Let's talk Irony

We grow up amongst people who never grew up;
We learn to study, but never study to learn;
We pretend to be someone else, even to a mirror;
We seek freedom, but get bound by the same;
We talk, talk, and only talk;
We call out an 'A', while meaning it to be 'Z';
We can do, but we wouldn't do;
We pursue the next, without holding onto the first;
We work hard, but are ever lazy to think;
We greatly value things, but all done wrongly;
We want the one, but ask for the other;
We love this other, while seeking some other;
We believe in the unknown, without trying to know our own;
We pray, but forget to back it up with efforts;
We know we're wrong, but would still go on to fight against the right;
We call it to have lived, whereas what it is is mere survival;
We call all of this irony, while these are simply true facts;

The Definitely Detached Diaspora

Urban life these days has turned out to be a haven for all of us, who are deeply engrossed in our own hectic schedules and overtime slogging at work, with almost zero concern towards all the other crucial proceedings in the society.

When I say the other crucial proceedings, I do not point at that the 'Breaking News' of the urban paparazzi; But, about the section of population that is beyond the margin of the elite vision, or the press and media, in the words of P.Sainath. I mean the real lot of people who are below all possible lines the elite could describe including the Poverty line.

The present state of our personal well being, as individuals is mostly a matter of chance - Circumstantially favored to have born in our families and in the amicable conditions of society that we are in. Imagine yourself in one rural corner of India, or in a tribe on a remote forest edge; I bet it would have taken a couple of lifetimes to struggle and reach the state we are in, in an upstream struggle also against the perfectly imperfect system.

When we do visualize scenarios such as these, it becomes important to place ourselves in these frames of reference and choose the roles we would want to play - Whether we would want to aggravate or neutralize the growing discontent and disparity.

We are that small diaspora of Indians who have had decent education, other basic and not so basic facilities at our disposal. Happy as we are in this kind of a secluded ambiance, it is also of prime importance that we should be the ones who will work and make the society grow even. We have the tools at our disposal- education, cognizance and a human network waiting to be used. These are the tools,which we can use with a little added effort and increased consciousness to bring some change in the conditions of the sections we have secluded ourselves from.

We have our excuses of being exhaustively utilized at our jobs and careers; And that is what the system wants you to do, so that you do not interfere with the flowing mechanisms of exploitations it has ployed around you, using you as a collaborator. By breaking out of the carapace of this seclusion, we can do small wonders if not major changes in the society as it is today.

Instincts vs Inhibitions

We can consciously ignore the fact that, there is still a lot of suppressed carnal instincts in us humans which have been, and will remain unquenched, or, we can deny it altogether under the mask of civilization.

By carnal instincts I refer to all the traits which are natural to the human beings, and of all of which only a few are openly given sanctity in the society, and by the society. The rest are suppressed as much as possible by placing the heavy weight of prejudices and superficial morality practiced by the society as a whole.

The constant and ubiquitous suppression of the natural human instincts, subsequently culminate to become a strong negative force from within the individual, increasing the animosity between the self and the rest of the world. When such is the case with respect to each of the individual, who is part of the society as a whole, the entire synergy between the two is lost.

At this verge, the individual and the society are facing each other in a diametrically opposite perception levels.

In almost every encounter of this kind the Individual has succumbed to the mounting pressure from the rest of all, and is subdued to live in an Inhibited state, without the gratification of having lived the way he/she wanted to!

But, there have been a few rare humans, who have stood up and against the system to claim that which the rest of the society has become consciously oblivious about. And when we do find such rarities we tend to disparage their worth and claim our cowardice to be superior than theirs.

In this struggle between the Real humans and the Pseudo humans, the pseudoers are left inexplicable and unattended, as the tribe of the Real heroes go surpassing in their journey, which is beyond the realms of comprehension of all the rest who are left behind....

Let's Talk Ideas

The title of this post emanated out of my Sunday's activities, throughout the day. I've been talking and doing the talking of the kind one yearns for - profound, true, motivating, sweet, sensible and balanced with a tinge of responsibility.

Now, let me assure you, this has of course become a rarity these days: Conversations which make sense, and which convey something at the end of it ?
Not very often you hear about such rarities.
What we do get to hear is bundles of blabber, futility of monologues and noisy rumblings, in the 4-D Universe!

It is of utmost import for a sensible mind to have a decently sensible talk once a while, if not always. The quality of the conversations have dipped to the lowest ebbs, with most of it concentrating on the rest of the irrelevant topics of the world, than the important ones concerning the self.

Talking ideas: Or popularly Brainstorming is that one ecstatic exercise each of us should undergo to rejuvenate our perceptions and the agility of the mind. Unfortunate that, this isn't a culture anymore amongst the lot many of us.  But, I have consciously perpetuated an exclusive set of like minded individuals with whom I can have two levels of brainstorming, in a symbiotic manner.

Firstly, the one where it is more of a barter trade of ideas, where we share and grow ideas; Improvise on the perceptions each has come to arrive at and churn sense out of it.
Secondly, a more selfish level, where each of us has already frozen on the framework of ideas, but is seeking refinement of the same by interaction.

One of the best things of being the Homo sapiens we are: Thinking and communication; the latter of these essentials has become scant, but not as much in scant as the former itself !

PS: If you aren't a part of the elite club I've mentioned about, and would want to be a part of it, contact me offline and convince me ;)

Lessons not to be forgotten from the CWG

Well, the magnificent Opening and Closing ceremonies, sandwiching the best of the games for twelve days in India have been stupendous for the 19th Common Wealth Games,India.

The spirit of the games and the organizing efforts of the teams in India were generously hailed by everyone, as soon as the Opening Ceremony was a grand success. An acutely sharp transition was observed in the perception of CWG held in India, until the Opening ceremony - basically, a paradigm shift was triggered instantly.

Needless to say how beautiful the shows were, and what an experience it has been to revive the much needed Non-Cricketing Sports spirit in India ( We at least get to hear chanting of some non-celebrity sports people!) It has been an unprecedented success, agreed.


We need to talk about the making of the games, and the supreme embarrassment our organizers had invoked, with the very generous help of media, as if to strip oneself naked in public, and that which brought disgrace to the entire nation facing the rest of the world.
Let it not be perceived that I am trying to dig open some bitterness from the past, which is better forgotten! These are the concerns about the proceedings just before a fortnight, and we still have to analyze, even after the grand success of the games.

Two aspects need to be thoroughly evaluated: The gambling-like attitude towards the lethargic organization of the games; And also the role of media in these proceedings.

Organizing hurdles are inevitable, and I am not targeting the last minute tweaks which had to be performed, for, it is well known that work expands itself to fit into whatever time is allocated to it. The events preceding CWG have proven this axiom at the largest scale possible.
If our feeble memory would care to remember, there was also a big scam of nepotism, embezzlement and other varieties of corruption attributed to the CWG-2010. The success of the games should not eclipse these black holes of atrocities, and must still be borne in the minds of people, as to how the greed of a few people had put the entire nation's pride at stake!And now, we need to insist and pressurize by all means to try all those involved in the mishandling of the games at all strata, with the fullest rigor. Else, this shall become a lesson of immense import, which we Indians have missed, and as a consequence such leeches would dare doing it again. This shouldn't be allowed to happen, and all the rage which was/is in us must be channelized and we must seek justice on behalf of the entire nation.

Secondly, the entire country was easily made to forget that such a low phase had preceded the games. Thanks to the impulsive media, and the shallow, volatile perception of the population!
Just one single day of incessant reports contrary to any subject can make the opinions of people contradict their own yesterday's opinions. This is the power of media today, and CWG yet again has manifested this malicious syndrome. Given that almost the entire population gives heed to the media, it is the responsibility of the few of the remaining independent minds to sustain the balance of the opinions in people.

A friend repeatedly says that We Indians, as a nation have the least consistent EQ(Emotional Quotient);
And certainly we do: It does reflect in all the drama that goes on, day in- day out, amidst the great population of India, which is poised at making India mediocre!
With hypocrisy and untrue nationalism, we are taking ourselves and our country nowhere!

Flora, Fauna, Fantasia and Femina :)

Flora, Fauna and Femina : These are the three gifts bestowed by Mother Nature upon mankind. The aesthetic ecstasy and their sublimity are unparalleled experiences, which cannot be emulated by any human endeavor, but one - Fantasia.

An appropriate picture I found at this link 

While I was reading and responding to a friend's blog post about Nature and Music, I realized if there is one means of human excellence that can reach up to the grandeur and satisfaction of the Nature's three marvels, it is none but Music;
To achieve phonetic congruency I shall attribute music by calling it Fantasia.

Fantasia, or Music is that unique divinity which emanates out of the best of the creativity in the human population, which transcends to match the aura,grandeur and gratification rendered by Mother Nature. Although man has learnt music from Nature, this time undoubtedly the student did exceed his abilities.

Music is a subtle but strong force, which bonds oneself to the best of the things in the world.

I can go on about the august traits of this fantastic fantasia;
I have a dedicated post which I keep updating at intervals, after euphoric and revelatory experiences with music.

Ultimately, a life without The Flora, The Fauna, The Fantasia and The Femina - would become worthless :)

ಏನ್ರೀ ರಾಜಕಾರಣ ಇದು ?

ವಿಧಾನ ಸೌಧದ ಸುತ್ತಲೂ ಮಾಟಮಂತ್ರ ಮಾಡಿ, ನಮ್ಮ  ಎಡಿಯೂರಪ್ಪನ ಸರ್ಕಾರವನ್ನು ಉರುಳಿಸಲು ಷಡ್ಯಂತ್ರ ರಚಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ ಅಂತೆ ! 
ಇದನ್ನು ಪರಿಹರಿಸಲು, ವಿಧಾನ ಸೌಧವನ್ನೇ ಮೂರು ದಿನಗಳು ಮುಚ್ಚಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದಾರೆ.  ಅಲ್ಲದೆ, ವಾಡಿಕೆಯಾಗಿ ಬಳಸಲಾಗುವ ದ್ವಾರವನ್ನು  ಈಗ ಮುಚ್ಚಿ  ,ಬೇರೊಂದು ಸುರ್ಯೋಮುಖಿ ದ್ವಾರವನ್ನು  ಮಾತ್ರ ತೆರೆದಿದ್ದಾರಂತೆ.

ಇಂತಹ ಜನರು ನಮ್ಮ ಮುಖಂಡರು, ನಮ್ಮನು ಅವರ ಆಡಳಿತದಲ್ಲಿ ಭದ್ರವಾಗಿ ನೋಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾರೆ ಎಂದು ಕಲ್ಪನೆ ಮಾಡುವುದೂ ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ. 
ಏನೋ, ವಯಕ್ತಿಕವಾಗಿ ಪೂಜೆ ಪುರಸ್ಕಾರ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡು ಇದ್ದರು, ಈಗೀಗ, ನಮ್ಮ ರಾಜಕಾರಣವೇ ಪೂಜೆ- ಪುರಸ್ಕಾರ. ಮಾಟ-ಮಂತ್ರಗಳ ಜಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಲುಕಿಸಿ , ಒಂದಿಷ್ಟೂ  ವಿವೇಕವಿಲ್ಲದೆ ನಡೆಸಲಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಇದನ್ನೆಲ್ಲ್ಲ ಪರಿಗಣಿಸಿ ನೋಡಿದರೆ ಭಯದ ಜೊತೆ, ಅಸಹ್ಯ ಅನಿಸುತ್ತದೆ!

ಇಂತಹೆ ಹುಚ್ಚಾಟ ಏನೋ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ ಅಂತ ನೋಡಿದರೆ, ಜೊತೆಗೆ, ಟಿ.ವಿ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳುವಂತೆ ಶಾಸಕರನ್ನು ಕುದುರೆ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದಂತೆ ಮಾರಾಟ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ.  
ದೇಶಾದ್ಯಂತ ಪ್ರವಾಸ ಹೋಗಿ, ಚೆನ್ನೈ, ಗೋವಾ, ಪುಣೆ, ಅಲ್ಲಿ -ಇಲ್ಲಿ , ತಮ್ಮ ಬೆಲೆಯನ್ನು  ಹರಾಜು ಹಾಕುತಿದ್ದರೆ! 

ಹಣದ ಹಿಂದೆ ಬಿದ್ದಿರುವ ಶಾಸಕರು, ಮೂಢ ನಂಬಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಳುಗಿರುವ ಮುಖಂಡರು, ಊಸರವಲ್ಲಿಯಂತೆ ಬಣ್ಣ ಹಾಗು ನಿಲುವುಗಳನ್ನು ಬದಲಾಯಿಸುವ ನಾಯಕರು, ಇದನ್ನೆಲ್ಲಾ ಮರೆತು ಇವರೆಲ್ಲರ ಹಿಂದೆ ಹೋಗುವ ಮೂರ್ಖ ಜನರು - ಬಹಳ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದೆರೀ  ನಮ್ಮ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ರಾಜಕೀಯ  ಅವಸ್ಥೆ !

Re-contemplating the existence of a Principlist..

"Principles are like lighthouses. They are natural laws that cannot be broken."
- Stepehen R Covey in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, the first book to have left some crux of it with me.

I like the concept of principles being the lighthouses which guide us through times of personal turmoil, and which facilitate us in tending towards the right direction.

And the part where he says principles are natural and cannot be broken - I disagree.
For, principles evolve with the individual. As one grows in the society, the principles applied by the individual to the society would have to evolve as well, unless, the person has been mimicking someone else.

Talking in this regard, and getting a little introspective, I have been an ardent principlist, if you would want to call me so, but only until recently.

It just hit me before a few hours - I have stopped being conscious of whether I am a principlist or not! And,in retrospection the turn of events during this particular phase of my recent past, it so seems that I have had a momentum which has taken me this far, through the various ups and downs.
But, what I do have missed is that evolution of the principles, which would have made me a self approved and updated principlist.

People with a dormant mindset, adhering to adamant principles are prone to bring ill-health to the individual's persona. Evolving principles with the metamorphosing world around is acutely necessary to swim through the world as it is today. Rigidity on these lines, would eventually make the individual brittle,ultimately succumbing to the mismatch.

Patience enlightens and pays

My recent explicit expressions of being victimized by deep dilemma, which I made glaringly public by my own narcissism have finally hit the avenue of mellowing down.
Although these were troubling me; In almost a masochistic manner, I found an unknown pleasure in boasting them off.

I am not sure if  "Time Heals" is the right phrase to use. But, "Patience enlightens" is much better to envelope this condition of mine.

The time I have given myself on this dilemma has slowly elucidated the nuances and intricacies of it, and has elevated me to a vantage point, from wherein, I am privileged enough to observe all the pros and cons of both the extremes. This being the case, I am more than happy to have not hastily taken up any of the choices.

I do not know, if it was the "Self healing" attribute of the dilemma, or the "enlightenment by my virtue of patience", which have helped me save myself.
Nevertheless one additional lesson is clear
"Patience enlightens and pays!"

The debate on the Gandhian Debate

My observations pertaining to the Gandhian debate, for all the time I have been absorbing it turn out to be 'pretty disappointing', at all strata.

Either the pro-Gandhians are not passionate enough, and the ones who oppose are ill informed. Another wide diaspora of the community tries to engage in this debate just for the sake of having to make or oppose a stand, without they themselves having a stand about the issue of contention, like in numerous other scenarios.

I admit that my know-hows about this debate are very minimal, and I do not think I am equipped enough to even take a stand with the little of the cognizance about this issue.

In this post I shall not be expressing my own views for/against Gandhi, but only meticulously try putting forth my observations of the people who get themselves drawn into one such debate.

By the way, this entire discussion is about Mohandas Gandhi and not his pseudo descendants.

Coming to the point, there is a lot of obscurity about the genre of people who call themselves Gandhians.
Who is a Gandhian?
Any person who adheres to "the main principles of non-violence, austerity and sacrifice as means to bring change in oneself and hence in the world", as preached by Gandhi is whom I interpret to be a Gandhian. With the increased scant of the very sense of non-violence, austerity and sacrifice exhibited as a whole by the society, it would be a rarity to come across genuine Gandhians. Although, we could very well stumble upon hypocrite Gandhians who would suddenly appear on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti, make statements to the media and disappear soon after. Also, the Indian society as it is today has outgrown the Gandhian principles which it is supposedly based on. As a consequence,the little pragmatics of the arguments made by this category of people is irrelevant in relation to the realistic conditions of the contemporary world. Much attributable to the intermittence and inconsistency exhibited by the Gandhians.

Well, coming to the opposites, the non-pro Gandhians (in attempt to avoid anti!), base their disgruntle as mere reactions to the impulsiveness of the moment, without most of the times considering the circumstances in retrospection within the frame of time of its occurrence.

I am not questioning the righteousness of the means pursued by us to gain freedom, but the ones who oppose it now have what traits in them to take such a stand without really being able to do anything in the current scenarios? People with such a temperament should have the real mettle in them to be part of the transformations in today's world, which is as bad, or worse when compared to the state of affairs in pre-independent India.

The point being made here is: A mere debate ( a futile war of words) from both sections have no value, whatsoever, if the concerned are restricting themselves to words alone!

Gandhi was a great man; maybe, not that a great statesman, or maybe he was. The point is, we should grow and improvise on the legacy handed over to us, by imparting our traits into them, tailoring it to fit the world as it is today rather than trying to mimic the past.

"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence" Mahatma Gandhi