Nirmal Baba-Kripa Kaise ayegi??

One lazy afternoon, I was watching television and surfing through various channels and suddenly I saw a certain Nirmal baba show. It is telecasted in the afternoon between 2-4 pm and I think the target audience is the housewives who can watch the show after they are done with their household chores. Although I had seen it before, but I just changed the channel when the show was being telecasted as I have always tried to debunk the notion of self proclaimed God-men claiming to solve the problems of humankind through their ability to act as an interface between the commons and the super-soul.
Recently, many cases were filed against him accusing him of being a charlatan who deceives people in the name of faith.

Nirmal baba charges a fee of INR 5 thousand for attending the ‘samagam’ which is a gathering of his devotees presided over by baba himself. The modus-operandi of Nirmal baba is simple and based on the elementary concept of probability .If 100 people go to him with a wish that has a negligible chance of being fulfilled and by chance, the wishes of 5 people are fulfilled, then they will tell another 100 people and those whose wish is not granted keep quiet and accept it as their destiny. They don’t go on complaining that their wishes are not granted. The success of Nirmal baba is a result of strategic of word of mouth publicity. This chain continues and the edited versions of the meetings are telecasted on various channels in which people mostly praise Nirmal baba and thank him for ‘fulfilling’ their wishes.Obviously,there would be people who pay again to visit a ‘samagam’ whose wishes are not granted but as mentioned earlier,the footage shown in the show is an edited version showing the people thanking baba for making their wishes come true.

When I saw it for the first time,I was astounded that people were actually paying 4-5thousand rupees for attending the meetings with baba.The solutions prescribed by baba are also ludicrous.When a devotee comes and tells baba about the problem he faces,baba offers simplistic and absurd solutions like eating noodles, buying a black purse, buying a new pair of slippers or clichéd ones like visiting a religious place nearby the location of the devotee or donating more in the donation boxes of the temples.People are attracted by these simplistic solutions because we Indians, being superstitious people try all sorts of occultisms to please gods to grant our wishes.These occultist practices are complex in nature and when they fail us,we are dejected. Then arrives a spiritualist who claims to solve problems of mankind by offering such simplistic solutions. People seeking solutions are immediately attracted towards him however farcical he may seem.

Despite the aforementioned facts I still don’t think that he must be prosecuted or his shows must be stopped.I have an ambivalent stand on Nirmal Baba.You might wonder that after lampooning him in a derisive tone throughout this article how can I take such a stand?
This happened on the same lazy afternoon I tuned in to the show some days back. It is not that some miracle happened with the blessings of nirmal baba and I started praising him. Actually I do need some miracles in my otherwise monotonous life but that is a different case and I hope Nirmal baba will take suo moto notice of that. :)

So, that day a lady was crying and thanking nirmal baba with tears in her eyes for the wish he had granted her and there were some others who followed suite and most of them were very emotional while thanking him.It appeared that they were grateful to baba from the core of their hearts.This scene moved me.I thought that if they are willing to shell out some money and they find solace in Nirmal baba then buying peace for 5000 rupees is certainly a takeaway deal if we see it in business parlance. And why does a person works hard to earn money in the first place? It is just to buy peace and security. If he gets it through Nirmal baba,it is a win-win situation for baba and his followers alike.Then it struck me that who are we to challenge faith? It is the power of faith that invigorates divinity in an object or a person and accrues a status worth worshipping to it. It is the faith and faith only which makes an icon worthy of our reverence.If the suffering of some people are ending because of eating a pizza without sauce,then who are we to judge it? It is a matter of personal faith.But at the same time we must also be wise and judicious about trusting such people who may exploit our faith for their own narrow benefits because the same god in whom we instate our faiths has also given us the ability to think rationally and act in accordance with the innate wisdom.

I would like to conclude by citing a reference from Bhagavad gita Ch 9 v.23 in which states that Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship the super soul(Krishn in that case). So let us not argue about how or to whom we pray.What matters is that we must internalize the fact that our prayers are reaching wherever we intend them to reach irrespective of the path we take.This is also the essence of ‘Secularism’ which is one of the most prostituted word in the current socio-political situation of India.
“Ekam Sat,Vipra Bahudha Vadanti”
Truth is one but the wise interpret in different ways.

May the force be with you
I hope Krupa reaches you without having the Samosa :)

Newspaper reading

Heaveno,

One Sunday morning, I picked up the newspaper and as I had no other plans for the next two hours, I decided to devote this time to it and suddenly it dawned on me that I should utilize the 4-5 rupees which I invest on it thoroughly and I started reading each and every inch of the newspaper. But I was soon exasperated by the monotonous political articles by intelligentsia criticizing the government or the opposition or demonstrating their prowess as the great psephologists. After all the match fixing controversies came to light, I started to gradually lose interest in cricket (the only sport I followed) and so the sports page was also out of question. I had serious doubts about my economics and business acumen and so the business page got a mere glance from me. Then I  glanced through the entertainment page and felt ridiculous when I read the news of a potboiler hindi film setting precedents in terms of earnings. The world is too big to be understood so the international news page was turned over within no time as I was least interested that day to find out which bill was passed by the Chinese legislators. Then, there were two pages dedicated to the news from the city and nearby areas which had the same morbid news scattered over these pages about robberies, thefts, sexual assaults and homicides. I skipped those pages and I was back on the front page (I read the newspaper from behind).So the whole newspaper fiasco ended with me reading nothing substantial (as if there was something substantial for me to read!).

I put the newspaper on the table and lazed on the chair. The tranquil morning breeze felt great so I decided to close my eyes in order to savour the serenity in the atmosphere. After all, the best things in life are for free.

I somehow felt the frivolity of the newspaper reading exercise and something within me said why should I care when 20 people died in a bus crash  near Mumbai or a bomb explosion killed 200 people in Baghdad? Then suddenly I went into a pensive mood and I thought ‘has death became just a statistic for us? What about their near and dear ones whose families were destroyed. There are mortality statistics but are there any mathematical models to measure the emotional trauma that the families of the deceased go through? Why is it that we don’t care anymore? Is it because we have matured spiritually and imbibed the lessons of Bhagwad Gita that the soul is indestructible and the body is like a piece of clothing and the soul abandons the old clothes and takes up new ones?’

I don’t think we have matured. Death, like yesterday, is today too the greatest bogeyman of which everyone is afraid . It is the only eternal truth in the universe and still we run away from it and some of us are so scared of death that this fear translates into psychological problems caused by continuously drowning the mind in morbid thoughts.

Then what is it that has made us so accustomed to death of fellow beings that we treat such losses of precious human lives as mere statistics? It is because we have grown accustomed to all the violence, riots and murders that it has become a part of our lives  and we don’t feel deeply sad about it anymore. At most we utter a painful sounding Ohh!! And then we move on.

Accidents may not be averted all the time but at least we can strive for a world where no man kills another fellow being and which is more peaceful than the previous day. One must not take away from a fellow human, the chance of accomplishing his task in this world for which he was sent for, by murdering him.Lord Mahavira,the epitome of non violence wanted to lead a renounced life from a long time but at the same time didn't want to cause an emotional trauma to his parents.So he left his house to be a monk only after their death.This is the highest form of non violence.This sounds utopian but is implementable if we decide to practice non violence at an individual level.All that we can practically achieve is to be a little more tolerant and modest. Let us leave a more peaceful world for our future generation where there are less reasons to cry and more excuses to smile. And next time when we see any more ‘statistics’ lets spare a second to pray for the departed souls...

May the force be with you...

Booze Party-Patiala Peg laga ke ;)

Heaveno...

As I was just going through the previous posts ,I realised that it has been a complete SEASON since I last updated this blog.I wrote the last post shivering in the chilling winters and now it's swelteringly hot.I had thoughts in my mind but due to indolence and negligence it has been a long time.Moreover,I was unable to find a good topic to write about and when I genuinely started looking for it, there was a plethora of things to write about.They are scattered everywhere right from a short conversation with someone to a folklore or a petty street quarrel.I just realised that it's all a matter of perspective.The world appears as we want to see it.This reminds me of an old hindi proverb perhaps by Tulsidas which translates to-

"One perceives God according to the emotions/feelings/thoughts he cultivates"

and there is a funny one too:

"Everything Is Yellow To The Jaundiced Eye"


Anyways ,a lot has changed since then.I have finally reached the final year of my undergraduate course after passing a horrendously difficult semester (matter of perspective) and now there is an apprehension about what next?(Reminds me of the song koi na jane apna future kya hoga...).But its just a part of life.Some of my friends have completed their undergraduate courses and are now feeling emotionally robbed all of a sudden as they have to part with their friends and colleagues who helped them sail through four 'wonderful' years of college life.While parting,everyone is promising the other that they'll keep in touch with each other,come what may, but deep inside,they know that it will be nothing more than an occasional 'Hi How are you?' and 'Happy Birthday' on Facebook.Facebook is flooded with emotional status updates.Someone is missing 'samosas' of canteen while other is missing 'Samosa-wala' and 'Chaiwala'  not to forget the pictures from farewell parties with never seen before gorgeous ladies clad in saris and traditional dresses. J

Then there are the much awaited Booze parties in Boys hostels(Girls are matching steps with boys nowadays. The writer has not witnessed such happenings in Girls Hostels due to restricted entry but has come to know from trusted sources that they do happen J).Anyways, I being a simple easygoing fellow,tend to avoid all controversy. Women have all the right to eat or drink whatever they want and is legal and this is not at all a male chauvinistic post.I don't want petulant National commission for women activists protesting in front of my house.The booze parties are an arena for catharsis.People get high and then release all of their emotional burden and then you realise that inside every Iron Man,there is a Devdas hidden somewhere.

Ravi organized a booze party at his house with his friends after their respective colleges were over. His family members were out of town and hence the choice of the venue was obvious. It was 10.pm and the streets were slowly turning deserted and slumber was slowly creeping up with night.People were planning to take rest for the night to recharge themselves to face the challenges that the upcoming day had in store for them. Ravi was eagerly waiting for his 3 school friends who were arriving at his house that night for a small reunion.Then he heard the much anticipated doorbell and there they were on the door: Bijoy,Venu and Akhil and with them,were the 'show-stoppers' (booze) in a small bag.After some informal greetings were exchanged,the paraphernalia was set up on the carpet in the drawing room.Cigarette packets,two bottles of whiskey and Vodka  each were placed in the centre with a bottle of Thumbs up for Akhil who was a teetotaller.The great thing about the other three was that they never coaxed Akhil  to take alcohol.It was totally subject to his wish and self control.

Soon pegs after pegs started vanishing and Ravi,Bijoy and Venu were totally intoxicated and then the fun began. Bijoy had a good job but had a turbulent love life.He was stressed after a recent breakup and Venu had a good romantic life but he was highly dissatisfied with his job as he felt he was underpaid. Around 1 a.m. all the booze was over and then began the catharsis....
Venu:  "Bros!! I sometimes shudder to contemplate the situation after 10 years.I think i'll be left behind and you guys will move far ahead in your career.This will eventually end up our long cherished friendship and we will lose touch. Bhai bhool mat jana ".After that he started crying badly.The other two friends consoled him.

Bijoy:" Why did you ever let a thought like this come to your mind.?We will always be friends like this ,come what may..."
After that,Ravi hugged him and they started singing 'Ye Dostiii Hummm Nahiiii Toooodenge,,,,'
Then came Bijoy's turn. He was distressed by his broken relationship.

Bijoy:"Yar she left me without any sound reason.Just called and said that we cant take it any further and just like that it all shattered into pieces.All the moments spent together.She forgot everything..How can she...??

This continued for about half an hour and then Bijoy felt nausea and after some time he threw up.After that,he felt a bit relaxed and the other three friends escorted him to the bedroom.He hugged his friends and said "Tell Her that I still love her...Don't let her forget me" and then he fell asleep.After some time they all slept."
There is nothing intriguing or romantic about this story as it is no College romance oriented Chic-lit. It is the story of how we suppress our feelings and then they subconsciously demand a stimulus from the body to come out,which in many cases is alcohol.Also there is a need for some 'Real Friends' who are palpable and tangible to provide comfort in times of distress.

Everyday millions of us seek solace in alcohol just because it gives them the audacity to express their inhibited feelings.Why do we need external stimulants like alcohol just for a catharsis or solace in times of mental agony.The above incident appears funny to sober ones and even the characters of the story would find it funny when they are not under the influence of alcohol.

Why don't we just express ourselves?Is it the fear of rejection or we just wait for the other to say it.If you have a problem,discuss with your friends and family.Its just a matter of words.If you feel something just express it.Inhibited feelings slowly make us hollow from inside and when we feel completely empty and devastated,we seek refuge in alcohol and other intoxicants.Feel it...Say it ..Life is too short to regret over petty issues.

And as we all know Cigarette smoking and Alcohol consumption are injurious to health....


Stay Happy..
May the force be with you J

"Lesson from Shashi Kapoor" :D

Heaveno!!

I am writing a post after a long period and by now I think that “I am Lazy” kind of jocular starts to a post are no more amusing to the reader. Anyways, If you have read any of my earlier posts, you will be surely acquainted with the ‘authenticity’ of these beginnings. I have accepted my laziness  as an inherent part of my personality and apart from missing a few morning classes(boring),it hasn’t  cost me much and by God’s grace ,everything seems to be running smoothly. I have, in this period, discovered a name for this kind of laziness-“Writer’s Block” is what they call it. Sounds Good!! It’s the same feeling of greatness you get if your arm is paining and someone tells you that you’ve got ‘Tennis Elbow’.  Now  that’s what you call a disease! Cough, Cold and fever are pedestrian diseases. J

After the faith series, I was looking for something to write but I couldn’t find a topic that appealed me and so this blog went to a dormant phase and also there is always an element of indolence involved.

 I have always believed that if you want to say something from your heart(and want people to listen to it),you must be honest in your purpose .It is not always necessary that everything you express must be RIGHT in everyone’s perspective, but it is of paramount importance that you should not be even remotely dubious about the righteousness of your purpose. Say whatever YOU feel is right. Rhetorical works may fetch you the audience but not satisfaction. This leads to the clarity in thoughts and eventually reflects what you desire to express ,effortlessly.

While reading my past posts, I have often thought  that  they might appear to be preachy and when there is everything going wrong in the society(ranging from corruption to heinous crimes against women),I am writing about faith and virtues. When I reversed my self-critic mode, I thought that there are other people and media doing exceptionally well to combat these perils, why not take out a single moment  for ourselves and focus on the nuances of life on which we hardly pay any attention.This may appear to be selfish on superficial level but if you delve deeper(with your oxygen masks ofcourse!!),you will realize that when you focus on yourself, your  inner being, your spiritual being, then you are in a way practicing spiritual Kaizen. And when you improve yourself, you are in turn,improving the whole Zoo(Man is a social animal).Comprehending why the word ‘Zoo’ is used in place of a ‘forest’ is left to the reader.

The topic I wanted to write about today is Hypocrisy. It is inherently embedded in our characters. As an old proverb goes-“Practice what you preach”. The bitter truth is that we hardly do!!Here it is not implied that we are morally corrupt by nature but what I intend to say that we subconsciously act in a way that is defined as hypocrisy in most of the standard dictionaries. We have double standards. We measure our actions and that of others on different scales. For instance everyone in protests against the Delhi Rape case was not  reverent to women or everyone in protests against corruption was not honest.

I want to relate an allegory in this context:

Rajiv was a general manager in a reputed organization in Mumbai. He was an Amitabh Bachchan aficionado. His favourite movie was ‘Deewar’(The same movie which contains the epic dialogue-“Mere paas Maa hai”) and it is the biggest irony in this story. One day, Mohit, his college friend visited his house. Mohit  lived in Calcutta and had his own business.  Busy  in their professions, they rarely met but  kept in touch by means of telephone and internet. Mohit  was on a business trip to Mumbai so he decided to pay a visit to his old friend.

Rajiv: ” Brother! It’s great to see you after such a long time. You look the same apart from your hairstyle   ”

Mohit: ” Its great to see you too and change is good isn’t it?”

Rajiv: “In your case change is great brother!! Your previous hairstyle was awful”

Both  burst  into a chortle.

After exchanging niceties both of them sat down and started talking about their good old days and the atmosphere in the house turned nostalgic. They talked for a long time until they started to feel unbearably hungry. They ordered their all time favourite dish from a restaurant and ate gluttonously.

 Mohit started to leave after dinner but Rajiv requested him to stay for the night, to which he first refused  as he had planned to complete some pending tasks but then agreed reluctantly because he too didn’t want to leave.

As both of them were engaged in stock trading,Rajiv switched on the television for Stock updates. Mohit  too, was paying attention. When the bulletin was over,Rajiv started flipping  channels and somehow remote batteries wore out at Zee Cinema. Deewar was being telecasted and even if the remote worked, nothing could have changed the channel as it was Rajiv’s favourite film. Mohit  too started watching.

There was a scene in which Shashi Kapoor’s character  goes for an interview for a job  and is almost selected for the position. But ,in the midst of the ongoing interview, the interviewer receives a call from his boss who asks him to recruit one of his relatives for a job. Shashi Kapoor’s character is politely refused the job. He walks out and dejectedly asks a fellow job seeker waiting for his turn “I have the necessary competency, degrees ,skills  and certificates but no recommendation by a person in power.Do you have one?”

Boy replies” no”

Shashi: “Then you are wasting your time here. There is no job for people like us here”

As already mentioned, Rajiv  loves this movie and unsurprisingly  he was moved by this scene. He passionately said” I hate this practice of nepotism. It  deprives the deserving  ones  of  the opportunities  to succeed. It  is like murdering their hard work and perseverance. ”

Mohit silently nodded.

After sometime the television was switched off and they chatted till late night and then went to sleep. Both of them had to leave early for their official commitments.

In the morning,while getting ready to leave, Rajiv had a phone call. He had a long conversation on phone and then took down a number. When  he hung up the phone, Mohit asked him about the call.

Rajiv” It was my uncle’s call. His son is appearing for an interview in my company today and one of my colleagues  is in the interview panel. I’ll make sure he gets selected. After all, he’s like my younger brother!!”

Shashi Kapoor’s image holding a folder containing his degrees  and certificates crept up in Mohit’s mind.His face had an inscrutable smile as they moved out of the house.

Faith(Part 5)-Mexican Cuisine(conclusion)

Heaveno!!

By now, most of you must have realised that I am a very lethargic person.It has been more than a month since my last post.(again!!!).I would appreciate if you bear with me.Suggestions to get rid of this undesired habit are welcome.I am all ears(in case you call or tell me directly) and eyes,if you plan to text or mail me.And of course,most of you will be too lazy(like me) to do either of the above.Needless to mention,there is only a remote chance that your suggestions to wake up at 5 a.m. would sound pragmatic to me.So why Bother?.I have miserably failed in this endeavour to wake up early in the morning.I hope  'late to bed and late to rise' will make me healthy wealthy and wise...JJ
Its 2nd of October today.The nation and especially the liquor shops are observing a national holiday.This post is a small tribute to the Mahatma from me.I know there are a lot of things written and said about him but  in context with this post,I have great veneration for him because of his (failed)attempts pertinent to the religious unification.I am trying to do the same through this post.Although I cannot match his level as a lazy and (not so good) to be engineer,but I would like to consider this as a humble effort from my side.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" . 

This is going to be the conclusive post in the 'Faith' series.Through this series,I have endeavoured to put forward my own views on spirituality,existence of God,creation of universe and the duality of science and spirituality to which many of our '(pseudo)scientific' friends were oblivious.In the last post, I related an incident which enabled me to understand the true nature of 'Faith'.It taught me to respect other's faith and beliefs.This does not mean that you have to abandon your own set of beliefs and adopt that of the others.It simply means that you must not attempt to prove that your system of faith is inferior to mine.This is the root cause of all the chaos,violence and hatred in the name of God or religion in the world.When the feeling of universal acceptance and tolerance pervades the world,it is led to being a peaceful place where everyone dwells in harmony.The age old concept of "Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam" must be the mantra for making the world a better place to live in.

When we talk of faith,our mind inadvertently jumps to a word called 'religion'.In the world,we have seen innumerable riots,manslaughters and disputes in the name of religion.Adhering to the rudiments,the basic definition of religion is -'A particular system of Faith or worship'.Now the question arises that why do people have to fight when somewhere in our hearts,we all are aware about the oneness of God.As I have stated in earlier posts, faith holds the ultimate significance.Religion is nothing but a set of beliefs which are supposed to be a torchlight in the dark path to reach God.What we don't understand is that paths may be different but the' Destination' is the same.By this analogy, we all,irrespective of our set of beliefs are like  fellow passengers on the journey to the same destination.For God seeking men,the ultimate destination is the eternal,immortal and all pervading Supersoul (Paramatman).

When we recognise that all of us are embarked on different ships headed towards the same destination then what is the point to fight even before the start of the journey that my ship will reach faster,yours won't.This is nothing but sheer ignorance.Then, the fight to prove the might of one's ship over the other reaches to such a level that we get so engrossed in it that we forget the fact that we have not yet begun our journey.The ships keep on waiting at the port but the people who were supposed to travel on it spend whole of their lives arguing and quarrelling to prove their superiority over the other.Time passes on ,the ship still waits for them but they are unperturbed,incessantly quarrelling.Then one day the inevitable death comes and the quarrel ends on the port itself..Their clique argues that they spent their lives fighting for their faith.What they don't realise is that the journey never began.What is the point to fight over the path when you don't reach the destination??
Then ,there were the enlightened ones who had only the destination in mind.They had FAITH that their ship will sooner or later take them to their destination.They didn't argue with the passengers on other ships.Their ships finally left the port,sailed and one day reached the destination.They must be relishing the nectar of infinite spiritual energy as they are now one with the source of energy itself..

The other problem which is an off shoot of the "Mine is Better" thinking is Non tolerance.If we look back in time,the Indian culture flourished because it is principally based on universal acceptance and tolerance.Tolerance is a very misunderstood concept.It doesn't imply that if someone insults you or your faith,you TOLERATE it quietly.This is cowardice.Tolerance simply means respecting other's faith.One should not try to demean or denigrate faith of the other.It is like sharing your hostel room with a fellow student.both must accept each other the way they are.The problem arises when we try to 'customize' the other person according to us.We should accept the people the way they are.It is the little differences that make us unique.The world would be too Boring if SAME people are all around.So we must respect the differences and hence the individualities.This is the beauty of creation.!!!

When we try to model the people according to us,this hampers the equilibrium of individualities.By Le Chatlier's Principle of Chemical equilibrium,this results in the amplified reaction of the people whom we are trying to change according to us.These repercussions further take the form of an altercation.Most of the impervious religious fanatics often try to proselytize.They feel that their religion is the only authentic way to reach god and hence try to convince or coerce people of other faiths to convert to theirs.One may enjoy the same spiritual ecstasy after listening to a Gurubani or a Bhajan or a Sufi prayer.What people don't realise is that to enjoy a Mexican dish,one need not have a Mexican nationality.An Indian can relish Mexican delicacies without relinquishing his nationality.He acknowledges the Mexican cuisine.This is the essence of tolerance and acceptance.

If we understand these subtle things and respect the individualities we can make our world a more peaceful and spiritually elevated place to live where the beauty lies in the little differences we have...
With this I will now conclude the faith series.I hope this would be as good as the "epic conclusion to the Dark Knight legend"
We all can save our Gotham!!!!JJJJJ

Faith(Part 4)-Shedding the Impermeability(What's your Problem??)

Heaveno!!!
Its been long since I last updated the blog.Actually, I was confronting the eternal truth of creation and destruction.It is the 'truest' truth in this world that creation is a countdown to destruction.Destruction lays a  path for creation.Nothing in this unfathomable universe is imperishable.All things come with an expiry date which may or may not be explicit but expiry is a surety.This is the beauty of creation.The surety of impermanence acts as a incessant alarm, constantly reminding one about the limited time and obligation to accomplish his 'role' on the planet in this short duration.This reminds me of the famous dialogue from one of my favourite movies- Anand which goes as:
Babu moshai zindagi aur maut uparwale ke hath hai jahapana, jise na aap badal sakte hain na main. Hum sab to rangmanch ki kathputliyan hain jiski dor us upar wale ke haathon main hai ..kab, kaun ,kahan,kaise uthega ye koi nahin bata sakta....

Let me assure you this is NOT a melancholic article which gives you an overdose of malady,which most of us have in plenty.I was just explaining the reason for my absence(in a philosophically fancy manner) which some of you may bother to ask.
Actually my laptop, which was about 5-6 years old finally took its last breath and with it my data is also presumably gone on a roadtrip to heaven(from where,we know that nobody returns).The last paragraph was my humble obituary to my old electronic companion.You can always derive inspiration from the things around you.J
As a famous saying goes-"The Show must go On".I truly abide by it and subsequently I bought a new laptop.The period since my last post has been very eventful.We witnessed Mr.Rajesh Khanna and Mr.Dara Singh pass away,yet another Anna Andolan and many other events which were significant(at least for India TV!!).So here I am!!(More excited than Ek tha Tiger fans).So with a new laptop,new college session(with a new bag) and a new zeal-Chaliye hum aur aap khelte hain Kaun Banega Crorepati.....@#$#$### JJJJ

In this post,as I promised in the earlier post,I am going to relate an incident which taught me the true meaning of faith and this enabled me to get insights into the realms of the controversial and ostensibly significant concept of religion.
One of my very good friends is an ardent devotee of Sathya Sai Baba.He was my classmate right from the kindergarten section to high school.We had many altercations on this issue which often culminated into 'don't talk to me' situations but somehow we have managed to keep our Friend'ship' sailing.Afterall,debate is one of the principal pillars of democracy.I thought of myself as an  intellectual(Empty vessels sound much) and always tried to bully his views, arguing that you cannot consider a living person to be the creator,almighty God himself.I was not trying to display my intellect or to demean him by doing so.I just wanted that my friend should not fall prey to the so called 'godmen' ,who have devised a business model based on exploitation of people's  faith.
One fine evening,we were taking a stroll in a public garden.We were discussing about movies, college life,music,girls and similar topics when out of somewhere,the topic of God broke out.I pounced upon the opportunity to criticise him for his belief in Sathya Sai.He had lately passed away and a lot of undisclosed cash and gold was recovered from his room.I used all my knowledge gathered recently from the news channels to censure his belief in Sathya Sai and was successful to an extent because he had no immediate answer to my questions.But his face looked pale.His faith hadn't stirred a bit but his eyes reflected the unusual anger which otherwise is miles away from his ever cheerful countenance.
"Sometimes I feel too much repulsion from you",he retorted.I felt really bad for hurting the sentiments of a dear friend but still my ego was so mammoth that I again ventured him into the debate.I said something,he said something and when the tension built up further,he said "Let's leave".I wanted to spend some more time with him but he was in no mood to continue the discussion which culminated into a heated argument.Then from somewhere inside me a voice emerged "Strive to be a good listener".I asked him to stay and change the topic.He agreed,we started talking about some girl we met at a friend's place.But the girl seemed immaterial infront of the latent and forcefully subdued raging urge to resume the debate.Somehow it again started.But this time I decided to be a better listener.
He politely asked me what's my problem with him worshipping Sathya Sai??I played my own record and said "Because first of all he is a human.Secondly,he displays kiddish magic tricks to prove his divinity and thirdly because of the "black money" found in his room.These tricks were performed live on national television by a 'magician' who called himself a mere entertainer".He said it's ok with him and again posed the same intriguing question before me."What's your problem if I believe?"
I instantly replied"I don't have a problem but you are deluded.What you are thinking of as gold is actually iron pyrites".The question again came to me-"It's alright with me but What's your problem??".To this I had no reply.He continued "I believe in him as a God.You don't believe.Nobody is asking you to to believe in him.I make wishes to him and they are fulfilled.He has extricated me from the worst of situations.If I give all the credit of the inexplicable 'miracles' that happened in my life to him even if they happened by chance or luck.If I serve the needy and the poor in the name of my 'False God' and you do nothing in the name of 'True God'
apart from chanting his name then who is a better devotee to God?We hold social service programs every month and participate in community service in baba's name.What do you do Mr. Critic?If I attribute all my achievements to a 'false God' whom I consider to be a true one,What's wrong in this?Moreover how can you prove that 'your' God is true and mine is not."
I was dumbfounded.I searched for a place to hide my shame exuding face.The ageless wisdom of faith was revealed to me by a fellow classmate unknowingly.
This post is not intended to praise or glorify or otherwise hurt someone.I still don't believe in Sathya Sai as a God.But What I learnt from this incident was to respect one's faith.I am now a completely different person from the one on that day.I don't respect Sathya Sai but I have greatest of respect for the unshakable faith of my friend in him.It gives him the limitless prowess which comes in gratis with faith that someone is always there to support you in times of distress and need.As a rationalist I can only say that whenever something good happened to him or his prayers were answered(by chance/luck or his efforts),he credited it to his lord and the faith increased 'exponentially'.
This wisdom of faith and devotion is best found in the discourses of Bhagwad Gita in which Sri Krishna tells Arjun that A devotee who consecrates all his thoughts to almighty and acts in complete devotion to the lord is very dear to him.

The case is same with most of the people in this world.They squabble over petty issues like "Your God" and "My God" and waste their lives in proving one's superiority over the other.They are like exhausted and thirsty people on the bank of a pond of nectarlike water quarrelling over the shape of their pots and dying of thirst while the wise men savour the water and quench their thirst from the water which was actually colourless.
(The Colourless nectarlike water pond is a metaphor used for God's inconceivable form and the pots symbolise the religions which serve as a utility to fetch water from the divine pond.)

Faith-(Part 3) Widening the perspective

Heaveno!!!

A week before,I changed the background and layout of the blog.I hope you liked it.But looks in this case are superficial.Today I noticed an ostensible contradiction in the title and look of this blog.The background has an image of clouds in the sky and the title is 'The Caged Ornith'.I liked the image as it instantly appealed to me and so I am too obstinate to remove the image.But then,by making the use of my limited wits,I have explained myself that the background image depicts the ambition and thoughts of the 'Caged Ornith'.Most of us are 'Caged Orniths' too.We live in our world doing our professional and household chores and have a secret or dormant ambition or thought of your own perfect,blissful world abundant of material,spiritual and physical energy.Similar is the case with our 'Caged Ornith'.Living in a cage,unsure of freedom,it aspires to flutter in the sky near the clouds.Thus the title and the background don't appear contradictory anymore (at least to me).
In the last post I presented some points to support the arguments that there is a power that is unfathomable and omniscient which has created and is making the universe run smoothly.It will also in the future destroy the world(as claimed in many religions-A Judgement day kind of thing) and thus genesis will happen again.Thus,it is an unending cycle of creation and destruction.Again,we can notice the duality between creation and destruction.Some people may argue and say that "Ok! we do believe God exists and created the world.Thanks a lot!! But why do we need to pray or worship??"
The best answer to this could be-'Just to show that you are grateful to him and admire his wonderful creation.Whether you are an Engineer,Doctor or an Artist,you will agree that he is a better 'professional' than you.If you are a selfish one(Much alike me),then there are some situations which are beyond your control-Passing the exam for which you hadn't studied :) or more seriously praying for the well being of a loved one.There are numerous occasions in which you are helpless and  find yourself in the middle of nowhere.In such situation,(for most of us) God seems to be the only refuge'.Like they say,
When life knocks you on your knees,You are in a perfect position to pray.
Praying also helps to tap the infinite powers of the brain which lie dormant in the subconscious regions of the brain.The human mind has unlimited powers.Also,when you pray,it is a unilateral conversation between you and God.You speak and he listens patiently(we believe he does!).He then acts on his discretion and answers our prayers in a way which is most beneficial for us.
The Bhagwadgeeta  says-
Mind is a Terrible master but a wonderful servant.


So after one agrees to the fact that there IS god,the next obvious question he is sure to ask is-Who is he?.Well as of now,we don't know!.If you follow news channels,they are incessantly relaying programmes with titles similar to "God found" (in context to the Higgs Boson experiment).But still, it is like a first step in the journey of a thousand miles.We are still 'light years' away from the truth.For the seekers,one way to find the answer is you must transgress the worldly and bodily limits; which is not a pragmatic way(Atleast for a layman like me!).But that does not mean that there is no answer.People like us are enjoying spiritual pleasures and relishing them by making use of this approach.It is a simple yet powerful way to connect with God.The answer to the question is a word with which all of us are familiar.Faith!!!


What is faith??The best example to illustrate faith is of a child whom we slowly throw in the air but he is sure that he won't fall.There is someone who will hold him when he comes down.Thus,faith is a trust in God that he stands by you in every phase of life.You just need to acknowledge his presence.Now one may ask that why do we face sorrow,grief,misery and hardships in life?To this question I found the best answer in Quran that Life is a test for the human being.If we analyse it,it can be found out without without obscurity that God has provided man with the best tools(wit,brain,emotions and the human body as a whole) to overcome these hardships and act in the wisest way in order to 'pass the test'.But we as always tend to blame the examiner for setting up an 'impossible to pass' question paper.Like Engineering entrance exams in India,only a handful of students pass.Rest always find someone to blame.(a Bitter truth-I too found 3 people to blame)


People who know me,know that I have a habit to argue tooth and nail with my friends,relatives and acquaintances against the 'Godmen' and 'babas'.I used to look at their followers condescendingly.I have always been sceptical about these mortals claiming to be incarnations or prophets of god.Even today,My common sense doesn't allow me to believe their divinity.Though I bear great respect for some of them as a saint and preacher but I don't look upon them as the creator of the world.I love debating on such issues.I was like the empty(scantily full) vessel which makes more noise.I left no opportunity ungrabbed to debate and criticize the opposing party,who was more often a follower or a believer of a 'divine guru'.I presented scientific,religious and philosophical arguments to prove them that they were wrong.It gave me an immense satisfaction when I was successful to demean them(most of the time I was!!).

It went on until one day I realised that I was just a proud and arrogant egotist who loves to boast infront of others and the only thing which holds significance is faith.It helped me to widen my perspective of looking at people.This also helped me to understand these matters from a neutral point of view which was unbiased.

I'll relate the incident in the next post.Let me be honest, no miracle happened(In a way it did happen) and I witnessed no apparition or an image in the tree or some India TV type 'Chamatkaar'.(Not that 3 Idiots one ofcourse J).It was just a conversation followed by an argument,a part of which shook up my stubborn thoughts..........

To be continued.......