Unforgettable day - July 24, 2010

We had been trekking to Matheran from Bhivpuri station. We started from Bhivpuri at 8.30 am and had thought we would be reaching Matheran by 12.30 pm. So it wasn’t going to be a long trek but we reached Matheran at 5.30 pm. On the way we walked to see the Pali dam which was actually unplanned but it added to the time and the energy spent.

Personally I am not a regular trekker, though I have always found it adventurous and fascinating. In our group of 10, most of us were novice and for some it was the first trek. The trek was difficult than what we had expected. It was difficult even for the professional trekkers. We all had started with full vigor and enthusiasm, but as the energy levels started going down, the trek was becoming more steep and difficult to climb. Continuous heavy rains were making it slippery and there were land slides too.

We somehow reached the Thakurwadi village and there was still more to climb. The villagers told us it was just one and half hour more to climb, but it was definitely going to take more time for us as we had been walking since 8.30 in the morning and most of us were already drained out. Still determined we continued climbing till we reached a point where there was no way ahead. We were lost. We were contemplating of returning back but that also seemed difficult now as the Thakurwadi village was out of sight because of the fog and we did not remember the exact way back. There wasn’t a plain terrain close by and we were all there holding the rocks and on the edges of the mountain. Also since last few hours there wasn’t any trace of villagers who climb up to Matheran or down to the village in Thakurwadi.

We were all stuck, stuck between life and death. All I could think of was Lord Dattaguru who has always stood by me in difficult times. Me and my sister were already praying and in no time one of my friends who was ahead spotted a villager wearing a yellow raincoat climbing down with jaggery(गुळाची ढेप). He was going to his home for lunch. He agreed to help us reach the top. With his help we climbed a number of steep points and risky edges which I am sure we otherwise wouldn’t have climbed. Finally we reached the top where the first thing I could see was a tree there were photos of different deities (You will find this in many places in India) and my eyes fell on the big photograph of Lord Dattaguru. I immediately folded my hands and my eyes were full of tears, my sister who was by my side since I was getting exhausted quickly sensed that I am getting too emotional, gestured me to control myself. I composed myself and then we walked.

I must not forget to mention about a black dog who accompanied us from Bhivpuri station to Matheran. He climbed with us all the way and was shivering because of the heavy rains. I felt sorry as there was little I could do to help him. We offered him biscuits which we had and I had thought of gibing him hot milk after we reach the hotel at Matheran, but before we reached the hotel he went away.

The reason I have titled this post as an unforgettable day is not because we successfully managed to reached the top or not because the trek was full of adventure and thrill but because I have never before felt the presence of Lord Dattaguru so profoundly and strongly around me. Or I should put it as of all the times I have felt his presence, I realized it more profoundly this time

|| श्री गुरुदेव दत्त ||

Reality Shows & Children

Reality shows are the growing trend on television these days in India. Some shows have children participants. Many of them are dance competitions or singing competitions or comedy shows where audience is to vote through SMS and judges are also there to evaluate them.

Some days back I was watching a similar reality show where after the child was done with his singing, the judge commented "Beta aapne bahut accha gaya .. par jo expressions the woh nahi aaye" . I was shocked at his statement, was it right on his part to expect the correct expressions of the song from the child? Should a child at the age of 10 know and understand the expressions required for a love song and sing accordingly? Not at all. I felt the judge was irresponsible while making this statement, all he could have done was evaluated the song on the basis of taal and sur; the expressions weren't required for that type of song at that young age. 

I think children should be made to sing  some some devotional , patriotic songs or the ones which are made exclusively for children; though I feel there arent many considering the Hindi film industry. Their Marathi counterparts are better off when it comes to reality shows, I remember the Little champs "sa re ga ma pa", it was very well managed by the host and the judges. On one such occasion, the judge Vaishali Samant had commented that she did not expect the children to sing with expressions when it comes to such songs.

Moreover the parents also need to understand before exposing the children to the harshness of the reality shows. Some parents are eager to see their children perform on television, but at the cost of what ... their innocence? It makes me wonder where as a society we are heading? On one side we have removed the merit list to reduce the competition and stress levels of children and on the other side we are exposing them to the competitive world at a very young age. Isn't there already enough competition once you grow up?