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...
It was Sankara , who put the idea of visiting Jaldapara into my head. I was in the process of planning my December trip to Kolkata, Darjeeling and Gangtok, and, happening to meet him, asked his advice. “Why do you want to go to Darjeeling?” He asked. It is so crowded. Why don’t you try Jaldapara instead? You will like the jungle experience. Besides, you just might see some Rhinos!” That word clenched it. I altered my plans, and made time for Jaldapara.