ECHO NANDINI

SAROJ MY MA: ONWARD JOURNEY INTO SPIRITUALITY Nestled on the banks of Holy River Yamuna, surrounded by dense Mango orchards with ponds here and there, sprawling temples of different deities spread all over, simple culturally oriented residents, huge renowned exhibition ground holding an annual grand fair was Etawah the city of my mom and my land of my DREAM childhood. Saroj my mom and my dad were very spiritually elevated and their quest for a presiding deity in their life was always on. She was greatly influenced by regular visits of her mother and herself with me and dad in tow to KAREVAHAN. This was the name of the huge,beautiful, ancient, medieval  era Kali temple on the outskirts of the city on the banks of river Yamuna. So the visit was always preceded by Holy Dip in Yamuna. Wow what an outing for me as a child and spiritual satisfaction of Saroj. I distinctly remember her singinging a song in front of the Kali deity in her melodio...

                                                    ETAWAH THE GREAT PLAYFIELD Etawah, the sleepy little magnificent town of my mother and my grandparents, played a great role not only in Saroj's life but in my life too, leaving the deepest impact on our hearts and mind! My early childhood was like that of a princess with an attendant at my service making me eat and make merry on the swing in the huge corridors of my grandparent's house, gave me a heavenly shower from the cool water of the well in the backyard during scorching summers, brought fresh cow milk from the cows at the backyard for me and my puddings, burnt the beautiful looking earthen hot coal heater during the freezing wintery nights, became a horse for me on whose back I would ride for fun and told me unending King and Queen stories all at the command of my grand mother as I...

SAROJ MY MA: FORESEES HER FUTURE WITH OXFORD OF THE EAST Before I go ahead, in my quest to find out more about my mother during the Google search under her official name Dr Premlata Paliwal, I chanced upon a brief summary about her achievements (pl correct her exact date of birth it is 18/10/1933 and it was Chotti Diwali on that day, so to her parents she came as Laxmi the last child, the PET PONCHHA as we say in local dialect meaning the Tummy Wiper the last child!) and a TREASURE OF 31 CHOICEST FAVOURITE BHAJANS of Saroj sang by her during Guru Ma's Birthday celebrations in 1978 or 1979 at Ma's Vrindavan Ashram! OOOOO to hear her voice after so many years was great! ( Think about using them in the book and if possible in her voice bhajans can be inserted each one translated in English by me for better understanding! )  Epitome of courage, Saroj is now encouraged by her supporting husband to pursue her higher studies while he remain...

Born on 18.10.1933 as per English calendar and Chotti Diwali (Little Diwali or a day before Big Diwali, the greatest Hindu Festival), to the aristrocratic, highly qualified father Pandit Ram Chandra Bharma and simple, illiterate but highly enlightened and talented mother Mrs Saraswati Bharma in a distant small town known as Etawah in the State of Uttar Pradesh (a state which gave India its first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and his illustrious daughter the first women Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi). Etawah has its proximity to the world famous town Agra which has TAJ MAHAL, one of the wonders of the world! The youngest and the most loved child (at least by her mother), Saroj inculcated the beautiful linguistic skills from her father, who was the first Masters Degree holder in Persian language of that area, besides English and Hindi. She also imbibed the beautiful melodious voice, religious bent of mind and the art of singing, playing percussions, po...