A Humorous Episode

Once, Venkannayya had fallen ill. It was a disease that troubled him on and off – something stomach-related. When I heard the news, I wrote the following quatrain on a postcard and sent it to his college address in Mysore:

vaṃkāyòkkaṭè kaḍupulò।
saṃkaṭamunu galugujeyunayyā nūnan॥
iṃkanu virupanu jeritè।
vèṃkaṇṇā! grudda cinugi brovakagalade॥

तर्जयन्निव विघ्नौघान्नमितोन्नमितेन यः |

मुहुर्विभाति शिरसा स पायाद्वो गजाननः ||

[May that elephant-faced deity, who by repeatedly raising and bowing his head, appears to continually threaten the multitude of obstacles, protect you all]

It is claimed often that ours is an Age of Science, an era of intellectual superiority. On the one hand, the intellect is mighty but on the other hand, the mind is fragile. Our times despise difficulties. Let nothing be difficult, may everything be easy – a piece of cake – this is today’s mindset.

This starts in our schools. Indian languages have the letters cha, bha, kṣa, hra – who needs these letters? They weary the children.