AJAYA - Because Truth is Subjective!

"History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napolean once said, 'What is history, but a fable agreed upon?'"

-Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code

I don't know what to believe anything anymore. Truth is subjective and history more so. I have started believing that when history was written, whoever wrote it, put in his/her own interpretations and prejudices which have come to define the history which we now read and assume to be true.

The reason of so many thoughts in my head is the book which I recently completed reading - 'Ajaya - Roll of the Dice'. It is written by Anand Neelakantan and describes the story of Mahabharata through the Kaurava eyes. The author mentions how he has always been intrigued by the anti-hero, Duryodhana in this case, and decided to write this book when he found out that there are some places in Kerala where people still worship Duryodhana as God. The book is fascinating since it raises a lot of questions which have, surprisingly, never crossed our minds might be because we have always been fed the 'Pandavas are good, Kauravas are evil' story with much conviction since our childhood.

'If Duryodhana was evil, why did Bhishma, Dronacharya still support him', 'If the Pandavas were not Pandu's children (since Pandu was known to be impotent), and Pandu was the younger brother of Dhritarashtra, what claim did the Pandavas have to the throne?', 'Was Shishupala's murder by Krishna justified?'

The most fascinating thing in the entire book is how the writer has weaved fiction and mythology together with the same stories that we know by heart; but with an entire different precedent and reasoning to it - What exactly happened at the house of lac, What was the probable reason of Draupadi getting married off to all the five Pandavas, Was destroying the entire Khandiva forest justified?

A few examples below which really got me thinking -

1) Duryodhana was earlier called Suyodhana - 
The Kaurava kids had names of 'Suyodhana', 'Sushasana' and 'Sushala'.
Their names were later coined as 'Duryodhana', 'Dushana' and 'Dushala' by the Pandavas after appending 'Du' at the beginning which means 'bad/evil' after the 'misunderstandings' started of the Kauravas being the evil people in front of the very principled and obedient Pandavas.

2) Draupadi getting married to all Pandavas -
Book Version - Arjuna rightly won Draupadi in her Swayamvar by hitting the rotating fish's eye. She disagreed to marry Karna because of his caste. Later when they reached home, according to the book, Kunti saw that Yudhishtra had taken a liking to Draupadi and looked quite smitten by her. To avoid any arguments between the brothers (since they needed to stay together to take over the throne), Kunti made Draupadi marry all five brothers. Later during the Indraprastha city opening ceremony, Gandhari muses over the possibility of Kunti being so unsure of her upbringing that she thinks a girl can break the bond between brothers.
Popular Version - In the main fable, Arjuna brings Draupadi home and asks his mom to see what he has brought. Kunti, without knowing, from inside the house, says that whatever it is should be shared by all the brothers as she has taught them from childhood. Taking mom's word as an order, it is decided that Draupadi should be shared too.

3) House of Lac -
Book Version - The Pandavas had come to know of the secret plot to burn the lac house built for them by the Kauravas. They knew that if they escaped, the Kauravas would not stop hunting for them. So they needed to show that the entire family had perished in the fire. According to the book, the Pandavas found a beggar and her 5 kids on the street and bought them to the house of lac on the pretense of feeding them food. After a hearty meal, the beggars realized that the food was actually laced with poison. But it was too late. All 6 of them died in the palace. They were to be a cover for the Pandavas so that the Kauravas think that all Pandavas have perished and do not keep hunting for them. However, the beggar kids were younger and smaller as compared to the Pandavas and there was a possibility that the Kauravas wouldn't be fooled by these bodies. To make the identification task difficult, it is said that the same poisoned food was fed to all the soldiers guarding the palace. The palace was lit on fire and the Pandavas escaped. With so many burnt bodies, it was difficult for anyone to identify or confirm and easier to assume that the Pandavas had died in the fire. Yudhishtra had argued about the necessity and righteousness of poisoning the soldier but Kunti, in the book, justifies the poisoning by saying that a soldier's Dharma is to protect his masters. By sacrificing their lives, the soldiers are doing their duty and following their Dharma.
Popular Version - In the popular version of Mahabharata, the Pandavas had procured and placed dead bodies in the palace to remove suspicion about the escape.

4) Destroying the Khandiva forest & Mayasura -
Book Version - The Khandiva forest was home to the under privileged groups who were residing in the forest along with other jungle animals. They were mostly beggars, physically challenged people, basically crowds you wouldn't want to see in an influential city. The forest was given to the Pandavas by Kauravas to appease them from trying for the throne. Krishna convinced Yudhishtra to take up the challenge and build a great city where it was least expected. To start off with their vision, they had to burn the entire forest. When the forest starting burning, the animals tried running away but found soldiers on all sides who pierced them with arrows. When the humans dwelling in the forest realized that their houses were getting destroyed, they pleaded to Krishna and Yudhishtra to save their lives. Krishna saw a potential population who could be used to do all the work to build up the city. He also found Mayasura among st the jungle people who was a great architect and who convinced Krishna to hire him to give shape to Krishna's vision. Mayasura and his people were recruited as workers and worked day and night to build the great city of Indraprastha.
On the day of the city's inauguration, soldiers were ordered to relocated all the people to the other side of the river. This was because, such a bright, shining, prosperous city couldn't be seen having untidy, deformed, dirty beggars roaming it's streets. The entire worker population was uprooted and sent away since their work in the entire scheme of things was done.
Popular Version - Mayasura was a Rakshasa and he fought the Pandavas. Pandava spared his life when he said he will build Indraprastha. The Khandava jungle was a bhog or offering to lord Agni. I had not heard of mention of many workers and other communities in the jungle.

5) Shishupala's Murder - 
Book Version - According to the book, this was a cold blooded murder by Krishna in an assembly of all great kings and no one dared to go against Krishna because of his assumed divinity and because his supporters outnumbered his challengers.
Shishupala was challenging Yudhishtra's decision of inviting Krishna as the Chief Guest on the occasion of Indraprastha city's inauguration. He believed that Krishna had done nothing to warrant this special seat in front of dignitaries like Bhishma and Dronacharya. He bashed Krishna in a strong language and questioned his authority to lead the world and of him doing wrong deeds in the name of Dharma.
Krishna had had enough and killed him with his chakra in front of the entire assembly. A huge battle ruptured but since Krishna had enough supporters on his side, the other party could not do much and had to leave from there.
Popular Version - In the other version of this, Krishna kills off Shishupala since Shishupala had done his share of wrongs and atrocities and he needed to be stopped. (त्याच्या पापाचा घडा भरला होता)

These and a lot such stories make up for a very very interesting read. I wouldn't want to take the book at it's face value though. Like we were taught to revere the Pandavas since childhood, this book tries to make the reader believe that Duryodhana (earlier Suyodhana) was all good and Krishna along with the Pandavas followed Dharma blindly without questioning the motive or correctness of it. However, the book does make you think twice since everything fits so perfectly together even with this tale that the author has spun. If nothing else, it has definitely intrigued me to a point where I now want to complete the second part of the book and then take up the original Mahabharata and see the rationale behind the scenes from the other angle.

For mythology book lovers, this is definitely a must read! :)

Cherry on the cake, I was so enthralled with the book that I wrote to the author my words of appreciation for his masterpiece. And I got a reply back the very next morning! :)

Sandwiches, Burgers and Coffee!

Its been years since I have been active here. There is so much to say and so much going in my mind and I have finally sat down to describe my experiences in the first foreign country I visited.

These are my experiences in Canada. I spent around 2.5 years there and I am grateful, humbled, excited and nostalgic about my experience in the country. I have had so many incidents as a lone first timer in a new country. These experiences come out as fond memories in every discussion I have with friends. Penning them down is like reliving my Canadian days once again...

This post is specifically about the time I worked in the service industry while I was studying and later when I was searching for jobs. Though I hadn't done any such work in India ever, these days were memorable and fun even though they paid the minimum wage set by the province. I believe they have also shaped my customer handling skills since I had to interact with numerous people from different walks of life. Lastly, I know they have made me appreciate the kind of physical effort that goes into these type of jobs and I now look at physical labor with a new found respect.

Subway (Sep 15 - May 16) - I started working in Subway 2 hours everyday from 5 -7 pm as a Cashier/Sandwich artist. This shop was in my university itself  and I started working here mostly to supplement my education with some additional income. Though my shift was of only 2 hours, that time was the busiest time in the day since there would be a lot of students coming in for a sub; probably on their way home. I remember the senior aunties working alongside us telling us that we were making around 200 sandwiches in 2 hours!
Anyway, I started off as a sandwich artist and was explained how many tomatoes to put in, how to smile and ask them what they would like to have today, how to pronounce 'cold cut' in the Canadian accent (Indian accent was a little difficult for them to understand) etc. I became pretty good at the vegetable counter soon. After a few months I was allowed to be on the meat selection side of the counter. I was ecstatic! It felt like a mini promotion and was super exciting since I could now actually understand the different types of meat available; meats which I had never seen/eaten or even heard in my life. Turkey, ham, meat balls, cold cut, BLT, BMT oh the options!
We had three ladies working with us in the eatery who used to manage the kitchen/back shop and made sure that the breads, meat, veggies and sauces don't run out. They also helped us on the counter if there were too many people in the queue. We were a team and it was fun working together. Sensing that I was missing out being with my family during my first Diwali away from home, the Punjabi aunty even gifted me bangles on Diwali day.
Wondering if we ate subways everyday? I wish! We were allowed to take one 6 inch sub home only on Fridays. I made the best chicken teriyaki sub (every time) with loaded veggies. Yes, that was dinner. Sometimes we got cookies and cakes on Friday which were almost close to the end of their shelf life and were glad and happy about the free food.
The best compliment I have ever received was on the university 'UBC Compliments' page where someone wrote that he/she liked my way of greeting customers and making them feel welcome. There is no happiness as getting appreciated!

Waitressing - This was an ad-hoc one event stint that I took up to earn some extra bucks. There was a conference in the university and they wanted people to help out with serving, taking out dishes etc. We started around 3 pm with arranging tables, chairs and the cutlery (in the correct way) in the huge hall. I had never done this before and was obviously nervous. However, in a white shirt and black trousers (as told to us before) and an apron and cap provided by them, I totally looked the part! People started coming around 6 pm. I was in charge of 3 round tables which hosted around 15 people. Serving them food and wine went pretty well. I almost poured the hot coffee post dinner on a gentleman but he moved, I apologized and there was no harm done. He and his wife were university alumni and made polite conversation about my studies and and wished me well in the future. While leaving, he placed a $5 note in my hand as tip and I almost had tears in my eyes. It was my first ever tip and I knew I had totally earned it.
However, my joy was short lived when the following happened. I had collected all the empty wine glasses in a round tray and was taking them inside the kitchen area. The inside area had a door which needed to be pushed to go in. I requested a friend of mine to hold the door open since I had quite a heavy tray in my hands. I have no idea what happened next, but the door slammed shut when I was trying to go in, collided with the tray in my hands and knocked all the finely shaped wine glasses off the tray on the floor in pieces. I was totally embarrassed. My friend and I cleaned up the debris and I apologized profusely to the main organizer. She was sweet enough to let it go saying that first timers do make mistakes. Cheery on the cake was that the wine glass amount wasn't deducted from my pay check as I had expected them to do.
Cleaning up later, putting things in place, it was almost 10 pm till we were done and ready to go home. We had worked continuously from 3 pm to 10 pm without a single moment of rest. Finally when I crawled in my bed around 11, my entire body, especially my back, was hurting. Hats off to the waiters and servers who do this continuous physical activity with a smile on their faces.

A & W Burger Shop (June 16 - Sep 16) - My course had completed and I was looking out for jobs. Job hunt is a tedious process and I needed something to sustain myself in the city. This is when I got the burger shop job after randomly giving out my resumes in Vancouver downtown. I was literally going into every shop and giving out my resume which had 'Subway' as the major experience. I got this interview during one such resume distribution day and was asked to join the next day. I was asked to work in the burger shop kitchen the first day and taught to make burgers. Unfortunately, I sucked in the kitchen. They realized this when they saw me trying to put in a patty in the burger but breaking the patty in half, in the process. Fortunately though, they realized I could be good at the cash counter. So I was transferred to the cashier/counter role. This role expected me to talk to people, take their orders, give them the preparations from the kitchen, clean up tables, wash dishes and clean up the washrooms. At the cash counter, it took me a while to remember the different burgers they offered along with trying to understand what exactly goes in each burger.
Unlike other jobs, this was a full time 8 hour shift. Weekdays I used to work from 8 am to 4 pm and on weekends my shift was from 6 am to 2 pm. I had to catch the first bus and first skytrain to reach my weekend shift on time.
My experiences in this job were unusual. There was some construction going on on the road in front of the shop and at 10:15 am everyday, around 15-20 construction workers used to come to the shop for their daily breakfast. Keeping in mind everyone's almost similar order and giving the correct order to the correct 'same dressed person' was a task. I remember during one particularly busy lunch time, I mistakenly packed 2 burgers instead of 4 on a take away order. The lady came rushing back in 10 minutes, fuming and screaming that we were duping her. My manager and I had to apologize and give her the correct parcel to make peace with her. Another time, another lady who was a regular used to come every Saturday and order the same breakfast with one white and one brown bread. A few weeks later, she used to just wave her hand and I knew what she wanted!
Weekends early mornings were a different experience altogether. Since the shop was open 24/7, we used to get teenagers and party people dropping by for food early morning after probably a night of partying. Most of the time these people were pretty hungover and we had to deal with such crowds tactfully. It wasn't just party people, but the 24 hour shop attracted homeless people too who used to
order something minimal and sit or sleep on the table itself.
Another time, during a slow afternoon, I was sent on the main road with discount coupons to attract customers. I spent around an hour stopping random people on the street handing out the flyers. Most people ignored, some took the coupons and walked away and a few stopped by to understand what we were offering.
At the end of my time here, I knew a lot of people, was proficient with the burgers being served and had enjoyed my time at the eatery. However, I knew this wasn't my calling and had decided to move from Vancouver to Toronto in search of better job opportunities.

Second Cup Coffee Shop (Nov 16 - Jan 16) - I had moved to Toronto to look for some opportunities in my masters related field. However, sitting at home the whole day and applying online was a very frustrating task. So I decided to take up some part time work. After 2-3 days of randomly walking into shops again, I was called to a coffee shop which was around 15 minutes (but 2 buses) away from my house. This is important because it was winter time in Toronto and I used to almost freeze till the time I changed buses and came home.
In the coffee shop, I started off with just 2 hours per day which later increased to a 4 hour shift. My initial responsibility was pouring ready made coffee into cups and managing the cash counter. Screwed up a little again here when I almost burnt a sandwich because I forgot I had kept it for grilling, but compared to my previous screw ups this was a no biggie. As an exclusive privilege, we were allowed to make ourselves a ready made coffee (no latte or other fancy coffees), free of cost, every day after work. I was always thankful to the coffees and apple ciders which kept me and my hands warm during the ride home.
I again got a little promotion here when I was allowed to work on the cappuccino machine. I almost successfully made my first ever latte correctly including the customized order of no-foam, 2% milk, skinny etc. The milk didn't quite reach up to the brim and I quickly poured some more to top it up before giving it to the lady. (Not a very good first time job I guess!). The first time I got a random $5 tip in the coffee shop, I splurged it on buying a customized hazelnut latte from the same place before leaving for the day after my shift. The drink was well earned!
Within a month of joining the coffee shop, I got a job in my field of study and quit from here. But not before I had enjoyed a nice Christmas evening with the Punjabi Indian family who owned this shop and who used to give such a treat every year to their employees.

Thus ended my service industry work. I haven't worked in such an environment again. But as I mentioned before, these experiences have shaped me to be who I am today. I smile at the cleaning ladies at my work place, know the garbage collector lady who comes to my home personally and don't look down on any type of work which is done with dignity. I believe I am a much better human being now!