Images of the Past

The Past.....

.... and the Past Marred by modernity

These pictures were shot near the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Franscisco. Ever curious about the historical monuments I ventured into the back trails of the Golden Gate Bridge Historical Park to see what secrets it holds. And here is what I found.... several old buildings, and most of them splattered by graffiti. I wonder why humans are so bent upon spoiling/ modifying/ altering/ whatever you call it... the existing.

Memories of Bhutan

Bhutan ranks among the smallest nations in the world. Sandwiched between India and China, Bhutan is a mountainous state with a majority of its land area covered by forest. This richness in nature is what makes it one of my favorite locations in the world. Like most other nations in the Eastern Part of the world, Bhutan also has a rich and vibrant history, colorful culture and amazing architectural marvels.

Drugyal Dzong, Paro

More About Hero Stones

I had earlier blogged about Hero Stones in India and had posted couple of pictures. One of my blog readers commented that these Hero Stones will go on to become roadside temples and cause public nuisance. I thought and reflected on the comment for some time. It is true that these roadside temples become a problem on the long run, but I would like to take a tangential approach to this whole business of the Hero Stone becoming a roadside shrine.

My first question is Why do these Hero Stones become a temple? The answer in my opinion stems from apathy, both from the people and from the government. In India with so much history strewn around nobody cares about the historical significance of something as trivial as a Hero Stone. There is very little money available for academic research about history of India and moreover the Hero Stone tradition being a Hindu concept, no academic is interested. Even if an academic shows interest he/ she will immediately branded "Saffronista" or "BJP" or "Hindu fundamentalist" and ostracized in the academia. Once anyone gets this tag it will become virtually impossible for career advancement and getting future research grants.

The government doesn't have enough museums to host these artifacts/ inscriptions. If there were museums that could be educational spaces for children and adults alike to create an awareness about the great historical traditions of our country. If we had museums which protected the monuments and cared for them these Hero stones wouldn't fall into the hands of unscrupulous elements who would then convert them into temples and create a menace for public.

I hope those who expressed dissent about the previous blog post will appreciate the beauty of the Hero Stone and think about how we can protect them both from the elements as well as unscrupulous people.

Meanwhile enjoy the beauty of some more Hero Stones.

Hero Stones from India

For my school project I made a PPT on the ancient Indian tradition of installing Hero Stones in memory of those who sacrificed their life in defense of their community, village, kingdom or country. As I compiled the presentation I realized that I have a pretty good repository of pictures of different types of Hero Stones. I thought it would be a good collection to share on this blog.

Hero Stone in Tumkur district, Karnataka, India

Damaged Hero Stone in Tamil Nadu

Unequal Even When Martyred

We know that until the Civil Rights Movement African-Americans didn't have several basic rights and were heavily discriminated against. Some of the books I read talked about soldiers of African-American origin who fought with the Union during the civil war and helped free their brethren. But what those books didn't say was that even though both White and Colored (African-American) soldiers did exactly the same thing, they were treated differently.

Bywater War Memorial, New Orleans

When I was in New Orleans earlier this month I took time off to visit the Katrina-devastated and under-reconstruction Lower 9th Ward. In Bywater neighborhood of the Lower 9th Ward is this World War I war memorial. The structure which looks quite similar to the India Gate in New Delhi commemorates those from this area who laid down their lives for the country. The memorial is a great initiative and everyone listed there deserves the respect of one and all. But what stuck me hard was the fact that the memorial has separate boards listing the names of "White Men" and "Colored Men". This is quite absurd in my opinion, a man or woman who serves the nation and performs the ultimate sacrifice of giving up his or her life is not to be perceived by color, they are patriots and that is it.










It seems like even after getting martyred some people are simply not accorded equal status.