Engaging myself into the tales of Bharat that time has reiterated in the words and emotions of the aesthetic folks, in the vows of the rulers and the social reformers, in the imaginations of the Parnassians, in the insights of the naturalists, in the simplicity of the minimalists, in the beliefs of the metaphysical writers, in the curiosities of the modernists and in the expressions of the artists and much more in the fourteen days, I had prepared myself to orate the lengthiest speech I had ever heard after Swami Vivekananda's oration in the late nineteenth century in the USA. Apart from taking help from my brothers who questioned more than the work done, Soumya helped me in the restructuring of the speech the whole night to bring it into a uni-directional format. So, I gave her a new name "Disha".
Soumya: Mamu, the speech is so long. Will you truly orate this all in front of the magnificient persona of the nation? Delivering the speech will be far tougher than writing it! (She questioned with a high-browed emotion.)
Me: It's holiday tomorrow. Hear me live on T.V. or over the Internet.
And I returned back to Jaigarh, directly to the address of Gurudev. It was my first time on a plane and we were provided the business class tickets. We reached the capital on time, at the midnight. Mr. Vallabha Patel had come to receive us in a Toyota car. We stayed at the hostel of the institute facilitated with mutitudinal rooms and a multifunctional interior design.
The next day was the republic day of Bharata. The old-dilapidated flagpole was reconstructed and a newly weaven hand-made flag was hailed to the pole which during the onset of the programme was scheduled to be unleashed by the chief guest. The grand hall was decorated with the tri-coloured leaves and flowers, the paintings of the cultural shades of Bharata and the giant screen projected to display the transcendental Bharata and its discoveries of truth. The hall had a capacity of two thousand and a hundred seats in total. Everyone were formally asked to enter the hall at half past nine. It was exactly ten when the host, who introduced himself as Nachiketa, addressed the assembly of the illuminati and praised the convention as it would be historical moment when the cognoscenti from every state of the nation congregated to discuss about the cultural codes of Bharata and how the present could imbibe and proffer it to the world. As per the punctilio, the host called the guests to take the seat on the stage. The guests were Bharat Mani awardee Gurudev Prashant, Bharata Vibhusan Acharya Purusdatta (renowned religious spokesman in Kashi), Bharata Bhushan Jamshed Coyaji (renowned industrialist), A S Sivasankaran (popular multilingual poet and writer; recipient of Bhaktipith Award), Dr. Madanmohan Birla (recipient of International Victorian Architecture Award) and Vaishali Mohapatra (recipient of Raman Kala Academy Award). Further, he called Gurudev Prashant to unleash the national flag. We, the attendees, left our comfy chairs to revere the highest religion of all i.e. Patriotism under our principle of fundamentalism once the national anthem played on. The host further discussed about the history of modern Bharata and then appealed to Mrs. Vaishali Mohapatra to take the dais.
Mrs. Vaishali mentioned about the quintessential arts section in the cultural progress of Bharatiyas and the transient modes of arts that once originated in particular periods but were later subsided in the other rules. Her passionate interest in the arts, particularly painting and sculpting, provided her opportunities to explore the regions in the world where the arts signified the eclat talent of ornate expressionism of the Bharatiya artists. "The way Bharata bears the permanence of truth in its transcendence not only signifies the evolution of cultured societies until now but the relics of the civilizations, that caved in under the dark, that over time become the new necessity of the generals can only sustain in the form of arts." She concluded her speech with the images of her extraordinary arts and sculptures being displayed behind her that betoken the etiquettes of our culture.
Pleased by her peroration, the host further requested Acharya Purusdatta to oil the wheels of the programme. When he took the dais, he congratulated all the attendees on their willingness to take part in the nation-wide call. He addressed the chief guest to allow him extempore on the title. His live, ad-lib commentary on the discernment of modern Bharatiyas gave examples of propositions under which the intellect has been cultured into the society. His insights and experiences of the Bharata provide detailed accounts and alibis on the mores and codes of the communities and their revision of the history. "As suggested by the former speaker, it's true that the cultural codes of Bharata sculpted into the ethnic arts and crafts can live the present, portray the past, enlive the future, call the new voice of change into action and revive the age-old graphic accounts of forgotten cities of the nation." The silver-tongued man persuaded the horde of the magnetic ranks and files on the impressions of Bharatiya culture in the world.
Few other rhetoricians who are exceptional in their fields staged up to address the hall of fame and declaimed on the influence of the wisdom on the generals that were reiterated by the writers, singers and poets in the history and articulated as culture we follow today. The aura of the rational men rendezvously attending the programme had swayed the fear, aggresion and confusion and the sweet and ductile monologues of the orators built confidence in me. I had no idea when I left the revision of my speech in my mind however, I was conscientious of each and every words and phrases the speakers uttered in their rhetoric.
It clocked 5:00 p.m. The programme was scheduled to conclude at 5:15 p.m. for the day.
The host then hesitantly called my name on the stage as if he felt I was an unwanted guest in the hall. I took the dais where I felt apart from the thousands of guests facing towards me, there were millions of faces who were keen to hear me on their T.V. or phones for various reasons. I had my eyes closed to recall what Disha had directed me to speak of.
"Prathama Sirsa Namami Bharata!" (I uttered the Sanskrit shloka to bow down to the Bharata.)
"Dwitiya Pranamam Gurudeva!" (I bowed down to Gurudev Prashant to allow me recite the knowledge on the relevant topic to the illuminati of the nation and in front of him.)
"Tritiyam Namami Shastra Janati Nara, Chaturtham Namami Shrotagana!" (Thirdly, I bowed down to the wise and intellectual persons attending the programme and lastly, I bowed down to the keen listeners all round.)
"Bharata! In what words and phrases shall I define the vital cultures you have watered into the cells and atoms of the beings and non-beings, playfully in existence on your bosom, with the strength of humility that struggled with the crystal swords of the tyrants and the inscriptions they carved on you? Following the rich tradition of 'Prayash' that you have taught me, this insignificant being touted to inscribe his tacit sense of your cultural codes will definitely make a mark on the said motive. Bharata! Since the Vedic period, your children have been following the values of tolerance, love, discretion, justice and courage. Since the ages, the Bharatiyas have been learning and portraying their characters in similitude with the great men, born on this land, who became the ideal, or say idol, of the cultural impressions. The tale of Nara and Narayana, the twin sages, proved that apart from the evanescent life processes conducted by the energy flowing everywhere, Bharata sustains on its stoical service to the truth. Bharata is the only holy space on this earth that has provided space to numerous ways and modes of lifestyles under the expanse of the sky that's lit with different shades in the north, east, south and west territorial stretches at the same time. The geographical and physical structures on this land are so diverse and yet alive in integrity that the people who learnt the artistic phenomena of life cultured their minds to adapt its beauty and were engaged in the service of the truth.
The cultural codes of Bharata has encompassed every nook and corner of the society and the stages of life too. On the principle of fundamentalism, food is the most basic item every beings require to survive. When we talk of the cultural codes of Bharata, how can we forget to mention about our traditional tastes? Dum-Aloo, dham, Arsa, Garhwal ka fanna, Makki ki roti and sarso ka saag, Kadi Pakora, Malpua, rajma chawal, chhole-bhature, dal bati churma, mawa kachori, chaulai ka saag, litti chokha, rasogulla, gupchup, chilka roti, aloo chokha, rass kheer, kalakand, muthia and bhajia, punugulu, misal pau, pau bhaji, Mysore pak, khaman-dhokla, sambar, rasam, bhaat and much more I have yet to experience them. Our culture of preparing and sharing food for every beings in our surrounding like cow, dogs, crows, pigeon, fish, ants, et al has too borne the vitality of Bharata.
The wise say 'Uddwatveshdharo n bhavet' meaning one's clothing should not be clownish and sensuous. I repeat. Our attires should be graceful. Dhoti, kurta, lungi, muga silk shirts, turbans, Chrono, kediyu, churidaars, Mysore Peta, Mundu, Jymphong, Patiala Suit, Rikutu and Borok, long cloaks and loose pyjamas are elegant attires traditionally worn by men in our nation. Similarly, sarees of different fabrics, ghaghar, aagari, bhotu, risa and rikutu, salwar kameez, langa voni, dumvum, bhaku, ghagra and kanchi, Puran, Puanchei, Dhara, Innaphi and Phanek, Nauwaari Saari, lehenga-choli, Pheran, Chunder, Daaman, Chaniyo Choli, Pano Bhaju and Mekhela Chador are ornate traditional attires worn by women in our nation. When I see the modern weavers and designers in our nation, I can assure that our traditional garments which we, the a la mode generals, have considered as passe can be the new de rigueur in the fashion industry.
The architectural designs of our homes, temples, courts, wells, towers, markets and the overall formation of any village or town with respect to the Vastu Shastra is our other prominent section in our culture. In the Atharava Veda and in some scriptures mentioned by the Visvakarma on the different formulae and calculations of the construction of sculptures and the use of materials, we can analyse and study the depth of meaningful and functional buildings our cultures have imparted us to follow.
A rarefied nuance of the Uddhava Gita with the wisdom talks of Milind Panha depict an assortment of love and intellect in our culture that identifies one with the omniscient. The journey of the governance from Kanika's policies to the stratagem of Kautilya make us understand about the toxins of time and Bharata's decisive nature of upholding its' culture. Language, an indivisible part of culture, has also been coded in the presciptive model of Panini's grammar and the generative elaboration by Katyayana helps us preserve our memories to interpret the truth with precision. The influence of Asvaghosha in the fourth sangeeti urged the horses to hear the hymns of our culture and the elocution of Swami Vivekananda on the ideal nature of Bharata since eternity is heard by millions of people in the world. These are the evidences of our exemplary culture that the world has witnessed. Further in the leadership of Ramanujacharya, the humanities of Bharata envelops invitations in the philosophical movement of devotion and on the call of Madhavacharya, it allows oneself to face the realistic arguments against its juxtaposed concepts. May the paradox of Bhartrhari be applied to our cultural system sometime in the future but the storyteller Vishnu Sharma will rediscover a new way to leverage the archetypal status of our culture. The discovery of yogic practices of Patanjali and the medical treatise of Charaka will never let our values grow feeble and die of any deformities however, time may put forward any adversities to it. The songs of Shankardeva will echo and reverberate the belief systems for epochs and Adi Shankara will provide the knowledge to liberate oneself from the chains of attachement. The composition of the Mahabharata by Veda Vyasa and the dialogues of Ashtavakra Gita have provided an extensive viewpoint on the historical and ethical facts of our society, the sermon of Mahavira and the rhetorics of Acharya Hemachandra have consciously disengaged us in this materialistic world and the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak and the philosophies of Sri Aurobindo have once again advanced us to the vital sense of Nationalism and today, we are here to analyse and redefine our culture in this 21st century on the call of Bharata.
I hope you are all ungrudging to 'Prayash'. Yes, I can define our culture in this one single word.
Mr. Chief Guest, if I am not taking enough time, I wish to have your permission to read out of my poems on the topic 'Prayash' where one can discern and pinpoint the expanse and subtlety of our culture."
Gurudev Prashant was elated to hear me speak in fluency. The time was 5:30 p.m. "You may proceed Agastya. Everyone is willing to hear you."
"Thank you sir!"
And I read out the poem that was written in Hindi.
A huge round of applause and standing ovations puzzled me if it was my dream. After more five minutes, when I had consoled myself on the fact of my attendance in the hall of fame was real, I summarized my speech as, ''The nation finds glory only when the flag of its success is flying on the world stage. To achieve the pinnacle of success, it's necessary that the nation attains cultural excellence and takes pride in its identity.'' and concluded my speech saying, "Pranamya Sirsa Namami! Iti Sanskriti Sanhita Vaktavyam Samuchchya Samaptam!"
The host came to me, held the mic and said, "Namami Agastya! Please take your seat now. We are pleased to hear you. Be it the subtlety of our culture or its magnificance, it's obvious that no definite words can define our cultures in complete but after hearing you, I believe it's one of the best interpretations of the Bharatiya humanities. You bear an unparalleled capacity of understanding and public speaking. I must thank our honourable chief guest to have called Agastya in this hall. We are looking to forward to seeing you provide an explained vision on which Bharata can lead itself to in this century. It's time to call off today's programme here and the illuminati shall congregate once again tomorrow to have further discussions on the 'Cultural Codes of Bharata'. Thank you all. Happy Republic Day."
And the national song played in the background.
The next day, Nachiketa oiled the wheels of the convention 'Cultural Codes of Bharata' and asked Mr. Vallabha Patel to speak a few words on the said topic. Mr. Vallabha Patel had successfully carried out the objectives of SISYA and was conferred with President's Honour the last year. His speech on the cultural codes of Bharata emcompassed the educational system of the ancient, medieval and modern Bharata wherein the individuals revolutionized their inner capacity and struggled with the organisational inertia of the people effervescently. "The gurukuls provided holistic development of one's physical, mental, emotional, social, psychological and behavioral attitude of the students. The culture of revering teachers as gods and schools as temples is deferentially accepted and followed by us. We, as the students, provide honorarium donation to our gurus and gurukul that symbolise our undertaking of the knowledge they imparted to us and a vow that we shall apply it for the welfare of oneself, the society and the nation. It's a solemn promise of representing the superficial culture of Bharata to the world." Mr. Patel summarised his declamation on the diverse scopes of our culture that we have learnt and modified through the medium of education with the blessings of our teachers.
The programme further carried on with the performance of different acts like theatre drama, paintings, sand sculptures, regional music and dance performances. The members of the institution had prepared for all the performances. If the teachers of our nation are so acutely intelligent to vibrantly express the cultural tones of our nation, I was confirmed of the fact that the new generation would definitely handle the onus of conserving Bharata's sovereignty and encaptivate the world in its' radiance and eternal success.
On the third and final day of programme, the prominent face in the science of philosophy of modern Bharata Mr. Subhas Deshbandhu, the recipient of Sahitya Kala Puruskar, presented us the songs of his award-winning book 'Kamalapuri' in which he drew a simile on Bharata on the earth as lotus in the mud. His exquisite literary on the cultures of Bharata was euphonious to all the listeners in the hall. Had I experienced the long night under the starry and moonlit sky and the soft breezes that passed by, I could feel the same when listening to him. I had read the book during my CLAT preparations. Charmed and spellbound by his voice, I couldn't resist myself to sing with him. I was unaware of when and how did Gurudev learnt of this fact that my voice was pleasant-sounding and the same was iterated into the ears of Mr. Deshbandhu. Gurudev called me on the stage and when I approached to him, he asked if I had learnt the songs of Kamalapuri.
Gurudev Prashant: Will you perform with Mr. Deshbandhu?
Me: If he allows me, if I beget this opportunity, I would consider myself a fortunately blessed guy Gurudev.
Mr. Deshbandhu: (taking a pause) Brother, if you are a melodious singer, if you have by heart the lines of Kamalapuri and if Gurudev Prashant is of will, then why are you are sitting behind murmuring to yourself? Come and sing with me Agastya.
My happiness knew no bounds when I got the chance of singing the accolades of Bharata on the stage of SISYA with such an eminent personality.
It's an irony on the Bharatiya young generation who resist and refuse to hear the piety of Mr. Deshbandhu towards the Bharata.