“Radha is the song emanating out of Krishna’s flute”- Shri Manoj Kumar Shrivastava

New Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts Kalanidhi Divison held ‘Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi’ Memorial Lecture on Monday. The topic of the lecture ‘ Bhaktikaal mein Radha’ and the speaker on the occasion was Shri Manoj Kumar Shrivastava, Retired Additional Chief Secretary, Madhya Pradesh Government. The lecture was chaired by Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, IGNCA. The welcome and introductory address was given by Prof. Ramesh Chandra Gaur, HoD, Kalanidhi, IGNCA.
Shri Manoj Kumar Shrivastava while delivering the lecture said that Radha is Krishna’s exalting strength and Krishna’s heart rests with Radha. He further reiterated that love of Radha’s is so soft that it cannot carry the weight of relationship. Radha’s and Krishna love is not in the societal norms but is a sacrifice (Nisarg) and it transcends the human physicality. When ‘Gita’ talks about going beyond relations, then Radha has gone beyond relations. ‘Gita’ teaches that relation is not absolute but truth is absolute. Krishna is ahead of religion and religion is ahead of social morality. The way Draupadi challenges social norms, Radha also challenges them, only there is a difference in their style. The one in whom Radha got the whole world, she did not get that one again in the whole world. Mahabharata came at the hands of Krishna, but the essence of India is Radha. Krishna saved the country, Radha saved indigeneity.
He went on further and drew parallels between Radha and Mother Mary. He while questioning the Western critics who consider Radha-Krishna’s love to be carnal, he said, “I wonder what they would have said about Mary being a virgin giving birth to Jesus! Is this justice to Radha and Mother Mary! These two are the real images of purity. If lust or desire was the objective then what would be the justification for (Radha’s) stay in Braj!” Radha’s Braj was societal, familial, environmental ecological and more , however some thinkers have wrongly tried to categories Radha and fix her into category of biological reductionism. He continued and said that Radha is a song which frees us from regressive dominant norms and added “Radha is the song emanating out of Krishna’s flute”. He concluded by saying that Radha shows hundred doors of freedom to absolutists. Nation for Radha is alternative social space where social order exists in organic and natural harmony and Radha celebrates her being in here.
Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi while delivering his presidential address said that the speech was a deep thought on the subject which is beyond the stereotypical lectures or speeches which is generally given on the subject. He added that in India’s folk Radhe- Radhe is as famous as Sita- Ram but what is different is that Radha does that all alone. He continued in the same vein and added to the context that When Krishna was saving the nation Radha saved Krishna. Radha’s ‘Bhava’ (expression) is about unconditional love and Radha’s story does not just influence Krishna but the whole universe. Dr. Joshi asserted further that Westerners have prejudice for our history but some Indian historians too have the same prejudice about our history is unfortunate. He concluded by saying that India’s folks faith in it is absolute and this unconditional love and the belief in the same could not be found elsewhere in the world. In beginning of the lecture Prof. Ramesh Chandra Gaur gave his welcome address and introduced the guest and audience with the topic and the speaker.