Finding Nemo

Resuming to write after a long break! A few weeks back we celebrated the Sharad-Navratri or the Navratri leading to Dussehra. This is also the time for Durga Puja and Golu. We are fortunate to have friends from different parts of the country. This helps us to understand the different cultures as well. This year, we had visited many of our friends to see their Golu and their own depiction of the stories. (DISCLAIMER – Please add Lord or God when reading the names – Shiva, Vishnu or Brahma. I mean no disrespect, but find myself lazy. Being a programmer at heart – consider this as my Global Declaration!) A very coherent theme everywhere was the theme around Shiva. Some had decorated their Golu with the dolls displaying the family of Lord Shiva. While some had taken to next level with many stories being narrated through the Shiva dolls. Even when many houses had dolls displaying the Dashavatars of Vishnu, presence of the theme with Lord Shiva at its center was very prominent. I ha

Last night I was telling the bedside story to the younger love of my life, when she asked – “How do you identify the leader of the troop in a war – particularly in a warzone where a lot of people are fighting against each other”? While I explained to her how the modern warfare works and how the generals lead the army today, I also imagined the warcraft of yesterday and started to describe the vivid imagination fueled by the magnanimity of the movies like Bahubali, Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat. The job was simple as we both had watched the movies together. And she understood all that I told her. Yet a question from her made me fumble – Do all the warriors have a flag on their chariot, and what do they mean? In my research for the answer, I stumbled upon the information that I would like to share with you too. In the Viraat Parva of Mahabharata, Arjuna under the disguise of Brihannala plays the role of the charioteer for Prince Uttara of Virata kingdom. Under the condition