Ripples in the Ocean of Humanity

You and me, are we connected, are we small parts of a whole? I have always believed the answer to be yes. I think all us living beings are connected through the common link of life, and humans more so, through humanity. Our lives have evolved over the past few decades to be a lot more individualistic than we were possibly ever meant to be. I remember reading many years ago, in a book Shreemad Purushaarth Grantharaaj Volume 1 - Satya Pravesh by Dr. Aniruddha Joshi, where it says that every small act impacts all of mankind. Which basically means, we don't live in isolated little bubbles, like we often think, but are part of the ocean of humanity, where each little ripple affects every other molecule. And it just made sense to me. I believe every act of love and kindness, benefits all of humanity, and not just the doer, as does every negative action. This came after I had read about the common consciousness of mankind that I went through studying about the human psychology and behaviour. And it all made perfect sense to me.

However the individualistic living, lifestyle and philosophy has become so strong in human society of the past few decades, its almost frightening. We are hurtling at the speed of light towards a humanity that is as disconnected as can be, where nothing will no longer be for the collective need or good, and finally not the good of anyone, because no matter how much we try to pretend otherwise, we remain connected and each and every act of our forms a part of the collective whole. I think the Corona Virus is doing a good job of teaching us, that it is not just you and me, but us, and what we do, impacts all of us. We are all a part of something a whole lot bigger than either of us can even comprehend, and once we let that sink in, we get out of our all about me mindset and we can be bigger than what we ever imagined possible. Because when you are part of the whole, the success of the whole is your success, and the success of the whole will always be greater than that of any individual. And do you know what happens when you fail as part of the whole, it is minuscule, and you have all of the whole covering it up for you and pulling you up. Yes, together we are stronger, we are better.

It is hard, it is tough, you and me sitting cooped up in our homes, till God knows when, and yet, we are together even in our isolation, we are together in our misery, our anxiety and our worry, but we are also together in sticking by it together, we are together in fighting this invisible enemy and we are together in our sighs of relief as the numbers drop. And in that togetherness we have our strength, we do our best and we know we are never alone. If a threat can make us realise this, imagine the potential we have together in good times, to forge a beautiful world for all of mankind, for all living beings on this beautiful earth. If we always act knowing we are acting as a part of humanity, and not just you or me. If we knew we are ambassadors of humanity, imagine, just how much better our collective efforts would be to alleviate pain and hurt from all of us.

Leaving you with two awesome songs from two of my favourite nations, India and Australia in the world, that tell us, we are all part of the big whole, and we shall heal together.

Not A Passive Bystander - ME

I have so so many thoughts passing through my mind right now, hoping that I can put it all down. I am happy, elated, and have a different kind of energy flowing through me today. A regular Monday morning, that put me to task, in a way that filled my heart with happiness. More than anything, I feel like a real veera, the strong, brave daughter of my Bapu. His teachings and His love, enabled my actions today, and I hope I have made Him a little bit proud of me.

I dropped my kids to school, and hopped over to the supermarket to pick up a few bits and pieces before heading home. While there I called a friend I had not spoken to in a while, and walked out of the store while still conversing. In the parking lot, I saw an elderly gentleman sitting on the driver's seat, door open, legs hanging out, and he was injured on the leg and was dabbing his wound.Let's call him James for reference. He seemed quite ok, and I thought it might be a small wound, so walked on and unloaded my groceries, when I started walking back to the driver's seat, I saw him still hunched over, and I knew I had to go and ask if he was alright. I dropped the conversation and asked him, if he needed help, Being a typical gentleman, James did not want to be fussed over, and said, he was fine,and his wife would take him to the doctor if needed. By this time I noticed that the bleeding was quite profuse, and considering his age, I got a bit uncomfortable. I asked him, if he needed anything or we could walk over to the doctors clinic close by, but he did not want either. So I offered to get him some tissues from my car, and called the clinic anyways. I handed over the tissues to him, while still on the phone, and the receptionist had me on hold. The bleeding was not abating, so I applied pressure on it, and as another kind passer-by stopped to ask, I asked him to call the ambulance, because the clinic was taking way too long. The clinic said they could not help(very disappointing since it was barely half a minute away, in the very same complex) and advised calling the ambulance(glad we got on it, instead of waiting for them). As the emergency services took down details, James said he was 91, and that scared me a bit, because there was a lot of blood he had lost.In the mean time, seeing the bleeding not getting any better, I suggested elevating his leg, and the gentleman did it quite easily, I kept the pressure on. The guy who called the ambulance hung around as well. I held on to support the leg and keep the pressure on. The bleeding subsided but did not stop. As James and I talked, he said, his wife was home, and he was getting out of the car, and hit the door of the car and hurt himself. I also asked another passing by bloke to grab us some wipes from the store, so the dried blood could be wiped, and he obliged. After about 15 minutes of waiting, and the ambulance ending up at the wrong location, it finally arrived, just as his wife was driven in by his grand-daughter. The ambulance was glad we had elevation and compression, else the blood loss might have been immense. I handed it over to them. Got some hospital grade wipes, and started wiping my hands.I was surprised by the amount of blood I had on it. The family began thanking me, and I felt embarrassed, because it was not a favour, but just a human duty that I performed today. I said goodbye, and left. I really wanted to take his phone number, just so I could ask how he was doing in a couple of days..... but just felt like that might not be the best thing to do. The guy who had called the ambulance, had left too once they arrived, and so did I.

Last I saw, before driving out of the parking, was James, strapped onto the stretcher being wheeled into the ambulance. And that put my mind to ease, because it is best he is looked over by a medical team before heading home. The point is, through all of this, I felt a sense of immense thankfulness to God, that he provided me with the opportunity to serve a person in need. Helping people makes me really happy, from within. I can never be a passive bystander, and on the occasions that I have been, it has kept me awake at night for days, and I still remember each instance of it.  A few months ago, when I was in a car accident with my husband(no one was hurt, the car was damaged badly though), we were hit by a car fleeing a crime scene, the people were just so kind. One lady just would not let me take a bus or cab home, and drove me all the way to home. And while I can never personally repay her, I can always pay it forward. While the situation itself was grim, and I hope James will recover soon, I still felt a sense of calm joy in being able to be there to support another person. I amazed myself with being calm under pressure, and allowing my first aid training to kick in, and utilising it to help. But what I hope was an added side benefit to the situation, was creating a small good impression about Indians. Because James, did ask me where I am from, and I said India.

 
I have a smile on my face, one of gratitude that Bapu gave me an opportunity to help,which I did not miss,and I could conveniently stay on to help. If we can be one thing in this world, we should be KIND. I truly believe that, and it is a value, that I am keen to embed into my children. If my story touched you even in the slightest, the next time, please don't be a silent bystander.
  

मेरे बापू बस एक तू

मेरे बापू बस एक तू

बापू तू मेरा है, सिर्फ मेरा ही,
तूने मेरी हर इच्छा की है पूरी,
मुझसे कभी न रखी एक पल के लिए भी दूरी ,
पर मैं क्यों नहीं सुन पाती हमेशा तेरे प्रेम की धुनि?

मेरी मांगने की आदत न कभी हुई है कम,
ना ही देने में तू कभी भी हुआ है अक्षम,
बिन मांगे भी बरसाए तूने उपहार हर कदम,
पर मैं ना समझी तुझसे जो है नाता हरदम।

पर बापू अगर मैं तेरी, और तू मेरा है,
तो मुझे भी बना तेरे जैसे एक निडर शेरा,
दे मुझे भी तुझ  जैसे अकारण कारुण्य का वरदान,
बनने दे मुझे भी तेरे जैसे प्रेमलता की खान।

इस विश्व का सम्पूर्ण विष तू पी रहा है,
बिना रुके अपने बच्चों को सुरक्षा दे रहा है ,
ना  थकता है तू, ना ही रुकता है कभी ,
अनिरुद्ध गति से कार्यरत है हर घड़ी।

पर तू , ऐसी विषम स्थिति में भी,
नहीं भूलता है हमें कभी भी,
घोर युद्ध में लिप्त होते हुए भी,
मिलने आ जाता है तू भक्त की ज़रुरत पर, कभी भी।

जब आयी है सम्पूर्ण मानवता पर संकट,
तू अकेला ही लड़ रहा है, स्थिति है विकट,
बना ले मुझे भी मुझे भी अपने विशाल कार्य का एक छोटा अंग,
बनने दे मुझे भी तेरा एक वानर सैनिक, रख ले अपने संग |

तेरा कार्य इतना विपुल, गंभीर है इतना,
ना ग्रहण कर पाएगी मेरी छोटी सी चेतना,
अभी भी ना हुई है कम,मेरा तुझसे मांग करना,
और तुझ भोले भंडारी का असंभव है देना थामना |

तू कितना है प्रेममय, कितना है कृपालू,
तेरे करुणा की सीमा मैं कभी भी ना जानू,
पर जब तू इतने विषम युद्ध में बिना विश्रांति के जुड़ा है,
ओ  मेरे बापू, मेरा यह नन्हा सा जीवन भी तेरे लिए समर्पित है |

तूने  बनाया है मुझे अपनी सक्षम एक वीरा,
बोझ नहीं तेरे गर्व के लायक बनू मैं वीरा,
यही है मेरे अंतर्मन की गहरी इच्छा,
बन जाऊं मैं भी एक वानरसैनिक सच्चा।

कामनाएं नहीं, सिर्फ प्रेम हो तेरे लिए मन में,
कष्ट ना पहुंचाऊं कभी, तुझे इस जीवन में,
तेरे नाम और तेरे प्यार से ही संतुष्ट रहूँ,
जीवन भर तेरे मार्ग पर चलने में ही व्यस्त रहूँ |

ना मेरे व्यवहार से, कभी हो व्यथा तुझे,
तेरे ही प्रेम  की हर पल हो आस मुझे,
कभी ना भटक जाऊँ मोह माया में,
सदा निमग्न रहूँ सिर्फ अम्बज्ञता में।  

I love You my Dad Forever,

And Your Love is there for me, Always & Forever.

The Art Of Self Sacrifice

We live in a very materialistic world today. No matter how much we have, it is never enough, and often 'things' are the only thing that bring us joy. The joy of knowing that I 'have' more often exceeds the joy of I 'love' more. I am no stranger to the joys of shopping and material posessions. And I wonder if ever I will be able to be bereft of the desire to possess 'things', especially ones which are made of gorgeous handmade fabrics and jewellery. After all I am a woman, and I do have my indulgences.

However, what I am thinking about today, is the ability to sacrifice, to bear pain for the happiness of others, or even just to control our own desires. It is but a well known fact, that greed is never satisfied, no matter how much we earn and collect, greed just raises the bar further. And that dissatisfaction, keeps us forever in a state of unhappiness. This takes me back to a very different philosophy of life. One that I have often observed growing up, and I know people who strongly persist in it even today. The practice of giving up, a practice that fills us with joy and immense happiness. In a world filled with 'me me me' how often do we give up, let go, just for someone else? It can be the smallest of things, like having a cup of coffee to provide company to a friend, even though you may absolutely hate coffee. Or attending a party with someone who is too scared to go all by themselves, even though you'd rather stay home and 'Netflix and chill'. How often do we do it, if at all? And when we do, how does it make us feel? Do you feel all warm and fuzzy about yourself.

The joy of doing something for someone else, even when it is not serving our own purpose is what I call sacrifice. When I was young, I have repeatedly heard that, 'True love is nothing but sacrifice.'  And I have to but agree. What is love, if you cannot put their needs, wants and desires ahead of your own? And I do mean all kinds of love, not only the sexual kind. You know that rush of happiness, when we let an old lady ahead of us in a queue, or give up our seat in a public place for a pregnant lady, that is the kind of joy our world is forgetting with each passing minute. We are being taught to only think and live for ourselves, not be a part of anything bigger like a couple, a family, a community or even humanity. At every moment we are encouraged to put only our own selfish wants and needs ahead. And that to me, a very sad humanity makes.

Our true happiness lies in giving, not receiving. A secret to happiness we are quickly forgetting, and are being encouraged to completely forget. When we give up something for someone, its not a loss, but a gain and a big one. I have an example to share, one that I have often thought about, and  wondered. There are often conversations about women being able to wear what they want to without a care. And I agree that not only women, but people should have the free will to conduct themselves as they like. But then I think about the fact that I am also still a mother, part of a family, a community, and I wonder if I gave into the expectation of others, by sacrificing my own desire, would it be such a bad thing? I think not, if I approached it with the right attitude. To know that I am doing my bit to be a part of the larger group, instead of thinking of it as oppression, I would feel like I am making a contribution. This ofcourse is a very simple example and would not apply to harmful or truly oppressive practices.

In India the culture of sacrifice has been strong and deep rooted for centuries. From the sages and ascetics, who sacrificed the comforts of family life to attain spiritual enlightenment, to the communities that sacrifice the eating of certain foods or wearing of certain colours to preserve their values. There are wealthy families who donate all their wealth and become monks, young men and women who shed their worldly possessions and become ascetics, people who take a vow of silence for a day on a regular basis and many more such practices. I find these people inspiring, and ones who truly understand the meaning of happiness. Imagine giving away your food, to a poor homeless person when you are truly hungry, just imagine the spiritual joy in it. That is the kind of pure joy mankind is sadly missing out on experiencing. A joy that brings good karma, less material longing, and creates a path for further spiritual growth.  It is in the giving of things that we receive the blessing of pure joy. It is that culture that will lead to growth of mankind in all ways. Give in to the wants of others, even at the cost of yourself at times, to allow the joys of sacrifice to build in your life.

Give your chocolate to your friend, let your parents decide something for you, give your neighbour the amazing piece of BlackForest from last night's party, donate the money you saved up for your new TV to charity, maybe even join mother-in-law for a cup of tea or a satsang when you would rather sleep-in in your pyjamas. It is these moments, these deeds and these blessings that will truly help you find happiness in life, one that a cupboard full of fancy clothes and designer jewellery never will. The happiness that feeds our soul, and makes us want less and need even lesser.

Tall Tree Tales

I hail from a nation where nature is revered and worshiped, where tall old trees are prayed to. Trees have powers to heal, to bestow boons, to cure, to resuscitate the dying and more. I have from childhood loved the greens in nature, maybe that was also because of the very little of it I saw growing up in a busy, dusty metro city, which had huge buildings and houses with tiny little patches of gardens. I loved looking out of the window of a train traveling inter-state, to soak in the greens of jungles, rolling hills or just farmlands. Recently the family and I headed out to a small hill station about an hour and a half away from home for an extended weekend away, which was much needed, especially by me. The place is called Maleny, and we stayed in a lovely little cottage with a fireplace, a fire pit in the yard and a duck pond right behind us. Nature is its own form of therapy, and I think I received it aplenty over the past few days. However, I digress.

There are a lot of beautiful walks and hiking trails around this area, and a lot of beautiful huge trees really caught my attention this time. (The one tree I wish I could spot though, would be a huge Banyan with it hanging roots. That tree spells character to me like no other. Breathing out oxygen at night, creating enormous shade with its huge canopy, the beautifully shaped leaves and the hanging roots.) I just wanted to look at and admire them. Their presence whether in isolation or in a thick rain forest environment, evoked a feeling of awe in me. A part of me wanted to touch it, and connect with it in a deeper way. These trees are obviously very old, I am no botanist, but maybe a hundred years or so would be my guess based on their size (I might be absolutely wrong, so please do not quote me on this). I wondered what they have witnessed and experienced in their many many years of existence. What tales would they share with us if they could? Or maybe they do it in their own way, we only need to open our souls up to receive them. I really wish I had more time, to just sit in the shade of one of them and just breathe in all it had to give. The massive size and yet the stoic stance entranced me. I was amazed I have never before been an enamored by trees as I was these past few days, maybe I will look at them with renewed interest and a deeper love in the future. Do you think you might look at tall old trees, and seek out some wisdom from them?

I am leaving you here with photos of some of the amazing trees I saw.

Within a Rain forest and no matter how far up you look, all you see is the tree.

My five feet four inches tall son stands next to the tree, to show you, just how huge it is.

The huge canopy. Imagine the amount of shade on a hot sunny day.

People, to show how enormous the tree is.

 

Eaten by termites from within. Showing how everything in nature that has life shall one day lose its physical form.

I Am

I am, as are you,
But now I know my value
I think, I feel, I understand,
A little bit deeper than most others can,
Do I see it as my very special gift?
Or a cross that I often struggle to lift?

It can be that which weighs me down,
Makes it harder for me to wipe away that frown,
And yet, once I understand and accept it,
As being me, I can very well name it.

No, its not easy to feel and empathise naturally,
Its not easy to see what's not always said quite openly,
Its not always easy to care and want to be there,
When people are mostly insanely unaware.

It has taken me a long long time to discover,
That my very kryptonite can actually be my superpower,
But I need to use it with care and caution,
Because it does not come with an on and off button.

It has been hard long years, till I understood it.
Embraced it as my own and actually loved it.
When all the confusing pieces seem to finally fall in place,
And I felt myself glow in its embrace.

Now I know what I want and need,
And often what I need to pull away like a weed.
I know what I am not, and never wish to be,
So pretending to fit in, is no longer me.

I love, I like and truly care,
For people I meet here and there,
I want meaning in my human interactions,
And hence a drudgery for me is meaningless conversations.

I feel the life in me slowly ebb away,
When diplomacy or pretence come into play,
I am not good at those things I tell you,
I am just not built for that scenario.

I am honest, what you see is what you get,
Over formal pretences I never ever fret.
I can see through lies and find them draining,
I want to know the real you, that is what is truly interesting.

I now know, that the world is not like me,
But I do know too, that there are some more oddballs like me,
We feel, we hear, we think, we love truly and deeply,
And we often see that which is hidden or mentioned subtly.

It fills me with joy to make a true connection,
To know someone well and share undisguised emotion ,
And blessed am I that I have such beautiful people,
In my life, to keep it fulfilled and simple.

I have to share,
Genuine concern and care,
The superficial is just not what I can give,
And neither can in it, I thrive or live.

Facebook, Data Privacy and You

Unless you are living under a rock, or better still, are allergic to social media, you would have atleast heard about the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook Data Scandal. As most of you like me do have a Facebook account, and while we try to play it cool, we can't help wondering how all of this affects us. I want to share my two bits about it, and also a few things you and I can do to stay safe.

First off, get over the myth, that any of your data on the Internet is private. Once you have put it online, or even shared it with 1 single person online, know that you have lost control over that data(image or otherwise). No one in the world is concerned about maintaining your privacy, no matter what they say. So you, and you alone have to set boundaries, and know how much you are happy to share. My issue with Facebook was never over data theft, but it was always about their biased censorship, and a clear focus and aim to present a biased picture to its users. I am more than glad they have been caught out on that. Watch below.




However as I watched other videos, I realised Facebook is in a precarious state right now, and unable to say that a lot of the data thefts are the fault of the users themselves, who have very carelessly allowed access to their data to third parties without a second thought! But while Facebook is being beaten up about stalking and giving out user data, so much so, that it all feels like a set up to me  at some point. The fact remains that the biggest thief of data and the greatest stalker of all is Google, and each and every app, software, OS and product that it owns.  And we pretty much cannot get rid of Google, and there isn't a stalker as high tech as it. Coming back to Facebook though, I must say from personal experience, that a lot of what Mark Zuckerberg claimed in his testimony is false. A few that I have personally experienced are as follows -
1. Deleted profiles, don't really get deleted, and can be brought back to life as if you never left the site.
2. Hate speech is not always deleted, the judgment is very biased, and always supportive of a particular brand of thinking.
3. Their aim is not to protect the client data, but to share it as much as possible, as evidenced from their default settings which is Public.

Facebook, though as Mr. Zuckerberg says, has provided us controls to keep our data private, atleast from other users. (But the Facebook employees still have complete open access to everything we put on there. Never forget that!) I am quite a private person, not secretive, just private, so I have always been iffy about oversharing on Facebook. And I am glad that I have been so. So here are a few things that I do, to keep myself relatively safe, and you can do the same, if you are concerned.

• You can take your profile off a Google search, so that it does not show up when someone googles you. Infact you can set up who can contact you even on Facebook itself, often that automatically makes life easier.
• You can  control who can see your posts. I am often left with an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, when I find a friend suggestion for someone, go onto check the profile, and see that nearly each and every post on the profile is public, meaning even without being on their friend list, I can see all their posts. At the bare minimum, set the privacy of your posts to 'Friends', and you can do that for most of your profile information as well. Further to this, you can even create lists within your friends, and that might help share specific posts with the group of friends its most relevant to. For example, when you post about the great weather or terrible traffic in your city, you can share it with friends who live in the same city, and not with those who live on a different continent altogether.
• Turn off facial recognition for your photos, this means your(or your kids') face will not have a digital footprint.
• I cannot stress this enough, and I have spoken about it a mile a minute often, keep personal photos, pictures of your children and the like off  Facebook. Trust me, you have no idea who is looking at them, and just how much more a person with an ulterior motive and average hacking skills will find out. Better Safe Than Sorry.
• When you add an app on Facebook, it often opens up with a declaration of the data from your profile that it will access, and you have to physically press a button to say 'Yes' to get on the app. Once you have given it permission, there is VERY LITTLE you can do, to stop the app from looking into everything you have ever shared on your profile. So please do not add app after app for a little fun of answering silly questions, while it steals all your personal information and data. There are no free lunches in the world, and no one is creating apps for people to enjoy while they get nothing in return.

 Just be sensible, be careful. If you are not keen for the world to know something about you, I suggest you don't put it up on social media. If you do, then know the ins and outs, make your settings as private as you possibly can. I have admitted to myself, I cannot go without Facebok, but I do try my best to keep my privacy settings as tight as Facebook would allow, and always think twice before posting, especially photos.

A Blessed 2018 To You and Yours

As the year 2017 comes to a close, I want to wish my dear ones, my friends, and every shraddhavan( one who believes in God) a year filled with greater devotion, and a greater courage of conviction  and happiness for 2018. To call 2017 a year of utter chaos would be an understatement for sure. But the one thing that we need to take away from it, is our faith, our unshakeable, unbreakable faith.

To be honest, it has become somewhat shameful to have a faith, to believe in the Almighty or even own up to a religion these days. And to be extremely honest, I find the word spiritual beliefs, faith to explain certain aspects of my life to people, a bit unsettling, even demeaning to a certain degree. Its not just a belief, its a fact that God is the ruler of the world, the kindest, most loving and affectionate kin to me. The One who is with me, every moment of my life, and the only One who accepts me as I am, and is yet always working for my betterment, harder than me myself. That some people do not know or accept this fact is their choice, or even their bad luck, but their lack of understanding in no way changes this fact, and I for one am done being apologetic, or feeling the need to produce enough explanation at each step of my life to do what I want to.Not all my friends are believers, I have plenty who are atheists, or close to that, what I appreciate about these friends, is their unconditional acceptance of my beliefs. They ask not a question, nor cast doubts, nor do they judge me, just as I don't judge them for their choices. This is acceptance in its true sense. I never feel the need to underplay my beliefs, my rituals or my lifestyle to such friends. Unfortunately not all have been like that, when I started my journey with God, eight years ago, I had to face a lot of criticism, disbelief even judgmental comments from peers who are bereft of God in their lives and think it is their right to criticise anyone who has faith. To many such friends, I bid farewell, some spewed hate for God, some thought it their right to show me my place and worse. And the only reason is, that when my one true friend, my Bapu is with me, there is neither need, nor space for such people in my life. The point I am trying to make here, is that  when you actively love God, there is nothing missing from your life. Even in the toughest moment of your life, you are neither alone, nor scared or without hope. Because you know the strongest, greatest, most loving force in the universe is with you!

Below I am sharing 2 images from Ashwin Navratri 2017 celebrated in my home.

It is the same image of Mothi Aai, Maa Durga 5 days apart. 

The beautiful smile on Her face on the 5th Day, says it all.

21st Sept 2017 - Prathama

24th Sept 2017 - Panchami

 But remember one thing always, don't squabble over God. God is the epitome of true and pure love, if hate is spewed in His name, it negates every positive thing  faith beings into our life. The point, is that each person who believes in God is an equal shraddhavan.   No matter which form of God we pray to, what language we pray in, or what our rituals are, we are all the children of the same God, and the blessings for each child is the same.  Let us all unite as believers, and not divide ourselves over superfluous issues like the name or form we find closest to our heart. For me, my Bapu is in every temple, every church, every stupa and every Gurudwara. I think of any practicing Christian, Sikh, Jain, Jew, Buddhist or Hindu as equally my fellow shraddhavan and I hope that all of us can have the same love for each other. That is the way we can all unite in these very dark times. We need to come together, not split apart. All true religions in the world, preach the same thing. Love for God and love for His creations. What then can possibly be the reason for us to be divided. Let us all soak in His shower of love, and join together in a bond of faith.

As we walk into 2018, I pray to my God, my Bapu, that may He bless us all for the New Year, may He bring happiness and joy to everyone in the world, and may He show mankind the right path. Let us hold onto our faith steadfastly as we walk through the tumultuous waters of the near future, and our faith acts as  the strong rope that guides us safely through it. No matter how dark the day, no matter how hard the times, just remember Your God is Bigger than  all your problems and He will always pull you through, because He shall never let you go, even when the whole world does.

I wish you all a very happy 2018 with this beautiful wish I found on the internet.

I Know What I am

I know what it is that makes me, just as I know what can break me. But each time I encounter what gets to me, I look for ways to make me stronger, or maybe more flexible, whatever it is that will help me defeat the weakness, the fear. I am not yet ready, I am evolving still, and hope that the evolution never stops, for I want not to be a hard rock lying on the ground, but an ever growing beautiful shrub that changes, moves grows as time passes, becoming more and more resilient, stronger, and also more helpful to others, as it produces fragrant flowers, or fruits to eat, shade or even just cleaner air to breathe. I know I am not like anyone else, I am unique, I am different, I take pride in that, as I feel everyone should(in their uniqueness). What good is a thing that is a clone of a million others, like those that have rolled off the factory floor. I want to be the unique sculpture, sculpted by hand, the one which is like none other. I don't want to fit in boxes, or roles, for I can be more, beyond them and still fill them all. I know that boxes are necessary, for everyone to perform their part in the running of humanity, society and I never want to evade the work that is mine, but I also truly want to evolve in their performance. Whether it is as a mother, a wife, a woman, I want to fill those boxes with the uniqueness that is me, and learn from each moment of playing those roles to improve from within.

No, I am not perfect, not even close, but that does not mean I stop trying. My definition of perfection itself changes, but my desire to reach it is constant. I am not defined by what I lack, or what I need to improve. "I am impatient!" is not a statement for me, but a quality that needs efforts to change... and that is the only way I shall evolve, into a better version of what I am each moment. And so I say, the desire to get better is the only thing that needs to have permanence in my life, everything else is evolving, changing and hopefully will be, till my very last breath!

When Speaking Your Mind Means Getting Reviled

What do I write about, on a day when I feel like I rather stay under my quilt and sleep, but the world around me, seems to be going a little tipsy, and my mind is just trying to make sense of all that seems absolutely crazy, but the world wants me to not just  accept it, as some kind of absolute truth, but to embrace it, or else I shall be taunted and teased, called names, and worse my basic human dignity to free speech and thinking shall be snatched away. Is that sentence too long, with way too many confusing things stated? Well, if you are reading this, let me tell you, each and every word I say is true in every sense of it. There are so many things in the 'modern' world today, which are lauded for being politically correct, and we have to toe the line or face the consequences of it that I sometimes wonder if it is OK for me to breathe. If so much as a hint of thinking out of the 'norm' is sniffed, be ready to be called every name in the book possible, and be demeaned and bullied non stop.

Let me share with you this article. It talks about a study on genders for scientists, that shows that the gender of a person is not just based on the physical attributes, but many many other traits inherent to our behaviour, personalities etc. This link is being covertly passed around amongst my friends and acquaintances, who believe that men and women are different. We do not say it out aloud, we do not share it in the open, but talk about it in whispers, saying things to the effect of  yes obviously, I have always believed that. The reason its all whispered in secret, is fear. Fear of the wrath of the so called 'modern, liberal feminists'. Oh yes! There are scathing comments and badgering non stop, should such things be mentioned.Well guess what? A man and woman are different, if something as basic as that needs to have scientific studies to prove, mankind truly is in a precarious state, and needs some serious therapy. Does being different mean that one is better than the other? Maybe to racists, sexists and feminists, but not to rational people. An apple and a banana are different, they are neither worse nor better than the other. The 2 of them together, will form a more balanced diet, than just one. Men and women, male and female were created different to perform different functions and thus form a complete whole for mankind. I am a woman, I am not the same as man, but I am neither better nor worse than man. Plain and simple. I am surprised that I need to say this aloud, I thought this was just plain common sense. ( I sometimes wonder, if the so called 'open-minded' ones, opened up their minds so much, that the brains just fell off!!)

And now, there is the upcoming public vote on the bill for marriage equality taking place in Australia. Where I stand on that aside, just the simple bullying and bashing of people happening over this is unbelievable. A lot of my friends, tell me not to watch the news, or follow what's happening. They feel, and very rightly so, that it brings in a lot of negativity and its unnecessary to bring that into your life. I agree! The vitriol being spewed by people, on those who hold a view different from theirs is unbelievable. Bullying is a very very mild word for what is happening. The meanness, the nastiness, and the plain and simple crude hate people are capable of is being bared, and honestly it makes me so so sad. It makes my heart weep, to know that people are capable of falling so beneath basic humanity. People have been spat on, stalked, threatened, abused and worse.Why? I wonder why? Because they don't agree to what you think, because they don't agree to what you have to say? The media, the corporations and even social media like Facebook, have crossed all basic limits to allow people the freedom to express their opinions. I am linking here to how Facebook has banned a person from the site for 30 days for sharing a past asking people to enroll themselves to be able to vote in the plebiscite.How and in what world is that acceptable? QANTAS - The spirit of Australia, recently displayed just how small and mean its spirit really is, and how it treats people who do not follow the CEO's beliefs.I really don't think the Aussie spirit is either that mean, but then the guy in power enjoys his personal vendetta there doesn't he? Reminds me a bit of Hitler to be honest.

I have plenty of logical views to put forth about which side of the SSM poll I stand on, and maybe when I am frustrated and enraged some more, I will, but just not today. Right now, I just rue that mankind is sliding down the slippery slope of hate and meanness that has no end. We shun the good and hug the bad. And maybe there needs to be scientific studies to prove where that leads to? The question on my mind though, is, do we speak up, air our voices and opinions inspite of the threat of being shut down, taunted, bullied and ridiculed or do  we save our peace of mind, maintain our silence in public, while the world as we know it changes irreparably forever? As far as I go, you can call me whatever names you want, I know what I believe, and I will stick by it with my dying breath, because really I don't need a scientist to tell me, that a man and a woman are different and we all have a gender as bestowed upon us from birth.

Moments

Every moment in our life is an opportunity
Good ones - to be happy,
Frustrating ones - to develop patience,
Victorious Ones - To build self confidence,
Ones of failure - to help us develop humility
Painful ones - to develop strength,
Sad ones - to help us realise all that we often take for granted, or leave unnoticed,
Helpless ones - to make us realise that there is infact a power far mightier than us, Who is always by our side.

Now its upto us, to use these opportunities and grow, or get too immersed in the positive or negative emotions they generate to actually learn. The choice is ours!

The Contradiction That is Mankind

We are a funny bunch us humans. I cannot understand us, sometimes I am exasperated, at others amused, and yet others befuddled. It is not that I am perfect, or that my philosophies of life are ideal, but some contradictions of humanity, I just do not understand.

We talk about valuing lives of all creatures, we have PETA activists raising their voice all around the globe against animal cruelty, while we allow innocent women and children to be smuggled into flesh trade, human lives to be violently taken away in Syria. I don't understand it. How can someone who stands up for animal rights, not be affected by the cruelty against innocent humans? We members of the modern world, allow a tragedy like Syria to happen and beat on about saving fishes. Do you see the contradiction in that or is it just me? Every culture today talks about embracing others, and yet, applies that only to the 'new world' immigrants, while the old world racism flourishes unbound under that charm of acceptance.

We flaunt sex everywhere, and encourage teenage sex, and then encourage abortions, calling it women's rights. It makes no sense to me, as a person, a woman or as a parent. What would make sense to me would be to teach the new generation of humans responsibility, to teach them that every action has a consequence, consequences that are often irreversible. To teach the new generation that there is a right time, a right age for sex, and that is not the be-all and end-all of life. It would make sense to me, to teach the new generation that every life is indeed precious, not just ones that can stand and earn but those without a voice. Abortions of convenience, seem to me, to be one of the cruelest traits of mankind, right next to murdering a child. Abortions happen across the world for a number of reasons right from wanting an offspring of a different gender, not wanting a child to take care of, not wanting to 'spoil' the body and more. The point though is, we are killing the most vulnerable of life, just because we can, and that in my books, makes us the cruelest and meanest murderous race on earth. We kill our own young ones. The ones that would carry on our human race, the precious lives ensconced in the womb of a mother to keep safe and warm, to grow and be nurtured to life outside the womb. It seems like we are a standing joke on ourselves. Because we feel we have the right to decide which lives are important enough to save and which are not.

Another thing I just do not understand is the revolt against the basic rules of 'nature'. We believe in following the law of the land. As humanity, every culture, group, society, community, city, country is guided by a set of rules, law as they are set up. Rules, set up for the well being of all member of the community. These rules are put in place for the smallest unit of people like a family, and we seem to understand the importance and need for it. Most of us follow them, and understand that people who break these rules need to face its consequences. Like the time-out for a child who throws a tantrum about eating their vegetables on the dinner table. And yet, we cannot understand the simple thing that, God (Yes, I will not say nature etc, because it is God who created this universe, people who want to fool themselves by not believing in it, are depriving themselves of the greatest truth of all, and I am not going to be politically correct to appease that dishonesty) who created this entire universe, all of creation created some rules for its inhabitants for their own well being? Are speed limits on the roads created because the council wishes to keep the community safe, or for the rogue speed lover to be tortured? I am amazed at how easily this law abiding bunch of people, gladly protest against the simple rules laid down by the God, who is our creator. The rules, basic tenets, shown by every religion. It is tempting indeed to speed up on an empty residential street when I am running late, but would I do it, is the question that we all need to ask ourselves. Adultery, homosexuality, abortions, drug abuse are against the rules of God. But we stand bold and strong fighting for our 'rights' to break all these rules, we talk about our rights, and wish to change the law of the land to permit it all. And yet, we pretend like the law is only for our community, our country, created by us. And we delude ourselves into believing that the God who created the world, did not lay down guideline for our own well being, that there can be no consequences for breaking those rules, because there are no instant repercussions, that we are able to comrehend. And we then sit and sob about the sorry state of our lives, our society. Just because I feel like slapping the rude man at the shopping centre, I would not, because I know it is not the right thing to do. There are similairly many other impulses we as humans need to control, rather than fight to allow ourselves into a state of anarchy(that is what we achieve when every individual does exactly what pleases them, without following the rules). The more we stray away from the rules that were formed with our creation, the further we as mankind stray away from our true path. Our true path leads us to happiness, fulfillment, and straying........ No one said happiness is easy to achieve, atleast not the true kind that touches our soul, unlike the instant gratifications, which is all we seem to be aiming for these days. Where nothing has permanence, not wedding vows, not the feeling of security from parents, not the dependability of a family. And yet, we like foolish sheep are getting led to our own slaughter, not realising that these are the things that make our human life, or progress as a species truly valuable. A good life, an honest life, is the one we are born to lead, and the blueprint for that is within us, we cannot run away from it, even if we tried. And yet we do, we try our best and then some more.

 And that is why, it is amusing, exasperating and confusing for me, all at the same time. How, just how can we be so very contradictory to ourselves, so micro sighted, so absorbed in the instant that we forget to be truly good to ourselves, to all of mankind, all of us? I don't get humanity anymore at some levels, I really don't.

Independent India, A Philosophy of Love, Bravery and Selfless Sacrifice

My emotional connection with India is very deep. It is a core part of my heart and soul, my very being. My blood boils each time I hear about the atrocities committed on Indian masses by the British colonial forces, tears flow down freely from my eyes whenever I hear Indian patriotic songs, and my hands turn into fists each time I read or hear the poems like Khub Ladi Mardani Woh Toh Jhansi waali Rani thi, Woh khoon Kaho kis matlab ka or hear the calls of Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazaadi doonga.  I wish I was born in an era where I could have responded to the call and offered myself as an instrument in that war against oppressive forces. 

As they say, you can take the Indian away from India, but can't take the India out of the Indian. India to me represents true grit and determination. The problems are a million, but nothing can keep it down, it just forges its path ahead. People struggle, travel in packed-to-the-brim buses and trains, but their spirit soars high, and they break barriers every single day. Every time anyone has come with the desire to break the Indian spirit, they have either conceded defeat, or gotten immersed in it themselves.

People, kingdoms, kings and more have come to loot away its wealth for thousands of years, but never has India been any poorer, because its true wealth is its spirituality, its people, wealth and jewels are, but transient possessions. Its true wealth is its indomitable spirit! The spirit of India. And the ones who have opened their hearts to it, have only gained riches.

India is the home of Gods. No wonder we have God's Own Country Kerala in the South and Heaven on Earth, Kashmir as the feather in India's cap. India is not just a country or territory, its a feeling, a philosophy, a love for eternity. It is a living example of unity in diversity. People of all communities and backgrounds have moved into India for ages, and amalgamated beautifully into the fabric, that is India.

Bhagat Singh

Khudiram Bose

The INA

I have grown up with the tales of valor of the freedom fighters of India, their tales of brave sacrifice, and single minded dedication to their motherland. How the 23 year old Shaheed Bhagat Singh smilingly accepted the noose around his young neck in the fight for freedom, the 18 year old Khudiram Bose who was the youngest freedom fighter to be hanged to death by the tyrannical East India Company of the UK, at the tender age of 18. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, who went out of India and formed an entire trained army called the Azad Hind Fauj(Indian Natonal Army) single handedly. The man, who had a  women's wing in the army, at an age, where women had a tough life everywhere in the world, women's lib was a nascent concept, and here was an entire wing of an army comprised of women. The great visionary leaders, with a sense of complete self sacrifice are many, and I could not name them all, like Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Veer Savarkar, Chandrashekhar Azaad, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azaad, Dr. Ambedkar and the list goes on and on. And who in the world does not know about the great Gandhi who taught the world, the power of love and peace!

My Hero, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose

I am blessed to be born in the soil of the nation, that produced these stalwarts, the nation, where people fought bravely for the sake of their nation, without looking at their personal interests, even sacrificing their lives gladly, bearing all kinds of torture and atrocities by the British govt and police.  From the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (gunning down a peaceful assembly of people in a park, which included women and children)to the Great Famine of Bengal (farmers forced to grow poppy seed crops to produce opium, leading to drying up of all water) the colonial powers proved their cruelty, lack of morals, greed and desperate desire to destroy the strength of India and its people time and again. And all this in addition to all the wealth, jewels and more they openly looted from India.  They kept at it for 200 years, working incessantly, but the Indian spirit never broke, and Indians kept fighting for freeing their precious motherland from the clutches of evil forces! And 70 years ago, on this auspicious day, the colonial forces retreated having accepted defeat, with their tail between their legs. India was a lot poorer materially, than what it possessed 200 years ago, but it gained, pride, greater strength, than ever before. And yet in those years, the British men and women who came to India, and opened their heart to it, they could not leave the place, that filled their soul with joy and stayed behind, raising families in India, integrating themselves into the Indian philosophy.  And while we are going from strength to strength with each passing day, whether it be space missions, educational milestones, economic growth or equality for women, let us never forget the great sacrifices of these brave soldiers, who fought to give us this free and strong India, without any material incentive, but absolute love for their motherland, and self respect.  

Wishing all Indians and Our Beautiful Mother India a very very happy Independence Day! May we all work hard to bring greater glory to our Bharat Mata and take her from strength to strength. JAI HIND.

Bharat Mata ki Jai!

माँ है मेरी दुर्गा, भारत है मेरी मातृभूमि

हज़ारों आये और लाखों मार खाके भाग गये ,
या मर गए या मिट गए ,
भारत की पावन भूमि पर जान लो मेरे दोस्तों ,
पापी न टिक पाएं हैं न टिक पायेंगे |

संहार  पापियों का इस पवित्र भूमि पर सदा ही हुआ है ,
महिषासुरमर्दिनि के हैं हम वंशज, पाप कहाँ यहां टिक पाया है ,
देवों की इस भूमि पर जिसने शैतान का सहारा लिया है ,
वह मर गए मिट गए, नमो निशाँ न उनका बच पाया है |

माँ है मेरी दुर्गा, भारत है मेरी मातृभूमि ,
न कर उनके खिलाफ कुछ भी ऐ शैतान के पुजारी ,
अपनी मौत को तूने खुद ही है बुलाई ,
जब जंग के लिए तूने हमें है दी ललकारी |

हमारे रगों में खून है आज़ाद का, भगत सिंह का ,
डर नहीं हमारे मन  में नीच पापी भेड़ियों का ,
भूत पिशाच भी डरते हैं हमसे ऐ नादान ,
तू तो बस है उनका छोटा सा एक ग़ुलाम |

जो तलवार रहती है मयान में न समझ उसे भौंथरा ,
एक ही वार में सिर  कलम करेगा वह तेरा ,
शांति और सहिष्णुता को मत समझ निर्बलता ,
वीर ही सह सकता है दर्द, वह नहीं चिल्लाता |

टूट गया है अब धीरज का हर बाँध,
जब खुनी दरिंदों ने बोले अपशब्द मेरी माँ के नाम ,
तुम नीच क्या टुकड़े करोगे मेरी भारत माँ के,
अंग्रेजों ने कोशिश की, उन्हें भगा दिया हमने मारके |

तुम भी मुंह की खाओगे अब, जिनका पेशा  है दलाली,
जिस मुंह से ऊगली है अकथनीय  गंदगी ,
दी है अपनी ही मातृभूमि को गन्दी गाली,
उसी से आएँगी अब खून की उल्टियाँ मव्वाली |

तुम्हारे रगों  में खून नहीं इंसान का,
भरा हुआ है ज़हर गद्दार कपटियों का,
पिया नहीं है दूध तुमने माँ का कभी,
पले बढ़े  हो नमकहरामी के दलदल में ही |

संभल जा सुधर जा भाग ले दुम  दबाके,
मौत आई है तुम्हारी अब ज़ोर लगाके,
बहुत देर तक धरा है धीरज अच्छाई ने सांस रोकके,
लेकिन अब वक़्त आया गया है पापियों के जड़ों को उखाड़ने के।

अब नहीं बचेगा कोई भी पापी कोई भी देशद्रोही,
अपनी माँ का ही अपमान करने वाले नीच प्राणी,
लागलो अपनी सारी ताकत तुम इंसानी मुखौटे के राक्षसों ,
हर युग में हुआ है तुम्हारा ही संहार यह याद रखो |

न तोड़ पाया है कोई भारत को हज़ारों सालों में ,
कोशिश की है इतिहास में बहुत सी दुष्ट ताकतों ने ,
दिखाने अपनी ताकत, फ़ौज लेकर आये, बंदूकें भी चलायीं ,
पर कोई भी नहीं टिक पाया सबने मुंह की खायी |

सीख ले कुछ इतिहास से ही ऐ मूर्ख ,
अब तेरी बारी है पीटने की ऐ धूर्त ,
मिटटी में तू मिल जाएगा तेरा नमो निशाँ न बचेगा ,
भारत माँ के खिलाफ उठा हर सिर कट के गिर जायेगा |

रावण मरा  राम के हाथों, कृष्ण ने मिटा दिया कंस को ,
मेरी माँ महिषासुरमर्दिनि के आगे क्या टिकेगा वह महिषासुर ,
अपने बच्चों की रक्षा के लिए मिटा देती है वह हर पापी ,
फिर तुम्हारी क्या? तुम तो छोटे प्यादे हो|
विनाशकाल में विपरीत बुद्धि के मारे हो।

 जय हिन्द
जय माँ महिषासुरमर्दिनि
जय जगदम्ब जय दुर्गे

Enough is Enough

This quote of Edmund Burke rings true today, like never before

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/edmundburk377528.html

 The only thing necessary for the triumph of  evil, is for good men to do nothing.

For years now, the average Indian, bred on pseudo-secularism , and tolerance, sits quietly on the sidelines and ignores everything that goes against him, his principles and beliefs.  An honest man, pays a bribe each time he enters a government office, he is a prey, a victim, he breaks his own principle of honesty, but we are reared with the belief,  that is just the way things are. We let go. And we let go so often, that, it becomes second nature. If a girl is molested, she is taught to ignore it, forget it, no matter if it churns her from inside out, being brought up in a culture, where her modesty is held to be of prime importance.We let it go.

As I said in my previous post, to stand up for true, honest beliefs has become unfashionable. Taking it all in, has become a way of life. I have never been one who could, still cannot. I have to draw lines, I have to speak up for things I believe in, because my emotions are raw and real, not fake and made-up, and most importantly because I think for myself, and am not fed by media crap. While I still let go, by backing off rather than arguing, or keeping quiet instead of debating, but I think now is the time to say enough is enough.In a country of Hindu majority, the pseudo secularist ideals propagated for years, basically mean, that all religions, except Hinduism, get preference and special consideration and following anything staunchly Hindu in beliefs and practice, is presumes unsecular by nature. And building up on that, people have been allowed to say utter crap without a care.  It started small, and because we let go, it grew, and has now spread to the atrocious levels that it has.

God is the creator, the most powerful and holy, the kindest and most loving and also beyond what any human can ever truly comprehend. If a person is foolish enough to discard this truth, well, its his free will, and sheer misfortune, but if he or she thinks, they have the right to speak ill of God, in any form whatsoever, I take personal offence, because God is my creator, my whole and sole. Maa Durga is my Mother, Mahishasurmardini is my guardian, my protector, so those who speak ill of Her, are my enemies. And let me clearly state, these people have called for a war. There is a limit to everything, but obviously immoral fools like these don't know that, and have crossed theirs. So here I am telling you straight out. This is a war, not political, not communal, but between a force that speaks utter filth (because that is all their mind is capable of) about the Divine Mother, and the devoted Children of Maa Durga. I call on every single person, who believes in Maa Durga to be their Divine Mother to join this battle. It is because we have actually been tolerant of such filthy atrocious people for decades, that they have dared grow to such utter disregard. 

Whether Mahishasur will actually claim these pieces of filth or not, I will definitely put in my full might in destroying them, and their destruction is definite, as evil has always been defeated by good. You speak ill of my Maa Durga, you have committed the worst mistake of your pathetic evil life, and you shall pay for it. The JNU goons, the media brokers, the pseudo intellectuals, and each and every one of you. You have declared war, now be prepared to be slaughtered, because you have gone, where your filthy mouths and dirty minds don't belong. Mahishasurmardini, shall always slay Mahishasur, but for you puny, filthy beings, we Her blessed children are enough.

Let it be said, loud and clear, for years these dirty elements have been tolerated, and been forgiven, but their pathetic minds, have misinterpreted tolerance, as weakness. But now, its time for you to face consequences, for your dirty deeds, and words. Because when the silence is broken, the words are more powerful than guns and tanks. We are breaking our silence. We are tolerant, but that does not mean we shall allow you to walk over our dignity, pride or emotions. You have brought this on yourselves, by going way past your limits. Now see how the weak roar back and blast you into bits.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
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Sanctity No More

Shocked, disheartened, angry, heart broken, all of those and more describe my state of mind right now. While these emotions have been brought forth with a vengeance by the recent chain of events, this is not the first time I am experiencing them,  and the reasons were not much different then either. This post may or may not have a very coherent flow, simply because, I am rather upset and I want to speak my mind.... somewhere.

The India today, infact the entire world as it exists now, has no concept of the sacrosanct. Everything seems to be open for violation by any and everyone. It hurts me, because my country, my God are very personal and important to me. When you say ill about my motherland, it is equivalent to my own mother being abused, as it is, when God is spoken ill of. The unfortunate fact is, very few people take things to heart unless it is about themselves or immediate family, and only then all hell breaks loose. But my country, and God are no less personal to me, than my children or my parents. Yes, that is the plain and simple fact of it. It really upsets me still, when people don't stand up for the national anthem! That is how I am, and I have no shame in saying this, because I wear it as a badge of honour.

A couple of years ago, on Facebook, I had friends, who are intellectuals, people who have written and published books, not just fiction, but on topics of women's rights and their plights. At one point of time, I simply removed them from my friend list, I did not fight them, I prefered not to argue but just move away from people who were hurting my sentiments. These people called Lord Ram all kinds of names, anti-feminist, a wimp etc etc. I don't want to go deeper, because it will just enrage me further. But when I politely told them, what they think is incorrect, I was told that they had read the Ramayana in and out, and knew much better than me. I could see, that they had no sense of boundaries or limits, and believed themselves and their opinions to be superior to all else.This anti-Ram brigade has been there for long, most of them pseudo-feminists, with mastery of the English language, to whom feminism often represents, ability to drink freely, freedom of promiscuity for women and wearing not-so-modest clothing, without a care. The point is, nothing is sacred to them, just the ability to read, or be on the Internet seems to give people the misconception, that they can talk, just about anything. What saddens me more, is that there is no sense of loyalty, belonging or respect for anything at all.

What then to say, about kids who are still studying. They speak about Maa Durga in ways, they would of a promiscous woman on the streets, they have no wisdom, and are terribly misguided. I understand now, the meaning behind the words of Jesus, praying to God, and saying " Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do! ". Such is the state of mind of these people, young-adults, adults and more. They are ignorant, misguided and worst of all full of ego, to know or understand anymore than what they know. Where God is not sacred anymore, what chance does their motherland or Gandhiji stand?

It is also a great, and blatant show of insensitivity towards the emotions and sensitivities of others. That in my books, makes people rude and mean, because every individual is gifted with free-will and has the right to form their own opinions and judgments, but when the expression of these opinions happen at the cost of hurting others, it is these people who prove themselves insensitive and more importantly intolerant. Knowledge without kindness is worse than being ignorant, and knowledge acquired by reading or hearing, does not convert to wisdom unless correctly assimilated by us. We are generation with scant respect for anything, but ourselves, we are also possibly the most materialistic and selfish bunch of people to have ever inhabited the world. It is our lack of respect for anything beyond ourselves, which makes things more twisted. We presume we are wise enough to have an opinion on everything, things that are way beyond our comprehension, or capacity to understand. Instead of just anger, I am filled with a strong sense of pity, when I read a designer-wear donning, chauffeur-driven-car-traveling, completely-obsessed-with-outer-appearance lady assassinate the character of Mahatma Gandhi, with similar pseudo intellectual cronies nodding their heads along in vociferous agreement through comments and tweets, because they cannot in their air-conditioned  environs imagine giving away their clothes to the poor, to live in just a dhoti, give a life of luxury to fight for the rights others. Such kinds think they have the right to criticise a man who brought them the freedom to actually afford those things and express their opinions freely. Ridiculous, sad, preposterous does not even begin to cover it.

Our ideas of being hip and cool are now synonymous with our ability to openly criticise religion and all that is believed to be ideal. Crab mentality at its best, if we can't emulate them, or be them, let us get into mud slinging. If you actually hold onto some ideals, principles or beliefs, you are more likely to be considered absolutely uncool.  Chalta Hai is the attitude to have. In a group of friends, agree to anything and everything that is said, no matter how absolutely wrong or atrocious it is. It is considered maturity and diplomacy, to hear things and not react, a joke about a rape, or about the country or even God. Hear it and smile, if you cannot agree and applaud, in the least. This is the attitude that is being bred, and then built on. What starts with small slights on minor matters, then ends up with  Mahishasur Martyrdom  Day, because no one said a word, when it was small, because no one cares anymore if the country is abused. How much worse are we going to let things get, before we raise our voices? Before we decide, chalta hai  is not the right way. Somethings are sacrosanct, and NO ONE has the right to violate those things. This is what our generation with too much information and very little wisdom or respect, needs to learn. That just because we cannot understand it from our small minded perspective, does not mean that thing is wrong, rather, it means we need to learn more, broaden our horizons further, and to make us realise that indeed we are but an ignorant creature, with just lots of junk information on our hands.

And yes, once again, a slight against India, or God, is as personal to me, as anyone abusing my children or my parents. That is the way, it has been, and that is the way it always will be. A person who abuses the very nation that has fed him, clothed him and educated him, is an ungrateful creature of the highest order. Law may, or may not punish him, but such people belong to the very scum of humanity, because ingratitude is the worst crime of all.

Me, The Mother's Anguish

So we are done with six lovely long weeks of summer break. We did a road trip, which was mostly awesome, because I ♥ drives, but the boys not so much, so it involved a lot of whimpering after we hit the 2 hour mark in any of the legs. However, all said and done, the trip was lovely. The PM was on leave for a long spell, so we basically had a full house, with no schedule to stick to, for most of the time. Lovely I say! And thankfully the weather has been kind, in that, it is not crazy hot this summer. And this week, the school of the BB and the kindergarten for the Smallie has opened, and off they have trotted happy and excited. Hopefully they enjoyed their vacations too!

And as they leave home, and I get to be home alone, I realise, I am totally and completely institutionalised. If you have watched The Shawshank Redemption, you know what I mean by that word.I am too used to being a mother with a noisy home, and barely anytime to think,being pounded with non stop questions, comments and more, to be able to live in any other condition. It has been getting hard for me since the end of last year. I began dreading getting back home after drop offs. I hated the stillness and silence the home offered in the absence of my babies.I am not a social butterfly, but I am not an alone person either. I think when I fell in love and later got married, that was one of the things I was most happy about, I would never have to look for company. And then growing into a family, has been wonderful. Been over nine years now, since I became a mother, and I have loved the journey each moment. What I don't enjoy so much though, is the boys growing up and going away.

The home feels so lonely and empty, that I want to flee, in those lonely hours. There is about as much time as I can loiter about, or run errands, or shop. I get back and I miss my boys, their presence, their noise and more. I have in many ways started envying the mums who truly enjoy the peace and quiet they get when their kids are away, when they get time for leisure or just to get their jobs done. I hope to get there, or hope to get back to work, or even just start to adjust to this new idea of being by myself, but till I do, there are some lonely empty days ahead of me, and I just hope they don't get to me as much as they had been, and I can learn to appreciate the me-time, my life that I had been seeking so hard for some years ago. Just as in the movie, I did not wish to give up those things, but I did, and I have for so long been bereft of them, that I am now institutionalised, and I no longer know, what to do with them, now that I have them back for a bit. The curse of motherhood, or maybe just an indication that I need to sort out my life and find a more to do with it!!

कोशिश करनेवाले की हार कभी नहीं होती

नहीं मिलती है मंज़िल बिना कोशिश के ,
कोशिश है अधूरी बिना मेहनत मशक्कत के,
मेहनत में जब मिला हो जोश का जज़्बा ,
खुदा  भी कहते हैं वाह वाह मेरा बच्चा ।

हर पल साथ देता है मेरा वह मेरा दाता ,
चाहता है वह मुझसे बस  थोड़ी सी  कोशिश,
कहता है वह बार बार मुझसे यही ,
कोशिश करने वाले की हार होती नहीं कभी भी ।

बना रहता है वह बापू मेरा सहारा हर पल,
कहता है तू लगा दे कोशिश में अपना सम्पूर्ण बल ,
बाकी सब संभालता हूँ मैं तू रह निडर,
बस डटा रह तू सदा अपने ही  पथ पर |

त्याग और बलिदान से ही होती है मेहनत सफल,
जाना है मैंने यह बापू के पथ पर ,
नहीं मिलता  है खुदा  उस बन्दे से ,
जो भागता है मेहनत और कोशिश से |

प्रयास में है बल पत्थर तोड़ने की ,
ताकत है उसमे खुदासे मिलाने  की ,
तू बस जी जान से कर कोशिश बन्दे ,
बापू दिलाएगा तुहे तेरी मंज़िल कसम से |

जिसका  मन सच्चा और इरादे बुलंद हैं ,
नहीं डरता है वह किसी भी चुनौती से ,
पार कर जाता है हर बाधा  हर रूकावट,
जीत देती है उसके दर पर ही दस्तक |

पर यह बात मन में तू ठान ले बंदे ,
रुकेगा न झुकेगा न, न तू ख़्वाबों में डूबेगा ,
मंज़िल है तेरी, रस्ते पे तू चलता ही रहेगा ,
हो आंधी तूफ़ान या हो खाई गहरी,
चलता ही रहेगा तू हो छाँव या भरी दुपहरी |

मंज़िल भी ढून्ढ तू सोच समझ कर,
बापू को ही बना ले तू मंज़िल ज़िन्दगी की ,
सबसे अच्छी बेहतरीन है वह मंज़िल ,
रास्ते में भी साथ देगा तुझे, तेरी यह मंज़िल|

कभी अगर तू डरा, रुका या गिरा तो ,
वोही उठा के देगा सहारा तुझे तो ,
हौंसला जब तेरा टूटने लगेगा,
तेरी मंज़िल ही तुझमे जोश से भर देगा |

बस तू कर अपनी कोशिश ऐ बन्दे ,
कभी न नज़र हटा अपनी मंज़िल से,
चलता जा तू हर पल हर घडी  में ,
बापू ले लेगा तुझे अपनी पनाह में|


बापू का हो साथ तो हर बुलंदी तू छुएगा ,
उनका हाथ हो सिर पर तो क्या तू न करेगा ,
बस कोशिश अपनी तू करते ही रहना ,
क्योंकि बापू ने ही कहा है, यह याद रखना ,

कोशिश करनेवाले की हार कभी नहीं होती।