Long Text Complaints on Facebook

At one point, I thought that people had lost the old art of writing long texts. It went on like that very well for too long. Then truth was revealed to me in the form of some really huge complains they started posting on some company's / online portal's / some shop's / or police's facebook pages.

It was shocking! People who until then posted only photos of their mountain trips 33 times a year on facebook wrote a complain to amazon.com which counted 95893953 letters till last count. Someone who only wrote in one-liners wrote a complain against his car service center which was so huge that I finished reading it in over 3 weekends. The girl with bad handwriting posted against Hyderabad police's apathy which was so impressive; think if she wrote some essay like that in her class 10th exam, where she would be by now? The super smart woman who visited facebook only 3 times in last 19 months used 2 of those visits to post stories of how she was cheated at her neighborhood jewelry shops!

This long text influenza is spreading like influential virus. And it is making life so unpredictable! Now whenever I see the face of a sensible yet funny friend, I fear what lies behind that clean windscreen of his spectacles? Some bad experience at the pizza shop; or some not so cold cold-drink served at McD? Since the days of lizards coming out of khichdi pots and cockroaches coming out of fruit salads are over; the remaining options to surprise us are only limited by imagination!

God please save the writers who write purposeless posts on their own walls. Because the growing tribe of complainers armed with long guerrilla texts will soon outnumber them!

- Rahul Tiwary

Puzzling Life

I realized quite some time back that wisdom comes with age. After every 4-5 years, we can feel that our thoughts and opinions of the past were impractical or not correct. After worrying about it for some time, I made peace with it. So it seemed we just had to wait till our hair started turning grey, and then everything will be okay. Finally, with age we shall attain wisdom. But now it seems that even wisdom has degrees. What appears wisdom to us now, may appear childish again after 5 years! So where does this end? May be never! 

And if we and our wisdom keep growing and changing, then it would also be true for others. What others tell today may be judged as incorrect by themselves after a few years! The realization is scary. Is everything fluid? 

If everything evolves then what we see today is true only for today and may not be so after some time. That makes life confusing for sure. What is the point of doing anything right, when the 'right' could turn 'wrong' just when our way of thinking changes, when we see some new worlds, or when we attain some new version of wisdom? 

Is this why they turn to scriptures; which hold truths which have survived centuries of evolutionary thinking? All rivers meet the ocean in the end. May be until we can see the end, we may mistake a 'river' for an 'ocean'. 

Sometimes it seems everything changes with time. Sometimes it seems nothing changes fundamentally. Sometimes what we can't understand is called confusing. Sometimes what we do understand is confusing. This life is a puzzle. 

- Rahul

From Feminism to Taking a Stand

For quite some time around my college days, I had thought of myself as a 'feminist'. It suited me because I had two sisters. From childhood, we all studied in the same school, were treated with same respect, and saw the same dreams. Why should not my sisters or all girls be able to make their career well and make their own decisions? I was so happy from inside about my thoughts which I found liberating at that time.

After marriage, my feminism evaporated in a phased manner. Having been proud of of my sisters' careers and education, I saw the downside of it as my wife worked and how it constrained personal life. And for the first time I started seeing a new world. Unless by some lucky charm two persons start thinking exactly alike, in the end either of them has to agree with what the other person says. Best would be to do things which both are fine with, but such an option is not always the case. Now feminism gave way to realism. I realized that women also liked things in the manner which suited them. It seemed that our inclination to do "what suits me" was a generic trait.

Looking from the ground of realism, everything appeared different. As they say, things are not always either black or white. Sometimes we are selfish, sometimes the other person is selfish. And a new popular line of thinking said that in the end we all were humans, prone to flaws. No matter how good you are, still you would have some flaws. I still can't say that it is okay to be at peace with one's flaws, but I think we should definitely be aware of them, acknowledge them and avoid them as much as we can. We are not so powerless.

In general I realized that in most of the things, whenever we are taking sides we are actually compromising somewhere and being unfair somewhere. Think of any decision govt takes - if we agree with it, it might be because it suits us and if we disagree it could be because it does not suit us personally. Coming in terms with the real world was like ice bucket challenge done to me. I miss the old days when I could say, "I support this", or "that is bad" and "this is good". Such youthful yet unwise stands which we could take. It made life interesting and purposeful. Having even some amount of wisdom is so boring.

- Rahul

Irony

Subsidized LPG is bad for our economy and has a stigma attached to it - but 'Free WiFi' is ultimate sign of good governance and we all celebrate it - while both are same.

Women keeping 'ghunghat' on the head is a sign of old-school society; but women wearing full body 'burkini' is about letting women make their own decisions - while both are meant for same.

Asking someone's caste is bad and can land you in jail - but when govt asks our castes to let or not let us have jobs and college admission, it is social justice - while both are same.

If you have 70% males in your company, it is a shameful situation and needs more female hiring - but a 70% women in areas like HRD or nursing is never a problem - while both trends are of same nature.

If a mother-in-law hurts her bahu, she will land up in jail; but if daughter-in-law hurts saasu ma, nothing will happen - while both acts are same.

If you earn 3 lakhs annual salary working in a company owner by someone else, you have to pay tax; but if you earn 13 lakhs doing farming on your own land, you don't - while both are money.

If a private company defaults on loan and goes bankrupt, its owner is arrested, his property sold off to pay back; but if a PSU/govt company makes billions of losses, govt just has to pay them to continue - while both events are similar.

So what is wrong in one situation becomes right for another situation; to a large extent just because of the way it is perceived by people in general. After next 50 years, our perception may reverse and hence things may also reverse. But until then, some of us have to suffer while some others will benefit unfairly.

But someone will ask - when was it that life was fair? It is just that the equation has reversed! That is also so simple to answer. You can't punish the ghosts of yesterday by hurting the humans of today. You can't reward the sufferers of 20th century by doling out red carpet for today's undeserving lot. So, in the end nothing can justify what is stupid.

- Rahul Tiwary

Way to Get Around Entry Restrictions

There have been a few places of worship where females are not allowed inside inner sanctum. So court says that this violates equality of genders which has been ensured by our constitution. 

But equality is not violated when there are job openings, college admissions or monetary help only for women, only for men, only for some particular castes, or only for some religions, right? So what is the catch? Have you ever thought about it?

I think the catch is that when govt offers a job to only a woman, it also offers some other job only to a man, and hence it succeeds in balancing (i.e. confusing) the equality clause. So when it offers some jobs only to some particular castes, it also offers some jobs only to general castes, and hence it is seen as doing fair deal. Similarly, it spends some money for building churches, but also spends some money on protecting old temples. Hence all is fair and does not violate equality ensured by constitution!

So what could the conservative and traditional religious organizations had to do to protect their traditions and yet not get beating from the court? Simple – hire me as consultant! Kidding :) I think what they had to do was this - inside the religious complex, they should have made another shrine and put a board saying “Only women allowed” before it, and then they should have put “Only men allowed” over the original shrine – then since something is on offer to both men and women, equality clause would not get violated! Think!

I am sure someone would challenge this scheme saying the ancient shrine was for men and new shrine is for women, which is unfair. So, confuse them further. Take something out of the ancient shrine, e.g. a stone, or a few bricks, and keep it in the new shrine, and say that since all places of worship have been renovated, rebuilt, restructured across their history, there is nothing wrong in creating another shrine in the same complex, and since it also has some portion of the ancient structure, it should also be treated with equal respect.

In this scheme, since there is something for women (new shrine) and something else for men (original shrine), no one will stop you from keeping the ancient traditions alive while still satisfying all the legal hassles :) How do you like it?

- Rahul

Cousin Vs Bhai

In a train journey I came across families of two brothers traveling together. Elder brother and his wife had two beautiful sons and younger brother had one son who was slightly behind in growth. Younger brother was apparently richer in wealth and elder brother was certainly simpler by nature, if I could guess by watching them. Younger brother’s wife was not so kind towards elder brother’s wife, and sent hidden taunts and veiled ridicules. Then at one point elder brother told them that he had booked a car. “Which car?” younger brother was obviously surprised and curious. When he heard, “Maruti Ciaz” which costs around 9 lakhs, he was confused. “Bhaiya log have booked Ciaz”, he informed his wife and then there was a silence…

There is no scene as ugly as two brothers not behaving warmly. But then they were adults! What happened between their children was even more interesting.

Younger (and richer) brother’s son who behaved freaky very often, was being avoided by elder brother’s two sons. So his mother who was street-smart, thought to proactively do something about it. She said to the older kid, “he is also your brother. You should take care of him”.

What the boy replied shocked me. He said, “he is only my cousin” (wo mera cousin hai).

“But cousin also means 'chachera bhai', so you are still brothers!”

The boy now got visibly irritated and said, “When did I say he is not my brother?”, and then he looked away, stopping that line of conversation.

I remembered our childhood. We had so many cousins and we always introduced them as "bhai" to our friends. It was so confusing to kids counting how many brothers one could have, so they used to ask back, "is he your ‘real’ brother?" (‘apna’ bhai?) And then we learnt to say "chachera bhai" or ‘mamera bhai’. But we were still "bhai". We picked up the term "cousin" very late, only when it was impossible to not pick it up...

- Rahul

India at Olympic Games Rio 2016

The way and extent to which media is guiding our perception and feelings surprises me. Let us take this year’s performance in Olympics. I bet you would say that this year has been worst – or at most one of the worst years; since we have won only 2 medals so far. We are reminded that last time in year 2012 India had won 6 medals – and hence we are expected to feel sorry and disappointed this time. What if I told you a fact that except last time in year 2012, India has never won more than 3 medals in our whole history? Then current tally of “2” can be seen as a much better performance. After knowing this, you would feel less sorry, less disappointed, but wait – media does not want you to be so. Media thrives on our outrage!

Now absolute number of medals is not that all matters. Overall Ranking matters more importantly. How about if I told you that in Olympics 2012 when India did an outlier performance by winning 6 medals, it stood at world ranking# 55, "down" 5 points from year 2008 Olympics when it won only 3 medals but still stood at overall rank# 50? Media bubble of "last time we were better" bursts off.

What if I told you that from year 1956 onward in our history – if we ignore outlier year 2012, there has been only one other Olympic Games when India won more than 2 medals? That was year 2008 when we won 3 medals. With 2 medals already won, if we win one more, we shall match second highest total medal count in our history! Not as bad as we felt, right?

Now Economic Times published an article saying “Dear Mr Modi, India can get you 10 medals in 2020 if you spend Rs 480 crore”. But I believe each rupee spent on sports is a rupee snatched from the poor, the hungry, or indebted farmers. We can live without Olympic medals and this sense of urgency with which we are expected to spend Crores on sports is illogical.

This time India spent Rs 122 Crores on training Olympics participants; which is a shame for a nation which is home to world’s largest poor population. Even with revised poverty line, India is home to 172 million people below poverty line (living on less than Rs 123.50 per day). We need schools, toilets, roads, new railway lines, hospitals, police and army, and sorry, these things won't come of we spend Rs 500 Crores in training our 100 sportspersons for next Olympics, or burning Rs 1000 Crores of electricity or lost productivity watching Olympic games on TV. I don’t mind not winning 10 Olympic medals, until Govt continues its rural push and industrial reforms, to pull people out of poverty.

- Rahul

Happy Independence Day India!!!

"I love my country not "because of" any reasons. I simply love my country and that is pretty much all of it!" - Rahul Tiwary

Happy Independence Day!!!

Why Women Hate Men

It is history’s worst kept secret. It is kept secret so sacredly that if it came out, it could destroy the very nature of life that flows on earth. And yet, it is everywhere. You see it daily, you feel it quite often. But you must deny it. You must forget it. You must destroy it.

For some time I have wondered why women hated men for nothing but just because men were men. If you do not believe they hated, you would either never realize it or else it will come to you at some point of your life. The ‘hatred’ is plain irresistible. To the extent that women have often fallen in love with the men they hated. It is captured in history and in the literature of all times. It is just that it is so subtle and the realization so revolutionary that it could mean to destroy all things we believe in and hence it was better to be denied – to be turned blind eyed to.

I think the roots of this hatred go into some very basic stuff. Men are seen as ‘free’ – free of burdens which women necessarily and inescapably have to carry. It is not only the womb, although it pretty much is almost all of it; or enough of it. The child bearing capacity which is often glorified, celebrated and worshipped in all religions and cultures for obvious reasons, at some level of the female psyche turns into a burden. Why should men get away without it? That is the million dollar question. And then it is not only about it. I don’t know if it is only because of female hormones, which has been repeated in such a simplistic manner in modern scientific world, that we come to think of it and hence divert our attention from the female folks, but women feel the kind of vulnerability and insecurity which no men ever feel. Men can never imagine and guess what women feel. And hence they pay the price for not knowing their enemies well…

Women know that they are weak and need to be dependent on men in some way or the other – and they ‘hate’ it at some level of their psyche. Women hate men’s guts and confidence. There is no horrible scene for a woman than to see a confident and happy man. Such a man represents everything that the women not are – and can never be – and hence they must hate it. Put in this way you may think that women may hate the idea of a man than the man himself. I will not object to it but whenever they see a man – the idea manifests into a shape and they must hate that shape – that creature – that monster – that something which they can never be – that man…

History of the mankind is the history full of hatred which could not always get chance to manifest into something concrete. It is really a miracle that for so long you could avoid getting stung by that hatred. Or, did we?

© Rahul. 

पं. रामप्रसाद बिस्मिल

आखिर वह सन् 1927 की छह अप्रैल का सूर्य निकला। हम प्रातःकाल ही जल्दी-जल्दी स्नानादि प्रातःकालीन क्रियाओं से निवृत हुए। उस रोज सभी साथियों के चेहरों पर एक अजीब गम्भीरता छाई थी। पं. रामप्रसाद बिस्मिल कट्टर आर्यसमाजी थे। वे अपना भोजन अलग बनाया करते थे। उस दिन भी वे अपने पूजा-पाठ हवन आदि से निवृत होकर भोजन करने बैठे ही थे कि पीछे-पीछे मैं पहुँच गया और हाथ जोड़कर डबडबाई हुई आँखों से उनसे प्रार्थना की - "पंडित जी मालूम नहीं आज इस बैरक से जाने के बाद हम लोग दोबारा मिल पाएं - न मिल पाएं... आज मैं अपने हाथ से आपको दो कौर खिलाना चाहता हूँ।" तत्काल अपने भोजन की थाली मेरे सामने करके बोले - "लो भाई, खिलाओ। मैं भी तुम्हें आज अपने हाथ से खिलाऊँगा।"... यह खबर बिजली की भाँति सभी साथियों में फ़ैल गई। सभी साथी दौड़े-दौड़े आए और उन सभी ने पंडित जी को एवं आपस में एक दूसरे को खिलाना शुरू कर दिया। एक प्रकार से एक दूसरे से आखिरी विदाई ली जा रही थी। हम लोगों के हाथ एक दूसरे के मुँह में कौर के साथ जाते थे और उधर आँखों से टप-टप आँसू गिरते जा रहे थे। एक अजीब हृदय विदारक दृश्य था।

जज ने फैसला सुनाना शुरू किया। सबसे पहले अंग्रेज जज ने पं. रामप्रसाद बिस्मिल का नाम पुकारा और उन्हें मृत्युदण्ड सुनाया। दूसरे नंबर पर उसने श्री राजेंद्रनाथ लाहिड़ी को भी उतनी ही सजा सुनाई किन्तु जैसे ही तीसरा नाम ठाकुर रोशन सिंह का पुकारा, हम सब आश्चर्यचकित हतप्रभ से हो गए। ठाकुर साहब और फाँसी की सजा! ... सजा सुनते ही ठाकुर साहब का चेहरा खिल उठा, जैसे कि गुलाब का फूल। तुरंत ही पं. रामप्रसाद बिस्मिल की ओर घूम कर बोले - "क्यों पंडित! अकेले जाना चाहते थे!" ठाकुर साहब का व्यवहार देखकर सब दंग रह गए।

सबसे पहले मैंने अपनी जेब से जेल से लाए हुए फूल निकाले और उन्हें पं. रामप्रसाद बिस्मिल, श्री राजेंद्रनाथ लाहिड़ी एवं ठाकुर रोशनसिंह के चरणों में रखकर प्रणाम किया। उन तीनों ने मुझे कसकर गले लगाया। उसके बाद सब साथियों ने मेरे पास से बचे हुए फूल लेकर आपस में बाँट लिए और एक-एक कर सबने बिछड़ने वाले तीनों साथियों को प्रणाम कर उनके चरणों पर फूल चढ़ाए। चिर विदा के इन क्षणों में उम्र और पद वरिष्ठता की सभी दीवारें ढह गईं। श्री सचीन दा, कर दा एवं सुरेश दा सरीखे ज्येष्ठ साथियों ने भी भावविभोर होकर उक्त तीनों महाविभूतियों के चरण छुए थे।

- रामकृष्ण खत्री

Some Movies

Desperado

God, in some next life I want to look like him. :) Though I don't want to do crime like him, nor do I want long hair; I won't mind playing a guitar! I would also like to have a name like him. Gosh - Antonio Banderas! Can this be the name of a man? It sounds like the name of a novel! I would also like to have his voice and accent! But once you make me him, I won't like to grow old! Because all old people look the same!!! So, deal?

Gone Girl

I watched 'Gone Girl' (2014) recently. Performance wise I don't think this was anywhere actor Ben Affleck's best movies, though Rosamund Pike did a fair job. Its screenplay is based on was based on Gillian Flynn's 2012 novel of the same name.  The story is really interesting.

While experts catagorize this movie as a psychological thriller, I particularly notice its version of 'feminism'. Amy is shown as a psychopath killer, but if we take note of why she kills, it is not completely bad. Thousands of wives all over the world choose to live with criminal or double faced husbands - so why not a few husbands too end up living under the roof with a serial murderer? I am not justifying it at all, but this is just a point to note. If a woman does infidelty, she is considered evil and readily punished in harshest way; but when men do the same, they are seldom punished in the same manner. Ben Affleck's character Nick Dunne does it in the movie but does not appear like a "villian" at any moment. So the manner in which the movie turned up and ended was pretty surprising but understood. 

Nights in Rodanthe

A man's wife dies during operation although not due to the fault of the surgen. The surgen does not talk to him after the operation but asks the nurse to explain to him. He files a law suit against the doctor for negligience. The doctor goes to meet the man who is mourning. The man asks the doc, "do you know what color my wife's eyes were?" The doc does not rememeber. For the doctor, the patient was just a sick body; not a human being.

Monte Carlo

In this movie, there is a scene where the actress while moving around Paris always finds Eiffel Tower visible as she looked up. This scene was very similar to the one in Bollywood movie "Queen". Another resemblance was how one of the girl's lover kept searching for her throughout the length of the movie. 

Little Manhattan

After watching so much TV and movies; having read so many books and stories; it had to take this long to reach here? That is incredible! Can’t describe totally but I never expected this movie to be so great and heart touching… Little Manhattan! When they say “I hate you” to each other and then as soon as he puts the phone down – surge of emotions had to burst into tears! And when he sees her face and with every expression tries to make it “she loves me” or “she hates me” alternately – that was epic! And when she asked for a dance and he puts his head on her shoulder – that was as if the world stopped! That when he sums it up into “all we get are memories” – that is so heart touching… He keeps a plain face but every time he smiles and how his face lits up – that is the magic of pure happiness! They smile looking at each other – that is love… And this is the most romantic movie I have ever watched! 

Conversation about Religion, Cults and God

Friend: The more I see of organised religion and the devotional channels (all faiths), the emptier they appear. Faith is something between the man and his maker and what is the need of third party intervention (read religious leaders) in this?

Me: They guide those who need help and do not feel confident enough. Just like teachers help students learn mathematics which theoretically they could have learnt by reading books. I don't think they are doing any harm. If you don't need them, avoid them. That is all. But a lot of people need them, so let us not ridicule their needs.

Friend: U r very right. But when teachers motives r pure greed & false teachings .saints r really very few, others r katha watchk only

Me: Then let us take them as katha-wachaks only. I mean no one is forcing us to believe they are true saints. What I do is to listen and learn their "teachings" and I do not focus on the "teachers" in person... It helps most of the time. I don't have to become a follower in true sense or to start loving the speaker - I just enjoy their teachings which are mostly very good...

Friend: Rahul, have you ever watched these devotional channels seriously over a length of time?

Me: Whenever I watch a new channel for the first time, I love it for 2 days and then tire out. If I keep watching, I grow to hate them, so having learnt my pattern I discontinue and watch them only once or twice for 15 minutes in a week - then they sound fine. But I know that if I get bored the problem is not with them but with me.

Friend: As a rule, religious men and women are decent God fearing people. Men of religion, on the other hand, from times immemorial are the most conceited, corrupt and dishonest individuals.

Me: It is because "power corrupts". And it is so for all men with power and authority. We can't single out only godmen or godwomen. So let us realize the true cause of their corruption and let us accept that god or religion has nothing to do with it.

Friend: Agreed Rahul. I am a devout but strongly feel that religion is a deeply personal matter and not for display.

Me: But I don't agree that it is "so simply" between god and man - every man without training and initiation can't speak to God unless he is such an extraordinary soul - like the child prodigies. And not everyone is a child prodigy. So what we do need is religion and some initiation. Without it, when we are talking to God, what we are doing is just unburdening our emotional baggage. We may feel relief temporarily but it does not "really" help us rise spiritually. So I do need religious teachings and teachers only share. If I do not read or hear them, how do I learn new things? Books are fine but then there is so much in explanations! Half knowledge is worse than no knowledge some times.

Friend: If a literate person needs a medium -a guru- to seek the path to righteousness, he is not literate. Only a lesser learnt needs a medium. In our country nobody knows how many such persons thrive.

Me: Not so simple. Tell me, without going to school or without any teachers, how would I learn English to be able to read you? I would remain a baby and unless I learn a language I don't get its knowledge. Now the language in which scriptures are written are so deep. I thought I knew all but I read one explanation of a verse of Ramcharitmanas from a writer in a magazine from Ramakrishna mission - and then a whole new perspective, a whole new world opens for me. I would never know it no matter how much I talk to God or with my wife about Lord Ram because both of us are the same level spiritually. We need to talk to those who are better than us, in order to learn from them.

In religious books what I have read is that when one gets wisdom and some spiritual achievement, still his "ego" is his greatest enemy. So many great sages and learned people in history fell for this. They are so wise and enlightened but then ego makes them do weird stuff. Ego and power corrupts them. But we should not focus on their "corruption". We should focus on how much knowledgeable they were (and learn from them). Lord Ram sent Lakshmana to meet dying Ravana and to learn from him. Can we imagine this doing ourselves? Ram sending Lakshmana to learn from Ravana who was dying! If it were all "in the books" and if we were not to learn from wise men, why would he do that?

And btw, scary cults are coming even to India. Weird leaders of these cults being worshiped by their members as "God" himself; forget about "saints" and "gurus" which appear thing of the past. These cults are exclusive groups of brainwashed believers and their theories are illogical unscientific ones built upon existing religions' theories but giving it a twist. So I think antidote for fake religion is original religion. Like Dayananda said - return to the vedas. Otherwise India will also become like the world we see in Batman movies.

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal. 

Do Not Photograph Bird Nests

Came across this petition against photographing bird nests. Found it educating, so thought to share: National Geographic Channel, please delete nest photo

Today (30th March 2016), the Facebook page of National Geographic Channel shared a picture of a bird nest containing four newly hatched birds.

Photographing bird nests is a big no-no in the community guidelines. This is because a nest is a delicate nascent stage in the bird family. We don't want to disturb the parents into getting stressed and abandoning the babies. Also, we don't want to point out the nest to other predators. Thirdly, using bright flashes into those baby eyes can blind them for life.

While we can be sure that the photographer at National Geographic captured this picture 'ethically', they have made an irresponsible choice by sharing this picture publicly. The comments section already shows many other enthusiasts sharing nest pictures in their innocent ignorance.  National Geographic are world leaders in wildlife content, and are in a position to create awareness about conservation. This act has undermined their position of responsibility.

https://www.change.org/p/admin-national-geographic-channel-facebook-page-national-geographic-channel-please-delete-nest-photo?recruiter=114057195&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_page&utm_term=mob-xs-share_petition-custom_msg&fb_ref=Default

A friend shared his views on this below:

• This is pretty much wrong. First, birds do NOT abandon nests with hatchlings just because we came near it.
• Second, predators are not going to locate nests depending on humans photographing them – birds do not possess an elaborate brain like we do, and cannot guess that because a photographer is pointing his lens towards a tree, there must be a nest there.
• Third, because a few photographers use flash cannot be a reason for protesting all bird photography. It would be like opposing all two vehicles because a few drivers ride rash.

I shared his points to the bird photographer friend from whom I had reached this petition. He replies below:

• Birds get much stressed if humans/ predators approach near the nest and that in itself is a strong enough reason for us to leave them alone.
• Birds have been known to abandon nest/ eggs due to too much human interference. So drawing a line somewhere makes sense to me.
• And we do not oppose Bird photography. We just draw a line at venturing too near and photographing nest building, eggs and hatchlings.
• Using Flash for all kind of wildlife photography is another No.

Another of his bird photographer friend says:

• I have my own experience, most of the birds abandon their nest and even chicks , in fact some birds throw their eggs if someone come close to them, so I am not agree with what he has said... I think there should be some line for photographers as petitioner has said.

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal. 

Oh My – Little Manhattan!

After watching so much TV and movies; having read so many books and stories; it had to take this long to reach here? That is incredible! Can’t describe totally but I never expected this movie to be so great and heart touching… Little Manhattan! When they say “I hate you” to each other and then as soon as he puts the phone down – surge of emotions had to burst into tears! And when he sees her face and with every expression tries to make it “she loves me” or “she hates me” alternately – that was epic! And when she asked for a dance and he puts his head on her shoulder – that was as if the world stopped! That when he sums it up into “all we get are memories” – that is so heart touching… He keeps a plain face but every time he smiles and how his face lits up – that is the magic of pure happiness! They smile looking at each other – that is love…

[History] Tipu Sultan and His Failed International Alliances

Our mind looks for simplicity in this complex world and sometimes it gets it in the form of simple rules. "Enemy of an enemy is a friend" is one such phrase which need not be always true. Should a mouse think that since snake is a cat's enemy, it could be its friend? Since we know that Tipu Sultan fought and died fighting the British, who were our enemy, so Tipu must be our friend. Does not look like; and here is why.

In those days, so many European predators (btw, all are held examples of great 'culture' today) were looking for preys in unexploited and rich lands like India. Apart from the British, the French were in India, so were the Dutch, the Portuguese, the Spanish, and even the Denmark-Norwegians. Today, we think of only "the British" as our colonizers but the fact remains that when it all started, no one knew which one or ones of these would win over other rivals and establish strong and everlasting colony over dead bodies of our ancestors. From European pack of wolves, Tipu Sultan chose a wrong ally in the French and wrong enemy in the British and that is what made all the difference in our history. But even though he relied in Hindu astrology, he could know it for sure at that time.

Tipu Sultan was an ally of France in its fight against the British. The French trained Tipu's army in India which went on wars against other Indian kingdoms like Marathas, Malabar and Travancore. The French Revolution broke out during that period and hence France could not further its military expeditions. Tipu also tried to woo Napoleon Bonaparte to create a grand international alliance to defeat the British.

Apart from the French, Tipu also sent letters to Zaman Shah Durrani of Afghanistan to help him defeat the British and the Marathas. But Afghans had received an attack from the Persians at that time and could not help. In 1787, Tipu Sultan sent an embassy to the Ottoman Turkey's capital Istanbul, requesting an alliance and asking for troops and military experts. The Ottomans were already in crisis and could not help apart from sending gifts to Tipu. Tipu kept writing to them until he died in 1799. Tipu made several contacts with Mohammad Ali Khan, ruler of the Zand Dynasty in Persia. Tipu Sultan also maintained correspondence with Hamad bin Said, the ruler of the Sultanate of Oman. If Tipu was calling on these foreign states, it was on the basis of his common cause of establishing an "Islamic state" in India.

Tipu Sultan wanted it all - and all only for himself. He wanted to establish an Islamic State of India. His forced religious conversions in Kerala and other South Indian places is legendary and brought him the title of "Aurangzeb of South India" by many. It was only because he did not get all the international alliances he desperately sought for; and because the Marathas and the British were already great forces by then; that he could not fulfill his dreams. But I am sure about one thing - if he got his way we would be much worse off today.

You may also like to read more on Tipu Sultan:

Tipu Sultan’s Religious Intolerance And Forced Conversions

How Tipu Sultan Treated The Royal Family of Wodeyars in Mysore

[History] Tipu Sultan’s Religious Intolerance And Forced Conversions

All kings have to fight wars in defense and sometimes have to make attacks on others due to valid reasons. Sometimes they even have to kill people to “send a message” or to “make an example”. As a novelist said, “all is fair in war”. But what makes Tipu Sultan gain a monster like reputation is not his mass murders but his religious fanaticism and acts which can very well be compared with what today’s IS is doing in Iraq and Syria:

- Malabar: Captivity of Hindu Nairs: In his repeated attacks on Malabar, Tipu devastated the warrior Nairs with his atrocities and religious intolerance. During Hyder Ali's rule, the Hindu Nairs who strongly adhered to martial tradition were prohibited from carrying arms and privileges were given to anybody who converted to Islam. But Tipu approved of forced conversions. Nairs, men women and children, were captivated and forcefully converted; their men were forcefully circumcised. The captivity of Nairs ended when Nair troops from Travancore, with the help of the East India Company defeated Tipu in the Third Anglo-Mysore War. It is estimated that out of the 30,000 Nairs put to captivity only a few hundred returned to Malabar alive.

- Coorg: Captivity of Kodava Hindus / Coorgis at Seringapatam: Tipu seized men, women and children and carried them captive to Seringapatam. Actual number varies from 70000 to 80000 in historical accounts. Prisoners were forcefully converted to Islam and styled Ahmadis. The young men were all forcibly circumcised and incorporated into the Ahmedy Corps - to be trained to make a regiment of army.

- Mangalore: After Tipu's Mangalore campaign, over 60,000 Syrian Christians were taken captive, coerced to convert and brutalized. Young women were forcibly made wives of the Muslims. According to a historical account from a survivor of the captivity, if a person who had escaped from Seringapatam was found, the punishment under the orders of Tipu was the cutting off of the ears, nose, the feet and one hand.

- Calicut (Kozhikode): In 1788, Tipu ordered his governor in Calicut Sher Khan to begin the process of converting Hindus to Islam, and in July of that year, 200 Brahmins were forcibly converted.

On the handle of the sword presented by Tipu to Marquess Wellesley was the following inscription: Oh Lord, make him victorious, who promoteth the faith of Muhammad. Confound him, who refuseth the faith of Muhammad; and withhold us from those who are so inclined from the true faith.

Tipu’s own letters demonstrate this zeal. For instance:

- Tipu wrote to Burduz Zamaun Khan on 19 January 1790: “Don’t you know I have achieved a great victory recently in Malabar and over four lakh Hindus were converted to Islam?”

- Tipu wrote to Syed Abdul Dulai on 18 January 1790: “With the grace of Prophet Muhammad and Allah, almost all Hindus in Calicut are now converted to Islam. Only a few are still not converted on the borders of Cochin State. I am determined to convert them also very soon. I consider this as Jehad to achieve that object.”

Tipu is still hated in many parts of Kerala, Coorg and Mangalore, where many remember his bigotry.

You may also like to read more on Tipu Sultan:

How Tipu Sultan Treated The Royal Family of Wodeyars in Mysore

Tipu Sultan and His Failed International Alliances

[History] How Tipu Sultan Treated The Royal Family of Wodeyars in Mysore

A few years back I visited Mysore. As anyone would, I loved the Mysore Palace – It is indeed the most beautiful one I have ever seen - and also saw the museum. Got to know about the royal Wodeyar family for the first time. Now I just happened to find an article about how Tipu Sultan dealt with them. It is disturbing:

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Tipu, a bundle of contradictions, is an enigma and a modern historian’s biggest puzzle. His ascent to power was accidental. Tipu's father Haidar Ali was bought as a slave by the Maharaja of Mysore. But in a series of fascinating events where the Machiavellian Haidar ran with the hare and hunted with the hounds, he ended up overthrowing his own benefactor and usurping the throne of Mysore from the Wodeyars in 1761. Haidar was shrewd enough not to dispense with the Wodeyars who had been ruling Hindu-majority Mysore since 1399.

So the Maharaja became a titular puppet—orders would go in his name, trophies of war were submitted to his feet, yet everyone knew where the real power rested. Tipu, though, had no reason for such diplomacy and dispensed with this appendage. He assumed complete sovereignty over Mysore, which became Sultanat-e-Khudadad, or the Kingdom of God (Khuda), and he, its Sultan. The members of the erstwhile royal family, led by the matriarch Rani Lakshmi Ammanni, who was carrying on low-intensity conspiracies against the usurpers, were put under house arrest. Tipu’s insecurities are evident in his actions, as also his writings, assiduously jotted down in his own hand in a diary. The names of places were Islamized, new coins minted, Persian replaced Kannada as the court language, old palaces, forts and bridges were destroyed and reconstructed in the same place—all in an obvious attempt to obliterate every trace of Wodeyar rule and stamp his own.

When Tipu was unable to capture the pradhans of Rani Lakshmi Ammanni, who were carrying on negotiations on her behalf with the British, he ordered the public hanging of around 700 members of the Pradhan community, the Mandyam Iyengars—men, women and children—in broad daylight, and that too on Diwali. So much so that to this day some Mandyam Iyengars observe Diwali as a day of mourning.

You may also like to read more on Tipu Sultan:

Tipu Sultan’s Religious Intolerance And Forced Conversions

Tipu Sultan and His Failed International Alliances

[Politics] Why I Support Jat Reservations Demand

My personal thinking on the trending issue of Jat Reservations. To begin with, I support the demand of quota for Jats. Here is why:

I think it was unfair for the Supreme Court to deny only Jat Reservations while other castes in the listed categories are allowed to enjoy it. There are rich and poor in all castes and if caste-based reservations help the poor members of other castes, the poor among the Jat community deserve a shot at it too. When it comes to the assertion that Jats were never socially discriminated against - the fact of the matter is that so many other castes enjoy reservations too who were never generally discriminated against historically. Just go through the list of castes in OBC list, to begin with. So why have we been so insensitive against only Jats? I think it is due to the general "perception" created by media. Jats are always shown in the media, e.g. in TV serials, movies, or the press as a "strong", powerful community which forces its way over things. Jats are seldom displayed as "vulnerable" or "weak" even when those shown are "poor" - and hence it has frozen in our perception that Jats are always "rich" - since we associate "power" with material "wealth".

From my own understanding, a lot from the Jat community lack modern and English education and hence face a glass ceiling. The enterprising community lacks adequate representation in white collar jobs and are often in "dominating" condition only where their numerical population is in majority. A caste based reservation, which our governments have always vowed to keep going, if extended to the community would do more benefit than harm to our country.

Coming to the point of use of violence by the Jat protesters, I think use of violence during protests is always unfortunate and need to be condemned. But the fact of the matter is that there is nothing specific and personal in the protests by Jats this time around. To put things in perspective, anti-Reservation protests were most violent in the 1990s where the protesters burnt down railway stations and public properties all over the country and so many youth died during the protests. Recently, protests by other communities like the Patels in Gujarat and Gujjars in Rajasthan have also used violent means and Jat protests have in no way been different in their methods and context than these other protests. And hence only Jats cannot be blamed for the manner in which they are protesting.

Most political parties have always supported and protected the "holy" caste based reservation system. Before every election they promise new communities with inclusion into the favorable system and after winning the elections they put the matter in the back burner. Therefore, it is natural for the concerned communities to feel frustration and take up the path of protests. This exactly has happened in the case of Jat reservations where the BJP had promised them the same but did not move fast enough after coming to power. Hopefully the BJP will realize the urgency to put the legislation in place to allow caste based reservation for Jats also. Although the task is risky given Supreme Court's decision last time, but the situation is grave and need genuine action as per BJP's promise.

In general I am against caste based reservation system since I see it as the "new caste system". Some time in history some castes enjoyed certain privileges or disadvantages just because of their birth in their respective communities and after India attained freedom we were expected to completely stop such discriminatory practices. But what we did was to just reverse the list - with some new castes made to enjoy undue advantages and some other castes punished for being born in their respective castes. This discriminatory "casteism" starts from our childhood in school admissions and goes on until we are dead. This madness must stop some day and we should allow "equality" in education and job opportunities. Without it, our freedom is hypocritical and our democracy is ineffective. But until we get that status, all castes should get equal opportunity in demanding reservations and denying it only for Jats and certain communities without valid reasons is discriminatory and unfair.

Therefore I demand the BJP led state government to fulfill its pre-election promise as soon as possible and allow Jat community to enjoy caste based reservation in education and jobs. I also request our countrymen to give Jats a fair deal and let us not blame them for doing something which every other community has done in the past. Until we have this discriminatory and unfair caste based quota system, we shall see such demands and we would have no other option than to grant them their demands.

- Rahul (Views expressed are personal). 

[Fashion] Trending: Men With Beards!

Here, I take a self-assigned avatar of a fashion commentator and observer and comment on the latest trend :)

If you observe, 'beard' is in trend recently. In ads, media, sports, and in real life, more men are seen keeping beards of different shapes and sizes. Except that too long a beard is still avoided since it generates 'religious' vibes; although no hygiene concerns yet which I think it genuinely possesses. French beard which was fashionable earlier is now seen as the "same old rut" - i.e. limited in creativity and variations. An interesting trend is a medium size one complemented with a 'proper' mustache - as Pierce Brosnan is seen sporting in the picture. That is revival of an old style. Another observation is that an increase in length of a beard has resulted in hair on the head to remain short - which otherwise some men used to grow longer a few years ago.

Beard has always been recommended to some men; as it makes them appear 'better groomed'. Especially for men with too thin faces, e.g. actor Aditya Roy Kapoor, or too small faces, e.g. Virat Kohli, or too regular a face, e.g. Abhishek Bachchan and Arjun Kapoor. A beard has not always been seen as a tool to hide or improvise over a regular face into one which can be taken more seriously by others. Handsome men in all ages have given beard an air of dignity and gravity which I think it truly deserves.

Traditionally a beard symbolizes 'wisdom' which comes with 'seniority' - since boys can't have it and only grown up men have it. Young men are always sensitive about their facial hair as they see it as a symbol of 'masculinity'. Bigger the better - denser, the mightier. Boys will be boys - and there is nothing you can do about it if you don't have it in you yet despite reaching the right age. So while historically, beard has been seen as connected with masculinity, what does the current 'trend' - return of the beard - indicate?

I think the current popular trend of keeping beard and its slight increase in length is connected to diminishing role of men and their masculinity in society. Men are feeling slightly marginalized, with women achieving greater than ever power both in the work place and in the matters of the home - thanks to the trend which is now a norm of so called 'working women'. Increasingly men are feeling less empowered in taking decisions independently. And hence, in the popular trend, have started 'exerting' their masculinity in the form of a 'symbolism' of beard!

So where does this symbolism and gesturing lead us to? Will it result in men 'resisting' the flow or direction in which society is heading? Only time can tell, but I believe this trend is a kind of balancing act and it can help men 'settle down' with the situation better. A beard, after all, if it makes men feel more confident, then unless they start feeling 'too confident' about themselves, is a harmless 'sport' after all.

Let men grow beard if they like to. It is good for FMCG business anyway :)

- Written by Rahul Tiwary (All personal opinion - let me know your 'reactions' :)

[Hinduism] Shri Ramakrishna on Types of People

This is so wonderfully explained by Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa Himself:

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जीव चार प्रकार के कहे गए हैं - बद्ध, मुमुक्षु, मुक्त और नित्य। संसार मानो जाल है और जीव मछली। ईश्वर, यह संसार जिनकी माया है, मछुए हैं। जब मछुए के जाल में मछलियाँ पड़ती हैं, तब कुछ मछलियाँ जाल चीरकर भागने की अर्थात मुक्त होने की कोशिश करती हैं। उन्हें मुमुक्षु जीव कहना चाहिए। जो भागने की चेष्टा करती हैं, उनमे से सभी नहीं भाग सकतीं। दो-चार मछलियाँ ही धड़ाम से कूदकर भाग जाती हैं। तब लोग कहते हैं, बड़ी मछली निकल गई। ऐसे ही दो-चार मनुष्य मुक्त जीव हैं। कुछ मछलियाँ स्वभावतः ऐसे सावधानी से रहती हैं कि वे कभी जाल में नहीं फंसतीं। ऐसी मछलियां नित्य जीव के समान हैं। लेकिन अधिकांश मछलियाँ जाल में फँसी रहती हैं और उन्हें पता भी नहीं रहता कि वे जाल में फँसी हैं और उसमें उनका अंत होना है। कभी जाल सहित इधर से उधर भागती हैं, और सीधे कीच में घुस कर देह छिपाना चाहती हैं। भागने की कोई चेष्टा नहीं बल्कि कीच में और गड जाती हैं। ये ही बद्ध जीव हैं। बद्ध जीव संसार में अर्थात कामिनी कांचन में फँसे हुए हैं, कलंक सागर में मग्न हैं, पर सोचते हैं कि बड़े आनंद में हैं! जो मुमुक्षु या मुक्त हैं, संसार उन्हें कूप जान पड़ता है, अच्छा नहीं लगता। इसीलिए कोई-कोई ज्ञान-लाभ, ईश्वर-लाभ हो जाने पर शरीर छोड़ देते हैं, परन्तु इस तरह का शरीरत्याग बड़ी दूर की बात है। 

बद्ध जीवों - संसारी जीवों को किसी तरह होश नहीं होता। कितना दुःख पाते हैं, कितना धोखा खाते हैं, कितनी विपदाएँ झेलते हैं, फिरभी बुद्धि ठिकाने नहीं आती। ऊँट कँटीली घास को बहुत चाव से खाता है। परन्तु जितना ही खाता है उतना ही मुँह से धर-धर खून निकलता है, फिर भी कँटीली घास को खाना नहीं छोड़ता! संसारी मनुष्यों को इतना शोकताप मिलता है, किन्तु कुछ दिन बीते कि सब भूल गए।

- श्री रामकृष्ण परमहंस

Translation taken from [Link]:

Four classes of human beings have been stated ­ the Bound Souls, the Seekers after liberation, the Liberated and the Ever Free. The world is like the fishing net, the jiva (individual soul) is like the fish and the Lord (whose maya constitutes the world) is the fisherman. When fishes fall into the fisherman's net many of those try to tear the net to escape, i.e. they try to free themselves. They are like Seekers - the men seeking liberation. However, all those who try to escape cannot run away. Only a few fishes slip out with a splash. Then people call out, 'There goes the big fish.' Such two or four beings are the Liberated ones. Some fish are so cautious by nature that they never fall into the net. Narada and such other saints are Ever Free; they never fall in the net of the world. However, most of the fish keep lying in the net unaware of the fact that they have fallen into a net and will die. Remaining in the net, they dart straight ahead taking the net along and try to hide their body into the mud. They make no attempt to escape, rather they fall deeper into the mud. They are like the Bound souls. They live in the net and think, 'We are quite happy here.' The bound jivas remain attached to the world that is to 'woman and gold'. They remain sunk in the sea of evil and think that they are very happy there. Those who seek for liberation and those who are liberated look upon the world as a death well; they don't like it. So, some of them having attained jnana and the vision of Bhagavan give up their bodies. However, giving up body in this way is a far cry.

The bound creatures, the worldly men, don't get awareness by any means. They suffer so much misery, so many trials, and so many sorrows; even then they don't get awakening.

The camel likes thorny bushes but the more it eats, the more it bleeds from its face. Even so, it continues to eat the same thorny bush and does not leave it. The worldly man suffers so much agony, so much sorrow, yet he reverts back to his old self quite soon.

- Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa