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 In
this latest installment Ram Ramakrishnan
examines the relationship between war
and sport in the human psyche. He argues
that each of us is a multilayered bundle
of latent emotions of every possible hue.
Grandpa shows the children that, in a
sense, everyone is a ruthless soldier
and an unbiased sportsperson, in varying
degrees. When these emotions surface will
depend upon when the associated celestials
transit specific sensitive points of the
chart.
The room was packed with people, yet
there was not a sound. This despite the
fact the television was switched on with
a reasonable sound level. Tension saturated
the atmosphere. It would not have been
unrealistic to say that about half the
combined population of two neighboring
countries of nearly 1.3 billion people,
if not more, were experiencing very similar
emotions at that time. It was a one day
limited over cricket match between India
and Pakistan and almost a war. The last
ball was to be bowled which would decide
which side won depending on the number
or runs scored from it.
The ball was bowled and its consequence
decided the fate of the match. As it is
every time, one side won and the other
lost. There was jubilation at one end
and dejection at the other. Every shade
of emotion-venting was on display—on
the cricket ground which was caught by
television cameras and beamed around the
world, and in homes and street corners
that had a limited but an equally enthusiastic
and participative audience. Every trait,
action, expression and gesture of the
players was being analyzed and judgments
mercilessly passed. The quality and content
of such analysis varied with the environmental
attributes of the debating arenas and
participants. Grandpa's house too was
caught in this vortex. But as it usually
did, the astrological perspective held
sway at this time too.
 Munni,
opened the proceedings with the observation
that patriotism and  sportsmanship
don't seem to go together. While one forces
a person to adopt any means to win, the
other urges adherence to rules. In one,
the opponent is an enemy while in the
other the rival is a friend. In one, the
primary loyalty is to a concept that is
removed from the scene of action—the
nation, while in the other, the principal
allegiance is to the scene of action—the
game. In one, the player is ready to die
for the cause which also entails that
he is equally willing to kill for the
cause. In the other the competitor is
expected to applaud the exploits of the
opponent, heartily and with no inhibitions.
At least this is what is expected from
the respective participants (and the audience).
Chotu joined the issue by asking whether
sport and war were identifiable by unique
and mutually exclusive celestial combinations.
As was his wont, grandpa answered after
a little thought and in measured words
that the answer was a yes and a no. He
went on to explain that Mars represented
action of the vigorous kind and that this
celestial was usually found to be strong
in the charts of both soldiers and sportspersons.
The attributes of Mars in the chart would
identify the kind of action that a person
is likely to indulge in. Mars in association
with Jupiter would give the native the
kind of perspective expected of a sportsperson
while Mars with Saturn is likely to enhance
destructive qualities. Mars with the Sun
would make an energetic leader who leads
by example while Mars with the Moon would
bestow an imperious or emotional nature.
Mars with Mercury would make the person
highly calculative while Mars with Venus
would impart a highly passionate temperament.
Mars with the north node would bequeath
a character that can make person stoop
to very base level of actions to achieve
an end. The person with the traits as
above will come into prominence as a sports
person or a soldier if Mars is very strong
at the time of birth.
 While
explaining the above to the children,
it suddenly occurred to grandpa, to  astrologically
equate the implements used in the two
kinds of action being discussed—war
and cricket. A gun was made from iron
represented by Saturn, while a cricket
bat was made from the wood of a willow
tree represented by the Sun. It seemed
to be a case of each implement with a
definite peculiarity finding its way into
the hands of appropriate persons towards
suitable actions.
No person, grandpa opined, can be put
into any kind of definite compartment.
Every celestial interacts with every other
celestial in varying degrees in all charts,
the extent of such interaction delineating
the limits to which the person representing
the chart can go in pursuance of actions
described by such celestial confluences.
Each one of us is a ruthless soldier and
an unbiased sportsperson in varying degrees.
When each of these emotions surfaces and
results in an action of the pertinent
variety, will depend upon when the associated
celestials transit specific sensitive
points of the chart.
This explanation, grandpa added, applied
to all shades of attitudes. Each of us
is a multilayered bundle of latent emotions
of every possible hue. No individual can
claim complete hegemony over any one sentiment.
And cricket will remain a game and a war.
Confrontation between nations too will
be both war and sport. Always.
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