Musk Deludes The Deer

Dr Manmohan K Magazine  

Afolk-lore tradition has it that the itch, rendering Of a musk deer pleasantly perturbed, is triggered off by the emanating fragrance of the maturing musk that lies pouched in its own belly. It is in pursuit of this exotic scent that the deer speeds up and down the hills and dales, abandoning its parent herd. But. obviously, the precious substance always eludes detection, being embryonic within the very biology of the animal The playfulness about the poignancy of this mad pursuit he's in the deer meeting its tragic fate at the hands of the poacher who simply lies in wait for the unsuspecting victim to pass by The frolicking deer is no more, and the musk is missing. having been extracted by the wanton but wise killer (exploiter)! It is not inappropriate to expect that the security of this beautiful but hapless creature will improve if it could resist the infatuation of the intoxicating bait that is laid by its very own being against its own self an irony of fate. Its power of resistance could have sprung from the knowledge of the truth about the musk dawning on the poor animal, and it would live at peace with itself and i thus, in turn, enliven the ecology surrounding its existence by the musk of the substance that qualifies its name.

 

Folk-lores are a repository of the distilled wisdom of a people, and, thus, the episode of the deer musk conveys a meaning to us. One straightforward moral is discerned from the episode: self-centredness (the musk) is a negativeness that brings to nought all that is positive. But then self-centeredness is a syndrome that grips every psyche though in varying degrees, and its cutting edge attains its deadliest sharpness against that section of human society, majority of whose population suffers from a severe form of the syndrome, particularly when it is the target of a well- designed antagonism, like, for example, Kashmiri Pandits Pandits have a very long history of suffering through religio-political, ethno-regional, and ideological antagonisms on account of Hindu as well as non-Hindu perpetrators. Their predicament, after the independence of India, became still precarious under the self-deceiving philosophy followed by Indian leaders that identifies secularism with appeasement of those who believe in the negation of pluralistic society. These negative forces demand privileges and rights (freedom to undermine the foundations of the Constitution human rights and all that) without any obligations towards the country No tongue musters the courage to tell these subversive elements (and their mentors) that a country is not born out of privileges and rights, but the latter flow out of a stable and strong country: it is a give-and-take equation. Under such circumstances the imperatives of secure and dynamic future of the Pandit community demand development and nurturing of a collective ethos a sphere that envelopes within itself all the bubbles of individual concerns without puncturing the jumbo envelope It is an acknowledged truth that an individual Pandit cannot be vanquished easily, he being abundantly rich in human capital intelligence, application, and innate system of values. But, he is used to tasting defeat again and again on the collective level and he would not care any the less. Therefore, his poacher, who is a keen observer, knows how best to tackle him. He never was in two minds about the sacred goal of annihilating the Panditism, he only adjusted, and readjusted his form and action format to suit the purpose according to the bloody times that unrolled on the firmament of J&K State No less an entity than history itself has been a mute witness to this dispensation meted out to the Pandits by the Hindu, Muslim, or Sikh perpetrators.

 

Nature has endowed every Pandit (as all other persons of talent and grit) with the potential for growth, achievement, and (if he/she so determine) enrichment of collective ambience that in reality gives birth and sustains and lends meaning to each individual existence. However, questions are being asked about the effective, significant, and meaningful contributions made by the individual to the collective life insofar as long range objectives are concerned Answers to these doubts, fears, and concerns are there in each soul of the community which can be concretised by self-introspection. In the long wait in our political wilderness (since 1339, atleast) once more a moment of truth stares us in the face in this last decade of twentieth century. Recent futile (in fact, totally illogical) and even counterproductive exercise of our so-called right of franchise-in-exile (parliamentary elections), our significant (nay disgraceful) place in the latest economic package, for Kashmiri Muslims, announced cavalierly by the Prime Minister, and our neglected helplessness, strangely enough, have as usual failed to stir us into closing our ranks and formations in the Kurukshetra of our eternal battle with the negative forces. Is there a curse working against us, or the musk is leading us by the nose to our door on the collective plane?

 

There is no disagreement about light and strength residing within us, both individually and severally. This is the discovery made by Rishis (and, more recently demonstrated by Mahatma Gandhi). They have challenged us to try to energise these forces and experience the elixir of emancipation for ourselves. Discrimination and Tapascharya, they have prescribed, as a means to tap the elixir. They saw every act of man even that of microbes)—be it physical or mental-being motivated by the eternal impulse to reach this ambrosia. But, it evades the grip of the seeker, like the musk not revealing itself to the desperate deer, our efforts being misdirected. Therefore, the slumbering souls have to be aroused to the state of realisation, and it is no mean a task Dedicated youth, in the footsteps of Sannyasins (both in respect of content and cover), charged with at vision and mission, alone can educate and motivate the Pandits (who are fond of saffroned opinion leaders). It has to be a metamorphosis, a generation of a movement, and a birth of a new Pandit. No force outside of us has the power to energise us to the appropriate potential; it is our own people that have to sacrifice and unfurl the flag of collective achievement. Will it be given to the psychologically captive Pandit to break open the shell that holds this giant of a man?

 

The author presently resides at N-26, New Palam Vihar Gurgaon (Haryana)

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Courtesy:- Dr. Manmohan K. Magazine and 1996 November koshur Samachar