Think beyond sex. Think beyond love... at least human love. Love, much misunderstood and over exposed though it is, exists.

Love is a connection, a bond that transcends the sexual, the materialistic and the calculations of practical logic to translate into relationships that defy conventional norms. This Valentine's Day, Femina celebrates these unusual passions of the mind

"MEETING HER WAS LIKE FALLING IN LOVE FOREVER."
I have never met The Mother. She died long before I was born. However, the first time I 'really' got a glimpse, both of her character and of an abstract vision we call 'love', was during a windy evening on the promenade at Pondicherry.

At dusk, we were sitting against the backdrop of the Bay of Bengal as the sun entertained us with a spectacular display of defiant colours before it reluctantly beat a retreat.

As the burnt caramels and purples merged with the horizon, I asked Veenapani Chawla what The Mother was like; what made her decide to stay on in Pondicherry?

And she said, "Meeting her was like falling in love forever."

The simplicity of this answer contrasted with the cascade of emotions that ran through her face in that single moment - from passion, to devotion, to delight, to affection, to caring, to infatuation, and finally, to a sense of the sublime. That evening, she spoke into the night about this 'love' affair that has rooted her in Pondicherry ever since. It is still so pure and real in her mind... none of the passions that arise today from commerce, political issues, rights being fought or religion. This love she spoke about had no agenda.

The Mother has both humbled and intrigued me since that evening. It is rare to find people who are still so loved long after they have died, and who continue to be so deeply unique that they cannot be replaced or duplicated. I can only suppose it's because their 'love' lives on timelessly as their real legacy and in the spirit and human examples of people who are all in some way similarly unique and special because of this love they have 'seen' with or through The Mother.

And the greatest tribute to her memory is that people like Veenapani, and Jhumurdi, (a teacher at the Pondicherry Ashram School who was brought up as a young girl by The Mother), are able to reflect the soul of The Mother and pass this extraordinary sense of love to complete strangers who may never have known or cared otherwise... like me.
By Meenakshi Doctor

ROCKS IN HER HEAD!
Frauke Quader, a German married to a Hyderabadi, moved to the Deccan Plateau in1975. "We lived in Jubilee Hills, which in those days looked like a rocky desert.

While walking the dogs every day, we noticed the wonderful rock formations we were surrounded by. The granite rocks are a treasure we've inherited. They are older than the Grand Canyon and we certainly can't grow them back.

Over the years, my affection for the rocks grew. But, as people began to build their houses there, many beautiful formations started disappearing. People visiting us from outside often asked us how we were allowing such a thing to happen. I must confess, the knock for saving the rocks really came from outside. Hyderabadis, though wonderful people, are quite laid-back," says Frauke, who is the founder secretary of Society To Save Rocks, an environmental protection group, in Hyderabad, formed in 1996.

"The real initiative started because everybody was talking about it but nobody was coming forward to do anything. Fortunately, there was an artistes' society that was keen to save the environment. And so, four of us got together and started the society, though the work had started in 1992.

"It's a full-time career. My family thinks I have only rocks in my head but how can I not? The time line chart shows that the rocks were formed 2.5 billion years ago and the mammals developed only 50 million years ago. I have great reverence for these rocks." As a voluntary worker, Fruake devotes a lot of her private time doing society work. Though it entails walking a difficult path and often running into tough people, she remains unfazed. She also espouses the cause for environmental reasons.

"Microbiologists have found microorganisms dating back to millions of years. The flora and fauna around these rocks is significant and rare. Sadly, quarrying is destroying much of it. We are trying our best to put some of these rare rock formations under protection through HUDA (Hyderabad Urban Development Association).

Amongst her favourites is one that resembles a mushroom and another that looks like a tortoise. "I'd hate to see the picturesque ridge behind the Malkam Cheruvu Lake go. Look at its age, how can one blast them? They are such a distinct feature of our landscape. Not every city has it."

Frauke and her society organise rock walks and other awareness programmes like competitions for children, photo exhibitions and concerts to generate interest and awareness amongst people. With Frauke around, the rock revolution in Hyderabad is bound to be a success.
By Namita Shrivastav