PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES FROM THE LEARNERS’ POINT OF VIEW

It is the teacher who plays the pivotal and vital role in multifarious aspects. His primary goal is to shape the future of the students today, the citizens of tomorrow by means of his knowledge, and enrich society and civilization by virtue of his wisdom. It is worthy to quote in this regard Dr. S. Radhakrishnan’s view: ‘the teacher is the pivot of civilization’. His role begins with the student in particular and culminates in society in general. In every occupation or profession, one primarily needs a guide, teacher or coach in the stages of learning to reach perfection in one’s field. Particularly the teacher has the obligation of imparting adequate knowledge to students. More specifically the teacher of English has more responsibilities on his part to teach the content in respect of literature and language in respect of grammar for accuracy, pronunciation for fluency and body language for decency and train his students in a committed and devoted manner and transform them into competent students to face challenges in career capture and life settlement. In that mission he enables students to achieve communication skills:

The academic opportunities are now-a-days at our doorstep due to the mushroom growth of institutions in the arena of privatization. Students seek admission in professional colleges with high expectations or ambitions At the undergraduate level they wake up to realize the vital importance of English in the age of scientific advance and technological progress i.e. the internet generation. They feel English is life and life is English as English becomes the language of interviews on or outside the campus, competitive examinations and the bread winner. They are supposed to have advanced communication skills which most of the students lack in. Their aspirations and ambitions are too high for them to reach. Most of the students are with the inadequate knowledge of English to face the keen competition. They ascribe their inadequacy of knowledge to various reasons: regional language medium background, shortage of experienced and qualified faculty, insufficient exposure to English, irregular attendance in the class, etc at lower levels, and cut sorry figure.  However the said reasons do not serve the purpose and solve the problem of impressing the interviewers for their jobs in a company or organization.

In professional colleges the classroom situation is different as we find the students at various levels and a clear-cut gap between the teacher and the students: many below average, some average, a few above average and very rare availability of extraordinary talents in rural setting. When there is such a gap is created between the students and the teacher, especially for the teacher of English to bridge it with the spirit of challenge. He has to train them in various aspects starting with fundamentals and bring them to the higher levels. Broadly speaking he finds the students in the class different as per their communicative standards and they are classified into four categories: the students with ordinary skills, the students with moderate skills, the student with good skills and the students with excellent skills in respect of their communicative skills.

Students with Ordinary Skills

   

Most of the technical students in technical colleges now-a-days are below average, not up to the mark as far as their communication levels are concerned. They fail to impress the interviewers and come out from interviews to see themselves crest-fallen as they lack in communication skills. They can communicate only certain and limited ideas as their acquired English is confined to stock expressions: ‘Good morning’, ‘a nice trip’, ‘a happy journey’, ‘a happy new year’’ nice to see you’, ‘a happy festival’, etc for greetings; ‘What cost is it?’ ‘Is there any offer?’, ‘any discount’, ‘What about guaranty?’, ‘What brand?’ and such questions in business dealings and many more limited expressions related to their fields like cinemas, politics, love affairs, etc. However they use the sentences to which they are frequently exposed. They cannot create new expressions. They suffice with their stock expressions. Their language is a mixture of languages. Their language consists of wrong sentences, broken spoken English, incomplete utterances and inappropriate expressions. Such level communication skills characterize the low standards of the students with ordinary skills who are not successful in their fields. In such situation the teacher has to teach the students of the category the essentials of grammar, the building of vocabulary, etc to enable them to frame correct sentences for accuracy and bring them to the level of the students with moderate skills. He trains them to use correct language by means of the principles of grammar: Singulars, plurals, the Persons, the agreement of the verb with the subject, the conjugation of different verbs, actives, passives, the degrees of comparison, direct and indirect speech, the analyses of simple, compound and complex sentences, the synthesis of sentences, the figures of speech, so on to be at least the students of moderate skills.

Students with Moderate Skills

Students with moderate skills communicate clearly and correctly as they have command over the rules of grammar. The life of language is grammar: the appropriate use of verb (tense) form, the correct sequence and appropriate use of words: nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, articles; punctuation marks, etc. They have a clear idea of how they have to construct sentences. For that they should be quite aware of structures or the verb patterns. The sentences with proper structures lead to clear-cut understanding. They are well versed with grammatical technicalities and syntactical devices but lack in the art of pronunciation to have fluency as per the most standard pronunciation, the Received Pronunciation with stress, intonation, the terseness of expression and smooth flow of words. The stumbling of words or the abrupt halt in course of speaking mars one’s fluency and clear expression of ideas. Fluency sounds good when accuracy stands valid. Fluency aims at a normal flow of words for a clear understanding. Under the guidance of the teacher of English, they rise to the level of the students with good skills.

Students with Good Skills

Students with good skills belong to a better category than those of moderate skills as they maintain not only the correctness of language but also the aptness of pronunciation. They have the knowledge of accurate pronunciation with the right tone, accent and intonation apart from that of correct and appropriate language with structural and syntactical patterns. The most standard pronunciation to be followed is ‘the Received Pronunciation’ (RP) which is accepted all over the world. It is the non-native speakers who face the problem of pronunciation as their languages are phonetic as their pronunciation sounds in accordance with the spelling of words. He should always guide them to pronounce words with regards to the appropriate pronunciation with the stress pattern. The art of intonation is also essential in the process of pronunciation. They have the clear knowledge of the correct use of intonation with great care. The quality of voice should be properly maintained or modulated. Pitch, speed, modulation, etc are important to be noted and followed to achieve steady speaking and attentive listening which should go hand in hand for the clear comprehension of the subject. The voice should be neither loud and quick nor low and slow. It should be audible to the audiences. At this stage, the teacher enriches their standards with the knowledge of body language, the non-verbal communication to be the students with excellent skills.

 

Students with Excellent Skills

Apart from the correctness of language and the aptness of pronunciation, the students with excellent skills have the positive body language with its gestures, postures, facial expressions, physical appearance, eye-contact, etc. to be successful in effective communication in all situations and contexts. It is the body language which speaks volumes. By means of body language, the speaker can make his presentation effective for it reflects his inner state of emotions. An effective speaker establishes a synchronizing coordination between the mind for thought flow and the body for body reaction in the form of gestures, postures, facial expressions, eye-contact, etc as the face is the index of the mind.  Apart from verbal communication: grammaticality, the correctness of language and the aptness of pronunciation, the body language (GPB formulae: grammar, pronunciation and body language) is very essential on the part of the speaker while speaking. We should not forget the significance of body language on the part of a speaker for it is an integral part of speaking. According to Patricia Ball, “To effectively communicate, it’s not always what you say, but your body says that makes the difference.”

They should ‘get in touch with the way the other person feels. Feelings are 55 percent body language, 38 percent tone and 7 percent words’ as quoted in Communication Skills for Engineers. The communicative ability of the hands and the legs, especially the face plays a vital role on the part of the speaker. The speaker can make his speaking interesting by attracting the attention of audience by means of eye-contact.

They build up confidence to have competence to speak in all situations. They are bold and fearless to speak at audiences. They, at the same time, modulate their speaking to be convincing and interesting to the audience. They rise to the level to learn the fact that excellent presentation mainly depends on the eyes, the voice, the expression, the appearance (dress style) and postures.

The success of one’s speaking rests on their language with a felicity of expressions, a mosaic of quotations, a fine array of idioms, a series of examples apart from accuracy, fluency (smooth flow of the words), and preeminently decency in respect of the positive body language with gestures, postures, eye-contact, facial expressions, etc. The teacher has to train his students to use the positive body language enabling them to come out of the interview hall with success by means of the correctness of language, the apt ness of pronunciation and positive body language (GPB formula). The teacher has to deal with the students applying his various approaches to bridge the gap between him and his students as follows.  

Teacher’s General Approaches:

We are able to express our ideas, feelings, experiences or reflections effortlessly and spontaneously in our mother tongue, vernacular, learnt from our mother, family and region. It does not mean that we speak fluently as per RP and accurately as per the rules of grammar. The fact is that we express our ideas and the listeners receive them with proper comprehension and prompt reaction on their part to respond to us, the speakers in a spontaneous manner. Whoever speaks effortlessly and spontaneously may not be able to speak fluently and accurately. To speak fluently and accurately, they need proper coaching and teaching; methods and techniques; approaches and guidelines in the process of learning. There is a dire necessity of a teacher to equip students to speak fluently and write accurately. The teacher may possess enormous knowledge in his diverse disciplines or in his own discipline but the knowledge he has, must be translated into the reality of imparting it to students by means of his pedagogical approaches from the learners’ point of view. The general approach of the teacher is that he is approachable and his knowledge is accessible to them to obtain it. In the coveted and committed mission, his approaches are bound to be from the learners’ point of view as he plays the most prominent role in shaping not only an individual in particular but also society in general. He should create a general impression in their minds that he is there for their welfare and well-being.

Teacher’s Moral-Supporting Approaches:

The teacher is a living Supreme and seen Divine when he is for the welfare of students. There is a bounden responsibility on his part to promote their standards, enabling them to reach the highest pinnacle of success. He should be impartial in evaluation and unbiased in treatment, etc. He should pat, encourage and inspire all of them especially average and below average students to shine in studies. As a teacher of English in particular, he should see that they overcome their shyness, stage fright, inferiority complex, etc and the obstacles and hurdles in their path of success. Under his inspirational guidance, they participate in speaking activities: group discussion, debate, JAM sessions, speech making, describing objects, situations and persons; giving and asking for directions, interviews, telephone conversation, role play, video conferencing, situational dialogues, oral reporting, etc. Credit goes to him when individual attention is paid to every student especially the student who needs his guidance to be on par with the other students in the maintenance of standards. They should feel that their teacher is there to support them morally to shape them into good articulates and worthy candidates to have success in career capture and life pursuits.     

Teacher’s Practical Approaches:

The teacher is supposed to have practical approaches rather than theoretical approaches.  The methods and techniques he follows as per theoretical methods may not be practicable in a given context or situation. Then the teacher has a wise option to switch over to practical approaches conducive to the situation to make his students understand the subject he is teaching as he has a good deal of experience in the field of teaching. The practical experience is more a teacher to help students than the theoretical knowledge. He has to cite living examples from his practical experiences to enable them to understand the content or the subject perfectly and have command over the subject. When we talk of the learning of English by technical students at advanced levels, the teacher should have pragmatic perspectives in shaping them into worthy students to be competent and confident in facing the challenges in this age of healthy competition of the internet generation. Under his supervision they browse the software programs in the advanced level on the internet. First he should refer to all the language items in teaching, making them realize the importance of correctness and appropriateness in the language they use. He should make it clear a clear-cut distinction between the active voice and the passive voice. For that he should state some practical examples from day-to-day life as follows. One student wrote a letter to his father regarding his payment of fees: “I was paid fees yesterday.” He did not know what it meant. What he meant is different from what it meant for him. People use passives where actives are used. In the same way “I was completed Intermediate”, “I was bought a text book” etc are due to inadequate knowledge of the difference between the active voice and the passive voice and all grammatical rules at large. Another student wrote in his letter: “I am well and I hope that you are in the same well.” What he thinks of conveying in his letter is different from what the sentence means. He thinks of the correspondent’s well-being but the sentence doesn’t mean so.

Many people do not know simple expressions like ‘one of my friends’ ‘one and half hours’ etc but they say ‘one of my friend’, ‘one and half hour, ’etc, and think that they know how to speak English. They never try to know the fact of their mistakes. One must be very careful about the use of adverbs in the right position. A sentence with the use of the adverb ‘scrupulously’ in a wrong way conveys meanings differently. For example, “Students shall follow the principles that College evolved scrupulously”. Here the sentence means differently from what its user means. It means that the principles were evolved scrupulously. Here the position of the adverb is wrong. In fact, it is to be written as “Students shall scrupulously follow the principles that college evolved.” What one learns from the use is that one should be very careful about the arrangement of words since the proper structure gives life to a sentence. A student with the knowledge of grammar can express and communicate clearly without ambiguity, confusion, etc. The mistakes made by non-native speakers are innumerable and they are considered to be “common mistakes”. The teacher has to concentrate on common errors in the classroom to make his students realize common errors and enrich their knowledge up to the mark in respect of English for technical budding graduates. Mere the completion of the text-book does never serve the purpose. The teacher should have special approaches to the teaching of English in the enrichment of their standards in respect of correctness.

The non-native speakers are under their respective Mother Tongues’ Influence (MTI) on their English. They mispronounce many English words and tend to let others know their identity or mother tongue or lingua franca when they speak English. Bernard Shaw once said, “No matter how well is man dressed or behaved, he betrays his origin the moment he opens his mouth. This holds true for an Indian.” The teacher should enable them to take meticulous care to minimize and overcome Mother Tongue’s influence (MTI) on their English pronunciation, stress and intonation. Certain letters in words receive stress and the others do not. Verbs, adjectives, adverbs and nouns receive stress but negatives, demonstratives, articles, determines, auxiliaries, prepositions, pronouns and conjunctions do not. They must be aware of stress-shift in respect of verbs, adjectives and nouns. The nouns have stress on the first syllable and the corresponding verbs have stress on the second syllable. In his supervision they should learn the most standard pronunciation.

The teacher must be well versed in English to teach them with authority. If he is poor in pronunciation, they fall into the faulty ways of pronunciation. First he should be able to be away from the clutches of MTI so that he pronounces English as per RP. Secondly he should make them realize the fact that English is not phonetic and there is no relation between spelling and pronunciation. He can state common words for example: ‘food’ and ‘foot’. The two words are mostly mispronounced with a short vowel sound in ‘food’ and a long vowel sound in ‘foot’. There are letters present in the spelling of words but are missing in pronunciation. He should cite various examples for the purpose. Stress, stress shift, pitch, intonation, modulation, volume, speech rate, etc. The teacher in addition undertakes all kinds of body language, the non-verbal communication: Kinesics to deal with postures, gestures, facial expressions, eye-contact, physical appearance, etc; Proxemics to deal with space distancing between the speaker and the audience during communication or presentation to maintain dignity and decorum; Paralinguistics to deal with tone, volume, modulation, speed, etc as per the necessity and Cronemics to deal with time to be taken in presentation.

Conclusion:

The world in the 21^st century with its growing challenges invites students with the proficiency of English in the global employment market. A student with great communication skills: the accuracy of language, the aptness of pronunciation and the positive body language should be competitive enough to reach his goal and have victory in the competitive job market under the able and inspirational guidance of the teacher. He builds up excellent career and comes up with flying colors in all the fields. A manager with excellent communication skills is successful in his profession for his harmonious co-ordination and smooth administration. How can students gain the proficiency of English to come with flying colors? They can make it possible when they learn it under the supervision of a teacher par excellence.                                        

                                                               Strengthening English Language and Learning 

                                                                                                         Issues and Challenges                                                                                                     

                                                                                    Excel India Publishers, New Delhi.

                                                                                                                           Pp 305-307

Potana Mahabhagavatam: A Series of Interludes in Quest of Salvation or Liberation

Every literature is credited for its rich variety of contributions in all kinds of genres. Telugu literature is specially acclaimed for its rich poetic output by famous poets like Nannaya, Tikkana, Errana, Potana and Srinadha. Among all the well-known poets of Telugu literature, Potana has a pivotal place for translating Sanskrit Bhagavata Puranam into Andhra Mahabhagavatam that stands unique and distinctive in multifarious aspects. The well-coveted work is known for Bhakti, the deep devotion and total surrender to God.   It is also known for its lucidity as it is within the reach of a common man. Every Telugu speaker quotes some verses from it in one or the other context. Finally, it has won encomiums for its figurative language. It therefore secures for him unrivalled fame as the crown jewel of Telugu literature for its unmatched merits.    

Potana, popularly known as Bammera Potana, was a farmer as well as a scholar of Telugu and Sanskrit languages, hailing from Bammera, a village from Warangal district of Telangana region. He adopted the farming vocation to be independent rather than to be dependent on the patron-kings. His maiden contribution, Bogini Dandakam was however dedicated to his patron-king, Sarvajana Singha Bhoopala, a popular Sanskrit playwright.  He, who was devotional to Lord Shiva in his youth, became the deep devotee and ardent adorer of Lord Vishnu, treating both the gods with equal devotion and adoration. He firmly believes in the opinion that it is a blemish on the part of people if they fail to worship Lord Shiva with folded meditative hands and Lord Vishnu with mouthful hymnal chants:

Chetularanga Shivuni pujimpadeni

Noru novvanga Hari keerthi salupadeni

As a poet, Potana considered poetry not only a divine art and worthy offering to Lord Rama, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu; .but also a supreme source for all to achieve salvation. He therefore dedicated his magnum opus, Andhra Mahabhagavatam to the Lord. He did not believe in hero-worship or king-worship. His sole aim was salvation through divine-worship and divine grace. Like Rabindranath Tagore, he felt that his appropriate offering to God is his supreme art of poetry. He, both as a poet and man, deeply loves compassion and truth and all should practice them to be worthy as human beings as not to be traitors to their mothers:

    

Dayayu satyambulonuga thalupadeni

            Kaluganetiki tallula kadupuchetu.

For Potana, through compassion and truth one can attain the status of divinity. He teaches morals and advises all to follow them scrupulously for the freedom of the soul. He at the same time feels that compassion and truth are really relevant and essentially concomitant for social reform especially in the present days of false values.  He identifies with the devotional characters of Mahabhagavatham like Prahlada and the elephant king, Gajendra who seek deliverance through the Divine grace as the Divine is the ultimate powers for the granting of salvation. A deep devotion and total surrender in the Divine bestows on Prahlada protection against the demon, Hiranyakasipu’s ordeals and hazards. Prahlada overcomes all these in deep meditation to Lord Srihari (Vishnu).His father Demon commands him to relinquish his meditation to Lord Srihari but he does not obey. He positively takes them all and remains unshaken in mind and unhurt in body. He treats his deep adoration to Sri Hari as the fittest and the most welcome one in quest of salvation despite a series of interludes. He gives the most convincing and fitting reply against his father’s blind wish through a series of living allusions. He cannot be away from his most wishful mellifluous meditation to Lord Srihari in the way the bee does not hover round grass flowers while reveling the sweet honey of the hibiscus, the regal swan does not like to swim in the ocean while swimming in the breeze of the Ganges, the cuckoo does not search for the old leaves while relishing the juices of tender leaflets, and the chakora (partridge) does not fly in gloomy places while being inspired by the full-moon:

    

            Mandara makaranda madhuryamunadelu madhupambu vovune madnamulaku

Nirmala mandakini veechikala dugu rayancha sanune tharanginulaku

Lalitha rasala pallava khadiyai chokku koyila cherune kutajamulaku

Boornendu chandrika spuritha chakora marugune sandhraneeharamulaku.

Prahlada’s deep meditation to God is not averted by deadly commands of his father Hiranyakasipu as his sole goal is communion with God. For him life is God and He is to take care of life. He seeks deliverance for his father demon also.  During the avatars like Lord Varaha, Lord Rama and Lord Krishna, the Lord saves devotee and grants him salvation.   Potana has a strong faith that He comes to our rescue by punishing evil-doers and peril-creators in the way Lord Krishna comes to the rescue of Dhrowpadhi. Like a shepherd He looks after His sheep at all times for their safety as He is the Savior of not only mankind but also other livings. He comes to the rescue of a true devotee and grants him salvation too. God possesses overflowing compassion for him who surrenders by seeking refuge in Him. Potana himself gets the divine grace for his true devotion. For the description of ‘vaikuntam’ he started and completed only the first line: Ala vaikuntapurambulo nagarilo a mula soudhambu dapala. He was not able to complete the other three lines of the quatrain. Lord Rama came in the guise of him, the devotee-poet and completed the three lines to his pleasant surprise.                       

Potata, as a poet, never takes any credit for translating Andhra Mahabhagavatham. He said that he was instrumental in this yeoman contribution.  He states the fact that it is Bhagavatham that speaks; and Lord Rama who makes him speak it:

           

Palikedidhi Bhagavathamata

            Palikincheduvadu Ramabhadrundata

            

Through Bhagavatam, Potana has the sole goal of salvation, the freedom of the soul, his deliverance after a series of interludes. As a devotee, he aspires for ardent adoration for God, as man he aims at deep devotion and as a poet he wants freedom to offer his work to Lord Rama in quest of salvation. His sacred work of Mahabhagavatham leads him to salvation.  Why does somebody else speak so?     

           

…      …    …    …     …    Ne

            Palikina bhavaharamagunata

            Palikeda verokandu gadha palukaganela.   

                 

As a poet, Potana portrays in Andhra Mahabhagavatham, the sense of devotion towards God on the part of a true devotee and presents the ways to attain salvation. For his true devotion to God, he is called Bhakta Potana. When he is in deep meditation, Lord Rama appears in the form of a king and apprises him of the need for the translation of Vyasa’s Sankrit Mahabhagavatham into Telugu. He readily accepts to undertake the stupendous work with excellent dexterity and ardent dedication. He skillfully handles the concept of devotion, Bhakti. The wide popularity of the book is ascribed to the theme of salvation. It is God’s infinite mercy alone that grants His devotee salvation and captures a special mention in Bhakti literature especially in Andhra Mahabhagavatham.  

Potana starts his Andhra Mahabhagavatham with the invocation in the epic tradition of Milton’s Paradise Lost: ‘to justify the ways of God to man’. Potana’s epic of epics reflects the theme in the other way round that it is to justify ways of God to a true devotee, the Bhagavatha.  He prays to God in the form of a hymn like Milton who stats his epic with an invocation. He admits that God can bestow on His devotee the shower of blessings for due reward through divine grace. He prays for kaivalya. God is now here to save the universe and care for His devotees. He punishes the sinners. He creates the universe as a part of His lila. He is none but Lord Krishna, Son of Yasoda:

           

Kaivalyapadambu jerutakai chintinchadani lokara   

            Kshaikarambagu bhakti palana kala samrambhakun danavo

            Drekasthambaku kelilola vilasaddrugjala sambhuta na

            Nakunjata bhavandakumbbhaku maha nandangana dhimbakun

Andhra Mahabhagavatham is of a series of epics in twelve cantos with the inroads into the salvation of the soul. It reflects technical brilliance and artistic excellence in portraying the theme of salvation. It is distinctive for its use of figures of speech especially similes and metaphors. Potana employs the figures of speech for telling effect and realistic picturesque. The use of figurative language and samasas, excellent clusters of words is an integral part of Andhra Mahabhagavatham to enrich his bhakti lyrics. He describes the battle of Satyabhama, accompanied by Lord Krishna, presenting it visual effect with snapshot details. The battle is the rain in the field with infinite arrows shot by her. He uses a series of metaphors for dramatic effect in the quatrain. Satyabhama is lightning, Lord Krishna is the dark blue cloud, the arrows are constant rain drops, etc. The battle as a whole is the rainy season with the constant shower of rain:

           

Jyavallidhwani garjanambuga sural saranga yudhambugan

            A villu indra sharasanamuga sarojaktundu meghambugan

            A vidyullata bhangi ninthi surajiddavagni magnambugan

            Bravutkalam chese banachaya mambashsheekara shrenigan.

There is no exaggeration to say that the sound echoes the sense in the stanza. Andhrabhagavatham refects the same telling effect as it is embedded with alakaras (figures of speech) and samasas (clusters of words) to facilitate the readers with the felicity of expressions. For example, ‘sarojakshundu’ is the word with the combination of two words: ’saroja’ and ‘akshundu’ mean ‘lotus’ and ‘one who possesses the eyes’ respectively. The cluster of words means ‘a person of lotus-like eyes’ i.e. ‘Lord Krishna’. Here the two words with individual meanings mean together some something else. It is ‘anya padartha pradhnam’. Such cluster or samasa is called ‘bahuvreehi’ and the most preferred one for felicity of expression. Potana is fond of extensive use of ‘samasas’ along with the figurative language, ‘alankaras’ like alliteration for musical effect and similes and metaphors for telling effect to result in the comprehensive understanding of the subject of liberation. Both the saint-poet and the devotee-reader feel that it is superbly suitable to the subtle subject of Bhakti literature like Andhra Mahabhagavatham and it is an undeniable fact and unquestionable trait for the epic stature.     

In the Bhagavatham, the three different characters- God, devotee and demon- are portrayed in every episode like Milton who similarly creates the characters: God, Adam and Satan in the Paradise Lost. The first one as per Potana and Milton is God who is the savior of His devotees at all odds and frauds; obstacles and hurdles; ills and perils. The second is the Bhagavatha, the bhakta or the true devotee like Prahlada for whom the demon Hiranyakasipu is the worst hazard in the path of devotion for his communion with God. In the Paradise Lost, Adam, who is innocent to represent the race of man eats the fruit of the forbidden tree to result in his disobedience on the beguiling force of Satan. The third one is the demon like Hiranyakasipu, Narakasura or Ravanasura, a representative of some or the other evil trait. He creates hazards in the path of devotion of good characters like Prahlada but they face them at ease against his surprise and surmise. In Milton, Satan, in spite of his unconquerable will, fails to go against God’s will in quest of retaliation and eventually experiences his defeat. 

       

Andhra Mahabhagavatham reflects the message that God has infinite grace to shower blessings on man in deep devotion and ardent adoration to Him for the sense of salvation or liberation which is the only essential goal for his communion with Him. Man in true devotion passes through a series of interludes to lay inroads into the path of salvation, the freedom or deliverance of the soul or liberation to be away from the petty circles of earthly life. The Bhagavatham is the tale of tales, telling about the bhagavatha (the true devotee of God). It is God to be pleased when His true devotees are rewarded and awarded; revered and honored. If it is contrary or any offence is committed to His true devotee, all the demons responsible for the sinful guilt and crime against God are punished. The Ambarisha-Durvasa episode of the Bhagavatham is the best example for this. It is Sage Durvasa, who offends Ambarisha, an absolute devotee and emperor of extreme humility; is duly punished in spite his approach to every god for protection. It is Hiranyakasipu, who compels Prahlada to forget Lord Vishnu, is slain in spite of all possible means to escape death. Every episode of the Bhagavatham narrates the story of a Bhagavatha, a true devotee who is rescued by God as He has divine grace for His devotees to grant them salvation which every pure heart  and high soul craves to secure in the path of  Bhakti.

                                                                                                                              TRIVENI

                                                                                                          Vol:82,  Jul-Sep. 2013 

The Sons of the Soil

In the wake of unexpected change, there was unrest in almost every part of the city.  The people, who had lived peacefully once, could never bear the most unwelcome change and undesirable situation.  The heart of the city was rocked with violence.  The joy of the people was lost in the wake of the wide spread communal disharmony. The rift between the people of different religions was on the rise.  Brutal killings and rapes were a common feature everywhere and some houses were ablaze with fire.

             The city was Shantipur which was once very peaceful and worthy of the name. There was perfect communal harmony in the city.  Its dwellers enjoyed liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of life.  They were totally humanistic and democratic not only in spirit but also in letter. They had love and affection for one another and content in all respects.  But time in its incessant flow brought about an enormous change to tarnish its high image beyond one’s expectations. 

                       

            The prominent leaders of three religions:  Hindu, Muslim and Christian, were under arrest.  The recent riots led to their imprisonment. Shyam, Saleem and Solomon were in the jail. The leader of the prisoners welcomed the new prisoners in a conciliatory tone; “Hello! My dear newcomers! Hearty welcome to you!  So, come forward to introduce yourselves to the other prisoners.”

            The first convict came forward and introduced himself with a profound feeling: “I am Shyam, a devoted Hindu and son of Radhe Shyam.  When I found injustice done to some Hindus, I instigated my followers to set fire to the houses of the wrong-doers.”

The second convict introduced himself with unique gestures of his own, saying: “I am Saleem, a son of Abdul Kaleem.  I adore my religion.  I found the houses of some Muslims choked with fire and ash.  They have become unsheltered and are now living in the shade of all trees. I reacted forthwith to provoke my supporters to molest the daughters of the culprits.”   

             The third appeared on the scene of introduction “I am Solomon, a true Christian, son of George Samuel.  No doubt, I am a staunch supporter of my own religion.  People talk of secularism everywhere but they are never secular in reality.  Is it not hypocrisy on their part? In my case I have no pretensions.  I respond as a true Christian when my co-religionists were deceived.  On my advice, my people brutally killed our enemies, the wrong doers.”

             All the three convicts introduced themselves to others, attributing their imprisonment to the issue of communal differences when Bhasha who had been amidst all prisoners was very much sorry.  The charm of his face was gradually fading away for certain reason which was not understandable to the other prisoners.  As and when he listened to the newcomers of the jail, he was lost in deep introspection.  All who had observed his face were amazed at the diminishing charm in his countenance.

             As time passed, the newcomers were assigned duties in the prison.  They were to work together in spite of their communal prejudices and personal differences.  Shyam, Saleem and Solomon couldn’t forget their secret plans to take revenge on one another but nothing was obviously seen in their faces.  Each of them still tried to support his cause from the jail also.

Bhasha secretly met Shyam one day while he was busy plowing the field on the premises of the prison, looking like the farmer of India.  He accosted Shyam from behind with affection which the latter had never expected from the former so far.   He broke the ice in intimate terms: “Shyam, I feel very much delighted to speak to you.  Our reunion in this jail is providential but I pity you for the vicissitudes in your life which have led you to the jail for imprisonment.”

             Shyam felt surprised at the kind gesture of Bhasha and said, “Why? …Why do you pity me? …What made you pity me? Thank you very much for your concern.”

             Bhasha, with an air of revelation said, “You are not Radhe Shyam’s own son.  He adopted you when he was childless.  I know this fact better than anybody else in the world.”

            

             When Bhasha told all these secrets, his lips were found quivering with the sense of guilt.  Shyam said, “I have known this fact since the demise of my father.  My father himself revealed this in the mood of excessive rapture well before his death.  At present I have a photograph wherein my father, my mother and I as a five-year-old child are seen for my lifelong loving memory.  The photograph had been taken on the occasion of adoption ceremony.”

            

             Bhasha recalled his evil acts done to an old woman when he glanced at a photograph.  He suffered internally for that.  He felt lonely like the old woman whom he had left helpless in the hut.  He realized her agony and anguish in his heart of hearts.  He felt that he was the most detestable weed in the most beautiful and enjoyable garden. He also thought that he was the worst sinner on earth.  As a father he had two sons in his house.  He felt lonely in the absence of his sons with him.  He could visualize his sons in the new convicts: Shyam, Saleem and Solomon.  He derived the pleasures of their company and treated them as his sons. 

             When Bhasha could not tolerate his loneliness in the jail, something within his heart forced him to see Shyam in his room.  He realized the suffering of the parents when their sons were kidnapped.  He rushed to Shyam to have an intimate conversation with him.  While speaking to him very affectionately, he showed the five year old boy, Shyam himself in the photograph.  Shyam too took out his photograph from the trunk-box and found the photograph similar to that showed by Bhasha .  He enquired of Bhasha about the whereabouts of the other two boys seen in the photograph.

             Bhasha, who was in the mood of revealing every thing, said, “The other two are your younger brothers and you all the three were born of the same parents.”

             Shyam listened to all this very eagerly and felt stunned at the turn of the events in life.  He asked where the other two brothers were.  Bhasha replied, “Your near and dear are near you.  They are very much here, not there or somewhere.  If you call them by names they will respond to you now from this jail but you don’t know their names to call them.”

             Bhasha knew that the two brothers were in the jail but he did not want to reveal the fact that Saleem and Solomon were known to him by the names of their respective parents: Abdul Kaleem and George Samuel. He met them separately.  They too came to know that they were brothers but were brought up by different parents with the help of their photographs and the photograph Bhasha had with him.  Abdul Kaleem, a rich merchant, adopted Saleem and George Samuel, a strong propagator and staunch supporter of Christianity, Solomon. 

             Bhasha separately revealed the fact that Shyam, Saleem and Solomon were the sons of the same parents.  When they learnt that they were born to the same parents, they forgot their rivalry.  The idea of their blood relation dispelled their sense of avenge.

             The prison followed a tradition to take an oath by the prisoners to be the followers of Mahatma Gandhi on his birthday, the second October every year under the chairmanship of the Jailor.  On the day they had to confess all their sins and they were to be sworn in to live together to promote harmonious relations among themselves.  Bhasha appeared on the dais and related the flashback of his life, confessing his sins:

             “I …I was …I was a heartless kidnapper of many children and was totally responsible for the torture and agony of their parents.  Storm-like wish to become rich overwhelmed me.  I became a slave to it and turned myself rich in that cruel deal.  Here were three men: Shyam, Saleem and Solomon who were children below the age of five years when I kidnapped them and they were sold for fast bucks to Radhe Shyam, Abdul Kaleem and George Samuel.  I kidnapped all the three from Bharathi, the old woman while she was looking after and nursing them.  She resisted and begged me not to do so but I resorted to violent means.”

           

                Bharathi said with tears in her eyes: “First kill me; then kidnap the children.”

              

               “Killing you is mere waste. My precious knife goes futile ... Kidnapping children is my sole business”

               

               “No ...   no… Help …help. I can’t live without them. They are the apples of my eyes. They aren’t my sons. They are the sons of Devaki and Vasudeva who had lived on the bank of the river Pralaya in a small hut. One day Devaki and Vasudeva went to earn their livelihood in the usual way, crossing the Pralaya to the other side.  That day the river Pralaya suddenly overflowed its banks and so the floods washed their parents away while they were coming back.  I rushed to the children and rescued them in the hut on the bank of the Pralaya from the havoc of floods.  Unfortunately the children became orphans in the wake of floods.  It became a bounden responsibility on my part to look after them as before when their parents left for work.” 

             

               “My business is not to listen to you. It is to go on according to my wish”.

           

               “As I was a notorious, villainous kidnapper, none could come to her rescue. I was able to kidnap them.  After a series of my crimes for a decade, I was caught red-handed.  In the court of law, the judge awarded me an imprisonment for a decade. Consequently I was in jail.  Since then I have been suffering for my faults and evil acts.  My intense suffering has shaped my character of all faults and evil acts.”

            

                  In course of time, the sons of Devaki and Vasudeva grew to be dynamic as adopted sons of different parents.  The selfish leaders made use of them for their vested interests and sowed the seeds of communal prejudices in them. As a result, they reaped the bitter fruits of their violence. They were otherwise good.”

             Revealing all his travails and traumas, Bhasha burst into tears.  He whole-heartedly prayed to God to forgive him for his sins.

             When Bhasha told the secret of their birth and parentage; Shyam, Saleem and Solomon hugged one another with warm love and deep affection. They displayed fatherly reverence towards Bhasha.  They visualized their parents: Devaki and Vasudeva and their guardian, Bharathi in the ideally transformed father, Bhasha.   Soon they were sworn in to be not only the ideal sons of the same parents but also the model sons of the same soil, Mother India in the presence of the jailor, Mr. Mohandas Karamchand.  They realized how the selfish political leaders of vested interests had cheated them. 

             On the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, Bhasha and the three prisoners were set free when the period of their sentence was condoned.  They came out of the jail while the sun was rising, shooting the new bright beams of light amidst barred, colored clouds.  The political leaders, waiting outside the jail to welcome them, felt stunned and bowed shamefacedly when they came out hand in hand.

             The three bid good-bye to all their communal prejudices, individual differences and social injustices and lived to promote communal harmony.  They restored the past name and fame of the society of Shanthipur.

                                                                                          

e-journal, Muse India, Hyderabad. 

26-1-2003