Wednesday 1 April 2020

A is for...April...n...A-Z...






A lot has happened since the sign-up and the Theme Reveal! Hope everyone is keeping safe distance and doing well. As in the other years, starting off my A-Z with some music, here are Agnee and All the Fat Children, two indie bands from India.








And here is a collaboration between A.R. Rahman, possibly the most famous contemporary Indian on the world music scene and U2 - Ahimsa.




Welcome to the A-Z Blog Challenge 2020 going on all April, where I'm posting about India in 26 Objects


Architecture. Art. Advice.

This is a small 3" replica in sandalwood of the Ashoka Stambha - Ashoka Pillar, which has been with me for some years now, a gift from my aunt. The original is some 50 m high, built in polished stone, dates from 3rd century BCE and is located in Sarnath.   






There are some 20 odd pillars of Ashoka surviving, mainly in the Eastern and Central states of India. They constitute some of the oldest stone sculptural and architectural remains from India. Many of them had animal capitals, a design idea borrowed from the Greeks and/or Persians. The representation of the Lion Capital, shown below, has been adopted as the emblem of India in 1950  and appears on currency, official/legal documents and public buildings. The Chakra, or the central wheel under the feet of the lions, is a part of the Indian flag.   

Credit

And who dis Ashoka? and why da pillars? 

Ashoka (lit sans grief, rule 268-232 BCE) was an emperor, the third ruler of the Maurya dynasty founded by Chandragupta Maurya (321-298 BCE). He ruled over a vast tract of land from Afghanistan to modern day Bangladesh, expanding on the handiwork of grandpa. Legend goes that Ashoka started off as a cruel and thoughtless tyrant and ended up being one of the greatest rulers India has ever known, Ashoka the Great is his official moniker. A-class, in other words.


How did this change of heart come about? After a massive battle in his 8th year of rule, Ashoka looked upon the destruction he had caused. In his own words, 100,000 men and animals had been killed, many more died indirectly as a result, 150,000 were taken captive and carried away from their homes. 

Probably a bit of an exaggeration for dramatic effect, given that the population of the entire earth was in a handful of millions. 

But in any case, it was a bloodbath, so a great remorse took hold of him. Ashoka vowed that he would give up violence and make the propagation of faith and promoting peace and harmony among his subjects his main cause from then on. 

Accordingly, he constructed Buddhist monasteries all through his empire, put out his views and prescriptions for peace carved on these handy stone tablets - called edicts, and these stone pillars all round the countryside. Ashoka called them Dhamma Stambh, or Righteous Pillars. Many of the inscriptions make it clear that Ashoka favoured nonviolence, religious tolerance and individual freedoms. The spread of Buddhism soared under Ashoka's patronage, and the faith was taken as far as Thailand to the east and Afghanistan to the west. 

Lion Capital symbol on the gate of
The Currency Building, Calcutta.
In short, Ashoka was the first worldwide political champion of Ahimsa. And that is a great A-word, even if I say so myself! I can think of several contemporary political personalities who would do well to (re)read Ashoka's advice and apply it, updated to their own situations. 



What do you think of nonviolence as a political tool? Any parallels where an emperor's patronage has popularised a religion?












A-Z Challenge 2020

35 comments:

  1. It's rare you find an emperor who promotes non-violence.

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    1. True. But he did have his share of violence before he promoted it. Empires couldn't be built without bloodshed.

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  2. Hari OM
    FAbulous start to the month, Nila - oh yes, an example much needed now... and ARR and U2??? Oh my... YAM xx

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  3. a..a..a..amazing start to A to Z. I wanted to hold your replica. It looks like it would be heavy for its size. I enjoy the tactile feel of carvings - neat representation of such history. Thanks and I look forward to this April journey of India objects.

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    1. I like the tactile feel of stuff too! Wood is a bit grainy and warm, stone cool and smooth, different materials have different vibes. Thanks.

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  4. I've always found sculpting so interesting. Such talent. And history, always something to learn. Thank you.

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    1. I love sculpture too - especially the monumental work in stone that the ancient people did, mostly places of worship, they are mind blowing, both for the scale and the delicacy. Thanks, Renee!

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  5. How I wish non-violence was/is in every politicians armoury.
    My fingers itch to feel the weight of your statuette.
    And my usual appreciative (so very appreciative) thanks for expanding my horizons.

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    1. Sandalwood isn't heavy, and the statue is tiny, so quite light to hold. I wish we had more non-violent leaders all round - less of arms selling/promoting, more pandemic-ready. Thank you.

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  6. The Ashoka Pillar was one of the items in our high school History Atlas, which we used to prepare for the entrance exams to university :) You had to be able to recognize the items, and know their historical background...
    Happy A to Z! :)

    The Multicolored Diary

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    1. That's so cool! Didn't know Ashoka was studied in schools in the west. Happy A-Zing to you too!

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  7. Pretty objects and art! Thanks for sharing ;)

    If you want to, you are welcome to join the (non official) A to Z Challengers Linky Party:
    AtoZ Linky party

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    1. Haha not a patch on yours, all pun intended! :) And some of my objects are pretty plain as well... :) :)

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  8. Agnee's song reminds me of listening to some of my fav Japanese artists with the lilting style and me not understanding a word 💖😂. As for non-violence, I think it is a great ideal, but in some cases it simply doesn't work. If there is no power base to begin with it tends to get squished. I am all for non-violent solutions where possible, however.
    Tasha 💖
    Virginia's Parlour - The Manor (Adult concepts - nothing explicit in posts)
    Tasha's Thinkings - Vampire Drabbles

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    1. Ya, it needs a mass movement to succeed. And it needs the opponent to have a minimum quotient of decency and notions of fair play. Glad you enjoyed the music.

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  9. It's amazing how much thought our nation's early leaders put into national emblems. The Ashoka Pillar is very apt for the idea of our nationhood.

    Cheers,
    CRD

    My theme for this year's Challenge is "Idiosyncrasies of a Covidiot"

    http://scriptedinsanity.blogspot.com/

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    1. Agree. A lot of thought and erudition has gone into all the national emblems and the very definition of our nationhood. Unfortunately, erudition has stopped being valued in recent times.

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  10. I'm all for non-violence, but not when dealing with violence against you and yours where the perpetrators do not consider that you are even human. Then, I think the price is too high.

    https://findingeliza.com/

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    1. Like I said, it needs both parties believing in certain notions of fair play and decency, without that it's just a massacre.

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  11. Most sane people would be all for non violence. It was Gandhi's tool. But there is much that must be sacrificed enroute.
    Thanks for adding the musical bands.

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    1. Non violence takes a certain sort of nobility of soul, not many have it. Neither the guts to make the sacrifices it needs. Glad you liked the bands.

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  12. Great way to start the challenge.
    Agreed many changes since I originally started writing my A to Z posts.
    Hope it's a great month for you.
    ~ Moonie
    https://wp.me/pDORj-3ZT

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    1. Thank you, hope it is a wonderful month for you too. From the theme reveal to the A post - the world has changed fundamentally!

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  13. Very interesting... these should be interesting reads!

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  14. Interesting!

    http://tao-talk.com/2020/04/01/a2z-2020-essential-oils-a-argan-carrier-oil/

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  15. Goodness, you're so right. So many things happened since the Theme Reveal!

    Loved this first post. I see that there are stories about 'bad' people turning 'good' after terrible events (sometimes cause by themselves) all around the world. But it looks like it seldom happens in real life. Sadly.

    You know? When I was younger, I didn't really get non-violence fight. I really didn't understand how and why someone could expect to change something without fight. Then I read Martin Luther King 'authobiography'... and I got it!

    @JazzFeathers
    The Old Shelter - Living the Twenties

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    1. How much of the reformation of the character is actual fact and how much is made up for dramatic effect there is no way of knowing now. I don't like violence, no two ways about that. But there are some situations where non-violence just perpetrates the injustice because it is taken to be a weakness.

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  16. I try very hard to practise ahimsa, though it's probably impossible for anyone to follow it 100% all the time, even with the best intentions. I'm also a pacifist, and if I were to be drafted during a war (if women ever would be drafted and the draft would return), I'd choose a noncombatant position if it were a morally justified war like WWII, or choose to go to jail or escape to a neutral country if it were a war like Vietnam.

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    1. Yeah, I agree difficult to practice ahimsa 100% of the time. Needs more self control than I have certainly.

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  17. So my reading of your posts begins, Nila. Great start!

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  18. Hi Nila - so interesting to read about this = appropriate now ... we need co-operative leaders ... who work with others and realise what 'fair' means.. I'm going to be back to listen to the clips anon, when I'm working on something else - and can listen at the same time. I certainly would hate to go to war and loathe violence ... but do appreciate our soldiers who are helping out with new hospitals ready for the terribleness that's bound to be around soon.

    Take care and thanks again for a great A-Z for us- cheers Hilary

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  19. Enjoyed the music, especially the collaboration with U2, because U2! What's not to like? :) The replica of the pillar is lovely! And I enjoyed learning about Ashoka. I have to admit I know very little of India's history

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