Where a Celebrity Lost His Mind aka AK

A couple of days back I wrote this post. When I read it now, I feel it was necessary, but I will not be taking it down, because I stand by what I said, and those are my views. That they did not need to be aired, or are barely relevant in my life, is a different point altogether. That day, I was angry, and upset, because there was an accusation against my country, and to me that I personal, because I love my India, and I am an Indian, I am not regional or communal, I love it, all of it. I said then, and I say now, India is not bereft of problems and issues, just like any other country in the world. What I write ahead, is not about India, because that is not my topic for this post. It is about the statements made by Aamir Khan, who will be referred to as AK, for the rest of the post and why it was simply pathetic. I can ignore the whole tamasha, and say who cares? I have done that in the past, on many an issue, but at some point I feel, I need to put my foot down, and because I also believe, putting my views out there, might give another person some food for thought at some point. So here goes.

AK is an actor, a really good one, from what I have seen of him on screen. His tactics to sell  or make his movies, propaganda etc, are of no consequence, because that is his livelihood and he does what he needs to, to earn his money. That he might have not a penny to offer to charity from the millions he rakes in, even those from being on a program like Satyamev Jayate, based on social issues faced by India, is his personal choice. But that does portray a certain aspect of his personality, which is very different from what he likes to portray on the screen. The point being, when he is not in an imaginary scenario, like in the movies, but in a program like Satyamev Jayate, the portrayal of himself as AK, and not any imaginary character, and his reality being very different from what he portrays, brings in, a sense of duality, a hypocrisy. Unfortunately people end up believing the onscreen persona more than that which is real.

Coming to the issue on hand however, the fact is, we are all normal human beings. We have thoughts that are wrong, ill or even sinful. The fact though is, most of us realise, that those thoughts are infact wrong, and keep them buried within or with ones closest to us, with a feeling of shame, only wanting lighten that burden. AK obviously has a different code, because he likes to think of himself as a thinking actor, and somehow has fallen into a category, where he believes, that all his, or his wife's thoughts(as is the case here) are worth loud mouthing. And that is where he was wrong. Why, they had these thoughts is not my concern, what is upsetting is, that they don't realise, that it is simply wrong. The biggest mistake ofcourse was to air it out in public. The backlash my dear AK, should have been well anticipated by you. These people are his fans, they follow every piece of news about him, and he enjoys the attention and adulation just as much. A simple example below, is from his Facebook page, where he talks about some injury.

Nobody would care if I fell down and broke my back for good, but that is not the case with a celebrity like him. The problem is, they want applause, not censure. Thankfully there are many Indians still, to whom the country is dearer than an actor, and that is why all hell has broken loose. That you and your wife discussed it, within the closed doors of your home, is upto you. But the mistake was, not realising what a horrible line of thought it is, and to have said it out aloud in public.

The very line of thought is ill, and even factually faulty. AK, is a Muslim, who has been married to two different Hindu women at various points in his life. He has the adulation of  millions of fans, many of whom are non-Muslims, and have never ever differentiated him, or his movies based on his religion. That, he has been witness to some of the worst terrorist attacks, and communal riots in the city of Mumbai in the past and has found India intolerant in the recent few months, is just baffling.  That is just falsehood, and deception. Bad thoughts, based on false facts, insulting the very people who are your fans, how did AK, ever expect anything but a huge backlash to that?  

This has been a bad bad choice of words and ideas from the word go. And for a man who has earned his millions and lives on the adulation of a million fans the very first thing that he needs to do, is apologise. For having such pathetic thoughts in the first place, and then to air them in public. But this is what he said, instead -

And then he says, people are proving his point? If you call a man walking about, minding his own business on the street a bloody murderer who scares you to live in your house, you have to expect that man to be nothing less than Gautam Buddha to not say even a word in retaliation. And even if one of them was indeed Buddha, you have spoken to a million here.

He is not a social activist, or a man who works for the well being of the country or its people in anyway at all, and thus, his thoughts are nothing but that of an idle man on an armchair, who has nothing constructive to offer, but criticisms galore. And that is a dangerous man, with idle thoughts, thoughts that are very negative and degrading to the very country to which he belongs. He is neither a social worker or a philosopher, whose ideas count on this matter. So he would have done a lot better to keep his mouth shut, unless he had something good to say. Its a publicity stunt gone really really wrong, or it was just a simple act of pure stupidity. Personally I am inclined to believe that it is a well planned move, maybe with the aim of joining politics in the near future(making India more tolerant might be the slogan!) and it has been a very very bad move.

Everyone has the right to express their opinions, we all do, but when it is done irresponsibly, when your words are hurtful to the sentiments of millions of people, many of whom are their fans, by a public figure, there will be consequences. And AK, would be wiser to apologise for his ill spoken words. But he has chosen a different path, one that is most likely going to be his downfall.

"Boo Hoo" Cries the Boy in the Golden Castle

The recent comments by Mr. Aamir Khan, have left in me, not an iota of doubt, that he is indeed the BEST actor in India today, and  no one could come close to him in the department of acting. Shedding those amazing crocodile's tears on Satyamev Jayate for 3 crores (30 million) INR per episode, being the face of Incredible India, while obviously having a very different personal opinion about it. You are indeed the crown jewel of Bollywood in the matters of acting Mr. Khan!

Just to briefly recap the comments, dear Aamir says, his wife, Kiran Rao (not sure what the prefix is here, Miss, Mrs, Ms, or ....), is worried about her children's safety, and wishes to flee India and raise them elsewhere. The contradictory thing about this is, Aamir already a father of 2, quickly divorced his first wife, because he was so charmed by his muse, Madame Rao. So I can't help but wonder, what happened to this concerned father, who did not think about his kids, while cheating on their mother, and gladly abandoning her. There are many who live their entire lives in a love-less marriage, for the sake of their kids. Those my dear, are truly loving parents. Which is definitely not you. Rao, ofcourse, maintains her personal identity with her name, because knowing very well, what a ship-jumping rat Aamir is, she will not risk herself, getting into the position his first wife did. Smart girl! Somehow Aamir managed to marry Hindu girls both times, and I can't help but wonder if the very 'tolerant' Khan, made any of them convert to his  religion for that.

Honestly I care two hoots about how many women he sleeps with or how often he changes colours, the reason for me to write this, is because he has crossed a line, he should not have. I wonder how many millions a certain political party has paid him, to say aloud his very silly thoughts. He is ofcourse a 'paid' man. A man who earns millions, most likely skims on his IT returns, and pays not a penny for charity and lives a life of utter luxury and immorality, talks about intolerance. Really? You are what you are because of India, no one would have known, that you exist anywhere else Aamir dear. The fact the Bollywood has not taken kindly to his comments, makes me very happy. Loved everything that Raveena Tandon had to say, especially, asking the Satyamev Jayate man, what he has done for the country, besides making millions off of it, and not paying back a penny.

Now, that his darling wife, wants to move out of the country, I wonder which country, he is thinking about? A lot of enraged people are suggesting war torn, Muslim dominated nations. I would not. I say go to the US, or UK, where Muslims are berated, searched, arrested, deported regularly, based on racial profiling, and supposed national security issues. Please go, please please do, and enjoy the luxuries of these countries. Or pick a different destination, but whatever you do, you old fool, get out!! You and your wife, are but big fat idiots. Or maybe not.

Its a political agenda, isn't it? You are being paid to have a propaganda against Modi, who is actually doing something to make India better. Oops! Or did you think that this bunch of intolerant Indians are just too stupid to see that? Nope, you got that wrong, well actually you got everything wrong mind you....  but then you are a greedy opportunist pig, who just uses his great acting skills to make money. Or are you creating a controversy, as a publicity stunt before the release of your next movie? Whatever, it is a planned move, not innocent or real in the least.

No, I will never say India does not have any issues, there are not one, but a hundred, and it is our duty as its people to bring about a change. Of all its issues, intolerance, is not one. India is tolerant, not just to its citizens, but others as well. We did not bomb Pakistan after the attacks 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, but just look at what France is doing to Syria, or what the US did at Guantanamo. You are nothing but a traitor. A traitor to your motherland. Unfortunately this tolerant nation has beefed up your security instead of throwing you out, after you revealed your true self to the world, on national television. Big Mistake! What would you, and wifey no.2 do now? Sit in your million dollar home and discuss a strategy to make the best out of this?

I have Muslim friends, and I feel that they are no different from me, in their Indianism, but the likes of SRK and you are just pathetic. The intolerance lies in you, what we see in the world, is a reflection of our ownself. Good people see good, and the bad see bad. So what you see and speak about, is what you are. India is a great nation, many have tried to steal from it, malign it, but no one has ever succeeded. You are petty traitors, nothing more. give it your best, and get boxed in the face. As far as I am concerned, and I would definitely urge all my friends as well, no more movies or products that you endorse. You insult my motherland, I don't let you go so easy. Shame on you!

Mr. Traitor Khan

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन। मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥

 This is one of the most popular Shloka of the Bhagvad Gita, one that is oft repeated and spoken about. For the uninitiated, the Bhagvad Gita, is one of the main Holy books of Hinduism. One that was said to Arjuna by Lord Shree Krishna, in the battlefield of  Kurukshetra. This Grantha(holy book) lays down the basic guidlines for life, introducing to mankind, the concept of karma, the cycle of life and death, the eternal character of the soul and more. Every word in the Bhagwad Gita can inspire and motivate man to aim for beyond the material and apparent, and see beyond the obvious, to remove the veil of ignorance from his eyes.

Karmanyevadhikaraste Maa Phaleshu Kadachana|

Maa Karmaphalheturbhumo Te Sangostvakarmani||

Your right is to take action(do the work), never do you have the right to the results.

Do not take action with the aim of a result, but never be in a state of inaction either.

This shloka, always has, and still does speak to me. Maybe, I do not always adhere to it, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense, the more it seems to have to say, the more it clarifies itself in my mind. This post, is nothing but my personal understanding and comments on this shloka.

The simple message this conveys to me, is to keep my focus on my Karma(my actions), without contemplating on the results that action would bring forth. It is so simple in its essence. Indeed, if I just focus on honestly doing my duties, acting out my role, what better way than that, is there to live? It is the expectation of results, and fear of consequences, that make me dishonest in taking care of my duties. That expectations lead to disappointment is well known, but expectations, also often lead man to act dishonestly, to tweak his own actions in favour of reaching a desired conclusion.And this desire for results is what sways us from our path of honesty and devotion. This desire, pulls us away from God, and thrusts us into the arms of Maya. And that is where all our unhappiness and sadness originates, from Maya. Imagine for a moment, a day, where we act without desire, wants or fear. Our aim being to act honestly, do complete justice to our duties, and nothing more, nothing else. How easy would our life be, how very simple! All our misdeeds, all our mistakes, originate from our want, our desire for a result, a 'happy ending'. A student would cheat on an exam because he desires good scores, an athlete would use drugs to enhance performance, because he wants to win, or in more everyday life, a child would deny an act of misdemeanor to the parents to escape the consequences attached to it, and so it goes on. If our focus is on the act we are committing itself, rather than expectations of results to be gained from it, we would do complete justice to our duties, and carry out our acts with complete honesty.  A child would love and treat his parents with respect, without expecting appreciation and inheritances. A student would follow his teacher's instructions without hoping to gain something from it. And as we focus on our work, do it with complete dedication and honesty, how will God, not shower us with anything, but the very best of results. But a desire for getting things, is what makes us commit mistakes, sway away from the path of righteousness. And each time the chasm between the right and wrong increases.What starts as, just a small step out of line, builds with time to form a different path altogether, and its a bottomless pit we fall into, sucked by desire. As desire controls our every action, and work, we no longer care about righteousness, or honesty, and thus every act of ours becomes impure and dishonest, leading us to receive, all that is wrong and undesirable. But we are too blinded by our wants, to realise how far away we have come from our original course, and how deeply we have fallen into the pit of wants and desires.

Never act with an eye on the result, nor consider yourself to be the cause of a result. We should not build an ego, assuming that we have achieved results, nor should we perform our duties expecting a desired result. However we cannot use this as an excuse for inaction either. We can't develop a line of thought, where we think, we do not desire any result, and hence we need not perform any act either. What we need, is complete faith and devotion to God, know that He will give us the best, better than what we can imagine, why need we then worry for results, when He is there, taking care of me, providing me with the very best. And with that in mind, we can perform all our acts with true dedication and honesty, and find joy in doing our work, free our mind from the complications of expectations, and results, and just do our deeds with joy and happiness in our hearts and minds. It is like being a little child, who keeps repeating a newly learnt song or rhyme again and again, for the simple joy of it, not expecting any reward or appreciation. But the parents will always shower him with love and appreciation. And thus we should focus on our work, not find excuses to avoid our duties, nor work only for the expectation of results.

A simple philosophy, which can completely free us from the misery of expectations, demands, wants and justification. Find pleasure in what we do, and we will not remain wanting for anything at all.

Sadguru Shree Aniruddharpanamastu||

 

 

 

Two Years Old, and A Little Something New

 It seems, this blog was born a little over two years ago. Not a lot has been written on its pages, with a meager 30 something posts to show for it. But then, as the saying goes, something, is better than nothing. From being someone who had over 300 posts spread over two blogs in one year, to a mere 33 in two years, it is a big change. But a good one in itself. I wondered what I should write to celebrate two years of the existence of this obscure blog, and a hundred ideas rushed to my mind from how I spent the day, to how Indian communalism really bother me, to the love for eating some food, or my parenting ideas and more. And the one thing I decided, was not to write anything negative, for the sole reason, that pouring out words, will make no change, I either be the change, do something about things or keep quiet. 

It is easy for me to be a keyboard warrior(a term, a friend used once, that has really stayed with me), but much harder to work for a positive change, so like many posts that I have typed and let lie in the drafts section, because I was not sure if it was worth it to just air my views from behind a screen, I decided to not say anything negative at all. Instead I hope to be an example of what I would like the world around me to be like. Not easy, but I want to try my best, and with God on my side, nothing is impossible.

I attended a couple of creative workshops recently. Much fun I tell you! Its been a while since I indulged in that side of me, some for lack of time, others for not being sure of making a commitment to complete a project, laziness, having other priorities like my studies, so and so forth. And attending these workshops brought something alive in me. I want to sharpen my old skills and learn new ones. I have always loved fabrics, pretty much anything to do with them and needlework is cathartic for me, and so I have thrown my hat over the fence. A visit to Spotlight, nudged me to actually work on something after over 2 years now. And so I got my provisions for a project that cooked up in my mind while I was shopping in store, and I hope to start this week, pouring in every spare minute into it, and get it done before the end of the year. Lots of work, and detailed stuff at that, is the plan.My grandmother was an expert craftsman in the trade of needlework, sewing, knitting, crocheting, crafting and more. While I was unfortunate to have had very little time spent with her(she passed away when I was 10), doing these things invariably remind me of her, and makes me feel close to her in a very emotional way.I wish I had learnt, all these amazing things from her. Her repertoire was extensive, and anyone with an interest in these things would have been lucky to have learnt from her, and a lot of those skills are being lost with time, and I feel frustrated at times, that I could not learn these things first hand from her, like hand embossing card paper.

 

On a brighter note though, here is what I filled up my coffers with today. Colours just make me happy, and now I have plenty to play around with. I hope it turns out looking the way it is in my imagination. Yellow, green, maroon on an ivory base. I can't wait to get started, and I pray I can persevere to finish it, and not lose interest before I am done. That is always my biggest struggle with long projects which take time. 

I guess two years into one creative venture, it is time to dip my hand into another and give it a go. The process will be fun and enjoyable and fulfilling to me in more ways than one. Hope to see it all come together the way I am imagining it in my mind.Wish me luck!

Valves, That Make Me Smile.

Puzzling pic heh? Well, to me it spell happiness. My pressure cooker's valve broke a couple of months ago, and I have been missing my handy small cooker. Have been looking for a way to get a few spare valves from India one way or another. And last evening I found 3 of them in my kitchen drawer.(see the little red packets on the left side). My father had sent them, last December as part of a HUGE parcel. I had just put it away not bothering much. But here it was lying, and its just made my life so much easier. I got to cook in it after months!

Because Its Personal

I watched a video today, that brought forth a lot of emotional anguish that I personally carry with me, and it brought forth a need to say, what possibly 'political correctness', makes me hold back.  I will share here the video of Shashi Tharoor, talking about what the British 'rule' did to India, how much, it materialistically took away, and more. What he talks about are facts and numbers, which are overwhelming in themselves, but what I feel is pain and anger for all that my beloved India and Indians had to endure. 

I am not a racist, but I am not a fan of the British, to put it mildly, and yes, its personal. I am sharing this video, in the hope that people who watch it, will know the facts, facts that have never been shown to the world, the world which has been led to believe that India is a land of slum-dwelling, snake charmers. But managed to be the ones to send their Mission to Mars in their very first attempt! I am not attempting to say India is better or worse than any other nation on earth, but what I am saying is, it has been looted, and stripped to its very gut by the greedy British monarchy for over two hundred years. But what it has built up from, in less than 100 years is nothing but remarkable.

My family lost their home and every material possession when India was divided into 3 parts, as they walked across the border, uprooted in their own home and land, looking to survive. I feel extremely proud to say that my own grandmother was a part of the group of revolutionaries fighting off the British. She at the tender age of 13 was on the list of the 'people to look out for', for the Brits. The word British, somehow never brings in a single positive feeling in my heart or mind, and it never will. It is personal, it is not based on media outcry, or hype, but knowing my History, and knowing what we lost in order to be free of the shackles of greed.

The Great Bengal Famine, was created by these greedy colonialists, to feed their never ending greed, while millions died. No one ever talks about this genocide. I wonder why? It is personal to me, I am a Bengali, I have had ancestors face this trauma.  I am quoting directly from the article linked above, to give a picture of atrocious cruelty the British govt, was capable of.

Winston Churchill, the hallowed British War prime minister who saved Europe from a monster like Hitler was disturbingly callous about the roaring famine that was swallowing Bengal’s population. He casually diverted the supplies of medical aid and food that was being dispatched to the starving victims to the already well supplied soldiers of Europe. When entreated upon he said, “Famine or no famine, Indians will breed like rabbits.” The Delhi Government sent a telegram painting to him a picture of the horrible devastation and the number of people who had died. His only response was, “Then why hasn’t Gandhi died yet?”

Humanity at its worst?

India, known back then(before the entry of Brits), as the golden bird of the world, has had plunderers pour in to loot its wealth for generations, these were not the first ones, but they were the worst. The difference however was, that the British had a big plan, and greater power than, any before them, so they took and took and took, till they could no more, and then they cut the country into pieces and left.They were just looters, with more might, no different than any other, except that their capacity for cruelty to fuel their greed was unprecedented. Hindu and Muslim families that had lived side by side in peace for generations, were now warring against each other. The number of people who actually gave up their lives with a smile on their face, filled with patriotism, is unbelievable. The atrocities committed on them much much worse. The Jallianwala Bagh Massacare, a case where there was peaceful assembly of people in a park, with a single point of entry, is to be noted. There were women, children, old and young who sat there, listening to a speech. A certain General Dyer, came in with full ammunition and shot all those unarmed civilians dead. Women jumped into a well with their children to escape rape and torture.

It has been a long time, and the world has changed since, and we all need to forget the past. My question remains though, will you forget it, if your own home was burnt down to ashes? It is personal. I see the US apologise to Japan on every anniversary of the Hiroshima attack, though it happened in an act of war. Has the UK, ever had the decency to apologise for its unspeakable acts? No! And the fact that they think, and try to portray themselves as superior to India, is what shows what they truly stand for! As Shahi Tharoor beautifully says, what is needed, is first an acknowledgement of the wrong that has been done. An apology, if that may follow!

The fact is they are bullies, they try to oppress as long as they can, then when the whole nation rises up, they run away, and pretend they plundered a whole nation and killed its people for its own good. Grand lies and deception at its best. India, in close to 70 years of being free of the master manipulators, and having to start from scratch, has learned, and grown more than any other nation in the world. And that shows that no matter how long and how hard you beat someone up, they will stand up and rise up to their own potential. It has been a test for a country, the 200 years of being hurt and murdered, but as they say, even gold needs to go through fire to be purified. But never ever will it be hidden, what a greedy and cruel bunch the British monarchy and govt. are.

India is blessed, and will grow and prosper with each passing day, growing stronger and smarter, and showing that material wealth is but only a possession, what truly makes a person, or even a nation is what lies within its soul. Jai Hind!

Something to soothe the soul, and infuse us with patriotism, and pride for being the strong people, to the strong mother nation Indians are!
 

Along Came a Spider

The spiders I mentioned in the last post, for your viewing pleasure. It was after a bout of rains, hence the beautiful droplets on the webs!

These hang between trees, just above our main gate.

 

 This is a special one. The web is right outside the boys' bedroom. And a viewing pleasure for The Smallie each morning. After the rain destroyed half its web, Mr. Spidey, called Neville, was busy rebuilding. If you look closely, you will see some of the strands are completely dry, because they were just newly created. It was fascinating seeing the patient painstaking process.

Look at the strands on the upper side of the picture.