India - My India - A study in contrast-1

As I landed in Delhi, the power center on India, I had expected a gleaming edifice erected to usher in the international travelers from all round the globe.
What I had not expected was the chaos outside - the opposite of all that sterile and gleaming inside. Traffic - well, the less said the better ! It was like being a lonely little fish swimming in a river filled with piranha. We did manage to reach our destination without a single scratch. A trip to Karol bagh was an eye opener. How, with one of the largest populations in the world, we as a country still manage to retain our sanity. A ride in the Metro would have been entirely remiss - hence off we trudged off. I am pretty sure the NY metro would have been entirely overwhelmed by the simple numbers - and I don't believe NY metro manages to scan each and every baggage !
India - a place where the abject poor share living space with the filthy rich. And no, I am not talking in a phrase. I am talking literally, where a peep outside a storied apartment shows a stark reality. People whose entire day's meal consists of rice and a handful of potatoes.
India - where we pay more for petrol than those in the US, where a single cherry fruit costs r 10($0.20).
Welcome to my India !

NY and Ratha Yatra

The weather was perfect, from the high 90's of the day before, to a cooler weather and light rain. The stage was set, one of New York's most famous avenues, the 5th Avenue, ending in the Washington Square Park. The procession was magnificent, with three beautifully decorated "Raths" and followed by a huge procession of devotees from all races and different parts of US.

And so was held the 2011 Rath Yatra in New York. It is really true that devotion transcends races and cultures. A person of African descent beating the cymbals and chanting , a Swami of American descent leading the procession, persons of all races inter-mingling and adding sweet chorus; and New Yorkers providing a surprised audience. A lady from the crowd asked me whether the procession was to honour the Dalai Lama. I explained to her about Lord Jagannath, Hindu festivals and the "Rath Yatra". Well, I hope she understood something, was quite a bit of knowledge for 5 mins !! Having the delicious prasad with friends on the NY road side is an altogether different experience.

We take it for granted any festival in India, but staying outside makes the same festival extra special!

P.S: I announce a new photo blog : nilamadhaba.blogspot.com

India and the caste system

ataù pumbhir dvija-çreñöhä

varëäçrama-vibhägaçaù

svanuñöhitasya dharmasya

saàsiddhir hari-toñaëam

The above verse, taken from 13th verse of 1st Canto of the Srimad Bhagvatam, explains the actual caste system as it was originally envisioned. The society was supposed to be divided into four classes based on occupation, the intelligent, martial, productive and labourer caste. The main aim of such a division was to regulate the society and thereby improve it. At no point of time was it suggested that this system be hereditary. A person, born in whichever family, could easily rise up in society depending on his behaviour, skills and job occupation. Unfortunately, men, especially those in power, have a propensity of twisting words for their own benefit.

We, thus, ended with a lopsided view of the caste men, with people from "higher"castes thinking they have a hereditary right to rule.

In fact, the former view is accentuated by the dialogue between Manu and Kardama Muni and given in the 3rd canto of the Srimad Bhagvatam. It is explained how the role of a king was to protect his kingdom and his people and help them in spiritual advancement. It also explains the Varnashrama and how this was supposed to lead society on a path of peace and spiritual advancement. The word arya refers to this class of society, which was at one time spiritually advanced. This society, even in the ancient times, was referred to as the Aryans. This can be seen even in the Chaitanya Charitamruta. Contrary to popular "history", Aryans are not a race of people who "took over" India in the past, but a real part of our cultural history.

Gradually, over time, this society of Aryans has degenerated into the society that we have today. India, with its long history of conquests from outside especially in the last few centuries, has mixed and mingled these concepts far beyond recognition. And then came the British. What the Mughals could not achieve in 300 years, they achieved in less than a century. They effectively erased the glorious past of India, twisted the morals of an entire nation; and replaced it with their own version of history portraying India as a nation with a subjugated and divided past.

Remember the British and remember the phrase; The victorious re-write the history of those they rule.

New Year, New Beginings

Time comes and flows by. Like the shifting sands on the sea shore, they are ever changing, never constant. For me, personally, a new year is a time for nostalgia for old things gone by, and may be some trepidation, for new things yet to come.

Nostalgia for good moments gone by. One song always comes to my mind.. purani jeans, aur woh guitar….

Whatever we do, wherever we go, good friends are always hard to come by. The best friendships are those that were forged in the innocent times of childhood. A time when profit and loss relationships did not make any sense. A time , when the criteria for being a friend was a person to share your joys with and a shoulder to cry out the bad times.

As we grow up, old friendships grow older, some die a natural death, while some wither for lack of attention.

Friendships are like watering plants. The more we nurture them, the more they mature into beautiful blooms. And the best part is, good friendships, like blooming plants, are selfless.

We go on with life, forge our own paths ahead, but sometimes neglect to keep lines open with our friends who were a part of our lives at one point of time.

The King and his four wives

Apologies for my long absence. To make up for it, I will tell another story this time.

Once upon a time, there lived a king who had four beautiful wives. He adored his youngest wife and lavished gifts and wealth upon her. He loved his No. 3 wife and kept her well maintained. As for the No. 2 wife, he did visit her once in a while. However, he had totally forgotten about and neglected his No.1 wife.

It so happened that the king was diagnosed with a disease on day and the doctors said he had only a month to live. As he was very much attached to his 4th wife, he called her and asked whether she would accompany him after death. The 4th wife, upon hearing of the disease, said," My Lord, it was nice knowing you. Time for me to leave now. Thank you for all those gifts."

The king, a bit sad, asked his 3rd wife the same question. She said," It was really nice knowing you and loving you. Now it is time to move on. I have a nice husband in mind."

The king, know really at a loss, asked his 2nd wife the same question. She said," Of course, I will accompany you. But only till the graveyard."

The king, now really embarrassed, but with no other option, asked his 1st wife whether she would accompany him. She said," I will. I came here with you, and I will be with you wherever you go."

Well, to all those who wonder who those four wives represent, the 4th wife represents our own material body, whom we care for so much.

The 3rd wife represents wealth, who does not think twice about deserting us.

The 2nd wife represents family and friends, who remember us till the graveyard.

The 1st wife is our eternal soul, which never leaves us.

Well, I hope you liked the story! One more post, another day !!

Of kings and dynasties

Long long ago there once lived a king. He had a son, who despite being incompetent, inherited the kingdom when he came of age. He was a very corrupt person and used to terrorize his subjects. Ultimately, he was deposed by a "hero", who established his own dynasty.

Times have changed, names of places have changed, and so have the names of the characters. We have our MP's and Ministers fulfilling those roles now. That is the beauty of democracy. Once can be filthy rich and corrupt, and still get away under the garb of a "law maker". and since he's one of the gang making the laws, whats to stop him? Unless of course, a "hero" from a "opposition" party rises.. At least the kings were better schooled and received education in all subjects for being a statesman, unlike our current "rulers" who just need to belong to a particular "group" and/or have sufficient money to influence the "subjects".So, who said history does not repeat itself and that we learn from our mistakes?!?

Human beings have a propensity on being dazzled by show and grandeur and strive to achieve such positions. This trait is what runs as a common thread through all history . So, who knows? Our great-great-great-grand children may read stories like... Once upon a time there was a MP, who despite being re-elected, was very corrupt and used to terrorize his constituency.....

Green power?

I read a very interesting ad today, which I thought should share with you. The ad belonged to a very reputed oil company. The caption was "who is going to help us discover 500 billion barrels of hidden oil". Another line of the ad said " our current world consumption is 80 million barrels per day". As a ballpark figure, I doubled the reserves and halved the consumption.

A back of the envelope calculation gives me a figure of 34 years, when the oil in the world will be totally consumed. Does it sound true? I hope not. And , maybe, I hope it does happen that way.

Throughout history, mankind has always fallen into a level of complacence, until challenged by new hurdles. This "tipping point" marks the transition to something new, something radical. A illustrative example is the steam power and use of coal in the early 19th century. The invention of mechanisation required more and more sophisticated power sources, and thus came steam /electrical power.

We are already seeing the effects of the tipping point transition in a few places of the world. Countries like Norway and Sweden already have 60% of their total energy consumption from renewable sources. The largest windfarm in the world was recently made operational,off the coast of UK, with an annual capacity of 300MW. In a world, where more than half the population could care less where we end ud 50 years down the line, these are small,but significant steps. Hopefully we see more of this "green" sense prevailing, and the next "transition" is a green one!!