:)

4 days after the terrorist attack I finally got myself to go for work. The hustle bustle and the traffic left me with awe. All the times in the past when such attacks have happened in the trains or the floods which took place in the suburbs, you feel sympathetic for a while and then forget it. But this time the hit was close to home. It was where my presence was a possibility. Every time such an attack would happen in the past I would boast with indignant conceit that I was lucky I stayed in South Mumbai which is not prone to such attacks.

This attack was a slap on my indifference and conceit. This time the attack happened where it was most unexpected. It happened in the highest tax payer’s home. It happened in South Mumbai. Unbelievable! But I thought I was safe! I thought I could not be touched! But it happened after all.

It was a realization, an awakening to all the rich south Mumbaiites specially the youth who are so aloof. We are the first ones to run away from the country. I realized we are the ones who allowed it to happen. How many of us vote? How many of us care about what the politicians are doing? How many of us question the government if promises are unfulfilled? How many of us stand for elections and take responsibility in our communities? I don’t think even one. This has given the government and politicians an easy way out.

I have been getting messages about Raj Thackerey not coming out, about lashing at the politicians and the silliest of all was an appeal to not pay taxes. Not pay taxes!!! Only an ignorant fool who does not understand the economics of a nation can talk like that. This is just an escape route that we south mumbaiites who have always been selfish are yet again taking. Using the terrorist attack as an excuse we are looking at our own personal selfish gain and not the country at large. It is a pity that the educated upper class Indian youth is not aware of the law, its rights and responsibilities.

What India needs is the youth to stand up! Each one of us has to stop blaming and passing the buck. Get up and protect yourself. It is not as easy as paying and getting protection. Money cannot buy everything such as peace of mind. Let’s understand the loopholes and make ourselves aware of the law, more adept at preventing and handling disasters.

In my opinion this can be addressed through education. The right form of programs that deal with knowing your rights, knowing the law and managing disasters.

John Kenneth Galbraith an economist has said “ No matter how harsh the realities or the adversities a society may face, if the people who make up that society are strong, they can become a driving force for a brilliant turnaround, recovery and growth, and succeed in leading society to prosperity” Though this has been said in the context of financial disaster I would like to extend it to any mishap or adversity. Let us all become this force and turn this country around.

It is a state of absolute freedom, a state where you experience every moment with fulfillment. It is a feeling of absolute joy, bliss and magnanimity. It is the feeling of being in love. I watched the movie Enchanted two days ago and realized what is all about. I may have experienced this love in the past, but did not know how to articulate it or express what it felt.
True love is when you don’t need a man in your life to experience it. You are in love for love’s sake and not because of some person. It is an all encompassing feeling, where you can experience every emotion with yourself. A state where you are in love with yourself. And it is this love that we want others to experience and share with them. I guess this is what makes us love each one the same way. This is what is called selfless love, a love or connection that you experience with God.
When you experience such a love, it doesn’t matter who the other person is. Whether he or she is tall, slim, qualified, fair, dark, fat, man, woman, educated, young, old or anything else. Everything that we keep as a criterion just vanishes and all you know is you love. It is a communion of two souls.
When i think of love the first thing that comes to my mind is the love of Radha Krishna. Their love was beyond marriage, or living together. It is said that Radha and Krishna had the same soul. This just explains that how important it is to love yourself or rather be in love with yourself.

High above in the far sky is a blue man,
Huge and burly he hugs the earth tight.

Mornings he wears a coin of the color of a lemon,
And when you touch him, he is cool and light.

As the day goes by the coin turns red like the sun,
The blue man feels warm and looks very bright.

When evening comes the blue man grows a beard,
A beard like Santa’s which is fluffy and snow white.

When rain comes he hides the coin in the beard grown grey,
Like an angry old man, he thunders and looks a fright.

But when the coin shines again, the blue man smiles,
His lips forms seven colors, and makes a pretty sight.

Later the blue man puts the coin in a water box,
It is time for him to go to sleep as it is late in the night.

He puts the lights off to rest,
Kisses the earth and lays down to board his dream flight.

Why do people marry? This was the topic of discussion we had on the terrace of my building the other day. The Anti marriage group was of the idea that no one really knows the reason to marry. We are all programmed by the society and so just jump into it because we have to.
This statement is true to a certain extent. We do find people getting married out of family pressure. Some get married for the fear of being left alone. Marriage is also for the ease of identification for one’s progeny. Humans need companionship, but marriage is not always the solution for this need. Why can’t we humans live with each other without the custom of marriage? Why is it that two signatures on a stamp paper or a small religious custom can only give two people the authority to live together as partners?
I feel that humans are after all a part of the animal kingdom. Humans to a certain extent still have the animal instinct present. Due to this we cannot remain committed to something that does not bind us for eg. How keen would one be to lend a sum of money if it is not on paper? Basically humans are not responsible enough to remain in a relationship without any commitment. And this lack of responsibility gave rise to the institute of marriage. Another reason could be that humans at times can be instinctive. After a small fight a couple may decide to split, but a married couple will think before filing a divorce. So small fights will not lead to splitting families which could be the case in a non married couple’s family.
So ultimately marriage is a solution to a flaw that exists in humans. So after all marriage is not important if humans get rid of this flaw. What it means is that humans need to evolve themselves into greater beings where responsibility is an inherent quality. Humans are thinking beings, but they need to become reasonable thinking beings.
It is still a long way before humans can be accepted in a relationship that is not bound by a paper or a ritual.

Waiting for my mom’s turn to enter the radiation room, I was getting a little anxious and was also feeling low. I was worried about her. I had still not come out of the shock about my mother’s illness. I picked up a book lying beside me and started flipping the pages nervously. Just then I heard a cheerful voice. I looked up to see a small girl of about 6 in her mother’s arms. She was wearing a scarf around her head. For a minute I was surprised to see a small kid in this place and thought that the parents were crazy to have brought her here. Then I realized that she had to be brought because she was the reason for them to be here, she was the patient.
I looked at the little girl who seemed to be unaware of what was wrong with her. All that mattered was being with her mother. This girl who should have been attending school and learning to read and write, playing with friends and attending dance class had to come to the hospital every day for treating an illness that was life threatening. I had a lump in my throat. The parents seemed normal like they had brought her for a regular medical check up. I imagined them sobbing and crying when they must have gotten to know about their little girl. But today they were fine, composed and smiling. It took me back to the time when my mother was detected with cancer. I was scared and shocked. I wanted to take away the disease from her life, in fact I even prayed for it to come to me. I felt it was not fair for my mom to undergo that pain all by herself. All I could do was cry and had no one around who I could talk to.
when I saw this little girl and her parents joyfully interacting as though nothing was wrong,I realized that worrying and being upset does not help. I learnt a lesson from this family that each one has a different cause and a different mission on this earth. It is important to not be angry, but appreciate every event and keep smiling because it is these events that make one strong and smiles give us the strength to fight everything with courage.

There are many times when life gets u at a juncture, a juncture u wanted to be at once upon a time. This was what u had been praying for and wanting, and now when u are at that position u don’t want it. What do u do at that moment? What is this whole tendency about? Is it just the human nature to not be satisfied with anything? Or is it the fear of change? Fear of change does not let u move ahead, makes u not want to face any new challenges.
A philosopher once said that the minute u feel life is getting too comfortable; u should know it is time to move ahead and look for new challenges. This raises a question how comfortable is too comfortable? Are u not working and facing challenges to come to a comfort zone? Then why do we look for a new challenge once we are there? Why don’t we just remain there till we can?
Not wanting to face new challenges leads to a kind of lethargy which destroys the self motivation and there u are stagnating like water in a still pond.
How do you get out of this inertia? How do u motivate yourself to face the change. A change that u have always wanted. That is the moment to rise and tell yourself that a life full of comforts, void of challenges is like having food without the spices. A life that is dull and bland. This does not contribute to your growth in any way. In fact if it goes on for a long time it also makes u lazy. This laziness is like a cancer. If not treated at the right time will eat into you and start growing., It will grow till it is impossible to cure it. The right time to cure it is at the very onset of it. So we come back to the philosopher – Get out of the comfort zone sooner than u get into it.