As this time again I almost make it to my voyage to home, thoughts, hopes and wishes assail my mind. There is also a shade of fear and apprehensions that lurk behind. As you cannot separate light from its eternal twin, the shadow, so the possibility of an unfulfilled desire, or disappointment from an audacious hope, from the courage to dream.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Hopes and apprehensions
Images and Reflections
Glittering in myriad waves, kissed by the gentle breeze-
The stars aglow, witness to the divine union:
The dark canopy, solemnizing, breathing life in silence.
His soft hair, confused, hesitates on his forehead
The dimple on his cheek and the light in his eyes
Tells you the story is not new, another chapter has just begun…
As the dusk turns from red to purple
The chirping birds become lazy and tired,
The woman and the candle wait for his return…
It is dawn somewhere else, afternoon at another…it is not the end.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Seva : Boon or Bane?
There was this interesting exchange of emails on the efficacy of Seva or service on one hand, and its shortcomings elitist nature on the other, by two of my friends. Both had a very valid and rational reasoning behind their argument. I will quote from their emails and then will put forward my own ideas :
Service humanizes :
"For instance, in my recent visit to India, me and my mamaji decided to clean our street with our own hands. I wanted to see what it takes to do the 'dirty work' which we all educated people scoff at or expected 'somebody else' do it. We cleared the garbage and also cleaned the area where people normally urinate. While we did it for half-an-hour lots of passers by were curious to know what was going on. The town is small and lot of people know us personally and I felt happy that atleast people noticed and understood the importance. Well! that was not the end. Once we were done, our neighbour (who were watching us since begenning) came out with 4-5 guys and tools (spade and brooms) and did much better than we did. I did the same thing when I visited a very famous village temple in our area. While I was cleaning the garbage I was happy to see that somebody else from crowd joined me and did a better job. It is easy to replicate.
Moral: Everybody loves to live in clean place. If you want something to happen, GO DO IT.
Service is elitist:
"Doing something when you have options and doing the same thing when you don't have options, are totally different things.
We did this experiment of cleaning Juhu beach at Mumbai for quite some days, feeling that people would come and join hands with us and we'll change the world. That did not happen. We gained satisfaction though. Satisfaction, that I've done a worldly job. Being a software engineer, I've shown the world that I can do cleaning work also !
Today I know how foolish, arrogant and immatured that was.
Keeping our own neighborhood clean is good. That should be done by everyone, no doubts. However imposing that on the caste-structure and trying to show that when people without choice are doing it , they are gaining spiritual experience, is arrogance, inhuman and parades upper-caste mentality. The same thinking which has kept these people there.
Spirituality is a very personal thing. It is one of the extreme stages of individualism. That exists only for the privileged few, with some sort of a "status". Asking a hungry person to become spiritual is inhuman. Imposing it on the socially-humiliated is brutality.
Secondly, when you are doing that job, you are actually replacing the person who was doing that for (however meagre) an earning. Did you have any plan for them, do you have it now? Will you marry your daughters/sons to their kids so that atleast they break social structure of caste? Unless, you tackle these questions, doing this kind of work is just eliteness exemplified. Asking people to "eat cake, if they don't have bread".
"Serving others is required only when others are in a situation that they "need" it, while "you" don't. The question is why should that situation arise? When one person is serving another in the form of " dayaa" it invariably means that the serving person is in some superior state compared to the one being served. Then we must question why did that situation arise. Suppose someone does not have eyes/vision, and needs aid to see things, then we have a reason to understand that need. But if someone does not have food, when the whole world produces food enough for double the population, the question of why they don't get food must be asked, instead of giving food in charity. "
My Views:
According to my understanding both ...ji and ...ji has mentioned some very important issues and points regarding the subject of "Seva". In that perspective I would like to share some of my thoughts.
... ji has been very correct when he mentions that it is far more important to change the situation which gives rise to the necessity of "Service" rather than indulging in "charity". It is indeed very true and a very noble thought. But if we ponder deeply over the issue, why does such a situation arise, when some are well off while another significant section has to survive on the "altruism" shown by the well-offs?
As any social issue, it is the result of multiple social and economic causes. But what I think the most important ones are :
a. Greed and limitless desire on part of the better offs and powerful.
b. Laziness on part of some. ( in slums of India we get to know many able men who are drunkards and spends days fruitlessly, because of them their wives and children faces a lot of hardship)
c. Ineffectiveness and inherent inequality in the system.
I think to face this issue of social inequality and injustice we have to face these attitudes of mind ( the third point is result of collective thinking). As someone said, Battles are first formed in mind, so I think the root causes of these problems arise in our mind, in the way we think collectively and individually, in our attitudes to one another and to the society. Once we agree on this, we will understand the importance of Service.
Service is not doing charity, or doing "good" things in slums and villages alone. Service is an attitude of mind, when one feels a kind of oneness and kinship with the other ( rich or poor, villager or urbanite, children or elderly, men or women) and this motivates him to do something which will alleviate the situation of the other. The parable of the good Samaritan, who goes out of his way to help the injured passenger, is a beautiful example.
When we will have this understanding of Service and expand it in our consciousness, we will see it is the best way to tackle the root causes of social inequality. By doing acts of service, we will become more aware of the pain and difficulty of others, of which many times, knowingly or unknowingly, we ourselves are the cause, we will start reforming ourselves, and it will be one of the quickest and most effective way to transform our thinking process and attitude.
As ...ji have mentioned, when we share in the service of our scavenger brothers, we will though not completely, but surely, will catch a glimpse of the work they do. Myself having participated in such acts, I can tell, that though it might seem a bit elitist, it is a great humbling experience, and through that i have started greatly appreciating the work. It won't change the situation for them in a fortnight, but surely it will start the process when one day, they do not have to listen to lectures on spirituality by Narendrabhai Modi.
So, to end, I just want to say that, though on the surface, an act of service might seem to be a drop of water, which in no time gets sucked up in the quagmire of lifeless desert, but this drop of water seeps in deep in the subconscious of the one who participates in the act, and may be slowly but surely transforms him. If we can inspire more and more people, by our own example to develop this attitude of service, I think we can render a matchless service to our countrymen. This service will not only expand our thinking, but will also equip us with a first had experience of the ground realities, and better enable us to think about ways to change and improve them.
Service humanizes :
"For instance, in my recent visit to India, me and my mamaji decided to clean our street with our own hands. I wanted to see what it takes to do the 'dirty work' which we all educated people scoff at or expected 'somebody else' do it. We cleared the garbage and also cleaned the area where people normally urinate. While we did it for half-an-hour lots of passers by were curious to know what was going on. The town is small and lot of people know us personally and I felt happy that atleast people noticed and understood the importance. Well! that was not the end. Once we were done, our neighbour (who were watching us since begenning) came out with 4-5 guys and tools (spade and brooms) and did much better than we did. I did the same thing when I visited a very famous village temple in our area. While I was cleaning the garbage I was happy to see that somebody else from crowd joined me and did a better job. It is easy to replicate.
Moral: Everybody loves to live in clean place. If you want something to happen, GO DO IT.
Service is elitist:
"Doing something when you have options and doing the same thing when you don't have options, are totally different things.
We did this experiment of cleaning Juhu beach at Mumbai for quite some days, feeling that people would come and join hands with us and we'll change the world. That did not happen. We gained satisfaction though. Satisfaction, that I've done a worldly job. Being a software engineer, I've shown the world that I can do cleaning work also !
Today I know how foolish, arrogant and immatured that was.
Keeping our own neighborhood clean is good. That should be done by everyone, no doubts. However imposing that on the caste-structure and trying to show that when people without choice are doing it , they are gaining spiritual experience, is arrogance, inhuman and parades upper-caste mentality. The same thinking which has kept these people there.
Spirituality is a very personal thing. It is one of the extreme stages of individualism. That exists only for the privileged few, with some sort of a "status". Asking a hungry person to become spiritual is inhuman. Imposing it on the socially-humiliated is brutality.
Secondly, when you are doing that job, you are actually replacing the person who was doing that for (however meagre) an earning. Did you have any plan for them, do you have it now? Will you marry your daughters/sons to their kids so that atleast they break social structure of caste? Unless, you tackle these questions, doing this kind of work is just eliteness exemplified. Asking people to "eat cake, if they don't have bread".
"Serving others is required only when others are in a situation that they "need" it, while "you" don't. The question is why should that situation arise? When one person is serving another in the form of " dayaa" it invariably means that the serving person is in some superior state compared to the one being served. Then we must question why did that situation arise. Suppose someone does not have eyes/vision, and needs aid to see things, then we have a reason to understand that need. But if someone does not have food, when the whole world produces food enough for double the population, the question of why they don't get food must be asked, instead of giving food in charity. "
My Views:
According to my understanding both ...ji and ...ji has mentioned some very important issues and points regarding the subject of "Seva". In that perspective I would like to share some of my thoughts.
... ji has been very correct when he mentions that it is far more important to change the situation which gives rise to the necessity of "Service" rather than indulging in "charity". It is indeed very true and a very noble thought. But if we ponder deeply over the issue, why does such a situation arise, when some are well off while another significant section has to survive on the "altruism" shown by the well-offs?
As any social issue, it is the result of multiple social and economic causes. But what I think the most important ones are :
a. Greed and limitless desire on part of the better offs and powerful.
b. Laziness on part of some. ( in slums of India we get to know many able men who are drunkards and spends days fruitlessly, because of them their wives and children faces a lot of hardship)
c. Ineffectiveness and inherent inequality in the system.
I think to face this issue of social inequality and injustice we have to face these attitudes of mind ( the third point is result of collective thinking). As someone said, Battles are first formed in mind, so I think the root causes of these problems arise in our mind, in the way we think collectively and individually, in our attitudes to one another and to the society. Once we agree on this, we will understand the importance of Service.
Service is not doing charity, or doing "good" things in slums and villages alone. Service is an attitude of mind, when one feels a kind of oneness and kinship with the other ( rich or poor, villager or urbanite, children or elderly, men or women) and this motivates him to do something which will alleviate the situation of the other. The parable of the good Samaritan, who goes out of his way to help the injured passenger, is a beautiful example.
When we will have this understanding of Service and expand it in our consciousness, we will see it is the best way to tackle the root causes of social inequality. By doing acts of service, we will become more aware of the pain and difficulty of others, of which many times, knowingly or unknowingly, we ourselves are the cause, we will start reforming ourselves, and it will be one of the quickest and most effective way to transform our thinking process and attitude.
As ...ji have mentioned, when we share in the service of our scavenger brothers, we will though not completely, but surely, will catch a glimpse of the work they do. Myself having participated in such acts, I can tell, that though it might seem a bit elitist, it is a great humbling experience, and through that i have started greatly appreciating the work. It won't change the situation for them in a fortnight, but surely it will start the process when one day, they do not have to listen to lectures on spirituality by Narendrabhai Modi.
So, to end, I just want to say that, though on the surface, an act of service might seem to be a drop of water, which in no time gets sucked up in the quagmire of lifeless desert, but this drop of water seeps in deep in the subconscious of the one who participates in the act, and may be slowly but surely transforms him. If we can inspire more and more people, by our own example to develop this attitude of service, I think we can render a matchless service to our countrymen. This service will not only expand our thinking, but will also equip us with a first had experience of the ground realities, and better enable us to think about ways to change and improve them.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Rain
After the storm, the rains followed. The torrential downpour gushed forth from all sides. I opened my door. My windows and all that I could open. As it rushed in from all sides, I saw all the old filth and dust, that got collected by neglect and indolence, getting washed away. I have a parrot, it talks all the time from its cage. I also indulge it by letting it free and feeding it with new stories. It protested as the waters rushed in. But I was tired of its stories. Parrot, today you also have to drown in the flood. My house has been scorching for long. The paleness of its walls, its crevices have been thirsting for the touch of coolness. I knew this. But that its longing was so intense surprised me. So as the first drops of water touched my roof, the first moisture laden breeze, laiden with the sweet smell of damp earth filled my room, as the leaves started dancing and singing with the music of the raindrops, my home, like the trees started swaying. Today it was time again to get drenched. Today, after long it was time again to forget itself. Thrilled that I was, stood beside it, surrendered to its thirst and watched its ecstasy. And wished tomorrow when the sun comes up, my home will retain today’s coolness. May it drink as much as it can.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Happy Birthday!
As the moment passes on, impatient
As the thought arises, pregnant
My Love, I wait for Thee at the edge of my door…
The senses, I play with them,
The mind, I give it a game;
My Love, only for You I go this far…
Morning breaks, it starts all over again,
Afternoon comes, with the scent of rain;
My Love, its evening, will you still be afar…?
Deep within, in the darkness
The gentle breeze my heart caress,
Is it You my Love holding the door ajar…?
As the thought arises, pregnant
My Love, I wait for Thee at the edge of my door…
The senses, I play with them,
The mind, I give it a game;
My Love, only for You I go this far…
Morning breaks, it starts all over again,
Afternoon comes, with the scent of rain;
My Love, its evening, will you still be afar…?
Deep within, in the darkness
The gentle breeze my heart caress,
Is it You my Love holding the door ajar…?
Monday, November 19, 2007
The cloud
The clouds belong to the dream world. With their changing shapes, their stealthy motion, their riot of colors at the sunset...they have so much to say. We have so much to listen. But lost as we are, in our real world, in our race for real things, the stories remain unheard, the tales remain unspoken.
In my heart I was searching for an answer. Answers to the storm in my heart. Storms, when they come, they don't follow conventions...they don't know civility. It sweeps you off your feet, though you thought you have grown long reliable roots. The shrubs and the grasses teach us, that the tempest might batter you, shove you in an unknown region, unsettle your existence...may be even bruise you. But if you resist like the big trees, you will be uprooted, broken, and tossed around mercilessly.
As I was surrounded by the clouds, white and soft, their coolness wetting my cheeks. I pleaded: moisten my being, soothe my heart. I have been bruised by a storm. Now its time again for calmness and serenity. To mend, to learn. Cloud, you are smoky, but you are also white. You cover the sun, but you also moisten. If sun gives us life, you give us sustenance. I will face the sun. I will run bathed in light once again. But today I need your flaky shadow. Take me in your arms.
She obliged. It's tenderness made me whole. Once again.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Give me a Place to stand...
Give me a place to stand...and I will change the world
Come near and hold my hand...and I will be impearled.
Sing a song to me...and I will dance once again
Whisper a poem to me...I will be in clouds and rain.
The shadow of life is long today
In chaotic silence, waiting for a new day
It wants to break free, the restlessness all gone.
Freedom and creativity in the new dawn.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The Bud and the Shaft
The bud with the pearl of dew
Its early hours, the day is new
She is thrilled with the touch, she can't tarry any more...
She is tired of being shrivelled up, she has been waiting from long before...
The violet land and the music of the birds
The freshness inebriates the tottering herds.
Wrapped in the warmth of the morning Red,
No more the bud is moist, should she be afraid?
Why is it still dark here? Why is she all alone?
The music is playing...what sin has she to atone?
Is it the beginning or the end? The hotness burns her out...
But even then she can't ignore the sweet sap within and the wafting aroma without.
She is in despair, convinced -she is too insignificant :
But why does she, not forget the morning thrill, o just for a moment?
The flute of the sunset permeates the sky,
Its becoming unbearable...she knows not why.
She dreads the new day-break, shy of new hopes of the morning dew;
She had enough already, broken dreams, promise of a golden view :
But today it is not only on her body, also her bosom is touched with magic it seems
What is happening? She knew she was blind...then what are these glowing beams?
All the while, the shaft held her, in her doubts, in her hopelessness;
He silently supplied all the sap and hope and surrounded her in His grace.
One day, the shaft knew, the darkness will be gone :
The bud will bloom in all its beauty when it is time, and its purpose won.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Another day...
The morning mist brings myriad thoughts,
Images of the night, ideas of the day...
So many things I have to say.
What if I chose not to be
In search of eternity...
What if I chose not to ask
Is it me or you who wears the mask?
The morning mist hides my face.
In that I find peace...some solace.
Images of the night, ideas of the day...
So many things I have to say.
What if I chose not to be
In search of eternity...
What if I chose not to ask
Is it me or you who wears the mask?
The morning mist hides my face.
In that I find peace...some solace.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Truth-Goodness-Beauty
My first post. I will keep it simple, though the title might seem a bit overwhelming.
Truth in my voice, goodness in my heart and beauty in my eyes...that is what i search, or rather we search all the time....in all our actions..in all our thoughts. But most of the time we end up complicating things, in ways that makes us forget soon the first motive that started off the chain reaction.
May be my readers and my inner voice will time and again remind me of this pursuit which motivates me now, at this moment, to start this blog. It is now, more of a way to explore the deeper contours of my mind, reading my thoughts aloud, so that they don't get lost to me in the cacophony of events. May be there is a deeper desire that you will help me uncover these hidden treasures that some say is already interred deep inside. In me. In you.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)