Man is born to do karma. All the problems arise when man tries to avoid karma. Man cannot avoid work. Even thinking about something is karma, so man cannot avoid doing karma. Ignorance causes evil. Ignoring something is all about not thinking in-depth about the root cause of it. Taking action or not is another matter, it is a different karma. Monitoring one's thoughts is important as it determines whether we are doing good karma or not.
A tale of 1 country: Brothers in arms
I stand at my balcony and watch the unfortunate (no not unfortunate) events unfold 2 floors down. Dadi (grandmother) has fallen to the ground and is crying, my mother has a face of steel, its frozen into a blank stare; I know this state, I have seen it before, she is controlling herself showing a brave and proud wife to the world. She is helping dadi. Uncle keeps pointing past the gate and is shouting something at dada (grandfather). Dada has just locked the gate and is walking back to the house.
Past the gate I can see a group of people all clad in white, surrounding something lying on the ground covered with a white cloth. My governess Shobhadi stands next to me holding me, afraid that I'll run downstairs into the scene unfolding. She and and the servants have been given strict orders that I can not be allowed downstairs. Dada thinks I do not understand what is happening, he thinks I cannot comprehend what is going on, but I do.
The year is 1940, my name is Sandip, I'm 10 years old. I think My father just died.
Yes, I'm sure of whats happening. I know enough of the alphabets, I read and understood the headlines in the New India Post today morning, I also saw my father's name mentioned. I do not know my father. Dada said he died 6 years ago in an accident, but from what I've understood from overhearing my mother's and dadi's discussions, my father is.. no, was.. a patriot and joined the independence movement. He strictly instructed my mother not to leave the house or go against my dada, he couldn't force the 2 of us to live like refugees nor could he bear to take me away from my dada. Father loved and respected his family, and most of all my english loving dada.
I look down at the unfolding scene trying to understand what I feel. Am I sad or am I indifferent?? I don't know what to feel.
I look down and see the huge crowd shouting and screaming angry slogans ready to kill and be killed. Bapu, standing a few paces away from me, he raises his hand and the crowd falls silent as they listen to his voice, hear what he says and they calm down. In those last few days, Calcutta was the only peaceful city in the country.
The date is 14th August 1947, I'm at my best friend Ornob's place where Bapu is staying. Ornob's sister and my love interest Deepa stands next to me hugging my hand. I feel the tension and uncertainty radiate from her. Ornob, standing inbetween me and Bapu, looks at me and says "Sandip, do you see what's happening here? The English have broken our India into 2 so that we and now our brothers the Pakistanis can never unite against the west. They have divided us such that we can never outdo the west". I nod as I see the sadness in Ornob's eyes, we are all sad to witness this unfortunate event. Brothers have been separated and pitted against each other. I'm afraid the results of the day's events will reverberate across generations.
The date is 29th March 2011, all I hear about is the upcoming cricket match between India and Pakistan. My grandson Abhiroop, keeps on about how "India will win and destroy the Pakis!". I look at him and try to tell him that we are brothers, one nation divided artificially into 2 by the west who till today plan and scheme and foster the hatred such that we can't unite. There is a photo of Pakistani tourists in the newspaper today. They have come to see the match. Standing beside Indians, they look like us and we look like them. We all dress the same way, look the same way, talk the same way. Yet, we hate each other's guts and keep fighting and bickering over trivial matters. Kashmir, a sensitive issue for the countries, but will the issue exist if Pakistan and India united and became 1 country? Pakistan wants Kashmir and India wants Kashmir. If we are 1 country we both get Kashmir!
I look forward to the day when we can unite as brothers, India and Pakistan should take the step forward, dissolve both the countries and make it into one big nation of peaceful people who work towards each other's betterment, Hindus mixing and matching with Muslims and Muslims with Hindus; like it was before the partitions, like it was before the English came to this land, like it was in ancient times, like it should be.
But instead these children they fight and bicker and waste their energies. People want to split up states, like India was split up. My question is what will you get by doing that? Independence? Like India and Pakistan? We have been fighting each other ever since. If we had solved our problems and become one we would not have wasted so many resources fighting each other but would have developed our economies and homes, eradicated poverty, illiteracy, infanticide and so many deseases! Isn't that better than fighting?
Imagine the Pakistani and Indian cricket team as one. SO much talent! We can easily become the best team / nation in the world. A beacon, a bright and shining light, a model for the world to follow.
WHERE the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
-> SJ
*Disclaimer: Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental
Where art thou?? Oh! enlightened ones!!!!!
Sitting on a desk, having gone through hundreds of profiles and tens of interviews, literally pulling his hair out he gives up for the day. On his way back home, driving through the little deserted streets of the city he ponders upon his plight. He rues the scarcity of capable people in his country. Its been days and he hasn't been able to find them. Where are they? Where are these illustrious Indians he wonders. "Have I gone blind or is it a nationwide conspiracy to bring down my venture?"
He sits back on his chair and ponders on his laptop screen superficially going through the social lives of his "friends" on social networking sites. He comes across articles of how proud we should be that X% of Indians are in the NASA, on the moon in a NASA mission, in the pentagon and hell one of them( his acquaintances) has joined the US marines!!! The updates start to irk till he comes across one where a "fellow countryman" is talking about the various scams the country has recently seen and starts a discussion on what should be done and how unscrupulous people are, how ill mannered and erratic life here is and how minimal the returns are etc.
Right about then it starts to erupt. Something snaps within and he asks himself, "Where are these people who talk so well and so intelligently about our country? Oh! wait, they are all abroad!" . Having thought this he retired to his bed hoping that tomorrow he would find someone, at least one capable person.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
A once worshiped man, now forgotten here and worshiped everywhere else in the world including countries like Germany, had said "be the change you want to see in the world." Nobody wants to get their hands dirty but wants to see the dirt cleaned up. Nobody does it and asks why isn't it being done. I have nothing against people pursuing greater comforts under the pretense that they cant be had here, but the least you can spare me is the sermons on the country that belongs to us but I reside in. I am sorry I know no other way of saying this but just saying it. Pursue your dreams be happy, i have no grievances but please don't sermon about this place. I am here, fighting and i might either make it or may break down and join you people. I am not a great man. But the day I join i will make sure that i don't give sermons...
He sits back on his chair and ponders on his laptop screen superficially going through the social lives of his "friends" on social networking sites. He comes across articles of how proud we should be that X% of Indians are in the NASA, on the moon in a NASA mission, in the pentagon and hell one of them( his acquaintances) has joined the US marines!!! The updates start to irk till he comes across one where a "fellow countryman" is talking about the various scams the country has recently seen and starts a discussion on what should be done and how unscrupulous people are, how ill mannered and erratic life here is and how minimal the returns are etc.
Right about then it starts to erupt. Something snaps within and he asks himself, "Where are these people who talk so well and so intelligently about our country? Oh! wait, they are all abroad!" . Having thought this he retired to his bed hoping that tomorrow he would find someone, at least one capable person.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
A once worshiped man, now forgotten here and worshiped everywhere else in the world including countries like Germany, had said "be the change you want to see in the world." Nobody wants to get their hands dirty but wants to see the dirt cleaned up. Nobody does it and asks why isn't it being done. I have nothing against people pursuing greater comforts under the pretense that they cant be had here, but the least you can spare me is the sermons on the country that belongs to us but I reside in. I am sorry I know no other way of saying this but just saying it. Pursue your dreams be happy, i have no grievances but please don't sermon about this place. I am here, fighting and i might either make it or may break down and join you people. I am not a great man. But the day I join i will make sure that i don't give sermons...
Economy Rise-Does it benefit all?
The economies are on the rise,
what do they show,human rise?
or rise of some humans in tide.
why economy rise doesn't raise wages?
why the low-paid worker still rages.
what should i call it human ignorance?,
or people over-privileged, only get chance.
why the poverty is so widespread, like disease
while the urban population lives in luxurious seas
We are going for more industrialization
but what is missing is equalization,
of resources, of money, of rights, of society.
Sword nor pen, just human choice is mighty.
So,if India is the largest democracy, and in rise,
then why its farmer families have to commit suicide?
Evil Practice in the name of God
Orthodox Hindu rituals which have no scientific proof for their results are still practiced at different places in India. I happened to see one such ritual at my own parental village in Uttranchal. It is called a 'jagar'. Jagar is not similar to other rituals performed by Hindus. Its different because the method to worship is very unholy. Some animals like goat, gecko and frogs etc are worshiped and then sacrificed in the name of pleasing the demigods. Some selected people dance like crazy around fire. The village people think that they are avatars of God! So called holy men smoke 'ganja'- or the local form of drugs in communities and dance when they're out, all in the name of God. Few men in the village who are otherwise purposeless and job-less argue in its favor, and tell people to believe this for the fear of God.
People there think that each community or caste has their own demigod(s) that takes care of that particular sub-society! So each caste's people have their own temples and their own demigods.
The rituals are still practiced but as people go more aware day by day, many of them know that it usually has no god-pleasing effects. Women are still the victim of ignorance and the men have no become victim of their own foolishness by conducting such rituals. They are reluctant to accept their past mistakes.
It was a pity to see some people to fake this stuff and others just being ignorant of the truth. I told people around me that i don't believe it and just walked out of there... its hard to fight some established practice like that without having power of legitimacy. Even authorities prefer not to interfere in people's works and beliefs.
The youngsters and children of village seem to just accept it as is, and do not want to fight against it. I felt sorry and powerless. Later i thought about the importance of good education in life, and educating youngsters about this, so that the coming generations don't do it anymore.
People there think that each community or caste has their own demigod(s) that takes care of that particular sub-society! So each caste's people have their own temples and their own demigods.
The rituals are still practiced but as people go more aware day by day, many of them know that it usually has no god-pleasing effects. Women are still the victim of ignorance and the men have no become victim of their own foolishness by conducting such rituals. They are reluctant to accept their past mistakes.
It was a pity to see some people to fake this stuff and others just being ignorant of the truth. I told people around me that i don't believe it and just walked out of there... its hard to fight some established practice like that without having power of legitimacy. Even authorities prefer not to interfere in people's works and beliefs.
The youngsters and children of village seem to just accept it as is, and do not want to fight against it. I felt sorry and powerless. Later i thought about the importance of good education in life, and educating youngsters about this, so that the coming generations don't do it anymore.
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