AND, not OR....

Dan Brown in his book Da Vinci Code mentions this Roman emperor Constantine who, he says, gave Christianity its present form. He is said to have merged the beliefs and symbols of the previously existing religions and the newly emergent faith, Christianity, and to have 'stolen' Christianity from its original followers. Now, he did and caused( in subsequent centuries) many more things that were despicable, like the persecution and repression of the supporters of Mary Magdalene, who I believe, existed just as Brown says she did. But I don't want to go into all that right now. Maybe later. What I am interested in is the way he managed to combine two totally different philosophies and make peace amongst his people. I think that's what the world needs right now- to combine all religions in such a way that there are elements of all individual religions in the one big Grand Religion. Wouldn't it be wonderful, if, for example, people in India could be Hindus AND Muslims AND Christians AND Sikhs AND Parsees AND Jains AND Buddhists?....AND instead of OR.

We have been traditionally experts at assimilating other ideologies into our native faiths, otherwise how would you explain the large number of Gods and Goddesses in our country? How would you explain people of India worshiping all Gods as their own, respecting all teachers as their own, whether they be Ram or Krishna or Kali or Nanak or Buddha or Mahavir?

We are a nation of learners. We absorb whatever is good in others. It is time we brought out that same desire to learn and assimilate. Our nation needs it. The whole world needs it. We require an osmosis of teachings from and into Islam, Christianity, and other religions. Only this can bring about a better understanding among the people. Given the escalating levels of intolerance in India, it is imperative that we fulfill this need as fast as possible. It is surprising that given the time these religions have been together in India, this has not already happened.

The Story of a Princess-1

I don’t really remember my parents. The maids tell me that’s because I was only a few days old when my surrogate father found me lying in a field. Is my father a farmer? Oh, no, no! He’s a king. Then why was he ploughing a field? They tell me it was a religious ritual of some sorts. They perhaps even told me its significance. But I do not remember any of it. All that I remember from that discussion all those years ago, when I first started questioning and thinking about what went on around me, is that my father found me lying in a newly ploughed field, and took me home with him. He was a childless man, and I was a parentless child and we found solace in each other. Because he found me in a furrowed field, he called me ‘daughter of the Earth’, and named me Sita. Because his name was Janak, I was also called Janaki, daughter of Janak.

He loved me like his own daughter. I had all the comforts and privileges due to a princess and received all the education that was imparted to princes in those days, much to the amusement of my maids. Whether Nyay-shastra or sword-fighting, you name it, I had it. I never could really understand why he insisted that I learn all that, until much later, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy it or wasn’t good at it.

Having so much to do also meant that I didn’t have time for idle thinking, and this I appreciated because this meant not having to think about the mystery of my birth, or why my parents left me alone in that field that day. You see, unlike my father, I never could really believe that I was ‘born of the Earth’, without any human parents. This might also be due to the whispers I heard around me, behind curtains, around a blind corner, whispers that would hush-up as soon as I neared them.

Sometimes, though, I felt like I wasn’t really Sita, the 10-year-old child, but a very, very old Spirit. Sometimes I felt this spirit talking through me, making me say things I would not normally say, things that my father said were way beyond my years, things that sometimes made my teacher tell me off. Of course, I would apologize immediately, but the thoughts of the Spirit stayed with me, making me see things in a totally new light. You could say that I owe my education to this Spirit as much as to my teachers.

The Hypocrisy of Our 'Intellectuals'

Well, this is going to be a short one. Shobha De wrote a big article in a prominent newspaper that I am subscribed to, telling Taslima Nasreen to leave India. Now, let me clarify one thing in the beginning- I am not interested in debating whether Taslima has been right or wrong in the past. Not interested at all. I am talking about the hypocrisy of our so-called intellectuals, and of our politicians, who are so interested in pandering to the demands of particular sections of society, under the garb of being 'secular'. They don't object to the fatwa against her, nor to the price placed on her head. They don't object to the processions against her. Point to be noted is, if these same processions had been taken out by another community, they would have vehemently opposed the deed. If these people had been truly secular, they would have tried to reason out with the public. They have the power of the pen, after all. They would also have told Taslima not to give any vitriolic comments, if that is the problem. But they don't have the spine to do so. Taslima has not been involved in any mercenary activities, is not an anti-social element, and therefore cannot be asked to leave the country like this, and the people of India and Bangladesh should understand that.

Thou Shalt be Killed by Your Fellow Man....and Brutally

Reading newspapers is a very bad habit. It makes you see things that you don't want to see, tells you about stuff you don't wanna know about. It makes you see the human race for what it is really- a primitive cannibalistic tribe. Am I being a bit too harsh? I don't think so. Consider this- Is there any other species on earth that is as savage, as ruthless as humans? We kill our fellow humans for something as small as a piece of land, an ornament, something as insignificant as religion. We murder, we pillage, all in the name of God. We suppress the weak and boot-lick those who stronger than us. We are divided into countries, races, religions(Oh my!), regions, sub-sects and for these divisions we are always ready to kill each other. Come to think of it, an alien species will not have any problem conquering us. They have to just let us be and we'll kill us ourselves.

Worst of all, we are not just violent, we are also stupid and dumb. We are as dumb as a flock of sheep which can be led anywhere by the shepherd, even to the butcher-house. Our shepherds are our great leaders, who don't care about anything beyond their Swiss bank accounts. And of course, we are too stupid to see that they are just leading us to our doom. Perhaps the aliens have already collaborated with them. They would be crazy not to.

I'll give you examples from my part of the world. India and Pakistan went their separate ways in 1947 thinking that by splitting the Hindus and Muslims all the problems will be solved. At least Mr. Jinnah thought so. And now look at Pakistan. It is now divided into Shiyas and Sunnis, Punjabis and Sindhis, original Pakistanis and those immigrated from India at the time of Independence. What do you say now, Mr. Jinnah? Wanna make some more splits? India- the Golden Bird- where are your wings now? Someone broke Ambedkar's idol, and there are riots. In Gujrat the hypocritical politicians make election hay. And I am not just talking about Modi. I am talking about all of them. One word from them, the so-called leaders, Congress, BJP, all of them, and the riots would have calmed down. Why didn't that one word come? They probably thought they would look better on camera consoling the bereaved rather than telling the mobsters to stop.

Want another example? Come down to Karnataka. If you are a non- Kannada speaking fellow, you'll be called an 'outsider' right to your face. Thank you, great leaders. Want more? Read a newspaper. You'll hear what's going on in Malaysia. You'll hear about the modern Crusades. You'll hear how brutally people are killed by their fellow humans, for race, for religion.

Imagine what Gandhi would have done if he were there- he would have gone on another Satyagrah. Yes, against his own countrymen, and he would have succeeded. He was a really great and a really misunderstood man. And people of today think it's high fashion to talk crap about him. Get real guys, he was a human, not a God. You think you could do better? Then please go ahead and try. Don't preach from the armchair.

God should not have given humans intelligence. She should have given us wisdom.

:(

There are times in life when you want to believe the worst about yourselves, when other people's opinion about you sounds true, when your past mistakes start haunting you and try as you may, you can't get out of the feeling of being the most, absolutely most, horrible person on earth. You start remembering all the people you have ever hurt, and you want to wipe their faces out of your mind, but you can't. What is this feeling? Pain? Hurt? Anger? Or fear?

It's fear. Fear of the dopplegangers of the past. Fear of committing the same mistakes again. Fear of getting into the same situation, and being unable to get out. Fear of hurting someone you care about, yet again. Sometimes this fear is so intense that you run away, from that situation, from that person. But sometimes, you stay. And the result is never happy. At least for me, it has never been.

Sometimes being cowardly is a good thing. At least it protects others from hurt, even though it may cut you to pieces.

On a Speech by Sojourner Truth

Just read a speech by Sojourner Truth, ‘Ain’t I a Woman?’ that was made at a Women’s Convention in response to the comments of some men who talked about how man was superior to woman because he was stronger and had a higher intellect(?), and because Christ was born a man and not a woman and because of the ‘sin’ of the first woman. Awesome, awesome speech. Let me quote.

“I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen them most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?”

“Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?”

“Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.”

“If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.”

While modern research has shown that men and women do not differ in their strengths and intellects, I had yet not been able to find a complete answer to this problem, “Why have all the Gods, messiahs, prophets up till now been all men?” Thanks Sojourner, for answering one half. Let me state the second half.

Consider a girl belonging to a middle class family; let’s say, a thousand years before now? Now this girl has prodigious talent. She might be an exceptional musician, or a dancer, or a thinker and philosopher. If she is a talented singer, or musician or dancer, how far do you think her talent would carry her? If she is lucky she would only be singing for her husband. Others, if they are beautiful, would be taken to the king’s court or thrown in public houses to entertain the people. If she is more of the intellectual types, do you think she would be allowed to study, even if she were ten times as brilliant as any boy? Do you think she would be allowed to speak in public and proclaim her views? Never. Forget a thousand years ago, how many of you can say that your own mother did not have to sacrifice her dreams because of social pressures to have a family?

Religion preaches woman to be subservient, because religion itself is created by man. Men tell them that they are inferior to them and they accept, thinking it to be the word of God. I once had an argument with one of my friends. She was insisting that women are inferior to men because her religious text says so. She said that God has made the brain of woman smaller than man, which was also explained by her religious text. It is amazing how far down man can stoop to ensure that woman remains his slave.

Ultimately, there are only two races in this world- man and woman. One the aggressor, and the other subdued, suppressed, tormented everywhere. Even today, in the modern world? Well, it has been observed that even if the couple is highly educated, the wife may have to suffer physical or mental abuse at some point of their marital life. Speaking of Indian society, the husband is usually the dominant partner and usually makes all the financial decisions. The final say on the subject of marriage or education (this among the less educated people) of the children is the father’s. If the couple can’t have children, then it is blamed on the wife. Sometimes the husband does not even deign to take the test! I could go on and on like this, but I think I have made my point.

Honeymoon Travels ;)

Honeymoon Travels was a really entertaining movie about six couples off to have the honeymoon of their lives. However this is not going to be a film review, 'cos I was particularly interested in one special couple and this blog is going to be about them. They interested me even more because their story was slammed by almost everyone of the viewers as being too fantastical. You guessed it pal, I am talking about the superhero couple.

Now, this was a couple who had never had a single fight in all their days of courting/ friendship. That in itself was hard to swallow. But why did the director have to bring in the superhuman part? 'Cos that really made the whole thing indigestible. Or did it? Somehow I feel that their being super-heroes makes complete sense. I think that what the director wants to say is that there can not be a single couple in the world who has never had a fight, or who has such perfect synchronization in their actions and thoughts as these two had. So to expect that one will never have arguments with one's spouse is pure fantasy and one must learn to accept this. Only a divine/superhuman couple can have such a state of bliss, not us mortals. So lower your expectations a bit, people! Fights and arguments are going to be part of your love life, but how soon you get over them and make up are probably gonna determine the state of your marital bliss! Time to kick those egos out the window, I suppose! :)

Hope

Life gives us many setbacks, tosses us around, tortures us till even tears become a luxury. We curse her and call her names. We beg her to just let us die if she hates us so much. But she just goes on as if our miseries don't matter to her at all. Just when we have given ourselves up to a life of pain and sorrow, suddenly one day the storm clears and lo, we are in the Promised Land! We realize that she has been our friend all along; we were just too short-sighted to see it.

Whether in love or friendship, in business or personal relations, it always helps one to remember that nothing is permanent, however much we may(or not) want it to be, or however hopeless it may make us feel. There's always an end to everything- to both happiness and sorrow. So if we are experiencing sorrow today, we might cheer up because tomorrow may bring us joy. And if we are happy, we should sober down and think of investing in some love, for the rainy day.

There's this prayer that my father always quotes to me when I am down and it never fails to bring life into perspective:
'God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we can not change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference.'
I hope it will do as much for others too. :)

Mom Rocks

One of the few things that can never be duplicated in this world is the taste of one's mother's cooking. I have tried numerous times and no dish is the same as it would have been had my mom but just touched it once. Last night I and my mom made one particular dish together, and man, it turned out so much better than when I make it on my own. I told her this and she just laughed it off. I wonder where mothers get it from!

The First Post

Well, I suppose the first post must start off with a bang. But right now I am in no mood to write, even though when I thought of creating this blog, there were a million things I wanted to speak to you about. So this, here, is going to be the first post for this blog. May the Lord, God, be with us.