The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
Summer Holidays are here , and finally, I can get away from this city. I am off for a whole month this time, but before you start envying me, I will be with relatives most of the time, registering my attendance at family events. Yes, of course, there is a little bit of touring thrown in too... I am first headed to Coorg, for two short days, just to get some much needed R&R! Later, I am spending a day in Fort Kochi and another couple of days at Cherai Beach. I will try to show you bits of my holiday, if the internet gods smile down on me, but please follow me on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram where I shall try to post regular updates during this month.