When people decry the loss of moral fabric, society going to dogs, etc..it makes me notice one thing very clearly....Memory is short. We remember the ethical arguments we are having now ..but we forget that we "Dont" have so many arguments ... Let me start with a simple example..
How many of us participate in the ethical argument of requirement of money in todays society..? Or look upon some one who is making a lot of money as an agent of satan?
I wud say very very few. Infact the most likely answer wud be that as long as he is making money the right way..who cares?
Linking the fact of caste , religion and character to riches or allowing it to bias our support is sumthing that is considered real real stupid.
But it was not always so. There was a time when these questions were big questions and engaged the media in a debate that seems so passe now.
I will give some such arguments which ..if u discuss now..u would be considered a man from stone age..
1. Any industrialist owes it to poor to feed and clothe them.
2. As a hindu nation we cant have shahrukh khan as our king of bollywood
3. Women should not be allowed to wear revealing outfits like jeans..
4. Sex education corrupts the youth..(btw this is not so stone age....)
5. Ban internet
The point is that there are some countries that still are debating these questions.
I feel that there is a concept of a one way Valve and critical flow limit in society.
What it means is that there are always two sides to any argument..and although each side is logically correct, Practically there is only one side that works.
In the initial stages of a Polotici-Social environment , these two sides of arguments hit against each other. The society is locked into a stalemate. This stalemate or blockage breeds the non-Practical side of arguments because that argument rests on dreams and rhetoric. Desperation fuels hopes and desires..
However as long as there are substantial people in either side , neither wins.
But..there is sumthing that pushes the flow in one direction. In case of India there were many pushes..English, the Liberal Hindu view, introduction of Computers. These act as one way valves in which the society moves towards one direction...Once this critical flow and breakdown is achieved the momentum generates new one way valves ....making it more difficult for the flow to be reversed...
We can always argue about the direction of flow but once it has reached that mass we cant stop it.Put it simply
"you cant stop an idea whose time has come"
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
In Praise of a song...
I love the song .."awarapan banjarapan" in Jism. Love means reallly really really love. I mean the kind of love that makes u drink countless cup of stupid coffee at cafe cofee day just because they have a wonderfull bose system which does justice to this song.
The thing that strikes me hardest in the song is that its a bike song..I mean that its a song i wud love to hear when i am cruising on a long stretch of desolate highway. And hear it over and over again..coaxing the last drop of acoustic nirvana from this sonorous classic.
The soundscape it creates is that of vast expanse of mountains and clear skies with a smattering of dull sunlight ...with clear water flowing through and you reading the words as they float thru the empty sky.
Its a song thats a remorse and a beautiful remorse at that....I stand by the fact that there is nothing more beautifull than pain and nothing more touching than remorse. And wat can be more touching than simple and heartfelt remorse which is personal and does not cry for an audience. Sadness is a theatre whose tragedy is enhanced by lack of audience. And the sadness of a violin orchestra..crying out in symphony..ah ...who can resist it..Who wants to resist it.
This song rejects an audience. When I listen ,I listen it in the solitude of myself. The song is like a shadow...beautiful in its outline..fleeting but scared of light...
There is a kind of foolishness in that song which makes it a typical bachelor song ..its a song for those people who never allowed themselves to grow up ...never lost a reason to drink from cup of life. ... never felt afraid to admit that although they fought the hardest..they lost..
And its the loss that this song celebrates...mourns and wails ....
And also the fight that is lost..and the sheer desperation of the fight ... this is what gives it that heady taste....
...
" Ye dunia hi jannat thi..ye dunia hi jannat hai...
Sab kuch kho kar..aaj ye hum par bhed khula hai seene main..."
"Khanjar pe haathon pe lakeere..koi bhala kya likh paaya..
Humne magar ek pagalpan mein ..khud ko chala hai seene mein.."
...
"
The thing that strikes me hardest in the song is that its a bike song..I mean that its a song i wud love to hear when i am cruising on a long stretch of desolate highway. And hear it over and over again..coaxing the last drop of acoustic nirvana from this sonorous classic.
The soundscape it creates is that of vast expanse of mountains and clear skies with a smattering of dull sunlight ...with clear water flowing through and you reading the words as they float thru the empty sky.
Its a song thats a remorse and a beautiful remorse at that....I stand by the fact that there is nothing more beautifull than pain and nothing more touching than remorse. And wat can be more touching than simple and heartfelt remorse which is personal and does not cry for an audience. Sadness is a theatre whose tragedy is enhanced by lack of audience. And the sadness of a violin orchestra..crying out in symphony..ah ...who can resist it..Who wants to resist it.
This song rejects an audience. When I listen ,I listen it in the solitude of myself. The song is like a shadow...beautiful in its outline..fleeting but scared of light...
There is a kind of foolishness in that song which makes it a typical bachelor song ..its a song for those people who never allowed themselves to grow up ...never lost a reason to drink from cup of life. ... never felt afraid to admit that although they fought the hardest..they lost..
And its the loss that this song celebrates...mourns and wails ....
And also the fight that is lost..and the sheer desperation of the fight ... this is what gives it that heady taste....
...
" Ye dunia hi jannat thi..ye dunia hi jannat hai...
Sab kuch kho kar..aaj ye hum par bhed khula hai seene main..."
"Khanjar pe haathon pe lakeere..koi bhala kya likh paaya..
Humne magar ek pagalpan mein ..khud ko chala hai seene mein.."
...
"
Write as if no one is readin...
---Content deleted on suggestion of a freind----
I want to be a film director ...
I want to be able to see and choose an interesting story. Real gross and bloody. ...With lots of slashing and hackings and that theme would be death. Not just any death..real gruesome and planned death. Death...not murder. Death as in the finality of the life ..not just end of a cycle but begining of one.
I know the film will start with credits which will have the actors name written in wall graffitti with blood being splattered over them ..Blood and slime will trickle down an old dilapidated wooden pole and end up on a road. Then the atmosphere will change from dark and stormy one to that of a sunny and open sky.
The first scene will be that of a small house with a nice rose garden in front. Quaint and old.
Ideal kind of scene with peppy music in the back ground..
The camera will roll along the path way and reach the door, the door will open slowly and an old man's hand will tumble out...along with that a trickle of thick blood will flow out into the portico...
A crow will sit on the verandah and slowly walk into the house lookin for sum flesh...
Maaannn..u still reading it?
Are u a psycho or wat? People like u make people like us behave like psychos. Go home and see a romantic movie.Dont put undue pressure on ppl like us to make movies which makes our mothers hate us...
Ab jao..Mujhe sochne do...
Lots of scenes left..
I want to be a film director ...
I want to be able to see and choose an interesting story. Real gross and bloody. ...With lots of slashing and hackings and that theme would be death. Not just any death..real gruesome and planned death. Death...not murder. Death as in the finality of the life ..not just end of a cycle but begining of one.
I know the film will start with credits which will have the actors name written in wall graffitti with blood being splattered over them ..Blood and slime will trickle down an old dilapidated wooden pole and end up on a road. Then the atmosphere will change from dark and stormy one to that of a sunny and open sky.
The first scene will be that of a small house with a nice rose garden in front. Quaint and old.
Ideal kind of scene with peppy music in the back ground..
The camera will roll along the path way and reach the door, the door will open slowly and an old man's hand will tumble out...along with that a trickle of thick blood will flow out into the portico...
A crow will sit on the verandah and slowly walk into the house lookin for sum flesh...
Maaannn..u still reading it?
Are u a psycho or wat? People like u make people like us behave like psychos. Go home and see a romantic movie.Dont put undue pressure on ppl like us to make movies which makes our mothers hate us...
Ab jao..Mujhe sochne do...
Lots of scenes left..
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Films to me
I can count myself as one of the "begaana abdullah deewana " who is fanatic about films. But I have often asked myself as to what is that attracts me to a film. Why do i pay that much to watch a two dimensional screen for three hours and then cry for joy that i have been through one of the happiest moments of my life..?
What makes me look at those images and see a life beyond them ..? Why do i find magic on those images that fleet across the screen? Why does it make me see a world that lies beyond my reality? Why do I see a mind and method to this madness?
Why do I feel happy staring mindlessly into the screen..happily giving myself with abandon to the director and trusting him to not betray me ..? Why do I feel happy when he/she does me justice..why do i feel sad when i feel that he has not done justice...
Why do i bore my freinds with how profound the film was? Why do I blab on and on as to how heady was the ride?
Am I an escapist like millions of Indians? Or do I still posess an ability to be happy without any condition? Or do i see no dichotomy in being rational and irrational? Or do I see no reason as to why there shud be a reason to hapiness? Or maybe I have stopped justifying the fact that I can be happy for no freakin cause?
Or maybe I just love watchin a good movie...Maybe?
Sesha Srabana- Never heard of it?
There is an oriya film called "sesha Srabana"(the last monsoon). I had seen that film when i was in school ..the film was made even when i was not born.
The film was so tacky technically that i am sure that given a lumix cam myself I cud have done a better job. Shoddy print , jerky cam movements, lack of continuity and horrendous make up.
But that was the film that got me hooked to the fact that films are more than the physical aspects of filmmaking.
The film made me feel that the most important aspect of the film is honesty. Honesty to the story that one is trying to tell. The sheer rawness of this honesty is enough to affect the guy sitting infront of the screen. This honesty is which tears thru tackiness of the technical details ..and manages to sear a guy born 7 years after the film was made.
The film tells a very very old story of a girl who gets rescued by two low caste guys from a flood and stays with them . She loses her memory but these two guys know that she is from a rich/high caste family so they go out of their way to make her live "properly". They even try and find a high caste groom for her..meanwhile she falls in love with one of the guys...
After sometime one of the guys from nearby village recognises her as an upper caste girl. The girl is forced by village elders to return to her family..but they refuse to take her.
In the end she commits suicide by jumping into the same river she was rescued from.
The music is improvised from folk songs , the story is a folk story and the actors are either amatuers or juniors. But the greatness of the film stays with you once u leave the theatre...
I have seen a few world class films but no one manages to move me so much as this stupid oriya film does. Even as i write this I am hearing a song from this film.
Just proves that films are immortal..some are more immortal than others...
The film was so tacky technically that i am sure that given a lumix cam myself I cud have done a better job. Shoddy print , jerky cam movements, lack of continuity and horrendous make up.
But that was the film that got me hooked to the fact that films are more than the physical aspects of filmmaking.
The film made me feel that the most important aspect of the film is honesty. Honesty to the story that one is trying to tell. The sheer rawness of this honesty is enough to affect the guy sitting infront of the screen. This honesty is which tears thru tackiness of the technical details ..and manages to sear a guy born 7 years after the film was made.
The film tells a very very old story of a girl who gets rescued by two low caste guys from a flood and stays with them . She loses her memory but these two guys know that she is from a rich/high caste family so they go out of their way to make her live "properly". They even try and find a high caste groom for her..meanwhile she falls in love with one of the guys...
After sometime one of the guys from nearby village recognises her as an upper caste girl. The girl is forced by village elders to return to her family..but they refuse to take her.
In the end she commits suicide by jumping into the same river she was rescued from.
The music is improvised from folk songs , the story is a folk story and the actors are either amatuers or juniors. But the greatness of the film stays with you once u leave the theatre...
I have seen a few world class films but no one manages to move me so much as this stupid oriya film does. Even as i write this I am hearing a song from this film.
Just proves that films are immortal..some are more immortal than others...
Letter to bicycle terrorists
Here is an open letter to the terrorist uncle who has been using bicycle for more than err..bicycling.
Dear Sirs,
Congrats on your last successfull attempt at Jaipur. Your boys added one more city to the glory table. Infact with a lil help from our own RDX guys ur boys have been doin a wonderfull job. But u see its a futile attempt. Why?
1.We generally dont find u agreeble but u see We Indians dont fear u. Thats because we fear our politicians more. Infact we shudder to think what Arjun Singh would have exploded had he given another press conference . By that comparision your planning was a crows fart.
2. Secondly u see we have grown so used to tragedies that befall us by our own builders and civil engineers that your bicycle seems a wee bit primitive. Either u admit that u are just novices trying to fire crackers or learn a lesson from the numerable bridge collapses and borewell tragedies ...Wats the harm from learning from the professionals.
3. Thirdly, there is a fatal flaw in ur policy level implementation. U see we got the worlds second largest(?) population where a lakh candidates struggle for 5000 seats , where there is one doctor for 11, 565 ppl. You really think that by injuring and killing a few of our fellowmen u can get the economy down? Hmm..let me illustrate.. throw a pebble into the ocean. Did u see the tsunami u just created? oops..hence proved.
4. Catching news. Here u have met your waterloo. Our country is a real mammoth. Sheer statistics say that we generate enough headlines on our own to give more than a day to your childish acts. We got "Arushi Murder" and "300 pieces of body" vying for your place. We seriously got better things to look in the papers. So that motive is very much a failure.
5. Communal tension. Again, statistics plays spoilsport. The kind of population we have , its difficult to walk a meter(milimeter in case of mumbai local trains) without hitting a guy with a diametrically opposite religion, language and food habits...Now when u burst your crackers what are the chances that u will get a huge number of same religious people? Almost Nill. You will kill a cross section. And believe u me that cross section never forgets.
6. Last but not the least, u are one of the reasons that we as a country forget(be it even for a day) that we are scores of states and become one India. So u see, you need to improve your boys knowledge in
a. Maths(esp statistics)
b. Religion( find one religion that scientifically subscribes to killin innocents)
c. Geography and geopolitics
fourth and most importantly. .
"Hum logon ko samajh sako to samjho dilbar jaani..."... .
We have survived for 2000 years..and we will survive u.
-An Indian
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The two worlds we live in
Sometimes I think all of us (atleast in India) live in two worlds ..and it has got nothing to do with economic strata we stay in. Its a state of mind thingy.
Sample this..We tell our kids that its better to love and enjoy a game than winning but then goad on them like race horses. We think we are the next superpower and then say " India hai yaar..yahaan kuch nahi ho sakta".
We say something and do some thing thats diagonally opposite to wat we say. We say we hate materialistic things but lust after our neighbors car. We say we dont like western things but we throng out in large numbers to have a grab at anything western. We say we dont want english but then admit our children into same schools.
If you have a look a tv shows you will see this dichotomy played out again and again. You will find smooth talking urbane crowds mouthing all politically correct dialogues about everything from the BMC to Kafka and sounding so so nice. Thats all fine till u actually see what they do in real life.
Sometimes they make for interesting observation on how similar these people sound. Similar phrases, similar sounds..even similar stammerrings.
One actually cant call them dudes but yes they live in a parallel world of make believe either by design or default. These guys/gals are either born into this La-Dida world or are propelled into this world by a wormhole of professions like , media, journalism or fashion.
The best part of the story is that this level of existance can exist parallel to the "real" world ..Its only when they try to coincide there is an issue.
The friction comes out in these places
1. Lower strata breaking into parallel layer.Say a middle class gal wanting to become a model. The friction comes not so much from the upper layer as much as the "stickiness" of the lower layer. The lower layer is so much rooted in reality that it cannot get into the suspended animation of the upper layer.
2. Upper strata coming down to Lower strata. ie. Fashion Shows/Events. They represent an attempt of this parallel upper class to come down to the lower class. This is resented by the "lower strata" because they are envious of the money and power of this class.
Entering this make believe world of "hi fi" status is not easy. Not easy because it takes a lot of sacrifice. Of ego, self respect, Sexual fidelity and moral fidelity. Its a world where the price is your soul . This is a sell out thats most of us are not willing to make...Thats why we stay wre we are....
Sample this..We tell our kids that its better to love and enjoy a game than winning but then goad on them like race horses. We think we are the next superpower and then say " India hai yaar..yahaan kuch nahi ho sakta".
We say something and do some thing thats diagonally opposite to wat we say. We say we hate materialistic things but lust after our neighbors car. We say we dont like western things but we throng out in large numbers to have a grab at anything western. We say we dont want english but then admit our children into same schools.
If you have a look a tv shows you will see this dichotomy played out again and again. You will find smooth talking urbane crowds mouthing all politically correct dialogues about everything from the BMC to Kafka and sounding so so nice. Thats all fine till u actually see what they do in real life.
Sometimes they make for interesting observation on how similar these people sound. Similar phrases, similar sounds..even similar stammerrings.
One actually cant call them dudes but yes they live in a parallel world of make believe either by design or default. These guys/gals are either born into this La-Dida world or are propelled into this world by a wormhole of professions like , media, journalism or fashion.
The best part of the story is that this level of existance can exist parallel to the "real" world ..Its only when they try to coincide there is an issue.
The friction comes out in these places
1. Lower strata breaking into parallel layer.Say a middle class gal wanting to become a model. The friction comes not so much from the upper layer as much as the "stickiness" of the lower layer. The lower layer is so much rooted in reality that it cannot get into the suspended animation of the upper layer.
2. Upper strata coming down to Lower strata. ie. Fashion Shows/Events. They represent an attempt of this parallel upper class to come down to the lower class. This is resented by the "lower strata" because they are envious of the money and power of this class.
Entering this make believe world of "hi fi" status is not easy. Not easy because it takes a lot of sacrifice. Of ego, self respect, Sexual fidelity and moral fidelity. Its a world where the price is your soul . This is a sell out thats most of us are not willing to make...Thats why we stay wre we are....
Monday, May 19, 2008
Not written by me ..but interesting
Hinduism
Interesting and educative point of view!
Am I a Hindu?
Four years ago, I was flying from JFK NY Airport to SFO to attend a
meeting at Monterey, CA.
An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat.
It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours!
I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible - unusual of
young Americans! (Later I came to know that September 11 has changed mind-set of lot of US citizens. They suddenly turned religious, it seemed..)
After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk. I told
her that I am from India.
Then suddenly the girl asked: "What's your faith?"
"What?" I didn't understand the question.
"I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?"
"No!" I replied, "I am neither Christian nor Muslim".
Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that.
"Then who are you…?"
"I am a Hindu", I said.
She looked at me as if she is seeing a caged animal.
She could not understand what I was talking about.
A common man in Europe or US know about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today.
But a Hindu, what?
I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother.
Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
"Who is your prophet?" she asked.
"We don't have a prophet," I replied.
"What's your Holy Book?"
"We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures," I replied.
"Oh, come on…at least tell me who is your God?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Like we have Yahweh and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?"
I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief..
According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a
religion need to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and
concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the
present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of
god.
I tried to explain to her: "You can believe in one god and he can be a
Hindu. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a
Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can
be a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu."
This sounded very crazy to her.
She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for
thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.
"I don't understand…but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?"
What can I tell to this American girl?
I said: "I do not go to temple regularly. I do not make any regular
rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I
still enjoy doing it sometimes."
"Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?"
"God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any
compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly."
She thought for a while and then asked: "Have you ever thought of
converting to any other religion?"
"Why should I? Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in
Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without
conditioning… I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice." I told
her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no institution or authority.
"So, you don't believe in God?" she wanted everything in black and white.
"I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this
universe."
"Why can't you believe in one personal God?"
"We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or
notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling
us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers,
demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him." I told her that such notions are just
fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that
generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions.
"Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray.. What is your prayer then?"
"Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,"
"Funny," she laughed, "What does it mean?"
"May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace."
"Hmm…very interesting. I want to learn more about this religion. It is
so democratic, broad-minded and free…" she exclaimed.
"The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that."
"How does anybody convert to Hinduism?"
"Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organization either to accept it or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism." I told her - if you look for meaning in life, don't look for it in religions; don't go from one cult to another or from one guru to the next.
For a real seeker, I told her, Bible itself gives guidelines when it says "Kingdom of God is within you." I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real.
'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here
everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is
present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things
as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is
based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas. It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.
Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws
and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a
section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to
make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word
"Hindu" and considered it as a religion.
I said: "Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception…"
I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - "Ahimsa
Paramo Dharma" - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu
because it doesn't conditions my mind with any faith system.
Am I a Hindu?
Four years ago, I was flying from JFK NY Airport to SFO to attend a
meeting at Monterey, CA.
An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat.
It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours!
I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible - unusual of
young Americans! (Later I came to know that September 11 has changed mind-set of lot of US citizens. They suddenly turned religious, it seemed..)
After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk. I told
her that I am from India.
Then suddenly the girl asked: "What's your faith?"
"What?" I didn't understand the question.
"I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?"
"No!" I replied, "I am neither Christian nor Muslim".
Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that.
"Then who are you…?"
"I am a Hindu", I said.
She looked at me as if she is seeing a caged animal.
She could not understand what I was talking about.
A common man in Europe or US know about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today.
But a Hindu, what?
I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother.
Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
"Who is your prophet?" she asked.
"We don't have a prophet," I replied.
"What's your Holy Book?"
"We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures," I replied.
"Oh, come on…at least tell me who is your God?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Like we have Yahweh and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?"
I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief..
According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a
religion need to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and
concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the
present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of
god.
I tried to explain to her: "You can believe in one god and he can be a
Hindu. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a
Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can
be a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu."
This sounded very crazy to her.
She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for
thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.
"I don't understand…but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?"
What can I tell to this American girl?
I said: "I do not go to temple regularly. I do not make any regular
rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I
still enjoy doing it sometimes."
"Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?"
"God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any
compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly."
She thought for a while and then asked: "Have you ever thought of
converting to any other religion?"
"Why should I? Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in
Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without
conditioning… I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice." I told
her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no institution or authority.
"So, you don't believe in God?" she wanted everything in black and white.
"I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this
universe."
"Why can't you believe in one personal God?"
"We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or
notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling
us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers,
demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him." I told her that such notions are just
fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that
generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions.
"Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray.. What is your prayer then?"
"Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,"
"Funny," she laughed, "What does it mean?"
"May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace."
"Hmm…very interesting. I want to learn more about this religion. It is
so democratic, broad-minded and free…" she exclaimed.
"The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that."
"How does anybody convert to Hinduism?"
"Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organization either to accept it or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism." I told her - if you look for meaning in life, don't look for it in religions; don't go from one cult to another or from one guru to the next.
For a real seeker, I told her, Bible itself gives guidelines when it says "Kingdom of God is within you." I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real.
'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here
everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is
present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things
as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is
based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas. It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.
Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws
and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a
section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to
make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word
"Hindu" and considered it as a religion.
I said: "Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception…"
I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - "Ahimsa
Paramo Dharma" - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu
because it doesn't conditions my mind with any faith system.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Timepass timetravel
Yesterday Pradeep showed me a book that was real cool. It was on "infinity" the holy grail of maths ..and somehow we got reading it and came to a part on Godels Proof of incompleteness of the scientific knowledge. Although frankly I could not get far on the "I am a liar" statement…We got discussing on the fact that weather time travel is possible theoretically.
What is the paradox involved?
Suppose I go to the future and see the events and then come back and alter the present. What would happen to concept of free will then? Or lets say I go back to the past and kill my father.. will I exist then?
I feel that such paradox can be avoided if we take into account "information storage" mechanism. Lets say brain..or it can be any arrangement of molecules..say a beta tape, an audio tape or cd.
Now when we take the "memory" through time…we inexplicably alter it instantaneously . For example say memory(it could be a person ..or a camera). Starts at 8 Pm from space location A . It has travel through the red line to B (B is future….say 8Pm tomo). In all the travel it has gained information..ie the state of memory has changed in one direction.
Now when it comes back to today (ie A) at 8 pm, it has theoretically two states ..
- Without information ie..befor it left
- With information ie. After it has come back
Such dual states are the true nature of paradox.
We discussed two ways of avoiding the paradox
One(which I suggested) was that upon coming back(the green line) the memeory devices "undoes" what it has learnt as it is traveling thru negative time gradient. Hence it returns to the same state it was ..so there is no duality . Essentially it's the same as goin to loot a bank and losing the money on the way …u return home in the same state that you were..none richer or poorer.
Second(Which pradeep suggested) was that on return path the "memory" gains more and need not necessarily go to the same spot ie. A but to a parallel spot A'(shown by a straight green line) which may be spacetime removed. Much like robbing a bank and making it to page 3.
Which actually means that there are "slots" existing in our part of universe for parallel happenings. Maybe that's what is meant by "Probability" the fact that a thing doesn't happen only means probability is low ..it can happen. Maybe such parallel slots are those spaces where those events can happen.
Come to think of it ..there are points of control systems where there is an equal chance of the sysyetm swinging either way. Why does it swing one way preferentially can only be attributed to chance.I feel in another parallel slot (ie A'B') the other "Swing" happens.
Series of my drawings
My old Jeans
Made with color pencils
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)