Why There are No Vampires in India* 69

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We have all heard of vampires. They are supposed to be the undead, men who are technically dead but are alive as well. Such characters can arise only at night and must rest in the day in a coffin. They also need to have fresh human blood as a source of nourishment, preferably of the opposite sex.
Vampires are heard of only in Europe and Bram Stoker created a legendary character in Count Dracula in his Novel'dracula'. But one condition that perhaps gives sustenance to the legend of a vampire is the extreme cold climate in Europe  and  the fact that bodies are buried in a vault or a grave in a coffin. In India and the east on the other hand the climate is hot and the bodies are cremated, burnt to ash and bones.
Thus the basic ingredient of becoming  a vampire is defeated in case the body is burnt or cremated. It follows that vampires can only be Christians. Also even if the body was buried, the hot climate would make the body decay very fast unlike in the cold climate of Europe.
The legend of the Vampire is thus confined to Europe. But I have my doubts as to any such character really exists. There appears no sustenance to the view that Vampires move about in the countryside and cities. But it is an interesting phenomena and one that merits further study. As far as the east is concerned , a Vampire has never been heard off. Perhaps it is like the werewolf which again is more talked about than seen

Art and a Woman's Body Hair

 Gustav Courbet(1886)

Recently, I had a look at some ancient works of art in the form of paintings and sculptured statues and figurines from India and Greece, the two foremost ancient civilizations. A look at the nude figurines showed that all of them though faithful to the female form depicted women as completely bare of hair and even the pubic hair are never depicted. The famous Indian temples at Khujaraho show hundreds of women with ample breasts and hips but are devoid of hair. This is hard to explain as the ancient artists perhaps considered hair a sign of ugliness or perhaps just plain taboo and never ever depicted or alluded to it. Thus the ancient paintings and depictions of Eve are all devoid of hair, which perhaps was not possible as a razor at that age had not been invented.

This phenomenon continued well into the modern age when some artists woke up to the fact that women do have hair and it does not detract from their beauty. Thus the hair on the mons began to be shown, with the growing realization that a nude woman in natural garb as created by God is a very beautiful creation.

Many painters started painting nudes and showing hair on the body as well. One of the first to paint a woman in the nude with body hair was Gustav Courbet. His painting of a nude in 1886 is famous. Francisco  Goya also in his famous the Nude Maja alluded to body hair.  However fine art paintings and sculpture created before the 20th century in the Western tradition usually depicted the female form without body hair. This was perhaps because of a sense of morality that cannot be understood now. The famous writer, artist John Ruskin is reported to have been horrified by the sight of pubic hair on his bride on the nuptial night and that resulted in the marriage ended in divorce.

There must be some explanation why an artist with either the brush or the chisel would like to paint a nude woman. Firstly let us accept that sex is a motive, that cannot be denied, but again great art does not rest on sex alone and there are other more sublime emotions. I feel the main reason is that the female body in nature arouses mans greatest interest. Hills, Mountains, ice and snow are good as are animals like the lion and the elephant and do arouse admiration, but it does not compare with the natural female form which in proportion and beauty cannot be surpassed by anything. Part of this natural beauty is the body hair on a woman. This adds to her sexuality and makes one feel closer to God.

Musings on the 1857 Mutiny

Some time back we had an animated discussion about the 1857 Mutiny. Some officers were of the opinion that it was not a national war but a localized conflict against the East India Company. That year an attempt was made by the Princes of North India to overthrow the yoke of British rule. The Sepoys also mutinied  and the effect was that the rule of East India company ended and was replaced by the crown of England. Thus the famous Raj was ushered in.

 Many Indian Historians with not with a  little egging from  vested interests have tried to dub this event as India's 'First Great War of Independence'.  But was this the case ? 

Not a Pan India Revolt

The first thing that is glaringly obvious is that the revolt was confined only to North India and the Southern part of India had nothing to do with this insurrection. Thus  it was a localized conflict and not a  national uprising against the British rulers. In North India also the Sikhs sided with the British and played a major role in the battles at Delhi and Lucknow.

Princes Fought for Their own Raj

 A second great fallacy is that rulers were wanting a free and united India.  Historians have pointed out  that the Princes fighting the British had no pan India plan and their sole aim was to regain control and rule  their states. Their rebellion was against the 'Doctrine of Lapse' which stated that in case the ruler of a princely state did not have a natural heir as a son, the state would be taken over by the British.  However by a quirk of fate the  Rani of Jhansi  and other rulers during this period did not have sons as natural heirs. 

Sepoy Revolt

Lastly the events which triggered the  insurrection was the disaffection among the Sepoy's of the Bengal Army. This was a genuine mutiny and the soldiers both Hindu and Moslem united to fight the British. The immediate cause of the rebellion was the rumor that the newly introduced cartridges for Enfield guns were laced with the fat of cows and pigs. This went against the grain of the Hindus and Moslem's who regarded this as a defilement of their religion.

One can write reams and reams on the mutiny, but one thing that cannot be denied is that the 1857 episode was only a mutiny and some localized battles in some parts of India. To label it a 'national War of Independence' would be a travesty of fact and history. But it certainly brought in the rule by the crown which was very beneficial for India

Lastly the events which triggered the  insurrection was the disaffection among the Sepoy's of the Bengal Army. This was a genuine mutiny and the soldiers both Hindu and Moslem united to fight the British. The immediate cause of the rebellion was the rumor that the newly introduced cartridges for Enfield guns were laced with the fat of cows and pigs. This went against the grain of the Hindus and Moslem's who regarded this as a defilement of their religion.

One can write reams and reams on the mutiny, but one thing that cannot be denied is that the 1857 episode was only a mutiny and some localized battles in some parts of India. To label it a 'national War of Independence' would be a travesty of fact and history.

Joseph Davey Cunningham , A Man to Admire

One man who has fascinated me is Joseph Davey Cunningham( 1812-51).His ‘history of the Sikhs’ is a monumental book and deserves the highest praise. I for one have found it as an excellent source of reference. The book brings to the fore an exciting period in Indian history. 
Early life
Cunningham was born at Lambeth in 1812 and showed a marked aptitude for mathematics.  Joseph’s father was advised to send the boy to Cambridge, but he preferred to join the Military. He joined the engineering branch of the British East India army and after passing out from Chatham. His rise started when   he was appointed in 1837 as assistant to Colonel Sir Claude Wade, who was the political agent at Ludhiana and officer-in charge of British relations with the Punjab and with the chiefs of Afghanistan.
Political Agent
For the next 8 years he held various appointments under Colonel Wade and his successors, and was, at the time of the outbreak of the first Anglo-Sikh war in 1845, political agent in the state of Bahawalpur. He was present, as political officer, with the division of Sir Harry Smith at the battles of Baddoval and Aliwal. At Sabhraon, he served as an additional aid-de-camp to the Governor-General, Sir Henry Hardinge. His services earned him a brevet and appointment as political agent to the state of Bhopal. Thus Cunningham had first hand account of these battles.
Writing the history of the Sikhs
In 1849, appeared his 'A History of the Sikhs' which he had written while at Bhopal and which his brother had got published in London. His severe criticism, in the book, of Lord Harding’s Punjab policy led to his being removed from his political appointment and sent back to regimental duty. He took the disgrace to heart and, soon after his appointment to the Meerut division of Public Works; he died suddenly at Ambala in 1851
Analysis of the ‘History of the Sikhs’
'A History of the Sikhs from the Origin of the Nation to the Battles of the Sutlej', by Cunningham, is generally recognized as the first serious and sympathetic account of the Sikh people ever written by a foreigner. Cunningham spent considerable time and studied the available materials. In addition he acquainted himself with the Sikh scriptures and all connected manuscripts in Persian and Punjabi. Cunningham was   greatly influenced by Sikhism and as per him his main endeavor was "to give Sikhism its place in the general history of humanity, by showing its connection with the different creeds of India..."


Cunningham's criticism of the Governor general cost him his job, but his book makes fascinating reading and one learns that the Sikhs could have very well carried the day, in case they were not betrayed by their leaders.

Can India be World Power ?

I have been thinking about this aspect for some time. To  my mind for India to be recognized as a great power it will first have to put China in the shade. That appears difficult as the one ingredient that could pull India down is the population. Yes! the population. By 2025 India will be the most populous country in the world and would be ahead of china. This is not a happy thought, but one that needs deep dissection. It should not be forgotten that India at present has just 2.4% of the world land area and that must support a population of amounting to 17% of the world. Thus resources and food would be stretched and it will be difficult to feed this massive population.
In fact what ever would be produced would  be less for this massive multitude, be it cars, rice , soaps , for that matter anything.
But whenever living organisms in an area multiply then nature takes a  hand and regulates the numbers. Where is the guarantee that this will not happen in India. The second point is that feeding such a large populace will itself be a gigantic task and any chance or pretense at being a world power would  be difficult. You can't be a world power with undernourished people. As it is the food  available for Indians is much below the world average and the per capita consumption of grains and proteins is low. I do not thus see India going anywhere as a world power. Even dominating the local region is a pipe dream with almost all neighbors ranged against India.  Think of Nepal, Burma, Sri Lanka and BanglaDesh and not forgetting Pakistan who is the Indian ally ?

China is the middle kingdom and thinks it is center of the world. Some effort and political will be  required to match China. The first step in this field is the population that must be curtailed, till that happens India will be a ship without a steering mechanism.

Sperms and ESP ** 89

A lot many persons after reading the title may well ask what is the connection between sperms of a man and the power of ESP. But there is a connection and one man who mentioned it in a discourse was Swami Sharaddanand at his Ashram at Vasai road at Nirmal gaon. The swami is no more but what he said is worth recounting here. He was of the opinion that the spermatozoa of a man can be used to ignite the latent power of ESP in a man. As per him  all men have this latent power inherent in their brain and it can be ignited by following a certain pattern  and its combination with the Sir Asana , the head stand.
Later I did read about this in the Purana's and I shall recount this here.
a) The first step in this exercise is for the man to become totally celibate. He must eschew complete sexual intercourse with any women. His sperms must not reach outside the body by an means. The idea is to conserve the sperms.
b) He must practice the Yogic asanas and spend time in meditation and prayer. he must learn to do the yogic head stand and perfect it. In a couple of  years with proper guidance he can reach the final position of the Sir Asana and hold the pose for at least an hour or two.
Once a man has reache this stage and has lived a celibate life as well as perfected the yogic head stand then some thing unique will happen. The spermatozoa of the man over the years slowly trickle down the spine to the brain. When they collect at the base of the brain they form a lotus flower and a mans inherent ESP power is ignited.
I can  vouchsafe that the swami had ESP powers as he could read the mind. this may look a little far fetched, but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Anybody wishes to try this ?

' Marriage by Abduction 'Asura Vivah'

Recently I read that as per the Purana's one form of marriage recognised in Hinduism is marriage by abduction or 'Asura Vivah'. This is certainly an anachronism in the modern age , more so when we are in the 21st century, but the Hindu scriptures extol its virtue.
It should not be forgotten that Lord Krishna who had any number of wives did abduct the  beautiful princess Rukmani from her palace in the teeth of opposition of her brother Rukmi and her suitor who was a friend of her brother. Yet Rukmani prayed to the Lord Krishna to carry her away and the Lord responded  by coming in his chariot and defeating all and sundry and carried Rukmani whom he wed with great pomp and show at his palace in Dwarka. It should not be forgotten that Rukmani  in Hindu Mythology is a goddess in her own right, being the goddess of wealth. this is not the only incident glorified, but their are tens of other incidents that are given a great deal of respect and not condemned.
The point is that in case the man who has given Hinduism the epitome of religious thought with the Bhagwad Gita, carried of Rukmani, would it be wrong for another Hindu to do the same in the present age. I think there is no debate on this issue as anyone carrying out such an act will certainly land in jail. Yet this episode of the Lord is glorified in Hindu thought, but then one has to be pragmatic and take things as they come.