The real school!

In the year 2012, I was able to contact a person called Narasimha who lives in Joida, Dandeli, through my contacts. I wanted more exposure, more understanding of the problems around. And Mr Narasimha directed me to a village called Deriya inside the Kumbarawada Wildlife Sanctuary of the Dandeli-Anshi tiger reserve. I had requested him to put me onto a tribal settlement where some time can be spent understanding something which I could have only dreamt about until then. And that was how my introduction happened to the most beautiful place just 10hours away on road from where I lived.  The forests of Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve taught me a lot about life. Once you enter into these forests and meet the people living inside, you will drop your entire ego down before you meet them the next time. And it so happened, that I visited Deriya again in the end of 2013 for a week. I just went into hiding from all the chaos and nuisance.

Lot of warm courtesies had been extended over one year after I met them first. And visiting them the second time, it was like a homecoming for me. The strange connections that life throws onto you sometimes are quite difficult to ascertain. One needs to just go through it and take a deep breath to try and consume the new vibe to eventually get back to reality. One such connection was with Namratha akka wife of Mr Jayanand, in whose place I stayed. She has a younger brother back in Dharwad and she treated me nothing less than how she would have treated him. For me everything was new. And one fine evening, with the December breeze bringing in lot of chill, I had my dinner and sat outside alone, reflecting. And Namratha akka finishing all her chores duly in the kitchen accompanied me. The whole family was watching the only T.V in the entire village, inside the living room; while Namratha akka and I sat outside under the moonlight bright enough to see each other faces clearly. She asked, “Why are you sad? Are you crying?” My heart just sulked in so deeply that moment, I am not able to express now the impact those two questions had on my life. I said, “No, Why should I? I have been treated like a king here. I am the happiest person now” But I figured she understood that I was not speaking the truth. May be to help me out of that situation, she took leadership. She started speaking.  I should say it was one of the best conversations I have ever had. I have got to be honest here, that until then, nobody had considered me so seriously. The way the fire in her just burst out ignited my mind out of a considerable lethargy. I knew I was not a visitor anymore. And that was when she said how difficult it is for the villagers especially children and women to defecate out in the forest as there was no sanitation facility in their houses. The impression this entire episode made on my mind has been one of the best. And now I am sure that it is permanent.

Coming back to Bangalore from here, I was not able to settle. I think it was in the month of February that my dear friend Gnana Skandan introduced to Kaleido this Green Grant Initiative of the company he was working for. UTC Aerospace Systems had announced a fund grant as part of their CSR, to projects that involve community participation and environment protection. With the deriya impression strong in my mind, Gnana and I discussed to convert this requirement of a Sanitation facility for the people of Deriya into a project and to give a shot at the grant. A survey of the entire village was done in co-ordination with Jayanand. Collecting some basic data a proposal was made and submitted and in a month’s time, we were awarded the grant. And so the Project took life.  We had no idea how to solve the problem at hand. All we knew was that we had the intention and purpose with us. And we had the confidence from our earlier projects to work things out even in the most constrained situations. The biggest constraint here was that both of us were working and all of these had to be done only over the weekends.

We knew we had to build a team. It was strange that we didn’t have a team in place even before we proposed the project. Kaleido was just working with orphanages then. But all that happened did so in the right way, if I look back now. We just had the confidence that someone out there would be carrying a keen eye to look at life beyond the concrete walls we’ve built around ourselves. It was not for long that Aravind Bhat who travelled with me to Deriya in 2012 and was a part of this project now, got a call from Pratiksha Sunder. Well, a fresh under graduate, right out of her architecture school, volunteered to help. Little did she know then that the whole thing on design and construction would fall onto her shoulders; our options on resources were too timid. The way the project took off after she came in and the way it progressed, is one of the main reasons for the project to be complete today. The technical insights and unseen dimensions to the problem at hand, initiated a lot of discussions and debates. It was a great exercise to the brain. I can now proudly say that the decisions she took, her co-ordination with engineers outside our team and with the community has been impeccable. This day would not have been possible without her active intervention. She got good support initially from Architect and friend Aditi Raj. It was like as Paulo Coelho writes in the Alchemist – If you go out on a purpose, the whole world conjures to help you achieve it. Things started to fall in place. We had by now partnered with Sanjivani Seva Trust, Joida as our field partner, to build six toilets (3 toilets each for women and men) as a part of the community sanitation facility and it was decided to manage the funds through them. They were legally better equipped than Kaleido.

With the confidence growing in the community as well, the whole project plan became achievable. What was totally blindfolded initially became visible three months down the line. And I decided to put my papers down at work. I resigned in the month of August 2014, and personally for me, from then on, Project Deriya was a matter of seamless execution and efficient management. And both didn’t happen as it should have. But we were able to bounce back with some courteous souls outside who saw our plight and offered ready help. There were a lot of legal issues to be sorted out. Lot of new regulations that any development work of this scale should follow, were learnt. And we needed to take in a lot of permissions from the government at various levels ranging from the local gram Panchayat at Kumbarawada to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India at the centre in New Delhi.And all of these needs a re-look at various levels even after the facility is up and ready for use. Especially those related to getting an approval certificate to accept foreign funds and various other open ends in our partnerships to execute this project are to be sorted out.

When we were searching for funds after realizing that we were not ready to accept foreign fundsthrough Sanjivani, we had to find a funding partner from within India. And that is when another friend of Aravind, Subrahmanya Narasimhamurthy (Subba) pitched in to support. He introduced to us the CSR opportunity in the company he was working for. Sonus Networks had just announced its budget for rural development and Subba invited Kaleido to present the Project case for funds. Today, we are extremely thankful for the support that Sonus Networks’ CSR division provided to complete this project. Subba being extremely instrumental in this whole partnership, has not just worked on supporting us with funds, but has visited the site regularly and ensured that the work is happening as intended. He has made this project his own. And we are extremely glad about it.

It was later in the project that we realized slowly, the reality of the sanitation facilities in the place. In terms of the facilities that these people are accountable to get from the primary agency responsible, the government. It is not difficult for any third party organization to pitch in for a development activity. We have realized that such activities carry with it an aura of the WOW factor around it. And in most of the cases the reality is forgotten. But it has to be understood as active citizens on the voters’ list, what is the actual way forward. The role and limits of a third party non-governmental organization must be understood well before the intervention into any such grass root level development initiatives. Of course our job doesn’t end with the elections. And just so it had in this case, the people of deriya had to go out in the forest to defecate while on papers the entire village had 100% sanitation. The fear of burying this fact ever down under with Kaleido attending to this problem always loomed large over us. And so it was decided to not build individual toilets, but a community sanitation facility to contain the problem and still get the individual toilets done through the various schemes that the central government has like the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan then and Swachha Bharat now. So, it was not too hard for us to understand that the problem of lack of sanitation. It was not that the people are going out to the forest to defecate, it was not the problem of countering snakes while defecating, it was not a problem of lack of water, it was not a problem of lack of security, but a problem of corruption filled administration and the problem of taking these people’s needs for granted. It is the duty of the elected people to ensure smooth logistics of the entire development activity. It feels sad to know that we complain on power cuts sitting inside our AC rooms, while the people living quite close by are caught unaware and cornered in their own den and have to still find a new place in the dark of the forest every time they go out to defecate. So, it is clear that the job simply doesn’t end with the elections. We need to participate and question. We need to participate and support.

With our production team doing a wonderful job last October to create awareness on the use of sanitation facility at the place, it is time to increase the level of awareness. Local people should participate in better governance. The anganwadi workers, link workers and community health workers are to be trained towards this. They are the leaders who will take the community forward. And they need to be aware of the issues that happen behind them. Mr Jayanand is extremely instrumental in all these things and is completely aware. But with his research work and various other development works across the forests of the Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve he is mostly occupied and this is where we need to support him and more such people to ensure the facilities reach these people. As I have personally realized, all social problems are very dynamic. It requires a willing political force, an active administration and a wholehearted citizen participation to solve all of it. What just came up in a mood set discussion; it stands strong today as a structure with three toilets each for women and men, solving the problem for 160 people of the settlement and allowing them to live a life of dignity and security. The problem as such is only contained and yet to be solved.

All said and done, I am deeply grateful to Gnana for taking all the efforts right from the start till now. He has been the key link in the whole project. I have always enjoyed working with him right from when we decided to help each other with good English speaking skills in college nearly 7 years back. And we are still working on it. It means a lot to put one more project in our bag. This is heavier in terms of its outcome and the impact that our efforts has helped create. Although we took a year, just to build six toilets, this has been one of the best times we have shared between us in our lives, so far.

One thing I have clearly understood now is the reality of the situation through the words of Peter Seger. He said, “Participation, that’s what’s going to save the human race”. And today when I reflect back at a year gone by, all I could see was the amazing relationships that took life all along, where we all participated together to make an impact around and to be the change we wished to see. It feels proud to know that we all have grown in these relationships. Deriya has been the real school to me. Its experience, my new teacher. All the unlearning and learning has been very refreshing. I will cherish this for a long time to come.

This sight is etched permanently in my mind!

-Shashikanth Subramanya 

An Inception

Deriya is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Anybody who has visited it before would agree to the fact that the Derekars of Deriya are wonderful hosts. The word ‘tribe’ no longer instils a sort of apprehension in me. They are simple folks, with a humble lifestyle and a highly inspiring attitude.

The farmlands amidst dense forests of Deriya

Project Deriya marks the beginning of my journey with Kaleido. In the month of April 2014, Kaleido requested for volunteers from the Construction Industry for this Sanitation Initiative. Just out of college, this interested me, as it had a mix of my passion (Travelling) as well as my profession (Architecture).

Project Deriya involved a lot of 'fun' travel

The initial discussions happened with Shashikanth Subramanya, Aravind Bhat and Gnanaskandan Velu over a few weekends, at Belaku Shishu Nivas, N.R. Colony. Shashi had made a small survey of the settlement. This, along with discussions of other case studies helped us get more clarity on what was required to be done.

Sanitation, along with Food, Clothing, Shelter and Clean Drinking Water is a basic amenity for human beings. A toilet is probably a small, yet an essential part of our household. It requires a range of back stage services to be planned, in order to keep it functioning continuously. It is a known fact that about 626 million people in India practice open defecation. More people in India have access to a cell phone than to a toilet, says the UN-IWHE Study-1. Efforts to build toilets in remote areas of the country have been made by the Indian Government as well as by Non-Governmental Organisations.

As per the Government’s sanction, individual houses in Deriya were entitled toilets. With a clear delay and lack of execution, Kaleido decided to step in and contain this problem of open defecation. Based on the size of the growing community, and on certain design standards, a decision was taken to build six toilets. These toilets were to be constructed together as a single block, so as to increase their sense of responsibility towards this facility.

The aim of the design was to achieve the least possible building footprint, without any compromise on the standard space requirement. The location of the block was decided and finalised, considering various factors like -

- Distance from all the houses.

- Available survey land; in order to avoid breaching local land rules.

- Proximity to a perennial water source.

- Proximity to an existing electric line.

The six toilets, three back-to-back, have two entrances facing opposite directions (East and West). Measures have been taken to ensure sufficient natural lighting. Jali ventilators on the side walls, ensure Cross Ventilation. The entrance to the Women’s toilets has been given more privacy. Snakes in the forest range, are an unavoidable problem. Based on the tribal’s advice, plans of MS perforated sheet ventilators and floor tiles were discarded.

The main water tank receives water from a perennial rivulet nearby. A 1000 litre capacity sintex tank is provided near the toilet, for emergency conditions during peak summers. The Sewage Pits are provided away from any of the drinking water sources, keeping in mind the absorption capacity of the red soil. Solar power and Biogas were disregarded after various discussions and debates.

Community Interaction

As an incentive to community participation, it was decided that the community itself would construct and maintain the facility, while Kaleido provides only financial and technical aid. Hence, local construction techniques and materials were given utmost importance.

Walls constructed using locally prepared bricks

After many site visits and discussions with Mr. Jayanand, Mr. Deepak and the local plumber, drawings were explained and released. The proposed timeline of the project got affected due to untimely pre-monsoon showers. However, this extra time helped collect more funds for the project. Construction began with a small Bhoomi Puja in October 2014.

Most site visits were fruitful. Apart from construction, we initiated community interaction, especially between the women of the tribe voicing out their social concerns and issues of hygiene and sanitation. One site visit with the Kaleido Productions team was fun and lively, with a Street Play and Awareness Programmes across the community. The tribe is not male dominated and their broad minds allow for the opinions of women in making important decisions for the tribe.

With the Kaleido Productions team

Finally, I would like to thank a few individuals, who have made a difference to the Project.

Mr. U.S.Sateesha, Project Manager, Ashok-Design-Build, helped in planning the services and the budget of the project. He has been kind enough to visit the site and get the project kick-started, when it was most required.

Engineer U.S Sateesha's site visit

I would like to thank my father, Mr. Shamasunder, Group General Manager, ISKCON Bangalore Group, who gave me a practical orientation, as this was my first endeavour as an Architect.

I would like to thank Ar. Aditi Raj, who made sure we did not stray away from the right path, at the very beginning.

I would like to thank the Kaleido livelihoods team, for giving me this wonderful opportunity. The team is highly self-motivated and is willing to go beyond its comfort zone, to extend its hand to the needy. This has been an eye opener for me, to the world beyond the city we live in - the taste of a simple life, which we strive to achieve.

I also thank Mr. Jayanand and the entire Construction team, extending warm regards to Mr.Jayanand’s family for taking care of us as their own, allowing us to trouble them in the kitchen and play with their kids.

Vinay and Shashi playing with Aditya

The toilet block is almost ready, and only its continuous usage and maintenance will make this project a success.

Visits to Deriya will continue and Project Deriya will always remain alive. 

- Pratiksha Sunder

Struck By Learning!

Deriya - The heaven descended

Little did I realize that Henry Ford’s quote “ Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize” would have so deep and thoughtful implication, when I had my set of experience through Project Deriya, a community sanitation initiative. It is wonderful to note how inherent in our species the ability to learn is. Just about a year back, when I was a two and half year old quality engineering professional engrained with project management jargons, with idealistic & systemic thought process, I felt everything in the world was too easy to live but people made it hard for themselves. When my competencies hit the road, when my mind started empathizing, I was no longer the same person I was. I would like to share my experiences over the last one year with Project Deriya which has certainly made me pragmatic if not bigger.

CCD- Nagendra block: The first meeting

My first experience or learning so as to say was when I sat with my friend Shashikanth to jot down the list of activities that we need to take-up in order to kick-off the sanitation project. Interestingly we planned our activities sitting in CCD Nagendra block while we as Industrial Engineers were always told to visit the Gemba (the workplace where the action was executed or performed) before planning something. I had made a neat Gantt chart with timeline, resources typical of any schedule. My friend used to give that constipated look which could neither deny my willingness to be very strong on paper nor explain me how ridiculous it was to plan in detail very early in the project. During my first visit, I was humbled by the wide array of activities that we had to accomplish. My intentions to put a simplistic view over these set of activities just summarized my feelings. I am sure Shashikanth would have seen me progressing over these months on my ability to assess situations. However, this was a major breakthrough for me in terms of understanding the applicability of the tools that I learnt.

Of course, my learning was not only from the project but also from the people of Deriya. During our first visit to Deriya, we trekked around the farmland with Yogesh to survey the land as well as understand the demography of that place. While Shashikanth and Aravind were busy conversing with Yogesh, I was observing Yogesh’s movements. While he was keeping us comfortable by calmly narrating about Deriya, its history, its people and wildlife, he had a routine glimpse of the things around, keenly listening to the sound of the forest. I do remember what I was going through. It was a deep silence out of fear and short cycles of breathing. Yogesh’s comfortable yet alert behavior probably came out of his constraint to survive in such a dangerous environment. But aren’t we all designed to endure this kind of an atmosphere? Perhaps it’s different herein the cities, with less uncertainties, safe environment and a relatively longer stay in the cradle. One may see positives in city life, which encourages us to do big things by not worrying about safe environment. But, I am somehow not convinced with the contrast in Deriya’s people and their enhanced survival skill, trying to improve their life everyday while the city dons its safety crown with increasing suicide rates.

Yogesh taking us around farmland

When I spell out Project Deriya, I think it should certainly echo the emotions, efforts and aspirations of the people of Deriya. I was really astonished by the way the village worked together in making Deriya a better place. Being together in life’s uncertainties is much more important than just being together as we are in cities.  I am staying at a rented house in Bangalore and frankly do not know the names of my neighbors, number of persons in their family and their occupation. Although I am not proud of this fact, I can easily attribute this ignorance to my six-to-six job, my introvert behavior and my focus on studies. This may superficially satisfy my argument however my experience at Deriya taught me that my lifestyle was never really the issue. The issue was “my perception” about development. Although it may sound as a gross generalization, we all think developing ourselves is development. However, give a thought on developing as a community. Think about shortage in water in the next road as your problem. Think about an emotional crisis at a neighbors or friend’s house as your problem. Now, click on the development button and see how things progress. The way in which the entire community of Deriya came about supporting in construction of this sanitation facility is the best example of this thinking. This sanitation facility should be seen as a breakthrough improvement and a moral victory for the attitude of the people of Deriya.

Anganwadi at Deriya

Another crucial experience that I would want to carry for the rest of my life from Project Deriya is the importance of awareness and competency. Being in a corporate setup, I understand how much undermined is competency and knowledge. But if you change lenses and look at competency as a crucial element in your progress towards development instead of making dollars as an employee, you would experience this existence crisis with all the knowledge that you have and nothing accomplished. I saw competency in action at couple places. One was in our architect Pratiksha who put theory onto the paper and Deepak who made Pratiksha’s drawing into a reality. Pratiksha stands as an example to counter-argue all those highly talented people who lament on the nature of their work. There are so many solutions to be provided, engineering structures to be built, patients to be cured, and areas to be studied about. This may not give you money but can definitely improve your competency, practical knowledge and the crucial element of life called self-confidence. These form the ingredients for a larger success in the future which can’t be quantified but can only be assured. At Deriya, the overall awareness level among the people about their leaders, government schemes, and the implementation steps was simply excellent. Most of them whom I spoke to at Deriya were aware about Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan, and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the details of the scheme along with their implementation method. The reason behind this awareness was not to show that they are aware but to make a real change in their lives by applying what they know. I wish everyone attended a class, read a book or sat in a seminar to gain knowledge and go out there and implement it. That is when the true essence of learning is realized.

One of the many discussions with Jayanand

All these experience came to me as a coincidence and not something that I went after. As I mentioned earlier it is inherent for us to learn when we experience something. This was my first exposure out of my gated comfort zone. With all the travelling that Shashikanth does I am sure that guy has a lot of things going in his mind. Although certain things are very much evident in life, someone has to make it clear for you. In my case it was Shashikanth who put me through these experiences and in a way mocking my rather primitive thought process and dream of a secure life. Project Deriya has took me through a lot of experiences and has more certainly made me pragmatic. The attitude of understanding and welcoming the uncertainties of life with good spirit and facing it together as a community is probably something that I will take throughout my life. Mahatma Gandhi’s words “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever” is the summary of my experience with Project Deriya. Thanks to people of Deriya and Kaleido for this opportunity.

- Gnanaskandan Velu

ಉಳಿಮೆ ಅಳಿಮೆಗಳ ಗೊಜಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ!

     ಹಲವು ದಿನಗಳಿಂದ ನನ್ನ ಮನದಾಳದಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಷೀಣವಾಗಿ ಕೊರೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಗೊಂದಲ ಇವತ್ತು ಧುತ್ ಎಂದು ಪುಟಿದೇಳಿತು. ನನ್ನ ಗೆಳೆಯ ಶಶಿಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮಾತನಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಗ, "ಕನ್ನಡ ಉಳಿಸುವ, ಬೆಳೆಸುವ" ವಿಷಯ ಬಂತು. "ಕನ್ನಡ ಭಾಷೆಯ ಅಗತ್ಯವೇನು?ಇವತ್ತಿನ ಆರ್ಥಿಕತೆಗೆ ಎಳ್ಳಷ್ಟೂ ಪ್ರಯೋಜನಬಾರದ ಕನ್ನಡ ಭಾಷೆಯತ್ತ ನಾವು ಎಷ್ಟು ಗಮನನೀಡಬೇಕು? ಇಲ್ಲ, ನಮ್ಮ ಅಭಿಮಾನದಿಂದಾಗಿ ಕನ್ನಡವನ್ನು ಬದುಕಿನ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಆಯಾಮಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಆವಿಷ್ಕರಿಸುವ ದಾರಿಯನ್ನು ಕೊರೆಯಬೇಕೆ?" ಹೀಗೆ ಅವಲೋಕಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಗ, ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು ವಿಚಾರಗಳು ತೇಲಿಬಂದು, ಮನತಾಕಿಸಿ, ತರುಚಿ ಮಾಯವಾದವು. ಚರ್ಚೆಯ ಅಂತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ತಾಳಿದ ನಿಲುವಿಗೆ ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿಯಾದ ಆ ವಿಚಾರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಖ್ಯವಾದದ್ದು, "ಕನ್ನಡದ ಶಕ್ತಿಯೇನು?ನ್ಯೂನತೆಯೇನು?" ಎಂಬುದು. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕನ್ನಡವೆಂದಾಗ ನಾನು, ಬರಿಯ ಭಾಷೆಯನ್ನಷ್ಟೆ ಸಂಭೋಧಿಸದೆ ಇಡಿಯ ಕನ್ನಡ ಜನಪದವನ್ನು ಉದ್ಧೇಶಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ.  

     ನನ್ನ ಪ್ರಕಾರ, ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಯಾವುದೇ ಭಾಷೆಗಿರುವ ಬೆಳವಣಿಗೆ ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳು ಮೂರು. ರಾಜಕೀಯ, ಜಾನಪದ ಹಾಗೂ ಸ್ಪಂದನ. ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಮಾರ್ಗವು, ನಿರ್ಧಿಷ್ಟ ನುಡಿಪ್ರಧಾನ ಆಳ್ವಿಕೆಯ ಆಳ ಮತ್ತು ವಿಸ್ತಾರವನ್ನು ಅರಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಜಾನಪದವು, ಆ ನುಡಿಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಬುಡಕಟ್ಟುಗಳ ಸಂಕೀರ್ಣ ಸಂವೇದನೆಯ ಸ್ವರೂಪವನ್ನು ಪಸರುತ್ತದೆ. ಸ್ಪಂದನವು, ಆ ದೇಶಕಾಲದ, ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಪ್ರಮುಖ ಆಗುಹೋಗುಗಳನ್ನು, ಪ್ರಜ್ಞಪಲ್ಲಟಗಳನ್ನು ಹೀರಿ, ಹೊಸಬಗೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ತನ್ನ ನುಡಿಗಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಸವಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.

       ಕನ್ನಡಕ್ಕೆ ಬರುವುದಾದರೆ, ತನ್ನ ಎರಡು ಸಾವಿರ ವರುಷಕ್ಕೂ ಮಿಕ್ಕ ಆಗಿರುವಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ (ಇತಿಹಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ), ಎಂದಿಗೂ ಈ ನುಡಿಯು ರಾಜಕೀಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಾಬಲ್ಯ ಮೆರೆಯಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಕದಂಬ, ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರಕೂಟ, ಬಾದಾಮಿ ಚಾಲುಕ್ಯರ ಕಾಲದ ಆಳ್ವಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕನ್ನಡಕ್ಕೆ ಹಿರಿಮೆ ದೊರೆತಿದ್ದರೂ, ಇದೊಂದೇ ಪ್ರಧಾನ ಭಾಷೆಯಾಗಿ ಪೋಷಿಸಲ್ಪಡಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಕನ್ನಡದ ರಾಜರು ಕನ್ನಡದಷ್ಟೇ ಅಥವಾ ಮಿಗಿಲಾಗಿ, ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತ, ಪ್ರಾಕೃತ ಭಾಷೆಗಳಿಗೆ, ತದನಂತರ ಆಳಿದವರು ಉರ್ದು, ಪರ್ಷಿಯನ್ ಭಾಷೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಪ್ರಾಧಾನ್ಯತೆ ನೀಡಿದರು. ಇನ್ನು ಇಂತಾ ರಾಜರ ಆಳ್ವಿಕೆಯೂ, ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಕಾಲ ಉಳಿಯದೆ, ಉಳಿದ ಅರಸರ ಸೀಮೆಯು ಗಣನೀಯವಾಗಿ ಕುಗ್ಗುತ್ತಾ, ನುಡಿಯಾಶ್ರಯದ ಗಟ್ಟಿತನವೂ ಕುಗ್ಗಿತು. ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರೋತ್ತರ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲೂ, ಗೋಕಾಕ್ ಚಳವಳಿ ಬಿಟ್ಟರೆ, ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಮಸ್ತ ಲೋಕವನ್ನು, ರಾಜಕೀಯವಾಗಿ ಯಾವ ವಿಷಯವೂ ಉದ್ದೀಪಿಸಿಲ್ಲ. ಈಗಿನ ಕನ್ನಡಮಾನಸವು ಇದರ ಅಗತ್ಯವೇ ಬೇಡವೆಂಬಂತೆ, ವಿಶ್ವರಾಜಕೀಯದ ಗೋಜಲುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಗಣನೀಯವಾಗಿ ಕರಗಿದೆ. ಇವೆಲ್ಲದರ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅರ್ಥೈಸುವುದಾದರೆ, ಕನ್ನಡಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಶಕ್ತಿಯೇ ಇಲ್ಲವೆನ್ನಬೇಕು. ಅಗತ್ಯವೂ ಇಲ್ಲವೆನ್ನಬೇಕು.

      ಇನ್ನು ಸ್ಪಂದನಕ್ಕೆ ಬರುವುದಾದರೆ, ಸುಮಾರು ಕ್ರಿ.ಶ.೧೬ನೇ ಶತಮಾನದವರೆಗೂ ಜಾಗೃತವಾಗಿದ್ದ ನುಡಿಸಂವೇದನೆ, ತದನಂತರ ಹೇಳುಹೆಸರಿಲ್ಲದಂತೆ ನಶಿಸಿತು. ೨೦ನೇ ಶತಮಾನದ ಆದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆಯು ಮರುಹುಟ್ಟು ಪಡೆದರೂ, ಇದು ಒಂದು ಮಹತ್ತರವಾದ ಮಜಲನ್ನು ಕಡೆಗಣಿಸಿತು. ಅದು, ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ. ೨೧ನೇ ಶತಮಾನದ ನುಡಿಶಕ್ತಿಕೇಂದ್ರಗಳಾಗಿರುವ  ಅರಿಮೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಚಳಕಸೀಮೆಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಕನ್ನಡದ ಉಳಿಮೆಯಾಗಲೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಇದು ಎಲ್ಲ ಭಾರತೀಯ ಭಾಷೆಗಳಿಗೂ ಅನ್ವಯಿಸುವಂತದ್ದು. ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲೇ ವೈಜ್ಞಾನಿಕ ತತ್ವರಚನೆ, ಸಿದ್ಧಾಂತ ಮಂಡನೆ, ಸಂಶೋಧನೆ, ಪ್ರಯೋಗಗಳು ಇವ್ಯಾವುವೂ ನಡೆಯಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಈಗ, ಈ ಜಾಗವನ್ನು ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷು ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣವಾಗಿ ಆವರಿಸಿಬಿಟ್ಟಿದೆ. ಕನ್ನಡದ ಸರ್ವಾಂಗಿಕ  ಬೆಳಮೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಜಾಗದ ಬಳಕೆ ಅವಶ್ಯಕವಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ, ಈಗ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಕೈಮೀರಿದೆ. ಈ ಬದಲಾವಣೆಗೆ ಕೈಹಾಕುವುದು ವ್ಯರ್ಥ ದುಡಿಮೆಯಾದೀತು.

      ಈ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ, ಕನ್ನಡದ ನ್ಯೂನತೆ, ದುರ್ಬಲ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಶಕ್ತಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಸೀಮಿತ ಸ್ಪಂದನವಲಯಗಳೆಂದು ನಿರ್ವಿವಾದದಿಂದ ಒಸರಬಹುದು. ಇನ್ನು, ಕನ್ನಡ ಜಾನಪದ? ಇದೂ ಮೇಲೆರಡರಂತೆ ದುರ್ಬಲವೇ?

        ಶತಶತಮಾನಗಳಿಂದ, ಆಳ್ವಿಕರ ಹಂಗುಗಳಿಂದ ಹೊರತಾಗಿ, ಸಮಕಾಲೀನ ನೆರೆಯ ಜಾನಪದಗಳ ಮಿಳಿತಗಳಿಂದಲೂ ಅಭಾದಿತವಾಗಿ, ಗಟ್ಟಿಯಾಗಿ ಬೆಳೆದದ್ದು ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ, ಕನ್ನಡ ಜಾನಪದ ಮಾತ್ರ. ಆದಿಕವಿ ಪಂಪರಂತಹವರು ಈ ಜಾನಪದದ ಒಂದು ತುದಿಯಾದರೆ, ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ, ದೊಡ್ಡಾಟಗಳಂತಹ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನ ಕಲೆಗಳು ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ತುದಿ. ಅರಸು ನೃಪತುಂಗನ "ಕವಿರಾಜಮಾರ್ಗ"ದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಿರುವ ಹಾಗೆ ಕನ್ನಡನಾಡಿನ ಜನ "ಚದುರರ್ ನಿಜದಿಂ ಕುರಿತೋದದೆಯುಂ ಕಾವ್ಯಪ್ರಯೋಗ ಪರಿಣತಮತಿಗಳ್"! ಎಂದರೆ ಕುಳಿತು ಓದದೆಯೂ, ಪಂಡಿತನಲ್ಲದೆಯೂ ಕಾವ್ಯಪ್ರಯೋಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಪರಿಣತಿಯನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದ್ದಾರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಕನ್ನಡ ಜನರು! ಕನ್ನಡ ನುಡಿವಿನ್ಯಾಸವೂ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯಿಕ ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗೆ ಅನುಗುಣವಾಗಿದೆಯಂತೆ! ೨೦ನೇ ಶತಮಾನದ ಆದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮರುಹುಟ್ಟು ಪಡೆದ ಕನ್ನಡ ಬರಹ ಲೋಕ, ಇಂದು ಭಾರತೀಯ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯರಂಗದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟ ಸ್ಥಾನವನ್ನು ಅಲಂಕರಿಸಿದೆ. ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಜಾನಪದವು, ಅದರಲ್ಲೂ ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಕಲೆಯು ಕನ್ನಡ ಲೋಕದ ಶಕ್ತಿಯೇ.

       ಈಗ, ಮರಳಿ ಮೊದಲ ಜಿಜ್ಞಾಸೆಯತ್ತ ಬರೋಣ. ಕನ್ನಡವ ಉಳಿಸಿ, ಬೆಳೆಸುವುದು ಹೇಗೆ? ಈ ಯುಗದಲ್ಲಿ, ಒಂದು ನುಡಿಯು ನಿಶ್ಚಿಂತೆಯಿಂದ ನಡೆಯಿಡಬೇಕಾದಲ್ಲಿ, ಸಮಕಾಲೀನ ಅರಿಮೆ, ಚಳಕ, ವ್ಯವಹಾರ ತಂತ್ರಗಳ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿ, ಅದರಲ್ಲೂ ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಹಣ, ಹೆಸರು ಗಳಿಸುವ ದಾರಿಗಳ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿ, ಆ ನುಡಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ಆಗಬೇಕ್ಕಾದ್ದು ಅಗತ್ಯ. ಈ ಅನುಕೂಲ ನಮ್ಮ ಕನ್ನಡ ನುಡಿಗೆ ಒದಗಿಬಂದಿಲ್ಲ. ಒದಗಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಇನ್ನು, ನಾವೆಂದೂ ಆಂಗ್ಲರು, ಸ್ಪಾನಿಶರ ಹಾಗೆ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರಪ್ರಭುತ್ವವನ್ನು ಜಗತ್ತಿನಾದ್ಯಂತ ವಿಸ್ತರಿಸಿದವರೂ ಅಲ್ಲ. ಇದರಿಂದಾಗಿ, ಕನ್ನಡದ ಸಾಕ್ಷಿಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆ ಸಂಕುಚಿತ ಭೌಗೋಳಿಕ ಪರಿಧಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಶಿಥಿಲರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂಧಿತವಾಗಿದೆ. ಕನ್ನಡದ ಸ್ಪಂದನೆಯ ವಿಸ್ತಾರ ಹಾಗೂ ಆಳ್ವಿಕೆಯ ಆಳ, ಬಹಳ ಸೀಮಿತವಾದುದು. ನಮ್ಮ ಶಕ್ತಿ ಒಂದೇ. ಅದುವೇ, ಜಾನಪದ. ಇದನ್ನು ಉಳಿಸುವ ಕೆಲಸವನ್ನಷ್ಟೇ ಸದ್ಯದ ತುರ್ತಿನಿಂದ ನಾವು ಮಾಡಬೇಕಾದುದು. ಶಶಿ ಹೇಳಿದ ಹಾಗೆ,"ಕನ್ನಡಿಗನ ಸಂಪಾದನೆ, ಆರ್ಥಿಕಪ್ರಗತಿವಲಯದಿಂದಾಚೆಗಾದರೂ, ಅವನು/ಅವಳು ಕನ್ನಡವನ್ನು ಆದಷ್ಟು ಕೇಳುವ, ಆಡುವ, ಬಳಸುವ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಮಿಸುವುದಷ್ಟೇ ನಮ್ಮಿಂದ ಮಾಡಬಹುದಾಗಿರುವ ಕನ್ನಡ ಸೇವೆ. ಇದರಿಂದಾಚೆಗೆ, ನಾವು ಏನೇ ಮಾಡಹೊರಟರೂ, ಅದು ಕೆಂಡವಿಲ್ಲದೆಡೆಗೆ ತುಪ್ಪ ಸುರಿದಂತೆ. ಬೆಂಕಿಯ ಒಂದಿನಿತು ಕಿಡಿಯೂ ಮೂಡದು." ಇದು ನನಗೂ ಸರಿಯೆನಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ. ನನ್ನ ಅಂತರ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಬೇಲಿಯು ಮುಳ್ಳುತಂತಿಯಂತೆ ಚುಚ್ಚುತ್ತಿದ್ದರೂ, ವಾಸ್ತವದ ತಳವು ನನ್ನನ್ನು ನಿಸ್ತೇಜನನ್ನಾಗಿಸಿದೆ.

  

       ಇನ್ನು ನೂರು ವರುಷಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕನ್ನಡವು ಭೂಪಟಲದಿಂದ ನಶಿಸಿದರೂ, ಅದರಿಂದ, ಈಗಿನ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ನಿಲುವು, ಹಿಡಿತ, ನಿಲುಕುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾರಿಗೂ, ಯಾವರೀತಿಯೂ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ, ವ್ಯಾವಹಾರಿಕ ನಷ್ಟವಾಗಲಾರದು. ಅಲ್ಲವೇ?

- ಅಮರ್ ಕಾರಂತ ಹೊಳೆಗದ್ದೆ

Nazar nahi hatti

Superstition- It is supposedly a blindly accepted belief or notion. This belief in ‘supernatural’ which is nothing but the occurrence of an event caused by another through astrology, religion, omens etc defy natural science! 

Personally, I am not much of a believer in superstitions. However, we are forced to follow certain custom based instructions at home such as do not cut the nails after sunset, do not leave the slippers toppled over, do not step on the lemons on road, consider twitching of eyes as a bad omen, so on and so forth.  As I mentioned, I follow these customs not out of belief but out of respect for my mother and her beliefs.

Despite of this, there is one particular superstition which fascinates me and makes me question the truth behind these beliefs. It is none other than the Evil Eye. The evil eye is supposedly a malevolent look that many cultures believe to cause injury or misfortune for the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike.

I am not sure about other superstitions, but I tend towards believing in this particular superstition- Evil Eye. When one of our distant relatives comes to our home, we all hurry to put ‘kaala teeka’ to ward off her evil look. This ritual is because whenever she visits our home, my mom would invariably fall sick and my irked mother used to quip ‘whatever I have in my life which she doesn’t’. Mother elaborates further ‘The intensity of an evil eye is so much that it can even melt a rock’.

At times when I am back from an event or function and fall sick for no particular reason, my mom decides that it is because someone must have cast an evil eye on me. This is followed by the customary puja to remove the evil eye. A few strips of the broom stick are put on fire and circled in front of my face while chanting a mantra to remove the evil eye. What is even more interesting is that after the puja, we actually feel better. I am not trying to exaggerate here and I know it can be reasoned as a psychological effect. It is just that, considering the number of times it has happened, I am unable to overlook this phenomenon.

At a recent occasion, someone said to me ‘You are so hale and healthy, you do not have any/many serious health issues like me’. All I could reply to that was nod and smile. No need to mention this was followed by several medical visits on my part. 

What I am trying to comprehend is why does this happen? Is it really true that if someone looks at you and your happiness and overcomes with jealousy wondering ‘I do not have that’ and boom! You are cursed and have high chances of suffering in one way or the other. Is it really possible for one human being to have so much power to inflict trauma on someone else either as revenge or for simple jealousy, using witchcraft and voodoo as well for that matter. Although I keep searching for an unequivocal answer for these questions, I know the answer for one question; ‘Is it necessary to go to such lengths to hurt somebody? Even if they had hurt you before’. I figure no, I’d rather spend my precious moments in improving my life than waste it on ruining somebody else’s. In the end we are all going to die and we all go through pain, heartbreaks, loss of a loved one and more in one life, it is not worth that I spend my time in harboring hatred for years and seeking revenge against whoever it is.

Interestingly though, Indian subcontinent is not the only place where we have superstitions. These are present around the world in the most bizarre ways possible. One superstition held in Germany is that if someone has difficulty dying, one may ease the process by lifting up three tiles on the roof. In South Korea, it is believed that if you leave a fan running overnight you will die, either of hypothermia or asphyxiation. This misconception is so prevalent that fans are often sold with timers that turn the fan off after a set period of time, allowing you to sleep easy and, you know, not die!

Are superstitions just made up things? Or is there any logic to them? The reasoning with which our ancestors declared these do’s and don’ts may not have been understood by the subsequent generations, but obviously they have been religiously carried forward.

Whatever the case maybe, if the description of evil eye is considered to be the negative thoughts and actions directed towards us, then I believe the only way to defend yourself is by making yourself stronger. Let the world grudge upon you and try their best to be the worst. You know it says nothing about you and a lot about themselves.

Here’s an excerpt from a Mother Theresa quote, which exemplifies all I want to say..

“If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. 

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. 

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. 

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” 

- Madhushree Lakshman

(About the Author - Madhushree is not just another young Bangalorean who passes-by without notice. Change is a way of life she believes, driven by her will to solve the problems around her. Co-founder of 'Volunteer For a Cause (VFC)' a registered non-profit, she knows from experience what it takes to tackle a real world problem and is on the path towards solving it)

Unite 'em Soldiers!

It is great that we are all concerned and working to put a smile on those underprivileged, isn’t it? Considering the children in orphanages, we volunteer to see them happy, we teach to help them get good grades, and for that period of time we sacrifice all other needs of ours and just concentrate on the cause. It is very kind of us to be doing that. When you zoom out and have a bird’s eye view of the whole situation, you see that you are doing good work; driven by good intentions and motivated to bring a change in the way we live. Ok, that’s a Check. We are doing good to the society, exactly what we intended to do upfront. But, are we effective enough in doing what we are doing. We are volunteering for a cause. It clearly means, there is a problem. And by our actions the problem should get a solution. What is the point otherwise. Volunteering in an orphanage is just an example, it applies to all fields of volunteering. So the big question of the day that all of us volunteers should address is – Are our actions giving us the intended results?

If you look at it, we are all investing our resources and time thinking that good intentions will lead us to good results. Unless we don’t know what results do our actions produce we really are wasting time. Unless those results are measured and put in line with our vision or intentions we are wasting time. There are so many of us doing the same thing at different places. Some of us just volunteer on the ground, some of us get aligned to the objectives of any organization which will help them define and measure their actions to an extent, some of us do philanthropy without objective as most of us want to help. There are volunteers and people associated with voluntary organizations everywhere. Leave apart the global scenario, considering a small community we will get hundreds of such kind people coming together. It is clear that similar problems persists everywhere. One can easily define a common problem statement, just to put things into perspective.

Just to have our analysis clear going forward lets restrict our focus to communities. First task would be to define a community, may be based on geography (this can be discussed). And bring on the table all problems in that community for discussion and define it. And now bring all volunteers and various voluntary organizations to that place and discuss ways to target this problem. Now we have a directed approach. The efforts are concentrated and focused towards one common goal. Well, ego issues might be the one to counter. But what can be greater than the cause itself. This idea can be too idealistic. But coming together and sharing resources will be the change that would be required. What is the point in trying to re-invent the wheel.

The good intentions that we all carry will be put to test here. It’s a big challenge to develop harmony when we all unite for a cause. It’s a greater challenge to develop a synergy between all of us trying to re-invent the wheel of different sizes. The objectives are individual. The scope is limited to these objectives. And that is the biggest problem. The good news is, it has a solution. It is just the way we look at the problems in front of us which will eventually lead us to define our objectives. It is upto us to decide whether our only intention is to provide food for 10,000 people or reduce hunger by 5%. It is upto us to decide whether our main objective is to open 500 schools or improve literacy rate by 10 points. It is upto us to decide whether are we defining the objectives based on impact that our actions create or just based on some numbers that will not give an idea of how it is really contributing to the end result.

Just imagine the situation where all of those working for the education of the kids in orphanages are working towards one common goal – Improve literacy rate by 3 points in one year time. Wouldn’t this approach put lot of things into place? To teach English for one set of volunteers would be the need of the hour and others might think life skills would bring them on par with those who have a normal life, some might think science would be the thing that would fetch them a job easily later and so on and so forth. All these energies are diverted and spread. We are lost in our own objectives, without knowing the kind of impact it is doing. We can only understand and measure the impact of our individual actions only when we come together attacking a single problem. Similar energies should come together. There will be no conflict of interests. We are not business corporations to survive amidst competition. As competition does not exist in the first place. If there is a genuine voluntary organization, it is there because it is highly motivated by the cause. So coming together to improve literacy rate by 3 points should not be a problem, except that it is a big logistics challenge; unless we are still going behind details without having a look at the big picture. Exploiting technology will be of great help.

Its time we all come together. To attack the problem around us as one single force is the way forward and this is our standpoint!

ಇರುವಿಕೆ ಆಗುವಿಕೆ

ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಕಡಿಮೆ ದಿನದ ೨೪ ಗಂಟೆಯೂ ವಿದ್ಯುತ್ ಪೂರೈಕೆ ಇರುವ ನಮ್ಮ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ, ಅಪರೂಪಕ್ಕೊಮ್ಮೆ ಕೆಲ ನಿಮಿಷಗಳ ಕಾಲ, ಅದೂ ರಾತ್ರಿಯ ವೇಳೆಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಪೂರೈಕೆ ಸ್ಥಗಿತಗೊಂಡ ಕ್ಷಣಗಳು ಅಪೂರ್ವ. ಅದೇ ದಿನ ಮನೆಯ ಇನ್ವರ್ಟರ್ ಕೆಟ್ಟು ಹೋಗಿದ್ದರೆ, ಆ ದಿನ ಸುದಿನ! ನೂರಾರು ಲೆಕ್ಕಾಚಾರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ಗೊಂದಲಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ಕರ್ತವ್ಯಗಳು ಎಂಬ ಭ್ರಮೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮೂಡುತ್ತಿರುವ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಳುಗಿರುವ ನಮ್ಮ ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ, ಆ ಕಿರು ಕತ್ತಲ ಜಗತ್ತು ಕ್ಷಣಿಕ ಧಿಗ್ಭ್ರಮೆ ಹುಟ್ಟಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. "ಕರೆಂಟ್ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಏನಪ್ಪ ಮಾಡುವುದು ಇವಾಗ?" ಎಂದು ಹಲುಬುತ್ತ ನಮ್ಮ ಮನೆನೆತ್ತಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಕೂತರೆ, ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಆ ದಿನದ ವಿದ್ಯುತ್ ಅಭಾವ ಸಾರ್ಥಕತೆ ಹೊಂದಿದಂತೆಯೆ! ಸುತ್ತಲಿನ ಕತ್ತಲಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲಿಂದಲೋ ಮೋಡುತ್ತಿರುವ ಮೋಟಾರಿನ ಸದ್ದು, ಪೀ ಪೀ ಹಾರ್ನು, ಯಾರೋ ಮೊಬೈಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅರಚುತ್ತಿರುವ ವೈಯಕ್ತಿಕ ಗುಪ್ತ ವಿಚಾರಗಳು, ಬೇಕರಿಯ ಎದುರು ಪಾನಮತ್ತ, ಧೂಮಚಿತ್ತ ನಶೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವ ರಾಜಕೀಯ, ಸಾಂವಿಧಾನಿಕ ಚರ್ಚೆಗಳು. "ಈ ರಗಳೆಗಳೆಲ್ಲ ದಿನಾ ಇದ್ದಿದ್ದೇ" ಎಂದು ಕತ್ತೆತ್ತಿ ನೋಡಿದರೆ, ಮೊಡಕವಿದ ವಾತಾವರಣ ಇಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೆ, ನಾವೂ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಆನುಷಂಗಿಕ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವಗಳು ಎಂದು ಮಿಂಚಿ ಸೆಳೆಯುವ ನೂರಾರು ನಕ್ಷತ್ರಗಳು, ಶನಿವರೆಗಿನ ಗ್ರಹಗಳು, ತದೇಕಚಕ್ಷುವಿನಿಂದ ಗುರಾಯಿಸಿದರೆ ಕಾಣುವ ಆಂಡ್ರೊಮೇಡ ನಕ್ಷತ್ರಪುಂಜ, ನಮ್ಮದೇ ಮಿಲ್ಕಿವೇ ಆಕಾಶಗಂಗೆ, ಇವೆಲ್ಲದರ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಬಿಲಿಯಾಂತರ ವರುಷಗಳ ರೋಚಕ ಇತಿಹಾಸ; ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ಸಂಕುಚಿತ ಸ್ಮೃತಿಪಟಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಷಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾದು ಹೋಗುತ್ತವೆ. ಈ ಅನುಭವವು ವರ್ಣಿಸಲಸದಳ.

           ಈ "ಗ್ಯಾಪಿ"ನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲವು ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳು ಏಳುತ್ತವೆ. ಕೋಟ್ಯಾಂತರ ಜ್ಯೋತಿರ್ವರ್ಷಗಳ ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿ, ಬಿಲಿಯಾಂತರ ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಸ್ಥಿತಿ,ಲಯಗಳಿರುವ ಈ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾಂಡದಲ್ಲಿ, ನಗಣ್ಯವೆಂಬಂತಿರುವ ಸೌರಮಂಡಲದ, ಅತಿಪುಟ್ಟ ಗ್ರಹಗಳಲ್ಲೊಂದಾದ ಭೂಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರ ಜನನವಾಗಿದೆ. ಇಂತಹಾ ಅಗಾಧ ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿ, ಇತಿಹಾಸಗಳ ಗೋಲದಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ದಿನನಿತ್ಯದ ಬದುಕೇ ಈ ಗೋಲದ ಕೇಂದ್ರಬಿಂದುವಿನಂತೆ ನಾವು ಬದುಕುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವಲ್ಲಾ! ಇವೆಕ್ಕೆಲ್ಲಾ ಒಂದು ನಿರ್ದಿಷ್ಟ ಅರ್ಥವಿದೆಯೇ? ನಾವು ಬದುಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಇದಮಿತ್ತಂ ಎನ್ನುವಂತಹ ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟ ಗುರಿ ಹೊಂದಬೇಕೆ? ಕ್ವಚಿತ್ತಾದ ತತ್ವಗಳನ್ನು ನಂಬಿ ಅವುಗಳ ನೆರಳಿನಲ್ಲೇ ನಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನ ಸಾಗಿಸಬೇಕೆ? ಇವುಗಳೆಲ್ಲದರ ಸಮ್ಮಿಳಿತದಿಂದ ಹುಟ್ಟುವ ಸಾರ್ಥಕತೆಯ ಸೋಗಿಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಜೀವ ಹಪಹಪಿಸಬೇಕೆ?

         ಈ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ತರಲೆ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಧನಾತ್ಮಕ ಉತ್ತರಗಳನ್ನು ನೀಡುವ ಜನರೇ ನಮ್ಮ ಜಗತ್ತಿನ "ಸಾಧಕ"ರಲ್ಲಿ ಅಗ್ರಗಣ್ಯರು! "ಮರುಜನ್ಮ ಇದೆಯೋ ಇಲ್ಲವೋ ತಿಳಿದಿಲ್ಲ. ಮನುಷ್ಯನಾಗಿ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಏನಾದರೊಂದು ಸಾಧಿಸಿ, ಬದುಕು ಸಾರ್ಥಕಗೊಳಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು" ಎಂದು ಒಳದನಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅರಹುವವರಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನವರು "ಸಾಧಕ"ರಾಗಿ ಕುಲಾಂತರಗೊಂಡು, ಜನರ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮೇಲ್ವರ್ಗದ "ಜಾತಿ"ಗೆ ಸೇರುತ್ತಾರೆ! ತಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನಾನುಭವ, ಒಲುಮೆ, ಆಸಕ್ತಿ, ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವಗಳ ಸಮ್ಮಿಲನದಿಂದ ಒಂದು ನಿರ್ದಿಷ್ಟ ಗುರಿಯನ್ನು ಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸಿ, ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ತಲುಪಲು ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟ ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿಗಳನ್ನು ಹಾಳೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊರೆದು, ಜೀವನದ ಯಾವ ತಿರುವಿನಲ್ಲೂ ಗುರಿಯು ಸಂಚಲನಗೊಳ್ಳದಂತೆ ಖಾತರಿವಹಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅನೂಹ್ಯ ಅನುಭವಗಳಿಂದಲೋ, ಸೂಚ್ಯ ಪ್ರಯೋಗಳಿಂದಲೋ ಕೆಲವು ತತ್ವಗಳನ್ನು ನಂಬಿ, ಅವುಗಳು ತೋರುವ ದಿಕ್ಸೂಚಿಯಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಪಯಣ ಸಾಗಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇದು, ಕಷ್ಟದ ಮಾರ್ಗವೇ ಸೈ! ಕಣ್ಣುಮುಚ್ಚುವ ಮೊದಲು ಆಂತರಿಕ ತೃಪ್ತಿ, ಮುಚ್ಚಿದನಂತರ ಲೋಕದ ಹೊಗಳಿಕೆ (ಕೇಳಲು ಕಿವಿಗಳು ಆಗ ಮಣ್ಣಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ!) ಪ್ರಯಾಸದಿಂದಲೇ ದೊರಕುತ್ತದೆ.

        ಆದರೆ, ಈ ಮಾರ್ಗವನ್ನನುಸರಿಸುವ ಜನರು ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಜನಸಂಖ್ಯೆಯ ಶೇಕಡ ೧ರಷ್ಟು ಮಾತ್ರ. ಹಾಗಾದರೆ, ಇನ್ನುಳಿದ ೯೯ ಪ್ರತಿಶತ ಜನರು? ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಲಿಖಿತ, ಮೌಕಿಕ, ಸ್ಮರಿಪ ಇತಿಹಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಅನಾಮಧೇಯರಾಗೇ ಉಳಿಯುವವರು ಇವರು. ಲೋಕದ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ "ಸಾಧನಾ"ಶೂನ್ಯರು. ನಿರರ್ಥಕ ಬದುಕ ಬದುಕಿದವರು. ಹೌದೇ? ಹೌದಾದರೆ, ಲೋಕದ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ತಾಯಂದಿರು, ಗುರುಗಳು, ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರು ಮನುಷ್ಯ ಸಮಾಜದ ಆಂತರಿಕ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯ ಶಕ್ತಿಕೇಂದ್ರಗಳಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ, ಅವರು ಐತಿಹಾಸಿಕವಾಗಿ, ಲೋಕದ ಸ್ಮೃತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ "ಸಾಧನಾ"ಶೂನ್ಯರೇ! ದಿನಬೆಳಗಾದರೆ ಹಕ್ಕಿಗಳಿರುವಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆದು, ಆಲಿಸಿ, ಮುದಗೊಳ್ಳುವ ನಾಲಾಯಕರು; ಜೀವನಪರ್ಯಂತ ಸೋಜಿಗದಲ್ಲೇ ಅನ್ವೇಷಣೆಕೈಗೊಂಡ "ಬಿರುದು"ಶೂನ್ಯ ಸಹಸ್ರ "ವೇಸ್ಟ್" ವಿಜ್ಞಾನಿಗಳು; ಮೈಕೈ ಕೆಸರುಮೆತ್ತಿಕೊಂಡು ಗದ್ದೆ ಊಳುವುದರಲ್ಲೇ ಬದುಕಿನ "ಸಾರ್ಥಕತೆ" ಕಂಡುಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಲಕ್ಷಾಂತರ ಕ್ಷುದ್ರ ರೈತರು; ಇವರೆಲ್ಲರೂ ಕಡಲಿನ ಅಗಣಿತ ಮರಳುಮಣಿಗಳೇ!

         ಇಷ್ಟೆಲ್ಲಾ ಹರಟಿದ್ದಕ್ಕೆ ಒಂದು ಕಾರಣವಿದೆ. ಮಾನವರೆಂದಮೇಲೆ ನಮಗೆ ಇಂತಹ ಸೈದ್ಧಾಂತಿಕ ಮಂಥನಗಳು ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವೇ. ಕೆಲವರಲ್ಲಿ ನಿರ್ಥಕವೂ, ಸ್ಥೂಲವೂ ಆಗಿರುತ್ತವೆ. ಇನ್ನುಳಿದವರಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆಗಳೆಲ್ಲಾ ಗಹನವಾಗಿ ಯೋಚನಾರ್ಹ, ತಕ್ಕಂತೆ ಯೋಜನಾರ್ಹವಾಗಿ ಕಂಡುಬರುತ್ತದೆ. ಇವೇನೇಇದ್ದರೂ, ಈ ತಾತ್ವಿಕ ತಿಕ್ಕಾಟಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಮಾಧಾನಕರ ನೆಲೆ ಕಂಡುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು ಅತ್ಯವಶ್ಯಕವೆಂದೇ ನನ್ನ ಅಭಿಮತ. ನಿರ್ದಿಷ್ಟ ಗುರಿ,ತತ್ವ ಹೊಂದಿದ, ಅವುಗಳ ಫಲವತ್ತತೆಗಾಗಿ ದುಡಿಯುವ "ಸಾಧಕ" ಪಂಗಡ ಒಂದೆಡೆ. ಇವ್ಯಾವುದರ ಪರಿವೇ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ, ಇದ್ದರೂ ಹಲವು ಶಕ್ತವೋ, ನಿಶ್ಯಕ್ತವೋ ಕಾರಣಗಳಿಂದ ಈ ನಿರ್ದಿಷ್ಟತೆಗಳನ್ನು ಬದಿಗೊತ್ತಿ, ಅ-ಐತಿಹಾಸಿಕ, ಅತಿಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ, ಆದರೂ ಅತಿಮುಖ್ಯದ ಜೀವನ ನೆಡೆಸುವವರ ವರ್ಗ ಇನ್ನೊಂದೆಡೆ. ಈ ಎರಡು ವರ್ಗಗಳ ಸಮನ್ವಯತೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಸಮಾಜದ ಸಾರ್ವಕಾಲಿಕ ಅವಶ್ಯಕತೆಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಆದರೆ, ಯಾವ ಮಾರ್ಗದಲ್ಲಿ ನೀವು ನಡೆಯ ಬಯಸುವಿರಿ ಎಂಬುದು ನಿಮಗೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟದ್ದು. ನಿಮ್ಮ ಇರುವಿಕೆಯ ಸ್ಥಿತಿಗೆ, ಆಗುವಿಕೆಯ ಬಯಕೆಗೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟದ್ದು.

        ಮುಗಿಸುವ ಮುನ್ನ ಒಂದು ಮಾತು. ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವುದೇ ಅಚಲ ಗುರಿಯಿಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೂ, ಲೋಕದ ಅಂಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ "ಸಾಧಕ"ರು ಎನಿಸಿಕೊಂಡವರು ಕೆಲವರಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಈ ಕೆಲವರಲ್ಲಿ ಅತ್ಯುನ್ನತ ಉದಾಹರಣೆ ನಮ್ಮ ನಾಡಿನ ಕೆ.ಪಿ.ಪೂರ್ಣಚಂದ್ರ ತೇಜಸ್ವಿ. ಕೋವಿ ಹಿಡಿದು ಸ್ವಚ್ಚಂದವಾಗಿ ಕಾಡು ಸುತ್ತುವುದನ್ನೇ ಪ್ರಾಯದ ಅಪ್ರತಿಮ ಆದರ್ಶವೆಂದು ತಿಳಿದಿದ್ದ ಅವರು, ಆ ಸುತ್ತಾಟದ ಅನುಭವದಿಂದಲೇ ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಹೊಸ ಭಾವವುಳ್ಳ, ಶೈಲಿಯುಳ್ಳ, ಅರ್ಥಗಳುಳ್ಳ ಕೃತಿಗಳನ್ನು ನೀಡಿದರು. ಅವರ ಸುತ್ತುವ, ಅರಿಯುವ, ಅಚ್ಚರಿಪಡುವ, ಸಂಶೋಧಿಸುವ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವ ಹೇಗಿತ್ತೆಂದರೆ, ಅವರ ಕೃತಿಗಳನ್ನೂ ಮೀರಿ ಅವರ ದೈನಂದಿನ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳೇ ಅವರಿಗೆ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಅಭಿಮಾನಿವರ್ಗ ದೊರಕಿಸಿದವು. ಅವರು ಕೂತದ್ದು, ನಿಂತದ್ದು, ಕುಡಿದದ್ದು, ತಿಂದದ್ದು ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ದಂತಕತೆಗಳಾದವು! ಇವೆಲ್ಲಾ ಸ್ವತಃ ತೇಜಸ್ವಿಯವರಿಗೇ ಇಷ್ಟವಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. 

ಯಾವ ಗುರಿ, ತತ್ವಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ ಹೋಗದಿದ್ದರೂ, ಅವರ ಘನೀಕೃತ, ಸಹಜ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವದಿಂದಲೇ ಅಪ್ರಜ್ಞಾಪೂರ್ವಕವಾಗಿ ಹೆಸರು ಮಾಡಿದವರು. ನಿಮ್ಮ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವವೂ ಇಷ್ಟೇ ಘನವಾಗಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ, ಬದುಕಲು, "ಸಾಧಿಸ"ಲು ಈ ಯಾವ ಸೈದ್ಧಾಂತಿಕ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆಗಳ ಗೋಜು ನಿಮಗೆ ಬೇಕಾಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಅಲ್ಲವೇ?

ಅಮರ ಕಾರಂತ ಹೊಳೆಗದ್ದೆ

(೨೫ ವಯಸ್ಸಿನ ಇವ ಜೀವನದ ಎಳೆತ ಸೆಳೆತಗಳಿಗೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿ ಈಜಾಡಿ ಜಯಸಿದವ. ಒಂದು ಸಿಗರೇಟು, ಒಂದು ಪೆನ್ನು ಮತ್ತೆ ಒಂದು ಹಾಳೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕರೆ ಇವನಿಗೆ ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಹಿತ. )