Pankaja Does It Again

Most Gracious ILites,
Pankaja's middle appears in todays Deccan Herald. It talks about the regal processions and royal weddings. Please use this link to read the middle and post your comments here.
http://deccanherald.com/deccanherald...4102006118.asp
Varalotti

Dear Pankaja,
Your inimitably simple style makes the subject-matter even more poignant. Ostensibly you are talking of glittering jewels, diamonds and mile-long processions. But the message that is conveyed, especially when you talk about the untimely death of the princess , is that the human heart that lies beneath all these royal signs is just the same as ours that lie beneath unadorned bodies. There is also a subtle message of impermanence of all the royal splendour.

A very good piece of writing.
regards,
sridhar

Thanks Sridhar for throwing light on this article. It brought back poignant memories of the Dassehra procession in Mysore that I have seen as a child a couple of times. I also had to think of my own princess friend of my school days, also the Good Shepherd Convent in B'lore. Come to think of it, looks like GSC seems to be the favorite of the royalty!!!...as we had more than one princess in our school.
But coming to the article/middle, Pankaja Ma'm, it was a neat one! You used the apt language to describe the princely splendour. Your middle was equally royale!

L, Kamla

Sridhar,
I little thought that my small piece would be so much appreciated by such a master-writer like you! Yes, you are that really, touching even a layman's heart with such heart-provoking stories like the one published in our Deccanherald recently( Writer's journey?)Since it is quite some time since read, the exact title escapes my memory,but the story(Of the actor helping out the author by buying his unpublished story for tenthousand rupees) can be included in 'world's best stories' without any second thought. Many here were carried away by the sheer intensity of the unique plot, and the unexpected unraveling. You can imagine my pride when announcing that I knew you very well, and that you had visited me. I had difficulty in convincing them that you are a youngman. Now, again my question-How on earth do you get such wonderful ideas? One more thing i have to tell you and congratulate. You have made a hit with my husband! Short time you spent, you brought him out of his shell! He has become a life-fan!
By the way, a small poem of mine, titled as 'Request of old age' had appeared in 'Poets corner' in Articulation of Sunday Herald of 15th october. It was liked by old people, how about reading it in advance if you can find it?
Once again thanking you, and wishing you all the awards in the world,
Pankaja

Kamala,
Thanks very much for taking note of my short piece. I am thrilled to know that you are also a product of G.S.C,(even though it is of Bangalore). What a life as students! I would give anything to go back.
By the way, who was the princess who studied with you?
Pankaja

Dear Pankaja,
With those kind words you have adorned me with a samman patra which I will cherish till I live. And if at all my moods are not all right, all it would take to come to this thread and read your words again.

You have been so nice about my story that it is now my duty to tell you how I got the plot.

One incident that happened in my college days still stays in my memory. We had invited the great poet Kannadasan for a Kavi Sammelan (Kavi Arangam in Tamil). It was the early seventies. Kannadasan was the most popular living Tamil poet then. (He was to die in 1981). The main hall of American college (recently they celebrated the 90th anniversary of this building) was packed to its full capacity of 900. Students were standing in the verandah, standing over the tables, parapet walls - the hall literally overflowed.

In a Sammelan there should be at least two poets. We had asked one of our students ( a gifted poet) to be the other poet. We did not want a third person as that would rob us of our time with Kannadasan.

The student recited his poems first. There untimed applauses, some booh-boohs and the maximum respect he got was a kind of indifferent silence. Because we were anxious to listen to the poet. It took the student about half an hour to finish his recital. Then Kannadasan rose to speak. A thunderous applause greeted him. Every word that escaped his mouth was welcomed with acclamation. When he sat down after 30 minutes, it looked as if the applause would never end.

Finally when the applause died down the great poet ( and to me a very great man too) stood up and said:
My dear students, the poem the student recited was mine. The poem I recited was his. Before we started we exchanged our scripts. And you, never listened to the words; you only looked on to my halo, my popularity. That is the pathetic state of poetry today. Only on the day you learn to listen to the poem rather than to the poet, would poetry blossom into its fullness. That is the fate of poetry today.
In Tamil he said, "Ithu than kavithaiyin kaalam." It was very apt because the title of the sammelan was Kalamum Kavithaiyum - Time and poetry.

This incident buried deep inside my heart has given birth to two stories. The second of that is this one. You will be surprised to know that two leading Tamil magazines rejected the story and Anandha Vikatan published it in 2001 to rave reviews.

I am very happy that you liked the story. And I also want to know about your views on my article which appeared in DH Education last Thursday.

About your husband opening up, I am reminded of the words of Neil Armstrong when he stood on the moon. He said "The advantage of going to Moon is not seeing it from inside but seeing our earth from outside."
So meeting me would have made him to see you better and would have thus opened him up. My pranams to him.



One more inspiration for me to recite the above incident was your poem. While asking for some perfume from youth you have virtually asked for eternity. And the beauty is you got it too by you words. You have the knack of concealing great truths in deceptively simple words.

Dear ILites, here is the link to Pankaja's poem which appeared in the Deccan Herald on 15th October:
http://deccanherald.com/deccanherald...2520061014.asp

Please read the poem and let me have your views in this thread.
regards,
sridhar

...I too would give anything to be back in school again!
My friend was one of the nicest girls I got to know, although we became close only during the last years of school. She was almost embarassed about the fact that she is of blue blood, she even wore golden anklets! I think she said they are from Gadhwal, or some such place in the north. She had atleast four other cousins in the school. Their car with a driver and a maid always waited upon them! They had special permission to wear their uniforms a bit long and sleeves covering the arms to avoid sun-tan!
My friend married a cute and charming prince from Vijayanagar and moved to Benares, that's where he was from. We used to write to each other for sometime and lost contact many years ago:( I think the royalty are related to the Mysore maharaja too as they marry within their clan.
Some memories, thanks to you Pankaja Ma'm!

L, Kamla

Yes brings back lovely memories. Having done my schooling in Bangalore( Sophias), i have been to the dussera in Mysore couple of times. Oh what grandeur and splendour. Just reading the middle brought back all those lovely memories. And the palace looks so beautiful all lighted up. It is wonderful that the Mysoreans are carrying on this traditions for so many years.

I think it is sight to see for all ages.

Vandhana

Dear Pankaja Madam,
it was so interesting to read your middle. I have not been to Mysore so far. I myself am very fascinated by the royalty and such things, I love to read about them. That is because, Trivandrum is old Travancore and loyalty is very much a part of our life also. The Ananthapadmanabha temple in the city is the ruler, according to the royalty. One of the famous rulers, Velu Thambi Thalava, dedicated his land to the Lord and pledged to rule it as a representative of the Lord only - as Padmanabha Daasa. The small mandap from which one could have a darshan of the 3 doored sancturm sanctorium was the venue of this great occasion. So after that, only the royalty have the right to prostrate to the Lord on that mandap- is is called One stone mandap. If our purse or money falls down while we are standing there will automatically go to the Lord. The temple guards would be announcing this fact to the devotees when they start to ascend the steps of the mandap.
The ruler comes to the temple everyday morning at 8 am to report the happenings of the previous day to the Ruler (Lord Padmanabha). So people are not allowed into the sanctum sanctorium at that time. People will wait in the outer praharam and have a darshan of their ruler also.
But our royalty were very simple, there will not be much pomp and glamour.
Pankaja Madam, why don't you tell us more about such incidents, for the sae of ILites? It will be very interesting to know.
Please consider my request.

Dear Mrs. Pankaja,
That was such a beautiful writeup on the royalty of Mysore. It really brings back memeories. I too studied in Mysore, but christ the king convent. But i remember having met one prince, forget his name. Since my father was a banker, we were invited for some film release and i remember taking his autograph on a 5 rupee note, .....it was awesome to see a prince so close. Of course i cannot forget the dussherra processions. I also remember the times we have danced in the Mysore palace later, for Vishwa Kanneda Sammelan or such big festivals, held in front of the beautifully lighted palace. We wondered at the richness and glory the royalty must have njoyed and how they adjusted later to a different lifestyle, away from glory!
Thanks Sridhar for bringing this to our notice.
And thanks Mrs. Pankaja, for taking us down the memory lane even if it was for a short while.

Sridhar,
the interesting and very unusual episode you have narrated is wonderful! All the students heard it, but only your creative mind absorbed it, to flow out now in the form of an unusual interesting story ! Thanks for telling me this.
re your article in D.H, I was busy with many family marriages,and missed a lot, this must have been one among; Ambika told me it was a very good piece; I intend searching for it. That saying of NeilArmstrong is breathtaking! Catch you for remembering it after such a long time, thereby reminding us. Yes, now my husband feels i should have mixed with our race more, it would have stimulated me. You analyse correctly!
sixth sense?
Thanks for putting my poem in the IL site. All these are baits to draw me back into the fold?
I am surprised that story was rejected by the Tamil magazine, but all for the good, since Anandavikatan is the best!
Thanking you for making me famous,
Pankaja