One last realisation before the year slips away...There is virtue in everything.....

Consumerism.Sometime back,a friend of mine had asked me to pen down my views on consumerism,as in,whether its a bane or a boon?....I did a little research(courtsey google.com) on what people had to say about it.There were all kinds of talks ,some pros and lots of cons,but none made much sense to me.And my,then quixotic-self said,'what a crap?How can material possessions ever be equated to,or in any way bring about happiness?...Consumerism can certainly not be a boon but a bane.'...and so,i outrightly dismissed the idea of giving it any more thought as i was firm in my belief.Writing my views on it,therefore,was out of question...... hold on....to my disbelief,i am again finding myself revisiting the same question that i was fiddling some time back!A lot has changed between then,which was a good one and a half years ago when i was still going to college and had little experience of the raw world outside my college campus, and now,when i am almost on my own,working and earning a preety handsome salary, as a beginner in my profession!....i have more rhetorics and less answers .. is there any harm if some bruised,forlorn,lovelorn,nostalgic,restless, etc teens,adults,singles,couples,office goers ,who find themselves entangled in the inexplicable phenomenas of life come to buy some ephimeral joy with the bucks that they get,or that they earn?....How can a thing that can bring joy without inflicting pain to others,no matter how small in measure,can be a bane??..for,there has to be some solace that consumerism brings about which has driven a whole generation go beserk after it ......Considering my example,for one,the list of things that revitalises my sometimes dampened spirits,in the new alienated place where i am putting up presently are as simple as going out to the nearest shopping mall to catch the hullabaloo ,an outing wid folks ,watching a good movie,getting hold of a good book that i was looking for,or listening to good music..........Even thing as trivial as a cup of ice-cream,or a good hair-cut can push a smile to a fatigued soul!...and as a matter of fact,all such sources of happiness can be associated with consumerism...even the so-called non materialistic inclinations like art and literature cannot be nurtured without consumerism coming into play..for,be it art or literature ,both have an abstract existence and can be manifested only if they are transformed into some consumearable form....so,even they depend and flourish on consumerism...
Don’t a pack of CDs of the soulful tracks that appeal most to you ,often turn out to be your prized possession.Isnt the book that your sweetheart gifted you on your last B’day is simply indispensable for you.And after all this you say that you have no love and longing for material possessions and that they cannot make you happy.??Harsh as it may sound,human beings by their nature tends to find happiness in both animate as well as inanimate possessions.In fact that was the very cause of the evolution of human existence.When nomads discovered food,they felt the need for agriculture and their own farms and orchards...after they lived in the thatched house there was a need for a better one.When the basic needs were met, they started looking for sources of entertainment which again added to the list of objects they wished to own. This desire for more belongings and a better way of life when catalysed by a flourishing and poised market turned out to be what we can see as the practice of consumerism...In fact There seems to be no harm in its practice as long as its buying happiness to those who can afford...but in the midst of sufficing ones need care must b taken to share the needs of those we can and those who are berieved of such taste of happiness simply because they are not born lucky...the ways this can be done is upon n individual to decide.Consumerism can be made a boon for the framework of our society if it is not practiced thoughtlessly to the extent where it widens the divide between the affluent and the under priviledged.Consumerism is a drive for country's economy..It also enhances the quality of life and prosperity of the nation...But in the midst of all these assets it has this renowned blot that can be done away if we as commoners realise our sense of responsibility towards our fellow beings while reveling in our bestowed glory!

Nobody could blow away those blues.........

'Obsession' and 'expectations',i guess,are two of the most imminent causative elements of the perils that plague the social existence of a human being.Obsessions for all the good things that make up the worldly life,like luxury,love etc ...and then,the expectations to get the best from your fellow beings and from the world around....but hold it,for there is another unnoticed phenomena that can cost much more that what we ever thought of and that is,SELF-LOVE..In the rut,or so to say,'the symphony',of life,we often fail to realise that half the cause of our miseries is nothing but the intense love we have for ourselves............What happens as a result of it,is the simplest way we choose to vent off our miseries.That is,blaming time and destiny or life as a whole,or for the sense of unfullfillment it dawns time and again..The solution to it is simple if we choose to listen and reflect on our our own thoughts...Dont we pamper ourselves a little too much!
...here's a list of fancies of the self-obsessed souls:

-that life should offer them ALL that they ever wished for and a single exception can inflict pain.

-that everyone around should percieve the way they do.

-that their opinions should be congruent with everyone.

-that the world should smile,laugh,cry,sigh,and go berserk with them.

-that life should be a roller-coaster ride of their whims and fancies.

But the grave tragedy strikes when they just cant get out of this cobweb even after realising that they need to get themselves disentangled!
Poor bruised hearts!...And bruised minds!!...indeed ,no one could device a cure for
your ailment.....the strife with self continues........

Love,a healer always........??

You thought love would always do wonders?? I doubt...Am I sounding like a cynic? ...Well, better watch out! At times, love might be a sweet poison too...It's high time you checked your facts. For, sometimes, love can also lead to abysmal consequences….

Love for luxuries and a sedentary lifestyle (courtesy, the incessantly evolving and pampering technology) is resulting in early average mortality. Unrelenting love to be at the top is trampling the significance of the moral virtues that are the pillars guiding the way through life. I mean, how often do you find people who consider and take education because they aspire to be a good human being in tandem with working for their professional goals. Love for excess money and riches can bereave you of the simple yet invaluable joys of life. When one is so busy working for one's love ,where is the time to spend some quiet time with family and loved ones, where's the time to care for those craving for your attention. I still have a vivid recollection of the fable of the greedy king Midas….Isn't it some kind of love for the accomplishment of their mission or motives which blinds the terrorists of the catastrophe that results from their brutal antics, who also put their own lives at stake for their purpose.

Of late ,the whole of nation stands witness to the repercussions of chauvinism or extreme love for ones religion, culture, region etc….Some love their culture so much so that they have difficulty getting over the dismay of their culture being dwindled by the presence of so-called outsiders. Some have such a love for their God and religion that they live under constant fear of another or some 'foreign religion' enjoying greater rights than what they receive in that foreign land. Mind you, this love is so true and blind that it can shed blood, can give birth to homeless, orphans, widows, and can inflict as well as endure pain, suffering, hunger, starvation and what not.

Yes to your disbelief, its love that is plaguing so much of nuisance. Love for a thing is resulting in hate for the other….But how can that be possible? How can love be a cause of peril? So, does that mean that we need to reconstruct the traits of love?.. If not, where is the loop hole, which, if not checked may lead to, the term love being regarded as a misnomer? ..... Well, what is actually required is a reconstruction in the perception of love by some 'great lovers' of the day. Let's remind ourselves that Love does not inflict wounds but alleviates it!

Poetry of life...or life and poetry??

Long time...i know..back with only another rhetoric..hope to be pardoned.


Was i a fool to solemnly take up this task of unravelling you,under the belief that you will see me through?

The more i tried to get into your core,the more you were willing to throw me away from the shore.

Aah!.. rejoicing in your delicacies? I realised, that was how i should soothe my haggard soul .

So, i settled down to mingle in your colors manifold..it was ecstatic,dreamlike,but i guess it was not my zone;

Going on with my convictions in your simple and explicable phenomena ,seemed to me,was my mistake;

As,your enigma surged higher by a few steps.

Ambushed, as i was, by your dear cousins time and destiny;

i still could not give up the plan of continuing with my scrutiny.

Sometimes my strength seemed to wither;

Sometimes the flame inside seemed to flicker.

Why not i call u a comedy,for ,then,your ways took an intriguing turn;

And you acted like a saviour, giving me the courage to go on.

Alas! I had to bid farewell to my utopia...that had to be..for i had greater things to see.

No, i have no complains.For,this i know, is your innate poetic trait..

Oh!...yes, i have come across another analogy for you.

How can i write a poetry on you?

For me, you are nothing but a poetry!

You take pride in remaining 'the inexplicable'.

But your poor readers are happy to explain you in ways that suit their respective fancies.

Each time one takes a second glance at you,one finds something yet to be comprehended!

To your lovers you are lyrical and to the reluctant readers you are unreasonable............

I confess that i acted silly in trying to write a poetry on a poetry.

Therefore,let me just continue playing my role, on an already written story.

The butcher’s shop..

Is it an analogy of what the world has become today?...Is the world on the brink of transforming into one like it?..or was it always so?

He wakes up every morning saying silent prayers to his God, “Dear Lord, may the count of those I behead , multiply, so that I can take back the best that I could for my beloveds.”

He briskly gets ready for the day and makes his way to the poultry, collects some good ones, and proceeds to his dingy little shop on his squeaky, tattered bicycle. The long queue of customers waiting outside his shop thrills him. He performs his duty with unfazed enthusiasm….slays one after another. At the end of the day the dividends that he earns for all the blood letting, leaves him content. He returns home and takes a stuffy dinner with his family and goes to sleep. But before that he does not forget to convey his gratitude to his God for the day and looks forward to another fulfilling day at work…..

Now the story from the eyes of those who fall prey to the poor butchers daily antics. The poor butcher is no more poor. To them he is a monster who gorges some of their innocent mates everyday… And they live in the terror of the day when it will be their turn to be put to the alter.

There also exists a third party,of those who avidly devour on the corpses and hold a justifiable conviction for doing so?..

The scene rakes up many rhetorics?....Is the bloodshed truly hateful and calls for no mercy for the butcher, who is just making an honest effort to support his people?...Are there set of people existing on the same planet who rejoice such a carnage and bank on it for their ephemeral satisfaction??...And not to forget,is the plight of those who fall prey to the butcher’s knife. Are they being engulfed by the stroke of time or destiny?or perhaps, they are making up for some ill-deed of their past life...Is it because of their inconsequential dimensions, if seen on the canvas of the entire creation, that their suffering goes unnoticed and unheeded?...Could one among the supposed victim, come up and look into the predicament, giving it a much likeable direction?...

Freedom of an individual is a myth…

How far is it true?...that, man is born free. That, life is all about making choices…I sometimes wonder whether we actually have the choice of making our own choices. From where does the concept of ‘freedom of an individual’ comes into being?...I am not quite happy to infer, that the world that I live in falls short of that very primary requirement which makes the odyssey of life what it is believed to be. Taking the scenario that is prevalent lately, an individual doesn’t have the freedom to practice a cultural belief he finds faith in, nor does he have the right to express his/her offbeat perspective or belief on the so called cultural and social issues without making things take a contentious form. Freedom to reside in any part of the territory of India was fairly laid down in the fundamental rights section of the Indian constitution. So what? When were theory and practical congruent to each other. There are places in the same territory we talked about ,where a person born outside it, is unable to reside in it without a chunk of people apprehending his presence in their native land and compelling him, sooner or later, to make his exit. What an irony of fate? The conditions applied to the freedom of an individual is so enormous that it sometimes leads one’s very own principles and beliefs to comes in the way of exercising one’s freedom….Alas! The freedom to choose our times of festivity and celebration is also not an individual’s choice but is determined by factors like, one’s place of birth, the religion one is supposed to follow, the practices followed by one’s relatives, guardians and ancestors, etc. Freedom to form association and union, as also laid in the constitution of India, seems to be another joke. If we talk about associations and unions on professional fronts, it may still hold some ground with its price to be paid, but on personal front, it’s a downright fallacy…

Considering freedom on one’s personal perspective, don’t the supposed set of protocols of the supposed civilized society, determine things as small as, when, to laugh, to cry , to get annoyed, to order, to demand, to speak or to keep quiet ,also whom to hang out with, whom to fall in love with, whom to hate!(strange but is expected out of one at times), whom to revere ,whom to abandon, and what not…As if the so called social norms have intruded in every nook and corner of an individual’s personal space. A part of it might be of some good but if it pervades at an unchecked rate, it may turn out to be fatal, strangling the very natural flow of life!

A father, once, while giving lessons for life to his young son, rightly said, “I can’t imagine the life for you, son. But I can certainly show you the way to live in an uncertain world. Make a pact with yourself…..”. The world is ever changing and so are the rules that govern it and are best fitted for it. So, if a father finds it hard to decide what’s best for his kid, how can a group of people, claiming to be the forerunners of our country’s glorious cultural and traditional past, do so? Are we blindly entitling them the power to decide the course of our lives?

After all, was there ever a teacher, better than one’s experience? ...And experience can extinct if we bereave an individual of the freedom that is his due from life.

I picked this one from Paulo Coelho's blog...a must read for all!

The two Gods

Published by Paulo Coelhoon February 13, 2009in Stories. 25 Comments
Paulo Coelho

There are two Gods:

The God that our teachers taught us about and the God that teaches us.

The God that people usually talk about and the God that talks to us.

The God we learn to fear and the God that talks to us of mercy.

The God on high and the God that is part of our daily life.

The God that makes demands of us and the God that forgives our debts.

The God that threatens us with the punishments of hell and the God that shows us the best path.

There are two Gods:

A God that drives us away because of our faults and a God that calls us with His love.

Life………… an art or a science?

Science is absolute while art can never be absolute. Science pivots on well defined laws, theories or empirical results while art can identify itself in any circumstance and is not always context oriented….So what would you call life? A glance at it might lead you to conclude that it cannot be a science where every event can be explained by a plausible law. Not everyone is priviledged with the so called good things in life like parents, a happy household, a gratifying career, the true love ,so on and so forth…Not all earn dividends from their efforts. Each one also has his own way of taking things in his stride. In the words of a wise man, “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”…I mean, some prefer to be happy no matter how hard the trials and tribulations of life press upon them and some frown and whine for no rhyme or reason….. There are myriad questions that are unanswered or half-answered about life itself, like how did life originate? why did God create life? and not sounding blasphemous, who or what is God altogether??....With such colossal ambiguities, life certainly cannot be a science.…

Some say, ‘life is what we make out of it’…Well, if we can mould our lives by our rules and idiosyncrasies, it implies that it is not contextual and can be recognized in any circumstances which is the quintessential trait of any form of art…

So does that bring us in readiness to leap to a seemingly appropriate conclusion… Wait! Ever pondered on the phenomena of life? Being born, growing up,learning to live, finding a way of life, falling in love, finding a companion, marrying ,raising a family and looking after it, getting old ,relaxing ,looking at life in retrospect, and then one fine day giving in to the forces of life. These are well predefined and specific phases of the process of life of each and every one…In other words, can we say that life is pre-programmed by some supreme force, say, an efficient programmer who is working day in and day out applying all possible coding techniques for a common problem viz. life,thus trying to look for the best technique? There is another thing called human emotions which seems to add to the indefinite aspect of life. But a closer observation reveals that even emotions can be explained by a branch of science called biology or to be more precise, human physiology and that, human emotions are driven by various hormones.

Now to say that life is a science with such handful of naïve explainations would be foolish. Then is it a combination of two. Perhaps a ‘scientific-art’!....Balanced on either side of the fulcrum or inclined on one side?...The question is still clamouring to be answered. Hopefully some wise soul will take up the puzzle some day and would do justice to it. As of now, Life and its characteristics is an enigma much beyond human comprehension.

Hitches, glitches and whatsoever...the journey ahead will continue with relentless faith!

Oops! ...its been an year since I last scribbled something in here! ....but never mind…better late than never...and as ever, I ‘hope’ to be excused for the same…may I ?.........
So, I am back .With lots of thoughts jostling inside me and lots craving to be shared. But because its the beginning of the year, a time to look forward to and look up to, I shall keep the rest aside and usher the year inside with a positive note.....a word which has been just about my perfect companion….That is, ‘faith’. The words of some wise man won me over when he said , ‘faith can do wonders. You become what others expect you to be!’…Things cannot work with mere faith. We need actions as well… Indeed!.. But affirmative actions with little or no faith might lead us to limp and therefore why not brace up ourselves with faith in our course of actions…
The year we just bade farewell to was supposedly not one whose memories would be cherished for many reasons. The time blatantly displayed one of its most frowning facet….The capricious figures of inflation, the turbulence encountered by the Indo-US nuclear deal, the shakiness in the governance at the centre, the stifling aircraft industry due to the rising fuel prices, the Kosi river embankment breach that made life impossible for the poor flood victims of Bihar, the alarming incessant terror attacks that bereaved families and stole lives of innocents in the different parts of the nation in addition to the most unforgettable Mumbai attack at the close of the year…and needless to say, the innumerable miseries inflicted on the poor that goes unnoticed …It was indeed a dark phase…But do the tribulations of the dark time shatter the possibility of the much awaited positive change?....And it in the end, the year was not all that bad either…If statistics are to be believed, for the first time ever, India has been successful in attracting about 60% of its children below the age of six to schools and the total literacy rate has attained an all time high figure. India also successfully accomplished its Moon-mission by launching Chandrayaan, the remote sensing lunar satellite, and has become the fourth nation to place its flag on the moon…It certainly calls for some applause…But at the same time ,we cannot afford to revel in the glory of handful of accomplishments when there are bigger issues to be answered….Now, here when we need to fortify ourselves with faith in tandem with affirmative actions that can help us out of the predicament….Of late, we could learn from the example of the American population that has maneuvered a supposed liberal administration, which was their need of the hour, by electing to the president’s office, a person who was speculated to have little demographic favor, Obama being a black American. I guess its because the Americans had faith in their ability to bring about a change…And not going too far away, how can we forget the feat of our own people of Jammu & Kashmir?.. Even in the midst of looming terror, the voters turn out for the legislative elections was spectacular...higher than was ever witnessed earlier….Wasn’t it because of the strong conviction the people of the valley must have had in their need for an efficient governance and also the faith in their ability to bring about the required change??....So, why not we, Indians as a whole, show greater faith in ourselves, in our ability to bring about the time we wish to see, in our policy makers and in the efficiency of their policies and moves. It’s high time we acted as element that trigger a positive changing rather than simply indulging in hollow lambasting. Why not instead extend our support and co-operation to our employees (Lets not forget that we are the employers and not the employees of our governance, and an employer has no right to expect fruitful work from his employees, himself acting recklessly .), to be able to make some of the worthy moves work out rather than their perverse wipe-offs on the sand of time….
If there is one thing that requires to be honed and fostered in these difficult times, It’s the power of faith!!