When we were kids and we did something great '" like doing well in exams or winning a prize '" we would naturally like to show our achievements to all. We would love if people came to know how brilliant we were and if they patted us on the back. Not that we got many such opportunities. The reason was not that we were not brilliant, but our parents didn't allow us such appreciation. An achievement should be hidden '" may be not to make others envious of us; and children should not be praised much '" may be to prevent us from becoming proud and flattered '" this faculty got embedded in our psyche. Now I realize how good our parents were at what they did; or didn't do. I see it in the life of Tiger Woods and his parents.
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I read a report which says that on December 25th, 2009, there were at least 14 women with whom world # 1 golfer Tiger Woods had had an extra-marital affair. With him going deep into ever-appearing sex-scandals; no one wants to idolize him anymore. Accenture has broken their sponsorship with him; and so have many other companies which were using him as brand ambassadors till now.
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Tiger Woods was a child prodigy. He started playing golf from the age of 2. No doubt, he reached the top and personified excellence in the golf grounds. Tiger Wood’s parents have been very proud of him. But even without my parent's standards it seems their pride in 'him' broke all boundaries:
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“Tiger will do more than any other man in history to change the course of humanity. ' He is the Chosen One. He’ll have the power to impact nations. Not people. Nations.” '" Earl Woods, Tiger Wood’s father.
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“Tiger has Thai, African, Chinese, American Indian, and European blood. He can hold everyone together. He is the Universal Child.” '" Kultida Woods, Tiger Wood’s mother.
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Today, I wonder if Earl or Kultida Woods would stand by their words. I wonder how they celebrated Tiger Wood’s birthday just yesterday (Dec 30th)?
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Earl Woods was of mixed African American, Chinese and Native American ancestry. Kultida Woods is of mixed Thai, Chinese, and Dutch ancestry. Tiger Woods refers to his ethnic make-up as 'CaBlInAsian' (CAucasian, BLack, (American) INdian, and ASIAN). Did his 'genes' and ancestry give him some advantage? Apparently, this is what his father and mother thought! Still, if we accept their logic - that he having blood from various ancestries and races would unify all nations and would do 'more' than any other man in history - then we would also have to accept that in this way he would inherit the 'negatives' too! Isn't it so? Then did he get his spiritual void - which needed several women and lot of sex to fill with - all because of his 'lack of stability' '" stemming from his mixed genes and confused inheritance? I wish we don’t believe in this theory! I wish we call his parent’s proud statements as their merely emotional outpouring…
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But the problem is: until such Tigers show their real face, we tend to accept all the theories going around them. As it happens in Bollywood movies, the evildoer gets punished only at the end of the story! Before that, the heroes struggle and the villains eat drink and enjoy. So this brings me to one very nice thought: 'What we see may not be the truth.'
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What do we do then? Should we stop idolizing anyone? Should we stop being fans of celebrities like Michael Jackson (whom we find one day accused of paedophilia)? Should we stop supporting sportsmen whom we all love to connect with? What will be a life without a Sachin Tendulkar, Diego Maradona and … (Barack Obama) - the superstars in our eyes?
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I think the answer can be more tilted towards yes, rather than a no. Why do we ‘idolize’ personalities? Is it because somewhere we are trying to hide our own ‘mediocrity’ by clouding us with the celebrity worship? Does celebrity worship give us a momentary false sense of high that we need to get out of mundane days and nights which we keep ploughing through? I think the answer is close to yes.
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I have a strong feeling that we should not idolize anyone. Because when we idolize someone ‘else’, we in a way abuse our own ’self’. Hindu philosophy would say that all of us have the same God inside us (and hence no one is greater or lower). Even if someone’s self is more awakened than ours it doesn’t mean we are ’small’ in comparison. Self development is only matter of time. Also, we should avoid trying to find solace outside in ‘external’ sources. Idolizing personalities and celebrities is a sure way of getting motivation and ‘feel good’ because of ‘external’ sources. Such external sources will change or digress one day and we may be left with a deepened void.
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Just like we know the phrase “Hate the crime, not the criminal”, I think we should also keep this attitude of “Appreciate the deed, not the doer”. Appreciating the doer fulfills one's ego and makes him/her proud. Appreciating his deed inspires others to “do like him” rather than “be like him”. There is a vast difference between the two.
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I think it is the Kali Yuga when no “absolute goodness” and no “absolute evil” would exist. Since we can’t change or even affect the celebrities and personalities we idolize, we should keep this attitude of aloofness and personal-detachment from them. Otherwise, if someone grew up being a fan of some exceptional performer and this idol turns out to be the face of evil at the end of his/her life, it would be a psychological disaster.
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Let us make the spirit of 'doing good' immortal. Doers may come and go. So the talent of Tiger Woods will be remembered; yet Tiger Woods won't be idolized. The 'sportsman' inside Tiger Woods will be praised; yet the 'man' inside him would be detested. If this was the message that Tiger Wood's life was to give to all of us '" I am happy even with his revelations.
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- Rahul
Friday, January 1, 2010
Celebrity Worship and Our Attitude
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
How others convert to Hinduism?
We all know how institutionalized the process of conversion to other religions like Christianity and Islam is. But many of us are not aware of the exact process to convert to Hinduism.
Most of the time even if someone from other faith expresses his/her willingness to know about conversion to Hinduism, we ourselves are not able to tell and explain the process to them. It is time we keep ourselves aware enough.
I think though Hinduism didn’t have this concept of in and out as conversion, now situation demanded us to make a systematic attempt in this regard. I came to know that Arya Samaj has been hugely successful in this area.
I read that Government has authorized Arya Samaj to convert (or reconvert) people into Hinduism and the organization even issues certificates to the converts. They do suddhi (purification) ceremony along with Vedic rites and welcome the person to our dharma.
Such converts are not given any caste as such and this is a good thing because castes were more of a social system and our original texts didn’t prescribe birth-based castes.
The converts who went out of Hinduism should seriously think about returning back. If they had heart to do the sin (in a way) by converting to other religions after being misled and persuaded, they should also have the courage to repent and correct themselves.
If we come to know of anyone willing to convert to Hinduism, we should try to make him/her get in touch with local branch of Arya Samaj.
(Please correct me if I am wrong. I got to know about Arya Samaj being authorized for conversion by reading articles on the net. We would also like to know if there are other organisations too who can convert/recovert others into Hinduism.)
Most of the time even if someone from other faith expresses his/her willingness to know about conversion to Hinduism, we ourselves are not able to tell and explain the process to them. It is time we keep ourselves aware enough.
I think though Hinduism didn’t have this concept of in and out as conversion, now situation demanded us to make a systematic attempt in this regard. I came to know that Arya Samaj has been hugely successful in this area.
I read that Government has authorized Arya Samaj to convert (or reconvert) people into Hinduism and the organization even issues certificates to the converts. They do suddhi (purification) ceremony along with Vedic rites and welcome the person to our dharma.
Such converts are not given any caste as such and this is a good thing because castes were more of a social system and our original texts didn’t prescribe birth-based castes.
The converts who went out of Hinduism should seriously think about returning back. If they had heart to do the sin (in a way) by converting to other religions after being misled and persuaded, they should also have the courage to repent and correct themselves.
If we come to know of anyone willing to convert to Hinduism, we should try to make him/her get in touch with local branch of Arya Samaj.
(Please correct me if I am wrong. I got to know about Arya Samaj being authorized for conversion by reading articles on the net. We would also like to know if there are other organisations too who can convert/recovert others into Hinduism.)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Help
While I was walking towards home, I saw two small kids coming from the opposite direction. When we got nearer, I saw that the younger of the two had stopped and was looking at me. He would be of around 3, a very lovely young boy, may be from some nearby area When I asked what had happened, he said something while raising and giving his arm to me. I got to know that he wanted me to help him cross the road. I held his hand and made him cross the road. When he successfully crossed the road, he said something in his child's language to the other kid on the other side of the road. (May be they had quarreled and the other elder kid had declined to help him cross the road)
It was interesting to see how easily the kid asked for help. He didn't have any ego, nor did he fear the possibility of being rejected. He also knew it well that there was danger in crossing the road by himself and hence he chose asked for help.
How many times, when faced with a problem, we tend to make it tough by choosing not to ask for a help. If we try on our own, we may be hurt or may end up doing a mistake, or some times we would ask for a help too late We also have fear of rejection, and the worse thing is that our fear is not wrong: we grown ups carry our egos with us.
Still, our life would be much better if we ask for help when required The basic premise is that all of us can't be good in all respects and hence all of us would benefit if we help each other out in our areas of expertise.
But no help would come, if we don't ask for it.
(Rahul)
Gandhi’s Revenge and Colonial Humor
There won’t be many other used and abused surnames like a ‘Gandhi’. In his own India where he is revered as ‘Father of the nation’, the ‘Gandhi’ surname was hijacked by the daughter and grandchildren of Pandit Nehru. Gandhi was a larger than life brand, and everyone exploited it enough. The places where Gandhi has been used span from advertising, music, corporate communication, political speeches, and where not. (Do you know that a founder member of pro-Islamic and anti-White band Fun-Da-Mental Aki Nawaz uses a stage name of Propa-Gandhi?)
The word Gandhi stands for something that no other word epitomizes – power of unadulterated righteousness and a giant strength of character. After decades of his earthly demise, Gandhi and his principles remain intact. In fact Gandhism seems to have grown into a full fledged subject with wide scope of studies. In a curious encounter with the same name, I found a phrase which sounded interesting. It’s called “Gandhi’s Revenge”.
At first glance, the phrase “Gandhi’s Revenge” seemed derogatory for Indians. Plainly put, “Gandhi’s Revenge” is British slang for diarrhea. I thought to find more facts behind this term.
The original phenomenon is called Travelers’ Diarrhea (TD). Due to poor hygiene and drinking untreated water, travelers all across the world suffer from diarrhea. Most such cases are self-limited (it resolves itself in 3-5 days) and are mostly caused by bacterium like E-Coli. Every year, 20-50% of international travelers suffer from TD. It is interesting to note that the local people don’t suffer from these infections even after eating same food or drinking same water. Repeated exposure to pathogens develop immunity in local population (it takes some years to develop immunity; though immunity disappears sometime after becoming non-exposed to the conditions). Travelers all across the world have always suffered because of this phenomenon. The corresponding term for backpackers and outdoor recreationalists is called Wilderness Diarrhea (WD).
Some other very innovative phrases have come out of this phenomenon. One original one is Montezuma's Revenge. Montezuma's Revenge is slang for travelers' diarrhea or other sicknesses contracted by tourists visiting Mexico. (Montezuma II, the emperor of Mexico from 1502 to 1520 is remembered in history as a weak and indecisive emperor during whose regime Spanish conquest of Mexico and the subsequent destruction of the Aztec civilization happened). It is estimated that 40% of foreign travelers visiting Mexico suffer from TD which is called Montezuma's Revenge.
The revenge element in the phrase comes because the country was once colonized by a stronger country (e.g. Mexico by Spain) and now, in this small way (by making travelers sick with diarrhea), it is getting its own back! In Japan, the phrase is known as Tokyo Trots, in Myanmar it’s the Rangoon Runs, and similarly in India its Gandhi's Revenge. There is even one particularly for Delhi: Delhi Belly! All these phrases came into being at different points of time; some of them are recent while some are decades old.
If we think then in a way Gandhi has been made to enter inside our lavatories. Relating Gandhi with a thing as naïve as a stomach upset seems funny. The man whose one call sent severs down the spine of the British; would his revenge be anywhere as impotent as upsetting the stomach of a foreign traveler? If we think about the defeated king Montezuma of Mexico, he can still be in place to receive such ridicule. But Gandhi didn’t deserve it for sure… Gandhi was neither a defeated king nor a disgraced individual as Montezuma II was, but still if the British tried to make him immortalized in such a phrase, then it’s we who have to decide whether we need to carry these burdens of the colonial era. I would call this a Colonial Ridicule.
I think the phrases and slang like ‘Gandhi’s Revenge’ which are symbols of British Colonial pride should be avoided by all of us. With India rising, the days are not far when India will overpower and leave behind ‘small nations’ with ‘long noses’ like the GB. When it happens, the term ‘Great’ along with ‘Britain’ would be ridiculing enough for them (I think it is still ridiculing, given the colonial exploitations done to attain Greatness). If time is the best teacher, then the British still have some lessons to learn for their sense of humor.
(Rahul)
The word Gandhi stands for something that no other word epitomizes – power of unadulterated righteousness and a giant strength of character. After decades of his earthly demise, Gandhi and his principles remain intact. In fact Gandhism seems to have grown into a full fledged subject with wide scope of studies. In a curious encounter with the same name, I found a phrase which sounded interesting. It’s called “Gandhi’s Revenge”.
At first glance, the phrase “Gandhi’s Revenge” seemed derogatory for Indians. Plainly put, “Gandhi’s Revenge” is British slang for diarrhea. I thought to find more facts behind this term.
The original phenomenon is called Travelers’ Diarrhea (TD). Due to poor hygiene and drinking untreated water, travelers all across the world suffer from diarrhea. Most such cases are self-limited (it resolves itself in 3-5 days) and are mostly caused by bacterium like E-Coli. Every year, 20-50% of international travelers suffer from TD. It is interesting to note that the local people don’t suffer from these infections even after eating same food or drinking same water. Repeated exposure to pathogens develop immunity in local population (it takes some years to develop immunity; though immunity disappears sometime after becoming non-exposed to the conditions). Travelers all across the world have always suffered because of this phenomenon. The corresponding term for backpackers and outdoor recreationalists is called Wilderness Diarrhea (WD).
Some other very innovative phrases have come out of this phenomenon. One original one is Montezuma's Revenge. Montezuma's Revenge is slang for travelers' diarrhea or other sicknesses contracted by tourists visiting Mexico. (Montezuma II, the emperor of Mexico from 1502 to 1520 is remembered in history as a weak and indecisive emperor during whose regime Spanish conquest of Mexico and the subsequent destruction of the Aztec civilization happened). It is estimated that 40% of foreign travelers visiting Mexico suffer from TD which is called Montezuma's Revenge.
The revenge element in the phrase comes because the country was once colonized by a stronger country (e.g. Mexico by Spain) and now, in this small way (by making travelers sick with diarrhea), it is getting its own back! In Japan, the phrase is known as Tokyo Trots, in Myanmar it’s the Rangoon Runs, and similarly in India its Gandhi's Revenge. There is even one particularly for Delhi: Delhi Belly! All these phrases came into being at different points of time; some of them are recent while some are decades old.
If we think then in a way Gandhi has been made to enter inside our lavatories. Relating Gandhi with a thing as naïve as a stomach upset seems funny. The man whose one call sent severs down the spine of the British; would his revenge be anywhere as impotent as upsetting the stomach of a foreign traveler? If we think about the defeated king Montezuma of Mexico, he can still be in place to receive such ridicule. But Gandhi didn’t deserve it for sure… Gandhi was neither a defeated king nor a disgraced individual as Montezuma II was, but still if the British tried to make him immortalized in such a phrase, then it’s we who have to decide whether we need to carry these burdens of the colonial era. I would call this a Colonial Ridicule.
I think the phrases and slang like ‘Gandhi’s Revenge’ which are symbols of British Colonial pride should be avoided by all of us. With India rising, the days are not far when India will overpower and leave behind ‘small nations’ with ‘long noses’ like the GB. When it happens, the term ‘Great’ along with ‘Britain’ would be ridiculing enough for them (I think it is still ridiculing, given the colonial exploitations done to attain Greatness). If time is the best teacher, then the British still have some lessons to learn for their sense of humor.
(Rahul)
Friday, October 16, 2009
Baby Talk
Lessons from the Kiddo – Twenty minutes in the BusIt was a usual Mumbai morning when I boarded a local bus. After some time I started hearing some chuckles from nearby. It was a baby, who was chattering around. I saw that a Muslim family had boarded the bus and that baby was with them; in his father’s hands. They had not got a seat yet and hence were standing. Then I heard some more noises, and found it was his little sister standing on her own. They were five of them – father, mother, baby boy, his little sister, and a lady in a burqa. The baby boy would be around one and a half years old and the girl would be of around three and a half or four. I looked up from my seat to get to see him clearly. He was a very cute little baby and he kept babbling; perhaps he was talking to his father. I couldn’t stop but smile wide, looking at him. Now the baby noticed me smiling at him! Our eyes met for some moments and all of a sudden, he jumped to get into my lap, with his both arms stretched towards me! His father stopped him from falling into my lap, as I sighed and looked away… After next stop they got a vacant seat just in front of mine and the two ladies with the two babies occupied it. Now, the real fun began…
After hyperactively doing a lot of things and making lots of noises, accidentally the baby boy snatched his sister’s hair. His sister was a baby too and she couldn’t tolerate this insult; so she pulled his hair in return! It was an uncomfortable sight, to see a two year old baby’s small hair being pulled up… The boy was shocked and couldn’t react for some moments, but when he realised what was done to him by his sister, he made a crying face! A moment later, his hands reached out to his sister’s hair and he pulled her hair with all his energy! The girl tried to protect herself, all the while she reached for his head again! This continued for some uncomfortable five minutes while their amused parents watched them fighting… Then the kids were separated and made to stop their bitter fight.
Suddenly, the baby boy found a stainless steel strip of the nearby window interesting enough. It was a shining piece, almost like a mirror. As soon as the kid found it attractive, he reached out at it with his open mouth and started licking it! I sighed and saw him with awe…
Twenty minutes in the bus with the kids, I saw so many emotions in the play… Baby tried to talk to his father with his babbles… As soon as the baby saw a friendly person in me, he tried to leap into my lap… When he hit his sister, she retaliated with equal force and he too went into a ‘hairy’ war with her… As soon as he found a piece of steel amusing enough, he ran to feel it with his mouth… So humane and so natural…
I realised that feelings of we loving others (him talking to father), our need to be loved (he running into my lap), to retaliate and hit back (fights between him and his sister), to enjoy nice things we find in life (he licking the shining steel), are just some very humane and natural ways we act like…
There is no mistake in we over-stretching ourselves a bit to love others; there is no wrong in seeking love from others; no harm in hitting back in defence; and no sin in enjoying good things we have in life…
Life should be lived naturally, humanly, and baby-like…
(Rahul)
Wishing you a very Happy and Prosperous Diwali! May this festival of lights bring loads of happiness and positive things to you…
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Pencil Sharpener
The Pencil Sharpener and Lessons from My Temptations
Our company launched a campaign in collaboration with an NGO called Goonj which works in the social sector. The idea was to collect some old discarded household items and then gift these to the economically poor in the tribal areas. I also tried to participate. I searched for some old clothes that had remained with me, and I also motivated some other personal friends to donate. I carried these items with me to my office. I had to deposit these anonymously in a collection box. I had a feeling that I was not doing enough, and hence I decided to buy something else to donate. I decided that pencils for children would be the best. If I donated some other new items, those may be sold / stolen; and the fact that mainly children use pencils made me feel good about it. I went to a shop to buy some packets of pencils on my way. There was a surprise for me there. It seemed the funny guy from TV who used to hit a sixer at the last ball in Nataraj Pencil Ad shouted from somewhere: “Nataraj Pencil ke har pack ke saath ab ek pencil sharpner aur ek eraser bilkul muft!” Now since I got many pencil sharpeners and erasers for free, I though I would keep one pencil sharpener with me and would gift remaining in the collection box. While I left the shop with that lone pencil sharpener in my pocket and remaining in the poly-bag, something chanced upon me all of a sudden…
“Why was that I wanted to keep that one pencil sharpener with me?” Gifting something for the cause was not compulsory as such, and many colleagues were not contributing. So it was not about being selfish. I already had a pencil sharpener with me personally – it meant I didn’t require another one as such. Then I realised I was not happy with my old pencil sharpener. Why? Because it was old! This new one was such a shining one and a red one and a bigger one! Ok, so it was attraction! Was this attraction justified? I thought if I didn’t keep that pencil sharpener with me, then it would definitely go to some tribal area and some very poor kid would use it some time. Also, I don’t use pencils very often and I don’t remember the last time I had to use a sharpener! I now wondered if my decision to keep that one piece with me was shameful… Taking a decision, I took that lone shining, red and big pencil sharpener out of my pocket and kept it along with other items in the bag…
I then tried to understand why I was so attracted towards that pencil sharpener. If I tell this event to anyone else, s/he would laugh at me and would call it childish! Yes, it was definitely childish - because whenever I remember a pencil sharpener, the first image that comes to my mind is my instrument box (pencil box) from my school days. Secondly – I sharpening my pencil, and some times the graphite point of the pencil would break. Some sharpeners would be misaligned and they would keep breaking the pencil points. Some times I would also use an old shaving-blade to sharpen the pencil. I would always keep a pencil sharpener in my pencil box – that would make me feel a proud and prepared student. When I would go to exams others would always forget theirs and would ask it from me. Now that so many images start coming in my mind, I got to understand that it must be some unfulfilled desire from my childhood – to have many shining, red, and big pencil sharpeners with me – and that would have made me get attracted to the pencil sharpener even now. I recalled that my childhood was not spent in scarcity by any standards and the wish to have ‘many’ and ‘more’ stationary items with me is actually the wish of every child. When I realised all this, I thought it was only fair if I allow another child from some remote tribal area to share the same pleasure that I cherish – of keeping a nice pencil sharpener with me…
Very often, some selfish, wrong, weird, or even shameful thoughts come to us. Those thoughts don’t prove that we are bad or corrupt. Having a strict control over our thoughts is not easy – but we can very well control our actions. This is what I did – discarding my thoughts of childish cravings for having that pencil sharpener, I allowed some other child to enjoy the same…
(Rahul)
Our company launched a campaign in collaboration with an NGO called Goonj which works in the social sector. The idea was to collect some old discarded household items and then gift these to the economically poor in the tribal areas. I also tried to participate. I searched for some old clothes that had remained with me, and I also motivated some other personal friends to donate. I carried these items with me to my office. I had to deposit these anonymously in a collection box. I had a feeling that I was not doing enough, and hence I decided to buy something else to donate. I decided that pencils for children would be the best. If I donated some other new items, those may be sold / stolen; and the fact that mainly children use pencils made me feel good about it. I went to a shop to buy some packets of pencils on my way. There was a surprise for me there. It seemed the funny guy from TV who used to hit a sixer at the last ball in Nataraj Pencil Ad shouted from somewhere: “Nataraj Pencil ke har pack ke saath ab ek pencil sharpner aur ek eraser bilkul muft!” Now since I got many pencil sharpeners and erasers for free, I though I would keep one pencil sharpener with me and would gift remaining in the collection box. While I left the shop with that lone pencil sharpener in my pocket and remaining in the poly-bag, something chanced upon me all of a sudden…
“Why was that I wanted to keep that one pencil sharpener with me?” Gifting something for the cause was not compulsory as such, and many colleagues were not contributing. So it was not about being selfish. I already had a pencil sharpener with me personally – it meant I didn’t require another one as such. Then I realised I was not happy with my old pencil sharpener. Why? Because it was old! This new one was such a shining one and a red one and a bigger one! Ok, so it was attraction! Was this attraction justified? I thought if I didn’t keep that pencil sharpener with me, then it would definitely go to some tribal area and some very poor kid would use it some time. Also, I don’t use pencils very often and I don’t remember the last time I had to use a sharpener! I now wondered if my decision to keep that one piece with me was shameful… Taking a decision, I took that lone shining, red and big pencil sharpener out of my pocket and kept it along with other items in the bag…
I then tried to understand why I was so attracted towards that pencil sharpener. If I tell this event to anyone else, s/he would laugh at me and would call it childish! Yes, it was definitely childish - because whenever I remember a pencil sharpener, the first image that comes to my mind is my instrument box (pencil box) from my school days. Secondly – I sharpening my pencil, and some times the graphite point of the pencil would break. Some sharpeners would be misaligned and they would keep breaking the pencil points. Some times I would also use an old shaving-blade to sharpen the pencil. I would always keep a pencil sharpener in my pencil box – that would make me feel a proud and prepared student. When I would go to exams others would always forget theirs and would ask it from me. Now that so many images start coming in my mind, I got to understand that it must be some unfulfilled desire from my childhood – to have many shining, red, and big pencil sharpeners with me – and that would have made me get attracted to the pencil sharpener even now. I recalled that my childhood was not spent in scarcity by any standards and the wish to have ‘many’ and ‘more’ stationary items with me is actually the wish of every child. When I realised all this, I thought it was only fair if I allow another child from some remote tribal area to share the same pleasure that I cherish – of keeping a nice pencil sharpener with me…
Very often, some selfish, wrong, weird, or even shameful thoughts come to us. Those thoughts don’t prove that we are bad or corrupt. Having a strict control over our thoughts is not easy – but we can very well control our actions. This is what I did – discarding my thoughts of childish cravings for having that pencil sharpener, I allowed some other child to enjoy the same…
(Rahul)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Durga Darshan
Durga Puja at Tembi Naka, Thane West
The picture attached with this article is one of the most vibrant images of Durga Ma I have ever seen. Recently when a friend sent this picture to me as Durgapuja greetings, I asked her if she could find out where this Durga idol was situated at. She said it was in a Puja Pandal near Tembi Naka in Thane West. I didn’t believe her – I thought this beautiful idol must be installed in some very big temple. An internet search didn’t give any clue and hence I decided to visit this place itself, to see Ma Durga there…
It so happened that I couldn’t go to Thane even on the day of Durga Navmi. It would have been a journey of more than an hour to reach there – and I was not sure if I will find this very idol of Durga ji there. Afternoon of Dashmi – and time was running fast. Suddenly, I felt it was now or never. Seeing this very idol of Durga ji was my dream – and I decided to take chance.
This place is called Tembi (or Tembhi) Naka in Thane West. It is not far from the railway station and buses reach this place from most of locations in Thane. Another landmark here is a big Jain Mandir which I had visited some years ago with a friend. The roads were very crowded – much more than non-festive days. I got down near the Puja Pandal, and became part of the group of devotees watching and praying to Her. It’s a huge arrangement, decorations done on a grand scale, and everything was very systematic. I saw Durga ji from a distance, and kept looking at her to be sure if she was the same :). Now what I witnessed, I will never forget in life. A yagya was under process. The sacred fire in the hawan kunda was rising very high. A couple was presiding there, with the man wearing dhoti–kurta, and the lady had put up bright saree and traditional ornaments. More than a dozen Brahmins were chanting Vedic mantras and the whole atmosphere was full of positive energy and vivacity. They kept putting offerings in the hawan kunda and Agni Devta took all of those; in turn producing heat, light, dhoop and smoke which purified the whole environment. Durga ji’s idol was installed far away at a higher platform and it seemed she kept watching all of us…
Durga Shakti is the divine energy – the beginning of this whole universe – the reason of all that ever happens – she is the cosmic energy – the sacred force – the feminine creative power – the great divine Mother in Hinduism…
India is the land of festivals. Hindu festivals, representing their unstoppable fervour and unmatched spirit of liveliness, are not invented with any particular purpose – they are simply part of our life. Just outside Her temple, the same life and energy spread itself in the form of countless colourful shops. On both sides of the road, there was a fair like situation. It attracted children with plenty of toys and items to splurge on. (I found an office of Anand Sangh there, though I couldn’t find out if this organisation was behind this puja organisation too.) Very nearby, an organised formal fair (mela) was running. I entered, remembering the mela, fair, circus, and pradarshini (exhibitions) that our hometown used to sport every year when we were young.
There were lines of shops selling toys, gol gappe, laddoos, and fashion accessories. Then there were stalls offering sports and games – use the airgun to shoot balloons – or throw rings to win the items kept on table – I never imagined we could enjoy gaon ke mele ki masti here too! There were merry-go-rounds and big jhoolas: one of them had motorbikes on which a baby boy sat in style but started crying when the speed got higher. Little girls, some times troubling their fathers with their demands, looked around curiously. Then, one of the STAR attractions – The Magic Show! The magician’s name was Jadoogar Bhairwi! And the name of the show left me rolling in laughter – it was called ‘Dil-bahaar Mayajaal’! :) Jadoogarni Bhairwi was on the stage with her eyes closed with a black mask. She hit another girl with a long knife – aiming at the apple that this bichari girl had kept on her belly while she lied on a table. And she was perfect – she hit the apple and escaped the girl! The artificial clapping applauded her with great sense of magic! :)
This area is just adjacent to Talao-pali (Masunda lake). This is a lake in which boats take the merrymaking families on the rounds. In the midst of the pond lies an island while the closed lake is surrounded by a circle with seating arrangements. A great festive environment indeed…
If you happen to be around this place during the next Durga Puja, do visit the Tembi Naka in Thane West. There is something there for each one of you… Soulful bhakti and heartfelt masti, if that’s the spirit of festivals in India, then its alive here in all its elements…
(Rahul)
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Want to be like them?
Last evening it had rained abruptly and most of us came back home a little wet. Some of us who lived nearby got fully drenched because we took the chance of walking in the rains. Those who lived a far away were luckier. But not all of them…
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Today while we exchanged morning greetings waiting for the elevator, one of our colleagues had an interesting story to tell. Last evening he had gone out in the rains but had to stop by the nearby road seeing the ferocity of the rains. He works in middle management and commutes in a scooter. While he stopped there, he saw many of our senior management colleagues leaving for their homes in their cars. This poor chap expected them to stop and give him a lift. But he was shocked to see that one after the other; they kept fleeing without any of them stopping for him! He is a popular figure in the office because of his humorous nature and his head is totally bald, so people won’t do mistakes in recognizing him. The matter was of status-consciousness.
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While all of us laughed with a clear heart at his miserable condition :), we saw him changing now. May be it was the elevator which had made him feel light, or the comfort of privacy inside six surfaces. He declared: “I have made a vow that I will also buy a car like those senior managers and I then I will also equal to them!”
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Nothing wrong in this, but from somewhere, one colleague asked a question: “And when you will become like them, will you also become like them?”
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In the chaos of we getting out to get to our respective cubicles – there was a silence…
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How often, in the over enthusiasm to compete with and leave behind the bad guys, we ourselves become just like them?
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(Rahul)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Wave like a kid does!
The bus had stopped at a traffic signal. I gave a casual glance outside the window. There was something special in that black car! A young kid of around 2 was waving at the bus! I tried to read him and found he was looking at someone in the front seats. He kept waving his hands with a cute chuckle. I moved and tried to find the person he was waiving at. I found it was another kid in the bus! As time passed, the kiddo in the car looked harder and harder as if trying to recognise this boy and he kept waiving and waving his hand. The boy in the bus was slightly older, may be of around 5. This boy was also waiving at the other kiddo, this was the kids’ way to say hi to each others, and these two kids were perhaps in another world! .
The cute kid in the car was from a well-to-do family. He was in the pink of comfort along with his parents in the car. The boy in the bus was also in his mother's lap - but his and his mother's looks told they were from an economically struggling family. But their personal rapport seemed very instant and natural. Indeed children know no economic or class divide - and these two kids proved that in front of my eyes... After a while the traffic started and the car zoomed away. The two kids kept waiving at each other until they lost their line of vision... I sat with moist eyes and a touched heart; while the poorer boy's mother pulled him closer to herself. May be she had noticed him and wanted to divert his attention. (Will their mothers wave at each other like they did?) Indeed, children are unbiased and pure at heart…
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The cute kid in the car was from a well-to-do family. He was in the pink of comfort along with his parents in the car. The boy in the bus was also in his mother's lap - but his and his mother's looks told they were from an economically struggling family. But their personal rapport seemed very instant and natural. Indeed children know no economic or class divide - and these two kids proved that in front of my eyes... After a while the traffic started and the car zoomed away. The two kids kept waiving at each other until they lost their line of vision... I sat with moist eyes and a touched heart; while the poorer boy's mother pulled him closer to herself. May be she had noticed him and wanted to divert his attention. (Will their mothers wave at each other like they did?) Indeed, children are unbiased and pure at heart…
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Now what if we, the adults, happen to be unbiased and pure at heart? People call us – childish! I wonder if being childish is a bane or a virtue…
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This world will try to corrupt you. Stay childish.
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And, wave like a kid does!
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(Rahul)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Accidental Findings….
Yesterday I witnessed an accident.
I was walking back to home along with another colleague. It was an after-office rush on the road and the road had become in bad condition after the rains. Suddenly we heard a huge sound of a crash. A motorbike rider had fallen and he scratched on the road along with his bike for about 70-80 feet. Behind him we also saw another young boy fallen on the ground along with his bicycle. It seemed the motorbike had accidentally collided with the bicycle moving in the same direction and both had lost balance. The motorbike rider had suffered a lot, so people rushed to see him.
The place was very near to a tea stall where a lot of boys and grownups also kept hanging on for smoking. At that time a group of layabout guys were hanging on there – and naturally they came into action. I will call these guys as tapori guys – because this is their best description in Mumbai :) These tapori guys picked up the motorbike wallah and made the bike stand. The guy seemed to be ok, as he stood up on his own. He was around 28, well educated and from a good family. His bike was the powerful Pulsar. By this time people had picked up the young boy and took him to the footpath. The boy was of around 12, good looking and chubby :) Now this boy had not suffered any visible injury as such. (May be this is because young children fall a lot but are flexible enough not to sustain serious injuries) But by that time the crowd had reached the size of around 50-60, and everyone was worried for this boy’s safety, and hence he looked nervous. He sat down on the footpath while people worryingly crowded around him with worries. Someone asked to check his head for any injuries, while someone asked him to lie down. Some ladies stopped walking and reached out to see him. Now something strange and very touching happened.
The bike rider came to this side of the road, walked through the crowd to reach the young boy and checked his wellbeing. When he got confirmed that the boy was alright, he turned back to go to the other side of the road where his bike was standing. I watched in horror – his jeans had tore off at his left knee - and his knee and the jeans around it were wet. I realised it should be blood… By this time he felt pain each time he raised his left leg in order to walk…. Everyone was busy with the young boy and almost no one was looking at this guy… He walked to the other side of the road. Then he realised that he was in pain and couldn’t ride his bike to the hospital. He waived for some auto-wallah to stop but there were none. Then a tapori guy who was very worried for him realised that time was critical. He started the bike and asked him to get on as the pillion rider. Then the guy and the tapori guy left on his bike for a hospital…
Now when I look at the incident, what do I remember? The public had stopped their work to see them, while people believe Mumbai never stops. Then the guys whom I call tapori guys in fun, and we most often ignore them as good-for-nothings – they were the ones who helped both the guys. And the most touching part was when the guy with injured leg walked up to reach to see the wellbeing of the young boy… He should be a very nice person…
If I think about it then the biker rider was without his helmet. Imagine something more serious could have happened than his injured leg. Then we also realise how unsafe it is to ride a bicycle in Mumbai. And the worst part is the condition of the roads. Barring some particular localities, roads in Mumbai are worse than many other smaller towns and cities.
Many a time we come to know of a person’s real character at the time of crisis. By this incident I came to know about three people and their true characters – the sensible and caring biker rider, the concerned and helping taporis, and the simple and kind Mumaikars…
People are good…
(Rahul)
I was walking back to home along with another colleague. It was an after-office rush on the road and the road had become in bad condition after the rains. Suddenly we heard a huge sound of a crash. A motorbike rider had fallen and he scratched on the road along with his bike for about 70-80 feet. Behind him we also saw another young boy fallen on the ground along with his bicycle. It seemed the motorbike had accidentally collided with the bicycle moving in the same direction and both had lost balance. The motorbike rider had suffered a lot, so people rushed to see him.
The place was very near to a tea stall where a lot of boys and grownups also kept hanging on for smoking. At that time a group of layabout guys were hanging on there – and naturally they came into action. I will call these guys as tapori guys – because this is their best description in Mumbai :) These tapori guys picked up the motorbike wallah and made the bike stand. The guy seemed to be ok, as he stood up on his own. He was around 28, well educated and from a good family. His bike was the powerful Pulsar. By this time people had picked up the young boy and took him to the footpath. The boy was of around 12, good looking and chubby :) Now this boy had not suffered any visible injury as such. (May be this is because young children fall a lot but are flexible enough not to sustain serious injuries) But by that time the crowd had reached the size of around 50-60, and everyone was worried for this boy’s safety, and hence he looked nervous. He sat down on the footpath while people worryingly crowded around him with worries. Someone asked to check his head for any injuries, while someone asked him to lie down. Some ladies stopped walking and reached out to see him. Now something strange and very touching happened.
The bike rider came to this side of the road, walked through the crowd to reach the young boy and checked his wellbeing. When he got confirmed that the boy was alright, he turned back to go to the other side of the road where his bike was standing. I watched in horror – his jeans had tore off at his left knee - and his knee and the jeans around it were wet. I realised it should be blood… By this time he felt pain each time he raised his left leg in order to walk…. Everyone was busy with the young boy and almost no one was looking at this guy… He walked to the other side of the road. Then he realised that he was in pain and couldn’t ride his bike to the hospital. He waived for some auto-wallah to stop but there were none. Then a tapori guy who was very worried for him realised that time was critical. He started the bike and asked him to get on as the pillion rider. Then the guy and the tapori guy left on his bike for a hospital…
Now when I look at the incident, what do I remember? The public had stopped their work to see them, while people believe Mumbai never stops. Then the guys whom I call tapori guys in fun, and we most often ignore them as good-for-nothings – they were the ones who helped both the guys. And the most touching part was when the guy with injured leg walked up to reach to see the wellbeing of the young boy… He should be a very nice person…
If I think about it then the biker rider was without his helmet. Imagine something more serious could have happened than his injured leg. Then we also realise how unsafe it is to ride a bicycle in Mumbai. And the worst part is the condition of the roads. Barring some particular localities, roads in Mumbai are worse than many other smaller towns and cities.
Many a time we come to know of a person’s real character at the time of crisis. By this incident I came to know about three people and their true characters – the sensible and caring biker rider, the concerned and helping taporis, and the simple and kind Mumaikars…
People are good…
(Rahul)
Accidental Findings….
Yesterday I witnessed an accident.
I was walking back to home along with another colleague. It was an after-office rush on the road and the road had become in bad condition after the rains. Suddenly we heard a huge sound of a crash. A motorbike rider had fallen and he scratched on the road along with his bike for about 70-80 feet. Behind him we also saw another young boy fallen on the ground along with his bicycle. It seemed the motorbike had accidentally collided with the bicycle moving in the same direction and both had lost balance. The motorbike rider had suffered a lot, so people rushed to see him.
The place was very near to a tea stall where a lot of boys and grownups also kept hanging on for smoking. At that time a group of layabout guys were hanging on there – and naturally they came into action. I will call these guys as tapori guys – because this is their best description in Mumbai :) These tapori guys picked up the motorbike wallah and made the bike stand. The guy seemed to be ok, as he stood up on his own. He was around 28, well educated and from a good family. His bike was the powerful Pulsar. By this time people had picked up the young boy and took him to the footpath. The boy was of around 12, good looking and chubby :) Now this boy had not suffered any visible injury as such. (May be this is because young children fall a lot but are flexible enough not to sustain serious injuries) But by that time the crowd had reached the size of around 50-60, and everyone was worried for this boy’s safety, and hence he looked nervous. He sat down on the footpath while people worryingly crowded around him with worries. Someone asked to check his head for any injuries, while someone asked him to lie down. Some ladies stopped walking and reached out to see him. Now something strange and very touching happened.
The bike rider came to this side of the road, walked through the crowd to reach the young boy and checked his wellbeing. When he got confirmed that the boy was alright, he turned back to go to the other side of the road where his bike was standing. I watched in horror – his jeans had tore off at his left knee - and his knee and the jeans around it were wet. I realised it should be blood… By this time he felt pain each time he raised his left leg in order to walk…. Everyone was busy with the young boy and almost no one was looking at this guy… He walked to the other side of the road. Then he realised that he was in pain and couldn’t ride his bike to the hospital. He waived for some auto-wallah to stop but there were none. Then a tapori guy who was very worried for him realised that time was critical. He started the bike and asked him to get on as the pillion rider. Then the guy and the tapori guy left on his bike for a hospital…
Now when I look at the incident, what do I remember? The public had stopped their work to see them, while people believe Mumbai never stops. Then the guys whom I call tapori guys in fun, and we most often ignore them as good-for-nothings – they were the ones who helped both the guys. And the most touching part was when the guy with injured leg walked up to reach to see the wellbeing of the young boy… He should be a very nice person…
If I think about it then the biker rider was without his helmet. Imagine something more serious could have happened than his injured leg. Then we also realise how unsafe it is to ride a bicycle in Mumbai. And the worst part is the condition of the roads. Barring some particular localities, roads in Mumbai are worse than many other smaller towns and cities.
Many a time we come to know of a person’s real character at the time of crisis. By this incident I came to know about three people and their true characters – the sensible and caring biker rider, the concerned and helping taporis, and the simple and kind Mumaikars…
People are good…
(Rahul)
I was walking back to home along with another colleague. It was an after-office rush on the road and the road had become in bad condition after the rains. Suddenly we heard a huge sound of a crash. A motorbike rider had fallen and he scratched on the road along with his bike for about 70-80 feet. Behind him we also saw another young boy fallen on the ground along with his bicycle. It seemed the motorbike had accidentally collided with the bicycle moving in the same direction and both had lost balance. The motorbike rider had suffered a lot, so people rushed to see him.
The place was very near to a tea stall where a lot of boys and grownups also kept hanging on for smoking. At that time a group of layabout guys were hanging on there – and naturally they came into action. I will call these guys as tapori guys – because this is their best description in Mumbai :) These tapori guys picked up the motorbike wallah and made the bike stand. The guy seemed to be ok, as he stood up on his own. He was around 28, well educated and from a good family. His bike was the powerful Pulsar. By this time people had picked up the young boy and took him to the footpath. The boy was of around 12, good looking and chubby :) Now this boy had not suffered any visible injury as such. (May be this is because young children fall a lot but are flexible enough not to sustain serious injuries) But by that time the crowd had reached the size of around 50-60, and everyone was worried for this boy’s safety, and hence he looked nervous. He sat down on the footpath while people worryingly crowded around him with worries. Someone asked to check his head for any injuries, while someone asked him to lie down. Some ladies stopped walking and reached out to see him. Now something strange and very touching happened.
The bike rider came to this side of the road, walked through the crowd to reach the young boy and checked his wellbeing. When he got confirmed that the boy was alright, he turned back to go to the other side of the road where his bike was standing. I watched in horror – his jeans had tore off at his left knee - and his knee and the jeans around it were wet. I realised it should be blood… By this time he felt pain each time he raised his left leg in order to walk…. Everyone was busy with the young boy and almost no one was looking at this guy… He walked to the other side of the road. Then he realised that he was in pain and couldn’t ride his bike to the hospital. He waived for some auto-wallah to stop but there were none. Then a tapori guy who was very worried for him realised that time was critical. He started the bike and asked him to get on as the pillion rider. Then the guy and the tapori guy left on his bike for a hospital…
Now when I look at the incident, what do I remember? The public had stopped their work to see them, while people believe Mumbai never stops. Then the guys whom I call tapori guys in fun, and we most often ignore them as good-for-nothings – they were the ones who helped both the guys. And the most touching part was when the guy with injured leg walked up to reach to see the wellbeing of the young boy… He should be a very nice person…
If I think about it then the biker rider was without his helmet. Imagine something more serious could have happened than his injured leg. Then we also realise how unsafe it is to ride a bicycle in Mumbai. And the worst part is the condition of the roads. Barring some particular localities, roads in Mumbai are worse than many other smaller towns and cities.
Many a time we come to know of a person’s real character at the time of crisis. By this incident I came to know about three people and their true characters – the sensible and caring biker rider, the concerned and helping taporis, and the simple and kind Mumaikars…
People are good…
(Rahul)
The Gimmick of Austerity Drive
“Austerity is good”; but this is not a universal truth. It depends on the time, place and the manner in which it is done. Remember: one man’s medicine is another man’s poison..
I think whatever the central government does has a tremendous impact on the nation’s economy. I am not against tokenism per se, and hence I didn’t immediately discard INC’s and Nehru/Gandhi dynasty’s recently founded love for austerity. But let us judge if this tokenism in its right place and at the right time?
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In general, nations go on austerity drives when the fiscal deficit goes unmanageable. It is the last step which helps them repay loans and it sends the right message to creditors. Now let us look at the situation that we are in. Yes, our fiscal deficits have gone wide. But, is it the right time for austerity as a policy? Particularly when we are still fighting an economic recession?
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One of the major solutions and action plan that global leaders thought of fighting global economic meltdown and recession was through increased government spending. Now think about this austerity drive in this light. Does it hold water?
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If our (UPA) government was so serious about spending less and austerity as a policy, it would rather go big bang. Look out at their big spends. Even look in their backyard. Government of India gives subsidy of more than Rs 900 Crores every year to make Indian Muslims do their religious pilgrimage to Mecca. How many bucks Rahul G will save if he takes a train instead of a plane, to cover this loss to the exchequer? In anyway austerity as a government policy is not working. If Dr. Manmohan Singh is an economist, (we are growingly realising he is more political than an economist) I wonder how can centre’s policies like giving tax cuts to the public, cheap loans, increasing government sector pay scale and big hiring by public sector banks gel with an austerity drive? Even beginners would know that austerity and increased government spending can’t go hand in hand. Doesn’t it make it so clear that this austerity drive is merely a political gimmick?
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Tokenism is not bad as such. But Congress/UPA is taking it too far. I think the plan is to show that Rahul G is a real leader. Last time they had done it by sending him to spend one night in the house of a so called Dalit. But the gimmick this time may send a very wrong message to the masses. And this is why I would even call this drive evil. Spending less is good for individual citizens and customers in hard times. But government reducing spending and even asking the masses to spend less is extremely wrong at the time of economic recession that India is still fighting on. Either the govt doesn’t understand economics or it is too driven by lust for power and image building for the dynasty to care for it.
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Do we, as an educated citizenry, understand this simple design?
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(Rahul)
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