When expectations grow faster than income

50 years ago, in the 1970's, India was much poorer than today. Farmers were the majority of the population. Most lived in huts. Those who had a proper roof and steady income were considered outliers. Villages just had only one Govt. school to provide education. Only Doctors and Police Inspectors drove Bullets and it made sense. People hardly traveled. Even when they had to, they were content sleeping in the corridors of a temple and taking bath in the local river. Lodging and hotels were not big businesses during those times. People at large did not waste money on them. Gadgets that consumed electricity were rarely used. A movie in a tent theater and largely local gossip were the major avenues for entertainment. But the strange thing is, despite the lack of comforts, people hardly complained about their lives. 

Watch movies, read novels produced in those decades, you don't get to see people feeling bad about their lives. Being poor hardly mattered for them. Protagonists in the movies rather fought to uphold family values. Majority of the population did not repent the hardships they had to go through. In other words, people were poor but content. But things do not remain the same. They change. And there was one big change. 

That was expectations from life. 

Usually, expectations are set by our parents and influenced by the neighborhood we live in and the immediate relatives and friends we mingle with. The society we live in has seen lots of economic progress. Higher incomes gave higher buying power. Now every family has a 2-wheeler. Lots of them drive cars. Some frequently go to airports for their travel. Majority of us take vacations and we don't sleep in open spaces. The money we earn gives that affordability.

Technology further propelled the consumerism. Earlier we had trouble when our neighbor bought a new luxury car. Now the social media sends notifications about the new possession of an old and forgotten friend. Our LinkedIn profile sets our social pecking order. If you have not traveled overseas, you are as good as an uneducated man. Watch James Bond movies, it is more about gadgets than bravery now. Many of my NRI friends have bought land in Bangalore just for the fear of missing out (FOMO). My neighbor has built a 4-storey house for a family of 4. That home is likely to remain underutilized and rather become a space for the hoarding habits of its owner.

Stare at your wardrobe and shoe-stand and compare it with what you had forty years ago. There is a stark difference, but your wish list is not complete yet. Compared to what you had in your childhood, you have lots of comforts now. You are much richer, but you are not content. Your income has multiplied, but the expectations grew much more rapidly and it took the peace out of your life. Buddha declared two thousand years ago that 'Higher the expectations, higher is the dissatisfaction in life'. Now the whole society is in the tight grip of higher expectations.

If you want to live a simple, minimal life, it is difficult to do so. Society of today's time does not have tolerance for such people. They will label you as a loser. Your own children won't respect you as you are not a person to look up to anymore. Your wife would be troubled with her bad luck. Your friends can't understand why you are losing out. 

When expectations grow faster than income, you will never be able to have a satisfied life. Only way out is pruning your expectations despite the risk of being labeled a loser. I am embracing that risk my friend. You might have noticed that I am out of FaceBook already. I decided to get my old car repaired instead of upgrading. I am not a hero to my sons anymore and an utter failure in my wife's eyes. I am constantly losing my friends and the trend will only aggravate. It does not matter. I am out of the treadmill. I don't have to keep running.

I suppose Buddha was an idiot before he had become Buddha. It took twelve years of mediation for him to understand that higher expectations ruin your life. I and you don't lack common sense. I think we can learn to trim our expectations and lead a comfortable life. Peace makes up for the loss of societal respect and approval. Period.

ದಿಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಲ್ತಾನರನ್ನು ಸೋಲಿಸಿದ್ದ ಕುಮಾರ ರಾಮ

ಉತ್ತರ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಡು ಭಾಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾರನ್ನಾದರೂ ಹೀಗಳೆಯೇಬೇಕೆಂದರೆ ಆಡುವ ಮಾತು 'ಬಂದುಬಿಟ್ಟ, ಭಾರಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಕೋಮ್ರಮ'.  ಈ ಕೋಮ್ರಮ ನೇ ಕುಮಾರ ರಾಮ. ಇಲ್ಲಿಯ ಜನರಿಗೆ ಅವನಂಥ ಗಂಡುಗಲಿ ಇನ್ನಾರಿಲ್ಲ ಎನ್ನುವ ನಂಬಿಕೆ. ಅದು ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಬಂದುದು ಅಲ್ಲವಲ್ಲ.

ಕುಮಾರ ರಾಮ ಬರೀ ಕಂಪಿಲ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ರಾಜಕುಮಾರ ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಆಗಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಅವನು ಧೈರ್ಯವೇ ದೇಹದ ರೂಪ ತಾಳಿ ಬಂದಂತಿದ್ದ. ಅವನ ಚೆಲುವಿಗೆ, ಅವನ ಸಾಹಸಕ್ಕೆ, ಯುದ್ಧ ಕೌಶಲ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಮನಸೋತ ಕಾಕತಿಯ ದೊರೆ ಅವನಿಗೆ ಕುದುರೆ 'ಬೊಲ್ಲ' ನನ್ನ ಉಡುಗೊರೆಯಾಗಿ ಕೊಟ್ಟಿದ್ದ. ಕುಮಾರ ರಾಮನಿಗೆ ಅವನಷ್ಟೇ ಸಾಹಸ-ಧೈರ್ಯಗಳಿಂದ ಕಾದಾಡುವ ಸೇನೆ ಜೊತೆಗಿತ್ತು. ತನ್ನ ರಾಜ್ಯವನ್ನು ಹಲವು ಬಾರಿ ದಿಲ್ಲಿ ದೊರೆಗಳ ಧಾಳಿಯಿಂದ ಕಾಪಾಡುವ ಕುಮಾರ ರಾಮನ ಧೈರ್ಯ-ಸಾಹಸಗಳು, ರಣ ತಂತ್ರಗಳು ಅವನಿಗೆ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಹೆಸರನ್ನು ತಂದು ಕೊಟ್ಟವು. ಅದನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿದ ದಿಲ್ಲಿ ತುಘಲಕ್ ಸುಲ್ತಾನನ ಮಗಳು ಕೂಡ ಅವನನ್ನು ವರಿಸಲು ಇಷ್ಟ ಪಟ್ಟಿದ್ದಳು.  

ಅದು ೧೨ ನೇ ಶತಮಾನ. ವಿಜಯನಗರ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯ ಅಸ್ಥಿತ್ವಕ್ಕೆ  ಬರುವ ಮುಂಚೆ ಅದೇ ಪ್ರದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಇದ್ದ ರಾಜ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ದೊರೆ ಕಂಪಿಲರಾಯ. ಅವನ ಮಗನೆ ಕುಮಾರ ರಾಮ. ಇಂದಿನ ಕೊಪ್ಪಳ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಗಂಗಾವತಿ ಹತ್ತಿರದ ಕಂಪ್ಲಿ, ಆನೆಗುಂದಿ ಮತ್ತು ಕುಮ್ಮಟದುರ್ಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರು ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಿದ್ದ ಅವಶೇಷಗಳು ಉಳಿದಿವೆ. ಕುಮಾರ ರಾಮನ ಅರಮನೆ ಇದ್ದದ್ದು ಕುಮ್ಮಟ ದುರ್ಗದ ಬೆಟ್ಟದ ಮೇಲೆ. ಮೂರು ಸುತ್ತಿನ ಕೋಟೆ ಇಂದಿಗೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಕಡಿಮೆ ನೆಲ ಸಮ ಆಗಿದೆ. ಆದರೂ ರೂಪು-ರೇಷೆಯ ಅಂದಾಜು ಸಿಗುತ್ತದೆ.

ಕಂಪಿಲ ರಾಜ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಇದ್ದ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ ದಿಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಲ್ತಾನರ ಹಾವಳಿ. ಅದು ದಿಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಲ್ತಾನ ತುಘಲಕ  ತನ್ನ ಬಂಗಾರದ ಪಾದರಕ್ಷೆಗಳನ್ನು ಕಳಿಸಿ ಕಪ್ಪ-ಕಾಣಿಕೆ ಕೇಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಕಾಲ. ಅವರ ದಬ್ಬಾಳಿಕೆಗೆ ಹಲವಾರು ರಾಜ ಮನೆತನಗಳು ಮೂಲೆಗುಂಪಾಗುತ್ತವೆ. ಆದರೆ ಕಪ್ಪ-ಕಾಣಿಕೆ ನೀಡಲೊಲ್ಲದ ಕುಮಾರ ರಾಮ ಆ ಬಂಗಾರದ ಪಾದರಕ್ಷೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮೆಟ್ಟಿ ನಿಲ್ಲುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಆ ಸುದ್ದಿ ದಿಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಲ್ತಾನರಿಗೂ ತಲುಪುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವರು ಕಳಿಸುವ ಸಣ್ಣ ಪ್ರಮಾಣದ ಸೈನ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಧೂಳಿಪಟ ಮಾಡಿ ಕಳಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ ಕುಮಾರ ರಾಮ. ಮತ್ತೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಪಡೆಗಳು ಬಂದಾಗ ಅದು ಮತ್ತೆ ಪುನರಾವರ್ತನೆ ಆಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಕೊನೆಗೆ ಅಪಾರ ಪ್ರಮಾಣದ ಸೈನ್ಯ ಬಂದಾಗ ಕುಮಾರ ರಾಮ ಸೋಲುತ್ತಾನೆ, ಯುದ್ಧ ನಡೆದ ಪ್ರದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನ ತಲೆ ಕಡಿಯಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಆ ಜಾಗಕ್ಕೆ ಈಗ ತಲೇಖಾನ್ ಎಂದು ಹೆಸರು. ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ಅವನ ತಲೆ ದೆಹಲಿ ತಲುಪುತ್ತದೆ. ಅದೇ ಸಮಯಕ್ಕೆ ದೆಹಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಷಾಮ ಬಂದೊಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಸುಲ್ತಾನರು ಅವರ ಆಸ್ಥಾನ ಜ್ಯೋತಿಷಿಗಳು ಹೇಳಿದ ಹಾಗೆ ಕುಮಾರ ರಾಮನ ತಲೆಯನ್ನು ಮತ್ತೆ ವಾಪಸ್ಸು ಅನೆಗೊಂದಿಗೆ ಕಳಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನ ರುಂಡಕ್ಕೆ ಪೂಜಿಸಿ ಗುಡಿ ಕಟ್ಟಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಹೀಗೆ ಅವನ ಮುಂಡ ತಲೇಖಾನ್ ಗ್ರಾಮದಲ್ಲಿ (ಇಂದಿಗೆ ಮಸ್ಕಿ ತಾಲೂಕಿನಲ್ಲಿದೆ) ಆದರೆ ರುಂಡ ಆನೆಗೊಂದಿಯ ಹತ್ತಿರ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಂತ್ಯ ಸಂಸ್ಕಾರ ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆ.

ದಿಲ್ಲಿಯ ಸುಲ್ತಾನರನ್ನು ಹಾಡಿ ಹೊಗಳುವ ಜನಕ್ಕೆ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಹಲವು ಬಾರಿ ಸೋಲಿನ ರುಚಿ ತೋರಿಸಿದ ಮತ್ತು ಅದೇ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರಾಣ ತೆತ್ತ ಕನ್ನಡದ ಯೋಧ ಕುಮಾರ ರಾಮ ನೆನಪಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರ ನಿರಭಿಮಾನವೇ ಇಷ್ಟು. ಆದರೂ ಇಂದಿಗೂ ಕುಮಾರ ರಾಮನ ಗುಡಿಗೆ ಪೂಜೆ ಸಲ್ಲುತ್ತದೆ ಎನ್ನುವುದೇ ನೆಮ್ಮದಿ. ಅವನ ಧೈರ್ಯ-ಸಾಹಸಗಳು ಅಪ್ರತಿಮ ಎಂದು ಕೊಂಡಾಡಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವನ ನಂತರ ಆ ತರಹದ ಅಪ್ರತಿಮ ವೀರ ಕನ್ನಡ ನಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹುಟ್ಟಲೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಉಳಿದವರೆಲ್ಲ ''ಬಂದುಬಿಟ್ಟ, ಭಾರಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಕೋಮ್ರಮ" ಎಂದು ಬೈಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕಷ್ಟೆ.

Bangalore Literature Festival 2024

Though it was a two days event, I could make my presence only on the second day. Packed with people, parallel running events, readers queued up to get signatures from their favorite authors all denoted it was indeed a festival to cherish.

My favorite part of the festival (which seems to be favorite of the most present too) were two authors - Sudha Murthy and William Dalrymple.

Sudha Murthy not only writes well, she is even better as a speaker. She can hold the audience focused on just one thing - her talk.

I have read Dalrymple and hold him with high regards for his knowledge of India. I have read and reread his books 'Nine Lives' and 'The Anarchy'. He can bring historical events alive through his dramatic oration.

Seeing them in person (and not on TV/Computer/Mobile screens) was a refreshing thing. Attending BLF is a day well spent for me.

Sudha Murthy doing her talking

Dalrymple talking about his latest book

Gandhi was here

Mahatma Gandhi was in Bangalore in 1927 for three months. He held a prayer meeting at this place, so says a memorial. It is located in the Hotel Ashoka premises. This hotel was built in the 1970's, so when Gandhi was here, this place probably hosted a Guest House.

(I visited Hotel Ashoka to attend Bangalore Literature Festival, and noticed this memorial. Picture credit belongs to the author)

Notice the name plate in the background

Description of memorial

A moment from morning walk

A bird, a goose, and a fallen tree @ Ullal lake, Bangalore