(Prologue: Its been my fervent desire to see if we can apply management tricks and skills to create motivation among the hoi poloi. Because I firmly believe that the problem with developing nations is not the lack of resources; its the lack of inspired and motivated populace. The following incident happened to a friend of mine who works in Kolkata. Still I will narrate the story in first person!
PS: Please don't judge. Judging is easy, doing is difficult and this is the first time in my life that I have seen this involvement and ingenuity!)
Howrdah, the main station of Kolkata, is full of people in any given time of the day. Sitting there, waiting for your train, is a torture. But when you need to do it on a regular basis, you start enjoying the menial happenings around you! I had more or less 30 minutes to wait and a young couple was siting beside me. There came a street urchin, barely five, pestering for some help. I ignored him and the girl of the young couple gave him two rupees! Then the guy started explaining to her, why she should not give alms to such urchins and the argument went on. After getting the money from the girl, the kid patted me and showed me his prize! I became a bit playful and asked him to hit me harder, if he can! And he was game. He went on hitting my palm and his tender hands became tired soon and his fist became red. Once tired, he gave up and I asked him to go and wash his hands properly (washing your strained hands in cold water does help a lot). He went and came back with his hands washed. To linger it, I asked him to wash it still cleaner. And with two more iterations, I was satisfied. I gave him a banana and took one for me. We both sat down and ate on the bench. While eating I asked him, who else are there in his family. His father had ran away long ago. He has one elder brother and a younger sister. Both the guys would beg in the platform to get some money for food. (Don't forget that he is merely five! So asking him to work and earn is out of question!!) Then I asked him how much does he make every day? It seemed he would make 20-50 rupees (~$1) a day and on that day he has made merely 7 rupees. I wanted to test one of my management pieces of knowledge. I told him that I will give him 50 rupees in return of his 7 rupees if only he does what I ask of him. He agreed and parted with his 7 rupees. I asked him to go round the platform and ask for money to each person, but only once. Not to pester anyone. If anyone denies then just leave him/her in peace. He went round and came back in 5 minutes with 20 rupees! And then he made a tour of all other platforms and he was with a total of 75 rupees! He was delighted with this new trick. Then i advised him to go to home now and take rest and then play or study! He agreed readily and left the platform with a wide smile...!!
And I was satisfied with two things. I have tested my management knowledge in field and was satisfied that it works even in a train-platform! And seeing this wide smile on the face of a five year old urchin is a satisfaction only known to those who have experienced it!
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
’tis love
‘’Tis so,’ said the Duchess: ‘and the moral of that is —“Oh, ’tis love, ’tis love, that makes the world go round!”’ ---Alice in Wonderland
Today morning I was listening to the great Quwaal Sir Nusrat Fateh-Ali-Khan singing a Mira Bhajan in Lahore! People going ecstatic listening to a song telling about love for Ram and Shyam (two of the major Hindu gods)! Without putting much of a logic, I will just say that its "love" which makes all the bonds, and which "makes the world go round"!!
And its a pity that most of us never ever get the scope or chance to experience true "love". Those who have the luxury to fall in love mostly end up falling in lust and those who don't have the luxury to fall in love keep on dreaming about it.
All religion, all philosophy, all questions, all queries lose their existence lest get dissolved when the tide of "love" comes in heart. And the love for humanity, for nation, for world or for God can only succeed the love for the beloved one!
End note (to all those who are or think are in love): May you face all the oppressions of nature and creation against your love! As Gibran states in The Prophet:
"But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. "
Today morning I was listening to the great Quwaal Sir Nusrat Fateh-Ali-Khan singing a Mira Bhajan in Lahore! People going ecstatic listening to a song telling about love for Ram and Shyam (two of the major Hindu gods)! Without putting much of a logic, I will just say that its "love" which makes all the bonds, and which "makes the world go round"!!
And its a pity that most of us never ever get the scope or chance to experience true "love". Those who have the luxury to fall in love mostly end up falling in lust and those who don't have the luxury to fall in love keep on dreaming about it.
All religion, all philosophy, all questions, all queries lose their existence lest get dissolved when the tide of "love" comes in heart. And the love for humanity, for nation, for world or for God can only succeed the love for the beloved one!
End note (to all those who are or think are in love): May you face all the oppressions of nature and creation against your love! As Gibran states in The Prophet:
"But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. "
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Gandhi Jayanti Special(!): Gandhi and Indo-Pak Relationship!
Over the years, I have gathered much respect for the Mahatma. During teens, I also hated the Mahatma and it was a fashion of the times to be a Subhas-Bose fan, which implied a hatred for the Mahatma. Things changed during the period when my mother was suffering from cancer. We were in this small shabby hotel room in Bombay waiting for the next appointment. There was not much to do and I went through a vernacular translation of Mahatma's autobiography. (PS: I still think that the English version of Gandhi's Autobiography is not the right kind to inspire people! My vernacular version inspired an instant awe and drew an immediate intimacy with the Mahatma.) Since those days, I have been a Gandhi fan (though not at the cost of losing Subhas as one of my hero!).
It was just yesterday that I was wondering what would have happened to Indo-Pak relationship, had Gandhi been alive and in power! Few years back I was listening to one of Gandhi's speeches in the immediate aftermath of separation. He could never take the separation as real and was saying: "This will all be over soon. And then we all will go to Lahore. We will have sweets and will all crack crackers!" I was wandering how he would have tackled the Kashmir problem (when the King asked for Indian help to secure his Muslim-dominant kingdom!), or the 1972 war over the formation of Bangladesh (when the Bangladeshis were fed up with Pakisthan's imposition of Urdu and when the Pakisthani General was mercilessly massacring Hindus!), or the recent Kargil conflict.
May be if he were in power, none of these would have happened in the first place. For example, be it Jinnah or Nehru, does it matter who governs the nation? Once someone is in power, he/she behaves in an almost typical pattern. Secondly, if the Kashimiris want a separate nation, in what way is their claim less important than then the claim of Bangladeshis (whom we supported)? I would rather have a good and loving neighbor than a rebel in my own home! And those who talk about national integrity, let me be very clear that "India the nation" means very little to many of the peripheral regions and to most of the tribal regions. After 60 years of independence we don't have a primary school over stretches as long as 60-80 km in North Eastern states; and it still takes an officer almost two days to go to his tribal posting from the nearest town! The central/regional government can never be excused for these lapses.
One thing is for sure. The Mahatma would have continued with his work of "village Swaraj" (real independence of the villages) and "Sarvoday" (rise of all). And may be he would have done it in all the neighboring nations (even if we were divided into 10 smaller nations). Its the cultural heritage that binds (or can bind) us together, not any political boundary or force. And of course, if he were in power we would not have fell into the trap of Lord Mountbatten and would still have had a single nation (at the cost of a delayed independence and may be a different first PM).
We have missed a complete different thought process. We have completely missed an opportunity to be developed. And I don't think we will get a second chance!!
It was just yesterday that I was wondering what would have happened to Indo-Pak relationship, had Gandhi been alive and in power! Few years back I was listening to one of Gandhi's speeches in the immediate aftermath of separation. He could never take the separation as real and was saying: "This will all be over soon. And then we all will go to Lahore. We will have sweets and will all crack crackers!" I was wandering how he would have tackled the Kashmir problem (when the King asked for Indian help to secure his Muslim-dominant kingdom!), or the 1972 war over the formation of Bangladesh (when the Bangladeshis were fed up with Pakisthan's imposition of Urdu and when the Pakisthani General was mercilessly massacring Hindus!), or the recent Kargil conflict.
May be if he were in power, none of these would have happened in the first place. For example, be it Jinnah or Nehru, does it matter who governs the nation? Once someone is in power, he/she behaves in an almost typical pattern. Secondly, if the Kashimiris want a separate nation, in what way is their claim less important than then the claim of Bangladeshis (whom we supported)? I would rather have a good and loving neighbor than a rebel in my own home! And those who talk about national integrity, let me be very clear that "India the nation" means very little to many of the peripheral regions and to most of the tribal regions. After 60 years of independence we don't have a primary school over stretches as long as 60-80 km in North Eastern states; and it still takes an officer almost two days to go to his tribal posting from the nearest town! The central/regional government can never be excused for these lapses.
One thing is for sure. The Mahatma would have continued with his work of "village Swaraj" (real independence of the villages) and "Sarvoday" (rise of all). And may be he would have done it in all the neighboring nations (even if we were divided into 10 smaller nations). Its the cultural heritage that binds (or can bind) us together, not any political boundary or force. And of course, if he were in power we would not have fell into the trap of Lord Mountbatten and would still have had a single nation (at the cost of a delayed independence and may be a different first PM).
We have missed a complete different thought process. We have completely missed an opportunity to be developed. And I don't think we will get a second chance!!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Deja Vu: Insignificant vs. Significant
(PS: Deja Vu blogs are the blogs from a while ago and are not new and fresh!)
In my last few blogs, I have been talking about how insignificantly insignificant is life, creation and all that's here around. Yesterday I came across a wonderful notion. I was reading through an essay by Swami Vivekananda, where he was talking about how creation is created by the merger of Prana (energy) and Akasa (mater); how it comes into being, goes through a cycle and again vanishes, just to reappear again. Even modern astrophysics to some extent supports this view. I.e. the universe was created because of big bang and there are ultimately two possible ends to it, viz. it will expand for ever till it becomes energy less and hence dark; or it may contract again and merge into a black-hole yet again. Its the second possibility which has been supported by Advitik philosophy.
Anyway, my point was something different. Given that its a cycle and given that this world follows a strictly cause-n-effect rule, where is the notion of significant or insignificant? When I breath, I just do it subconsciously without counting and without thinking which breath is better or worse than which other one. Its childish to compare one breath with another. Similarly its childish to put epithets against events. Events are just events. Lives are just lives. Creations and just creations! Neither significant nor insignificant. We are helplessly parts of it. Whatever we are doing, thinking or speaking, has no novelty to it, all these are just events with no adjectives whatsoever.
In my last few blogs, I have been talking about how insignificantly insignificant is life, creation and all that's here around. Yesterday I came across a wonderful notion. I was reading through an essay by Swami Vivekananda, where he was talking about how creation is created by the merger of Prana (energy) and Akasa (mater); how it comes into being, goes through a cycle and again vanishes, just to reappear again. Even modern astrophysics to some extent supports this view. I.e. the universe was created because of big bang and there are ultimately two possible ends to it, viz. it will expand for ever till it becomes energy less and hence dark; or it may contract again and merge into a black-hole yet again. Its the second possibility which has been supported by Advitik philosophy.
Anyway, my point was something different. Given that its a cycle and given that this world follows a strictly cause-n-effect rule, where is the notion of significant or insignificant? When I breath, I just do it subconsciously without counting and without thinking which breath is better or worse than which other one. Its childish to compare one breath with another. Similarly its childish to put epithets against events. Events are just events. Lives are just lives. Creations and just creations! Neither significant nor insignificant. We are helplessly parts of it. Whatever we are doing, thinking or speaking, has no novelty to it, all these are just events with no adjectives whatsoever.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Art of Communication
Disclaimer: First of all sorry that I have been OFF for such a long period. I mostly write my blogs when there is some sort of pain in the heart or mind. When I am silent, you may presume that I am content :)
Few days back I was talking a very close friend of mine, who mostly is pretty cool even in adverse situations. He suddenly told me about his life's philosophy! This is what I heard! (PS: If you look at the Buddhist scriptures, they have been narrated by Ananda the arch-disciple of Buddha. Ananda never says "Buddha told" this or that! He always says "I heard the Buddha telling...". A simple difference in words but it actually means a lot. The day people realize this, much of the fundamentalism will disappear! E.g. while reading the Holy Quoran, if I always keep in mind that this is what I am reading or understanding from the holy book, then there is no problem! Problem comes when people say "this is what God has decreed"! )
The greatest art of communication lies in controlling the other person and not getting controlled. Try to take him/her in surprise. Act in just the opposite way as what he/she would have expected to react. Lets say someone gives you a really bad abuse, he/she subconsciously is prepared to see you all angry and blasting or tearful. If you don't act like that, you are hurting him/her in a very bad way! He/she is instantly defeated! So the secret lies in seeing through what the other person is expecting and of course if you want him/her to feel defeated! If he/she is your beloved one, there is no point making him/her feel bad. If he/she is abusing you, you react and shout and may be shade tear. But if you are trying to confront the other person, then be ready with the shock therapy! React just the opposite way of the way he/she would expect you to react!!
PPS: This reminds me of the sayings of Krishnamurthy as told to me by my father: "Most people go on reacting all their life and they never actually perform any action! Try to look at the world without any precondition and then you will stop reacting and start acting! Thats the joy of meditation!!".
Few days back I was talking a very close friend of mine, who mostly is pretty cool even in adverse situations. He suddenly told me about his life's philosophy! This is what I heard! (PS: If you look at the Buddhist scriptures, they have been narrated by Ananda the arch-disciple of Buddha. Ananda never says "Buddha told" this or that! He always says "I heard the Buddha telling...". A simple difference in words but it actually means a lot. The day people realize this, much of the fundamentalism will disappear! E.g. while reading the Holy Quoran, if I always keep in mind that this is what I am reading or understanding from the holy book, then there is no problem! Problem comes when people say "this is what God has decreed"! )
The greatest art of communication lies in controlling the other person and not getting controlled. Try to take him/her in surprise. Act in just the opposite way as what he/she would have expected to react. Lets say someone gives you a really bad abuse, he/she subconsciously is prepared to see you all angry and blasting or tearful. If you don't act like that, you are hurting him/her in a very bad way! He/she is instantly defeated! So the secret lies in seeing through what the other person is expecting and of course if you want him/her to feel defeated! If he/she is your beloved one, there is no point making him/her feel bad. If he/she is abusing you, you react and shout and may be shade tear. But if you are trying to confront the other person, then be ready with the shock therapy! React just the opposite way of the way he/she would expect you to react!!
PPS: This reminds me of the sayings of Krishnamurthy as told to me by my father: "Most people go on reacting all their life and they never actually perform any action! Try to look at the world without any precondition and then you will stop reacting and start acting! Thats the joy of meditation!!".
Monday, March 15, 2010
DejaVu: Empathy!! (Thursday, June 29, 2006)
One of those nice words, that I like in English! "Empathy", word which says so much,.....well at least to me. Putting oneself into another's position. Putting your foot in another's shoe!
I was watching a French movie (name was something RED). European movies are quite nice, a different world from the American movies! Anyway, in it there is this psychopath retired judge, whose neighbours did not like him, and once a while one of the neighbours would throw a stone at his house. Peacefully he was collecting all the stones, ....there were six of them till that day. He was saying to his friend, "I think they must be hating me like anything. I am sure I would have done the same at their place". His friend gets surprised and asks, "you would have thrown stones??". He answered, "Its so natural; given those conditions, anyone would have behaved exactly the same!".
What we call as ourself, our morales, our principles, none of them actually belong to us. We have picked them up in our journey called life. We are bad or good, its as much natural. Philosophers sometime say, its natural to be happy. Its our nature to be "Anand". Then why are we not? Are "WE", different from nature?
If someone is bad its natural, if someone is good, its equally natural. Put yourself in his/her shoes, you can not become anything else! So where is the reason to be happy that I am good or to be sorry that I am bad (or have bad feelings)?
I was watching a French movie (name was something RED). European movies are quite nice, a different world from the American movies! Anyway, in it there is this psychopath retired judge, whose neighbours did not like him, and once a while one of the neighbours would throw a stone at his house. Peacefully he was collecting all the stones, ....there were six of them till that day. He was saying to his friend, "I think they must be hating me like anything. I am sure I would have done the same at their place". His friend gets surprised and asks, "you would have thrown stones??". He answered, "Its so natural; given those conditions, anyone would have behaved exactly the same!".
What we call as ourself, our morales, our principles, none of them actually belong to us. We have picked them up in our journey called life. We are bad or good, its as much natural. Philosophers sometime say, its natural to be happy. Its our nature to be "Anand". Then why are we not? Are "WE", different from nature?
If someone is bad its natural, if someone is good, its equally natural. Put yourself in his/her shoes, you can not become anything else! So where is the reason to be happy that I am good or to be sorry that I am bad (or have bad feelings)?
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Bug, society and individual
Just now I was having coffee in a languid lonely coffee corner and marked a big-bug steadily progressing towards me! I am eternally scared of bugs, especially because of the way they walk! My first reaction was to smash it :) But I controlled my flooding temptation and just marked it scrolling on. It was more like a six-legged Mars-rover, moving on and on and on. It has hardly any memory. Hence it cant learn from its past failures. It just moves on. I put an obstacle on its way, it tried a lot and finally changed its course. Not that it was in a course, it was just moving and now it moved in another direction. May be life is like that? We just need to keep on moving, adapting and changing. Then end of the day we have moved a lot! Not that it makes us any achiever or loser. Just that we have moved a lot.
Then I tried to think like the bug! For it there is no past no future... may be no present. Its not bothered about what others will say. Its not bothered about what will happen. It just moves on thinking of its own self and its own immediate surrounding! Then I realised that the reason of all pain and emotional problems for we human-beings is society! If for once we can truely forget the "others" and just keep crawling, then it will give rise to a much steadier and much smoother flow. And that will end all our goals, aspiration, aims etc. etc. I think this is true individualism. A man staying in society or in forest or in hills; keeping on moving and discovering news things all the time... May be this is what they call being like a lotus leaf (staying in water and yet not getting wet). Hmmmm... I am yet to experiment doing this...
Then I tried to think like the bug! For it there is no past no future... may be no present. Its not bothered about what others will say. Its not bothered about what will happen. It just moves on thinking of its own self and its own immediate surrounding! Then I realised that the reason of all pain and emotional problems for we human-beings is society! If for once we can truely forget the "others" and just keep crawling, then it will give rise to a much steadier and much smoother flow. And that will end all our goals, aspiration, aims etc. etc. I think this is true individualism. A man staying in society or in forest or in hills; keeping on moving and discovering news things all the time... May be this is what they call being like a lotus leaf (staying in water and yet not getting wet). Hmmmm... I am yet to experiment doing this...
Friday, February 19, 2010
Infidelity and food!
I was talking to an old friend of mine who got recently engaged. He was disturbed. Its because even after his engagement, he felt physical attraction towards other girls! And mind that he is engaged to someone he loves. I have full faith on the love of each of them for the other. And because he loves her a lot, he is disgusted with such feelings and was quite disturbed. This left me ponder...
Why do we put so much importance on physical attraction? Why do we always try to say that sex is not at all important, but in this process make it a "class apart". Sex is just another physical need for us, like food or water. Do we always eat our dinner at home? Does eating in a hotel or at a friend's place puts a question on our love for our mother/wife? Then why the same rule can't be applied in the case of sex? Why should we mix up love/attachment and sex?
Why do we put so much importance on physical attraction? Why do we always try to say that sex is not at all important, but in this process make it a "class apart". Sex is just another physical need for us, like food or water. Do we always eat our dinner at home? Does eating in a hotel or at a friend's place puts a question on our love for our mother/wife? Then why the same rule can't be applied in the case of sex? Why should we mix up love/attachment and sex?
Friday, February 12, 2010
Strong feeling!
Many times we use this phrase "strong feeling" in a pretty casual way. Today I was writing something in my diary and used the phrase. Then I realised though I had a "strong feeling" on whatever matter I was refering to, at the moment of writing my diary the feeling was not that strong! On contemplation I realised that a strong feeling is always associated with a subconscious desire to defy it!
Lets take a more explicit example. When do you think/realise that something is strong? Strength is validated only in adverse conditions, when there is a sufficiently strong opponent. Applying this analogy to thoughts/feelings, when I say I have a "strong feeling" about something, it inherently implies that there is an under current of feelings/secret-desires against my feelings. Then only my feelings become strong, rather we appreciate them as strong. And mark that the opposing under-current of feelings mostly will not be conspicuous or easy to tell apart!
PS: (Spin-off) The V-day enthusiasts, reconsider your line of thoughts when you think that " I gotta "strong feeling" that this gotta be the person made for me!"
Lets take a more explicit example. When do you think/realise that something is strong? Strength is validated only in adverse conditions, when there is a sufficiently strong opponent. Applying this analogy to thoughts/feelings, when I say I have a "strong feeling" about something, it inherently implies that there is an under current of feelings/secret-desires against my feelings. Then only my feelings become strong, rather we appreciate them as strong. And mark that the opposing under-current of feelings mostly will not be conspicuous or easy to tell apart!
PS: (Spin-off) The V-day enthusiasts, reconsider your line of thoughts when you think that " I gotta "strong feeling" that this gotta be the person made for me!"
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
"Promise"
Infinite space and infinite time;
Infinite faces to recall;
Infinite length of paths and
A finite length of awaiting! 1
The beautiful face with curly hairs;
Hazy gaze in the smiling eyes;
Mind running in infinite directions;
Awake just for a finite second! 2
That curly haired face,
Stamped on memory so brightly;
Couldn't force it out of the infinite faces;
Couldn't pin it in the infinite time. 3
For sure we have met,
Know her do I for sure;
I'm also sure of her love for me;
Just cant remember when was it! 4
Ah! it was here a while ago;
A while can mean any finite time;
We met here I am now sure.
And she told she would come for me! 5
Today is the day I suppose,
Now is the time she promised;
But still cant figure out where is she;
The infinite number of faces.... difficult to see! 6
A wait and wait and further did I wait.
Finite time stretching to infinite duration;
Thoughts running amok in all directions
And finally came that moment! 7
The moment did come finally!
The moment when anger caught hold of me;
Boiling blood and sanguine thoughts;
Without relevance or perseverance! 8
Again the same story repeats,
Finite time stretch to infinite durations;
Blood gets tired of running so fast;
I observe that my finite time is over! 9
Why did she not keep her promise?
Why did she make me wait for ever?
In infinite time among infinite faces;
Why she forced me to look so awkward?
To force a finite time and a finite face?
Or was it some other day she promised?
How can I know?
With infinite time and infinite faces... I am lost!! 10
Infinite faces to recall;
Infinite length of paths and
A finite length of awaiting! 1
The beautiful face with curly hairs;
Hazy gaze in the smiling eyes;
Mind running in infinite directions;
Awake just for a finite second! 2
That curly haired face,
Stamped on memory so brightly;
Couldn't force it out of the infinite faces;
Couldn't pin it in the infinite time. 3
For sure we have met,
Know her do I for sure;
I'm also sure of her love for me;
Just cant remember when was it! 4
Ah! it was here a while ago;
A while can mean any finite time;
We met here I am now sure.
And she told she would come for me! 5
Today is the day I suppose,
Now is the time she promised;
But still cant figure out where is she;
The infinite number of faces.... difficult to see! 6
A wait and wait and further did I wait.
Finite time stretching to infinite duration;
Thoughts running amok in all directions
And finally came that moment! 7
The moment did come finally!
The moment when anger caught hold of me;
Boiling blood and sanguine thoughts;
Without relevance or perseverance! 8
Again the same story repeats,
Finite time stretch to infinite durations;
Blood gets tired of running so fast;
I observe that my finite time is over! 9
Why did she not keep her promise?
Why did she make me wait for ever?
In infinite time among infinite faces;
Why she forced me to look so awkward?
To force a finite time and a finite face?
Or was it some other day she promised?
How can I know?
With infinite time and infinite faces... I am lost!! 10
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Patriotic songs!
I don't remember how, today I bumped into a video clip in you-tube of the song "rangde basanti chola", a patriotic song from an old Hindi film. Then I browsed through a few more such songs. The songs are amazing. The lyric with awesome music makes your blood run amock! You feel like doing something!! Then I thought about the condition of the Jehadis of Kashmir or the Naxals of Koraput. I think they are also running a rebellion with no less ernestness. If we shun those efforts, lets also shun the effort of our Indian patriots. If we call them terrorists, then lets not hesitate to brand Rajguru and Sukdev as terrorists. If we call theirs as unfair armed moment, lets also call the "freedom struggle of 1857" as "sepoy mutiny". Why this hypocrasy, why this discrimination?
Then I wondered about the reason for which such songs and ideas make our blood boil? As Nietzsche put it,"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how". May be such songs are trying to inculcate in our mind that "why" to live. I feel we human beings are always in search for a higher thing, a higher being, a higher goal, a higher aspiration, a higher spirit... And if we can be made to believe in any such "higher stuff", we are actualy in a hurry to do just about anything for that!
Then I wondered about the reason for which such songs and ideas make our blood boil? As Nietzsche put it,"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how". May be such songs are trying to inculcate in our mind that "why" to live. I feel we human beings are always in search for a higher thing, a higher being, a higher goal, a higher aspiration, a higher spirit... And if we can be made to believe in any such "higher stuff", we are actualy in a hurry to do just about anything for that!
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Armed rebel, war and liberty: physical ahimsa!!
Last month I was in one of the tribal districts of Odisha. I met people there from whom I got some second hand accounts of what's happening in the land in the name of Naxal moment. All these days I am also reading a book named "The Guns of August", an excellent account of the happenings of the first world war. With all these things in mind, suddenly I came to realise something:
It has become utterly futile these days to wage a war or an armed revolution. The days of heroism and martyredom are gone. The races which realise this sooner will be the winners! Days are gone, when you could by arms and force occupy a foreign land and get loots. This may still happen today; but its a very short term benefit. Days are gone when people would rise with a new idea, take up arms and get liberated from the old rules. This may still happen these days; but these again are a waste of time and lives. Now has come a time of globalization and commercialization. If you think you are free, then you are. If a race thinks it ought to be liberated, then it has to fight its own stigma and establish itseld economically. If you think of occupying a foreign land, then sutly control its economy. The way its happening these days. Foreign companies, invest in India. Its Indian resources, Indian manpower and Indian consumers. But the profit goes to the foreign lands. So they have made us work for their purpose and made us give them money as well. And it all is happenig so smoothly! You wanna reverse it, then you gotta make a better company with better strategies!
Similarly, the naxalites who want to liberate their land and get the benefit of their own resources, have to rise beyond the level of money and oratory. They have to think big, use their own resources, invest in man-power and skill enhancement, generate public openion and force the government to start developmental programs, and in a few decades they can beat any damn developed state of the nation. May be this is neo-Gandhism? Dont know. But it certainly is not physical-violence. So it can be called physical-ahimsa!
It has become utterly futile these days to wage a war or an armed revolution. The days of heroism and martyredom are gone. The races which realise this sooner will be the winners! Days are gone, when you could by arms and force occupy a foreign land and get loots. This may still happen today; but its a very short term benefit. Days are gone when people would rise with a new idea, take up arms and get liberated from the old rules. This may still happen these days; but these again are a waste of time and lives. Now has come a time of globalization and commercialization. If you think you are free, then you are. If a race thinks it ought to be liberated, then it has to fight its own stigma and establish itseld economically. If you think of occupying a foreign land, then sutly control its economy. The way its happening these days. Foreign companies, invest in India. Its Indian resources, Indian manpower and Indian consumers. But the profit goes to the foreign lands. So they have made us work for their purpose and made us give them money as well. And it all is happenig so smoothly! You wanna reverse it, then you gotta make a better company with better strategies!
Similarly, the naxalites who want to liberate their land and get the benefit of their own resources, have to rise beyond the level of money and oratory. They have to think big, use their own resources, invest in man-power and skill enhancement, generate public openion and force the government to start developmental programs, and in a few decades they can beat any damn developed state of the nation. May be this is neo-Gandhism? Dont know. But it certainly is not physical-violence. So it can be called physical-ahimsa!
Sunday, January 03, 2010
AAll izz well
Its precisely the point when I was looking around for the writings of existential philosophers like Sartre and Nietzsche, that I came across this movie "3 idiots" and its song "all izz well" (AIW). Outwardly they seem to be two different principles. The AIW philosophy professes that try to relax and put up the fake notion on your psyche that all is well! It wont solve the problems, but will just make you relaxed. Its like taking a peg of whiskey to feel relaxed! At the other extreme are the existentialists who tell you to face the truth. They are too blunt to handle... to the point of making you bleed. They try to free you from the effect of any tranquilizer and force you to think logically and then try to conclude that life has no higher or greater purpose! There is no morality, there is no right-n-wrong, there aint anything! Its just a show, with no prelogue no dialogue and no epilogue.
On my second thought I realized that though these two ways diverge in the beginning, at the end they give you the same experience! You are relieved of any tension. In the AIW philosophy, you forget tension for the time being because you are self-mesmerizing yourself to believing that all is under control. In the existentialistic way of thought also you finally are void of any tension or excitement, not because they don't exist, but because they no longer pose any importance. It becomes a part of the game, just to be enjoyed, not to be taken seriously!
Very interesting, how different routes lead to similar conclusions!! But there are subtle differences as well. Its like a poor man eating simple food because he cant afford anything better; while a rich man taking simple food because he cant digest anything different :)
On my second thought I realized that though these two ways diverge in the beginning, at the end they give you the same experience! You are relieved of any tension. In the AIW philosophy, you forget tension for the time being because you are self-mesmerizing yourself to believing that all is under control. In the existentialistic way of thought also you finally are void of any tension or excitement, not because they don't exist, but because they no longer pose any importance. It becomes a part of the game, just to be enjoyed, not to be taken seriously!
Very interesting, how different routes lead to similar conclusions!! But there are subtle differences as well. Its like a poor man eating simple food because he cant afford anything better; while a rich man taking simple food because he cant digest anything different :)
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