Kusum Choppra

Sad but true: against the archeological evidences of Mahabharatian places, there are no Ramayan ones, except those consecrated after Tulsidas’ Ramayan, centuries later.   Scholars mourn the lack of empirical evidence of Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Dandakaranya, Lanka, Panchavati, Videha, Kosala; when Buddha was teaching at Savatthi 58 km from Ayodhya, it was called Oudh by pilgrims including Fa Hien and Hieun Tsang. But ... Yes, but there is some ray of hope. Valmiki scholars are excited by recent developments. Valmiki’s 'Kishkinda Kand' Section 40-43 offers detailed directions to the four Vaanar brigades hunting for Sita after her abduction.   Those to the westbound brigade came up for close scrutiny: This route’s ultimate culmination was Mt. Asta ( अस्त ) or Sunset Mountain. What do they cross before Ast? Valmiki described a route due west from the Vindhyas, from a point where “the sindhu falls into the sea” i.e. either where the Narmada entered the Arabian sea or the...

Mastani was reputedly stunningly beautiful: Had Mastani been such a stunning beauty, there would have been some genuine picture or painting of her. The two in the Kelkar and Wai museums have been denounced by historians as not depictions of Mastani herself. There are too many identification and cultural errors for these to be depictions of Mastani. The innumerable anomalies in the story of Mastani as it is popularly told, stick out. Here was a Kshtriya maiden, daughter of the most powerful ruler of Central India of his times and a known upholder of his religion, supposedly "giving" his daughter from a minor "wife/mistress" to the Peshwa. If she was the daughter of a mistress, would not that be a calculated insult to the man who saved Chhatrasaal life and kingdom for him? To assuage which Chhatrasaal agreed to give the Peshwa one third of his kingdom as well as war reparations of 2.25 lakhs? Against these reparations, Mastani's lugda choli, i.e. dowry alo...

A new prism on a contemporary subject: What drives US President Trump?            Snide references aside, could disregard for niceties be dictated by his 3 Cash Cows?  India’s ancient commerce-based civilization  can  surely understand that. As a novice journo, my theory held that despite Japanese take over of major US industries, American still had Arms n Ammunitions.   Active fostering of fiery spats all over the world, salesmen offering arms to both sides, had US billionaires laughing all the way to the banks. Even Obama was railroaded into Afghanistan in his first term; later he stood firm on Syria since he wasn’t fighting another election! Since 1941 and World War II, US’ Defense Industries have boomed with Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Guatemala, sundry African nations galore; despite red herrings such as “democracy”, “our way of life”, “human rights”, etc. US’ Cash Cow2,...