Monday, September 28, 2009
Burning Ravana
So, When i woke up today & checked my twitter & other social networking sites, I was expecting to see a lot of Happy Dusseherra wishes & status messages...but as i was going through my Public timeline on twitter i saw a lot of people discussing about the relevance of burning Ravana as a symbol of evil in modern times....when the devil is so commonly rampant...I read questions like" Ravana has been damned to be burnt at the stake of evil for eternity....but rapists & terrorists & murderers in our times just spend 10-20 yrs in prisons or maybe a lifetime..so is our system of justice flawed?"....the questions were many as I saw people dissecting the events & characters of Ramayana.
This happens every year....The new generation India questions the age old traditions that they grow up with without questioning the significance behind them, to find the relevance of these practices in their present day lives...As read through & pondered....this thought came into my mind:
Our ancestors believed strongly in Symbolism...all these ancient texts are filled with characters & acts that stand for some symbolic meaning..So, What was the symbolism behind burning of Ravana year after year on Dusshera at the hands of Ram...my answer is " That the purpose behind throwing Ravana (considering the great scholar he was) to this eternal damnation of being burnt as a symbol of evil, was to set an example for people that would act as a deterrent to prevent them from doing wrong, it was meant ,so that every year when they looked at the effigy of the man burning & realized who he had been, they would also realize that one wrong act could subject them to such an eternal hell, Who would want such a fate???"
Thus even in our times, the symbolism of this day has not diminished, it's just that we have lost the meaning behind the symbol!!!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Austerity
Here's a scenario- due to some unforeseen circumstances, your monthly household budget goes rocking. So What do u do to mitigate this crisis?....take a few measures to curb unneeded expenses, Instead of eating out every weekend u would dine at home, Instead ,of watching a movie in theaters every weekend, u would watch TV at home, till the crisis bays off & all's well (am sure all those who have to run their households would understand this & those who can't go ask your mom & dad about it).
The above practices are nothing but practical & sensible steps (at times sacrifices) to mitigate crisis by toning down undue extravagances of our lifestyle.This is nothing but Austerity which literally means a markedly simple or unadorned act/attitude. We all practice Austerity in our homes, in our lives, as & when need arises, both individually & collectively as a family (including our dear national leaders, MP's).
So...What's the big deal if we practice the same at national level collectively as indians, & let the leaders be the torch bearers, this is what Pranab Mukherjee might have had in mind when he suggested Austerity measures to his colleagues in the government (a commendable thought)......................but, then what went Wrong, When & How did this Austerity drive change into Hypocrisy drive????
Let us begin with, Mr Krishna & Mr Tharoor being asked to vacate their 5-star hotel suits,which both said , were being paid for from their own accounts. Fair enough, they are both individuals entitled to live their life in their own manner. Austerity does not mean a person has to be forced into living a hermits lifestyle. Moving on, Sonia Gandhi Pranab Mukherjee & Rahul Gandhi began their Austerity drive by travelling economy class & in trains (rather than jet planes).......& all hell broke loose, the rest of the party members joined the band-wagon (mind you most only with statements) not to be undone & media went berserk...from discussing the motivations behind the Austerity drive, to dissecting & analysing steps being undertaken, suggestions & last but not the least Panel discussions on Our beloved "Netajis & their Austerity".
But what made me write down this blogpost was the reply to "cattle-class" tweet (for those who'r still pouting about being called cows & bulls, plz refer to some phrase search online) by Mr. Tharoor on twitter & the following uproar which has now become a pain in my eyes & ears!!...To begin with I request our beloved politicians & news channels & Panel discussion hosts to please practice a little Austerity with their tongues & unchecked emotions!!...& Then let's discuss the rationale behind the so called Austerity measures.Our big honchos (Sonia G, Rahul G, Pranab da......) travelling by Y-class/chair- cars....No Sweat, only if u realize the amount of discomfort & uproar it creates for the rest of the co-passengers & the managment & the poor security personnel (to add to it media hounds gnawing for coverage..making situation worse)-- Pranab Da Austerity does not mean you put common sense on the back-burner & let it burn.
Our leaders want to begin Austerity, Let them begin it by putting more effort in ,Doing their job sincerely than in theatrics to get their 5 mins of fame.
Let them ask the media to let'em be in peace (when they travel humbly), ask their Security Staff & managers to coordinate their travelling schedules with airlines/railways managment ensuring less discomfort to the common-man.
Let them ask their party-workers to spend less money in making flourishing welcoming arrangments & display advertisments (with thankyou's, happy birthdays, happy this & that).
Let them do it by instead of spending crores on statues, & instead using those crores for the hungry, the poor, the uneducated & by checking rampant corruption around them.
Let them do it by asking their party spokesperson to keep their useless traps shut, rather than uselessly fueling media controversies (& also by telling people like Anand Sharma that they DIDNOT do us a big favor by donating a part of their salaries during Kargil war...the brave soldiers who fought & died there would haev done so even if he'd not donated those odd bucks)
Let them do it by doing the job they have at their hand well & the JOB is - To efficiently Govern this Nation.(nobody gives a damn if they do it by travelling in X-class,Y-class,Chair-cars or bullock carts, as long as they do it)
Austerity my dear Friends is not something that can be forced down your throats (or should be for that matter), it is a responsible & sincere attitude we need to adopt to pull through times of crisis as a collective nation.So instead of all those Happy-I DAY, Happy R-day & I love India SMS's..join hands & do what ever little you can to make this nation a better place.
The above practices are nothing but practical & sensible steps (at times sacrifices) to mitigate crisis by toning down undue extravagances of our lifestyle.This is nothing but Austerity which literally means a markedly simple or unadorned act/attitude. We all practice Austerity in our homes, in our lives, as & when need arises, both individually & collectively as a family (including our dear national leaders, MP's).
So...What's the big deal if we practice the same at national level collectively as indians, & let the leaders be the torch bearers, this is what Pranab Mukherjee might have had in mind when he suggested Austerity measures to his colleagues in the government (a commendable thought)......................but, then what went Wrong, When & How did this Austerity drive change into Hypocrisy drive????
Let us begin with, Mr Krishna & Mr Tharoor being asked to vacate their 5-star hotel suits,which both said , were being paid for from their own accounts. Fair enough, they are both individuals entitled to live their life in their own manner. Austerity does not mean a person has to be forced into living a hermits lifestyle. Moving on, Sonia Gandhi Pranab Mukherjee & Rahul Gandhi began their Austerity drive by travelling economy class & in trains (rather than jet planes).......& all hell broke loose, the rest of the party members joined the band-wagon (mind you most only with statements) not to be undone & media went berserk...from discussing the motivations behind the Austerity drive, to dissecting & analysing steps being undertaken, suggestions & last but not the least Panel discussions on Our beloved "Netajis & their Austerity".
But what made me write down this blogpost was the reply to "cattle-class" tweet (for those who'r still pouting about being called cows & bulls, plz refer to some phrase search online) by Mr. Tharoor on twitter & the following uproar which has now become a pain in my eyes & ears!!...To begin with I request our beloved politicians & news channels & Panel discussion hosts to please practice a little Austerity with their tongues & unchecked emotions!!...& Then let's discuss the rationale behind the so called Austerity measures.Our big honchos (Sonia G, Rahul G, Pranab da......) travelling by Y-class/chair- cars....No Sweat, only if u realize the amount of discomfort & uproar it creates for the rest of the co-passengers & the managment & the poor security personnel (to add to it media hounds gnawing for coverage..making situation worse)-- Pranab Da Austerity does not mean you put common sense on the back-burner & let it burn.
Our leaders want to begin Austerity, Let them begin it by putting more effort in ,Doing their job sincerely than in theatrics to get their 5 mins of fame.
Let them ask the media to let'em be in peace (when they travel humbly), ask their Security Staff & managers to coordinate their travelling schedules with airlines/railways managment ensuring less discomfort to the common-man.
Let them ask their party-workers to spend less money in making flourishing welcoming arrangments & display advertisments (with thankyou's, happy birthdays, happy this & that).
Let them do it by instead of spending crores on statues, & instead using those crores for the hungry, the poor, the uneducated & by checking rampant corruption around them.
Let them do it by asking their party spokesperson to keep their useless traps shut, rather than uselessly fueling media controversies (& also by telling people like Anand Sharma that they DIDNOT do us a big favor by donating a part of their salaries during Kargil war...the brave soldiers who fought & died there would haev done so even if he'd not donated those odd bucks)
Let them do it by doing the job they have at their hand well & the JOB is - To efficiently Govern this Nation.(nobody gives a damn if they do it by travelling in X-class,Y-class,Chair-cars or bullock carts, as long as they do it)
Austerity my dear Friends is not something that can be forced down your throats (or should be for that matter), it is a responsible & sincere attitude we need to adopt to pull through times of crisis as a collective nation.So instead of all those Happy-I DAY, Happy R-day & I love India SMS's..join hands & do what ever little you can to make this nation a better place.
काश
काश,
ना केवल एक शब्द, अपितु एक एहसास.
जो लाता ह, अपने साथ,
वो भूलीं बीसृं याद, वो दिल में बासी हुईं आस.
काश,
ना केवल एक शब्द, अपितु एक प्रतिबिम्ब,
जो दिखाता ह हमे, वो अनगिनत शामें,
जो सूरज के ढलने से और चाँद निकालने के बाद,
बन गयीं सूनी सूनी सी रातें .
काश,
जो अब याद दिलाता है,
वो अनकही बातें,
जो दिल से निकल कर, टहर गयीं, हूठों पे आते आते
वो गुज़रे हुए पल,
जब किसी को सहलाने के लिए रुक गए, हाथ उठते उठते
काश,
के हम, कह पाते वो, अनकहीं बातें,
जी पाते, वो बीत गयीं रातें,
पूरे कर पाते, वो अरमान,
जो केवल बन के रह गए, अब भूली बिसरी यादें
इसलिए,
कह दो, आज, जो दिल कहना चाहता ह,
कर लो, आज, जो मन कहता ह,
कौन जाने, अगले पल में क्या रखा ह?
इसलिए जी लो इस पल को,
और भर लो, जीवन को, उन यादों से,
जो कभी न चुनें दें तुम्हें,
काश, के एहसास को .
(my second poem in hindi, thanks to all the encouragement i got from my friends..which i'm sure they'll contain once they see my response....but really i'am amazed at myself, that even with the my limited hindi, i can manage to churn up something near about to verses!!!!!!! )
ना केवल एक शब्द, अपितु एक एहसास.
जो लाता ह, अपने साथ,
वो भूलीं बीसृं याद, वो दिल में बासी हुईं आस.
काश,
ना केवल एक शब्द, अपितु एक प्रतिबिम्ब,
जो दिखाता ह हमे, वो अनगिनत शामें,
जो सूरज के ढलने से और चाँद निकालने के बाद,
बन गयीं सूनी सूनी सी रातें .
काश,
जो अब याद दिलाता है,
वो अनकही बातें,
जो दिल से निकल कर, टहर गयीं, हूठों पे आते आते
वो गुज़रे हुए पल,
जब किसी को सहलाने के लिए रुक गए, हाथ उठते उठते
काश,
के हम, कह पाते वो, अनकहीं बातें,
जी पाते, वो बीत गयीं रातें,
पूरे कर पाते, वो अरमान,
जो केवल बन के रह गए, अब भूली बिसरी यादें
इसलिए,
कह दो, आज, जो दिल कहना चाहता ह,
कर लो, आज, जो मन कहता ह,
कौन जाने, अगले पल में क्या रखा ह?
इसलिए जी लो इस पल को,
और भर लो, जीवन को, उन यादों से,
जो कभी न चुनें दें तुम्हें,
काश, के एहसास को .
(my second poem in hindi, thanks to all the encouragement i got from my friends..which i'm sure they'll contain once they see my response....but really i'am amazed at myself, that even with the my limited hindi, i can manage to churn up something near about to verses!!!!!!! )
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
हे मानव !!
मानव, का आधार ह क्या?
क्यों कहलाता मानव, मानव?
क्यों कहलाता प्राणिमात्र में, सर्वश्रेठ प्राणी, यह मानव ?
क्यों कहलाता मानव, मानव??
मानव, का आधार ह क्या?
क्यों कहलाता मानव, मानव??
उठता प्रशन विचलित चित में यह, जब दीखता संहार मानव का, मानव के ही हाथों,
जाती, धर्म, धन, संपदा, धरती के कारण
क्यों कहलाता प्राणिमात्र में, श्रेठ्तम प्राणी, यह मानव?
क्यों कहलाता मानव, मानव?
मानव, का आधार ह क्या?
क्यों कहलाता मानव, मानव??
क्या मानवता, धर्म, नहीं ह केवल एक हमारा ??
क्या मानव, जाती, केवल एक नहीं हमारी ??
क्या धरा नहीं यह स्रोत, जीवन, का एकमात्र भ्रमांड में ??
क्या मानवप्रेम नहीं ह, संपदा, सबसे बड़ी हमारी ??
फिर,
क्या हुआ ह, हे मानव ??
क्यों नहीं रहा, मानव, मानव??
क्यों बन गया ह, सर्वश्रेठ प्राणी, यह, एक हीन जानवर ??
क्यों बन रहा ह, सर्वश्रेठ प्राणी, यह, अपने ही विनाश का कारण ??
मानव, का आधार ह क्या ??
क्यों कहलाता मानव, मानव??
( My acknowledgments to my twitter buddies @pallaviade @sakthidharan who suggested me to ask @khushikiduniya, who finally helped me to post this poem in hindi & also @viveksingh thank you all very much.
This is my first & only poem in Hindi, i wrote it quite some time back, just publishing it now, & since my hindi is not very good kindly forgive me and point out if i have made some grammatical mistakes)
क्यों कहलाता मानव, मानव?
क्यों कहलाता प्राणिमात्र में, सर्वश्रेठ प्राणी, यह मानव ?
क्यों कहलाता मानव, मानव??
मानव, का आधार ह क्या?
क्यों कहलाता मानव, मानव??
उठता प्रशन विचलित चित में यह, जब दीखता संहार मानव का, मानव के ही हाथों,
जाती, धर्म, धन, संपदा, धरती के कारण
क्यों कहलाता प्राणिमात्र में, श्रेठ्तम प्राणी, यह मानव?
क्यों कहलाता मानव, मानव?
मानव, का आधार ह क्या?
क्यों कहलाता मानव, मानव??
क्या मानवता, धर्म, नहीं ह केवल एक हमारा ??
क्या मानव, जाती, केवल एक नहीं हमारी ??
क्या धरा नहीं यह स्रोत, जीवन, का एकमात्र भ्रमांड में ??
क्या मानवप्रेम नहीं ह, संपदा, सबसे बड़ी हमारी ??
फिर,
क्या हुआ ह, हे मानव ??
क्यों नहीं रहा, मानव, मानव??
क्यों बन गया ह, सर्वश्रेठ प्राणी, यह, एक हीन जानवर ??
क्यों बन रहा ह, सर्वश्रेठ प्राणी, यह, अपने ही विनाश का कारण ??
मानव, का आधार ह क्या ??
क्यों कहलाता मानव, मानव??
( My acknowledgments to my twitter buddies @pallaviade @sakthidharan who suggested me to ask @khushikiduniya, who finally helped me to post this poem in hindi & also @viveksingh thank you all very much.
This is my first & only poem in Hindi, i wrote it quite some time back, just publishing it now, & since my hindi is not very good kindly forgive me and point out if i have made some grammatical mistakes)
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Quotes
"As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death." ~ Leonardo da Vinci
True words... u want to enjoy a sound sleep, u need to keep your conscious quiet & the only way to do that is through right.Death's the final sleep so the amount of right needed for it is also enormous...so live a righteous life.....& the key for that is " never do to any person what u would never do to yourself!!!"
GUDNYT..sleep o this & wake up a new person :)
(My acknowledgement to @artimpress on twitter for tweeting this quote, where it caught my eye)
True words... u want to enjoy a sound sleep, u need to keep your conscious quiet & the only way to do that is through right.Death's the final sleep so the amount of right needed for it is also enormous...so live a righteous life.....& the key for that is " never do to any person what u would never do to yourself!!!"
GUDNYT..sleep o this & wake up a new person :)
(My acknowledgement to @artimpress on twitter for tweeting this quote, where it caught my eye)
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