Dance of Shiva

Jerry,

Interesting article this week on the Gambling and Baksheesh spirit of Diwali, but I’m afraid you’ve gone overboard with twisting ancient Hindu philosophy to prove your point. Here are some insights for you:

1. Let me quote something from a book in Hindi called ‘Anamdas ka Potha’ that I read a few years back (I’ll write the same in Roman Hindi, and hope you can find someone to translate the same for you if you do not speak Hindi, for my attempt to translate in English is bound to alter the true meaning): "Char purusharth hain - Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha. Inmein pehle teen sadhan hain; antim, sadhya hain. Pehle teen mein Dharma sabse bada hai. Uske anukool reh kar hi Artha ka uparjan karna chahiye. Artha pradhan nahin hai - Dharma ka avirodhi reh kar hi purushartha hai. Dharma ke viruddh jaane par tyajya hai. Kama, Dharma aur Artha ka avirodhi reh kar hi purushartha hai." . Very briefly my attempt at bringing the meaning out in English - Moksha is the purpose. The first three are methods or enablers (if you’ve been to Khajuraho ever, this will come out starkly to you).

So we are spiritual people, and it is best that we remain that way. It is a known fact that if India and China start living the way - the Earth does not have enough to sustain us all. The need of the hour is for us to evolve to the next level of spiritual consciousness, and accumulate wealth (Artha), while ensuring it is on the side of Dharma (so far so good), but keep our eyes/vision on Moksha - or the Oneness of all of us on Earth, including the Mother Earth itself (Think Gaia!). Sony’s new Chariman is showing a way ahead!

2. I have had the good fortune to have spent some intellectually stimulating evenings with Prakash Lal Tandon (the first Indian Chariman of HLL, and one of the leading Economists in India), and during one such evening, I raised a point with him: "Uncle, film producers who produce TV serials and porn or sexually explicit movies claim that ’sex sells’ and this is what people want, so we produce it - what are you thoughts on this?". He said, "The world today has to have a constraint upon personal freedom in the form of social discipline, in order to create social harmony. People have to think not only to think of individuals but of society."

We’re not in the most healthy position that we’re in as a race on Earth. The reason, I believe, has been that we have divorced Spirituality from all walks of life. Please read Spirituality as distinct from Religion (which is a discussion which would need a separate platform for). If life has a purpose, then we’re (us humans) not getting where we probably want to. Would you agree?

The point I am making is that you have contorted Ananda - Bliss - and lowered it to blast crackers - representative of ‘indulgence’ in everything possible.

3. It was Krishna, who advised, Bhima, that ‘extracting from more nature - more than you need will create imbalance on Earth’. Ofcourse, you know he delivered the Gita as well . So while Krishna is about indulgence, the induslgence is of a different kind - not only of the spiritual kind - I’m sure he also meant, Sex, Wealth, Power, Intelligence, Love…but probably above all…"pursuit of bhakti - love - for the Divine".

Wealth is great! It is a positive thingie. Indians seem to ridicule the same - yes I agree. But going the other way and suggesting, what you are - "Noisy crackers are objected to by crackpot environmentalists who see pollution everywhere and deny that life on this planet is about joy and its pursuit" - is not healthy either - as I’m sure when things come from a person in your position - people buy it more.

With power comes greater responsibility - this was the message of Spiderman in the movie.

4. So far as Baksheesh goes…well don’t even mention it these days. It seems the richer people get, the smaller their hearts become. Even I got stuck in one of my family member’s ideas of ‘the appropriate’ amount that ‘these people’ deserve. "These people" are none other than the dhobi, the postman, the car cleaner, the aaya, and the Municipal Corporation appointed sweeper. I think it is sick how we city people are. It is not just my family issue. It is my neighbours, our Resident’s Welfare Association (RWA), and all around the country, if not the world. The attitude to giving something on Diwali is actually not about ’sharing’ but nearly ‘giving by force’, and let me assure you this energy gets across to the people ‘recieving’. I think it lowers te receivers dignity, in most cases - as a result of the rather sick attitude to giving that most people have.

In the end, my take on countering your ideas (I must say I agree with many points - but certainly not the message you are sending out):
- ‘Sharing’ has a different flavour to it - one of giving - as a means for ones own (spiritual, mental, and I believe, even material) growth.
- Pursuing material progress is most certainly an aim all humans must have (including, may I say, Indians), but there has got to be a deep understanding that we are all One; else we will continue to screw up people the world over for our personal and collective (organisational, national; civilisational) selfish benefits.
- India is in a unique and rather envious place, of seeing material progress and yet under spiritual guidance of the numerous spiritual Gurus that we have across the country. I think we are the light of the world, and need to show the world a new way of purusing material progress sustainably for all of humanity, just as we did over and over again a few thousand years earlier, with our most ancient civilisation and some of the deepest human thought the world has seen, and more recently, as shown by Gandhi.

Would love to hear your views on the points I raised. And yes! I’ve hardly ever written to Newspapers, so would be nice if this can get published in some form in Indian Express - in any appropriate column.

Warm Regards,
Rahul Dewan

p.s.: In case you want to see what I do, visit: http://www.srijan.in/fileadmin/user_upload/srijan_introduction.pdf

And more on what I think at: http://danceofshiva.blogsome.com/; http://blogs.srijan.in/rahul

The inner growth is very still and very silent. You are growing, and even you cannot be aware of it unless something totally new happens and makes you aware that you have reached some space that was unknown to you. And that can happen any moment. On your part great patience is needed, and a trust that the whole existence is in support of all those who are trying to grow spiritually. It is not you who are trying to grow spiritually; it is existence who, through you, is trying to reach to its utmost heights.

- OSHO 

I wrote this to a person who I came in touch on Ryze.

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Dear Dr. Alam,

It seems you wanted to connect with me. My apologies on not being able to call you up, inspite of my intention to do so. Work has been quite pressing last few weeks.

Just got a chance to get online to read your posts in the god-talk network, which I have posted at the end of this message for your reference.

Having read the same, I am sorry to say it is very dissappointing that this comes from a PhD holder. I’ve wanted to sit and meet you and try and question your thinking and beliefs for quite sometime now. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to get this discussion on my list of priorities. Anyway, for now, I am going to take you head on.

Firstly, the use of the word Allah, as a preference of over using God, itself has deep root in your thinking, which I believe is the root cause of Islamic fundamentalism. During my visits to several countries I’ve (and so have my relatives observed this) noticed car bumber stickers and wall hangings saying "There is no God but Allah". This reference to God in one particular language (Arabic) and refusing existence of the same spiritual force, in any other language, is an example of extreme fundamentalism. I am afraid, inspite of using His references as ‘Allah/God’ your references of God as Allah in an earlier post, and in this as well, shout out of the same fundamentalism.

Secondly, does Allah command? This judgmental God/Allah is someone who does not appeal to me at all. There are many more beautiful definitions or experiences of God which have been talked about in books and by different spiritual messengers who have been born and continue to be born.

This brings me to another point. In your belief, all messengers stopped after Muhhammad. This is a very sad state of thinking. The topic of the discussion where you posted this message was "Pagan Christ", a book written by someone, and having read a review by another person, I observed the key message being that "any human being could become the Christ; christdom existed as a latent energy in all humanity, and the church worked to suppress this truth about christ’s message".

This is completely consitent with all Indian faiths. Kabir and Sai Baba, both inspite of being muslims, are reverred as God himself in our country by Hindus and Muslims (although there are more Hindus who have adopted Sai Baba than Muslims; Muslims have infact ignored him and his message). I had a discussion with a muslim girl colleague of mine, who differentiated between Muhammad and say Sai Baba (or Guru Nanak, Satya Sai Baba, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Eckhardt Tolle, others) as being ‘the chosen one’ and ‘Pir’. This is the problem with Islam. You reject anyway that this massive humanity can raise itself to Godhood, and the last human being who did so, was Muhammad himself.

Going by such fundamentalism, and while I have not read the Quran, it seems it even says if you are not a muslim, then you cannot go to heaven.

Did Gandhi go to heaven?

Also, where is this heaven?

Thirdly, you mention "…only submission to the communications of the commands of Allah is the most virtuous…". I have a different version of ’submission’. You version maybe of subservience; my version is called ’surrender’. To understand ’surrender’, you’ll have to dwell in a lot of Vedantic reading. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s, ‘Celebrating Silence’ is a good place to start.

I would highly recommend that to open your mind a bit, you read a non-Indian, non-Hindu writer - Neale Donald Walsch - and his triology - "Conversations with God - I, II, III". If you read it with a questioning mind, rather than a "subservient" mind, you will rise to a new level of spiritual consciousness. This is the best service to Allah/God that you could offer.

No one made Adam; no ones a sinner; we’re just here to experience - this endless cycle creation and destruction; the Big Bang and the eventual collapse of the universe will go on cyclical in this eternal game; You are here to experience yourself as Krishna. Krishna was again a human form, who was self-realised about his divinity. Then there are others like us who have a chance to do so in this human form - raise our consciousness to that of Muhammad, or Jesus, or Guru Nanak, or Buddha, or Al-Hallaj, or Rumi, or Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, or Eckhardt Tolle, or Andrew Cohen, or Ramana Maharishi, or Bahaullah, or Sai Baba, or Kabir, or Neale Donald Walsch, or Dr. Jaya Row, the list is endless.

Someone said "there are more spiritually self-realised people in India than probably the whole world put together". You’ve been born here for a reason. Be a seeker. For that you need to question all your beliefs and your premises. Even from the mere purpose of leading a healthy mental and emotional life, I think it is good to question, and discover Truth yourself. If you die not discovering it, my belief says you will get another chance, and another birth (also this is not merely belief now; there is a stream of medicine in Hynotherapy becoming extremely popular, and within it is a sub-stream of past-life regression; it maybe a good idea to read some material on that; there is a book called "road Less Travelled", by a leading psychiatrist of USA, and he mentions a premise in human evolution has to be the cycle of re-birth).

You have written "…n my quest for enlightenment…". Well, if you have the right spirit, experience enlightenment, not by subservience, but by questioning, finding, exploring. In India, ou have an opportunity to do so, like no other country.

God (or the Universal Force) instilled this quality to ‘question and think’ in us. Subservience is the worst form of disrespect to the Almighty.

Regards,
Rahul

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Dear Jack and Debra,

The main premise in all sects of Christianity is that Jesus is the Son of God

This is what is wrong as per the communications in Qur’an.As a Muslim/obedient one to the commands of Allah/God,Jesus Peace be on him was a messenger of Allah.This has been pointed out in the commands of Allah to Muhammad.Those who consider Jesus as son of Allah, are falling in a polytheistic trap and pious Christians never understood him as a son but a messenger.

and was sent down to teach of God’s love, His Plan, and His Ways, and to save us from our sin through his Crucifiction.

This is a false idea that he died for our sins.He was sinned by many in his times and those who sinned are accountabel to their sins. Allah will grant mercy to those He will.The birth of Jesus was like to the birth of Adam,who was created from clay.

Please read Qur’an and we will learn more as only submission to the communications of the commands of Allah is the most virtuous.

I have stated in previous posts that a great reference for many is Kenneth C. Davis’s "Don’t Know Much About the Bible". It goes into great detail regarding each section of the Bible and clarifies many of the questions we Christians have about it’s passages and their meanings. Some other great books that have helped me in my quest for enlightenment are:

Dear Jack and Debra,

I would like to also suggest reading from Maurice Bucaulle book on Quran,Bible and Science.

Please forgive me for being upfront.

I would have liked to write in more detail.
Seeking guidance for all and praying for the repvilege to all for seeking guidance from Allah.

http://www.thiaoouba.com/tomb.htm.

An excerpt:  

"…It is implied that Jesus acquired all his knowledge from scholars in Japan, went to Judea to teach and then escaped crucifixion. Someone else died on the cross. There was no resurrection. This “legend” cannot be true, because "Japanese Jesus" DID NOT preach and did not perform ANY miracles when he came to Japan after allegedly escaping crucifixion. How could Christ forget everything He knew?

According to "Thiaoouba Prophecy", Jesus (Joshua) born to virgin Mary in Bethlehem, after an "angel" from Thiaoouba (tYehova) implanted the embryo, escaped the slaughter of 2606 babies and arrived in Egypt. After surprising all scholars at the age of 12, he left his parents at 14 to travel with his 12 years old brother Ouriki to Burma, India and China. Eventually he arrived in Japan at the age of 50. He got married there, and had 3 daughters. Finally he died in Herai where he had lived for 45 years, gaining respect and love of everyone. Christ who appeared at Judea and died on the cross was another, very special man…."

That’s the title of a book which says that Jesus survived the Crucifixion and travelled to India. I have come across atleast two books on this topic earlier:

• Jesus Lived in India
• Jesus was a Hindu, by Savarkar

While both maybe ridiculed by Orthodox Christians and mainstream Historians, there is evidence in these two books worth exploring. It seems to be one of those things that no one wants to touch so as not to open a Pandora’s box of controvery.

Now, a friend forwarded a link to this website: http://www.tombofjesus.com/. So, there are many many moe books on the topic.

Also, a friend of mine, Imran, a Kashmiri, is making a film on Jesus’s years in India, including Varanasi, his studies of Hinduism, Shaivism in Kashmir, and final adoption and practice of Mahayana Buddhism, which has been influenced by Shaiviite philosophy and Advaita philosophy in the Hindu streams of thought.

Some additional links and things to think about:

•  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0946551995/ref=ase_thetombofjesusch/102-2074515-4228917?n=283155&tagActionCode=thetombofjesusch
• http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1852305509/sr=1-1/qid=1152767525/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-2074515-4228917?ie=UTF8&s=books

Enjoy the links! 

A few years back Rajdeep (a close friend, and an avid trekker and traveller) and I had been on a 5-6 day trip to Madhya Pradesh - Sanchi (Stupas), Bhimpetka (Cave paintings touted to be 50,000 years old), Bhopal, and several other small and relatively unheard of temples of various religions of India.

As we were spending the dusk walking around in Sanchi after having visited the Stupa, we passed by a small village temple, with some 15-20 people sitting in its compound and singing Bhajans. They sang with so much freedom, abandon, joy and faith, that I wanted to run there, sit with them, get lost amongst them and sing - sing bhajans with them. I shared with Rajdeep that I would like to sing with them, and since no one knew me, I could do that with relative abandon, and without attracting any attention. Rajdeep ofcourse thought that I would, being from city, and certainly showing it with my clothes, would attract more attention on the contrary. Even though I disagreeed, I could not muster enough strength to sit with them and sing with that abandon and freedom.

But that feeling and that sense of freedom I became aware of that evening stayed with me I guess.

Later, back in Delhi, next to happenning Aurbindo Market, once again, in a makeshift roadside temple, I noticed some people sing with the same abandon and freedom, one evening.

This was not only the case with the village temple at Sanchi or this makeshift temple, but with, probably, most village temples (including those within cities but built by the rural folk - possibly migrants from rural areas). These temples I believe are a an outlet for self-expression and surrender, every evening, for people who have laboured during the day, in making ends meet.

The expression "making ends meet" has, I believe, resonance with a lot of us out there, but in our own view of what our ends (read needs or luxuries) are; and I guess a whole lot us wish to surrender, to unseen divine forces, as we seek to comprehend, and also give meaning and purpose, to our lives.

I certainly do, and this feeling has grown over the years. This is not a feeling of depression, as some of you may sense, but a very liberating and joyous sense of being - just BEING. You may have had this sense if you’ve heard (and ofcourse related to) Indian Ocean. Their songs - Teevra Aandhi, Kandisa, Maa Rewa, Bhramanadam Paramsukhdam (sang in Khajoraho), evoke these emotions in me, every time I listen to them (they are even more enhanced when the lights of the room are off, and this beautiful music is playing very loudly).

Living in a city, Indian Ocean was the closest I could get to evoking this feeling with some regularity.

Till I went for Art of Living (AOL).  

After the completion of the Basic Course, there was a Bhajan session where, our extremely rich and successful teacher (who was a volunteer with AOL), invited us to sing and clap and dance. I went into my shell immediately, and told him that I don’t believe in bhajans and all (I’ve been witness too many of those merciless Mata ki Chowkis, which blare music, late into the night in our cities; as also to the T-Series music with even a so-called bhajan made out of the erotic (atleast they attempted that ) song - "sarkai liyo khatiya jaada lage", which plays all along the climb to Vaishno Devi). I did not trust city people to come together and sing as villagers do.

Then these volunteers sang; and that, so beautifully, with such abandon and emotion - it left me completely amazed. Nevertheless, I was determined, not to shed off my reservation, and atmost managed to clap in 1-2 of these.

Weeks later I realised, that these bhajans were a regularity, each Saturday, at the Vasant Vihar centre, and I guess I started enjoying them a bit.

Then I went for the Advanced Course, and became witness to over 1500 people singing together, each of those 4 days, with the numbers swelling up, on the last day when Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, was to give a discourse. These, possibly over 2000 or more, people sang, with abandon, and swayed their arms, clapped with eyes closed, swirled like Rumi.

Before that evening, I could only imagine the environment and energy created when tens and hundreds of people sang together and each one having similar feelings of liberation and abandon. That evening I felt it.

My parents had come as well that evening, attracted by the bhajans, and believe me, they have never seen me sing bhajans - so to protect my reputation - I ran away from them, and mingled among the unknown hundreds, and sang out aloud.

Very often, my eyes became wet, with an intense unexplicable feeling of happiness, intense love (for what - I don’t know) and a sort of feeling of having arrived (having achieved what you’ve been longing for). 

Since that day, each week, I wait for Saturday. Each week (ofcourse I miss these sessions, often, for family and other engagements) I come out of the session self-expressed, full of energy, enthusiasm, and feeling light (now tears have started rolling down my cheeks as well , and I’ve stopped resisting them).

The play on letters between Nehru and Gandhi, I have written about in this Blog earlier, had references to Bapu’s Dandi Yatra. Nehru was complaining to Gandhi, that he had these wierd ideas of independence (Nehru could not comprehend the difference between Independence and Gandhi’s version of Poorna Swaraj) and that he criticised (Nehru thought) the Congress and him for imposing their notions of Indepence on the people of India, and asked him what would be his proposal to counter the Tax on salt? Gandhi replied, "I’ll walk to Dandi". Nehru joked, "…and you think millions will walk behind you forcing the British to abandon the Tax? Bapu, be realistic".

A week or so later, Gandhi, who believed he was a "puppet at the hands of the Divine" and was acting out of "His Will" walked. He started his march to Dandi, and millions joined him.

Nehru wrote to Gandhi, "Bapu, you are a magician." 

Yesterday, after another session of tears rolling down my cheeks, evoked by an extremely beautiful chanting (by about 50 people or so) of "Om Namah Narayanaya",  I shared this incident with my co-bhajanists . I shared that I have the same emotion for this man - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, as Nehru did for Mahatma Gandhi…

"Guruji, you’re a magician".

 

Just got back after seeing a play organised by Vikram Sarabhai Foundation titled "Dear Bapu". The play was an exchange of letters between Gandhi and Nehru, during their 20 years of association in India’s Freedom movement.

I’ve disliked Gandhi, as I belong to the rather radical school of thought that we had the partition because of him, Pakistan was able to attack India in 1948 and lead to the Kashmir problem because of the Rs.20 Crore that he insisted we give to Pakistan, and a whole lot of similar issues such as the support for Khilafat movement, etc. I had somewhat read (as a kid) Nathu Ram Godse’s book of his testimony in court during his trial for assasinating Gandhi, and just like most kids have had this fascination for revolutionaries (I was brought up on Bruce Lee ).

hmmm… strange… I was writing this to praise Gandhi, but while writing some of the political blunders mentioned above, I became "present" once again, to crazy things that Gandhi did.

Anyhow. The play has left a nothing less than "profound" impact on my thinking, and what I have always thought of this man called Gandhi.

The more I  carefully heard the actors act out the conversations between Nehru and Gandhi, the more it dawned on me, that this man, was born a century earlier; very difficult to be comprehend in times of capitalistic fervour, where "money is power", and development and progressiveness of a civilisation/society is measured by the size of cars and the height of multistoreyed buildings.

At Centre for Science of Environment, New Delhi, I had read something which I will never forget in my lifetime - "Frugality is Indian tradition. Modernity sees Frugality as Poverty".

Gandhi lived this! He wanted the whole of India to live frugally - just on the basic material needs, required for minimalistic survival.

The issue of India living as slaves was raised by Nehru (and also by most of my family during a discussion on the play over dinner), if we lived in technological backwardness. However, the key here was that Gandhi wanted India to lead and set an example for the world, that it is possible to live frugally, and live well; and indeed it is the only way to "live progressively".

India getting invaded was not on his mind, I guess, as he had just played a HUGE role in throwing out one of the most powerful empire from his land. 

I am certain that India had no choice but to move in the direction of technological progress, but we forgot the small basic cultural and socio-economic values of our villages. We forgot that in the zeal to build Dams, IITs and Industries, we must even more focus on Spiritual values, Water harvesting through village ponds, primary education through village schools, and focus on local resources (forests, land and water).

India is in a mess, because we did no listen to Gandhi. He said he could not imagine that Mussalmans were not an integral part of India and were a separate nation; he disagreed with the word Independence and wanted to replace that with Poorna Swaraj which had a much deeper connotation to him, than the term’s English equivalent.

I read in Life Positive magazine recently that there are communities getting formed the world over, which are heralding the coming of the "new age".

It says "Their lifestyles usually include more than one of the following elements: intentional community, living by what one loves, ecological lifestyles, living simply, natural health and living, organic of natural farming, healing the earth, right livelihood, a personal spiritual practice, self organisation, alternative and local economic and social-support systems, multi-culture and diversity groups which cut across boundaries of belief, faith religion, nationality and race…..What is common to all of them is a dissillusionment with modern society with its materialistic, fragmentary and conflict-ridden systems, its artifice and exploitation of nature. They are also bound by a search for a more holistic and simpler way of life that is ecologically sound, meaningful and spiritually resonant."

Gandhi, it seems, was looking to create such a Commune in our world.

Gandhi believed, and wrote to Nehru, that he was acting as puppet of the Divine, and acted as he recieved instructions/inspiration. While Nehru was completely at a loss to understand why he would bring up references to God, during his advise to the Congress on resolutions, etc., I completely resonate with Gandhi on this one.

We’ve kept Spirituality out of Politics for far too long for our own good. Why only politics, we’ve kept it out of our medicine, our childbirth practices, our social fabric, agriculture, business and industry, education and food.

Nutan Pandit’s childbirth classes recently, were a revelation and a relief as she was reaching out with the same, shall I call it "Gandhian values" (or Spiritual values or even, traditional Indian values).

Fritjof Capra in his book "Uncommon Wisdom" talks about his discussion with one of leading researchers on Cancer - Dr. Simonton - learns how a person facing a stressful life situation or a crisis, responds  with several options, and among other things, develops Cancer or catatonic schizophrenia (but not both). Dr. Simonton then adds that apart from these two unhealthy ways to "escape" from a crisis, can also have a third kind of escape route - the one into social pathologies - violent and reckless behaviour, crime, drug abuse. He goes on to say, "If there is reduction in illness but at the same time it is an offset by an increasing crime rate, we haven’t done anything to improve the health of society".

The discusssion continues - "…If the escape into physical illness is blocked by medical intervention, the person might choose to escape into crime or into insanity". "That’s right", Simonton concluded, "and that is a much mor meaningful way of looking at health than from the narrow medical point of view. The question of whether medicine then has been successful becomes very interesting….If you are able to reduce physical illness but at the same time this increases mental illness or crime, what the hell have you done?".

Dr. R. D. Laing, one of the leading Psychiatrists the world has seen, during a disucssion on insanity, said to him, "..insanity is a sane response to an insane society."

Homoeopathy treats the person’s mind, and belongs to the holistic system of medicine, where a change is brought about in the thought process of a person. You could consider is "energy-medicine", and I would not shy away from equating the same with Ayurveda on the one hand, and with Pranic healing and Reiki on the other, while also not forgetting to equate it to Psychotherapy (in its non-Freudian form).

Gandhi wanted to create an "alternate world", and I guess his errors in judgement on Pakistan and his "supposed" minority appeasement must be seen with his idealistic world view. I say "supposed", as in his alternate idealistic world view, there should have been equality and no mistreatment for any community, including within Hinduism. Even the criticism attributed to him of giving separate status to backward classes, and thus further dissociating them from the society, by calling them "harijan", I suggest must be seen from his alternate world view.

The play was a revelation! This is the first time I have been able to articulate and bring together and put in a logical manner, my conversations with people and books, over the years. I hope this is just the beginning.

God bless Dr. Kamala Choudhury, a Gandhian, who concieved this play, and made it possible.