I started writing this article in the aftermath of the Mumbai Terrorist attack. It is what I have observed and felt.
Where was I when the terrorists attacked??? I was sitting at home watching the horror unfold in front of my eyes. First I was bewildered... later furious – was wondering how these people got in and what daring to infiltrate one of the strongest pillars of Indian democracy, its financial capital. But in the end, it seemed almost comical. How could a city like Mumbai allow itself to fall prey to a prank like this.... this had to be unreal... but it was very real... real funny that is...
What did we do?? We sat in our homes while spineless pot-bellied cops tried to kill the terrorists armed with the lathis donated by the British. When i saw telephonic intercepts on the news, I was even more bewildered. In at least 2 spots, the police were inside the attacked structures at exceptional strategic locations. Could they have prevented this all? Maybe – had they been given the backup when it was required the whole tragedy could have been averted.
I felt ashamed when our home minister acted like a woman going for a party – changing clothes like a courtesan – to charm the waiting sharks. Ha... that was a sight I tell you. Hell, the navy headquarters is a stone throw away from the Taj – but they were waiting for “orders”.
But maybe we are too used to this. The political blame-game that followed was legendary. And for the first time I was reminded of the “Shame of Being an Indian”. Let me be very frank, i wanted to go out there and fight for my country. I wanted to rip those terrorists cell by the vary cell of their being. But what did i do?? I was confined to the sofa like many other youths. That was the time when i was reminded of the IMPOTENCE OF THE INDIAN YOUTH.
Life right now is weird to say the least. Finally, though I never would have found it possible, I’ve found Mel... The job is as stable as ever, and life overall is good. I told her about my feelings last week, n guess what… she didn’t say no!!!
We talk everyday – nearly. Though it is frankly, not enough… Somehow it feels like I am trying to live a lifetime in a small moment. I have always got this feeling of a major paradigm shift… a foreboding that anything could go wrong at any time.
I try to be in control, but its getting harder. Something is fishy in this situation, as in my life till today a feeling that I was being orchestrated has followed me where ever I go. Times like these I miss her the most. My thoughts race back to the times all those years back that I spent lying in her bed, in her arms or on her lap.
On the other hand, there is the fact that my career is on the right track, so is my love life; my finances are stable and so are the people around me. I should be happy, but I am not. Satisfied, but I never am. Stable, but that seems to be a distant realm of some parallel universe. I am living a dual life, where good and bad times have actually become a single point of congruence, the same side of the same coin. I feel like a third person observing myself from a distance. What I can see is essentially good, but it is not what I am, it is not where I want to be…..
Something is always missing….
I’m flying and i won’t come down... Theres nobody who can mess me around.... I’m high on wings of fire... going ever higher…
I know what I want, I know where to go… n I am goin there now
Before I start, I would like to make it clear that these are my own opinions... and I am entitled to those.
Even though I am a pure non vegetarian, this debate is worth giving a thought to... Well, let me start by asking a simple question: how do u define vegetarianism??? R these the people who only consume vegetables? Or as is commonly believed - who dont kill "living organisms". I do agree with the first statement but I condemn the second one... whats the difference u ask? Well science has proved that trees have life and are as capable of feelings as us....
Recently there was a campaign by PETA to convert the world to vegetarian... Its funny how these activists cannot see beyond a certain point. Well, let me say that I was disgusted when I read it.
Whatever we say, its a proven fact that humans are sitting steady at the top of the food chain with their compatriots - the lions, the tigers, the sharks etc. This is a scientific proven fact.
As far as religious teachings are concerned, I dont believe for one that any religion professes not killing for eating. If that were the case, those people would be extinct within days.
I am not saying eating vegetables is not allowed, but there should be a balance here. There are some nutrients that can be obtained from plants, the other from animals. Our diet should contain a healthy mixture of both. Ha Ha...
This is where I enter into the realm of hard core science.
Say for example the: Jains" believe in not killing any organisms - really? Then please stop eating plants - they have life. Seeds - for they give rise to life. Fruits - for they are the source of life. Milk for it sustains life of another. Water - for it contains zillions of organisms that die when u consume it.
And the list is endless...
So am I being ironic? No. I also do not want to question any ones beliefs or convictions but thats a fact.
Vegetarian people are those who survive on plants - acceptable. But aren’t the the same as the non vegetarians then?
Both plants and animals have life. On the contrary, one plate of chicken masala has 1 bird. How many seeds do you consume in one spoon full of rice? About 30 -40 odd. Isn’t it? So how many organisms die in one plate of rice?
We eat fruits. Fine. They are tasty and nutritious. Its good for your health. But this is a chilling thought that fruits are equivalent to expecting mothers. The seed is nestled in the center for protection and nourishment; isn’t that the exact function of a mother's womb? This thought goes especially for those who say we non vegetarians r harming the environment by killing animals.
Guys give it a thought. Theres no difference whatever you eat. You are gonna kill something or the other in the process.
So get your thinking hats on. Stop saying "We are veg and we dont kill animals for food", because its not true - maybe funny - to say the least.
I would like to end this with the thought that at least I have made some1 think with this thought. Logic is the key. Believe science but never be so obsessive that you forget that science is based on assumptions and can be wrong!!!
What came first, the chick en or the egg, the phoenix or the fire….
We have been dueling with paradoxes all our lives, but isn’t it time to retrospect the greatest of them all… isn’t it time to think where we came from … the greatest paradox in the history of human kind –
Man or God! Who was the beginner and who followed.
According to reliable historical sources, we can say that man was indeed the source, contrary to the popular belief.
The nomads used to worship the forces of nature … because they depended wholly on nature for sustenance. The leaders, for better control of the tribe, used to perform various rituals and tell the followers that if they don’t obey, they’ll be punished by the nature gods. Any offender used to be prosecuted by using him or her as sacrifice for the gods, and earthquakes, storms and volcanic eruptions
were regarded as god’s anger upon the wrong doings.
The beliefs were further given air in ancient Egyptian civilization and even in the Vedic time. Astrology and Astronomy were in their hey – day. The natural disasters and other events were at the time understood by a fair few… who took advantage of their knowledge to influence or rather frighten the common man into following them. If my readings are correct, then the Egyptian Pharos – all of them had a council of royal priests by their side… ‘Priest’ was just a post, given to the best astrologers of the land. In India as well, how many of us have heard an ancient ruler without the ‘Raj Pundit’ or ‘Maha Muni’. These were learned men… no doubt… but still manipulators of hearts of the masses. Then came the time of Liberalization of Religion and the Romans.
It was Moses who led the way by setting forth “God’s 10 Commandments”. He was a great leader, I will not go into the history of it because frankly, I am no scholar in history and it is not my place to comment. However this is a fact that he led the Hebrew s out of slavery and we should salute him for it. This event, in my opinion was the turning point in human history. This event single handedly gave rise to religion as we know it today.
Thousands of books were written in this era … the Gospels, the Bible, the Geeta, the Quran….. Even some mistranslations of the Vedas. The Indian epics of course belong to an earlier age of the world … Coming to the Roman Empire, it was the Cesar who actually pumped out the last of the “Sacred Feminine” followers and enforced his own religions on them … The same pattern was followed by the Christians a few years on…
All I can say is that that this trail of development of religion has left us a Bloody Trail that most of us choose to ignore “for the common good”. Basically, this is the principle where ‘the old maketh way for the new’.
Coming to the Indian context, we had never been religious fanatics as we were now. Every god of every religion was given his due respect … even in the Mugal age. There have been thousands of instances which can be quoted in the context dating maybe upto the Godhra riots recently. There were several instances of Hindus being protected by the Muslims and vice versa.
However, there have been certain individuals of an extremist nature, who, unfortunately were in the position to upsurge the masses in the very wrong way – The Partition Riots, The Babri Masjid Massacre to name the recent few.
Unfortunately, recently I can see a few events in this enlightened society of o ur that can and should shame our very conscience out of existence. “The Religion Vote Politics, the Fascist Ideologies, the Babagiri” that we see is really unhealthy and influencing the masses in ways we could never have imagined. Recently I read an article in a leading newspaper which said that a mother sacrificed her 4 sons to gods – by repeated banging their heads on a ‘sacred’ rock!!!!
Do we need this blind idol worship or following? Why do we need a religion in the first place? Why?
In the earliest times, it was just ‘saying thanks’ to nature. Later it was a means to rule – the real phrase being “Your Priest can’t be Everywhere, So he Created God ”. Till this point, it was acceptable… but now it has become a weapon for murder, of torture and extortion – malice to the civilized world. Remember the Terrorists’ reason for terrorism – Jihad. The Quran in reality as most people who have read it will say does not support violence of any kind.
There will always be those who take the advantage of these sacred scriptures because the common man on the streets will always believe the scholars and the pundits … thats human mentality. If this is the kind of society we are heading to, then we need to ask ourselves – do we need such gods.
I am a profoundly religious man, but in my own fashion. But I can answer for myself the above questions without any doubt in my head.
I am a human first, then an Indian. I do not accept and will never accept any other distinction. My God is my Conscience and I know it will guide me to the right path.
I will never say follow my words, but I would like to request you to ponder upon them. Think for once and then decide what we were supposed to become and what we have become. We are all brothers – in life – in death – in religion – in faith. Let us be one and fight what truly is a demon worse than any that mankind has ever fought – and this one survives and grows stronger on our differences and fights!!!!
Religion and God are as personal for a person as his skin or even his soul … lets keep them there!!!!!
I am a thorough dreamer... live lyfe to the fullest... fight to win.... and a total romantic at heart!!!!
I treat life as a game of chess.... guard my queen with ma life and nevr give up..... love with all i've got and..... wish to conquer the world!!!
n yea... if u wanna know more.... all u gotta do is ask.... ma lifes an open book... with nothin to hide... some regrets but then... who dosent hav a past!! aint it?
All that is Gold,
Does not Glitter...
Not all those who Wonder are Lost...
Once which ws Strong,
Does not Wither....
Deep roots r not reachrd By Frost....
Simply means.... even if u r dead n buried.... if u r strong... u can come up frm nethin.... if only u know how strong u really r....
There is nothin lyke complete Defeat Till u Accept it!!!