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‘RUNNING WATER’
By
ROHINTON MISTRY
Dharamsala is the principal township of Kangradistrict. With dense pine and deodar forests,numerous streams, cool healthy air, attractivesurroundings and the nearby snowline,Dharamsala has everything for a perfect holiday. Itis full of life and yet peaceful. The headquarters ofHis Holiness the Dalai Lama are at upperDharamsala.Covering a wide area in the form of twinsettlement, lower Dharamsala (1380m) is a busycommercial centre.While upper Dharamsala (1830m) with the suburbsof Mcleodganj and Forsytheganj, retains a Britishflavor and colonial lifestyle.
The charming church of St. John in thewilderness is situated here and this is the finalresting place of Lord Elgin, a British Viceroyof India during the 19th century.There is also a large Tibetan community whohas made this place their home.Numerous ancient temples like Jwalamukhi,Brijeshwari and Chamunda lie on the plainsbelow Dharamsala.
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Like most of Mistry’s story this story alsocovers a number of generic distinctions. Theseare---
i. Autobiographic elements
ii. Historiography of Dharamsala
iii. Dalai Lama and his religious activities
iv. Problems of Immigration & Refugee
V. Religiosity of the Indians &
vi. Vices of Urbanization
Rohinton Mistry began the story saying his nostalgic
feeling about ‘Dharamsala’, a mountain hamlet where
his uncle, aunt and cousins were living.
He regretted that although he had a desire to visit
‘Dharamsala’ to enjoy snow covered paths , roofs and
leaves and branches of trees, he could not do so
because of some practical problems.
In course of time he left India and settled in Canada.
All on a sudden he got the opportunity to visit
Dharamsala when he was asked to do so as an official
duty.
The story began as a travelogue. Mistry very lucidly statedhow he started from Delhi and reached Chakki Bank ofPunjab after 28 hours of boring train journey. Then henarrated how he took a foolish decision of hiring a worn outRickshaw and reached the Pathankot bus-stand almost wet.
Then he hired a taxi and started toward Dharamsala.
It took him 3 hours to reach Dharamsala.
Reaching Dharamsala he took shelter at a Hotel named‘Bhagsu’.
He came to know that ‘Bhagsu’ in local language means‘Running Water’.
Eventually he titled his tale ‘Running Water’.
The desk clerk told that he would be supplied with two
candles because the electricity supply of the hotel was
disturbed.
This was because of the employees’ strike for getting some
of their demands fulfilled.
The clerk then told that he would be supplied with two
buckets of water as the water supply of the Hotel was
disrupted because of landslide.
However, the clerk consoled him saying that he would face
the same problems in almost all the hotels of the locality.
These were not the problems of Hotel Bhagsu only.
His aunt asked him to shift to their houseimmediately. She also said that they had personalwater supply system and it was not affected.
Mr. Nowrojee told that his grandfather savedlives of hundreds of people by providing blanketsand necessary commodities during thedevastating earthquake of 1905. As a reward theBritish Deputy commissioner donated a fountainof fresh water to the family. He also arranged forits independent pipeline.
The Nowrojee family had been using it sincethen.
‘RUNNING WATER’
The sacred Dal lake with natural water body, 11km away
from Lower Dharamshala .
Then Mr. Nowrojee told the story of Dalai Lama.
Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 and had taken shelterat Dharamsala in order to save his life from thehands of Chinese soldiers of Chou en Lai.
Mr. Nowrojee helped Dalai Lama to establish hisgovernment–in-exile and build his new monastery atDharamsala.
It was named Norbulingka or Namgyal.
The main hall of the Namgyal Monastery had ahigh throne at one side. Dalai Lama used to sitthere when he gave audience and preached.
Behind the throne was a larger than life statue ofBuddha in the lotus position. The Buddha waslocked in a huge glass case.
The Monastery brought tourists and the situationchanged with the change of time.
In order to protect the valuable things, theBuddhist monks had to keep everything under lockand key.
This was the consequences of Urbanization.
His Holiness the 14th DalaiLama Tenzin Gyatso, is the headof state and spiritual leader ofthe Tibetan people. He was bornLhamo Dhondrub on 6 July1935, in a small village calledTaktser in northeastern Tibet.Born to a peasant family, HisHoliness was recognized at theage of two, in accordance withTibetan tradition, as thereincarnation of his predecessorthe 13th Dalai Lama, and thusan incarnation Avalokitesvara,the Buddha of Compassion.
Kangra fort ,Dharmsala
Mistry then referred to the T.V.Serial of‘Ramayana’ and its impact on the averageIndian People.
Ramayana is one of the two great sanskritepics of India. The other is the Mahabharata.
Ramananda Sagar made a TV serial on theepisodes of Ramayana in the seventies of thelast century.
It became very popular among all sections ofpeople.
It was shown every Sunday at 10-00 a.m.
People suspended all their normal activitiesfor the sake of witnessing this Serial.
They even garlanded the TV sets and burntincense sticks before the TV sets as if theywere watching real Rama, Laxmana etc.
The serial ended after 76 episodes.
People felt disgruntled as they found allincidents were not presented.
The started agitation in protest. Bandhsparalyzed the normal life.
Ministerial oaths were postponed.
The Sweepers declined to do their duties etc.
The people started treating the actors as real Ramayanapersonalities.
The Congress party wanted to win the election by enchasingthis sentiment.
So, the actors were given candidature and used for votingcampaign
But, while casting votes ,the people acted rationally and votedonly the deserving candidates. Rajib Gandhi led Congressparty had to suffer a serious defeat.
Democratic spirit of the people prevailed over emotional crazehighlighting the dignity of Indian Democracy.
A note to the author: -
Rohinton Mistry was born in 1952 and grew up in
Bombay, India, where he also attended university. In 1975
he emigrated to Canada, where he began a course in
English and Philosophy at the University of Toronto. He
is the author of three novels and one collection of short
stories. His debut novel, Such a Long Journey (1991),
won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book and
the Governor General's Award, and was shortlisted for the
Booker Prize.
Excerpt from: amazon.com
It was made into an acclaimed feature film in 1998. His second
novel, A Fine Balance (1995), won many prestigious awards,
including the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book, the
Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction and the Giller Prize, as
well as being shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the International
IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the Irish Times International
Fiction Prize. His collection of short stories, Tales from Firozsha
Baag, was published in 1987. In 2002 Faber published Mistry's
third novel, Family Matters, which was longlisted for the 2002
Man Booker Prize.
Excerpt from: amazon.com
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
CREDITS : & REFERENCES :
1. A COMPANION TO B.A ENGLISH PROSE ED. BY FATEHA HAQUE BARBARUAH
2.WWW.EN.WIKIPEDEA.ORG
3.PICTURES TAKEN FROM (A) WIKIPEDEA (2)OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF TOURISM DEPT. HIMACHAL PRADESH
4.WWW.LITERATURE.BRITISHCOUNCIL.ORG
5.JANUARY IMAGE.COM
6.amazon.com
7.Google photos/pictures
