complex numbers of Cardano,a physician, which was elaborated by Euler,and on which western music also is based and which is the basis for the new quantum theory of universe)and this was used from the date of the saamaveda.
The lifestyle, the philosophy of life and the yogic, musical traditions and its vedic , vedanthic , mathematical proofs was experimented with ,to achieve good results , in a modern scientific , hospital and university based environment 15.16
The need of using Indian music(raagabased) for prevention and cure of diseases in hospitals as part of narrative medicine, and alternative therapy and in homes as family medicine and rural medicine to meet the requirements of India. For a costeffective, safe medicare system, enjoyable by both client(clientoriented) and the professional doctor collecting data for further research and documentation (as EBM)
Ref :
1.The Saaman chants .A review of research .Indian musicological society .Bombay , Baroda,1985.G.H.Tarlikar..
2Nadalayayoga. Nadabindu Upanishad q: Without a stumble. A book on the spirituality of music: Dr Suvarna Nalapat. Nalapat books. 2003
3Healing with the voice.creating harmony through the power of sound. James d’Angelo Harper .Collins.2000.
4 Sudhasindhu . Commentary of 14 major upanishads .D.C.Books.Kottayam.2003. Dr Suvarna Nalapat.
5 Pathanjali yogasutras. Swami Prabhavananda. sriramakrishna math. Mylapore. chennai.1994
6 Thanthric texts.ed Arthur Avalon.Sharadatilakathanthram part 1.ch 1.published for Agamanusandhanasamithy.
Calcutta 1933.
7Sangheethachikitsa in ayurveda Dr Santhosh kumar.Keraleeya ayurveda samajam vaidyamadam smaranika pp 131-139.
8Varnamala. Studies in Manthrasasthra. Sir John Woodroffe. 1922.Ganesh &co.Thambuchetty street .chennai.
9.Panchasidhanthika of Varahamihira(astronomy and cosmology AD 427)commentary by DR Suvarna Nalapat N.B.S Kottayam 2nd ed 2000.
10 Jettison’s review of first 20 yrs of publications in USA by NAMT. Music therapy . Annual books proceedings 1952-63,Journal of Music therapy .1964-72.(Q: in Music therapy ,an act beyond words. Leslie Bunt . 1994. Routledge.
11 Brahmasindhu. Commentary on Brahmasoothra .D.C.Books Kottayam 2006. Dr Suvarna Nalapat
12Melakartharaaga( For Hearing experience.) CD sung by Dr K.J.Yesudas, and CD sung by Bhuvaneswari ,concept by Dr Suvarna Nalapat.
13Jung. selected writings Introduced by Anthony storr.A Fontana press original.1983.
14 Shadows of mind. Roger Penrose. Vintage1994..pp 256,219,197, 198,220,245-6,294-5
15 Metzger,L.Kay J of Music therapy spring 2004.Assessment and use of music by patients participating in cardiac rehabilitation.
16.Nadalayasindhu Part 1.Ragachikitsa;part 2.Management and education.(including curriculum for Indian music therapy) Dr Suvarna Nalapat.
Melakartharaga
72 melakartha raga
1.Cultural/ethnomusicological/historical importance
The 72 melakartharaaga system is the basis of both Karnatic and Hindustani music.The mathematical possibilities are beautifully established and elaborated in history.The previous attempts were
1.Muthuswami deekshithar all 72
2.Tyagarajaswami 41 of them
3.Mahavaidyanathan sivan melakartharaagamaalika(sung by M.S.Subbalaxmi)in Sanskrit
4.Koteeswarayyar (Kanthagaanaamutham in tamil)sung by his grandson Rajam.
5.Dr M.Balamuralikrishna (Telugu/Sanskrit)sung by him
In the long history of musicology in Kerala this is the first of its kind.
2.Therapy based approach
In the new system of music therapy slowly emerging as a costeffective tool to improve and sustain the physical,mental,intellectual and spiritual health of individuals,the 72 melakartharaga and their role as stimulants of all the 6 yogic chakra are studied and applied .the basic research has shown good results and more research is planned on these lines.Hence in emerging music therapy practices this would be a important research,preventive and curative tool .A
3. Academic/universitybased interest of musicians and musicologists in the subject is taken into consideration
4.Since it is an interdisciplinary approach involving all branches of medicine(Allopathy and other alternative medicines)and also the Indian systems of philosophy and darsana,and researchoriented there will be wide interest among varied personne in this.project.
5.The Malayalam version of the 72 melakartharaaga was inspired by Dr K.J.Yesudas’ singing of the melakartharaaga and hence ,it is totally a ethnomusicological study material for the student of music in Kerala while it covers the scope of th e wider interest of interdisciplinary study at a national /global level. Lyrics Dr Suvarna Nalapat.Sung by Dr G.Bhuvaneswari .
6.A study of music therapy (comparative/both theory and practice of west and east)by DR Suvarna Nalapat (D.C.Books Kottayam. )and an English version of it by a Delhi-based publisher.
1.Cultural/ethnomusicological/historical importance
The 72 melakartharaaga system is the basis of both Karnatic and Hindustani music.The mathematical possibilities are beautifully established and elaborated in history.The previous attempts were
1.Muthuswami deekshithar all 72
2.Tyagarajaswami 41 of them
3.Mahavaidyanathan sivan melakartharaagamaalika(sung by M.S.Subbalaxmi)in Sanskrit
4.Koteeswarayyar (Kanthagaanaamutham in tamil)sung by his grandson Rajam.
5.Dr M.Balamuralikrishna (Telugu/Sanskrit)sung by him
In the long history of musicology in Kerala this is the first of its kind.
2.Therapy based approach
In the new system of music therapy slowly emerging as a costeffective tool to improve and sustain the physical,mental,intellectual and spiritual health of individuals,the 72 melakartharaga and their role as stimulants of all the 6 yogic chakra are studied and applied .the basic research has shown good results and more research is planned on these lines.Hence in emerging music therapy practices this would be a important research,preventive and curative tool .A
3. Academic/universitybased interest of musicians and musicologists in the subject is taken into consideration
4.Since it is an interdisciplinary approach involving all branches of medicine(Allopathy and other alternative medicines)and also the Indian systems of philosophy and darsana,and researchoriented there will be wide interest among varied personne in this.project.
5.The Malayalam version of the 72 melakartharaaga was inspired by Dr K.J.Yesudas’ singing of the melakartharaaga and hence ,it is totally a ethnomusicological study material for the student of music in Kerala while it covers the scope of th e wider interest of interdisciplinary study at a national /global level. Lyrics Dr Suvarna Nalapat.Sung by Dr G.Bhuvaneswari .
6.A study of music therapy (comparative/both theory and practice of west and east)by DR Suvarna Nalapat (D.C.Books Kottayam. )and an English version of it by a Delhi-based publisher.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Gandhi
Gandhi –India’s Karmachandra .
On this Independence day (15 August 2010) I am remembering Gandhi ,the Moon of Karma of India for freedom from bondages.The real man who made it possible for our Tryst with destiny.
1869 October second.Portcity of Porbandar in Kathiawar of modern Gujarat .After a Jovian cycle of first battle of independence in 1857, a moon of Nishkaamakarma was born ,like a beautiful Kurinji flower that blooms to take away all sorrows from the onlooker’s heart. That was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi .Porbandar was the old Sudamapura ,the place where Krishna’s friend Kuchela(Sudama)was born .Living like a Kuchela ,Gandhi showed the model of simple life, high ideals and unselfish actions for the sake of India.
When Gandhi returned from England on 1915 January 9th in Bombay he has already abandoned his coat and was wearing the white dress of a simple farmer in swadeshi cloths and that was his first weapon for his revolution. In 1914 itself a troupe of volunteers under Maganlal Gandhi was sent to India for a spiritual and ethical change as a prelude to the political change Gandhi envisaged. His path was not just a political revolution.Nonviolence,freedom of women, and of downtrodden, religious tolerance and friendship,Godliness,Brahmacharya, etc were all in his broad plan of enquiry of Truth. It was a Dharmayudha for him and he sincerely believed that it is not man but God who decides the role for each and makes us do so. A limitless energy for work, fearless actions, unshakable ideological honesty,steellike willpower and Leadership qualities when compared with belief in God ,made him a rare jewel of India to cherish forever.
Before entering political arena ,Gandhi went to the villages of India ,to study the problems of villagers ,as GopalakrishnaGokhale advised him to do. He returned in February 1916 after that journey .His first stage where he got a chance to voice his opinions was the foundation laying of Benarus Hindu University .The Viceroy Lord Harding was doing it. Annie Besant also was an invited guest of Pundit Madan Mohan Malavya.Viceroy went back after a brief period of laying the foundation stone and the King of Darbangha continued to be in the presidential chair to continue the meeting.
Gandhi made very drastic comments which made both Annie Besant and king of Darbanga to protest and go out of the hall .Gandhi was ordered to leave the city immediately by the then police commissioner. What were the points Gandhi raised to create such a havoc ?
1.He said the meeting should have been conducted in the mothertoungue since it is needed for the growth of a child’s brain .
2.The way to the front of Kasi Viswanatha ,Lord Shiva, appears very narrow and dirty.
3.The king of Darbangha and other members spoke of the poverty of India. But they didn’t say anything about the costly decorations of the stage and pandal eructed for the Viceroy’s ceremony .The show of jewels there would have even made the jewellery shops of Paris open their eyes in wonder. I am comparing these rich people with jewellery ,to those poor people of India whom I had just seen. Unless you remove such gaudy ornaments from your body to remove the poverty of your fellow countrymen ,India will never get freedom. Remember ,when a palace is built in some place in India, the money comes from a poor farmer of India.
4.Because the Viceroy has come,Banarus has become akin to an invaded nation. Police and army is everywhere. This protective/defensive force show the Viceroy is a man who is living in fear day by day.
5.I praise the revolutionaries for their love of the nation. But I do not approve at all of their method of throwing bombs (violence).
Why is this first speech of Gandhi so important ?It shows the personality of Gandhi .It also shows a comparable situation for today’s India. The viceroys are gone but political leaders with police and army and other protective agents ,the showy rich people and the show business of commercialism ,all exist today after 94 years .Probably ,the first point ,that only regional/national language should be spoken is a little bit out of context now because English has now become a global language and depriving of that global language we will be jeopardizing our children’s education and career opportunities. It is probable that Gandhi said it as a part of his Swadeshi movement and not because he had any special dislike for the language because he was using the English language in his writings and speeches throughout his life, as we all know. Gandhi ,as he later understood that a common language for communication is needed among the people of India and the world as a practical solution for communication problems accepted English. This was the reason why our ancestors coined an educational language with a grammar and semantics (Sanskrit) from Himalaya to Kanyakumari and the spoken regional languages all over India is at present indebted to that common educational language .In fact England learned the practical importance of a common language from India in establishing a trade all over the world .
A farmer from Bihar Champaran(Raj Kumar Shukla) met Gandhi at Lahore congress and told him about the atrocities in the Indigo plantations. Therefore after the Calcutta he went with Shukla to Patna.Shukla did not know answers to questions Gandhi asked about the land tax and its laws there. That is how .Kripalani and Gandhi become known to each other. He was a professor and hostel warden in Muzzafarpur college. His students came to railway station to receive Gandhi and did an arathi in front of him. This troubled Gandhi, since Arathi should be done only in front of God.
Kripalani had written that he was amused to see the unshaken belief of Gandhi that the British people are essentially good people ,and that India is the foremost nonviolent nation in the world. He even felt that this is a joke.Kripalani thought a empire built of deceitful diplomacy and fraud for commercial benefits can never have dharma. And India with history of wars ,both small and big, can never be a nonviolent nation. After several years Kripalani understood what Gandhi meant .Wars in Ramayana and Mahabharata were fought between two armies in a special place ,and civilians were never killed.Agriculture,trade ,other day to day economical and social functions were never affected even in such great wars. People could carry on their day to day life as usual. War was a local phenomenon and even kings who fought it believed that killing is evil .Every village had a self-governed self-sufficient socioeconomy and it was never affected by the change in governments after the wars. The educational network from a small village ,centered around a temple ,and a self-sufficient agro economy (for free education) extending upto grand universities where advanced studies under a Guru is possible for a student who is an ardent learner was not disturbed by kings. In fact by their Brahmadeya they allowed such free education centers to flourish .To have each unit or village /Panchayathana in the Veda (modern Panchayath) as a self-sufficient agricultural, educational and production unit ,so that the people can barter the things across villages, towns and abroad (Babylon,Assyria,Egypt) and to hand over the taxes as kind or service to the chief of the grama panchayath etc was an excellent system ,even praised by Marx as the communes of ancient India .This system was what Gandhi meant .Kripalani when he understood Gandhi’s idea ,recognized that cooperation and tolerance and dharma with peaceful coexistence happen only when such a society exist and such a world nation has never been recorded in history .That is what Gandhi meant when he said India is a nonviolent nation. Similarly ,though Britain had colonized entire world for their benefit, the common British citizen as well as its educated nobles have an aristocratic disposition towards understanding and differentiating dharma and adharma.That is why he had total faith in Britain and its people as essentially good. And he was not wrong .In Kheda satyagraha ,the British recognized Gandhi’s dharma, the unity of the farmers and their sacrificing mentality and gave them freedom from taxation. Then Gandhi requested the villagers that those who can give tax , pay it as a gentleman .They obeyed it. It shows his honesty, dharma and leadership quality .
Gandhi’s dream:- When Rowlett act came, to prevent the black bills to be passed ,Gandhi came to Madras ,even though he was physically ill. He didn’t have any idea about how to formulate a programme.He thought about the problem and went to sleep. In between awakened and dream state ,as if a dream an idea struck him.(This he has written in his biography) It was all people to fast and pray for entire day, without doing any work. He said this is self-purification as protest against the bill. The first day proposed was March 30 in 1919.Later the date was changed to April 6th.Gandhi was on a south Indian tour. A section of people had done fasting on the first date itself ,not knowing about the postponement. When Gandhi returned on April 4th to Mumbai, he heard the Government had fired at Delhi and Punjab seeing the success f the fast and its popularity. Hearing this Swami Sradhananda had asked Gandhi to reach Delhi immediately .But when Gandhi reached Mathura,from railway station ,he was asked to go back to Mumbai by a Government order which prohibited him to enter Delhi. Yet he traveled .At Palwal he was arrested and sent back to Bombay. Gandhi was sad to see the revolution being turned violent .Then came the most tragic incident in Indian freedom struggle.The jallianwallabag.
Gandhi’s swaraj was not just political selfGovernement.Social and economical justice, unity of entire people ,khadi ,swadeshi,developmental works in villages, ending of inequalities and untouchability, cottage industries, national educational policies, complete prohibition of liquor, reconstruction of ancient village panjayaths and their orderly function etc were in his swaraj.In 2010 ,when we look back ,we can ourselves see how much of these we have attained, and which all things Gandhi did not want to happen in India we are witnessing here etc.
After Nagpur session, in Beswada AIC C ,Thilak swaraj fund of one crore rupees was decided to be collected for the reconstruction programmes.To enroll one crore members in congress, to distribute 20 lakhs charka, and to utilize entire one crore within one year of collection for the purposes it was collected were planned. To carry out a programme in a limited and fixed timespan was executed in this way .The enthusiasm of people in this programme was great. Gandhi was very popular among people. But since Gandhi insisted on nonviolence at any cost a division of the congress under Dr B.S Moonche brought a bill proclaiming that they have no confidence in Gandhi in Delhi AICC.This made the Government courageous to arrest him at Sabarmathi for three of his articles in Young India .The conversation between the Judge (a European)and Gandhi in the court was very interesting. Gandhi said he was really guilty and he should be given the greatest possible punishment for his guilt. He said that I know that I am playing with fire, and I do not beg for mercy. What your law see as guilt, is seen by me as the greatest dharma of a responsible citizen.Therefore,if the judge comes to the conclusion that I have not done any violation of law, the judge should recognize the law he follows as adharma,and resign from his post. Or ,if he thinks that law is dharma, and my karma is dangerous to my people ,I should be given greatest punishment for it.
This was Gandhi’s view.
The judge said that by saying that he has done the crime, Gandhi has made his duty easy and that law does not respect individuals. But ,he stated that Gandhi was a very different person ,from all those on whom he had passed a judgement and will pass judgments in future too. Gandhi being a popular leader and loved by his people ,even his enemies respect him for his simple pure life and high ideals and for the judge ,he had no duty to pass a verdict on his character or all his actions, but just on one nature. A person who is under a law, and who has purposefully broken it, and against a Government ,the judge said he had to pass a judgement.Many people in India do believe that you should be allowed to go freely, but since it is my duty to include you under the same class as Thilak and give you 6 months imprisonment ,I hope you will not consider it as irresponsible on my part. If the Government decides to decrease the period or to set you free, there will be no other person than me who would rejoice in that .
Gandhi thanked the judge for comparing him to Thilak,the veteran leader. The conversation between a judge and a accused ,of this type is rare .Once in jail ,Gandhi had to undergo a surgery for acute appendicitis. Since surgeon was Colonel Maddock ,Gandhi was allowed to call any doctor in whom he has faith. That was because the authorities thought Gandhi had no faith in British people. But Gandhi said he had perfect faith in Maddock and allowed him to operate successfully.
In 1925 November as a penance to the deeds of the inmates of Sabarmathi ashram Gandhi fasted for 7 days. What eyes are for the external world, fasting is for inner world –he said. He said that children should be brought up on the basis of mutual love for all. If every child will grow pure, I will give up my life voluntarily –Gandhi declared. He wrote the story of my experiments with truth in 1925 in Gujrati language and its translation by Mahadev Desai came in Young India. Without notes or documents, during travels ,using hastily scribbled diaries and memories in brain he wrote his autobiography. He wrote that for the last 30 years I had been experimenting to know self. To see God. That alone is my goal .(He had written his autobiography till 1920).When Swaraj party had a split Gandhi said that the split is between the educated people of India and that his path was not theirs. He said he is making the nation from the lowest strata upwards and they want to build it from up down.( Because they wanted to be at the political power positions).
In Wardha congress Gandhi declared that to get swaraj ,people should take up three important items:- The Hindu-Muslim harmony, removal of untouchability and Swadeshi.By 1927 in Gandhi ashram at Banarus Khadi worth of Rs 70000 was produced. All types of workers were given employment in the ashram. From Nandihills at Bangalore Gandhi spoke on a common universal lipi(albhabet)and its need for uniting all people of India .The swadeshi fro him was to find employment for the weavers of India who had lost it by the millcloths .All his programmes had farreaching visionary implications for the wellbeing of Indians .When the Independent league within the congress with Sreenivasa Aiyangar,Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal as its architects declared Poornaswaraj as its only goal Gandhi said that it is a hastily conceived and thoughtlessly passed resolution.
Kripalani points out that Britain had realized the goal as well as the strength of Gandhi than the congress leaders. The prohibition of liquor, removal of untouchability,Khadi/swadeshi ,and nonviolence –as Gandhi envisaged – these were the backbones of real free India and if these are made possible no foreign country can ever exploit India .Kripalani says British administrators had understood that well and that is why they feared as well as respected Gandhi .The congress leaders always underestimated him ,and thought they are only one among them .But Britain never made that mistake throughout history .
For Gandhi’s compromise resolution Subhash Chandrabose brought an amendment in open session of AICC and Nehru supported it. Gandhi did not approve of the amendment .He said that without knowing the respect and love being the name of God ,as if it is an empty equation ,you are repeating the word Swaraj with your lips only .If you cannot act according to your dharma and your word, where is your freedom? Freedom is something to be earned with hard task .Not a word to be played with .On that stage Sardar Patel ,the hero of Bardouli was not given entry because the gateman did not recognize him. Kripalani writes that at those days leaders did not do work to be spotted on stage and in the front page of media and they never ran behind media to be highlighted in propaganda .They did what they thought was for their dharma and did not wish for publicity. What are we now !!! That question is what we should ask .
Do you know Gandhi was arrested for Rowdiyism ? On February 15th 1929.For eliminating hunger of millions of people of India Gandhi started a movement of discarding all foreign clothes. On March 4th in Calcutta Sradhanand park, when Gandhi moved forward to set fire to a pile of foreign clothes he was arrested under the charge of Rowdism by police. He was asked to pay a fine of Rs one .But Gandhi adamantly refused to pay fine .Someone else then paid the fine which Gandhi did not like. He said :_ That person ,whoever it is cannot be my friend. At the same period someone who visited Gandhi’s ashram gave Rs 4 to Kasthurba as a donation and when Gandhi returned from Calcutta he found this. He wrote in Navajeevan that Kasthurba was a thief and her deed as a act of shame .About this Azad wrote that this man is so truthful that even an enemy will not suspect him.
In January 1930 Tagore visited Gandhi at Sabarmathi .Gandhi told him that however he tries to make the struggle nonviolent ,some groups does not understand it and does things against it and that it troubles him. On January 26th Gandhi put forth a eleven point programme as a forerunner of the free Republic of India.
1.Total prohibition of liquor
2.Reexamining the value of the Rupee
3.Reduce the cost of maintaining an army
4.Reduce the salary of the administrative class
5.Reduce land tax about 50 %
6.Protection tariff against the foreign cloths
7.Abolish tax on salt
8.Special reservation for Indian ships for traveling along coasts
8.Abolish CID
10.Free all political prisoners
11.Allow Indians also to carry a pistol.
The first 10 are for Indian economy,agroindustry,trade and for the lower stratum of society and shows his practicality and visionary power .9.10.and 11 are actually questioning some of the special rights of the British administration .The 11th one is a surprising statement from one who is for nonviolence. It was because of fundamental rights and equality of rights that Gandhi included such an item in his programme.But it is still disconcerting .
India of Gandhi’s dreams:-
When Gandhi was on voyage for the round table conference, a journalist of Reuter on the ship asked him about his dreams of a free India. Gandhi spoke of his India in his dreams.
1 .It should be a country which has freedom of expression to even the poorest individual
2.All citizens will feel pride in saying that this is my country
3.There wont be any distinction between high and low, rich and poor and all will be equal
4.There wont be class and caste and everyone will live happily and peacefully together
5.In that dream India there is no place for liquor, drugs or for untouchability.
6.Women have equal rights as men
7.India will not exploit other countries but will not allow other countries to exploit her either
8.In that India the need for power of army will be minimal
9.India will never show discrimination in protecting the wellbeing of all ,whether Indian or foreigners. I do not like a distinction between swadeshi and videshi .
10.I see this India in my dreams and it is for this I am participating in round table conference.
But as C.F.Andrews pointed out the Round Table conference was just a magnificent failure. In his European journey many people met Gandhi. Both common men and dignitaries wanted to see him. The Kingsley hall of Miss Murrail Lester became an ocean of people. Children ,women and common men became his dearest friends. Even the mill workers of Lancashire who were affected by Gandhi’s swadeshi movement understood Gandhi’s way of seeing it and respected Gandhi for it. There were only two people who objected to see Gandhi and there was only one person whom Gandhi declined to see.
Churchill and the Pope did not want to see Gandhi .Gandhi did not want to see Mussolini though Mussolini desired it. Yet Mussolini came to see Gandhi and Gandhi didn’t like his dress or his expressions and told him blindly that he was building palaces with cards .Though Pope didn’t come to see Gandhi went to the cistine chapel and prayed and the cross made him emotional. Though Churchill didn’t come his son Ranfold Churchill wished to see Gandhi and came. These show the character of Gandhi as well as the nature of the people who detested him and respected him.Lyod George,Harold Lasky,Lady Aster, Bernard Shaw, Charlie Chaplin ,Prof Lindsay, Gilbert Murray,Prof Edward Thompson etc were those who visited and became friends with him there .The half naked Fakir going to Buckingham palace was an event and when asked about the event Gandhi said that the king had worn enough for both of them, the sense of humor in it was well appreciated by the British who have a natural sense of humor .In Gandhi’s absence Lord Wellington had resorted to armed suppression of rebellions in Bengal and about it Gandhi wrote : Nonviolence is my absolute creed. Civil disobedience is not only the natural right of the people but also an effective substitute for violence of armed rebellion”.
Gandhi was not against the British people or to Britain as a nation but to the ways of its administration in India. Therefore Gandhi never hated anyone. It was from the compassion and love for all ,that he had the courage to speak out the truth frankly and that was the reason why the British people loved and respected him just as the Indians did. When Gandhi was leaving for Yervada jail as a prisoner he wrote to Father Werrier Elvin who loved Gandhi: Tell your countrymen that I do love them just as I love my countrymen. I am not doing anything with hatred for them. With God’s grace that will never happen in future too.
To Indians he gave a message that the love of God is endless and we should never deviate from path of truth and nonviolence. We should never go back from our efforts. Let us even sacrifice our own lives for the sake of swarajya.
Karl Heith called Gandhi a new type of prophet of the society.Romain Rolland wrote:- If the India of Satyagraha were to go down in the battle, it is Christ himself who would be pierced by it, with a supreme lance-thrust ,on the cross. And this time there would be no resurrection!!
Albert Einstein had a lot to praise Gandhi and knew him as an extraordinary person the like of whom come to earth only once in an era.
I was only one year and 10 months old when Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Vinayak Godsay .My parents observed 16 days pithrusradhakarma and on the 16th day took all of us as a procession to the ocean to do the last rites of that wellrespected,loved grandfather of all of us .Gandhi is not only the father of our nation, but the grandfather and great grandfather for all our children to be born on this great land of ancestors. We are honored by his presence amidst us and his memory should linger forever in us for recreation of an India which is free from evils of selfishness and inequalities and exploitations of any sort .
We may feel that what Gandhi dreamed had not happened in free India .But there is no need to panic. The Indian people will see the visionary prophesies of this selfless Nishkaamakarmayogi as the only means for a happy peaceful equal state of existence and slowly and steadily move to that goal, if not today, tomorrow .
On this Independence day (15 August 2010) I am remembering Gandhi ,the Moon of Karma of India for freedom from bondages.The real man who made it possible for our Tryst with destiny.
1869 October second.Portcity of Porbandar in Kathiawar of modern Gujarat .After a Jovian cycle of first battle of independence in 1857, a moon of Nishkaamakarma was born ,like a beautiful Kurinji flower that blooms to take away all sorrows from the onlooker’s heart. That was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi .Porbandar was the old Sudamapura ,the place where Krishna’s friend Kuchela(Sudama)was born .Living like a Kuchela ,Gandhi showed the model of simple life, high ideals and unselfish actions for the sake of India.
When Gandhi returned from England on 1915 January 9th in Bombay he has already abandoned his coat and was wearing the white dress of a simple farmer in swadeshi cloths and that was his first weapon for his revolution. In 1914 itself a troupe of volunteers under Maganlal Gandhi was sent to India for a spiritual and ethical change as a prelude to the political change Gandhi envisaged. His path was not just a political revolution.Nonviolence,freedom of women, and of downtrodden, religious tolerance and friendship,Godliness,Brahmacharya, etc were all in his broad plan of enquiry of Truth. It was a Dharmayudha for him and he sincerely believed that it is not man but God who decides the role for each and makes us do so. A limitless energy for work, fearless actions, unshakable ideological honesty,steellike willpower and Leadership qualities when compared with belief in God ,made him a rare jewel of India to cherish forever.
Before entering political arena ,Gandhi went to the villages of India ,to study the problems of villagers ,as GopalakrishnaGokhale advised him to do. He returned in February 1916 after that journey .His first stage where he got a chance to voice his opinions was the foundation laying of Benarus Hindu University .The Viceroy Lord Harding was doing it. Annie Besant also was an invited guest of Pundit Madan Mohan Malavya.Viceroy went back after a brief period of laying the foundation stone and the King of Darbangha continued to be in the presidential chair to continue the meeting.
Gandhi made very drastic comments which made both Annie Besant and king of Darbanga to protest and go out of the hall .Gandhi was ordered to leave the city immediately by the then police commissioner. What were the points Gandhi raised to create such a havoc ?
1.He said the meeting should have been conducted in the mothertoungue since it is needed for the growth of a child’s brain .
2.The way to the front of Kasi Viswanatha ,Lord Shiva, appears very narrow and dirty.
3.The king of Darbangha and other members spoke of the poverty of India. But they didn’t say anything about the costly decorations of the stage and pandal eructed for the Viceroy’s ceremony .The show of jewels there would have even made the jewellery shops of Paris open their eyes in wonder. I am comparing these rich people with jewellery ,to those poor people of India whom I had just seen. Unless you remove such gaudy ornaments from your body to remove the poverty of your fellow countrymen ,India will never get freedom. Remember ,when a palace is built in some place in India, the money comes from a poor farmer of India.
4.Because the Viceroy has come,Banarus has become akin to an invaded nation. Police and army is everywhere. This protective/defensive force show the Viceroy is a man who is living in fear day by day.
5.I praise the revolutionaries for their love of the nation. But I do not approve at all of their method of throwing bombs (violence).
Why is this first speech of Gandhi so important ?It shows the personality of Gandhi .It also shows a comparable situation for today’s India. The viceroys are gone but political leaders with police and army and other protective agents ,the showy rich people and the show business of commercialism ,all exist today after 94 years .Probably ,the first point ,that only regional/national language should be spoken is a little bit out of context now because English has now become a global language and depriving of that global language we will be jeopardizing our children’s education and career opportunities. It is probable that Gandhi said it as a part of his Swadeshi movement and not because he had any special dislike for the language because he was using the English language in his writings and speeches throughout his life, as we all know. Gandhi ,as he later understood that a common language for communication is needed among the people of India and the world as a practical solution for communication problems accepted English. This was the reason why our ancestors coined an educational language with a grammar and semantics (Sanskrit) from Himalaya to Kanyakumari and the spoken regional languages all over India is at present indebted to that common educational language .In fact England learned the practical importance of a common language from India in establishing a trade all over the world .
A farmer from Bihar Champaran(Raj Kumar Shukla) met Gandhi at Lahore congress and told him about the atrocities in the Indigo plantations. Therefore after the Calcutta he went with Shukla to Patna.Shukla did not know answers to questions Gandhi asked about the land tax and its laws there. That is how .Kripalani and Gandhi become known to each other. He was a professor and hostel warden in Muzzafarpur college. His students came to railway station to receive Gandhi and did an arathi in front of him. This troubled Gandhi, since Arathi should be done only in front of God.
Kripalani had written that he was amused to see the unshaken belief of Gandhi that the British people are essentially good people ,and that India is the foremost nonviolent nation in the world. He even felt that this is a joke.Kripalani thought a empire built of deceitful diplomacy and fraud for commercial benefits can never have dharma. And India with history of wars ,both small and big, can never be a nonviolent nation. After several years Kripalani understood what Gandhi meant .Wars in Ramayana and Mahabharata were fought between two armies in a special place ,and civilians were never killed.Agriculture,trade ,other day to day economical and social functions were never affected even in such great wars. People could carry on their day to day life as usual. War was a local phenomenon and even kings who fought it believed that killing is evil .Every village had a self-governed self-sufficient socioeconomy and it was never affected by the change in governments after the wars. The educational network from a small village ,centered around a temple ,and a self-sufficient agro economy (for free education) extending upto grand universities where advanced studies under a Guru is possible for a student who is an ardent learner was not disturbed by kings. In fact by their Brahmadeya they allowed such free education centers to flourish .To have each unit or village /Panchayathana in the Veda (modern Panchayath) as a self-sufficient agricultural, educational and production unit ,so that the people can barter the things across villages, towns and abroad (Babylon,Assyria,Egypt) and to hand over the taxes as kind or service to the chief of the grama panchayath etc was an excellent system ,even praised by Marx as the communes of ancient India .This system was what Gandhi meant .Kripalani when he understood Gandhi’s idea ,recognized that cooperation and tolerance and dharma with peaceful coexistence happen only when such a society exist and such a world nation has never been recorded in history .That is what Gandhi meant when he said India is a nonviolent nation. Similarly ,though Britain had colonized entire world for their benefit, the common British citizen as well as its educated nobles have an aristocratic disposition towards understanding and differentiating dharma and adharma.That is why he had total faith in Britain and its people as essentially good. And he was not wrong .In Kheda satyagraha ,the British recognized Gandhi’s dharma, the unity of the farmers and their sacrificing mentality and gave them freedom from taxation. Then Gandhi requested the villagers that those who can give tax , pay it as a gentleman .They obeyed it. It shows his honesty, dharma and leadership quality .
Gandhi’s dream:- When Rowlett act came, to prevent the black bills to be passed ,Gandhi came to Madras ,even though he was physically ill. He didn’t have any idea about how to formulate a programme.He thought about the problem and went to sleep. In between awakened and dream state ,as if a dream an idea struck him.(This he has written in his biography) It was all people to fast and pray for entire day, without doing any work. He said this is self-purification as protest against the bill. The first day proposed was March 30 in 1919.Later the date was changed to April 6th.Gandhi was on a south Indian tour. A section of people had done fasting on the first date itself ,not knowing about the postponement. When Gandhi returned on April 4th to Mumbai, he heard the Government had fired at Delhi and Punjab seeing the success f the fast and its popularity. Hearing this Swami Sradhananda had asked Gandhi to reach Delhi immediately .But when Gandhi reached Mathura,from railway station ,he was asked to go back to Mumbai by a Government order which prohibited him to enter Delhi. Yet he traveled .At Palwal he was arrested and sent back to Bombay. Gandhi was sad to see the revolution being turned violent .Then came the most tragic incident in Indian freedom struggle.The jallianwallabag.
Gandhi’s swaraj was not just political selfGovernement.Social and economical justice, unity of entire people ,khadi ,swadeshi,developmental works in villages, ending of inequalities and untouchability, cottage industries, national educational policies, complete prohibition of liquor, reconstruction of ancient village panjayaths and their orderly function etc were in his swaraj.In 2010 ,when we look back ,we can ourselves see how much of these we have attained, and which all things Gandhi did not want to happen in India we are witnessing here etc.
After Nagpur session, in Beswada AIC C ,Thilak swaraj fund of one crore rupees was decided to be collected for the reconstruction programmes.To enroll one crore members in congress, to distribute 20 lakhs charka, and to utilize entire one crore within one year of collection for the purposes it was collected were planned. To carry out a programme in a limited and fixed timespan was executed in this way .The enthusiasm of people in this programme was great. Gandhi was very popular among people. But since Gandhi insisted on nonviolence at any cost a division of the congress under Dr B.S Moonche brought a bill proclaiming that they have no confidence in Gandhi in Delhi AICC.This made the Government courageous to arrest him at Sabarmathi for three of his articles in Young India .The conversation between the Judge (a European)and Gandhi in the court was very interesting. Gandhi said he was really guilty and he should be given the greatest possible punishment for his guilt. He said that I know that I am playing with fire, and I do not beg for mercy. What your law see as guilt, is seen by me as the greatest dharma of a responsible citizen.Therefore,if the judge comes to the conclusion that I have not done any violation of law, the judge should recognize the law he follows as adharma,and resign from his post. Or ,if he thinks that law is dharma, and my karma is dangerous to my people ,I should be given greatest punishment for it.
This was Gandhi’s view.
The judge said that by saying that he has done the crime, Gandhi has made his duty easy and that law does not respect individuals. But ,he stated that Gandhi was a very different person ,from all those on whom he had passed a judgement and will pass judgments in future too. Gandhi being a popular leader and loved by his people ,even his enemies respect him for his simple pure life and high ideals and for the judge ,he had no duty to pass a verdict on his character or all his actions, but just on one nature. A person who is under a law, and who has purposefully broken it, and against a Government ,the judge said he had to pass a judgement.Many people in India do believe that you should be allowed to go freely, but since it is my duty to include you under the same class as Thilak and give you 6 months imprisonment ,I hope you will not consider it as irresponsible on my part. If the Government decides to decrease the period or to set you free, there will be no other person than me who would rejoice in that .
Gandhi thanked the judge for comparing him to Thilak,the veteran leader. The conversation between a judge and a accused ,of this type is rare .Once in jail ,Gandhi had to undergo a surgery for acute appendicitis. Since surgeon was Colonel Maddock ,Gandhi was allowed to call any doctor in whom he has faith. That was because the authorities thought Gandhi had no faith in British people. But Gandhi said he had perfect faith in Maddock and allowed him to operate successfully.
In 1925 November as a penance to the deeds of the inmates of Sabarmathi ashram Gandhi fasted for 7 days. What eyes are for the external world, fasting is for inner world –he said. He said that children should be brought up on the basis of mutual love for all. If every child will grow pure, I will give up my life voluntarily –Gandhi declared. He wrote the story of my experiments with truth in 1925 in Gujrati language and its translation by Mahadev Desai came in Young India. Without notes or documents, during travels ,using hastily scribbled diaries and memories in brain he wrote his autobiography. He wrote that for the last 30 years I had been experimenting to know self. To see God. That alone is my goal .(He had written his autobiography till 1920).When Swaraj party had a split Gandhi said that the split is between the educated people of India and that his path was not theirs. He said he is making the nation from the lowest strata upwards and they want to build it from up down.( Because they wanted to be at the political power positions).
In Wardha congress Gandhi declared that to get swaraj ,people should take up three important items:- The Hindu-Muslim harmony, removal of untouchability and Swadeshi.By 1927 in Gandhi ashram at Banarus Khadi worth of Rs 70000 was produced. All types of workers were given employment in the ashram. From Nandihills at Bangalore Gandhi spoke on a common universal lipi(albhabet)and its need for uniting all people of India .The swadeshi fro him was to find employment for the weavers of India who had lost it by the millcloths .All his programmes had farreaching visionary implications for the wellbeing of Indians .When the Independent league within the congress with Sreenivasa Aiyangar,Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal as its architects declared Poornaswaraj as its only goal Gandhi said that it is a hastily conceived and thoughtlessly passed resolution.
Kripalani points out that Britain had realized the goal as well as the strength of Gandhi than the congress leaders. The prohibition of liquor, removal of untouchability,Khadi/swadeshi ,and nonviolence –as Gandhi envisaged – these were the backbones of real free India and if these are made possible no foreign country can ever exploit India .Kripalani says British administrators had understood that well and that is why they feared as well as respected Gandhi .The congress leaders always underestimated him ,and thought they are only one among them .But Britain never made that mistake throughout history .
For Gandhi’s compromise resolution Subhash Chandrabose brought an amendment in open session of AICC and Nehru supported it. Gandhi did not approve of the amendment .He said that without knowing the respect and love being the name of God ,as if it is an empty equation ,you are repeating the word Swaraj with your lips only .If you cannot act according to your dharma and your word, where is your freedom? Freedom is something to be earned with hard task .Not a word to be played with .On that stage Sardar Patel ,the hero of Bardouli was not given entry because the gateman did not recognize him. Kripalani writes that at those days leaders did not do work to be spotted on stage and in the front page of media and they never ran behind media to be highlighted in propaganda .They did what they thought was for their dharma and did not wish for publicity. What are we now !!! That question is what we should ask .
Do you know Gandhi was arrested for Rowdiyism ? On February 15th 1929.For eliminating hunger of millions of people of India Gandhi started a movement of discarding all foreign clothes. On March 4th in Calcutta Sradhanand park, when Gandhi moved forward to set fire to a pile of foreign clothes he was arrested under the charge of Rowdism by police. He was asked to pay a fine of Rs one .But Gandhi adamantly refused to pay fine .Someone else then paid the fine which Gandhi did not like. He said :_ That person ,whoever it is cannot be my friend. At the same period someone who visited Gandhi’s ashram gave Rs 4 to Kasthurba as a donation and when Gandhi returned from Calcutta he found this. He wrote in Navajeevan that Kasthurba was a thief and her deed as a act of shame .About this Azad wrote that this man is so truthful that even an enemy will not suspect him.
In January 1930 Tagore visited Gandhi at Sabarmathi .Gandhi told him that however he tries to make the struggle nonviolent ,some groups does not understand it and does things against it and that it troubles him. On January 26th Gandhi put forth a eleven point programme as a forerunner of the free Republic of India.
1.Total prohibition of liquor
2.Reexamining the value of the Rupee
3.Reduce the cost of maintaining an army
4.Reduce the salary of the administrative class
5.Reduce land tax about 50 %
6.Protection tariff against the foreign cloths
7.Abolish tax on salt
8.Special reservation for Indian ships for traveling along coasts
8.Abolish CID
10.Free all political prisoners
11.Allow Indians also to carry a pistol.
The first 10 are for Indian economy,agroindustry,trade and for the lower stratum of society and shows his practicality and visionary power .9.10.and 11 are actually questioning some of the special rights of the British administration .The 11th one is a surprising statement from one who is for nonviolence. It was because of fundamental rights and equality of rights that Gandhi included such an item in his programme.But it is still disconcerting .
India of Gandhi’s dreams:-
When Gandhi was on voyage for the round table conference, a journalist of Reuter on the ship asked him about his dreams of a free India. Gandhi spoke of his India in his dreams.
1 .It should be a country which has freedom of expression to even the poorest individual
2.All citizens will feel pride in saying that this is my country
3.There wont be any distinction between high and low, rich and poor and all will be equal
4.There wont be class and caste and everyone will live happily and peacefully together
5.In that dream India there is no place for liquor, drugs or for untouchability.
6.Women have equal rights as men
7.India will not exploit other countries but will not allow other countries to exploit her either
8.In that India the need for power of army will be minimal
9.India will never show discrimination in protecting the wellbeing of all ,whether Indian or foreigners. I do not like a distinction between swadeshi and videshi .
10.I see this India in my dreams and it is for this I am participating in round table conference.
But as C.F.Andrews pointed out the Round Table conference was just a magnificent failure. In his European journey many people met Gandhi. Both common men and dignitaries wanted to see him. The Kingsley hall of Miss Murrail Lester became an ocean of people. Children ,women and common men became his dearest friends. Even the mill workers of Lancashire who were affected by Gandhi’s swadeshi movement understood Gandhi’s way of seeing it and respected Gandhi for it. There were only two people who objected to see Gandhi and there was only one person whom Gandhi declined to see.
Churchill and the Pope did not want to see Gandhi .Gandhi did not want to see Mussolini though Mussolini desired it. Yet Mussolini came to see Gandhi and Gandhi didn’t like his dress or his expressions and told him blindly that he was building palaces with cards .Though Pope didn’t come to see Gandhi went to the cistine chapel and prayed and the cross made him emotional. Though Churchill didn’t come his son Ranfold Churchill wished to see Gandhi and came. These show the character of Gandhi as well as the nature of the people who detested him and respected him.Lyod George,Harold Lasky,Lady Aster, Bernard Shaw, Charlie Chaplin ,Prof Lindsay, Gilbert Murray,Prof Edward Thompson etc were those who visited and became friends with him there .The half naked Fakir going to Buckingham palace was an event and when asked about the event Gandhi said that the king had worn enough for both of them, the sense of humor in it was well appreciated by the British who have a natural sense of humor .In Gandhi’s absence Lord Wellington had resorted to armed suppression of rebellions in Bengal and about it Gandhi wrote : Nonviolence is my absolute creed. Civil disobedience is not only the natural right of the people but also an effective substitute for violence of armed rebellion”.
Gandhi was not against the British people or to Britain as a nation but to the ways of its administration in India. Therefore Gandhi never hated anyone. It was from the compassion and love for all ,that he had the courage to speak out the truth frankly and that was the reason why the British people loved and respected him just as the Indians did. When Gandhi was leaving for Yervada jail as a prisoner he wrote to Father Werrier Elvin who loved Gandhi: Tell your countrymen that I do love them just as I love my countrymen. I am not doing anything with hatred for them. With God’s grace that will never happen in future too.
To Indians he gave a message that the love of God is endless and we should never deviate from path of truth and nonviolence. We should never go back from our efforts. Let us even sacrifice our own lives for the sake of swarajya.
Karl Heith called Gandhi a new type of prophet of the society.Romain Rolland wrote:- If the India of Satyagraha were to go down in the battle, it is Christ himself who would be pierced by it, with a supreme lance-thrust ,on the cross. And this time there would be no resurrection!!
Albert Einstein had a lot to praise Gandhi and knew him as an extraordinary person the like of whom come to earth only once in an era.
I was only one year and 10 months old when Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Vinayak Godsay .My parents observed 16 days pithrusradhakarma and on the 16th day took all of us as a procession to the ocean to do the last rites of that wellrespected,loved grandfather of all of us .Gandhi is not only the father of our nation, but the grandfather and great grandfather for all our children to be born on this great land of ancestors. We are honored by his presence amidst us and his memory should linger forever in us for recreation of an India which is free from evils of selfishness and inequalities and exploitations of any sort .
We may feel that what Gandhi dreamed had not happened in free India .But there is no need to panic. The Indian people will see the visionary prophesies of this selfless Nishkaamakarmayogi as the only means for a happy peaceful equal state of existence and slowly and steadily move to that goal, if not today, tomorrow .
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