Not just some random thoughts…
Frustration
What’s The Worth?
Dec 6th
What good have you done for someone else today?
You have a well paid job, a fancy car, a decent place to live in and almost everything that makes your life comfortable. You can easily spend an average East African resident’s monthly earning on your daily evening entertainment. On top of that, you complain! Complaints about trivial things- Oh my, the grocery store next door is selling Evian for 7 dhs!! That’s wrong! – without realising that clean drinking water, forget evian, is still a dream in many parts of this world!
It’s not just about how much money you have in your bank account or what cigar you smoke? At the end of it all, you aren’t taking nothing with you. It all ends right here, right then. All the materialism dies with you. What leaves behind is how you lived. What good you did for someone else for them to remember and preserve your legacy? What difference you made in the lives of those unfortunate and suppressed, whom you could have or perhaps should have helped?
To complain about something and not doing anything about it, is called HYPOCRISY. And slowly, but surely, we are all moving towards that point.
Take time to think what good you did today for someone else. The realisations might just give a meaning to your life.
A Tribute
Nov 25th
On the eve of 26/11, A tribute to the victims of terrorism, not just in Mumbai, not just in India, around the world.
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn’t a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out
May their souls Rest In Peace. AMEN.
The Mirror Never Lies
Jan 12th
As i faced my reflection last night, I saw it all- rage, helplessness, anger, frustration, hatred, sympathy. All that in my own eyes. I kept staring, trying to look as deep as possible, for the search of that answer, that solution which would have put an end to my pain, but alas, does God or more importantly ‘Good’ really exist?
A stunning revelation forced me to re-think the worth of life. Not that its unknown or uncommon, but the perils of evil kept away from me, till last night. In a moment the harsh reality of world made a permanent ‘Chateau’ in my heart, in my mind, in my soul, in my veins. I was never unrealistic but never unethical as well. I never felt this pain in my life ever before which i did last night. As i lay on the bed, deprived of sleep, reasoning with myself, my entire moderate upbringing flashed in my sub-conscious mind, in grey frames. How lucky was I? Did I ever had to worry about tomorrow? NEVER. And yet i always complained for that Timex watch which my brother was having, that fancy cap which i knew i will never use again, that Mechanical pencil which my friend got from the States, that New Port Jean, that Hero bike et ce tra.
These privileges are not even worth dreaming about for the most of world and yet how insensible and ignorant people are? Those cocktail cheering socialites, money minting celebrities, armani clad corporates have no right to voice concern about the suffering of the needy. Why can’t you help eradicate the poverty when you have earning worth a fortune every single second of your life? Instead you will use that to build a giant-sized mansion or to buy a business jet or a luxury yacht.
We live in a ignorant, insensible world, where people like inflicting pain and suffering on fellow human beings rather than being compassionate. If that was the world the creator dreamt of, then the creator is the biggest sinner of humanity and the world its biggest sin. And if its a dream turned nightmare, then its time for the end, the re-evolution. This world doesn’t deserve to exist. The human race doesn’t deserve to survive. Why is it that one human being is estimated at US$ 135 Million and the other in Zimbabwean Dollars? Why do we have Amnesty’s and HRW’s when the human rights themselves vary from person to person?
Some provokers fired a rage of provokes towards an occupier and the occupier massacred hundreds of innocent civilians. The master, thousands of miles away, refuses to order its slave to halt the barbarism. 1,000 lives for 3? Is that what you call defense? Pardon me for disagreeing with the dictionaries, its time to review some meanings. Though that’s just a part of ignorance we face in these times, its a very recent example.
The tag-line of a TV commercial keeps flashing in front of my eyes ever since i saw that – Does our conscience choose our actions? Those who answered yes will probably be as extinct as the Yeti’s of Himalayas.
Its official, i hate this world, i refuse to be sympathetic, pitiful, compassionate or tolerant to my fellow beings. They don’t deserve it., this world don’t deserve it. Those who do, doesn’t deserve to be living in this rotten hell.
Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
I wonder how would he have rephrased his comment if he was to suffer in these times ???
Survival of the Fittest
Sep 16th
Again, Yet again. It has now become a routine to come home in evening and watch a city burning and the politicians and bureaucrats condemning. And things will start fussing out the next day itself and very soon there will be another explosion reeling away innocent lives. And the politicians and bureaucrats will again condemn.
The Indian Government is admitably the WORST in responding to any terrorist attack on its own territories. Whether it be any political party having the reigns of Parliament, the situation remains the same. They just CANNOT ACT. And there will be the same, lame excuses- We are the land of Gandhi and Nehru, we are a peace loving democracy. The Indian Government just cannot act and moreover they won’t let the Armed forces act either. What can be more shameful than terrorist rampaging in a Country’s Parliament? How safe are the commoners when the elite of elite are not out of there reach?
Yes, agreed, we are a country of Gandhi and Nehru, but don’t forget, we are a country of Foreign Ministers like Jaswant Singh, who personally flew with some terrorists, sent them home and negotiated with hijackers. And we would just defend ourselves saying that was for many innocent lives. If that is so then we should search the history databases for the Israeli rescue mission for there people. But we just CANNOT ACT.
Its now the 5th instance in very recent times when a metropolis was the target of militant infiltration. And what can be worst than the capital of a huge country? Even small nations fight and defend there own boundaries, rather effectively. But we, standing at 3rd position in terms of number of security personnel in world, fail so often, so miserably. The so called RAW, IB and other intelligence agencies exist practically in papers. After any terrorist attack they will come up with there own reports about some fake assassination plans and terrorist confessions. Just to ward off any outclash from the innocent citizens and to give media something to discuss and debate, which they do, rather commercially.
The Armed forces are so bound by the constitution and held up by the politicians that they cannot act without there consent, even for the interest of this country. They are capable enough to eliminate every single trespassing in our territories but the vote banks have to be nurtured, nourished and kept happy. We all know how easily and often the political parties burn-out there agendas as soon as they assume power.
Yes, the lawmakers do catch some suspects but then comes the Indian Judicial System. An average civil case in India is like a 5-year plan. And the different hierarchy levels of courts effectively means that if a 40-year old is under trial for any case and after appeals, convictions, re-appeal, re-convictions, he would have passed his life time out without any decision or imprisonment. The police and intelligence agencies claim they found the mastermind and next week you will face the wrath of another terrorist act. What does that imply? Is the mastermind using telepathy to connect to his followers or colleagues? The logic of some claims by the bureaucrats is beyond an average Indian’s understanding.
The question remains the same- Why is the Government so numb? Why after all these continued infiltrations at the cost of innocent lives, we are still so helpless? What is stopping us from acting? Are we not capable enough? The intelligence failure is never a big offence in India, may be thats why the intelligence agencies are not so concerned about there tasks or we just do not have the resources to tackle the very smart terrorists. The so called terrorists often use the cyber space to inform about any attack they are going to carry out and yet we fail to stop them.
Newton’s third law of motion stats- Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If the great scientist was alive today, he would have been forced to eat his words and burn his research after Indian Government’s no reaction theory.
In fact its time we remember other famous Scientist- Charles Darwin and his theory of ‘Survival of the Fittest’. Its time to act and defend ourselves to stay alive in this country. In this civilised society and constitutional democray we almost forgot that. But now we should know that we are living in a forest and there are no laws, no lawmakers and no protectors here. Everyone for themselves.
Cracking the Shell
Sep 13th
Okay, we are the biggest secular democracy of world, agreed, One Hundred Percent.
Its been a little over 61 years since India was liberated and the highly coveted and wanted Independence was achieved. But where do we stand after those roller coaster like 61 years? Lets analyse, unbiasedly, of course.
Before i began, i would like to share a view, which was given or rather imposed on be someone very dear.
INDIA MAY BE 60 YEARS OLD, BUT NOT HINDUSTAN. THE DEMOCRACY MAY STILL BE LEARNING, WE WERE RULERS AND ADMINISTRATORS FROM AGES.
Although it was a no holds barred discussion, there were some points i was quick to adopt and acknowledge. Though some were arguable and debatable.
But the point in question is, where do we stand in terms of our International Colleagues? Although we got independence more than 6 decades before, out education system was never overhauled. We still read, mug up and write the words written 200 years before by the historians appointed by certain affluent sects of society. The fact is that the description of certain events in past was written to provide positive publicity to the person getting it written, so that after centuries and ages, they will remain the pride of history when they were actually the scar.
Our education system cover up history of not more than 1200 years, which effectively means we study only about the travellers and invaders, whereas our history dates back to more than 1,20,00,000 years (the oldest human skull found in Madhya Pradesh). Infact any intelligent 8th grader will tell you all about Mughals, Marathas, Maharana Pratap, Jhansi ki Rani, East India Company and independence. But what about Ashoka or Chandragupta. The importance of Kautilya, better known as Chanakya or the atomic explosion during Mahabharata are relatively unknown. Yes, these are not conclusions, these are facts. Our history is much older than an average Indian can imagine, all thanks to our education system.
The base of future is built on its past. If we do no plan well in past, there are rare, almost no chances of succeeding in future. If we do not know our history well, our generations will be deprived of the rich source of inspiration. A child learns by choice and by logic. If he reads a certan 1200 years of history, he will not even think of comparing two certain individuals or events. A child may compare Aurganzeb with Akbar, but what about Ashoka and Chandragupta? The religiuos books are a very good source of information, but a conclusion is arrived after conflicting various thoughts.
The question remains! Who will do the hard work? Right now we have a well in place and accepted educational system. But is it all that we need to teach our children, the so called future of nation? No, do not remove them, but add the glorified past. Let them also realise in spirit that we were actually a GOLDEN SPARROW. Right now, the system portraits us the same as before. We never saw the riches in our history books.
We need to get out of this shell. We are one of the oldest civilisations in the world, much older than the invaders who ruled over us, and who regard themselves to be superior in race. Our recent history dates back to the times even when a so called powerful nation was not even discovered. We are not inferior to anyone and its high time our own children are made this thing realised, by the books they read.
