My religion is better than yours...

Disclaimer No 1 No, I don’t fear that some Muslim in my geographical or emotional vicinity is going to kill me and at the same time I don’t know of any Hindu friend who keeps on sharpening his knife so that he can cut the throat of any Muslim.
 Disclaimer No 2 As of now I don’t see the possibility of India becoming a Hindu Rashtra
  Disclaimer No 3 I am a strong believer of my faith but I don’t find other faiths any lesser.
   I have made the above disclaimers to make the grounds for what I want to communicate through this blog piece. I know that I have picked up a sensitive topic of Religion and faith with a noble intention of diluting the sensitivities associated with them. We must understand that a sensitive exterior is a result of an ignored and unattended interior.
Before I dwell into the intricacy of this issue, let’s accept the ugly reality that the two major Religions of our country Hinduism and Islam are not at complete peace with each other and people of both these communities find most of the practices of the other religion unacceptable, illogical and at times ridiculous. The prism through which we see the other religion is largely averse to the idea of adaptability and has a pre-conditioned reflection and that is not helping the cause…the cause of staying together happily.
 I propose a three tier suggestive formula to minimize friction between Hindus and Muslims, let me discuss them one after the other
 My first and foremost suggestion is to bring the wrapped and concealed wounds out in open. For years Governments and social bodies have used the injections of morphine to subside the pain, unfortunately these pain killers have only killed the pain and but the injury remains as it is…may be more magnified. Lets hear out each other …with empathy and open mind, let the venom if any , on both the sides come out. Talk about your insecurities, apprehensions, fears .  Speak everything…Good, bad and ugly about both the religion and more importantly listen. ..and then settle down for a minimum common programme..
 It’s likely that both the sides  will have to make major adjustments in their practices and traditions but for once and all.  if need be sign contracts and treaties of dos and don’ts, document everything that is acceptable to both sides…convince each other by stating the scientific and rational logic behind the traditions…and even in the absence of rational arguments the traditions can be justified on pragmatic grounds. Let us attempt to create an atmosphere of trust and get rid of the rhetorics of 'My Religion or my God is better than yours'
 My second suggestion is to indulge and participate. If we have to coexist we must be aware of each other. We might have to ignore what has been taught to us by our elders. We must put an end to the practice of discrimination. Join each other in celebrations of festivals.
I might sound little outrageous but lets envisage an India that can see Hindus going to a Mosque and Muslims coming to temples, Hindus offering Namaz and Muslims reciting Hanuman Chalisa, Hindus wearing green and Muslims sporting Saffron, Hindus learning Urdu and Muslims learning Sanskrit and last but not the least Hindus saying
As-salamu alaykum and Muslims saying Ram Ram…
We like what we know and we hate what we don’t…lets know each other…and we shall dispense our hate.
 And finally….lets not become puppets in the hands of politics and Media. Trust me our Media and Politicians are hands in gloves and it is in their business interest that people fight. Every killing that happens in the name of religion is a business opportunity for politicians and Media.
Please try to understand that one killing of Akhlaq kept media TRPs high for almost 2 weeks and all kind of politicians played on the psyche of people…It may sound little preposterous but it is possible that some politicians in Bihar might be thanking their stars after the killing of Akhlaq as it could brighten their chance of winning elections. We need to learn to IGNORE the fringe elements  on both sides as well as they too need hate to establish themselves.
 We as people of India must consider that Nation is above religion and Humanity is above Nation.
 Let good sense prevail first…..making it inevitable for the peace will follow
  

Country Roads...Take me home...

India’s tolerance according to some has reached its boiling point and its heat has woken up the hitherto sleeping conscience of intellectuals, elite and….the opportunists. They are complaining because according to them silent waters have suddenly become troubled waters as the erstwhile veiled bigotry has now turned into a inferno that has set the Nation on fire…and it’s working towards the seizing of growth engine.

Every day we see some significant and more insignificant people giving equally insignificant statements regarding insecurities in India, and the TRP savvy media laps it up like a hungry dog. I wonder, if an alien (certainly not PK) descends on India and gets to see some News Channels he would imagine that in this country everyone is James Bond…with a license to kill. He will never  picture Hindus and Muslims as two communities that have co-existed despite riots and demolitions of religious places for more than 700 years, but he will hypothesize them as two mobs sporting saffron and green colors killing each other in every locality over beef….or over few spots of colourful Gulal. He might contemplate that every restaurant of this country has a bouncer sporting a Tilak and a Talvar monitoring who is eating what. He will think that there are tatoo experts who specialise in inking on the face.

Through this blog I don’t want to take a stand on tolerance or intolerance, instead I would want to state my fear that an artificial atmosphere of fear is being created and that’s too dangerous a situation for our country. I fear that all those who are crying ‘intolerance’ are feeling extremely unsafe and frightened and so much so that they are going overboard to warn the members of their community about their worst fears.

I believe that living under fear seizes your thinking capacity; I also believe that Tagore advocated living at a place where the mind is without fear. All those who say or mean that ‘India is no more a safe country’ deserve to live at a place which is better than India….more safe, more tolerant and more secular, but these poor things must be finding it tough to find one such place in the world. America has been attacked, Europe is experiencing a war like situation, atmosphere in Middle East may not be conducive to their outrageous lifestyles  and I can’t trust Pakistan with people we love so much. So how do we create a safe haven for them?

I suggest that the Government of India takes out a piece of land for the ‘Intolerants’ and name it as ISIS… well, don’t get me wrong, it’s just an acronym for Independent state for Intolerant society. This country can have a Vatican City type of sovereignty where a constitution that suits the residents can be written by the citizens themselves (after all there are so many writers who would be proud citizens of this new country)

Geographically speaking the piece of land most suitable for this kind of arrangement can only come out of Bihar. The recently concluded elections in Bihar have shown that the Government of Bihar has full support of these tortured people and vice versa. This new country ISIS will have these constitutional premises:

10 commandments of ISIS

1. The Indian Government will have no control over the ISIS
2. People visiting ISIS will have to get a visa but the residents of ISIS can roam around freely in India.
3. Saffron will be banned…as in spice and colour.
4. Residents will be allowed to live with their families, one at a time if you have too many
5. Residents of ISIS may not have the requisite experience of governing, so we can have ex-officio Chief Ministers by rotation, leader nominated for this post are Arvind Kejriwal, Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad or anyone who fits the requirement…crime or corruption is not a criterion…tolerance is
6. A certificate of Tolerance is must for every citizen, which will be given if you have a) Returned an award b) Have spoken against the growing intolerance on TV c) Have critisised Modi through social media…without a reason
7. All English News Channels will have their headquarters in ISIS…Barkha, Rajdeep and Sagarika and few others will be given palatial bunglows in the capital
8. Narendra Modi will not be allowed to visist this Nation ever….even if no country is left for him to visit
9. Even Rahul Gandhi will not be allowed as he only augments Narendra Modi's image wherever he goes
10. The ISIS will remain into being till the time BJP rules in centre…after which it will automatically cease to exist.

I hope this nation cannot do a better service to this ‘Intolerant’ lot, whom we love(d) so much.

My religion is better than yours...

Disclaimer No 1 No, I don’t fear that some Muslim in my geographical or emotional vicinity is going to kill me and at the same time I don’t know of any Hindu friend who keeps on sharpening his knife so that he can cut the throat of any Muslim.

Disclaimer No 2 As of now I don’t see the possibility of India becoming a Hindu Rashtra

Disclaimer No 3 I am a strong believer of my faith but I don’t find other faiths any lesser.

I have made the above disclaimers to make the grounds for what I want to communicate through this blog piece. I know that I have picked up a sensitive topic of Religion and faith with a noble intention of diluting the sensitivities associated with them. We must understand that a sensitive exterior is a result of an ignored and unattended interior.

Before I dwell into the intricacy of this issue, let’s accept the ugly reality that the two major Religions of our country Hinduism and Islam are not at complete peace with each other and people of both these communities find most of the practices of the other religion unacceptable, illogical and at times ridiculous. The prism through which we see the other religion is largely averse to the idea of adaptability and has a pre-conditioned reflection and that is not helping the cause…the cause of staying together happily.

I propose a three tier suggestive formula to minimize friction between Hindus and Muslims, let me discuss them one after the other

My first and foremost suggestion is to bring the wrapped and concealed wounds out in open. For years Governments and social bodies have used the injections of morphine to subside the pain, unfortunately these pain killers have only killed the pain and but the injury remains as it is…may be more magnified. Lets hear out each other …with empathy and open mind, let the venom if any , on both the sides come out. Talk about your insecurities, apprehensions, fears .  Speak everything…Good, bad and ugly about both the religion and more importantly listen. ..and then settle down for a minimum common programme..

It’s likely that both the sides  will have to make major adjustments in their practices and traditions but for once and all.  if need be sign contracts and treaties of dos and don’ts, document everything that is acceptable to both sides…convince each other by stating the scientific and rational logic behind the traditions…and even in the absence of rational arguments the traditions can be justified on pragmatic grounds. Let us attempt to create an atmosphere of trust and get rid of the rhetorics of 'My Religion or my God is better than yours'

My second suggestion is to indulge and participate. If we have to coexist we must be aware of each other. We might have to ignore what has been taught to us by our elders. We must put an end to the practice of discrimination. Join each other in celebrations of festivals.

I might sound little outrageous but lets envisage an India that can see Hindus going to a Mosque and Muslims coming to temples, Hindus offering Namaz and Muslims reciting Hanuman Chalisa, Hindus wearing green and Muslims sporting Saffron, Hindus learning Urdu and Muslims learning Sanskrit and last but not the least Hindus saying As-salamu alaykum and Muslims saying Ram Ram…
We like what we know and we hate what we don’t…lets know each other…and we shall dispense our hate.

And finally….lets not become puppets in the hands of politics and Media. Trust me our Media and Politicians are hands in gloves and it is in their business interest that people fight. Every killing that happens in the name of religion is a business opportunity for politicians and Media.
Please try to understand that one killing of Akhlaq kept media TRPs high for almost 2 weeks and all kind of politicians played on the psyche of people…It may sound little preposterous but it is possible that some politicians in Bihar might be thanking their stars after the killing of Akhlaq as it could brighten their chance of winning elections. We need to learn to IGNORE the fringe elements  on both sides as well as they too need hate to establish themselves.

We as people of India must consider that Nation is above religion and Humanity is above Nation.

Let good sense prevail first…..making it inevitable for the peace will follow
  

DEV OF ANAND

Main Zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya....The evergreen joie de vivre of  Dev Sahab has inspired and will continue to inspire millions. 26th September happens to be his birthday and on this day I have chosen to write about his zeal for life...I am not talking about Dev the actor or the director...I want to write about Dev the enigma...the forever young phenomenon of Indian Cinema. 

Thanks to my father's persistent admiration,Dev Anand became his dear friend. Dev Sahab had just about 40 contacts in his phone and my father's name did figure there. I got to talk to Dev Sahab several times over the phone...mostly on 26th September to wish him on his birthday and I just cannot forget his musical 'Hellloooo' and a very stylish 'Thank you so much...God bless you' 

I also got to meet him atleast on 4 occasions, twice at his luxurious Anand Dubbing studio, once at the Lucknow Airport and once...well ....to our most pleasant surprise...he graced our residence by paying a visit. 

'Fans from all parts of the world come to visit me in Mumbai...but I feel elated to be visiting a fan's house' Dev Sahab said...with a humble pride. 

Dev Sahab has impacted my life in many ways and the most impressionable of them is his exuberance, let me explain that…If we don’t have a possibility of a dream our reason to sleep will only be resting and if our nights don’t show us a dream to be realized, our days might become meaningless...just squandering our precious moments of life waiting for a purpose makes this life a tiring journey…our fresh morning is a result of an anxious and not a peaceful night. Dev sahab taught me to be anxious...restless and ever demanding.

The second influence of Dev Sahab’s philosophy on me was his romance…well ...more than anything else, the romance for life. When you love something,  you tend to love everything about it and just imagine what will happen if we love life …we will love everything about it…every person that it it introduces, every place that it takes us to, every moment that it makes us experience….love them all and you are bound to get it back. In his autobiography, aptly titled as ‘Romancing with Life’ Dev Sahab underlines his sorrows and disappointments too…but in such a manner that they too sound glamorous and enticing. I owe my love for life to you Dev sahab.

I also picked up from this symbol of positivity, how to handle failures. Even the greatest thinkers and philosophers and exponents of spirituality will be humbled if they get an insight of Dev Sahab’s ability to detach his past…good, bad or ugly. Dev Sahab neither regretted his failures nor he celebrated his success. He truly imbibed Bhagwad Geeta’s philosophy of  Karma and Bhagya…what we do is our Karma and what we get is our Bhagya and never the twain should be equated with each other.

And last but not the least…Dev’s youthful charm…never count your years of existence, have a regulated lifestyle,  derive your intoxication as you take sips from the alcohol called Life. Always keep on learning new things and never ever become outdated….

I can go on and on when it comes to talk about you Dev Sahab…have never felt the void eversince your mortals went away…your spirits live around me …through your philosophy more than your films…Happy Birthday

Empowering God

Right and wrong, good or bad, fair and unfair, legal or illegal…plurality of choice in life is our biggest predicament and yet, we have to take a decision. These decisions are usually guided by our approach towards this quandary which should either be adventurous or rational, but we most of the times tend to chose the third option and that is the escapist approach and that is where we involve our eternal , omnipresent and 24*7 mate  THE GOD !

Let me take an  ultra-adventurous point of view, but  before I dwell more into it, allow me give an honest disclaimer. My belief in my Gods (I love the plurality here) and my religion like any other believer is impeccable. I have a very strong relationship with My Gods and this relationship has stood the test of logic. I am glad that the model of religion that has been presented to me by my family, society and community allows the peripherals to play, mock, interfere or even construct it, in a way such vulnerability might make it weak but it strengthens the followers. I follow my religion with a skepticism that makes my insecurities vanish away.

Coming back to the point, let me ask a question to all my readers as a precursor to this discussion and that goes like this….. IS OUR GOD POWERFUL ENOUGH TO TRUST HIS FOLLOWERS? (don’t miss the oxymoron here)

I know that only those with extreme and insensible devotion or even the callous non believers would have the common answer and that is NO even though their reasons for saying so will be different. I however would proceed further by assuming that the answer to the above Question is yes.

Very few amongst the believers would disagree that GOD is a very good manager. He is managing this Universe with utmost perfection. The optimum use of resources, timings of the events managing the past, future and present, nature , vegetation , Planets and millions of living species.  You actually have to be a GOD to do this mammoth Godly stuff.  While the solace for him is the fact that all the species other than men don’t approach him to be the ‘Granting Commission’ for all kind, the worrying fact is that the ever demanding humans are growing in geometrical progression.  Going by the biological evidences, The humans are the most equipped creation of God and yet they use less of everything that they have and keep going back to him every time they are challenged by a novelty or an adversary.  And the God has to listen to  them all, and the real trouble happens when two people of set of People have contradictory demands…for example If India is playing the World Cup Final against Pakistan then 120 Crore Indians want India to win while about 20 Crore Pakistanis want Pakistan to win…Tell me what will you do if you were God….

My answer is straight…If I put myself into God’s shoes I will simply say

‘Hey Man…I have given you enough abilities and cognitive power to take your  decisions…I have empowered you to think and act…so sort it out yourself.’

 Come to think of it…he has empowered us with strong emotional, social, mental, physical and spiritual faculties and we? We keep these faculties in a closet and allow us to be swayed by biases, prejudices, preconceived notions, dogmas, mindsets and what not….and I believe that’s an insult to the giver. Are we potent enough to empower the God or it should be the other way round? Just think about it.

So if you believe in God...learn to believe in his creations and you being one of the strongest...have to

decide for yourself what is good and bad, fair or unfair, right and wrong for you…for we can’t have the same verdict for the different sets of people for facing the same or a different power. According to me …we the people are in the best position to judge a situation…religion, social beliefs and constitution can become our reference points to some extent but they cannot be definite.

Reincarnation of the Concience

Our conscience is a result of our upbringing, education and experiences. It looks reasonably fortified at the outset but its weak defense gets exposed when it comes under the attack of desires. Its vulnerability is exposed and we are stripped of our virtues in no time. 

Chapters of religious scriptures and the morality lessons from the teachers and guardians,give us our basic thought process, our parameters of good and bad, our reasons to love and hate, and the power to discriminate between right and wrong. 

Our mind sets are conditioned and are then frozen in a closet. The journey of life and the junctions of our experiential journey only reiterate our hackneyed scholastic wisdom. We claim to be forward looking people but we are most of time seeing our future wearing  the glasses of past. We welcome learning but only in the predetermined colonies of our mental township.Even though the momentum of compulsive academics sometimes tries to tread the unconventional, very soon it settles for the customary avenues, apparently they are more fertile for the monetary crops. Risks are avoided, experiments are discouraged and path breakers are condemned and as a result we continue to live in a walled society, generations after generations

Our Conscience is the most vocal shield in our system and yet in absence of any maintenance contract or absolutely no updating of anti-virus protections, it becomes an outdated and incompatible with the daily dose of life updates, still we carry with our worn out conscience…we refuse to grow. Our moralities get into the conformist mode and that is where we start writing the last chapter of our life…the living obituary. The first and the most 

Important aspect of growth is to break the existing model and make a new one to meet the new demands and this process goes on….Is it that simple? is the most inevitable question. My next novel Reincarnation of the Conscience will dwell into many such questions and will suggest answers through its characters, plot and philosophy, Infact, I as an author of this book would be happy if it makes you ask many more questions from life…so that your remaining part of life gets an assignment.

Reincarnation of the Conscience is a story about three men who decide to change the course of their life when they had no apparent reason to do so. Their path breaking efforts brings in front of them unprecedented situations, intriguing people and uncertain spheres. Still they come out winners. In the pages to follow you shall see how the challenges of change, conflicts and complacency make us review our strategy…When the future is asking us new questions, we must change our answers. 

This book will help you in revisiting your conscience to see what renovations it requires to cope up with the changed set of surroundings

Get ready for a roller coaster ride of emotions, get involved with characters and feel their joy and pain. Remember it is in their struggle, you will find your answers.

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