Universality of the Gita

"For the protection of the righteous,

For the destruction of the wicked,

And for the establishment of Dharma,

I manifest Myself in every age."

Lord Krishna declares in Gita (4.8)

This statement need not be restricted to Hinduism. In the early part of the twentieth century, in Portugal,  the monarchy was overthrown & a de facto Police State was established which was anti-religious & prohibited priests & nuns from wearing their customary habiliments. They were also embroiled in the first world war.

In this predicament, a divine apparition, identifying herself as "The Lady of the Rosary" appeared to three shepherd children & talked to them. Even the local pastor did not believe them & the administration persecuted them. Only after a public miracle, were the authorities convinced & allowed the churches to open & continue their religious activities. However, two of the children died young as predicted by the apparition named Fatima, (a pseudonym of the Virgin Mary), ostensibly because of the then raging influenza epidemic.

To buttress the words of the Gita, the basilica of St.Fatima, which has become a bustling pilgrimage centre, is called the "The Shrine of the World." (St.Fatima having come down to alleviate the anarchy & authoritarianism then prevalent.)

Films about Inspirational Teachers

"To Sir, With Love" (1967) with Sidney Poitier battling rowdy boys in London East End & winning over their hearts, was a hit & was followed one month later by the release of the similar "Up The Down Staircase".

"Up The Down Staircase" (1967) with Sandy Dennis as the visionary teacher, dealt of with the indiscipline in a New York High School, which was gradually brought under control, by the teacher using classic English literature ("The Best of times....The worst of times") to instil a sense of values to the students.

Maggie Smith in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (1969) was undoubtedly inspirational, but preaching too much freedom to her Scottish girl students in Edinburgh, led to one of her favourite girls to rebel against her.

Julia Roberts, teaching Art History in a Women's college in "The Mona Lisa Smile" (2003) encouraged her students to look at Art with new eyes. However, though popular with her students, she was unconventional enough to be shunted out by the college administration.

Extraordinary History of Ravi Shankar's Sitar Concerto No.1

When Andre Previn, an admirer of Ravi Shankar's music, was appointed as the principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra in 1968, he invited Ravi Shankar to compose a concerto for Sitar & Orchestra.

It was composed in two & a half months in 1970 & essentially the orchestra was used to play Indian Music. There is minimal counterpoint & harmony. There are four movements based on ragas Khamach, Sindhi Bhairavi, Adana & Manj Khamach. On seeing the first draft of the score, Andre Previn, who in spite of originating the project, never formed much of a bond with Ravi Shankar (like the later Zubin Mehta), began to have some reservations, some of which were resolved.

The premiere took place at the Royal Festival Hall on 28th January 1971. The reviews were mostly positive. The album was recorded at the end of May, & released with arguably the most attractive jacket of all Ravi Shankar's albums. Capitol Records claimed that "It sold like a pop record."

In a cruel twist of fate, the Western detractors were led by Andre Previn himself, (whose idea it was & who conducted it), who later said "The recording is absolute, total, utter s--t. I knew it was nonsense."

In India, in an article published with "The Hindu", dated 29th December 1996, Ustad Vilayat Khan fumed "Your soul will abuse you if you indulge in fusion with Western Orchestras."

In a final astonishing twist of fate, Anupama Bhagawat, a leading sitarist belonging to Ustad Vilayat Khan's Gharana, played this concerto with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra on May, 2022 & described her experience as "fabulous & great"!