Venkataramana Bhagvathar

Saint Thyagaraja intuitively knew that his end was nearing. He called for his devoted disciple Venkataramana Bhagvathar and entrusted to him the idol of Sri Ram, bundles of palm leaves containing his kritis and tambura.

Venkataramana Bhagvathar knew the importance of the articles given to him and he preserved it with great care. All the articles given to Venkataramana Bhagvathar by Saint Thyagaraja are preserved till date! The palm leaves collection preserved by Venkataramana Bhagvathar, later came to be known as ‘Walajapet Collections’, it attracted the attention of scholars, musicians for study.

Venkataramana Bhagvathar was associated with Saint Thyagaraja for over a quarter of century and he had documented the biography of Thyagaraja. Venkataramana Bhagvathar had himself written hundreds of kritis, one of them ‘Sri Thyagarajashtakam’ which is being rendered at the end of all concerts during Thyagaraja Music Festivals.  He also translated Thyagaraja’s opera ‘Nowka Charitam’ from Telugu to Sanskrit.

Venkataramana Bhagvathar had a chain of disciples which was later popularly known as ‘Walajapet Chain Disciples’. Venkataramana Bhagvathar’s school of sishya parampara was very instrumental in the propagation of Saint Thyagaraja’s kritis.

Bhai Jeewan Singh

Bhai Jeewan Singh rode the horse in full speed, he had to cover 300 Km from Delhi to reach Anandpur Sahib. As the teenager travelled in lightning speed his thought went back in time when a group of Kashmir Pandits had an audience with Guru Teg Bahadur.

Aurangazeb decided to convert his kingdom to be a full Islamic kingdom. Some of the Kashmiri Pandits came to Guru Teg Bahadur and informed them about their predicaments.

Guru Teg Bahadur instructed the Pandits to tell the Mughals that the Pandits would be ready to convert if Teg Bahadur gets converted to Islam. Bhai Jeewan Singh, who was the witness of this incident, did not know at that time that Guru Teg Bahadur was getting ready to sacrifice his life for the Hindus!

The Mughals arrested Guru Teg Bahadur and also their disciples including Bhai Jeewan Singh.  Guru Teg Bahadur wrote 57 Slokas and asked Bhai Jeewan Singh to take it to Guru Teg Bahadur’s son Gobind Rai. Aurangazeb’s daughter  Bibi Jabunisha helped  Bhai Jeewan Singh escape the jail.

Bhai Jeewan Singh gave Gobind Rai the slokas and informed him of the tortures that Guru Teg Bahadur had to undergo.

When it became clear that Teg Bahadur would sacrifice his life, Gobind Rai called congregation of devotes and commanded as to who would bring back the body of Guru Teg Bahadur from Delhi after his martyrdom. There was pin drop silence in the congregation and nobody could muster courage to undertake such a challenge. Bhai Jeewan Singh came forward and said he would accomplish the task.

Bhai Jeewan Singh reached Anandpur Sahib with the beheaded corpse  of Guru Teg Bahadur and Gobind Rai performed the final rites on 16^th November 1675.

After the ritual was over Gobind Rai asked Bhai Jeewan Singh,  “Please tell me how you brought my father’s corpse. I heard that Aurangazeb gave an order that whoever tries to take the corpse would be put to death. How did you accomplish this task?”

Bhai Jeevan Singh said, “You know how similar your father and my father, Bhai Sada Nand were”

Gobind Rai’s heart skipped a beat!

Bhai Jeevan Singh said, “My father gave an order..”

Gobind Rai exclaimed, “What your father sacrificed his life and you beheaded your own father!!”

Bhai Jeevan Singh replied, “Yes! I replaced the corpse of gurudev with that of my father. So the Mughals will not know that we are taking the Gurudev’s corpse”

This incident made an indelible impression on Gobind Rai who went on to become Guru Gobind Singh, the 10^th Guru of Sikhs. Guru Gobind Singh formed the Khalsa Order in 1699.

Bhai Jeevan Singh participated in at least 14 wars alongside with Guru Gobind Singh. In the year 1704, when Aurangazeb violated the ceasefire and attacked Chamkaur Sahib, Bhai Jeevan Singh and fellow disciples pleaded Guru Gobind Singh to escape. Bhai Jeevan Singh attained martydom while fighting the invaliding Mughal in Chamkaur.

Pingali Venkaiah

“It hurts me deeply that we host the union jack flag, in Congress Maha Sabha! It puzzles me that we have not yet thought about a national flag for India”, thought Pingalai Venkaiah, the year was 1906.

Venkaiah decided to study flags of nations and to design a flag for India.

In 1916, Venkaiah published a book “A National Flag for India” in which he put forth 30 models for National Flag.

During the Indian National Congress held at Vijayawada, in April 1921, Gandhi asked Pingali Venkaiah to draw a National Flag. Venkaiah completed the design in less than three hours.

This flag evolved further in 1931 and it was officially adopted by Congress

Venkaiah’s original thinking was not restricted to Flags alone but also to many different streams. When Gandhi started the ‘Kadhi’ movement, Venkaiah decided to experiment with different varieties of cotton corps. He zeroed in on Cambodian Cotton and created a hybrid Indian variety. The British government recognized his research and conferred him honorary membership of the Royal Agricultural Society of Britain. Pingali came to be known as Patti (‘Cotton’) Venkayya.

This versatile man was also a prolific writer, a Japanese lecturer and a geophysicist!

Virchand Raghavji Gandhi

“Swami Vivekananda!”

“Yep this is a  pic from the First World’s parliament of religion held in 1893 at Chicago. Identify ‘the other Indian’”

“Other Indian! It’s a news to me that there was another Indian representation. Let me see ….is that the person to the left of Swamu Vivekananda”

“That’s Anagarika Dharmapala aka Hewivitarne Dharmapala, a Sri Lankan who represented ‘Southern Buddhism’”

“Then it should the first left, the man with the turban”

“Yes, Virchand Raghavji Gandhi, he represented Jainism in the World’s Parliament of Religion”

“Tell me more about him”

“Virchand Raghavji Gandhi became honorary Secretary of the Jain Association of India, when he was just 21! But his knowledge was not restricted to Jainism. He was also a student of Bhuddism, Vedanta Philosophy, Christianity. He knew 14 languages! He also translated a French book to English, ‘An Unknown Life of Jesus Christ’”

“Looks to be a good scholar”

“Not only scholar, he was also a patriot.  During the 1897 Indian Famine,  Virchand Raghavji Gandhi was in US, he collected and send money and grains to India for famine relief. He also participated in Indian National Congress”

“V.R. Gandhi and Congress! Is there any connection between him and M.K. Gandhi”

“Virchand Raghavji Gandhi is a Barrister, so is M.K. Gandhi. They both were friends and it seems some US people mistook M.K.Gandhi as V.R. Gandhi. Here is a letter from M.K.Gandhi to Miss Emelia Mac Bean of Chicago dated June 13, 1931”

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Madam, I have your letter for which I thank you. You are giving me credit of which I am wholly undeserving. You are thinking of another Mr. Gandhi my name-sake but in no way related to me. He and I were, however, friends and lived together for some time. You will be sorry to hear that he died many years ago, leaving an only son. It was he who visited America and made many friends. I have never had the privilege of visiting your continent.

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“Hmm… interesting tell me about the friendship between Swami Vivekananda and V.R. Gandhi”

“They had good respect for each other. Remember that they travelled to US at a time when it was considered a taboo to sail in ocean. So there was some opposition to their US visit in India. Here is a 1894 letter by Swami Vivekananda to Haridas Viharidas Desai, Diwan of Junagadh”

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Now here is Virchand Gandhi, the Jain whom you knew well in Bombay. This man never takes anything but mere vegetables even in this terribly cold climate and tooth and nail tries to defend his countrymen and the religion. The people of this country like him very well. But what are they doing who sent him over? They are trying to outcast him.

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“Any other similarities”

“Like Swami Vivekananda, V.R.Gandhi also spent time in US and London and gave lectures, they both were very proud Indians and were patriotic. Both had a prophetic vision that India would attain Independence soon. V.R.Gandhi insisted that independence needs to be attained in peaceful non-violent ways and..”

“And what?”

“Like Vivekananda, V.R. Gandhi died young. He was just 37”

Joint Issue

“What’s the highest peak in Earth”

“Mount Everest”

“What’s the lowest point in Earth”

“Should be under some ocean”

“Dead Sea”

“How nice it will be to have both the highest and lowest point of earth in a stamp, But it’s not possible. Stamp is usually issued by a country and here we have geographies under 2 different counties”

“Joint Issue”

“So you are saying its possible”

“It’s not just possible. It had actually happened in 2012 itself. Israel and Nepal did a joint issue”

“Wow. Do we have these kind of joint issue stamps in India”

“Yes, we have several stamps. India has good relations with several countries. Here are some example of joint issue stamps (and Miniature Sheets) from India”

Hari Singh Nalwa

Hari Singh Nalwa was mortally wounded, the medicine man was applying ointments but Hari Singh knew that his end was nearing. Hari Singh Nalwa was the commander-in-chief of Khalsa, his fierce campaign for over 30 years lead to the addition of Kasur, Sialkot, Multan, Kashmir, Attock, Peshawar and Jamrud to Sikh Empire. 

The majority of the Sikh Army was in Lahore to attend the marriage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s grandson (1837).  Padshah Mohammad Khan took this opportunity to lay a siege on Jamud Fort, Hari Singh who was in Peshawar immediately rushed to Jamud Fort. During the ambush near Jamud Fort Hari Singh succumbed to  mortal woundS. This was not the first time that Hari Singh was near death, the wound inflicted during the Battle of Multan (1818) took almost an year to heal. But now Hari Singh was getting old, long War Campaigns had already taken a toll on his health.

He called his lieutenant, Mahan Singh and asked, “Is there any action outside?”

“No Sir! The Afghans are waiting. We have already sent messenger to Lahore. The king should dispatch army”, replied Mahan Singh

7,000 cavalry, 2,000 matchlock, 20,000 Khybers, 50 pieces artillery Afghan Army against just 800 garrison! But the Afghans were still waiting, because they knew that Hari Singh Nalwa was inside the Fort. The Afghans remembered Battle of Mangal (1821), Battle of Sirikot (1824) both won by Hari Singh Nalwa in spite of the fact that the Afghans outnumbered the Sikhs! They feared that Hari Singh Nalwa had some trick up his sleeve and waited for him to make the first move.

“When I die….”, began Hari Singh Nalwa

“No Sir! You are not dying!!”, interrupted Mahan Singh.

Mahan Singh wanted to continue with his reassurance but when he saw the calm face of Hari Singh Nalwa, he decided to be silent and waited for the instructions.

 “Let no one know about my death until our army reach here”

And so the Afghans waited outside the fort patiently for a week, unaware that Hari Singh Nalwa was dead and finally when the relief Sikh forces came, the Afghan army returned back to Kabul without offering any resistance.

Hari Singh Nalwa, even in his death saved the ‘strategic’ Jamrud and Peshawar!

Why focus the Flaw?

I love stamps, they are a thing of beauty. The Miniature sheets are much more beautiful and could be literally framed in the walls. I’ve been collecting Indian Stamps, b’coz, its easy to collect since I’m an Indian (living in India) and want to know more about India.
What I find very strange as I browse through sites dedicated to Indian Stamps, the focus is more towards finding defect in a stamp! These collectors take all the pains to identify a defect and say, “Hey! I found this flaw. I’ve these flaw stamps. Wanna buy?”
Why these ppl are focusing on defects and why they want to keep the price of a defect piece more than a correct piece!
I dono if I will trade my stamps but if at all I do I will say, “I’ve this beautiful stamps and they are absolutely perfect. Do you want them?”

I am a collector

I know it …I know it all these years of living that I’m a collector. .i love collecting. It started with bus tickets train tickets then I settled to stamp collecting during my school days. At that time I dint know about Indian commemorative stamps, so I used to go to book stores and buy only foreign stamps. I loved the colors and arts in stamps, I had no thematic collection(even now I dint have any thematic collection, I collect whatever I like). After some years the stamp collecting season got lost and so I left it.
Also I saw the proliferations of telecommunication, with emails, chat, web cam and very cheap calling rates there was a severe decline in snail mails. Couple of years ago I went for a Japan stamp exhibition in Chennai where I came across a Philately President in Chennai, who gave me some details of the Philatelic wing of Indian Post. Then I went to the Anna Salai Head Post Office and was the Commemorative stamps, they were all very beautiful and informative. I immediately subscribed for the mailing services. Also I fell in love with Miniature Sheets.
I believe this is a good investment of my time and money. Philately.. here I come!