Books which influenced me - 2. "Panipat"

"दोन मोती गलत, दस बीस अश्राफत् , रुपयोंकी गिनती नहीं"।
मला वाटत नाही मराठा साम्राज्यावर पानिपतच्या युध्दाचा impact  याहून जास्त चांगल्या प्रकारे describe आला असता. मी इतिहास तज्ज्ञ अथवा संशोधक नाही म्हणून त्यावर काही comment करण्याचे टाळून एक वाचक व इतिहासप्रेमी म्हणून विश्वास पाटील यांच्या पानिपत कादंबरीने माझ्यावर केलेल्या प्रभावाविषयी लिहिण्याचा हा एक छोटेखानी प्रयत्न.
मी शाळेत सुदधा पानिपत फक्त एका paragraph मध्ये वाचलेलं, आमचा विश्वास पानिपतात गेला आणि भाऊ हा अजिबात चांगला सेनापती नव्हता हे डोळे झाकून मान्य केलेलं असल्याने या कादंबरीविषयी माझा फारसा चांगल मत नव्हत. शुजा आणि मीर जाफर यांच्यातील शह- काटशह आणि रॉबर्ट कॅलिव्हचे डावपेच हे वाचून अरे रे किती वाईट झालं म्हणून सुस्कारे टाकले आणि कायम विचार केला इंग्रज प्लासी हरले असते तर आपण गुलाम झालो नसतो. पण इतिहासाच्या पुस्तकात कधीही अन्न पाण्याशिवाय लढलेले मराठे सांगितले गेले नाहीत ना कधी हे सांगितलं गेलं की मराठ्यांच्या पानिपताच्य पराभवाचे दूरगामी परिणाम हे प्लासीच्या लढाईपेक्षा जास्त होते.
इसवी सन1761, प्लासीच्या लढाईच्या 4 वर्षांनंतर मराठेशाही आणि अफगाण शाह "अहमदशाह अब्दाली" यांच्यातील घनघोर रणकंदन म्हणजे पानिपत. जीवाचं रान अन छातीचा कोट करून अफगाणाच्या बंदुका आणि तोफांना सामोरा गेलेल्या मराठ्यांच्या दुर्दम्य ईच्छाशक्तीच प्रतीक म्हणजे पानिपत. एका दिवसात आपला भावी पेशवा आणि सरसेनापती गमावलेल युद्ध म्हणजे पानिपत. एवढं सगळं असूनही कायम भारतीय इतिहासतील सर्वात दुर्लक्षित युद्ध म्हणजे पानिपत. अन या सगळ्याविषयी सविस्तरपणे बोलते ती विश्वास पाटलांची कादंबरी पानिपत.
मी पानिपत पहिल्यांदा वाचली ती 11-12 च्या दरम्यान पण तेंव्हा ना भाषा समजण्यासाठी लागणारी maturiy होती ना सदाशिवभाऊंचा मोठेपणा पटवून देण्याची समज. पण हल्ली म्हणजे एक दोन वर्षांपूर्वी मी पानिपत पुन्हा वाचली आणि खरंच सुन्न झालो.
अटकेपार जरीपटका लावणारे राघोबादादा नजीब खान रोहिल्याला मल्हारराव होळकरांच्या विनंतिला मान देऊन सोडून देतात आणि तिथून खऱ्या अर्थाने पानिपतच्या युध्दाचि बीजं रोवली जातात. मराठा साम्राज्याचा कोहिनुर दत्ताजी शिंदे नजीबाच्या खेळीची पहिली शिकार होतात. बचेंगे तो औरभी लडेंगे म्हणत दत्ताबा हसत हसत मृत्यूला सामोरं गेले आणि मराठी साम्राज्य हादरले. त्या नरावीरच्या मृत्युचा बदला घेण्यासाठी उभी मराठेशाही पेटून उठली. हे सगळे प्रसंग विश्वास पाटलांनी अप्रतिमरित्या अधोरेखित केले आहेत. पानिपत कादंबरीतील भाषा आणि योग्य शब्दांचा वापर हे सगळे प्रसंग जसेच्या तसे आपल्या समोर उभे करतात.
मराठी किंवा एकूणच इतिहासकारांनी सदाशिवराव भाऊंना पानिपतच्या पराभवासाठी जबाबदार ठरवून टाकले आहे पण पानिपत भाऊंच्या व्यक्तीमत्वाला पूर्णपणे वेगळ्या स्वरूपात आपल्या समोर आणते. गोविंदपंताना वारंवार खलिता धाडून मदत मागणारे भाऊ अगदीच अगतिक वाटतात पण तेच भाऊ जुन्या सरदारांचा विरोध पत्करून इब्राहिमखानच्या तोफखान्यावर निःसंकोचपणे विश्वास ठेवतात. आणि इब्राहिमखान देखील शेवटपर्यंत आपल्या धन्यासोबत लढून त्यांचा विश्वास सार्थ ठरवतात.
पानिपतचा सगळ्यात मोठ बलस्थान म्हणजे यातल्या सगळ्या महत्वाच्या व्यक्तीरेखा आहेत. भाऊ, समशेर बहादूर, नजीब, इब्राहिमखान, जनकोजी आणि दस्तरखुद्द अब्दाली यांची पात्र ज्याप्रकारे लिहिली गेली आहेत त्याला तोड नाही.
पानिपत आपल्याला त्या काळात घेऊन जाते आणि या युध्दाचे महत्व पटवून देते. भाऊंची अवहेलना कमी करवून त्यांना त्यांचे due credit देणारी पानिपत कादंबरी इतिहासप्रेमींसाठी पर्वणी आहे. भाऊ इतर इतिहासकारांनी रेखाटल्याप्रमाणे वेडे नसून एक महान योद्धा आणि कुशल सेनापती होते याची प्रचीती एक वाचक म्हणून आपल्याला येते.
विश्वासराव अकाली गेले आणि भाऊ सरसेनापती म्हणून अपयशी ठरले हा समज घेऊन जगणारा मी हे पुस्तक वाचून संपलं तेव्हा या दोन वीरांसमोर नतमस्तक झालो.

Books which influenced me -1. "Thank you Mr. Glad"

Rajhmundri Jail, an Anglo-Indian Jailer who firmly believes in thrashing inmates of his jail as he believes getting thrashed by him is a part of their punishment. This Jailer who drinks whisky at night & has his doberman Chump giving him company at home is Mr. Glad. He is very particular about his duty irrespective of the regime he's serving, first it's the British Regime & then Indian. For Mr. Glad the change is merely that of Union Jack to Tiranga.

Then enters a convict awarded capital punishment by the court for waging war against the nation aptly named "Virbhushan Patnaik". A lad in his early 30s, who keeps on reading Mayakovsky's poems despite of being awarded capital punishment & being put in Glad's jail. 
Their first meeting on Virbhushan's first day in jail establishes that Virbhushan is a surgeon by qualification turned Communist Revolutionary who has waged war against the oppressions carried out by the State & dreams of revolution & Communist India. India for everyone, where no one is oppressed on the basis of class/caste/creed/ gender etc. An idealist who wants to seek redemption by waging war against the oppressors & seeking justice for the oppressed.
With this backdrop what unfolds in next 200 odd pages is an intriguing duel between Mr. Glad & Virbhushan Patnaik or Kaidi number 742 as Mr. Glad addresses him. Mr. Glad who has lost his wife to Nazis starts developing a Humane approach towards his inmates due to his conversations with Kaidi Number 742. He tries to understand how poor commit petty offences in order to get them lodged in the police lock up during rainy season including a  pregnant woman & two young boys studying for their boards. Surprisingly he even writes a mercy petition to the President Of India for Virbhushan; which Virbhushan refuses to sign. The Novel further takes an unexpected turn when Mr. Glad's pregnant daughter Jenny comes to stay with him for her childbirth. Mr. Glad acting unlike Mr. Glad takes Jenny to meet Virbhushan. Jenny & Virbhushan develop a strong bond through literature. Jenny goes to the extent of wanting Virbhushan to be reincarnated as her son.
The last few pages & conclusion of this novel leaves the reader speechless & awestruck. Just one night prior to the execution of his capital punishment Virbhushan gets called by Mr. Glad at his residence to perform C section of his beloved Jenny as its a stormy night & no surgeon is available. Virbhushan like a true surgeon performs C section & Jenny delivers a baby. While Virbhushan is about to go to jail & ultimately to the gallows Mr. Glad takes out his service revolver, addresses him as Comrade & fires shots on his chest & tells him he hasn't shot him in the back. Understanding the reality Virbhushan screams "Thank you Mr. Glad". Kaidi No. 742 Dr. Virbhushan Patnaik gets a hero's death, Mr. Glad ends in his own prison & this brilliant novel ends.

I usually avoid writing about things such as books, movies as the Fan boy in me gets too dominant on the blogger in me but the situation we are going through politically reminded me of my inclination towards Communism & what drew me towards it. I read Thank You Mr. Glad in my standard 9 vacation when I was deciding things for my own self. It was a period when Ganesh idol drank milk & people stood in queues outside temples, period where we  witnessed riots post Babari Demolition a period when religion was really proving to be an opium for the people in our country. In those days I thought the only possible answer to all this lies in Communism & revolution which could've only be possible by means of violence & bloodshed. I read a lot about communism & various socio-political thoughts but somewhere started realising violence & bloodshed cannot be the answers & in democracy change only can be achieved through Ballot papers.
Though I moved away from thoughts Communist Revolution what I read due to Thank you Mr. Glad laid a foundation for my own thought processes and contributed largely to the individual I am today. Thus, like Dr. Virbhushan Patnaik I also scream from the bottom of my heart " Thank You, Thank You Mr. Glad". 

"Tu Kaun Hai?"

A recent drastic event has shaken me as a person and has rocked my roots have made me question what life's all about have made me evaluate and assess people around me.

I came to know about this tragic news via "social networking site" and  it was pertaining to one of my childhood friends and I continued to read the news with a lot of disbelief and shock. It was about an highly unfortunate incident wherein my friend's wife tragically ended her life. Honestly I was shocked to read it. I immediately called up our common friends and my parents to confirm if the news was really true and they all confirmed it was indeed true. I haven't felt so disheartened and shaken in a long long time. 

My mind just went back to our childhood days when we played together went to school together shared our problems (having a lot of homework, having an argument with parents etc.) I remembered attending their wedding, how happy both of them were as their's was a love marriage and they went ahead with it against all odds. I remember feeling proud of them and wishing them all the luck in this world.

Meanwhile, I moved to a different city and moved on with my career so did both of them. We again became "Friends" through "Facebook" and chatted on countless occasions about meeting sometime as we had many things to discuss. We virtually became more "connected" through "whatsapp"and shared many forwards, jokes liked each others status and also conveyed the same to the other person. Life appeared to be an absolutely pleasurable journey from their facebook posts and comments which people made, comments like you guys are a made for each other couple confirmed "virtually" everything in their life was like a fairy tale, they both were very much in love and enjoyed being with each other. This news really shattered the fairytalesque world created by their facebook posts and whatsapp DPs and status messages. 

If everything was so perfect why did this tragic event occurr? could it have been avoided? could there have been any other outcome of the "fairytalesque" life shared by my friend and his wife? The people who commented "made for each other" could they have been of any help? could they have helped both of them in sorting out their differences and come out of the worst phase of their life? Instead of sharing jokes, forwards and only happening parts of our lives through whatsapp had it been helpful if we shared a bit of the real issues we faced? Why were we scared to share our troubles? why we only tried to portray happy side of our lives? Why we thought it was convenient for us not to share our troubles and problems?

This incident made me realise the emptiness of the virtual life we all are living now days and I started observing people even more closely and realised this technology has taken over our lives. We have stopped living in the moment and have instead started living for putting things on facebook and whatsapp I see a lot of groups of youths who hang out together in malls, coffee shops but when they all are together all of them are on their cell phones showing something or the other to each other talking about things present in the virtual world. I got a chance to attend to a wonderful music festival in which renowned artists were performing and even there I noticed people clicking pictures of the event, recording the performances and sharing it on whatsapp and facebook. Very few people were sitting in their seats and enjoying the music and performances of these famous and brilliant artists while the others were keen on recording the event anyhow. The people trying to record that moment didn't realise that the moment which they were trying to capture and share was actually slipping out of their lives the way my friend and his wife didn't realise its not about sharing the happy moments through facebook or any other social networking site.

I hope and pray we realise this virtual world is disconnecting us from realities of our lives and we do something about it before its too late. Cant stop my self from reciting beautiful lines from Lucky Ali's song and question this virtual world "Kahan se tu aati hai kahan ko tu jaati hai? Sapnon ko sajati hai apnon ko ley jaati hai. Baaghon mein jab behti hai kaanon mein kuch kehti hai. Aati hai nazar nahin saanson mein par rehti hai. Hawaa, pawan hai vayu hai, purvaaee hai Jeevan hai, jaan hai, ya parchaayee hai . Lene aayi hai ya kuch mere liye laayi hai? Poochoonga mein kya tujhse kahan se tu aayi Tu kaun hai, tu kaun hai.?"