Let God run his business

This is one of the most profound learning in life I had. From a young age, I always did what ever was in my limit/ some times went beyond my limit too....

Giving my near and dear one's what they desired. Almost like 'make a wish foundation' within my family. I lived to fulfill the wishes of my near and dear one's.  Never thought about self and my needs. It just did not occur to me....to focus on self...

I like to communicate. Believe that it is a gift from God. This is one way we connect to the world around us...but as years passed by, this very communication became my pain. The more openly I communicated with those around me, greater problems it created for me. More differences and distances cropped up...Then came a time when those around me wanted me to be quite....speak less and less...their happiness lay in my silence. It was a saddening time for me. 

However what I gave, they continued to receive my bounty...but not willing to lend an ear to my emotions and heart. 

Until the whole experience became unbearable for me. What is going wrong? Where am I erring? Introspection and more introspection...days and days of churning within me...

And this is the essence of my realizations...

****Life is about loving yourself first. I was not doing this. I was loving others far more.

****God has given us, as a human being only so many resources. Theses are just enough to look after yourself well. I was spending these resources on others. 

****I was running a master franchisee for God....not needed..

****It is God's business to look after the World he has created. And to give people what and how much they desire. He has a Universe at his disposal to do so :)

****He does not need me to run his business of looking after the World. I was only messing up like a little child trying to help his mother while she cooks dinner in the kitchen...create a mess all around. 

****And so the greatest learning and lesson....Let God run his business...

So here I am...with a promise to myself...to love myself first....to look after myself first...and remove the Santa Claus hat I was wearing at all times....and live for myself....and most important....not to waste energy trying to communicate with the world..if they need anything...they will come asking...else happy silence....this is what God wants me to do....simply run my own business of life efficiently!!!!!!

Timely Justice is the truest tribute to her (Delhi Gang-rape victim)

Overcoming personal inertia is a huge challenge. And so here I am writing on my blog after a real long time. Many things came in my way of finding time out to write, some really important and some not so. Or may be there wasn't any issue/ topic motivating enough for me to ponder about. 

But the year that ended, 2012 definitely gave all of us (not only India, but humanity at large) to really step back and assess, where we are heading? Many are writing about this subject and the media is full of interesting and introspective thoughts about this unfortunate event. May be a social tipping point for us in India.

The brutal, inhuman gang rape of a 23 year old young girl in a moving Bus by 6 or 7 men (the number of culprits seems to be varying), not only that, but the fact that they also physically brutalised her to the point of killing her and then dumping her naked (semi-naked), severely beaten form on the side of the road. Left to die! The bus in which the rape was taking place went on a joy ride for more than 40 minutes when this heinous crime continued and there wasn't a single police picketing or patrolling van which stopped them...Shame on our police force. 

Aptly called 'Daughter of India' by the media. We did to you what we do all the time to our daughters :( We try to kill them while still a foetus. Then we try to kill you when you are a toddler. This we do by burning you with cigarettes, or feeding you to dogs or simply throwing you down 2-3 floors. If you still survive & grow up, we rape you & leave you to die. In-between if you fall in love, then we have another reason to kill you, in the name of our family honor. If you still survive, then there is dowry as an opportunity to burn you to death....and even then if you survive....you grow up to be a Sunita williams or a Kalpana Chawal or a Saina Nehwal & forgetting all this, you selflessly bring glory to our nation...????

The fact that most of these men belong to a socially and economically backward part of the society. Fact that after committing this inhuman crime, they went about their life normally as if nothing had happened. The fact that when arrested by the Police most of them were remorseless, non apologetic about the severity of their crime. 

That young girl had not done anything wrong to meet such a tragic end. She was a normal girl from a semi-urban lower income family. Full of dreams and ambition to make a better life for herself and her family by way of education. Her parents spent money which they could very well not afford to spend on the education of their darling daughter. Which in itself is commendable. In a nation (particularly that part of the country from where the girl's parents hail), girls are often ignored when it comes to proving opportunities and education. 

We are a nation bewildered. We do not know what to think and how to accept this ugly aspect of our society. The fact that such people are roaming free on our streets. Who can rape and ruthlessly beat and kill a young girl and then go about life as normal as if nothing has happened. They are criminals harder than the most hardened. What is further shocking is that the main culprit was a School bus driver who use to ferry little children from their school to homes. That we leave our little innocent children in the company of such criminals. 

The fact that our law enforcement agencies are unable to pull out and separate these criminal minded people from the society. That the criminals are roaming freely in our society, daring and challenging our very safety and security. 

Who has failed whom? The nation has definitely failed women citizens. That is we think of them as citizens! Or are they just an object of consumption. A home maker to cook and clean the house, a mother to baby-sit her children and look after them, a wife to wash and clean ....a women is only important for what she can do for her family. The state has no recognition for her. No focus. 

We have all collectively failed this young life...

First treat women as a equal right, equal opportunity citizen of India...give them their due rights as a citizen....it is only second to this that she is a wife, daughter, sister.... when any crime against a woman happens, our first reaction is..oh..she is someone's daughter.....blah blah blah...No first and foremost she is a citizen of India! We are holding on to the wrong end of the stick...let's get that correct...

Our collective conscience is sleeping...Anesthesia....time to wake up, else it will be too late!!!

What is the solution. Shift the focus on women's safety. Bring it in the Government's charter. Fast track courts and quick and harsh punishments to the convicts....

I am very saddened by the young brave girls death. For she hanged on till the very last second. Goodbye dear...wish you a happy life somewhere else...some time else...when you live and die with greater dignity..May god bless you and thank-you for having woken us up....to look at our women with greater respect...

May god give strength to your parents and brothers to cope with this loss. 

Paradox

On one hand we keep telling ourselves and others too, life is so short. We all have limited time here. Do as much as you can. Don't waste time. Time is money......it never comes back....success...fame....money....so much to work for...so much to do...so run.... run.... run....


".....Miles to go before I sleep...."

On the other hand....there is something inside us that tells us...slow down....slow down.....stay in this moment...savour it...for you know, what is going will never come back....watch the smile on your child's face....feel the breeze on your skin...take slightly longer to eat that breakfast your wife has cooked so lovingly....smile more often....


"...What is this life full of care, we do not have time to stand and stare...."

Isn't it a paradox....do so much more and rush through life or enjoy each moment and not bother about how much you do? Running vs/ a leisurely stroll...

Distorted reality

It has been a gradual process of erosion of values. Collectively across the World. Not one nation is untouched or immune to this erosion. Some to a greater extent and some to a lesser extent. While religions (here I mean religious leaders) continue to claim supremacy,"....my religion is better and superior to others!", they too remain under this viral attack of moral degradation. All societies across the world are facing this acute pressure of fading moral values. Quoting myself again, in some cases slightly lesser and in many cases more.

When it comes to a society collectively, what is right and what is wrong, I am confused as much are many people around. Any fact can be twisted and presented in any way as the presenter likes. Once again I am referring to any matter/issue which is of collective importance to a society or nation or community at large. At a personal level things are more or less under control.

For example this entire campaign against corruption drive by Mr Anna Hazare. He started it with a very clean intent, however as time goes, his team members are caught in controversies, his own intent has come under the scanner and now it is a ego clash sorts between him and ruling party. Honestly as an Indian, I really don't know and under stand who is right and who is wrong. This entire thing is now more driven through sentiments rather than facts. Now this sort of blurring of the dividing line between right and wrong is what I am referring to.

Another case which made me sit and think about this subject is the recent decision of the government to allow FDI in Retail. On one hand veteran finance experts (Dr Manmohan Singh being one of the foremost) and Industry believe it is in the good of the nation; there are many (mainly traders and opposition parties) who believe it is going to harm the nation and the farmer. Once again, what is right and what is wrong is blurred.

One of the reasons this could be happening is because of too much information availability and all the information available is not accurate or complete or even factual.

In today's time, our source of information and awareness is through various electronic medium such as TV, Radio, and off-course Internet. Imagine what are the consequences? Millions of people around the world fed on inaccurate or distorted reality!!! Impressions, Opinions and views are being formed, quoted, reacted based upon information which is not 100% accurate, is manipulated!

Well honestly, no doubt that our sense of right or wrong is getting blurred day by day. If the glasses through which most of us view the world around us are foggy, reality gets distorted leaving the wearer disoriented. Thats what we are today. Lost because the reality does not seem like reality any more.

And this applies to all aspects of life. Be it religion, moral conduct, life and various aspects of life and society at large. Reality is manipulated all around....the right being presented as wrong and vice versa.

So is wearing blinkers the answer? Are we more protected by minimizing information flow as in certain nations (such as China)>>>>>> I am not sure! May be we must all learn to trust our instinct and unlearn to trust what we read/hear and see on the TV/Radio/Internet. Instinct is the best natural navigation in life. There are better chances of seeing reality as it is driven by instinct.

Form opinions/views/reactions based upon personal experiences rather what has been said/quoted/printed/shown....

Strive for this 'State'!!!!

This fight for a new 'State', one which is your own, one which has people speaking similar language, one which shares a similar culture..etc etc etc... I have grown up watching these struggles all across the nation. So have many of you out there. But the question remains. Is it all really worth it? Holding the nation ransom by stopping Trains and Buses, burning national property, stopping business and thus hampering economic progress, such nuisance!!!!

These people who are out there fighting for s separate state (now it is Telangana and earlier there have been others too- Uttarakhand, Jharkand, Gorkhaland etc etc...). Why aren't these people just happy just being Indians. In todays dynamic economic environment, individuals travel across the nation to earn a livelihood and many go abroad too. Just when the boundaries are opening up exciting opportunities, why are a handful of people wanting to confine themselves to a smaller geography? Isn't this all for some vested interest?

To me it just does not make sense. This struggle and violence all because they want a separate state which they can call it as their own! My ancestors have originated from Rajasthan, so I belong to Rajasthan and I am very proud of it. I am born and brought up in Mumbai (Maharashtra). Everything I am is because of my roots in Maharashtra. I totally identify with the Marathi culture. I am married into a Benagali family from Kolkatta and I am very proud of that. I love the rich culture and amazing cuisine of Bengal. Last but not the least, we are now living in Karnataka (Bangalore) since my husband has taken up a job here!

I am connected closely with four states of India and I like all of them and I am proud of all of them. So where do I belong or do I belong anywhere at all? And does it matter? No to me atleast. Well I simply belong to India. Having experienced so many different states, I have realized that the only 'State' which matters....is a 'Happy State' of MIND! So work hard and strive for this 'State'. Spread happiness and peace and bring more and more people into this 'State'...no other 'State' matters. Think about it.

True meaning of death

1. Every moment of time that passes away when we are alive, is a death of sorts. The second, that life and that experience dies. Never to come back again. So in a way we die each second. Little by little.

2. Is this life true life or is it a dream? So when we die, we just wake up into our true life and being. That to me is life after death. And not re-birth.

3. Death takes us away into a 4th dimension of existence. Away from life, time and space. Where and which? No idea.

4. The beauty of life is death. It is a glorious ending to a glorious life. All the life's hard work and rewards come to us when we die. For the kind of death is a reflection of the kind of life we have lived. Infact we all work hard and save hard. Not for our old age, but for a decent death. No one wants to die of illness and as a destitute on the streets!

5. All good things come to an end. They are good because they end. So it is with life. Imagine a life that went on and on and on untill eternity. The world would be a dead house and life would be infinite times more miserable than when it is after some near or dear one dies. Coping with death is far easier than it would have been coping with being immortal and living for ever and ever.

6. Death is the gate that leads you to God. It is the only point where we can be one with God. So be happy and excited and look forward to this appointment with God the creator. When it happens? Only he knows what date and time he has blocked in his diary for each one of us. But this appointment is confirmed and certain.

7. Last thought- kind of fear to talk about death. Bad luck befalls those who talk about death. Rubbish. It is only the courageous and fearless who have a clean soul and heart who talk about death.

8. So. Live happy, live healthy. live long.

9. You have only one life. So cherish it.

Harmony with outside world

I have realized that when ever I am disturbed/unhappy; it is usually after an argument/fight/difference with someone. It could be just any one. A stranger on the road, a waiter in the Hotel, my husband or simply anyone. After the flow of angry words, instead of feeling good and satisfied that I gave him/her back, I end up feeling miserable. Those angry words hurt me as much later as they probably hurt the other person. Makes me realize that it is important for me to have a harmonious relationship with those around me, in order to be happy with myself. Cultivating harmony around oneself is as important as having peace within. To illustrate my realization, a person who picks up fights and arguments with others at the drop of hat, or uses harsh words to make others unhappy; usually ends up being unhappy from inside. It is a cause and effect relationship.

Internal peace is difficult to attain when there is dislike and anger around. So it matters that we create harmony around us too. With Nature, God, fellow beings and animals too.   

On the other had, people who make others comfortable, try to hard to create peace and harmony around them and in their relationships are more satisfied inside. When I make up with some one after a fight or an argument; the peacemaking process first happens within myself and then extends to the outside world.

It works in reverse too. People who are at peace within self usually have harmony around them.  The choice is yours to make. Peace within self and then extend it outside or create harmony outside and then come to peace within yourself. But it is easier to manage self first and then attempt to manage many people outside. So may be it makes more sense to find peace and be at peace with self and then gradually extend it to the outside world.

Who is the Hero and who is the Villain?

This was almost like a scene straight out of a Hindi Movie. The Big, strong, all good  American Army chases a bad bad villain Osama Bin Laden and then kills him. All is well that ends well. But is it? Is all well post Osama Bin Laden Killing at the hands of America? Not really. Whom are we fooling. In the first place what I fail to understand is the so strong motivation that America has shown in finding and killing Bin laden. Ten years of hard work, focus and more than 3 trillion dollars in cost. Why was America soooo keen to find him and kill him? Why was the mighty America scared of Osama Bin Laden? Despite boosting of the strongest Military in the World, Osama Bin Laden had shaken America's confidence in their safety and security standards. By striking right in the heartland of America and causing panic amongst the American's, Bin Laden had proven to the World and more so to America; your citizens are as vulnerable to death as people in a poor nation like Pakistan. Osama's terrorist attacks on America was a big big dent in the American pride. The pride had to be restored. And so Bin Laden had to be killed by the heroic American Military. To prove to the world, look no one else could have done it. We are America. The mighty super power in the World. Only we could do it! Well that's all there is to this chase and kill story. And so dear O (b) ama.....I am not impressed with the heroics of America. Guys, the world would have appreciated you more had this 3 trillion dollar been spent on research for cancer, Aids and other killer diseases striking the developing nations. Honestly other than you Mr. O (b) ama, no one cares a damn if Mr. O (s) ama is dead or alive!!!!!!

My relationship with God

"Does God exist?". Someone recently started a discussion this 'Times Of India' site called www.speakingree.in

Just reading the question angered me and amused me. In this quest of God and his existence, a common man became Buddha, years of hunger and meditation, people became mystics and took upto the Himalayas never to come back again. Someone out there hopes to find God/ ascertain his existence by an internet discussion!!!!! It is a silly question and deserves not to be talked about. It is like asking me, does your mother exist? How could I have possibly come into this world without my mother giving birth to me. How can mankind/all beings on this earth take birth and come into existence without our supreme mother/father-God.

More important than discussing "Does god exist?", it is important to introspect and ask yourself. "What does god mean to me?". And the answer lies in that. Each of our experience of god varies. It is as unique as a finger print. Just as no 2 human beings carry the same design of a finger print, so is the case with our belief of god. If I believe in God truly and devoutly, than it just does not matter to me whether rest of the world does or not. From my belief perspective this discussion is not worth of an involvement. Now coming to the question of his existence, if someone (who does not believe in God/or a divine power beyond human comprehension) can answer my few simple questions, I too will agree and start believing that god does not exist.

1) How and when was the universe created?
2) What is the dimension of this universe? You know the length, depth etc.
3) How many celestial bodies are there in the universe?
4) How do these celestial bodies (which are actually huge and weigh many many trillions of tons) remain freely suspended in the universal vacuum or space as we call it?

If someone can answer all these questions for me, I salute his/belief and agree there is no god and all this is just plain western science.

But if no one on this earth can answer my questions, than kindly retract the question. GOD IS THE SUPREME POWER/AUTHORITY/Beyond our limited human acquired knowledge. You man choose to call this authority by any name/gender/ alpha/beta.It does not matter! Don't debate his existence and ruin your chances of finding true divine happiness. Believe and let him guide you towards him.

God is my silent friend and well wisher. I speak to him about everything that is there inside me, I seek his guidance when I am at crossroads in life, I ask him for his for help when everything else fails, I ask him for his love and solace when unhappy and sad and so much more. My relationship with God is very special and unique. It defines me the person.

Further, people often engage God and his existence in trivia. My sorrow, my karma, my happiness or sadness, my plight or success...and as a result start thinking of/ about God in a human context, at a human scale and in the known human dimensions.

Only a soul in the dark, unawakened can ask this question, "Does God exist?". For the light of God has not yet touched his soul. In a dark room, when we light a candle, initially nothing is visible. But as the light increases all the objects become clearer. The light is self knowledge and awareness is required for God to be visible.

Living in this moment.

Other than the metabolic functions, the only other ever changing, living being inside us is our thoughts. Life is a manifestation of our thoughts. Thoughts change every moment. From one thought to another. Just the way the time goes, from one to another. We have no control on the moment we live. How many, no one knows. Similar, we have no control on the thought that comes in our mind. We can only live and experience one moment a time. Similarly, there can be only one thought at a time in our life. At this moment I am thinking of food. Or at this moment I am planning my next act. Or I am very happy at this moment......Cherish the moment for it only goes never to come back again. Cherish the thought, for it is fleeting. Won't come back again.Live the moment. Live the thought.

Glass is half full or half empty

This is my personal theory. No scientific backing please! They way people look at a glass of water which is half full and half empty, reflects on the way they look at their own life and what they have in life. Something so simple, yet has vast ramifications on our thought process.

When someone looks at a glass of water, a wave of though comes to his/her mind is, "Oh! It is half empty." Such people usually tend to think more about the emptiness of their own life. They spend more time thinking about things which are not there in their life. Things which they want but are missing from their life. Emptiness. You see emptiness, you think emptiness, you feel emptiness and you live emptiness.

While on the other hand, when a person looks at a glass of water and the first reaction is, "Ah! the Glass is almost have full." Such people tend to think more about what they have in their life and the overall fullness of their life.You see fullness, you think fullness, you feel fullness and you live fullness.

Most of us tend to think more about emptiness. What is not there but could have been there. And in the process forget to enjoy the half full glass as well......the joy that awaits us in the half full glass.

P.S: On a lighter note this theory is not applicable when the Glass in question is filled with Beer/Alcohol/Spirits/Wine etc....then the only outlook to life is Cheers!!!!

What my baby has taught me...

They say, "A child is the father of mankind", and it is so true. Contrary to what I believed earlier, it is my little son who is teaching me so many new things about life, and the process is on going. Like he has taught me how to smile carefree. And how anger has no meaning in a child's world. He learns things so easily with such enthusiasm. My son has taught me how innocent and pure a babies love is for his mother. To him it simply does not matter if I am old or young, beautiful or ugly, fat or thin, good or evil, educated or illiterate. My little baby accepts me and loves me just for what I am....My most profound and wonderful realizations and learning have not come from books or school and college...but from little baby...my baby has taken me back in time to the origin of life....when god creates life, it is all very uncomplicated. Like we buy a new computer and it comes with some basic applications to run smoothly. The wise men then down load many many more applications on the computer and clutter it and make the machine slower to work on......as we grow we complicate god's machinery, making life miserable for ourselves and for those around us...I wish we all could retain our child like qualities as we grow. The innocence, the purity, the energy and enthusiasm, the unconditional love...True. A child is god's most precious gift to mankind. To be valued and cherished.

Awareness

Often we discuss this, my husband and myself. People who steal, people who cheat, people who harm others, basically people who live bad deeds. Don't they have a conscience? Doesn't it bother them.....talk to them...ask them....what are you doing? They definitely must have a conscience. But the way the choose to deal with it might vary.

People simply have their ways of dealing with the good and the bad in terms of their own actions. 

Many out there, do wrong deeds. They know very well what they are doing and yet they are not worried about the consequences.

Some others do wrong deeds knowing very well what they doing, but they do it because there is no choice or atleast thats what they feel at that time. Victim to life's circumstances.

And then there are some who do wrong things, unfortunately not knowing what they are doing and now worrying about the consequences or not concerned about the consequences. 

My spouse and myself, we often discuss this in context of our own actions. Taking ownership. The good and bad, the good makes us happy. The bad (yes, we are all human beings and some times do things which we feel guilty about later) we discuss and make the required corrections. Often we think....atleast we are aware of our actions. We take time out to talk about them and rectify them.....many people don't. Because they think that time is too precious to be wasted thinking about actions. Time has to be utilized to make money, become successful, enjoy life eat good food, drink good wine....travel....do everything, but not waste time owning one's own actions. Good luck to them too! 

Awareness is like a ray of light in a dark room. It illuminates things around you and makes you see everything clearly. The beautiful and the ugly. Those who are aware, are fortunate. Few are blessed with awareness. Awareness is conscience. It is your connect with god. Awareness is god's will working through you.  

God, Life and Death

God

Each one of us has a very personal impression/feeling/understanding and connect with God. No two people have the same image of God. Based on our life and learning, we customize our impression of God giving him qualities, shape and form. Each one of us has our own personal God. When it comes to talking about God and his existence, we human beings are like the Seven blind men, touching and feeling an Elephant. Nothing is reality, everything is almost a perception. This is quite contradictory. If God is present everywhere, how can one capture his impression and store him in our memory? This is because human being experience life through our sense organs. And everything has to be captured through the sense organs in stored in our brain/memory. And it is a common fact that different people store images differently in their brain. Hence my idea of a personalized God.
 
Excuse me saying so, but there are many who have no connect with God and would care less about his existence. God bless them too!!

For me God is very important and integral part of my existence and what I am. Like I have stated about, God is one side of the Triangle of my life. How do I relate with God? Does God have a Shape, a Form, a Colour, a Dimension? May be. May be not. I don't know. And care less about. The most important aspect of my relationship with God is that God is someone I talk to very often and share all my thoughts with. Challenges and issues of my life which I might not want to share with anyone else. In a way I talk to God and discuss with him what is happening in my life and seek solutions from him. I often talk to God. And yes, the beauty of this relationship is such that God talks back to me. God listens to me patiently and answers all my queries and concerns.  So in a way God is my Friend/Brother and confider.

During turbulent times when things are not going right and I am low, worried and have given up, I seek motivation, wisdom and support from God. Till date he has never failed me. God guides me and ensures I get all the required resources and support. So In a way God is like my Parents (Father/Mother). Always there for me and encouraging me. Looking at me but not interfering until I seek help. His hand is always there on me. To hold me anytime that I may fall. Like my Parents.

There are times when I feel alienated, unloved and lonely. This mainly happens due to my own attitude and negativity. When I hurt those around me and they turn against me, I feel lonely and unhappy. These are the times when I love God the most and he in turn loves me and forgives me. So I share a loving relationship with God. I love God and he in turn loves me. Just the way I love my Husband and my Son.

There are times when I want to connect with my inner self. Such as this time when I am penning my blog. He glides me through and helps me find my higher self. My inner self. He guides me to himself. To God. God helps me find the God within myself. So in a way God is my Teacher/Guru. He helps me find the purpose of my existence. He helps me tune in with nature. God helps me find God! God helps me find God in others.

For me, God is all around me and his reflection I see in all my relationships. This way there is no special occasion when I look for God. There is no special ritual required to be performed to meet him and see him and feel him. There is no special place I have to visit to feel God and sense his presence. My relationship with God/ Experiencing God is Free of/Independent of Festivals/Rituals/Offerings/Days/Months.

All through my life and various stages of life, my relationship with God keeps changing. In turn God too keeps changing his shapes and forms. I see him as my Parents when I am sick and down, I see him as my Husband/Son when I seek love, I see him as a Friend when I seek caring and advice, I see him as a Teacher/Guru when I want to find myself.

God is within me/us, So God is like me/us as he created me/us in his image. But we are his image only when we shed our negative attributes which harm other beings and think about the good of the World and all the beings in the World. Of which we are capable. 

My learning through my faith in God has been and I am sharing it here....don't wait to be told when to reach out to God, where to reach out to God and how to reach out to God. Where anger and hatred ends, where selfishness and materialism ends, where lies and dishonesty ends, where human knowledge ends...God is that starting point. From there on till infinity. 
 
Like I had read somewhere and strongly believe in it, " At the end of life and in death, it is between me and God."

Violence in Kashmir, what an Indian is feeling right now.

Kashmir is fast becoming a state of concern not only for the Government and security forces, but for the common Indian too. When there is disturbance in a house, all the members in the family get affected. What one sees on the Television, images of angry people in the valley out on the streets, shouting anti-India slogans is disturbing. Why have people in valley given up their day to day life, livelihood and are so methodically singing this tune of "Freedom"?

Kashmiri's were always known for their friendly and gentle nature. Mainly because for a long time tourism has been the main source of income for these beautiful and friendly people. Images of the beautiful Dal Lake and Shikara's, Flowers and Apples, Snow covered mountains, hot Kahwa, and beautiful women singing folk songs, where has all that beauty gone? Kashmir and its beauty has been immortalized in the Hindi Cinema so often. Where has the heaven on earth called Kashmir gone? How did we loose that state?

Suddenly when I see anger and hatred on the faces of people in the valley, it comes as a surprise and angers me too. Why are they doing this? The degree of damage the Kashmiri's are causing to their state (yes, they are a state and a part of Indian Republic how much ever they dare to deny or what so ever name Pakistan/China/US wants to name them) will take many many years of hard work to undo.  Yes, may be people who are not living in Kashmir don't understand their problems. But then there is always scope for a dialogue.

To Indians living outside Kashmir it is very evident, that the people of Kashmir are innocent and gullible. They are being mislead by their own local self proclaimed leaders and those across the border.

War and anger has caused the collapse of so many nations worldwide. Afghanistan is struggling, Nepal is struggling, Sri Lank is at an internal war. What will the Kashmiri's gain from this bloodshed and freedom? Freedom from what? From your motherland? freedom to do what? And become what? Who knows Kashmir and what will happen to an independent Kashmir. It will be a matter of time before it is gobbled up by the Dragon or taken over by the Afghan Taliban. Kashmir is safe as long as it is under the protection of the vast Indian state and a strong capable Indian army. Why don't the people of Kashmir understand this. Or is it that they have been completely blinded and brain washed to the extent that they cant see the danger in independence?

Also, all this bloodshed and fighting. Who is benefiting if any one. None. Indian government is loosing out huge sum of money each year in peace keeping. And the people who are loosing out the most are the Kashmiri's themselves. They are loosing their lives, near and dear one's, they are loosing their reputation, they are loosing their livelihood and most important they are loosing trust and respect as a state from rest of India.Give it some more time and if they continue this anti-India campaign, Rest of India too will loose its patience with Kashmir.

It is but evident that Kashmir is a political issue (If anyone knows what are the issues) which needs a political solution. What are the issues and what is the solution, only the ruling government can decide. Common man in the valley must/should stay out of this and concentrate on getting his life back to normal.  People of Kashmir must revert back to their true nature, which is friendly and gentle. Please stop throwing stones and shouting anti-national slogans. Cooperate with the security forces to bring peace back to the valley instead of competing and fighting with the armed forces. Your victory lies in peace and amicable relationship with India.Indian/ Indian government/Indian security forces does not wish to kill Kashmiri youth. A nation that practices the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, opening fore on its own brethren does not happen easy. Keeping peace in Kashmir is fast becoming a head ace for the armed forces. Their Jawans too are getting killed. And for what? Protecting a state which is Indian and belongs to India.

Kashmir is India and will always remain so. Dialogue can happen in this periphery. Leave the neighbors out of this. It is our internal matter and others have NO say in this.

God created heaven on this earth and gifted it to the people of Kashmir. Please, if you have faith in god and respect for god, preserve his heaven and don't turn it into hell. People of Kashmir, keep peace and be happy. God bless you all.

People steal from God and yet they get away.

One piece of News which caught my attention recently was a huge scandal at the Tirupati Balaji Temple in Andhra Pradesh. Something to do with Lord's Ornaments. The Gold one's have been replaced with artificial Ornaments is what the News claims. All those who heard the new were surprised. So am I. Stealing from or cheating another Human being, accepted. But stealing from God. Cheating god! How can a man's conscience permit this?

Interestingly, stealing from Temples' or thefts in Temple/Other Holy places is nothing new to mankind. In the past too there have been many cases of thefts in Temple/Church/Other Holy Places. Precious jewelry/Ornaments/Cash and sometimes Lord's Idol's too have been stolen. Corrutpion is rampant in many of these Religious institutions. 

But the question is, how do these people get away? Why doesn't God appear before them and stop them from doing so?
 
Actually the answer too is very simple.

From times unkown thousands of Saints/Rishi's have spent like years in Sadhana/ doing Hath Yoga for glimpse of God.....no success. And here we expect God to appear before and punish some culprits for say 1/2 kg of Gold or some thousands of Rupees?

All the Wealth, Precious Metals/Stones/ all are his creation.....this Earth is his creation which he has gifted to mankind. His creation might change hands....from one man to another. They Gold/Stones/ Wealth might change hands...but the ownership does not change. He is the supreme Lord of all the Wealth in the World. He is the supreme owner of all the Wealth in the Universe....God knows this...and so he is generous...Honestly what do a few thousand Rupees or some Gold matter to God?

God is not possessive.....God is not vindictive.....God does not punish.....and so God lets them get away with the theft.....

How do we define progress?

Mani Mahesh Temple, Chaurasi Mandir, Chamba, Himachal Pradesh

My recent trip to Himachal Pradesh was indeed a soul refreshing experience. Living near the Sea, is one kind of an experience. And living on the mountains a totally different experience. Mumbai is a coastal city and I have lived here all my life. Mumbai as all know, is a densely populated city. The city is choking with traffic. Speed is the essence of life in this city. There are advantages too I must say. It is a very convenient city, most amenities are simply a stone's throw away from where I live. Shopping, Entertainment, Medical facilities and Banking services which are essential for city life. With more and more services reaching my door step, almost everything is just a phone call away. Grocery, food, medicine, laundry almost everything reaches my house without much effort and off-course at a price.

During one of our sight seeing expeditions in Himachal Pradesh, we happen to visit a place called Bharmour. It is a quaint little village up the mountains known for its Temple Complex called "Chaurasi Mandir" (84 Temple complex). 
 

Road to Bharmour from Chamba runs parallel to River Beas.

The road to Bharmour is very tricky and difficult. It is narrow, rough and there is just enough space for just one vehicle to pass at a time. In case a vehicle comes from the opposite side, the driver uses all his skills and backs untill he finds a little cove in the rocks to side the car. Flanked by high rocky mountains on one side and swiftly flowing River Beas on the other side, death is sometimes just 3-4 inches away from the Car. Smallest error on part of the driver can cause a serious accident. The road is mostly isolated except for an occasisonal house up the mountains. Very few and far.

Sitting in an Air Conditioned imported Car, driven by a highly skilled and trained driver, as a city person not used to the mountain roads, we feared the road.

After a drive of about 5 hours from Chamba city, we reached Bharmour at about 4.00 pm. It is a small town, high up the mountains at an altitude of more than 10,000 feet. Life at the Chaurasi Temple Complex went about as usual, unmoved and unaffected by the altitude or long distance from any of the so called city. There is a local school in the Temple complex and small children were doing PT in an open air class. In the back drop of Himalayas, their teacher sat on a wooden table busy reading a newspaper!

Objects of my envy...simple villagers at the Mani Mahesh Temple

One of the sights which caught my attention and stayed in my mind was a group of 5-6 middle aged/old men. they were sitting in a small circle, casually talking to each other.

Those men were local villagers, apparently passing time since there wasn't much to do around. It was a rainy day and the weather was pleasant. High mountains surrounding the village were partially covered with dense clouds reducing visibility. Everything around was covered in the monsoon greenery....there was a pleasant cool breeze....

At that moment I envied those men more than anyone else.....such serene life....fresh air and ample greenery....high up the Himalaya's.....they sat....busy in their own small talk....discussing the outside world.....

Made me reflect back at city life, my own life and that of my near and dear one's and millions of people living in these cement and concrete jungles...is this progress....the filth and the crowd.....diseases and pollution....work pressure and materialism....no time for peace and quite..tranquility...spirituality....Is this what the modern man calls progress?

Dhauladhar Range.

They say a trip to Himalayas' is a spiritual journey. I agree with this thought. Himalayas is a humbling experience. It is as much a journey within yourslef as much a trip to the divine mountains.

Life back in the city feels dull and wasted. Envy those villagers living up the Himalayas....agreed life for them is tough and very harsh...and yet they are very fortunate...to be living so close to nature....nature is a part of their life.....lucky lucky people...untouched by progress...makes me think once again...what is progress? and what have we gained as a result of this progress?

Living on the edge

Aeroplanes, Cars, Bikes, Trains....all are getting faster and faster....covering greater distances in shorter times. Communication is getting faster....internet....mobile devices...television....news travels faster.....nations want to grow faster...more production...more revenues...individuals want to grow faster..career...money...."faster"....is the modern day mantra driving humanity and all its goals!

Thoughts are getting faster....quicker decisions...quicker....solutions....faster technology....faster production....

As a result faster global warming...animals...plants....birds and fishes also getting extinct faster! Glaciers melting down faster...rivers drying up faster...forest fires spreading faster...

Well now if mankind wants things to happen faster, why are we surprised if nature is cooperating!!!!

Humanity wants to cover more and more in the short life span....with everything happening faster...somewhere life too is getting shorter.....while statistics claim that life expectancy is increasing....we all feel the pressure that life is passing by too soon and time is passing by too fast.

Any guess why we are living on the edge? Driving ourselves towards extinction....

River

River's inspire me....though I have never lived near a River. For that matter being a city (Mumbai) born and brought up person, I haven't even seen or experienced a River at close. Herman Hesse (who is one of my favorite authors) in "Siddhartha" draws life's parallels from a River. Many writers and poets have been inspired by Rivers having repeatedly captured various moods of a River through prose and poetry.

What does the River teach us......that the true nature of life is to move on...move forward....and only forward...a River never goes back....it travels only in the forward direction... thats what makes it a River and different from a Lake/Pond/Sea/Ocean.

Each day I ask this question to myself...."Am I where I was yesterday or have I moved forward in life today?"

And trust me...in this simple question I find the solution/answers to all my life's challenges. Answering this simple question has made me more decisive and as a result more happy person. Not for me to get stuck in one place in life. Move forward decisively....Be it illness, health wealth issues, relationship or career....life is about moving forward. Imagine if the River one day feels that .."oh!!! this Mountain base is lovey and I am very comfortable here...so let me not move forward. I want to stay here till eternity because I am happy here....."

Old saying....stagnant water stinks. And so it is with life.....staying in one place...life gets into a rut. By staying in one place I dont necessarily mean physically living in one place. It could be staying stuck with a thought, a problem, a moment of anger or hatred.....Don't linger too long in happy moments...similarly don't carry on unhappiness for too long...move on......moving on.....like the flow of a River....joyful....clean and cool.....bubbly....fresh....surmounting and crossing all blocks and challenges happily....eagerly awaiting to meet its end....the Ocean. Not loosing its true character...the character of a River....That is life.

Moving forward each day......covering some distance!How much distance is covered does not matter...but moving forward matters.

Whom are we competing with?

Recession, global warming, terrorism, GDP.....so many things to talk about. Everything around us is moving too fast. Explosive growth, never seen before. Accelerated human evolution.

Is anyone really concerned about what impact all this is having on humanity? World leaders? Why is it that they don't discuss this issue? How are we as human beings coping with it all? How is this fast pace changing our mind and our body? Who is measuring this aspect of growth and development and its impact on society and mankind? What are the metrics or yard stick to measure how much have we grown as human beings? Or de-grown as compared to our ancestors who lived in lesser developed environment.

Whom are we competing with? God? Nature? Aliens? Time? Past civilizations? ..May be all..may be none....we could just competing with ourselves.

What is this hurry and why is this hurry? Cant we slow down? Why does GDP have to grow at 8% and why not 4 or 14 or 25 or 2....? Fixation with numbers! Not quality. These numbers are driving humanity crazy...

Yes there is an urgency...but the urgency is to slow down this crazy pace of life....quieten the minds! Shut out the noise and the clutter! Find the silence within.