Recent ad campaign for Voting in India , has been anything but effective. Voter turnout percentages have been in declivity and more so in the urban metropolis, the prime target of the campaign. More than that of the apathy of Indian middle class it marks a lack of trust in any political outfit and ideology. Indian voting ensues a choice to be made of bad among worse , isn't that as good as not-voting. At least the disillusioned middle class thinks so.
The failure of the entire ad campaign could be traced down to this very core issue of people's indifference towards the elected. Had the campaign enthused voters to come ahead and vote against those compromising candidates the result could have had been somewhat different. Instead of asking people to vote , ask them to get the unwanted voted out. Although its a negative approach to pursue, I am certain that it would send a strong message into the political circles , who have so grossly undermined the authority of political leadership .
However, an ad-campaign has its limitations. I still doubt , it would have raked up the numbers on poll days. As Malcom Gladwell has pointed pointed out in his book , that an advertisement has to have content that would relate to people, something that they would understand. And this political mumble jumble , ostensibly simplified by catchy phrases, such as ,"vote for change" is more likely to fizzle out.
Having said all of this, democracy cannot mature unless people vote, and towards this there ought to be a mass awareness and ownership. As a first step it is necessary get the folks into the fray and participate in elections. Election commission, which has so far done a very commendable job this year could take cue from its recent success and take a step further towards deciphering ways to increase the poll percentages. Election commission is entrusted with the responsibility to conduct free and fair elections . It is certainly not fair on part of the Election Commission to shirk this challenge , which would further add credibility to the institution.
What are the possible ways? That is something which needs to be found, discussed, debated, documented and analyzed. As Kiran Bedi has doled out one of the ways , "scrap the poll day as holiday and see the improvement". I do not completely endorse the idea , but let the people in charge discuss it, debate it and then come up with new ideas to ensure that the elections which they have made free is , actually "fair" in a wider term.
Saturday, 9 May 2009
Friday, 8 May 2009
A diary entry
Its been while since I last brushed my strokes. On a dark night last week, I set off my home, with blood gushing into my head and my left testicles wriggling with pain. It was anger , and it moved me, it took me to distances far and wide. Tear would well up intermittently , but would be held back by the anger seething within my heart. I kept walking , until I could find a place to be at one with my own self.
A gathering of trees invited me to its bosom, to muse over the matter . My sense of anger rebelled against any reconciliation. This moment enveloped all the gloom and despair and sprawled it over my existence. Questions were springing up in quick successions, but the answers never appeared in near distance. Tired , I foundered the boat of questions into the ocean of my eyes. It brimmed with tears and ran through my face in serpentine paths,stuck to the chin , until it finally dropped off it , only to be lost in the ground beneath.
And when , I was defeated with myself, I felt a strong urge to land it all into the name of "GOD". Hand it all to HIM and drop he burden off my shoulder. The lure was strong enough to land into that well of falsehood. That pool of unknown and undefined invited me to surrender myself into it. I felt a vacuum of ideas, faith and a fear of unknown crept over me. I rummaged through the words known to me from the greats of the world, they inspired me , but none could lift me up. This moment made all of that meaningless. What was my faith then? Was I to look within me ? That was too cliche`d a term . Snubbing them all I rose and left behind all that I was carrying. It was so very simple and direct.
Days after when I remember that night , I wonder what was different that night. What was becoming of me. I feel sometimes an eerie sense of joy , a sense of unleashed spirit, a sense of unknown freedom. And then its so subtle that the moment I try to capture it vanishes. Its mystic and yet I cant use that phrase to define it.
Post-Modernism is the idea, where people don't dole out statutes for way a human being is to be , based on the conceived truths, but rather, focuses on why a human being acts in a certain way and suggests a way to improve upon that , based on the individual's milieu. It very certainly abjures absolute truths and seeks to identify individual truths. Bot of those could be quite different and at times poles apart. Knowing things from the prospective of why they are so in the first place paves way for a sustainable and amicable change.
The concept seems to be novel and very different, but again as an individual it still leaves the choice open , whether I wish to pursue it.
A gathering of trees invited me to its bosom, to muse over the matter . My sense of anger rebelled against any reconciliation. This moment enveloped all the gloom and despair and sprawled it over my existence. Questions were springing up in quick successions, but the answers never appeared in near distance. Tired , I foundered the boat of questions into the ocean of my eyes. It brimmed with tears and ran through my face in serpentine paths,stuck to the chin , until it finally dropped off it , only to be lost in the ground beneath.
And when , I was defeated with myself, I felt a strong urge to land it all into the name of "GOD". Hand it all to HIM and drop he burden off my shoulder. The lure was strong enough to land into that well of falsehood. That pool of unknown and undefined invited me to surrender myself into it. I felt a vacuum of ideas, faith and a fear of unknown crept over me. I rummaged through the words known to me from the greats of the world, they inspired me , but none could lift me up. This moment made all of that meaningless. What was my faith then? Was I to look within me ? That was too cliche`d a term . Snubbing them all I rose and left behind all that I was carrying. It was so very simple and direct.
Days after when I remember that night , I wonder what was different that night. What was becoming of me. I feel sometimes an eerie sense of joy , a sense of unleashed spirit, a sense of unknown freedom. And then its so subtle that the moment I try to capture it vanishes. Its mystic and yet I cant use that phrase to define it.
Post-Modernism is the idea, where people don't dole out statutes for way a human being is to be , based on the conceived truths, but rather, focuses on why a human being acts in a certain way and suggests a way to improve upon that , based on the individual's milieu. It very certainly abjures absolute truths and seeks to identify individual truths. Bot of those could be quite different and at times poles apart. Knowing things from the prospective of why they are so in the first place paves way for a sustainable and amicable change.
The concept seems to be novel and very different, but again as an individual it still leaves the choice open , whether I wish to pursue it.
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Enroute Redemption.
"He is dying there, relieve him of the pain! Expedite his transition . Shoot him!!", shouted Ark. Som quivered at the suggestion , looked around with alacrity . It was desolate, dark and dank. Evening drizzle had enveloped the entire barren expanse of land , and so has had death . Vrks was dying, bleeding profusely through his belly , inching slowly towards inevitable. He looked with wistful eyes towards Som, begging of redemption. Som didnt reciprocate his looks, and constantly looked in other direction with misty eyes. "Som, you cant alter the inexorable, go ahead! ", shouted Ark, holding Som by his hands.
Ark scampered through the overcoat of Som and took out the gun, held it on the forhead of Vrks and looked behind. "If you are not going to do it ! Someone has to do it, Som". Som turned around, took the Gun from Ark and shot Vrks on his forhead and threw the gun. "Come on Ark, Vrks rests in peace now".
Vrks lay there in pool of blood , with his redemptive gun lying by his side. As Som walked out of the scene , he reckoned that he had just shot his brother. What had led to this was an altogether different story, for now he lied there , devoid of soul, a material ball to decompose .
{To Continue ...}
Ark scampered through the overcoat of Som and took out the gun, held it on the forhead of Vrks and looked behind. "If you are not going to do it ! Someone has to do it, Som". Som turned around, took the Gun from Ark and shot Vrks on his forhead and threw the gun. "Come on Ark, Vrks rests in peace now".
Vrks lay there in pool of blood , with his redemptive gun lying by his side. As Som walked out of the scene , he reckoned that he had just shot his brother. What had led to this was an altogether different story, for now he lied there , devoid of soul, a material ball to decompose .
{To Continue ...}
Saturday, 28 March 2009
Ideology and Us
Ideology, the one thing you would stand for , no matter what the rest of world thinks, is hard to come by . Whom would you associate your ideology with and what is the end result of those ideologies? Whether we accept it or not , in our daily life we live through a society. A society in which all of us perform our parts and are mutually interdependent upon each other. A novel concept in all likelihood shall be the one which would be understood by few and accepted by lesser few of them . How do you stand on with it then ? Do you snub that entire mass of opponents to your idea or do you c0ompormise and go together with them ?
What is it that we fear when we stand against society ? Castigation .Becoming an Outcast? If the fear is so powerful so as to override the ideology then probably the time for that ideology hasn't arrived. But if the fear loses its value and your principle shines bright , then you stand for it !
Death is not the biggest fear we have, nonetheless its not irrelevant as well. But between life and death , the death which wipes your existence and not the one which you have already met numerous times, lies a lot to loose and and an equally lot to gain. To what extent are we ready to lose to gain what we want to gain is a difficult question,but the answer is what we always seek . As a human being, that part of me which revolts against the society is my mind, but how do I trust it ? Is it an independent identity to determine its own future on its own ? Doesn't it need anyone else for its survival ? If it does then it doesn't have the authority to propagate ideas that don't satisfy the normalcy. It shouldn't give in to paradoxes. If its survival is dependent upon those ideologies which it couldn't conform , its creating paradoxes by not being subservient to those ideals that feed it , that keep it alive . However, if the same is not true, it is independent . It stands on its own . It stands on its own capacity and then expounds its own belief system unmutilated by the conventional wisdom of the society.
What do I conclude from the litanies above? I don't know , my mind isn't independent enough yet to conclude anything. It's an unruly slave to the conventional wisdom.
What is it that we fear when we stand against society ? Castigation .Becoming an Outcast? If the fear is so powerful so as to override the ideology then probably the time for that ideology hasn't arrived. But if the fear loses its value and your principle shines bright , then you stand for it !
Death is not the biggest fear we have, nonetheless its not irrelevant as well. But between life and death , the death which wipes your existence and not the one which you have already met numerous times, lies a lot to loose and and an equally lot to gain. To what extent are we ready to lose to gain what we want to gain is a difficult question,but the answer is what we always seek . As a human being, that part of me which revolts against the society is my mind, but how do I trust it ? Is it an independent identity to determine its own future on its own ? Doesn't it need anyone else for its survival ? If it does then it doesn't have the authority to propagate ideas that don't satisfy the normalcy. It shouldn't give in to paradoxes. If its survival is dependent upon those ideologies which it couldn't conform , its creating paradoxes by not being subservient to those ideals that feed it , that keep it alive . However, if the same is not true, it is independent . It stands on its own . It stands on its own capacity and then expounds its own belief system unmutilated by the conventional wisdom of the society.
What do I conclude from the litanies above? I don't know , my mind isn't independent enough yet to conclude anything. It's an unruly slave to the conventional wisdom.
Bhutta waali
"Unless we have equality in our society , it will only remain divided and unstable. Howsoever elusive it may seem to be , communism is the only way to achieve stability", ranted a socialist during a TV debate. Being too pissed off of the nonsense being uttered I got off to ramble around. It was a cool calm evening of Darbhanga , which lasts for few days an year only. I wished to walk around the empty field, and for company thought of buying baked bhutta. There were too many options in terms of the sellers, I landed onto the one where a middle aged lady was sitting with a child around 10 years of age. She was baking bhutta on charcoal. Seeing me approaching see took out a bhutta for me , I felt the toughness of corn and retorted, " no , this is too hard". She smiled back, "babu! take this one, its tender and sweet!" I protested , "No! I want other one!", perhaps to show who the boss was! " . All right ! she brought out another one and started baking it. A quaint smile was sprawled all over her face. It was a caring smile, a peaceful smile, a smile found on face after achieving the satisfaction of a victory. What victory did she had today ? I wondered.
She was meanwhile tutoring her son as well , as when to pluck out the maize off the field. When is the best time to get it off the field and he seemed to understand it all. That scene of a child getting the knowledge of survival from her mother seemed like they way Krishna taught Arjuna in battlefield. Although the child here was not confused as Arjuna was.
In the process she kept negotiating with other buyers as well , and perhaps indicated her son to follow her in the art of negotiation. My bhutta was ready meanwhile and I handed her a 20 Rs. note . I was a bit lost into the calculation as to how much would they earn in a day. At most 100. Not more than that. But there was no sign of pain on their face, as pain has forgotten their address or may be they have grown inured to the daily challenges of life.
Well I took the change and bhutta and went ahead thinking about it. About the disparity. About the honesty of the poor even though they have everything to loose. How much they charged for a bhutta? I saw that the change was 7 rs. She must have charged 3 rs. It just then that I remembered that I had given her 20 rs. note. She should have had returned 13.
Did she cheat ? Or had she mistaken. I thought of lambasting the lady for this, just when the face of child and his mother came in front of me. How much will she gain my cheating me of 10 rs., may she will be able to give him a better food for the day. Or may be sweets tonight. I couldn't decide what should I do ? Also , I was apprehensive that she might refute my claims of giving her 20 rs note. All my assumptions of poor's honesty was drowned. It was not that I would have minded loss of 10 rs .
After some minutes of debating with myself I decided to get the money back . I went to her and told that I had given you 20 rs. note, expecting a refusal from her side. However, she immediately apologized, beat her knuckles against her head and returned a 10 rs. note to me, still smiling the same way. I felt sorry for her, though it appeared reverse.
I don't know why I went back to claim my money. I don't have an answer to that. Maybe I didn't want to dole out alms to her or may be I was too cynic with the thought that she might have had cheated. I went with bhutta to the field to roam about, only that I had more companions now, her persistent smile and my heavy heart.
She was meanwhile tutoring her son as well , as when to pluck out the maize off the field. When is the best time to get it off the field and he seemed to understand it all. That scene of a child getting the knowledge of survival from her mother seemed like they way Krishna taught Arjuna in battlefield. Although the child here was not confused as Arjuna was.
In the process she kept negotiating with other buyers as well , and perhaps indicated her son to follow her in the art of negotiation. My bhutta was ready meanwhile and I handed her a 20 Rs. note . I was a bit lost into the calculation as to how much would they earn in a day. At most 100. Not more than that. But there was no sign of pain on their face, as pain has forgotten their address or may be they have grown inured to the daily challenges of life.
Well I took the change and bhutta and went ahead thinking about it. About the disparity. About the honesty of the poor even though they have everything to loose. How much they charged for a bhutta? I saw that the change was 7 rs. She must have charged 3 rs. It just then that I remembered that I had given her 20 rs. note. She should have had returned 13.
Did she cheat ? Or had she mistaken. I thought of lambasting the lady for this, just when the face of child and his mother came in front of me. How much will she gain my cheating me of 10 rs., may she will be able to give him a better food for the day. Or may be sweets tonight. I couldn't decide what should I do ? Also , I was apprehensive that she might refute my claims of giving her 20 rs note. All my assumptions of poor's honesty was drowned. It was not that I would have minded loss of 10 rs .
After some minutes of debating with myself I decided to get the money back . I went to her and told that I had given you 20 rs. note, expecting a refusal from her side. However, she immediately apologized, beat her knuckles against her head and returned a 10 rs. note to me, still smiling the same way. I felt sorry for her, though it appeared reverse.
I don't know why I went back to claim my money. I don't have an answer to that. Maybe I didn't want to dole out alms to her or may be I was too cynic with the thought that she might have had cheated. I went with bhutta to the field to roam about, only that I had more companions now, her persistent smile and my heavy heart.
Growing up with media.
Its an amazing coordination between genes and environment. Both look out for the best compatibility of situations , thereby influencing each other considerably. How much of a person's traits and beliefs are personal or environmental , cannot be said for sure. In the same context it would be interesting to observe the role that media plays in our lives.
Media is the conduit through which the voices (influential and powerful), ideas, thoughts, beliefs percolate down the social structure. If I consider my own childhood to be an archetype ,I would consider media as my second parent. It is true that I got my values and beliefs from my parents and guardians, however its nonetheless very true that I got another set of guided support from the movies, soaps, etc. They shaped my thoughts in a certain way , which is quite irreversible now. The real damage was that of perception, caused by the truths perpetrated by them , with elements of untruth embedded. To name the few conceptions that I have grown up with and nurtured from them was of a black and white world, afterlife horrors, sex and death as taboos, "and they lived happily ever after", definitions and requirements of love, narrow nationalism, "us" and "them" line of separation and so on and so forth. I don't intend to say that it was solely there "gifts" to my inquisitive mind, my own personal inclinations too molded the facts and accepted it. The real issue was that the underlying falsehood was wrapped in a glittering , shiny wrapper of truth which made me accept the whole package as sole truth.
Needless to say that all of those leanings that I grew up with suffered serious jolts. It shook up the very foundation I was raised on. A person may say that he follows no principles in his life, but then again that is his principle. And so as these "maxims" were eroded with time, my underlying base got too weakened to be referred to. I gave in to confusions, indeterminism, agnosticism. Although, I have discussed it in the terms of my own growth , I very confidentially presume that the story won't be too very different for you. Particulars and durations may differ, but the underlying facts would be the same for most of us.
However, as every dark cloud has silver lining , I understand that by employing our own brains, our own reasoning, our own rationality, we will expunge the adopted "values" and shall create our own "values", the one we truly believe in. It appears difficult and confusing, not very different from the former, but the fact that its you who are at the helm of the affairs now, compensates.
Media is the conduit through which the voices (influential and powerful), ideas, thoughts, beliefs percolate down the social structure. If I consider my own childhood to be an archetype ,I would consider media as my second parent. It is true that I got my values and beliefs from my parents and guardians, however its nonetheless very true that I got another set of guided support from the movies, soaps, etc. They shaped my thoughts in a certain way , which is quite irreversible now. The real damage was that of perception, caused by the truths perpetrated by them , with elements of untruth embedded. To name the few conceptions that I have grown up with and nurtured from them was of a black and white world, afterlife horrors, sex and death as taboos, "and they lived happily ever after", definitions and requirements of love, narrow nationalism, "us" and "them" line of separation and so on and so forth. I don't intend to say that it was solely there "gifts" to my inquisitive mind, my own personal inclinations too molded the facts and accepted it. The real issue was that the underlying falsehood was wrapped in a glittering , shiny wrapper of truth which made me accept the whole package as sole truth.
Needless to say that all of those leanings that I grew up with suffered serious jolts. It shook up the very foundation I was raised on. A person may say that he follows no principles in his life, but then again that is his principle. And so as these "maxims" were eroded with time, my underlying base got too weakened to be referred to. I gave in to confusions, indeterminism, agnosticism. Although, I have discussed it in the terms of my own growth , I very confidentially presume that the story won't be too very different for you. Particulars and durations may differ, but the underlying facts would be the same for most of us.
However, as every dark cloud has silver lining , I understand that by employing our own brains, our own reasoning, our own rationality, we will expunge the adopted "values" and shall create our own "values", the one we truly believe in. It appears difficult and confusing, not very different from the former, but the fact that its you who are at the helm of the affairs now, compensates.
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Beauty of writing.
Why write? Whats so special about writing ? Should everyone in his capacity write something? Is writing as essential as other cognitive processes . An old Chinese proverb says , " The weakest ink lasts longer than the strongest mind". No doubt we all would agree to this mandarin quote, however , its not only due to the longer lasting capacity of ink that writing is important. There is an another important factor .
Human mind has an amazing capacity to change tracks, parallelize as well as diversify. Also it has a strong capacity to visualize abstractions. However, the same agility that provides it great resilience also proves a bane to the clarity of abstract concepts. Till the time it becomes clear it remains a mess of ideas, concepts intermingled and mixed. Once these thoughts get out of the realms of the mind and land onto the paper, it starts getting clearer. Problem solving techniques too stress upon the utility of writing. Once you write the problem down and visualize it , brain gets channel in a straight direction , stops wandering and acts on the problem. It wouldn't be wrong to say , to write down a problem is like half solving it.
However, besides problem solving there are several benefits. Even writing down your day to day problem on a sheet of paper helps you to get a better view of it. Several novelists like Ayn Rand wrote intensively in the newspaper articles before she started with her book in order to gain clarity and give structure to her thoughts. Thoughts are like an unbridled horse , free to prance in any direction, but writing provides a direction to the thoughts.
Its not necessary that whatever we write will be perfectly structured but the fact that we can always come back to it and realize where did we waver gives us a proper self analysis. A very small experiment shall be worthy of emulation. On a day , when u are taking leisure, take a pen and paper and start writing. Don't worry about whats coming out on the paper. Go on writing incessantly for some time . Stop after say 10 -15 mins. You will be amazed to see what you have jotted down. What happened was as we start writing while being consciously aware of the process itself mind wavers in every direction . Probably whatever you write wont be congruous in the initial stage. But slowly your subconscious instinct takes over you, and then your subconscious self writes , and its always amazing to find the results. This technique is largely used in psychoanalysis to identify what lies in the corners of mind.
Verily you would agree with me now that writing is as important as reading and visualizing or thinking. However, the good thing is that you too can realize it by just starting it right now. Go ahead. Happy writing. May the beauty of it manifest itself to you.
Human mind has an amazing capacity to change tracks, parallelize as well as diversify. Also it has a strong capacity to visualize abstractions. However, the same agility that provides it great resilience also proves a bane to the clarity of abstract concepts. Till the time it becomes clear it remains a mess of ideas, concepts intermingled and mixed. Once these thoughts get out of the realms of the mind and land onto the paper, it starts getting clearer. Problem solving techniques too stress upon the utility of writing. Once you write the problem down and visualize it , brain gets channel in a straight direction , stops wandering and acts on the problem. It wouldn't be wrong to say , to write down a problem is like half solving it.
However, besides problem solving there are several benefits. Even writing down your day to day problem on a sheet of paper helps you to get a better view of it. Several novelists like Ayn Rand wrote intensively in the newspaper articles before she started with her book in order to gain clarity and give structure to her thoughts. Thoughts are like an unbridled horse , free to prance in any direction, but writing provides a direction to the thoughts.
Its not necessary that whatever we write will be perfectly structured but the fact that we can always come back to it and realize where did we waver gives us a proper self analysis. A very small experiment shall be worthy of emulation. On a day , when u are taking leisure, take a pen and paper and start writing. Don't worry about whats coming out on the paper. Go on writing incessantly for some time . Stop after say 10 -15 mins. You will be amazed to see what you have jotted down. What happened was as we start writing while being consciously aware of the process itself mind wavers in every direction . Probably whatever you write wont be congruous in the initial stage. But slowly your subconscious instinct takes over you, and then your subconscious self writes , and its always amazing to find the results. This technique is largely used in psychoanalysis to identify what lies in the corners of mind.
Verily you would agree with me now that writing is as important as reading and visualizing or thinking. However, the good thing is that you too can realize it by just starting it right now. Go ahead. Happy writing. May the beauty of it manifest itself to you.
Monday, 2 March 2009
On a nostalgic note.
Next song popped up on my lappy. I knew the song, It has been long since I had listened to this song. "Hum to hain pardes mein, Desh mein nikla hoga chaand". Nostalgia overtook me, in a flash.
Images conjured up to my mind. I am lying on a chowki , all alone, bathed in milky moonlight. May be I am not all alone , I am accompanied by the moon and the serenity surrounding me. Gentle breeze sways over my sweaty body and sweeps all my worries.
Images conjured up to my mind. I am lying on a chowki , all alone, bathed in milky moonlight. May be I am not all alone , I am accompanied by the moon and the serenity surrounding me. Gentle breeze sways over my sweaty body and sweeps all my worries.
In lethargy
Boredom, lack of purpose, lethargy, banality, unexciting, all these adjectives tend to mark only one point. That you are not liking what you are doing . Jump a wall , walk a mile, hum a song or do everything wrong. Plethora of options , yet lacking in motivation. Any possible road appears to be overused, mind seems to be overwrought with nothingness. What pleasure does this state of existence give ? Hard to tell but impossible to ignore.
Friday, 27 February 2009
Whither go you?
Rush now! This drizzle ain't gonna stop soon. Why does it have to rain so much in Bangalore ? I am already down with cold and getting wet in this drizzle is certainly not helping me out.
Everything's so wet , dirty and cold. Goddamn these roads. Potholes filled to the brim and rain water splashing onto my pant. Get home fast , its horrible . It sucks boy! I cant see the road ahead clearly and I shiver of the chill that runs down my body. A dry comfort at home would be so good to have now. These goddamn cars, why do they have to overtake on a rainy day, all of them seem to have connived to ground me.
Ah! here comes the hotel. I feel hungry. I should have dinner before rushing any more. I wish I were in home as soon as possible , but as there would be no food back there , I should have my dinner first.Dinner tastes good but waste of time beats against my mind persistently. I am still shivering with cold. Rush to home , how good would it be at home now , in my blanket .
I leave after having my dinner and after a mad driver for few minutes reach my house. Feels good to be back home. Its warm and cozy. I shall take leisure now, the beauty and warmth of my home. Boy! its heavenly.
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I have been lying in here for two hours now, blanket's too hot now. I get restless and look out of the window. Its still raining outside. The rain outside looks so pretty . Its chill and coolness entices me for it. Ahh! how I wish to be out in the rain
Everything's so wet , dirty and cold. Goddamn these roads. Potholes filled to the brim and rain water splashing onto my pant. Get home fast , its horrible . It sucks boy! I cant see the road ahead clearly and I shiver of the chill that runs down my body. A dry comfort at home would be so good to have now. These goddamn cars, why do they have to overtake on a rainy day, all of them seem to have connived to ground me.
Ah! here comes the hotel. I feel hungry. I should have dinner before rushing any more. I wish I were in home as soon as possible , but as there would be no food back there , I should have my dinner first.Dinner tastes good but waste of time beats against my mind persistently. I am still shivering with cold. Rush to home , how good would it be at home now , in my blanket .
I leave after having my dinner and after a mad driver for few minutes reach my house. Feels good to be back home. Its warm and cozy. I shall take leisure now, the beauty and warmth of my home. Boy! its heavenly.
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.
I have been lying in here for two hours now, blanket's too hot now. I get restless and look out of the window. Its still raining outside. The rain outside looks so pretty . Its chill and coolness entices me for it. Ahh! how I wish to be out in the rain
Friday, 30 January 2009
Just an another day today.
Just an another day today. Air is dry and Sun is blistering. Wearily I prepare to leave for office. My mind is full of questions. Questions of what? I can't say for sure. I guess that is what give so much intensity to the question. I just reckon the to do's of the day , but that doesn't hold my attention for long. Very frequently the question bangs against my mind. Who am I? What am I? How do I know myself? What is my Identity? How do I travel into the realms of the unexplored domain of mind and search myself. I am my mind, my reason, my logic. But then why doesn't it manifest itself. Am I not an animal, striving to fulfill its needs but could never see the peace within. If my mind is me, why does it thinks against me? If my mind is me why doesn't it seek life? How could my mind turn a traitor against me, thereby against itself. Its paradoxical. Is it self destroying? If so it must have been destroyed by now. I know that it seeks existence, but then why is it that it acts against life.In the Upanishads it is said that our goal is to realize self, its self that gives identity to this world. Where has this self gone? What leashes this valiant mind and subdues it ? What does it fear? What does it want to be? What does it wish to avoid? With the net result of further confusing myself, I leave house with a hanging face.
On my bike now, driving to office. Gentle breeze blows against my face, dead leaves fall off the trees and spread in front of me. Its the spring time, the time when old sheds itself and gives way to new. Lost in these I gaze at the dried branches of the trees around. Barren as they are, yet hopeful of new life. I take a look around me and find multitude of people buzzing. Are they too dead , ready to give way to new life? It seems truer to me in my own context. But to what life have I paved the way?
Wheel rolls at 60Km/ph and I am at office now, weary of beginning the day. It has to begin but. For until I am the dead leaf of the tree of life, I am alive. Till then I know that my mind is alive as well. The struggle between me and my mind shall continue this way, hoping that some day they may reconcile and move together. Digging deep I hit upon a plausible reason of conflict. My mind is a free entity but I am the product of others mind and so are they. I am the part of that long chain of blinded people held together with ignorance. My mind tends to act as my liberator but I tend to be bound. Could they ever come together? I don't know? But a strong conviction that I have in unison with my mind is that knowledge will liberate me and will bring us together. Knowledge is what I should seek for it holds the promise of liberation for me. I could be right this time. It holds the promise for me. Knowledge. It guides me to a purpose. Cautiously optimistic as I am, I feel good about it, but that traitor knows something that I don't and smirks at me silently.
On my bike now, driving to office. Gentle breeze blows against my face, dead leaves fall off the trees and spread in front of me. Its the spring time, the time when old sheds itself and gives way to new. Lost in these I gaze at the dried branches of the trees around. Barren as they are, yet hopeful of new life. I take a look around me and find multitude of people buzzing. Are they too dead , ready to give way to new life? It seems truer to me in my own context. But to what life have I paved the way?
Wheel rolls at 60Km/ph and I am at office now, weary of beginning the day. It has to begin but. For until I am the dead leaf of the tree of life, I am alive. Till then I know that my mind is alive as well. The struggle between me and my mind shall continue this way, hoping that some day they may reconcile and move together. Digging deep I hit upon a plausible reason of conflict. My mind is a free entity but I am the product of others mind and so are they. I am the part of that long chain of blinded people held together with ignorance. My mind tends to act as my liberator but I tend to be bound. Could they ever come together? I don't know? But a strong conviction that I have in unison with my mind is that knowledge will liberate me and will bring us together. Knowledge is what I should seek for it holds the promise of liberation for me. I could be right this time. It holds the promise for me. Knowledge. It guides me to a purpose. Cautiously optimistic as I am, I feel good about it, but that traitor knows something that I don't and smirks at me silently.
Sunday, 25 January 2009
"Slumdog Millionaire". How true in its Intentions?
Slumdog millionaire was just an another movie depicting the tenacity of human survival against all odds. However, its not very unusual about the western world to lap it up, and shower it with numerous awards. It would have had been interesting to see how the same movie would have had fared had it not been based on Indian context.
Slums in India represents a spirit of survival despite all odds, nevertheless, a middle class worker, who toils hard to make ends meet, is no less a symbol of human spirit. One spirit cannot be said to be better than the other one, as both vie for the same goal, existence. However, a movie or a narrative based on that scenario wouldn't draw accolades. As an artist you tend to go to extremes, and the easiest shortcut is placed right infront of you. poverty and filth of India.Every country has its share of issues, so does India.Doesn't this question the ethics of the artist? Isn't he seeking the shortest path to success?
Can they do a self check and ask themselves, what their motive is.Fame or Art?.As of now It seems former is truer.
Slums in India represents a spirit of survival despite all odds, nevertheless, a middle class worker, who toils hard to make ends meet, is no less a symbol of human spirit. One spirit cannot be said to be better than the other one, as both vie for the same goal, existence. However, a movie or a narrative based on that scenario wouldn't draw accolades. As an artist you tend to go to extremes, and the easiest shortcut is placed right infront of you. poverty and filth of India.Every country has its share of issues, so does India.Doesn't this question the ethics of the artist? Isn't he seeking the shortest path to success?
Can they do a self check and ask themselves, what their motive is.Fame or Art?.As of now It seems former is truer.
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
An allegorical act
Like a rodent it maneuvers to manage its fodder. Hiding and slithering through the surreptitious hides, it arranges the food for itself. How was it supposed to know the difference that the brains created. A motley collection of wayward thoughts, a precarious sense of achievement and a gloomy sense of loss. Despite of all the chances that it had , it stayed far away from achieving the impossible.
Saturday, 3 January 2009
An excursion to remember
It was to end the way it had started. We were devoid of all enthusiasm and energy. It was all drained out. Even the start wasn't a convincing one. Despite of all odds we managed to go ahead with a fragile plan. Weather was chilling us when we began, just as the way sweat was drenching us few hours later.As we moved ahead mist engulfed us into its bosoms , wind started howling into our ears and the earth shaked us from beneath. Eyes were moist the face was frost. A stream dripped off the nose and road ahead was lost. But We were in motion, oblivious of ourselves, but nevertheless in motion.
Just then a strong beam of light emanated from the front. It was the ray that came out from heaven itself. It blinded us all for a moment and we didn't knew when it went past us. It was all back to normal again. The mist had disappeared and the azure sky loomed large in front of our eyes, It was not the sky however, which was to be conquered, it was that hill in the near distance. Zenith had reddened with the sign of an imminent sunrise and encircled us . The redness of the circumference appeared like a fiery tiara on the head of the hill.
To be continued ...
Just then a strong beam of light emanated from the front. It was the ray that came out from heaven itself. It blinded us all for a moment and we didn't knew when it went past us. It was all back to normal again. The mist had disappeared and the azure sky loomed large in front of our eyes, It was not the sky however, which was to be conquered, it was that hill in the near distance. Zenith had reddened with the sign of an imminent sunrise and encircled us . The redness of the circumference appeared like a fiery tiara on the head of the hill.
To be continued ...
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Jattan
It was power cut once again."Jattan! It seems out phase only has blown up, no one else is at home now, go to the main pole and get it fixed now. Its too very hot today."
Ram Jattan, a pseudo servant serving his master , in gratitude of a government job of peon arranged by his master , ten years ago, was completely unaware of the process to fix that blown up phase. He though at once of refusing but his inner self chided him at this thought. This mere idea of insolent behavior on his part was utterly unacceptable to his self.He had seen other people fixing it by poking their stick at the wire junction on the electricity pole, but, he had never done it himself, and more so he wasn't sure if this would work as well. However, bound by his obeisance to him he decided to give it a try. It was getting late anyways and he had to go back to his home as early, as he had to go to railway station early morning tomorrow to fetch his sahab's elder son.
Ram Jattan, a pseudo servant serving his master , in gratitude of a government job of peon arranged by his master , ten years ago, was completely unaware of the process to fix that blown up phase. He though at once of refusing but his inner self chided him at this thought. This mere idea of insolent behavior on his part was utterly unacceptable to his self.He had seen other people fixing it by poking their stick at the wire junction on the electricity pole, but, he had never done it himself, and more so he wasn't sure if this would work as well. However, bound by his obeisance to him he decided to give it a try. It was getting late anyways and he had to go back to his home as early, as he had to go to railway station early morning tomorrow to fetch his sahab's elder son.
Saturday, 13 December 2008
A letter to editor.
Sir,
Referring to the editorial by Mr. Harish khare, I would like to second the concern raised by him. These tendencies towards a "fascist" rule supplanting a democratic rule must be avoided. The bourgeois class of India has no faith left politicians post Gandhi/Nehru era, and it just serves to disseminate those tendencies, however, the way out is for them to take part into the mainstream democrcay , rather than standing on the sidelines and intermitteltly raising slogans slamming the system. Politicians come from our society itself and they are as good as people themselves.
Its time that the self-indulgent middle class looks beyond its immediate personal interests and be an active participant in the building of the nation.If the voices are to be raised ,they should be raised for a more efficient, inclusive and non-corrupt democracy. That would serve the purpose better than cutting itself out and giving rise to fascist tendencies.
Referring to the editorial by Mr. Harish khare, I would like to second the concern raised by him. These tendencies towards a "fascist" rule supplanting a democratic rule must be avoided. The bourgeois class of India has no faith left politicians post Gandhi/Nehru era, and it just serves to disseminate those tendencies, however, the way out is for them to take part into the mainstream democrcay , rather than standing on the sidelines and intermitteltly raising slogans slamming the system. Politicians come from our society itself and they are as good as people themselves.
Its time that the self-indulgent middle class looks beyond its immediate personal interests and be an active participant in the building of the nation.If the voices are to be raised ,they should be raised for a more efficient, inclusive and non-corrupt democracy. That would serve the purpose better than cutting itself out and giving rise to fascist tendencies.
Friday, 5 December 2008
Indians and their gods.
"God is an infinite source of energy", said a plank put up by our physics teacher. During those adolescent days, when questions had begun to unrest the soul, it seemed as a perfect haven for peace. Being born in a Brahman family, I was close in quarters with this idea. Daily prayer after bath, reciting chalisas to elders, listening to the daily litanies of elders shaped my faith. It built in me a notion of an unknown supreme power moving along , to whom if I paid daily reverence through my prayers and right conduct , I shall be rewarded with His blessings. I am the story is almost the same for almost all middle class Indian households, more so in middle and lower middle class.
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Bombay attacks response - A sham or a sincere outcry?
Mumbai has been under attack once again, no, not by Raj Thackrey and his goons, they are hibernating for some time now, rather its an attack by other terrorists , purportedly , sent from our neighboring country, belonging to a certain “difficult to be pronounced” militant outfit.
Newspapers, TV channels, Ministers are on a roll, doling out their condolences to the nation and pledging to avert this next time. I guess they are pledging to take the vow of eradicating it if it happens again. That’s not a small gesture on their part. People have been held hostage in Taj and Oberoi, however, their round the clock status is reaching us every moment. Thanks to our “responsible” media. All the technical as well as political aspects of this attack is being vociferously debated on News channels by hyperactive hosts. They are fighting a parallel battle as NSGs are in Taj and Oberoi, in terms of who could pose the ,most difficult question, most witty remark and shout at the top of their voice. In their small TV studio they seem to reach a final consensus which they believe represents Indian masses. All the future “to be done” steps have been finalized by them together with some eminent dignitaries. Huh!
Enough of this sham! Put it off!
With the Indian masses it has been always the same. At any time when their vested interests have been hurt , their has been a huge uproar. Responsible citizens would come to the fore and criticize the government. They will light candles to commemorate the dead. They will gather together to pass there message to the government. And everyone will shout at the top pf their voice, “ System needs change”.
My intentions over here are not to rebuke any such person who mourns for the dead. I too sympathize with the victims from the very core of my heart. However, I am pointing to the other problem. The problem that the Indian Middle class doesn’t budge until and unless it hits them directly. Our country isn’t an affluent country and a vast swathe of population is still very poor. Around 35-40% of them are facing acute food shortages. But these problems don’t attract their attention.They are not vehement in their demands of change at that time. Where were these eminent citizens lying when Raj Thackrey and his goons were committing atrocities on the poor mass of Bombay , in which few succumbed to death as well . There wasn’t even a single public demonstration. Where was this public anger when vast swathe of farmers committed suicides in Maharashtra and in several other areas. There is no uproar from our eminent citizens when our country is ranked 66 out of 88 countries in GHI (Global Hunger Index). 17 Indian states have an acute food crisis, but they never gathered the attention of our “sincere” and “concerned” middle class. With every passing day I seem to concur more and more with Pavan and his findings. This Indian Middle class, is so much engrossed into its own vested interests that it will only serve to destroy what has been earned by our forefathers.
Put this pretense of being “concerned” citizen to back burner and go and have your drinks. You were never concerned for the nation.
Newspapers, TV channels, Ministers are on a roll, doling out their condolences to the nation and pledging to avert this next time. I guess they are pledging to take the vow of eradicating it if it happens again. That’s not a small gesture on their part. People have been held hostage in Taj and Oberoi, however, their round the clock status is reaching us every moment. Thanks to our “responsible” media. All the technical as well as political aspects of this attack is being vociferously debated on News channels by hyperactive hosts. They are fighting a parallel battle as NSGs are in Taj and Oberoi, in terms of who could pose the ,most difficult question, most witty remark and shout at the top of their voice. In their small TV studio they seem to reach a final consensus which they believe represents Indian masses. All the future “to be done” steps have been finalized by them together with some eminent dignitaries. Huh!
Enough of this sham! Put it off!
With the Indian masses it has been always the same. At any time when their vested interests have been hurt , their has been a huge uproar. Responsible citizens would come to the fore and criticize the government. They will light candles to commemorate the dead. They will gather together to pass there message to the government. And everyone will shout at the top pf their voice, “ System needs change”.
My intentions over here are not to rebuke any such person who mourns for the dead. I too sympathize with the victims from the very core of my heart. However, I am pointing to the other problem. The problem that the Indian Middle class doesn’t budge until and unless it hits them directly. Our country isn’t an affluent country and a vast swathe of population is still very poor. Around 35-40% of them are facing acute food shortages. But these problems don’t attract their attention.They are not vehement in their demands of change at that time. Where were these eminent citizens lying when Raj Thackrey and his goons were committing atrocities on the poor mass of Bombay , in which few succumbed to death as well . There wasn’t even a single public demonstration. Where was this public anger when vast swathe of farmers committed suicides in Maharashtra and in several other areas. There is no uproar from our eminent citizens when our country is ranked 66 out of 88 countries in GHI (Global Hunger Index). 17 Indian states have an acute food crisis, but they never gathered the attention of our “sincere” and “concerned” middle class. With every passing day I seem to concur more and more with Pavan and his findings. This Indian Middle class, is so much engrossed into its own vested interests that it will only serve to destroy what has been earned by our forefathers.
Put this pretense of being “concerned” citizen to back burner and go and have your drinks. You were never concerned for the nation.
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Nehru - A Revelation.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, our first prime minister of sovereign India , has been my object of study in recent weeks. It was a rewarding experience to go through his autobiography. The rewards cannot be materialistically listed by me, but one of the primary gift that it had for me was "revelation". Revelation of Nehru himself, revelation of an India before the years of Independence, revelation of Gandhji's ideals and his social standing in that era, revelation of socialistic values , revelation of the bourgeois nature of our Independence movement, revelation of liberals etc .. the list would be too long to put in here.
His appeal primarily lied in the fact that he had a wider view of the world while at the same time he had a cognizance of the plight of peasants. He bore an open mind towards Industrialization and socialism , unlike Gandhji, and more so he was a staunch supporter of Poorna Swaraj from the very beginning. It was rather he who bought this idea into forefront.
Throughout the book , he has questioned existing order of our country then and he also drew himself into the ring of debates. He had been in gaol seven times till 1935 and it was during his last jail visit that the got into writing his autobiography. This book , I feel to be important to me as it revealed to me an India before that D day of 15th August. It revealed to me an India that existed before it , and the importance of those days which led up to that momentous night.
He was an avid reader of books , and it is through these roots that he gained an impartial view of the world and thus could identify strongly the position of India. He had largely differed with Gandihjee on several issues and has revealed it thoroughly into this book .
Throughout this book his soft spot towards animals and nature has been amply demonstrated during his stays in gaol. He made friends with many of them and those were his chief companions during his stay there.
Besides these, going through several topics that he has dealt with in his book would convince you that he was a visionary .Even when the country was creeping under the mighty British dominance , he saw India in future. He saw the future of country and its social upheaval. He was largely against the existing social order of country, opposite to Gandhijee, but he thought gaining independence was of foremost importance at that time for our country and other changes will then gradually follow .
His sacrifice and diligence towards that single cause moved me very much and I can certainly say that I know him better now as a person. This is always the case if you read autobiographies. The enigma created by mass disappears and you know the person in its pristine form. It was a pleasure knowing this man , after I have already read about Gandhijee, and I hope that the ideas that he had so strongly endorsed encourage us to look beyond our own personal selves to the greater social good and in the process an upliftment of personal soul and knowledge and experience.
His appeal primarily lied in the fact that he had a wider view of the world while at the same time he had a cognizance of the plight of peasants. He bore an open mind towards Industrialization and socialism , unlike Gandhji, and more so he was a staunch supporter of Poorna Swaraj from the very beginning. It was rather he who bought this idea into forefront.
Throughout the book , he has questioned existing order of our country then and he also drew himself into the ring of debates. He had been in gaol seven times till 1935 and it was during his last jail visit that the got into writing his autobiography. This book , I feel to be important to me as it revealed to me an India before that D day of 15th August. It revealed to me an India that existed before it , and the importance of those days which led up to that momentous night.
He was an avid reader of books , and it is through these roots that he gained an impartial view of the world and thus could identify strongly the position of India. He had largely differed with Gandihjee on several issues and has revealed it thoroughly into this book .
Throughout this book his soft spot towards animals and nature has been amply demonstrated during his stays in gaol. He made friends with many of them and those were his chief companions during his stay there.
Besides these, going through several topics that he has dealt with in his book would convince you that he was a visionary .Even when the country was creeping under the mighty British dominance , he saw India in future. He saw the future of country and its social upheaval. He was largely against the existing social order of country, opposite to Gandhijee, but he thought gaining independence was of foremost importance at that time for our country and other changes will then gradually follow .
His sacrifice and diligence towards that single cause moved me very much and I can certainly say that I know him better now as a person. This is always the case if you read autobiographies. The enigma created by mass disappears and you know the person in its pristine form. It was a pleasure knowing this man , after I have already read about Gandhijee, and I hope that the ideas that he had so strongly endorsed encourage us to look beyond our own personal selves to the greater social good and in the process an upliftment of personal soul and knowledge and experience.
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Paranoia
You wouldn't believe me if I tell you the truth. No! Not because you are a liar , rather you are an epitome of truth and anything resembling it, however,you have become so very much inured to it that its presence doesn't seem possible. Its paranoia , really, it is so. I am typing this blog here sitting in office , fearing that no one catches me doing this. Driving to office poses a challenge in keeping the fear of being hit , subdued. And then when I reach the outskirts of my workplace a mild fear of collapsing building and collapsing economy slithers into my mind. I bet it does with you too, only you have got too inured to it.
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