Category: Articles
Spirituality – An appealing applesauce
Not to brag though I love to,
I try very hard to read them but it is always roadside chitranna kind of temptation to move away from “spiritual” book. I am such a righto-phobic. I have no idea why anything above 100 bucks for a rightist book always seems costly in my mind, perhaps because never in my life have I had the beautiful habit of listening to someone on how I should live. When this otherwise so so beautiful Miss, from her spiritual synthesis says that we are all almighty’s children, I have this irking feeling of having another father. If we are all his children, doesn’t she then become her husband’s sister? Not that I see anything wrong in having sibling relationship in society. I have heard that it is weird and produce -ve mutation and unfit droppings. Fun it was though! Bangalore soil, once decorated by the class of HN has now become the breeding ground for best in class, pure, second to none cutting edge spiritual people. Another Dumtaka that these people bring out is this Mahopanishad’s “the world is one family”. Really? I can’t even care if my neighbor’s neighbor dies tomorrow for I do not know him. This world is filled with so many vivid idiots and do they dwell in my family? Caring everyone is caring none. Family is woven by love and compassion, these are intense feelings that cannot be shared with more than a few close people. I can’t even call more than 4 or 5 people as friends! I think we are afraid to be honest about matters of life.
Another dumtaka are these motivation books. Wow! Tesla. Wow! Elon Musk. Wow that handicapped achiever! The sayings of successful people has become a cliche now. “Do what you are passionate about!” really? (If I do what I like, probably I can’t afford roadside chitranna too) They are flooding book stall like anything that knows to spread fast.
Here is another one: People who speak about India having rich culture. We were one of the best. We invented zero. Really? Are your faculties so bankrupt? People can’t even digest if someone says India is a poor country. It is kind of weird after childhood to brag about my own father’s achievement. These people speak about those who lived thousands of years before and go hulululu over it. This is crass babyish behavior! We gave yoga to the world? Really? Whom are you associating with this “we”? Tell you what, these people can’t even accommodate other state people inspiring with them as “we” but happily chant about people who existed 1000s of years before as theirs.
Culture is how people live and what people prioritize. Simple! There is no library near my place buy hay! They have built a new temple by spending close to 40 lakhs.
I think, among many that defines the refinement of any culture, the prominent one is a nude beach. For me, men and women walking naked and facing the sun signifies something precious. How many have we got after 5000 years of culture? Leave alone those beaches, you need to protect a rose garden in Lalbagh with a fence!
We have seen a tremendous growth in middle class over the past two decades or so. With growing wealth people can afford thinking but lack of fundamentals during childhood prevents them to exercise this luxury. Modern spiritual gurus and religious institutions know this space well, immature humongous mass of people are fertile ground for non-sense products. It makes attractive business case for them. Backed by political cowards, what could stop them from erecting gigantic statues? They with their yoga talks make you forget that meditation and yoga survived well before this and flourished without this.
For me, caring for your children and family is no less than meditation. These spiritual men know no better than you. Life is hard, unfair, can be frustrating and isn’t that a fascination to live! Nothing in life is too bankrupt or too hard to make it whole from their garbage.
Men for whom oppugn was worship
Jail not my soul in the solidity of stones. May I be the dreams for commons to uncommon their thought. May my nudity dry their temptations and vector be mine steps for their chase to uncover horizons untouched by the ignorance of past.
Culture is a very dangerous recipe in society. It supplies dull masks for a far more interesting human nature. Yet, culture is a key facet for the very expression of society. Sometimes human nature is evil without masks. Culture is like a skin of a balloon that gives shape to a mass of air. What is tyranny but a culture that is stagnated, unperturbed and cease to change with the germane human necessities for the sustainability of his own race. Fluidity in a culture is brought by those great men who never hesitated to tilt the boat.
One such experiment of tilting the boat was conducted in 12th century, in northern parts of Karnataka. Group of men and women started questioning the traditions, religion, justice and the very fabric of the then assumed life. Sharana movement though had existed for decades before, gained recognition and acceleration by the involvement of the then prime minister of Bijjala, Basaveshwara.
In the ocean of sadness, disappointment and dissatisfaction, happiness and pleasure are like mustard seeds. Human beings by virtue of their existence experiences the same. This is incredibly true for lower orders of society. In such situation of sheer agony and hopelessness, what does he who has no faculties of reasoning can think of? When he sees his micro size body against the vastness of ocean and sky, what does he who knows not of math can fathom? Yes, He imagines while they imagine and so society gets an entity.
What are these men who sit facing fire and pouring oil, if not those who know not of God?
Give me the time where there was no rich and poor, I will give you a time of nonexistence of humanity. Basavanna stands as one such giant figure who gave privileges of Gods to everyone. What if they don’t let you inside temples, wear one around your neck. He said, Men and women gets dignity and respect by virtue of a work and not from its sheer nature. What are these men who sit facing fire and pouring oil, if not those who know not of God? God is in act to the service of humanity, differentiate thou not from thine work for there is none another way of peace and harmony. Sharana is he who stitches leather as cobbler, Sharana is he who tills the land, and Sharana is he also who sells oil. Sharana I certainly am who is thou minister.
The most favorite part of their business to me has to be ANUBHAVA MANTAPA. It was the seat for intellectual debate and discussions. Their importance to free speech and contrarian arguments was the first of its kind that was witnessed by the desert like terrain of north Karnataka. Its greatest and grandest contribution to Kannada were Vachanas, written in an eloquence style against “Sanskrit rich style” of the then period. Its significant effort in promoting classless society and gender equality was met with predictable opposition and led to the collapse of the same. For me, I think it was not a failure, instead an indicator that those beautiful temptations of human mind to fight against suppression and inequality can never be drowned but rather they sprout as hope to the fluidity of culture.
Imagine a child who when given a mango, eats the skin while throwing the pulp into gutter. Will you laugh at him? If you do, it’s perfectly logical to laugh at society, for society does the same. I can see in directions of my compass, the well shaven face, pleasantly looking mustache, the three lines above the brow and a shining diadem. They say, “Look! He is Basaveshwara” What looks of his matter to me? Why should it matter to anyone?
For men of great actions slept in the graves of history, Honor does he who communicate with them in his dreams and conscious mind and not with eyes. Eyes are meant for pleasures and not for thinking. I end by Basaveshwara’s famous quote “Death it is to the thought that is still, death dies against the fluent will.”
Protected: SOMSHE’S SKULL
Protected: The giant women
To break the legs of a dancing tongue….
“Tell us, who he is?” “Tell us, who he is?” A mother side relative asked her child pointing at me. The child was mum initially, but when her mom kept pestering, it said “monkey!” No one expected this, laughter kicked in and she spanked her child to not to speak like that. Clearly, I had not shaven for a month and had quite a beard (Even without it, I guess I retain my resemblance with my African cousin.) The child was taught one golden rule, never to use animal names on humans. My aunt did call up later to laugh on how her kid hesitated to call Bear grylls by his full name!
The kid had its opinion and as expected it was inhibited for its own rightly reasons. Manners are important! What worries me is that when inhibition is done to a needless extent and tied to a subjective saga of morality.
Apart from looks, the next most influential in this world is the tongue! Any culture always tries to dominate these two. Ask yourself, have you ever thought of telling to your father “Dad, She/he is hot!” If you could think of it, high chances are that you belong to economically rich or intellectually elite family. Generally, to describe beauty – a bad mannerism for boys and a crime for girls!
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There is one particular sect of people in every country, I call them Offended Owls! (OO) One characteristic feature of theirs is that they borrow morality from religion! They value views and cries of their “no electricity seen” race over views of reason! I am least bothered about it. I don’t care if they choose wife by the position of stars. I don’t even care if they believe earth as six thousand years old rock. But unfortunately they enter into my caring domain when they influence the seat of power with their babyish bullying diktat on what to say and what not to say. Reason they give is that they are offended! As if that add weight to the argument.
Incidents pour in everyday from Puliyur Murugesan to AIB-Cardinal Saga, from countless banning of books to pressurizing film industry. Recent one is the beef ban! (One must find their funny reasons on why this was important)
Offended? My my! They are offended by couple enjoying together on Valentine’s Day; they are even offended by some folks kissing; they are offended by the nudity in art. They are offended by women’s dress; they are offended by a book; they are offended by homosexuals; they are offended if they are questioned. Surely, these people have too many sensitive organs in wrong places.
OK, I wanted to see how OO recipe work. I tried to taste their dish, I found this. Watch this. (From 5:00) What surprised me was the fact that many didn’t see any skew in this child. Dangerous times! Watching this kid, many can envy my childhood when even with all its ills; I had time to kill butterflies!
I think we are all privileged to distinguish right from wrong without the coat of pseudo patriotism. We too are equally offended when you dare to raise your hands against lovers; we too are equally offended when you protest to ban a book which not just you don’t read, you can’t read!
But when we are offended! We take path of a comment in face book or a blog or a symposium, unlike the party of gods who take sticks and vandalize theaters and burn rubber on streets. I remember one of their supporters saying that they are peaceful unlike ISIS who literally kill the “difference.” So you know where they want to score marks!
Whenever someone says “This is against our culture” just see how much he competes with his asshole! Culture is not stagnant. It is a river whose trail can only be seen by a man who swims along with it (Lagrangian approach.) and not by the one who stand at the banks and put pebbles to stop it.
Every livings dream and goal is to experience every sensation of creativity bound by natural justice and order. I live in India which has a secular viewpoint and a Godless constitution! The essence of our constitution is to develop scientific view point and not stick to draconian old orders. India has too many problems; problems which suck the juice of joy from every common man. Every patriotic colored soul must fight those. To sing against poor comedian chaps who are neither solution nor cause, serves no solution to nothing. Take your sticks and spank those who kill lakes and brutalize biosphere. To put it in your language, those who molest your Bharath Mata literally!
Let the tongue dance to the tune of mind. And Yes! Tongue is nude, don’t be offended by it and force the tongue to wear cloths! LOL, Am I giving them Ideas?
PS: The writer has supreme respect to Owls and it remains his favorite bird. Any indirect insult to its dignity is rued.
Protected: Not just another year
Protected: Before the chant of NAMO NAMAHA in schools…..
Protected: The journey of “Something”
Me via Lord Ganesh’s footsteps
Those were the post spring rainy days! Early dawn drizzling was as certain as those beedies resting between the lips of my old man. The lake had its tummy filled thanks to a good job done by rain Gods (Spl thanks as they don’t demand appraisal like my current labors!). The flow of water in channels was an annual treat to our eyes – so was throwing stones at a murder of crows that never had a peaceful bath thanks to the fishing kiddo’s wickedness. The song of Koyals was echoed by the cry of a lady who had come to mark the auspicious occasion from her husband town and unhappy; unhappy she was for having not got the Silk sari but non cashable blessings from her parents. She had failed to understand that some parents were destined for tilling the land and not for shopping. The prominent group of boys from this village was all excited at the prospect of fund collection; collection that was the symbol of pride and self esteem.
“This time our Ganesha must kiss the temple roof and must sit on the dazzling white swan and not on a mere couch” said the leader who was careful at not to be seen in the group by his eternal bibulous father; father whose only exercise in a day was to beat up the only “visible sign” of his disappointed married life.
With the audacious sayings of the leader, the entire project was kick started. The prime challenge was, yes you guessed it right! Money! We had too little working bees in our village and many were the lords of soil. With twenty odd minutes of literal begging wait! Let me call as “Divine begging” at houses and we were blessed with promises of possible donation on 10th or 20th or some dates which were multiples of ten. The next source of income was Road tolling. The thrill of stopping trucks, vans, scooters or anything that bear “giving hands” was the next to follow. This was commercial so the demand was more per head!! I still remember how some sccoterates were forcing immediate thrust at the sight of us!! I must confess that truck drivers were the best of the lot.
At the end of the collection and partial cashing on promises, the final cash was struggling to kiss thousand. Next Process was the implementation of “cost minimization technique” famously known as “BEDVO” (In Kannada it translates into ‘Don’t want’) principle! Lol, as per this Technique, all glittering papers were reused with patching from previous years. Food, lamps etc were devoted to individual houses. Finally, when our beloved Ganesha was brought, he was not kissing the roof of the temple nor was he sitting on the swan. But we never forgot to say “Next year, he will”
The running time did dissolve the group. Village now has its lake filled with gutter of nearby layouts; the channel is dead long ago. I guess a murder of crows have forgotten to take bath! But the lady don’t cry anymore, she got a silk sari from her parents as her parents for having sold their lands to layouts are no more tillers but ravenous shoppers.
Now, there is no divine begging as Kids these days wear blazers and learn French at schools. Ganesha still visit the former village and yes! He kisses the temple roof and sits on a swan and his eyes shines even at moonless night! His swan is as white as Nordic snow and his nail polish is as red as youth’s blood. I must confess, our village Ganesha now has all the richness and is richer than mine once imagined king. This is true to the certainty of my soul, thanks to one time donation by the leader whose name I see against new layouts. There was even orchestra scheduled at birth of the dusk. I was about to leave and a song via loudspeaker went like “Yammo Yammo Nod de Nod de, Nod baardanna naa nod de”
Ganesha with all his richness was silent; silent as was his custom at the dance of living on earth.
Happy Ganesha Chaturthi !
68th Independence Day Special
“Mother, in our faith we have Gods for most of our sensations, but who is the God of freedom?” I asked her.
She replied “Kubera, the friend of Lord Shiva”
I immediately rebutted with some victor pride “But he is the lord of wealth, isn’t he? Or does he own two portfolios?” She smiled and said nothing for a while.
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It was eve of “the” day in a remote village by name Kestur. A young girl of 13 years of age was roaming the streets and corners of a village anxiously. Her mind was filled with somewhat embarrassing thought of not having the all important ironed and not lacerated white dress for once in a year special event. Any demand at home would eventually land her with bruise and injury, as her dad fueled by immiseration had a special interest and passion to chase her with bamboo sticks in his hand. Like previous years, she eventually managed to get similar if not the same from one of her friends. Most of the time it was a misfit but nevertheless something there was called “white” to decorate her dark complexion. On the auspicious day, her circles gifted her a laughter flavored by a phrase “oh finally, coal has something to glow.” The remarks did not matter her as her struggle to be one among equals was a success, at least for a day.
This girl at her later stages of life, found new meaning (That’s what she says!) in the form of a child who later decided to write this at India’s 68th Independence Day.
According to her, all meaning or effect of independence and freedom in individual’s life gets nullified, if inflicted by a disease called poverty. She continues, “What use to provide freedom of choice in shirts and pants to a soul who can’t buy underwear?” How does it matter whether the owner is a British or Indian? When, all they do is to fix a rate for your sweat and ensure poverty- a disease for eternity. Finally, she concludes “Freedom is like sugarcane with a skin called poverty; one necessarily must peel to taste the juice.” For this I replied “Unfortunately for some, they spend their tender youth, and most of their experimental life to peel the cane, by the time they succeed all juice would have dried out and what remains is old age.”
Finally, I did understand her smile on my questioning of Kubera.
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I developed liking to my current Prime minister when he spoke about poverty exhaustively during his election campaign (Note that I have vibes for classless society!!) I did vote for him as the choice had no competition. He is an excellent orator and speaks with certainty and clarity. If he is genuine with his intention of fighting this menace called poverty then I am excited to see the attempt on how it goes in next five years. Hope he shares light on it on today’s speech.
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There are many other freedoms which are not nullified by poverty but by the lack of dimensions in thinking. For example, what is this freedom of speech from an individual who is not free to think? When a man’s right and wrongs in life can’t transcend beyond holy books, and man’s judgmental cognition can’t break away from the clutches of prejudice, freedom becomes an illusion.
By the way, there is something called conditional freedom in our constitution. It’s like conditional love which is anything but love. This is a symptom of raw society and must there be minimization of conditioning on a longer run.
Before independence our fighters were very clear with their enemies and we succeeded in getting the fruit. But today, enemies have no definite forms; some are defining our thinking and perspectives on pleasure, happiness and life. Some are selling needless stuffs at malls in cities; some are selling faith and reducing our potential to think; some are paying salary to curb our larger creativity; some are looting our resources; all these are threats to freedom and we must guard ourselves and our souls from these.
Finally, develop a habit of closing your eyes for 10min a day (Yes! give some time to yourself) don’t condition your thinking and allow mind to gallop on its chosen thoughts. A day will come when your mind gallops on you and you alone. That’s the true freedom you receive. I promise you, it tastes awesome.
Happy Independence Day!!!
MIDNIGHT SCRABBLES 