IKRS Saturday 6th February 2016 ep 157 My Take blind faith or else catastrophe!
If only life was balanced enough with a good helping of the pleasant and comparatively a small helping of the unpleasant, what a wonderful world it be . What a wonderful life it would be. For only one trend in our life would not only make it monotonous ,but also unrealistic. As the whole universe runs on the theme of keeping a balance. For more one of thing and less of the other tips things and we end up in chaos! It's interesting how we aim to keep a check and balance on our daily lives and routines. But it's doubly interesting to see that despite our efforts to keep our lives in balance there exist other factors that may have a bearing on making us lose our sense of equilibrium .These factors could be people connected to our lives or our own staunch cultural faith or philosophical beliefs we hold. The episode to me is one that raises our awareness and teases questions about the validity of certain age old handed down the centuries traditions and mind sets done under cover of faiths..
Thus progresses Dhani's first day of her birthday day. She's been granted another year in life to celebrate, learn from , live life for yet another year to the fullest. There is a general feeling of celebration in the ashram too, since Dhani's mother in law is visiting. But with Dhani's mother in law its first things first , she carries a bowl of halwa for Dhani and insists the girl has to eat it rightaway! as she made it especially for her. Kanak cannot wait to see Dhani snuff it! as soon as possible! and what better moment, than to start the day with a sweet dish? it bodes well , the sweet dish ,for this ill-fated Dhani! as its evil food served with evil hands with an evil heart!.. try it at least! Kanak insists, but Dhani being Dhani insists she will, after she's served everyone else! For it's in her nature to put others first. Besides it's not every day that such treats are made here at the ashram so she ensures that others have been served before.But Kanak is too pushy in getting it over done and dusted and literally pulls Dhani unceremoniously and protests ,there's more for others to have. It's interesting that Kanak insists upon Dhani tasting the dish ,but Dhani keeps stalling it. In fact dulari too insists Dhani eat it as her MIL made it especially for her.. not with love as Kanak makes it out to be , but with the view to kill Dhani well and proper. So without wishing to be impolite and ungrateful, Dhani scoops a spoonful of the fare, the deadly dish and very nearly brings it to her mouth..when suddenly the ashram door flings open and in walks Viplav bearing gifts , but the greatest gift that he gives Dhani at this point in life! is to save her it at the hands of his deadly dangerous mother!
One look at Dhani eating the tasty fare sparks his interest and he starts on her, greedily eyeing her halwa.. what are you eating? and a beaming at one sight of him , Raj laxmi says its halwa your mum made it for her! and viplav puts the pressies down, snatches the bowl from Dhani is that so? Then anything made by mum will be eaten by her son first! Here comes the section from Dhani's so to speak widow's yog, that any harm that Kanak directs towards Dhani will fall upon viplav! So , he's ready to eat! but Kanak stands between him and Dhani and scolds him she's kept some aside for all too , let Dhani eat first but he insists no he'll eat it first! as she s his mother first! and Dhani's mother in law second! Kanak panics and tries to take it from his hands but he swirls and ducks and is ready to scoop a spoonful into his mouth when Kanak! slaps the bowl out of his hands and its tips on to the floor! Kanak pretends to fluster , viplav says no problem he'll clean it , and he bends his knees to clean it up but Dhani too kneels beside him and says ,its ok she'll clear it.. and he whispers devilishly to her , she cast her evil eye on it, because he snatched it off her ! and she hisses back! that's what happens when one snatches food from other peoples hand ,they don't get to eat it either! and he gives her an expanded eyes look .. really! and she stares back ..her eyes replying defiantly ,yes really!The scene is a visible statement of how Viplav even inadvertently too, is ever present to guard Dhani and be her shield of protection against lurking unknown dangers to Dhani's person.
Dhani takes the fallen poisoned hawla outside the ashram and gives it to a stray black cat outside the ashram. Upon her return dulari gives both a bowl each to eat and warns no fighting. Much to Kanak's annoyance Viplav feeds Dhani and wishes her happy birthday .Rajlaxmi loves to wind Kanak up and suggests Dhani give Viplav a spoon ful. But Dhani is hesitant. Raj laxmi adds fuel to Kanak's angst and adds.. Dhani's shy because chotti maalkan is here. Kanak is forced to say ,grinding her teeth , its ok Dhani needn't be shy of her , as she's like her mother! so go ahead feed a spoonful to Viplav too..he eats and chomps the halwa , but doesn't forget to love his mother. Goes to her puts his arm around her shoulders lovingly and says mum thank you you're great making halwa for Dhani on her birthday.Then lovingly he feeds her a spoon and she feeds him and both her and Dhani give each other the opponents look! Is the dead black cat a symbol of obsolete socio religious practices? or a symbol of the wicked mother in law whose evil attempts at harming Dhani will be dysfunctional eventually?
Miffed Kanak fumes inside , had the plan pulled off successfully ,Dhani would have kicked the bucket by now! everything is ruined! dhani comes over to her and says thanks for making it for her and Kanak regrets , that due to Viplav's antics things got spoilt .. this is Freudian slip as Viplav came in the nick of time and ruined such an important plan completely. Dhani suddenly hears a cat's wail and tells Kanak she'll just have a look may be the cat is hungry? Kanak thunders inside , god has given this witch so much goodness that she worried about a cat while here she is worried when Dhani's going to go from the world!
A dead cat found at the doorstep of the ashram. Dhani looks astounded. Small crowd of neighbours turn up and blame Dhani for feeding and killing the cat! They say there's food stuck on her mouth .Dhani too is surprised how come after eating the halwa the cat died? On out of the crowd makes it a big issue a cat is dead outside the ashram! hence the a faith leader should be called to resolve the issue. The pandit arrives and along with him comes pandit phool chand ready to pounce on dhani any way. Before all Dhani s act of killing a cat outside the ashram is denounced and according to traditions she would have to do penance by donating a golden cat to the temple. The widows all complain, they're poor where are they meant to donate a cat made out of gold? Pandit says , the cat died in front of their ashram and it's soul will be wandering restlessly in the locality , all due to Dhani! so for her atonement she will have to make a donation and thecrowd too insists that Dhani will have to make amend!. Phool chand as usual sucks blood out of the poor in the forms of donations so the likes of him can steal from the gold donated by the devotees in the name of set traditions which devotees don't challenge. He too supports the pandit that Dhani has to atone for her act , as the dead cat's soul will cause impending doom and chaos upon all of Baneras city , and their ashram too will not escape from the catastrophe this dead cat will bring ,so Dhani will have to do as told .. a cat made of gold or catstrophe! But indrani says, the cat might have died from another reason. But PC says, don't hoodwink us! as the cat has halwa on her on her mouth! Dulari says we all had it nothing of the sort happened to us.. but phool chand says this the pure city of benaras.. purest out of the country and he will not allow them to play with the traditions custom and practices! So a cat of gold has to been offered to the mandir other wise be ready to suffer severe consequences. Decrees phool chand , Kanak delights, that her poison plan might have failed , but now it'll be great fun to see where from? theses pauper widows can get a cat made out of gold!
Dhani apologizes to phool chand but he says the cats dead and calls Dhani charcterless, Raj laxmi flies to her friends defence but he shuts her up too. Then Viplav arrives and wants to know why the crowd?phoolchand asks the crowd to tell him what's happened. One of the crowd says the cat died to which, Viplav replies so what's the big deal? Viplav wants to know what proof have they got that Dhani killed it? Phool chand replies to him the cats death may be meaningless , but its the norm of benaras in fact the whole nation that if a cat dies outside someone's door step that person has to perform penance by offering a cat made of gold in the temple, within the law there is punishment for this offence.. besides it the decree of our rajah as well!and just remember we will not let anyone overstep the law of our rajah! Viplav retorts this is democratic Bharat pandit ji no rajahs rule over it now !and phool chand retorts there is a rajah and that is maha pandit dhasrant tirpathi! Kanak worries ,so this news might reach babu ji? no she will have to smooth the ruffled feathers.. but viplav says all laid back ,in that case they needn't be tense! As he'll sort that out , now all ofthem just leave . phool chand says take a look maha pandit's grandson he is misusing his power! Kanak jumps in and apologizes to the pandits on his behalf I apologize as he knows nothing about our traditions and practices she says she will provide a golden cat, and excepts the punishment.
Kanak drags her son back into the ashram! once in, she tells him off that due to his liberal thoughts these people in the ashram may get punished. She tries to divert his attention because she knows he's thinking something .. she explains she doesn't know how the cat died? but it was found outside the ashram with halwa around her mouth.Then craftily she runs all innocently to dhani did she think her halwa had poision in it? Thus Viplav complains mother what are you saying? We all had it so calm down and stop blaming yourself and Kanak in a feigned voivce says but Dhani too is innocent ! she didn't do it deliberately and chai kaki says well Dhani fed the cat so she will have to be penitent! and dulari says but where will get they gold from? we have no money and much to Kanak's disappointment vilav says kaki don't worry he'll deal with that Dhani don't you worry he'll get the cat of gold. It was an accident a mishap.. couldn't be helped. So she can go to the mandir . But Dhani turns down his offer. Viplav tells her don't give phool chand much thought its his job to talk nonsense and whip people up in a frenzy , he'll have a word with dada ji he assures her.. we'll find some solution... and he calms both his mother and Dhani and leaves.. what's interesting to note is the balance of care and understanding that viplav maintains between both his mother and wife to be. Kanak,though feigns being reasonable and realistic, to win Viplav's trust over, and prevent him from pondering over the real issue.. the halwa the cat ate was poisioned!
Phool chand comes to visit dashrant and begins to tell him about the incident . dashrant tells him he knows and above all he also knows how to deal with the problem? What to do and what not to.
Chaiye chacji says viplav buying the gold cat won't do as Dhani has committed a sin. Kanak decides to throw oil in the fire and says oh dear a cat to die is a very inauspicious and bad she hope s nothing happens to the ashram .dhani says to all rest, and suddenly sit mai feels dizzy and others tend to her.
Dshrant says to Viplav he knows what happened at the ashram . To which he says so he agrees its room to blame Dhani ask for a cat of gold? and dashrant says there is another option. If the cat died after she was fed the halwa by Dhani ,then I am afraid we have to give a cat of gold as a offering to the mandir. Viplav is disappointed by hearing this. Dashrant says he's not stipulating this, but it's the traditions that say it..theses norms have carried on since ages! Viplav argues and who made these dictates and traditions god? he didn't did he? Ok let's say this has been going on since ages! So what ever wrong beliefs people have had, since ages ,are we still going to harass the people of today with those outdated values? What happens if the cat died at the hands of a poor man??' where would he get the money from? So all these traditions and values have they been put in place to distress the poor? Dadi says we should buy a golden cat for Dhani so the matter is closed! Viplav replies he suggested to Dhani but she declined, but now he's going to buy the cat .But dashrant corrects him,look if another helps then repentance will not be counted as repentance...but tell me something Viplav who actually made the halwa? Viplav replies spontaneously mother made it ,we all had it but nothing happened to us..only the cat died.. it was just a mistake why won't they undertand? Viplav leaves and dadi leaves as well and dashrant says , how come bahuji has become so generous that she has made hawla especially for Dhani on her birthday? seems incredible..
Kanak innocently asks Dhani hope all this is nothing happening because she is illfated. Dhani consoles her. she can't talk like this. being vakeel babu s mother!is Kanak looking for Dhani's support? Slowly lulling Dhani into believing that Kanak means well.. and then biting a comfort blanketed Dhani..
Well friends the cat's got my tongue on this episode.. there's lots in it. To me it seems that cvs have decided to revisit the theme of the plight of the widows. Accepted norms and exploitation of the masses in the name of tradition is once again churned up in this episode. The difference between what is and what seems continues in the persona's of Dashrant and Kanak. Viplav continues to challenge norms.. I fail to understand though ,why he is still producing a cat of gold on Dhani's behalf?? Hamlet53 7.2.16
Sorry its too long..
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