My Buddy - Stress Yo! :D

Stress is a funny concept altogether. In my understanding it is nothing but a mental condition that is always associated with negativity. More than often, we fail to realize that at times, stress can be fun too. As young students, stress or constant worry is something we constantly face. But the underlying question by the end of the day is, “Is it really that bad?” The answer unfortunately is a blunt “No!”

The stress that each one of us are going through, although subjective, should never be considered to be the worst in its league. However, since all of us have a particular threshold beyond which it becomes difficult for us to carry more burdens on our shoulders, a few simple techniques may be utilized to always bear in mind that life is not that difficult after all.

At an age that is young, relationships play a pivotal role in defining one’s state of mind. It is not just important, but mandatory after a certain point to choose who you want to associate yourself with and who, YOU give the power to influence the way you think. We spend a lot of time worrying about our relationships and this in reality is unnecessary. Just think of it this way, after a few years, you will be laughing about the failed relationships you “thought” that hurt you right now. Most of our emotions are momentary and impulsive. Hence, ending worthless relationships that give you a shoddy perspective is something you must do! Trust me, it will help you feel way better.

And trust me AGAIN, this will help you a great deal in life!

Additionally, learn to respect yourself and never undermine your qualities and your worth. A lot of pressure these days is also associated with low self-esteem. There is nothing that you have which I don’t and there is nothing that I have which you don’t. Strangely enough, this reminds me of a chart-buster Pink Floyd track, “Wish you were here”, which says, “We’re just two souls swimming in a fish bowl.” To think of it, it all comes down to this notion. How different are we, really? Start respecting yourself, start admiring yourself and appreciating the little things you do. Will help you counter stress and trust me, this will help you a great deal in life!

Of Life & Impermanence :-)

Recently, I had a conversation with a good friend when I told her that she treated people like projects. After the conversation and a little introspection, I came to realize, who doesn’t treat people like their own projects. Every relationship has a start, a beginning, an intermediate and an end. When I was really small, I knew this one person until I was about four years old. This person I’m speaking about has a great deal to do with whatever I am today, till date. But then when time came, this person was gone, gone in thin air, *poof*. Today, 18 years later, I wonder, why people make an entry into your life if they only have to leave by the end of it.

The truth is, impermanence is the law of nature. Nothing is here to last and everything must come to an end. I know, right now I’m rattling about things we all know about already. Dependence is another weird factor. In life we come across people who promise more than they can ever deliver. Individuals who swear to life that they will always be there and that they will never let go. I’ve made such promises myself, but the fact that nothing can be ascertained about the mysterious tomorrow is what makes such promises obscure. Impracticability is the word for every day. I’ve never met a single person till date who truly is selfless or can love another person without conditions. Promises which include selflessness, unconditional love, and friendship for eternity are just gibberish talk.  I would say, people who bluntly say that they can be selfish at times and those who don’t promise much can be most trusted.

Today, I miss that person I knew 18 years ago. I don’t miss THE person exactly but I miss the person’s PRESENCE. Knowing the fact that if a person existed, things would have definitely been a lot more different (good or bad) is consoling in its own way. There's this particular scene in the movie Lion King (which happens to be my favorite all time part) when Mufasa dies and Simba looks at him in pain and sorrow. Moments later, he chooses to run away and make the best of his life. That's the point - Your life is too precious to loose it for someone else. Make the best of it, NOW.

But yes, I want to try and be as practical as possible. I have been among those who have made promises of selflessness, unconditional love and friendship for eternity. But today, I want to stand up on my own and fight this battle called life by myself. I want to make terms with impermanence and start believing in my existence more than the existence of anybody I’d possibly depend on. The ONLY thing that lasts with you forever is you, yourself. :-)

 Don’t know if anyone can make sense out of this post. But its just a flow of thoughts in my mind and I did not want to stop it.

Have a nice life, everyone. :-) 

Why India is a great country?

• Over 5,000 years ago, when the world was filled with nomads, India was home to one of the first civilizations, the Indus Valley, where people appreciated civic sense and preferred living in clustered societies. Au Contraire, today, the concept of civic society is long forgotten. A dalit girl gets raped by two men and gets punched in the eye for resisting their attempts. Truly civilized behavior like nomads.

• The world’s first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC; more than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects here. Au Contraire, today, in the name of a million quotas of reservation, the most meritorious and deserving students are denied the opportunity of good education. Poverty and other such plagues completely debar millions of toddlers from even receiving basic education.

• India invented the number system, Aryabhatta’s profound interest for mathematics also introduced the number 0, which the whole world eventually adopted. Complex subjects like algebra, calculus and trigonometry, all came from India. Au Contraire, today, the only numbers a majority of this country knows is that which is found on notes. Bribes, Black Money, Money Laundering and everything that revolves around the word “money” is the only mathematics people know of.

•  Ayurveda is the earliest concept of medicine known to man. Susruta, the father of surgery conducted complex surgeries including cataracts, caesareans and cosmetic implants. Anesthesia was used way back in ancient India. Au Contraire, today, government hospitals are thriving with rodents and dirt. New born babies are burnt to death in incubators or their mothers poisoned with wrong drugs. Pizzas reach faster than ambulances. Oh and yeah, 38% of the doctors in the United States are Indians! Definitely something to pride ourselves about.

•  India is the birthplace of four of the worlds major religious traditions including, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. It is known all across the world as a hub for religious tolerance, unity in diversity and all that. Au Contraire, Yesudas, a strong devotee of Lord Krishna who has sung numerous songs in his praise is prevented from entering a temple simply on the basis of him being born a Christian. The fact that the Karnataka government is shortly going to use a temple in Dharmasthala as a playground to solve their cheap and petty political cat fights is as sacred as it can get!

The truth is, we all dwell pacifying ourselves of an illustrious past completely oblivious and pretentiously overlooking a painful future. Statistically, 65% of the illiterate and 75% of slum-dwellers cast their votes during every election.

Now consider this:

Ø  We have reached the moon (unfortunately with a black and white camera).

Ø  We have the world’s largest working population. (Imagine the manpower!)

Ø  We form a substantial part of the world’s economy. (The rest is in someone’s pocket.)

Ø  We have one of THE best defense systems in the world. (Yes. They are the best.)

Ø  We are a nuclear power, one among five others in the world. (Or so we think.)

It’s high time we stopped priding ourselves about things of the past. We’ve been doing that for a long time now. The future isn’t amazing for all of us. It’s high time we took that option seriously and did some major revamping for a better tomorrow. It’s now, or never.

Someone rightly one said, India is a country where the rich will get richer, the poor, poorer and the middle class will forever remain middle class. Its time for change and the best time for it is NOW. 

Agra - A predicament to India's tourism?

I have often been told that the Taj Mahal is the glory of India and when I knew my folks were planning a visit in between my semester exams, I did not think twice when it came to making a decision. All I wanted to do was to see that one marvelous architectural wonder and satisfy my eyes and senses. I’ve been planning a trip to the Taj for sometime now and finally, I got an opportunity to make it happen. Speaking frankly, I’m someone who doesn’t complaint much and would just make-do with whatever is being provided to me. But a visit to Agra just gave me a blunt shock and a reality check of where exactly our country is in terms of concrete development and where we’re heading towards. 

Our train to Agra, the Bhopal Shatabdi Express reached Agra from Delhi at 08:30 A.M., as soon I walked out the station a pungent odour gave me an instant headache. Apparently, Agra does not have a sewage treatment plant which in simple words means that water from toilet drains flow through the open gutters on roads which gives the whole city an unbearable stink. Outside the station, you are not-so-happily greeted by a bunch of taxi drivers and guides who start charging you an exuberant Rs. 4,000/- a day for just renting an Omni and touring around Agra. Thankfully, the pre-paid taxi stand came as a blessing in disguise where I managed to get ourselves taxi service for one full day i.e., till our train back to Delhi at 08:30 P.M for about Rs. 2,000/-.

Our first stop was Fatehpur Sikri where we hired a guide licensed under the Archaeological Survey of India for about Rs. 350/-, the guide made it look like he was doing us a favor free of cost by coming with us and showing us around with his major attitude problem and a bloated ego about how he knows the place in and out. Fatehpur, Akbar’s palace for his three queens was a delightful experience since it let people inside only with tickets and hence it wasn’t too crowded and was quite peaceful. Sikri on the other hand was a dreadful suffering! The place is a Durgah built to glorify Chisti Salim’s legacy and does not live up to holiness it seeks to portray. Entry into Sikri is free of cost and hence you find a range of street hawkers (mostly little kids) who chase you into buying things from them to sweepers and beggars who end up emotionally blackmailing you until you give them some money. The guide informed us that once in the Durgah people make wishes by buying a shawl; some flowers and a sacred thread and place the same on Chisti Salim’s crypt, at that moment I knew this dude was spinning a tale and would definitely take us to one such dealer from whom he would without a doubt collect a commission from later. My intuition came to be true when he actually did the same. The dealer showed us shawls ranging from Rs. 1,000/- to Rs. 8,000/- reminding me of my moral obligation of pleasing god and the consequences if I failed to do so. I was however not satisfied with his offer and told my family that we should just skip buying things from this guy and walk away. On seeing us do that, he came behind us and brought the price of the shawl down to Rs. 300/- and asked me if I wanted one for myself. When I refused, he said that Chisti Salim is going to be very disappointed with me and I am going to be cursed with a life of sorrowfulness; I was amused to say the least! 

After spending about 3 hours in Fatehpur Sikri we headed back to Agra which is about 40 kilo-meters away. On reaching the Taj Mahal complex, we were told by our taxi driver to get off the cab and take a cycle rickshaw. The rickshaw took us through the south gate and I’m more than sure that memories of that disgusting hell hole will haunt me for the rest of my life. The road was extremely narrow filled with tiny shops on both sides. There were about three mutton shops right outside the Taj infested with flies and the other shops basically included handicrafts and souvenirs all overpriced. The road was filled with people, few tourists and several vendors and beggars. The Agra stench I mentioned earlier, lets multiply that by five; this road did not have gutters and the sewage water was seeping past the stores on the road. As we reached the end of the road we saw a really huge queue, that wasn’t really an issue considering it was a Sunday. I was looking for the ticket counter but couldn’t locate it. Finally, after asking someone I was asked to walk towards a dark dingy office and I managed to get the tickets. Tickets for us Indians was priced at Rs. 20/- and tickets for foreigners (wait for it) Rs. 750/-!! I don’t get how the price varies that much. After we got into the Taj Mahal, again the sea of mankind brought itself together and it ended up giving me one bad headache. Quite ironic isn’t it, once at the beginning of my trip and once at the end of it! 

After we were done with the Taj Mahal, we were taken to the Government Shopping Center; the prices here were way more expensive than the pricing we saw at the tiny little shops outside the Taj. The reason for the exuberant price – “Sir, original, aatenttic dejign sir!”. Since we had come all the way, it was only practical to take back something which would remind us of a few happy moments spent in Agra.

Our train back to Delhi left at 08:30 P.M. sharp (thankfully), I’m not going to get started on the condition of the railway station. While in the train, I thought to myself about how many people are probably employed in and around India in the name of the Taj Mahal. A minor approximation in my mind gave me the figures of somewhere around 10 million people who are directly or indirectly (travel agents et al) employed gainfully because of the Taj Mahal. It definitely is one among the primary sources of income for the tourism department and the condition of the Taj Mahal is far from being clean, hygienic and well maintained. India sells itself in the name of the Taj Mahal at an international platform and all that Madam Mayawati does is construct elephants of her own size. Cholera, Dengue and other water borne diseases was ubiquitous around Agra while we were touring the place and we talk about meeting international standards. “Athithi Devo Bhava” and all that, Give me a break! The only memories the international tourists went back with in my opinion is the stench, the pathetic lax of infrastructural development around the Taj Mahal and finally, a testimony to the truth and authenticity of how India truly is as shown in the movie, Slumdog Millionaire.

Overall, my trip to Agra was a plain reality check on where India is right now and what lies ahead. Our country is in dire need of some change. We are trying too hard to place ourselves on international platforms and meeting global standards without addressing key issues like public health, hygiene and infrastructural development. By keeping in mind the development of only metropolitan and cosmopolitan cities we are overlooking the presence and importance of smaller cities and towns like Agra. Its time for some rapid change; how and when that will happen, only time can tell.

The Wannabe Files =)

Just like all other exam holidays, I thought this is perhaps the best time to put my ideas together and come up with a blog post or two. 

Off late, I’ve been rather intrigued by the language used by the younger generation in their day-to-day vocabulary. One such word which drew my attention instantly was the word “Wannabe”. Just the other day, after I heard a friend of mine use it on another apparent “Wannabe” friend I came to think of one big wannabe I personally know of – ME! 

Lets go back in time, perhaps back to the year 1997 when I was all of 8 years old. The thing that used to fascinate me the most back then was the limelight cine-stars happily enjoyed. I would often be so fascinated with every single thing they did and how the television in total would give them so much of popularity that I would really hope I made my debut on TV one day. A big ten years later, thanks to Daiji Global Panvision ;-) That dream to a certain extent was realized.

I remember my sister always enjoying the thunder wherever she went. I always looked at her in awe with a lot of admiration and respect hoping someday that I could enjoy the same position. My sister got the popularity because she had the smartness and intelligence to make it big in life. To my dismay, intelligence was something I lacked when I was in school. To me intelligence meant excelling in language or public speaking which my lecturers and parents whole heartedly disagreed with back then. Science and math wouldn’t even dare go above my head considering how horribly convulsed with a lackadaisical attitude my mind was.  I wouldn’t however EVER miss an opportunity to be something or do something which would earn me some credit, even in pittance. My mother still tells me of instances where I would sweep the school on special occasions such as sports day or school day to simply impress my teachers and hear a few words of praise. It was somewhere around this time that I with such earnestness managed to earn the title of being an attention seeker. A few people still think I’m an attention seeker, but in my defense, when a person seeks attention by deeds of goodness or by doing something that is worth it then to hell with the world and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)! :P 

 

I’m 21 now and I’m 6 months short of being 22. I’ve lived forever in a world of fascination and enthrallment with a great spirit of ambition and enthusiasm. I had often wished to accomplish a few things in life, small and big. To a certain extent, with gods grace, I’ve managed to achieve a wee bit so far and I still see the journey isn’t even quarter complete! The matter of the fact now is that I proudly declare myself to be a "pukka" Wannabe and every day, every moment I want to be someone that I am not so that I can be better and do better and achieve something that has not been achievable so far. If having a burning desire to constantly be someone better than who you are is called being a wannabe then I'd take all the pleasure in calling myself one.

So to all the wannabe’s in the world like me – L’Chaim, Salut, Cheers! :-) Together, lets paint the world Red!

Paramahamsa, Really!?

Dearest Adi Shankaracharya,

First and foremost, I would like to offer my most respectful salutations and obeisance to you, the greatest of saints who attained the peak of salvation at quite a young age. You were the very epitome of the Bhakti Movement and through you, Hindus all around the world were made acquainted with the Advaita Vedanta. In your short life of 32 years, you managed to survive temperatures ranging from less than zero degrees, while scaling practically the whole of India with nothing but a staff and your two trusted feet. Your aim was clear, and your vision was true, all you wanted to achieve was a clear understanding of the human soul. You said, “Brahma satyam jagat mithyā, jīvo brahmaiva nāparah”, the soul is the only truth, the world is an illusion, and there is ultimately no difference between the soul and individual self. You were very successful in maintaining your prominence which very much differs from the saints of our time and also, you were successful in coming up with wonderful and expert commentaries on all the sacred texts that can be found in Hinduism. Your soul left your body paving way to the revival of the highly gruesome social practices which were followed back then in the name of Hinduism. You brought about a radical change, you lived the life of a saint, and you lived the life of a true swami.

Today a complete thousand years after your very sad demise, the entire concept of a guru, has been absolutely tainted by the so called god men of recent times. Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, has said that if any person wants to live life and grasp its essence it is quintessential for him to accept for himself a guru, but my question to you is, is there any single person who lives the life of a guru in its truest quintessence for us to accept? The world today is in a severe state of confusion where people have no time for themselves and their personal lives; they choose to adopt a course of spirituality in order to de-stress themselves. The authority which holds a supreme position in the Guru-Sishya relationship, The Upanishads, clearly states that a Guru must strictly follow what he preaches. You often stated that life is but an illusion and that, the human body is prone to give away to certain desires and in order to fulfill your desires you were married once, but today, the supposed guru’s very sadly advertise their celibacy while on the other hand constantly involve themselves in under the table businesses quite literally.

I would like to bring to your knowledge the issue of the Kanchi Paramakoti case which today is long forgotten although it involved the brutal murder of an honest temple accountant, Sankararaman in broad day light within the temple premises for pointing out to the concerned authorities the amount of misappropriation of funds that is being shamelessly carried out by the seers of a temple which was initially established by you. What followed was a series of investigations which led to a woman openly claiming to be sexually involved with the head seer besides unearthing over a dozen of compact discs containing pornographic material. The seers who have today inherited your great religious empire have completely forgotten your basic principle of austerity. You would be surprised to know that the High Seer of the Shringeri Mutt sits on a tiger skin which has been neatly pasted over a Mercedes Benz during his public processions, the car seats also, have been furnished using only tiger skins and today, quite ironically we hear people venting tears for the less than 1411 tigers that we have in our country. You on the other hand had no option but to walk across all four corners of this beautiful nation called India. Coming to the killing of tigers, you also preached that the so called Guru’s must practice the theory of Ahimsa and refrain from causing any sort of a pain to another living creature, right? Funny that they don’t seem to understand what you laid down in such simple words.

It will completely sadden you if I told you about the type of atrocities that are present in the Shabari Malai temple of Kerala. I still remember the day when I embraced the sacred necklace and chose to maintain cleanliness of body and mind for forty one days, I expected a Shabari Malai of utmost religious fervor and sacredness. On entering the temple premises and asking if I could render services to the deity by performing any pooja, the temple priests who have been ordained through the lineage of pure blood to maintain the supreme most purity began to act like selfish, greedy individuals bargaining with us the rates of the Pooja we chose to perform. Thanks to the lords presence, we managed to bring the rate down from a whooping Rs. 10,000/- to a quite lump some Rs. 5,000/- when it is in fact worth less than Rs. 500/-. In actuality, such is the spotlessness and purity we find in our temples and holy shrines today.

The most recent episode of “Paramahamsa” Nithyananda is however the icebreaker, the magnum opus of all forms of atrocities that I have mentioned so far. A man who in the eyes of the public has chosen to be a celibate and to refrain himself from any “impure” act choosing the same for himself without an pressure in all his competency, was caught through hidden cameras engaging himself in sexual activities with a woman. What is shocking is that, reportedly, several storage devices containing videos of him engaging in sexual activities with various women was recovered along with copies of contracts, binding a woman or any devotee for that matter to him, with a disclaimer that no alarm shall be raised when any form of a sexual act is performed. The “Paramahamsa” also has an astonishing Rs. Thirty Two Crores to his name while I write this letter to you. When questioned about his acts with the woman on the video he claimed to be in a trance of extreme bliss, and apparently was performing a type of an experiment. An experiment it sure wasn’t, but the extreme bliss was very evident. The word “Paramahamsa” which in Sanskrit refers to the “Supreme form of bliss” that which can be attained only through spiritual enlightenment has been completely ridiculed through this shameless man! Today, he has claimed that he is impotent and that he must go through a potency taste to uphold his innocence, more so, he also claims to be transgender, isn't it rather traumatizing and disturbing that he is ready to stoop to such levels to prove his "supposed" innocence? Ultimately, a person once stained is stained for ever, and this person seems to have left no stone unturned in disgracing himself and the very essence of Hinduism. It was Oscar Wilde who aptly quoted, “Every saint has a past and every sinner, a future.” But in cases where a supposed saint is busy engaging in sinful activities, where is this distant, isolated future that is being spoken about?

This day, my heart goes out to you and to your greatness. In a time when there was no simplified medium through which a subject as vast as Hinduism could be propagated, you did with so much ease in the course of your small life. Today, when there is such a vast technological growth, when the true spirit of yoga and faithfulness can easily be spread all across barriers, these self-styled guru’s have just done every possible thing, to ruin it all. I wouldn’t think twice in saying that the Americans weren’t wrong in taking away the patents for yoga, at least, in all their gullibility and lack of actual knowledge, they are doing their best to preserve something as ancient, as pure as it. My apologies to you for this obnoxious state our religion is in and I really hope you aren’t crying blood tears looking at this ghastly, atrocious impression these foul souls have created of the Guru-shishya (Teacher-student) relationship and most importantly of something that is most dear to you, Hinduism – The way of leading life.

With Lots of Love and Respects,

Your Humble Student.

Crime & Psychology

“We are what circumstances make of us…”

Once upon a time there lived a small boy whose name was David. He had a very normal delivery, just how any other normal child would be born to normal parents. His life however, changed the moment he began to grow up. His parents, John and Catherine constantly engaged themselves in quarrels and fights. While he was a student in school, he was very frequently bullied over his appearance and his personality and as he grew up, the people around him only grew hostile to his very presence. It was David’s 16th birthday and the least he expected was for a wish, an acknowledgment by his parents. But what turned out was, a day filled with a very gory experience, with his parents drunk and beating themselves up while cursing David for his birth and existence. This is David’s life till he turned 16.

On the evening of his 16th birthday, when David could not endure anymore and in order to vent out the frustration that had been growing within him for the past sixteen years, David ended up murdering a child he saw playing outside on the street. David, is a monster, is what we may all come to think. But the question that comes to my mind through this small story is, whether or not a person’s psychology, a person’s growth or his mental element should be considered in cases of crimes especially while delivering justice? Well, the answer to this question is extremely critical and I strongly feel that it is of grave importance that the law be revamped in this regard.

In cases of crimes, there are two vital and very essential elements that are needed to prove a person’s guilt. The Latin maxim, “Et Actus Reus, Non Facit Nisi Men Sit Rea”, is the guiding principle on which the foundation for the understanding of crime is built upon. The maxim basically means that, two elements namely, Actus Reus, a physical element and Mens Rea, a mental element are essentially required in order to constitute a crime. Although this maxim has been a binding force for thousands of years, I have often felt that this maxim has not been construed in a right sense. The physical element in a crime basically includes the preparation for a crime and the actual commission. The mental element includes the motive, the planning and finally the execution. What the maxim absolutely ignores is the circumstances which drive a person into committing a crime. Let us look into the story that I mentioned above, David’s life hasn’t really been a bed of roses. He has often been ignored and has been subjected to a constant presence of violence and hatred which has etched very deep psychological scars on his mind. Psychology is precisely what is missing in the understanding of a crime. In my opinion the two elements mental and physical involves only the present situation in it completely overlooking the past and the importance of circumstances in a person’s growth. Personally, I do not opine that a person who has suffered from severe psychological pain be given an opportunity to evade punishment, but I strongly believe that, such a person must initially be given a thorough rehabilitation for psychological reformation.

The courts of law in the country more than often fail to analyze, how the growth of a person may in fact assist them in making an attempt to bring an end to large evils. Various members of terrorists groups have often stated in their accounts that it is the way they were brought in utmost poverty that led them to accept terrorism as an option to earn an income for their families, also the lack of educational facilities in a few instances. Although terrorism brings with it widespread violence and brutality, I tend to feel that it is in fact a very active eye opener to the passive citizens of this country. Through the whole Ajmal Kasab fiasco that has been taking the limelight for the past one and a half years, what I come to understand is that, if the Government chose to spend the money that which is being spent in looking after Kasab on the people from Jammu and Kashmir, we would have seen a change in the society and the rising of fewer militants. If the same had been spent in having talks with the Naxals and Maoists we would have saved ourselves from the carnage which ended up killing all those soldiers. The fact that the courts of law fail to thoroughly analyze a situation and go in to the grips of it by comprehensively grasping every minute detail is in fact slowing the entire process of judiciary and governance. A judge from the Andhra Pradesh High Court recently stated, that if, the Courts in India declined to accept anymore cases and if they chose to work and deliver justice to the cases that are already pending before them, it would take a excruciating 330 years to do so. Such is the case of our judicial system.

In a particular case, a woman who was ailing from a severely chronic disease attempted suicide by jumping into a well with her nine year old daughter. The daughter ended up dying but the woman survived. On being brought to court on the grounds of homicide, the court acquitted the woman without even considering to offer her a session of rehabilitation or certain health benefits. A similar case occurred when a man who was happily married to his wife murdered her with an axe while they were collecting wood in the forest merely because she threw her “mangal sutra” at him. The court again, acquitted the man because he supposedly acted at the spur of the moment in a fit of rage. The court absolutely fails to apply its mind and to look back into the history and circumstantial growths of such situations while delivering justice.

Therefore, if psychology per se was given higher importance in the delivery of justice, the judiciary in India would improve to a very large extent. A person is more than often cured only through a process of reformation. Besides, various predicaments can be sorted out in a very amicable manner if the root cause of the evil was discovered. In a way, a prevention of the same from happening may be achieved and on the other hand, awareness and change can be brought about.

Preamble Gamble

The Constitution of India proudly declares through its preamble that India is a “Sovereign”, “Socialist”, “Secular” and a “Democratic” republic. 62 years have gone past and today all that India has done is au contraire with the objectives of the preamble and is nothing but a sham and a farce. Sovereignty for every Indian seemed so dear when we were bound by the clutches of the British. 200 years of constant internal and external disturbances coupled with a divide and rule policy was the price we had to pay. The question today is, has the independence which we sought after so much of hardships and undertaking truly worth it? And are we doing any justice at all to the law of our land, The Constitution? Well, the answer is a reluctant ‘no’!

Maneka Gandhi had quoted in beautiful words, the India of her dreams where the poorest shall feel that it is their country in whose making they have an effective voice; …an India in which all communities shall live with perfect harmony. Where there can be no room in for the curse of un-touchability or the curse of Intoxicating drinks and drugs and where a woman will enjoy as the same rights as man." If seen through a perspective, these words spoken by her can in fact bring us back to the very provisions of the Preamble of the constitution which serves as a cleanser and a key to all of those who chose to interpret it. Today it is with great disappointment that we come to observe that nothing in the country is the way it is actually meant to be. The basic features of the Constitution have been manipulated shamelessly for the enjoyment and pleasures of a few thousands of people completely overlooking the majority of our population. The basic objective of our Constitution to portray to the rest of the world a “Sovereign”, “Socialist” and “Democratic” image is being made a mockery.

SOVEREIGNITY IN TODAY’S INDIA: Sovereignty if defined keeping in mind the words of Thomas Hobbes in his master piece, “Leviathan”, “Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided.” In simpler words, it was expressed by R.P. Wolff, “Sovereignty is the right to command and correlatively obey.” When I came across such definitions it took a few moments for me to find a bridge to connect the same with the Indian scenario and then it struck to me that India’s sovereignty is about upholding the latter from R.P. Wolff’s definition of merely obeying the words of country’s it feels is stronger than herself inter alia. When India agrees to offer refuge to the Tibetan’s its sovereignty is automatically brought under the scanner by the Chinese. Constant border territory infringements along with various war threats have always been laid across to India by the Chinese as a result of India’s decision to grant refuge to the Tibetan’s. Again, India’s sovereignty is jeopardized with the fear of being subjugated to war by the Chinese. On the other hand, India has constantly been putting up with various cross border violations being caused to her by Pakistan. Besides the infringement of India’s border territories the amount of violence she has been subjected to due to terrorism which finds its roots in Pakistan is extremely disheartening. Again, India’s sovereignty is being taken away from being exercised because of the involvement of the United States of America. Such is the mockery that is being made of our so called “Sovereign” status.

Internally speaking, India has never been a sovereign country. Sovereignty as a concept refers to a single pervasive authority. In the Indian scenario, every day, this concept of sovereignty is becoming brittle because of the number of people and entities claiming to be authoritative and sovereign. India is a country which is federal in nature with a very strong centralizing tendency; this feature completely fails to work in the Indian system of governance. Every single day minority rights are being spoken about and the majority is being ignored. People who have dire financial constraints are not even being looked upon whereas classifications on the grounds of caste and religion are being made every single day. India is getting further divided on the basis of language and every single day we have people crying out loud for their own SOVEREIGNITY. Therefore, when we speak of sovereignty in the Indian Constitution, we are in fact speaking about an allegiance of loyalty we make completely endangering or rather scorning the essence of what sovereignty actually implies.

SOCIALISM IN TODAY’S INDIA: The Socialism which Karl Marx viewed as a way to eradicate the capitalism which existed at a large scale in the society where wealth was available only to a certain section is precisely what Indian’s have interpreted of the Preamble. Mayavati’s grand 5 Crore garland along with a 200 crore “celebration” itself speaks volumes in this regard. Uttar Pradesh has statistically been viewed to be one among the poorest of the states in India and when the premier of the state itself chooses to hurt the wound of poverty further by rubbing salt against it by holding such extravagant ceremonies, where is the socialism, where is the dictatorship of the proletariat, where is the classless society, all essential components of socialism found? Marble statues of elephants are given paramount important with absolutely no concern shown towards the “aam aadmi”. The government in India instead of upholding the Constitution in fact seems to be playing the roles of Capitalists. The austerity drive apparently saved the Government a whopping 2000 Crores and the day the government declared that the economy has improved the ministers gave up this drive to remain austere and chose to go back to super luxury hotels and business class aircrafts. When the members of any governmental body are in fact, the people’s representatives why are they treated differently? The definition of socialism does not mean taking people and the taxes we pay for granted. Would continuing to remain austere and travel economy class cause any damage to their ego? And then again, if that is the answer, it is pretty obvious at the face of it that these “People’s Representatives” consider themselves superior in some way or the other and hence, they are nothing but capitalists. Thus, yet again, Socialism as portrayed in India is completely in contradiction with its very essence.

DEMOCRACY IN TODAY’S INDIA: The infamous words of Abraham Lincoln when he said “Democracy is the government, of the people, by the people, for the people” is perhaps always been laid down as the foundation for any state before it chooses to accept democracy as a form of governance. Perhaps, the framers of our Constitution also chose to tread in the path of the Americans while choosing a democratic system of representation for the Indian Citizens. The Indian system of democracy in today’s scenario is in a total state of confusion. Where on one hand we have various political parties claiming to be true representatives of the Indian citizens, the very concept of democracy doesn’t seem to have been well understood. Democracy involves a direct representation of the people however, in India when we vote during elections, we do not vote for a person, but we vote for a “party”. The idea of voting for a party lacks sensibility because, it is hard to judge a persons capability by looking at the party he comes from. This in a way leads to a tainted vision before exercising our fundamental right of choosing a representative, WE WANT.

Therefore, in conclusion, what can be drawn from the entire situation in the country today is that, India is being very ignorant about something as important as the Constitution. People are not aware of their rights, of their laws. The Constitution seems to be made so that people can follow everything, but the principles laid down there under. A solution needs to be implemented as soon as possible and the Constitution requires more understanding by every citizen. When we do not pay much attention to the very fundamental law of the land, we are in a way coming close to days of severe anarchy and public unrest.

The Stages

A drunken man, against me passed,
his head dizzy, his body aghast!
I gave him a stern glance,
but his happiness seemed to forever last.
His hands were covered with gloves,
while his face pale as a grey dove.
His ego wasn’t flaunting high above,
and peace to himself he had in bout.
No force could seem to denude,
his hallucination, unlike common mood.
Then to me it struck,
tranquility he had amidst all the muck;
Fighting from his fears he stood strong,
intoxication, that wouldn’t hold him long!


A saintly man, against me passed,
his head calm, his pace unsurpassed,
I gave him a convivial glance,
knowing his happiness sure would forever last.
His hands were adorned with holy beads,
his face, bright, a sign accomplishing great deeds,
and serenity to himself he had indeed.
No force could seem to denude,
his exhilaration, unlike common mood.
Then to me it struck,
tranquility he gained, not by luck;
Fighting against his fears and all the worldly muck,
salvation, that held him strong,
without a doubt very, very long.


A common man, against me passed,
his head perplexed, his body harassed,
I gave him a concerned glance,
hoping his happiness would return from the lost.
His hand held a bag very tight,
his face displayed anxiousness full of might,
portraying that,
peace to himself he has to receive as a right.
No force could seem to denude,
his anticipation, unlike common mood.
Then to me it struck,
tranquility he might gain, if he tried his luck;
Fighting for glory amidst all this worldly muck,
his life seemed to be hunting for success but somewhere stuck.
Peace within him he would someday find,
the day he left his materialistic instincts right behind.

A Christmas Story

So, I woke up this morning, the 24th of December and was rather dazed to see Anita, my little sister all dressed up, her little bed neatly tucked and her sitting with a very warm smile on that cute bed completely occupied by lifeless stuffed animals which she adored more than herself. She was sparkling clean, dressed in a beautiful pink frock and had such an affectionate aura which made me wish I could see her angelic self every single day I woke up. While appreciating her with a very groggy voice and assuring her of how admiring and happy Santa Claus is going to be I figured how I went through a similar routine when I was her age. When I was seven, I would make sure, every 24th of December, to hang a sock on the mantelpiece with my name beautifully stitched on it and would wait desperately for midnight to arrive so that I could be blessed with Santa’s love which of course was felt mostly through the wonderful presents he got me. “Aah, those were the days, days when I so looked forward for Christmas, the happiest time of the year.” I said to myself.

I finally got out of bed at around noon and hit the streets to go fetch some groceries from the store for the very merry Christmas my huge Roman Catholic family was planning on having tonight. As I entered the store, I could see Rohan walk past me right inside and scream out, “Feliz Navidad”, loud enough for the entire store to turn around and give us an approving glance. “Merry Christmas man”, I said in response. Rohan, had been my best friend ever since I remember. I recollected an incident back when we were in the 7th grade, when I got into quite a gory fight with another classmate of mine; and just at the moment when there was a slight possibility of me having a fractured nose, Rohan bumped in and received, that one excruciating injury on my behalf, which in fact had eventually damaged a his nose and had made it grow into an angle completely against how god had perhaps wanted it to have been. “Aah”, I said again, “those were the days, when I so looked forward for Christmas, the happiest time of the year.” Rohan and I decided we’d go pick the cake up together; we walked down to the “Cheeseria”, the bakery which gave humanity the most heavenly cheese cakes, and also were very apt for the divine occasion. “Silver bells… Silver bells… It’s Christmas time in the city” Jim Reeves was crooning in the background.

While we were making sure we picked the perfect flavored cake for tonight’s grand gala, I felt someone pat me on my back. I cannot describe how beautiful she looked, still as charming as she did 5 years back when we finished school. Her eyes seemed to still hold a melody to it, the fluttering of her eyelashes and the beautiful smile that lit up her face all summed up to it being a celestial sight. “Hey.. Anisha, Merry Christmas.” I said, “Seasons greetings!”, she replied with the usual sparkle of naughtiness in her speech. “So, all set for the party?” she asked. Again I got thrown into a day, back when I had just finished school. “Are the results out yet?”, I enquired. Anisha and I were at her place, on her Computer checking if our board exam results were out. “Yes! She said” with a sudden high pitched shriek. “Have I passed?, Sweetheart, I’m worried!”, I said. Anisha and I were dating back then. “I passed!!” she said in a higher tone which nearly deafened me, “and me?”, I asked again, she entered my roll number and hit the search button and as expected, I failed math. I looked stunned, rather constipated for a minute, and the next minute, my eyes were filled with tears. She held on to my hand, and assured me everything would be fine. Well, it wasn’t, even after reevaluation, I hadn’t passed and then began the actual trials of life. My parents had me grounded for a whole year and all I could here was the word “STUDIES!”. Anisha had joined college and had taken up science, PCMB, to be more specific since she always wanted to be a doctor. In spite of all the difficulty she had in college with all the assignments, the truckload of studies to do, and the torture called tuitions to which her parents used to subject her, every single day, without fail, she would come home and make sure she taught me math for at least 2 hours. And she would be so serious at it, that all the love she had for me deep down her heart reflected on every sum we did together. In a few months, I had mastered Hyperbola’s and Eclipse’s besides beginning to find integration and algebra rather easy. I cleared my math paper when I reappeared for it and was back in college. The environment was all I dreamt of with friends and parties all coming throbbing into my life, and yes, I slowly began to ignore Anisha. And then came the day, when we completely stopped speaking, I hadn’t even heard from her for the rest of her time at Pre-University College. One fine day, I received a call, “Bye Neil, I’m leaving for Delhi. I’ve got a seat in AIIMS.”, she said. And that is when, I remembered, how she truly mattered to me. After I got into college, I forgot the sacrifices Anisha had made for me, and now I remembered for a second, how much I loved her and how I did not wish to lose her. “Don’t go..” I said in an upset tone. “I am.” She said and that’s the last I heard from her until today “Aah”, I said yet again, “those were the days, when I so looked forward for Christmas, the happiest time of the year.” “Neil!” she said, flashing her hand in front of my eyes. “All set for the party” she asked again, “I’m sorry Anisha.”, I said, “You should come, I am looking forward to your entire family.” “We are coming! So I’ll see you then?” “Yeah sure, bye Anisha.” I said, Anyways, we had zeroed down on Blueberry, and headed back home.

“Dad, anything else I need to buy for this evening?”, I asked. “Have you ordered the cake already?”, “Yes dad.”, I said. “Son, this Christmas is going to be special, it’s the last Christmas you will be spending here, before you set out on your voyage, sailor.”, my dad said, with an expression of pride on his face. I had gotten into the Merchant Navy, and when those two words appeared in my mind, I ventured back on my tour of the past. “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”, was the subtle song being played in a very low volune on the background. Well, it truly was a white Christmas, or rather grey, I had my Marine Services entrance exams in three days which happened to be the 26th of December, and for the first time in all my life, with such a close proximity to Christmas, I was actually studying. I still remember the conversations I used to have with my father during those days when I used to decide on what I wished to be in life. I came to realize how supportive my father was, he would always tell me to decide what I wanted to do with my life. Even during days when I would spend nights with my friends, my father would only be supportive, the trust he had on me, his son, was phenomenal. My dad has always been a friend and even when I was preparing for my exams, the Christmas celebrations at home were completely restricted, all so that, I could prepare for my tests peacefully. He even ensured that if I decided not to get into the Marine Services five minutes before my exam, I could come back home to them, my beloved parents. Those were the times, when I had guilt in my mind not because I wasn’t a good son, only because, I wasn’t good enough for such wonderful parents and then again my mind said to itself. “Aah, those were the days, when I so looked forward for Christmas, the happiest time of the year.”

The night arrived, “Silent night, holy night”, my mother and the rest of the family sang with the men folk strumming their guitars all with a glass of home-made wine in their hands. Everyone who mattered to me were there. Anita, was dressed in a white gagra choli and looked like Gloria the angel. I could see Anisha, she looked prettier than ever in a scarlet red gown which she had worn for the prayer service at church prior to the party at my place. Today, I celebrated my very own insightful welcome to a very merry Christmas. And tomorrow, I was leaving for a long time, away from family, away from friends, so I thought to myself, why not speak and make everyone know why this Christmas has been so special to me. I went towards the mantelpiece where Anita’s red sock hung and began to speak, “Merry Christmas everyone! Today, I saw Santa Claus, and trust me he is as true as I expected him to be 15 years back.” I saw my maid slowly lead Anita outside the room into the garden noticing the doubtful frown appearing on her face. “So”, I said, “the day I realized Santa Claus was in fact my dad, I was bewildered, I was angry and was very annoyed by the fact that I was being made a fool ever since I was a kid about Santa Claus’s very existence. But today, I realized how Santa Claus truly looked. Santa Claus, looks like my parents, for every time I dreamt, they gave me their palms to build my dreams on, they trusted me more than I can ever trust myself, they gave my life the very meaning to it, the love my parents give me is Santa Claus, the truest gift given to me by God above. I also discovered the Santa Claus within Rohan, who never allowed life to mess with me, his best friend. For being there all the time, for giving me strength when I had lost mine, for being my best friend and sticking through all the turmoil’s I have got myself through, giving me the purest form of a gift called friendship from my God above. I found the gift of innocence in my little sister Anita, the way she dressed up this morning, awaiting the arrival of Christmas with such genuine enthusiasm in her eyes. I found the gift of love, through all of you, my family, my friends for making life what it is, for making my family strong by bringing to us so much peace and contentment. And finally, I found the gifts of adoration, affection, friendship and sacrifice, in you my lovely Anisha, the most beautiful Santa Claus I’ve ever seen. You gave me your friendship when I needed it, your affection when I lacked it and your Sacrifice when I lost myself. I love you as much and more than what I did when you left for Delhi, and I wish I can have you, my beautiful Santa Claus forever in my life. Who said Santa Claus doesn’t exist? All of you are my Santa Claus’s. The greatest of happiness lies in our own perception and my perception today for once showed me where God had placed the most magnificent of gifts specially for me, he had placed them within all of you and today I do not look forward to Christmas anymore, for I have finally realized that with all of your presence, everyday is but a Christmas for me. So yeah,


They know that Santa's on his way;
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother's child is going to spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.


And so I'm offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although its been said many times, many ways,
A very Merry Christmas to you and to me!”

And voila! What you just read is my Christmas story and my encounter with the true Santa Claus who does as a matter of fact live among us. So look around, for all you know, you might just find your Santa, sitting right next to you. Tomorrow starts a new day, a new life, a new adventure! Adios for now, and see you next Christmas!

True Perception...

I perceive at this moment,

a sensation eloquent and grand;

I am trying hard to accentuate

and relate to the present, hoping I can reach a stand.

I see it, a sight, which is magnificent and beautiful;

the sea ahead of me so wide and huge;

with waves, enormous yet calm,

a soothing breeze flows onto my face

bringing with it an aromatic scent of floral balm.

I stand on a cliff, with waves ceding their horrendous anger,

delivering salty drops of sprinkled water on my face.

The night is starry, the moon is bright,

the ambiance is everything that is nice.

I walk deeper, venturing into the dense cluster of Casuarinas;

the soft sand alleviating my heels,

as I walk further the moon light brings me more peace.

Hand in hand, my beloved’s warmth I can feel;

draped in white and aglow is she,

her rosy cheeks radiant and warm,

she nudges my arms with a glint in her eye,

assuring me this that she’d stay all through this night.

The doors of heaven must have opened galore,

For true love here blossoms by the shore.

Her adorable words make me wonder;

day never came and this night stayed longer.

Glimpses of our past I now can see,
marriage then children all happy and glee.

our love is still growing stronger,

although my beloved is now 69 and I, 70.

This day, is the day I shall hold on to forever;

A day of love, a day for me to remember.

The night persists, and our souls meet,

togetherness in complete is what we seek,

life has almost reached its very end,

and all we want is to be jubilant.

Love to me is her;

And that’s the love I have always seen,

and today, her arms entwined in mine,

is all that I could forever seek.

My love for you baby, shall never be weak;
It shall be like my soul an everlasting and eterna sign.

Love through his reminiscence…

"The human heart cries out for help; the human soul implores us for deliverance; but we do not heed their cries, for we neither hear nor understand. But the man who hears and understands we call mad, and flee from him."

Several years ago, in a beautiful land far away, a young girl names Selma had won the heart of a young man who had just stepped into his adolescence. Love can either be an indescribable catastrophe or an overwhelming spectacle. What is however evident is that by the end of it, love gives to man a lesson, good or bad, a lesson well learnt. So as I was saying, Selma had bounded our dear man with her irresistible beauty, her youthfulness and most importantly, her love. The man, who had already seen life through various perspectives, was beginning to analyze Selma through a way which he had done never before. He was falling in love with her in uncontrollable pace and before he knew it Selma had carved for herself a deep niche in his heart.

As their love grew with the progress of time, the highly repressive and despotic mentality of the Eastern Nations prevented their togetherness. The love they had for each other was completely looked over and differences of caste and creed were given paramount importance. Selma was married off to another man and the love which blossomed to be pure and unblemished with the hearts and minds of two souls was tainted and fouled by the minds of the evil society. The man, learnt his first lesson through this ignominy being caused to what was most dear to him – His love for Selma. The lesson he learnt was that attachment is perhaps the most hurtful of emotions man could adopt. Living in loneliness is a good thing, for when it is lost, man tends to gain everything. Howeve

r, living in attachment is bad, for when it is lost, man loses everything.

With this loss began the unfortunate story of a man who lived hoping that his death would sooner or later come and caress him. Now, the failure of his love, and the disaster that followed in his own life because of this very reason ruined the entire spirit of his existence. However, this failure is what led him to declare to the world certain messages which have always helped in giving people answers, whenever they arrive into a position which left our man broken and emptied. He mentioned once, that love gives not from itself and takes not for itself. His entire life was a quest, a search to find an answer to all those questions which were left unanswered when his love, Selma was married off to another man. Although he lived his life in deep sorrow and pain, he made sure, he would give to all his fellow beings an answer to questions he always had in his mind. Knowing, that one day everyone would fall in a similar position like his.

Kahlil Gibran, The multi faceted Lebanese Writer and Poet is the man being referred to in the above story. His life was no less than a very damaging catastrophe. A small incident which involved love, changed his life into an eternal search for answers to his incessant queries. His writings are today the most popular and widely read pieces of philosophical literature. Nonetheless, whatever he wrote, never brought peace and tranquility to his own mind. Kahlil Gibran died because of severe liver damage caused due to his alcoholism. One incident changed his life completely and this clearly shows, that human existence is nothing but a very mystifying maze. The world has been trying to seek answers and happiness through the sorrows of this one man, that is how funny human life is. And what was  the ultimate benefit Kahlil received by the end of it? a life being lead with Broken Wings.

God, Biochemistry and my Brain

GOD KNOWS NO RELIGION

When I was a child, about five years old, my grand mother would always tell me stories which were related to God in some way or the other. Sometimes, the stories used to be straight out from any of the religious texts; other times, it used to be stories about various people, villages or the whole universe, where God’s intervention was most evident. I also couldn’t help but notice that these beautiful narrations by my Grand ma were most often just before I went to bed. Well, at five, I never chose to question my own self and seek to learn why she was so very keen on reciting these stories to me before bed time.

 

Today, fifteen years later, I woke up all alone at home, and for the first time, I was missing my grand mothers beautiful bed time stories; as always, when I miss people, this time too, I let myself embark on a journey of nostalgia. I went back in time and tried recollecting as many incidents as I could which involved three elements – Sleep, God and Stories. The first word which appeared in my mind thereafter was the word ‘Dream’. Every single time my grand ma would narrate these stories, I would have the deepest sleep with the sweetest of Dreams; I still remember how ecstatic I would feel by the end of my sleep when I used to be showered with these tales of magic. Eventually, as I grew up, I adopted one habit, reading a book before I slept, and the book I read again always had an element of God to it; to this day, I still feel I have been blessed with a wonderful piece of good fortune in the form of my sleep.

 

The love for God has always been a part of my family in fact, I hail from a very God fearing family where each day begins and ends with a prayer. My mother ever since I was a young child constantly messed about with me saying that one day I would become a very austere person; I see today where her words have led me. When I was a ninth grader, I was deeply impressed with Christianity and Jesus Christ; in fact, being a Hindu, I even refused to attend on my religious functions. I used to be prompt and punctual for Sunday Mass and would never miss out on any of the Jesus Youth Manipal Retreats. I had wonderful friends from the prayer group and had also developed a liking towards the preaching of the Bible. I completely lost myself in the ecstasy it provided me and was ready to convert myself the day I turned a major. My mother was surprisingly very supportive and always mentioned to me that God is what each of us assumes. God is not bound by the limit of any religion; she also mentioned that God is not how religion defines it; but, it is how we take it to be. Eventually, I began reading the Bhagavad Gita, and from it I learnt everything I learnt through the Gospels of the New Testament. When lord Krishna mentioned in the Gita, “Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani", urging us to do our duty without worrying about its fruit; Jesus Christ has mentioned in the Gospel of the Psalm that work is the inevitable component of our lives and that it is unavoidable. Therefore, at this point I came to terms with the biochemistry of MY average human brain. Religion was merely a cue, an indication towards what my brain wants to hear. I turned to Christianity, when I needed answers about the reasons for my low grades and how God could perhaps reveal to me an answer to improve the same. The Bhagavad Gita through Hinduism was again an indication, a cue to which I turned to when I needed an answer for my double mindedness. As I mentioned earlier, my family is a very God fearing family where each day began and ended with a prayer. God and faith has and will always be a part of my genetics. Our DNA doesn’t just carry forward our physical features but also brings along with it from generation to generation all mental components. The whole concept of God, and my linking towards him has been brought down to me by my ancestors. My genetics are the ones which have given me love for GOD and not love for RELIGION. That is precisely what made my thoughts deviate from time to time and there on from religion to religion. Religion is just a medium to crystallize human thoughts. God is one; and will always continue to be one; perpetual, everlasting and eternal.

P.S.: Thank You Trishma for posting that Status Update on Facebook today. Made me want to complete this finally.