Being Krishna.

Please Note: All the three versions of this post, viz. Hindi, English and Hindi-English Transliteration are there in the post. The default visible script is the Hindi script in which it was originally written. To read in English or the transliteration please click on, 'Read in English', or 'Read Transliteration' respectively. If however the sections still don't become visible, the same are provided in the comments sections.

Read in Hindi

जब उत्तराखंड राज्य का जन्म हुआ तब हिमाचल और उत्तराखंड के मध्य की सरहद यमुना जी के बहाव ने आप ही निर्धारित कर दी थी | उत्तराखंड की राजधानी देहरादून से टेहरी क्षेत्र की ओर जाते हुए, यमुना की तीर पर एक गांव है | यहाँ से कुछ मील ऊपर से सपाट भूमि आरम्भ हो जाती है और पानी की गति मद्धम होने लगती है | कृषि प्रधान क्षेत्र होने से, धान और सरसों की भरपूर बिजाई होती है | भले ही दून से समीपता हो, और उत्तर की ओर अचल पहाड़ हों, गर्मियों में यहाँ भी आग बरसती है | साक्षरता का दिया प्रज्वलित हुए अब काफी समय बीत चला है, पर बरसों से चले आ रहे तौर तरीके यकायक ही तो नहीं छोड़े जाते | आधुनिकता का राग सुनना मानो भैंस के आगे बीन बजाना | फिर भी, धीरे धीरे यह क्षेत्र भी बढ़ रहा है | निकट में एक नगर है, जहां के दूध की अधिकाँश ज़रूरतें इस गांव के ग्वाले पूर्ण करते हैं | नदी की कगार पर एक प्राचीन बरगद का वृक्ष है | इसके ठूंठ के चरों ओर एक बड़ा सा चबूतरा बना है | पंचायत की बैठकें पंचायत घर में न हो कर यहाँ होती हैं, जैसे की हमेशा से होती आई हैं | 

देहरादून और अन्य क्षेत्रों के विद्यालय ग्रीष्मकालीन अवकाश के चलते बंद हो चुके हैं | केसर, अपनी माता के साथ थोड़े दिनों के लिए अपने ननिहाल आया हुआ है, इस गांव में | केसर करीब नौ-दस साल का बालक होगा | चंचल स्वभाव, और देहरादून में पला बड़ा | ग्रीष्म काल की लंबी छुट्टियों में परिवार के सभी जन गांव आया करते हैं | परिवार में एकता और स्नेह इसी प्रकार बना रहता है, जब सभी लोग कुछ दिन अपनी व्यस्त दीनचर्या से निकाल कर एक दुसरे के साथ बिताते हैं |

उसकी नानी उसे रोज रात को खाना खाने के पश्चात पौराणिक कहानियाँ सुनती, कुछ पंचतंत्र से, कुछ जताका संग्रह से, तो कुछ हिंद अध्यात्म से चुनी हुई | मामा और मासी के बच्चों के साथ केसर भी इन कहानियों का लुत्फ उठाता | उसे सभी कहानियों में से कृष्ण और प्रहलाद की कहानियाँ बहुत रोचक लगती हैं |

क्रमशः...

Read in English

Yamuna served as a natural boundary dividing Himachal and Uttarakhand when Uttarakhand state was born. On its banks, while en ‘route to Tehri region from the capital city of Dehradun is a small village. A few miles from here into the interior, Yamuna hits the plains and sheds its turbulence becoming more quiet and mellow. Primarily being an agrarian society, paddy and mustard are planted in abundance here. Despite of its proximity to the Doon valley, summers are marked by simmering heat. Literacy mission reached here long ago, but the people are still reluctant of letting go of the yoke of the traditions that they have been carrying from ages. Any talk of modernization of the methods falls on deaf ears. Still, the village is progressing, though slowly. Change takes time. The village is one of the primary suppliers of dairy products; milk primarily, to the nearby town. On the banks belonging to this village, there stands an old banyan tree, magnificent in size and age. A platform for resting has been made around the wide trunk of this tree. Panchayat sessions are convened under the shade of this tree, just like it has been since ages.

The schools in the state have closed owing to summer holidays. Kesar has come to his grandma’s place along with his mother for a few days. He must have been around 10 years old, brought up in Dehradun, mischievous and full of energy. Most of the family members come to the village at this time of the year. This is how the harmonious relations are maintained in the family even though the joint family system gave way to nuclear families a long time ago. Every night after dinner, all siblings gather around their grandmother to listen stories. Grandma narrates stories taken from Panchtantra, Jataka Tales, or the tales from Indian mythology. Of all these, Kesar likes the stories of Krishna and Prahlaad in particular.

To be continued…

Read Transliteration

Jab uttarakhand ka janm hua tab himachal aur uttarakhand ke Madhya ki sarhad Yamuna
ji ke bahaav ne aap hi nirdharit kar di thi. Uttarakhand ki rajdhaani Dehradun se tehri kshetra ki or jaate hue Yamuna ki teer par ek gaon hai. Yahaan se kuch mile oopar se sapaat bhoomi aarambh ho jaati hai aur paani ki gati maddham hone lagti hai. Krishi pradhan kshetra hone se, dhaan aur sarson ki bharpoor bijayi hoti hai. Bhale hi doon se sameepta ho, aur uttar ki or achal pahaad hon, garmiyon mein yahaan bhi aag barasti hai. Saaksharta ka diya prajwalit hue ab kaafi samay beet chala hai, par barson se chale aa rahe taur tareeke yakayak hi to nahi chhode jaate. Aadhunikta ka raag alaapna maano bhains kea age been bajana. Phir bhi dheere dheere yeh kshetra bhi badh raha hai. Nikat mein ek nagar hai, jahaan ke doodh ki adhikaansh jaruratein is gaon keg wale poorn karte hain. Nadi ki kagaar par ek pracheen bargad ka vriksh hai. Iske thoonth ke chaaron or ek bada sa chabootara bana hai. Panchayat ki baithakein Panchayat ghar mein na ho kar ke yahaan hoti hain, jaise ki hamesha se hoti aayi hain.

Dehradun aur anya kshetron ke vidyalayon grishmkaleen avakaash ke chalet band ho chuke hain. Kesar, apni mata ke saath thode dino ke liye apne nanihaal aaya hua hai, is gaon mein. Kesar kareeb nau-dus saal ka baalak hoga. Chanchal svabhaav aur Dehradun mein pala bada. Greeshm kaal ki lambi chuttiyon mein parivaar ke sabhi jan gaon aaya karte hain. Parivar mein ekta aur sneh isi prakaar bana rehta hai, jab sab log kuch din apni vyast deencharya se nikal kar ek doosre ke saath bitate hain.

Uski naani use roz raat ko khaana khaane ke pashchaat pauranik kahaaniyan sunati,
kuch panchtantra se, kuch jataka sangrah se, to kuch hind aadhyatm se chuni hui. Mama aur mausi ke bachhon ke saath kesar bhi in kahaaniyon ka lutf uthata. Use sabhi kahaaniyon mein se Krishna aur prahlaad ki kahaaniyan badi rochak lagti hain.

To be continued…

Jab uttarakhand ka janm hua tab himachal aur uttarakhand ke Madhya ki sarhad Yamuna

ji ke bahaav ne aap hi nirdharit kar di thi. Uttarakhand ki rajdhaani Dehradun se

tehri

kshetra ki or jaate hue Yamuna ki teer par ek gaon hai. Yahaan se kuch mile oopar se

sapaat bhoomi aarambh ho jaati hai aur paani ki gati maddham hone lagti hai. Krishi

pradhan

kshetra hone se, dhaan aur sarson ki bharpoor bijayi hoti hai. Bhale hi doon se

sameepta ho, aur uttar ki or achal pahaad hon, garmiyon mein yahaan bhi aag barasti

hai.

Saaksharta ka diya prajwalit hue ab kaafi samay beet chala hai, par barson se chale

aa rahe taur tareeke yakayak hi to nahi chhode jaate. Aadhunikta ka raag alaapna

maano bhains

kea age been bajana. Phir bhi dheere dheere yeh kshetra bhi badh raha hai. Nikat mein

ek nagar hai, jahaan ke doodh ki adhikaansh jaruratein is gaon keg wale poorn karte

hain.

Nadi ki kagaar par ek pracheen bargad ka vriksh hai. Iske thoonth ke chaaron or ek

bada sa chabootara bana hai. Panchayat ki baithakein Panchayat ghar mein na ho kar ke

yahaan

hoti hain, jaise ki hamesha se hoti aayi hain.

Dehradun aur anya kshetron ke vidyalayon grishmkaleen avakaash ke chalet band ho

chuke hain. Kesar, apni mata ke saath thode dino ke liye apne nanihaal aaya hua hai,

is gaon

mein. Kesar kareeb nau-dus saal ka baalak hoga. Chanchal svabhaav aur Dehradun mein

pala bada. Greeshm kaal ki lambi chuttiyon mein parivaar ke sabhi jan gaon aaya karte

hain.

Parivar mein ekta aur sneh isi prakaar bana rehta hai, jab sab log kuch din apni

vyast deencharya se nikal kar ek doosre ke saath bitate hain.

Uski naani use roz raat ko khaana khaane ke pashchaat pauranik kahaaniyan sunati,

kuch panchtantra se, kuch jataka sangrah se, to kuch hind aadhyatm se chuni hui. Mama

aur mausi

ke bachhon ke saath kesar bhi in kahaaniyon ka lutf uthata. Use sabhi kahaaniyon mein

se Krishna aur prahlaad ki kahaaniyan badi rochak lagti hain.

To be continued...

P.S. I had been fiddling with the html code to embed all three versions in one, so the results could be nasty on different browsers. Please do bear with me, I'll revert back to original format if its too troublesome for me too.

P.P.S. Maithili has awarded me with her custom made award for 'Thought provoking Blogger'. Many thanks to you, and here are the answers. The award has been added to the hall of fame. And, the award is lovely. Thank You again.

1. What is your most cherished gift?:          Friends.

2. Which is your favorite color?:                Black.

3. Beach or hillstation?:                             Hill Station.

4. Book you like to read again and again.: Not encountered any yet.

5. When is your birthday?:                        Last day of November.