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Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

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...
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Faces in the Crowd - Shell Seller

He Sells Sea Shells by the Sea Shore.. yes I know its only a modified version of the tongue twister, but I couldn't resist it!

We saw him outside the St. Francis Church in Kochi. Yes, there were women around too, selling their wares, but I clicked this chap and his stall, simply because I liked the way he had organised it! Besides, he let his display as well as his wares, speak for themselves, because he didn't hound us! Or maybe he just realized that I wasn't interested in buying anything, just clicking away!

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Location: St. Francis Church Road, Fort Kochi, Kochi, Kerala 682001, India

Comments

  1. BikramJune 13, 2014 at 4:52 PM

    That is a good pic for sure .. and I am happy that he did not hound and let the stuff do the talking..


    Bikram

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    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJune 17, 2014 at 8:58 AM

      Thank you, Bikram! That was a big relief! but incidentally, we didnt get mobbed anywhere at Kochi.. quite a surprise, actually!

      Delete

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