There are dice and dice; and of course, there are men and men. But men seem to change when they hold dice in their hands. Or else, as some believe, the history of India – at least a great epic of ours – might have turned out differently, considering how much came to hinge on that one fateful game of dice that was played in the Mahabharata. One knows the story well: the eldest of the Pandava brothers, Yudhishthira, sitting down to play a game of chaupar with Duryodhana, the Kaurava Prince, and then losing everything to him: his kingdom, all his worldly possessions, himself and his brothers, even Draupadi, their consort. All through the sleight of hand of Shakuni, Duryodhana’s uncle, who threw the dice on his nephew’s behalf, but knew how to manipulate them. Dyuta, gambling in other words, is the vice that sacred texts warn everyone against, and dice figure in nearly all those gambling games. And yet gods and heroes keep playing in our myths, There are references in the Bhagavata Purana to them – the fury that Balarama unleashed upon some kings over a dishonest game, for instance – the prince Nala loses his kingdom in a game of dice in the celebrated story of Nala and Damayanti; Parvati jokingly accuses Shiva of cheating as the divine couple settle down to play a game of dice; Krishna and Rukmini pit their wits against each other over a dice game on the Diwali night. And so on. There are dice everywhere in India, it appears – made, one might add, of an astonishing range of materials: terracotta, ivory, glass, marble, wood, bone, metal, for instance; and they go as far back as the Harappan times, if the evidence of archaeology were to be trusted. The little objects, stick-like or cube-form or cylindrical in shape, are associated most often however with the game of chaupar, known by its different names like chausar, paasa, pachisi. And myths and stories apart, there are all those absorbing historical references to the game that is often spoken of, at least by western writers, as the “national board game of India”. Abul Fazl, untiring chronicler at the court of Akbar, described it in detail, but opened his account by saying: “From times of old, the people of Hindustan have been fond of this game.” The emperor himself apparently grew fond of it, [...]
Archive for January 6th, 2008
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NEW YEAR TRADITION
January 6th, 2008 
krishna NEW YEAR’S EVE: All around the world people celebrate the coming of a new year and time with traditions from their country: Although the celebrations are not always held on the same day; they often include traditions of religious celebrations, costume parties, parades and with customs said to bring good luck and fortune in the new year. ECUADOR – In South America “Ano Viejo” is celebrated by creating a fake person or dummy. The scarecrow-looking person will be completely dressed and stuffed with old newspapers and firecrackers. The dummy is usually placed outside the home. He represents something that happened during the last year. At midnight each family lights the dummy on fire. As the dummy goes up in smoke, the firecrackers also go off to add to the festivities. The old year is forgotten and the new year begins. GREECE – In Greece, St. Basil fills the children’s shoes with presents at midnight. DENMARK – It is a good sign to find your door littered with a pile of broken dishes at New Years. Old dishes are saved all year to throw them at the homes where their friends live on New Year’s Eve. Many broken dishes were a symbol that you have many friends! JAPAN – People in Japan spend weeks planning for their New Year celebrations. They buy special food and make decorations for their front doors out of pine branches, bamboo, and ropes that are believed to bring health and long life. Fan ropes are also hung over the doors and roofs with seaweed or ferns to bring them happiness and good luck. Children receive “otoshidamas” which are small gifts with money inside. They also send New Year cards to their friends and hold forgetting-year parties to say goodbye to the old year. The Japanese also forgive friends and family for any misunderstandings and disagreements they may have had that year so they can make a clean start of the New Year. On December 31st, bells are rung 108 times to chase away 108 troubles. The people all laugh after the gongs because laughter will drive away the bad spirits. With all the bad spirits gone and troubles and enemies forgiven, they enjoy a day of celebration. NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS: One new year tradition is the making of New Year’s resolutions. That tradition dates back to the early Babylonians. The early Babylonian’s [...]
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN WEST BENGAL?
January 6th, 2008 Deepak WHAT IS HAPPENING IN WEST BENGAL? LEFT: Right at the end of nuclear deal. BUDDHA: Defending the indefensible. There is now reason to believe that the India-US civil nuclear deal can indeed be saved. The Left parties, which have been vehemently opposing the deal on the ground that it would bring asunder the country’s sovereignty, have mellowed in the sense that they have agreed to let the government start negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency India-specific safeguards. Such talks are a prelude to operationalising the deal which the Left parties have been opposing. In fact, at one point they had warned that any such step would jeopardize the stability of the UPA government. Seen against this backdrop, the new stance of the Left that it would not oppose the talks with the IAEA is certainly a forward movement. This follows the word given by the government that it would not finalize any agreement with the IAEA till the UPA-Left joint panel gives its green signal. A clearer picture will emerge only after the joint panel holds its meeting. The Left melt down has not come about all of a sudden. Despite their public posture, there are differences of opinion in the Left parties about the nuclear deal. Not all sections in these parties share CPM leader Prakash Karat’s view that any truck with the US is dangerous. They also realize that nuclear energy has to be tapped to meet the growing needs of the economy. Every world leader who has had an interaction with the Indian leaders in the recent past, the last being Russian President Vladimir Putin has been advising them to operationalise the deal. Public opinion has also been growing in favor of the deal, something the Left leaders can only ill afford to ignore. On the political front, the BJP does not subscribe to the Left position. Its opposition to the deal is mainly on the ground that the government had not been taking it into confidence. Better late than never, the Manmohan Singh government has tried to explain to the BJP leaders that India’s Programme to develop the strategic deterrent has not been compromised by the deal. This has helped. The interactions the US Ambassador to India and the former US Secretary of State, Dr Henry Kissinger, had with the BJP leaders also suggest that the party can be persuaded to be more accommodative on [...]
