Oh My God!!!

I have been thinking about the God and related stuff for quite sometime now. With a husband who claims to be an atheist, I have had no choice but to defend the existence of the God every time we had an argument relating to the rituals and related sentiments associated cropped up. One day a friend suggested that we watch this Hindi movie called "Oh My God". The concept of God and theism and related issues were portrayed very neatly.  

 

The God! - You exist according to me.  But where, how, in what form, I have no idea.  I was told that you are a super power and lived elsewhere called Heaven. I have also been  told that you are the creator and the destroyer. A sense of fear has always prevailed around your existence,Dear Lord!  And people have learnt to exploit it.

 

As I grew up, however, I learnt a few things which I want to share with you God. 

 

When you created this world, according to the mythologies (not considering Darwin's theory of Evolution), you also created some creatures with different levels of sensory. You created this creature called "HUMANS", who without any doubt, have been considered superior(of course according to them) . We creatures have since then been trying to over power every being in this world including the humans ourselves.

 

One such tactics, My God, is using you as a tool and discriminating thy fellows. Some ancestors of ours, had created religions and each religion has had a set of rules to follow. They have also created a lot of sub sects to discriminate fellow human beings in the name of caste, colour and creed and what not. They did not forget to create a fear amongst others stating that if the rules were not followed properly to satisfy you, My God, then they would have to face your wrath. How crooked isn't it??

 

 People have grown to be God Fearing rather than God Loving.We are having people in the name of Gurus to exploit our ignorance about you, God.  We have learnt to discriminate fellow humans in the name of caste, calling them untouchables, etc. failing to remember the fact that all of us are equal in your eyes. You dint teach us to waste food items rather taught us to share even the little that we had with everyone. But, We have created our own rules and have been preaching to ardently bargain things in the form of offerings like milk, curd and other edible items, with you. We have started to do business with you. You have also been offered a part of a share in many of our businesses. You taught us to live in harmony with nature, but all we are doing is in the name of protecting you, is to kill ourselves and steal other creatures' offerings and waste them. We humans have even gone to the extent of killing each other in the name of protecting the so called castes and associated rituals which are purely man-made. We have forgotten all your preaching in the Gita, the Bible and the Quran.

 

God is one for everyone. I see you as Ganesha, someone else sees you as Allah and someone else as Jesus and much more.  The concept of "Thattvamasi"  which says that   the God is in you and everywhere  has been forgotten. God, you are in me, in him, in them and everywhere. God, when I was a child, I went to bal-vikas where I was taught that a man attains godly nature when he has renounced the worldly pleasures. They are Kama,Krodha,Lobha,Moha,Madha,Maascharyam!  But I don't see anyone knowing  or wanting to understand it. Rather, to follow blind folded in the name of fear.  All I see is people wanting to protect you in the name of protecting religions and associated activities. We have forgotten that you are responsible for everything!  Good Lord

 

If only people understood these, this world would have been a better place to live. Is that why, you chose not appear before us nor interfere in these nor bother to justify your existence and chose to happily enjoy in then Heaven??? I see. I get your point! :)

Intriguing

I needed a break from my whole-day studying schedule! I was looking for something that could energise me and make me happy. As I was going through various people's status messages, I came across one of the videos posted. I was a bit skeptical about opening as my mood was already down. However, I decided to give it a try. 

I was very much moved by this video and watched it a couple of times more. The subtle message in the video actually reflects the state of the current generation. I was intrigued by this video and started wondering about how I would have felt had my child done this to me. I had an array of questions in my mind. And here it goes. 

How many of us

 i) have ever thought about our parents and given them some time in a day? 

 ii) realise that it is time for them to relax and enjoy their life rather than running behind something  or the other?

iii) thought they need attention and love rather than just money from our end?

iv) have taken them out for a walk on a sunny evening to a park?

v) have thought of sending a small Thank you! card as a gesture to show how grateful we are?

vi) have given them a thoughtful gift?

vii) have understood what our parents need without them coming to us and telling?

And the list goes on.. Not many would have done this. 

With the advent of the technology and the boom in various sectors, we youngsters are busy chasing our dreams forgetting the life that we need to live today. Today is real and the moments we spend with our parents are more precious than the moments when we achieve something when our parents might not be there to witness. It could be our parents' dream that we are living today. But that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be a part of it. Dreams and goals can be achieved with parents around and not by living away in some remote country. 

It is all about loving and being little more considerate and not taking people for granted even if it is going to ones' own parents. I vowed not to behave in such a way in my life time.

Love you Amma and Appa! 

Football fever!!

Let me clarify my state here. Though I like sports, I am clueless about this game--football. Probably because, the nation which I belong to doesn't play this game at the world level (As though I follow Hockey ;-). I don't either) . So, I never had any interest to follow this game. Only saw it as a game where some 22 men chasing and kicking a mere football. I know that it is a ridiculous on my part to have had such a presumption. Wonder what a football fan would think. He/She must be hurt deeply looking at people like me. I presume that they might think that instead of talking to morons like me, they could either talk to a wall or a tree.

Now, I am mentioning about this because, I am surrounded by people who are ardent fans of this game. As I am currently residing in a country which is famous for the premier league, I cant but help talking about this now. I am talking about England which has this EPL(English premier league). They talk about Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea and what not. And if you are like me, then, these are some of the teams here. I only understand that it is a football version of IPL. Or should I be mentioning that IPL was inspired by EPL and other leagues across the globe?

Until recently, I never bothered to watch this game as my perception about this game has always been game full of arrogance and fight, instead of sportsmanship . But, I guess I have been wrong in being ignorant and forming my own views without even watching a single game. This 2010 World cup has been an eye opener. All this happened when I was forced to watch a match when England played USA. We all sat with pizzas, burgers, fries, crisps, etc. in front of the TV.People were talking about the fouls, the marking, off side, corner kick, penalty kick. And I understood none of these terms rather I should say I was keen on the junkies' spread in front of me. But when I started to watch the game for the sake of it(I had no other go), something fascinated me to keenly follow that day's game. The intensity with which each player was running from one corner to another to possess the ball and strike a goal was very instigating.

The passion with which each player played and covering the players in order not to let the opponent to hit a goal and the never give up attitude, were all evident. When people were calling names like Rooney, Lampard, Gerrald, Cole, Green, etc,  They said that "Wow, Rooney has been marked so well that he  is not able to attempt to put a goal". I could see the passion in the audience as well. The passion and the love for the game was infectious. I was slowly getting involved in cheering up. Though, I could not map the faces with the names, I could understand that England and USA were playing a good game and that USA's goal was a give away from  Green,  England's goal-keeper. 

This was just a beginning. Later when I saw a match where Argentina was playing, I could instantly get into the mood of the match. I saw the match had a mixture of emotions from anger to joy, from kissing to abusing and what not. I had seen Maradona for the first time on TV. I had learnt about his career peaks and  how it hit rock bottom and how he has come out as a coach inspiring every player, it was a joy watching him emoting :). A short guy jumping in joy and running here and there.. Wow, that was treat.  I am just half way through learning about this game though :). I am smitten by this bug already. Looking forward to Argentina's victory.

In all this, I learnt that perseverance and passion will help you hit the right target.  This game, "Football" is a very good example to show it practically in just 90 minutes. It holds good in every walk of life. Good lesson to learn.

Joy of Gardening

Mother Nature is a mixture of colours yet, the colour green stands out whenever I think of it. Generally, people tend to relate the nature to the greenery around and I am no different. I've always dreamt of maintaining a garden in my house with a small pond in it where fishes swim, children play around and elders have a relaxed coffee chat. It has till date remained a dream b'cos of the weather conditions in Chennai and as always b'cos of the lack of space and the hectic mechanical schedule. I've only witnessed extreme weather conditions. It has  either been hot and humid or heavy rain lashes out everything around. 

We have always been taught that there are four main seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn,Winter. And the colours associated with each of these seasons spellbind me. The colours are an evidence to the seasons.

Spring -- Bright parrot green

Summer -- dark green

Autumn -- yellowish green

Winter -- the leaves fall off.  

With the onset of summer and a house with a vast balcony, I have no reason to complain. Yes, we(my husband and I) have started living the dream. We've started to have small garden with many pots of plants. 

From the seeding to the growth, it is just like a mother having a baby in her womb and the joy is profound when my husband an I see the saplings grow. Every little care brings in more responsibility in our lives and it is such a joy. A few of our plants are flowering plants and that too "Roses". Rose plants are the best reflectors of the mood in the house. I came across an article which said that plants sense the mood. Whenever there is a dull mood, the plants reflect by not producing more flowers. However, when the house is filled with joy, it starts giving you more and more flowers. Everytime there is flowers in blossoming, the joy and happiness in the house is doubled!! There is a pair of  an ornamental dwarf plant which is a variety of crotons. They show us the real colour of the seasons. 

One another variety that we have got is the tomato. The shape of the leaves are so beautiful and very cute. I just cant wait to see them produce tomatoes. The growing attachment towards these plants is so evident that we both are not able to see even a small leaflet drying out. Such is the affinity we have developed towards them. It also made us realise how difficult it would be for our parents to stay away from us. The love, the affection, their selflessness, the pain and gain---everything has been centred around us and we are indebted to them forever. 

 These living beings have a lot to offer to us and they teach us some hard lessons which we sometimes fail to recognise. One thing that struck us yesterday was that these plants and trees take nutrients from the soil grow to give back what they have got. These plants bind the soil and help in getting rid of soil erosion. Even after they are dead, they go back to soil to only as manure. There is so much of give and take. Subtle yet strong.

Now, enough of the emotional stuff.  With every morning springing me more surprises with more buds and flowers  I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new variety into my lil garden. It also makes me feel so happy that I am giving back the nature what it deserves(See, I have learnt a lesson ;-) ) 

Lets Go Green

Every mood of her's or his can be related to a natural surrounding or a season in this world . Many would love to dance in rain, many would love to be in a natural, greener surrounding, or take a drive on a pleasant and sunny day. We like to associate many things with nature. But do we have any clue of what Mother Nature is going through because of these? Yes. Many would know. But we are reluctant about these happenings and dont want to try and rectify it. Unfortunately, the life of the future generations is at stake. Not to forget the fact that there are many natural disasters like the tsunami, earth quakes, etc which we are already facing. When we analyse the facts, many questions arise. Aren’t we the ones who are spoiling the nature. Aren't we, the so called superior beings, “THE HUMAN BEINGS" the reason for many of the natural disasters? The answer to these questions is YES. We are the reason for these. But it is better late than never.

As many are aware, some of the major reasons for the depletion of the earth are deforestation and extensive use of plastics.

Deforestation in general terms is the mass destruction of forests. It occurs when efforts are taken to turn them to non-forest areas for the sake of urbanization and other reasons without reforestation. The process of deforestation is often a complex pattern of progressive fragmentation of the forests. This might even lead to the forest destruction. The effects of it being extinction of many species, extensive soil erosion, green house effect, flooding, landslides, degraded watershed, denuded upland, destruction of corals along the coasts, silting of rivers and dams.

1. Greenhouse effect: One of the major effects is the greenhouse effect. When the forests become less, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere increases. This leads to global warming as the plants and trees that take in CO2 for photosynthesis are gone. This causes the ozone layer depletion which in turn allows harmful radiation from the sun to enter the earth.
2. Extensive soil erosion: The roots of the trees or the plants hold the soil in place. The fertile layer of the soil is held in place with the help of the trees. When trees are cut, soil is vulnerable to erosion and the felling of trees also leads to landslides
3. Extinction of species: Millions of species get extinct when forests are destroyed which leads to the loss of biodiversity.

The other fatal reason is the usage of plastics. Plastics are a general name given to wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic amorphous materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are durable and degrade very slowly, the molecular bonds that make plastic so durable make it equally resistant to natural processes of degradation. Since 1950's, a large amount of plastics has been discarded. This may not get destroyed in the near future and burning plastics also leads to release of toxic gases. The manufacturing of plastics also produces a lot of pollutants. Except for a few plastics, the recycling of plastics has proven to be far from reality as of now. The decomposition of plastics take millions of years and therefore, when they are thrown away, they tend to go under the soil. This leads to soil pollution. When it rains, the soil is not in a position to take in the rain water as the plastic retards it seepage.

The above mentioned reasons can lead to a lot of complications for the future. In order to avoid this, we can adopt simple methods at the lower levels. Following these can help us save our planet from some environmental hazards at least for time being.

Save Power/Electricity:

• Unplug appliances when they are not in use.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Save Water:

• Use minimal amount of water for washing utensils and cloths
• Take shorter showers
• Open the taps with conscious decision to use little water.

Save Gas/Petroleum:

• Go for eco-friendly bikes.
• Use public transport to reach destinations
• Walk to near by shops or take bi-cycle

Use of eco-friendly carry bags:

• We can carry recyclable carry bags or cloth bags to buy from the market instead of using plastics

Avoid wastage of paper: Instead of buying new books, we can borrow books from friends or libraries as they save a lot of paper being wasted and also the ink that has gone into printing these materials.

E-wastes: Avoid throwing electonic goods into the trash as e-wastes contain mercury and other toxic items that are already posing a big problem.

Buy Dresses: Avoid buying dresses that need dry-cleaning. This helps in avoiding a lot of chemicals from being used and discharged.

We shall also make it a point to grow plants in and around the surrounding areas which would extensively help us and the environment we live in. Probably, we can present a better environment to our future generation as gift. :)

Am gonna go green. Are you?

Indian Politicians! -Would like to see these in you

The state of Indian politics with so many parties trying to make hay when the sun is shining and the politicians belonging to the parties trying to pull each others' legs for  a seat in the newly formed govt.,  has kindled a lot of thoughts in me. What does a political party consists of? A bunch of politicians who get along with other politicians when their requests are satisfied and ditch them when it is not happening the way they wanted it to happen. Do we have the right set of people representing us? Got no clue about that. But, following are some of the things which I would like to see in the politicians.

• Young leaders leading the nation from front. The older ones paving way for the younger generation to lead the nation and guide them rather than distributing the positions among the older ones. ----E.g. With the new govt taking in-charge the average age of the ministers very high. The youngest being 28 yrs of age and oldest being 77. Agreed that the older generation is experienced. But how long will they be able to govern? There are not many youngsters coming forward to take politics as a career option. Isn't this is a bad sign? Shouldn't they be taught to take responsibilities?
  

• Selfless leaders who don't take up personal grudges to the public but serve the people who elected them. ----   Aren't the politicians elected by us? Shouldn't they be made accountable for the happenings in the country. Rather than addressing a common man's problem in his/her own constituency, why are dramas being staged like indefinite fasts and a separate states' requests for people whom they have never cared for before the elections?
  

• Educated politicians who would be able to understand the scenario and act accordingly.--- There should be qualifying examinations for a person to become a politician and those who don't qualify those exams should not be allowed to join politics.
  

• Politicians who run family politics must be thrown out of power.--- The parties to which they belong should be made invalid. This would allow other eligible politicians to come into power. Those politicians who bargain seats for their family members should be made to publicly made to disown their ticket that they are already holding.
  

• Policians are comman men. They are representatives of the people. ---- All the politicians should be barred from using govt. vehicles at the cost of tax payers'. They should be made to use their own vehicles for transport. There should be treated as a common man's representative and be given the same treatment as any other common man in public places like temples and in public gatherings.
  

• All the politicians should be made to confess their earnings every quarter, rather than declaring their earnings and properties, before filing their nominations.--- The politicians who intend to contest in the elections should be made to publicly confess their properties every quarter. Though this might have some defaulters, with most of the properties in the names of binomees, mere eye washes at the time of elections can be avoided.
  

• Political parties dealing with religious beliefs and castes should be banned.--- This would do a great help to the public as many riots can be avoided. There should not be any religion or caste based reservations for which the politicians raise their voices.  They have to be taught about equal rights for all. 
  

• Political parties coming into power every five years should be made to elect a representative for a  debate in public before elections and then people should be made to judge based on that.
  

• Politicians who are suspected to have committed mistakes should be given a stipulated time to prove that they are innocent.--- Guilty until proven innocent, they should be stripped off their position and rights. If they are not able to prove that they are innocent, then they should not be given a ticket to contest in the future. If this is not done, cases against them get dragged on for years and in those years, with their political influences, they are freed from all the charges against them.
  

• The contracts bagged by the govt(politicians) should be read out in public and the public should be made aware of the processes and the money spent at each and every level.
  

On goes the list of what I want my country's politicians to possess . Am I expecting too much out of my elected bodies? I don't think so. But, if it is the case, then democracy doesn't have any meaning in our country is it not? 

Stint abroad

Life in India and Life abroad. As a saying goes in tamil..

Akkaraikku ikkarai patchai... which means, the other side is always greener when seen from this side of a bank.

When one lands on an alien ground, a strange feeling creeps in his/her mind. Some may even deny that. But, many will agree to this fact. What is not there in our motherland? I see many people here trying to get citizenship of an alien country. Is it good? No, I dont think so. I dont find any justification in this regard. People try to convince others for their act by telling that the standard of living is good in these countries.  I dont understand what these folks are trying to convey by the word "Standard". 

I felt like penning down my strong feelings against the feeling of settling down abroad when I came across a couple proudly telling that their children have been admitted to a local school and that they are being taught the local history lessons along with some form of arts like playing instruments. I could also find a few other couples who were happy to get their children admitted to a local school. I felt very hurt on hearing this. I could not digest the fact that these children were learning the history of the country that was ruling us. They were also telling that they were planning to settle down as they found(??!) that the education system here to be much better than the one in India.  If that is the case, then how come  there are many entrepreneurs in our country? 

Many Indians have settled down in foriegn countries, especially, in the countries like UK and US. Eventually, there are many kids, who grow up in foriegn lands without knowing the happiness of being around in their homeland. They are denied the happiness of being with their grandparents and their fellow cousins and relatives. They grow up listening to the likes of their foreign counterparts. Parents generally dont have time to take care of their kids and they get carried away by the so called standard of living, that they forget to impart the culture in these kids.  These children grow up, to only find them standing in the middle of a pond, not being able to move either this side or the other side. The children of these Indian parents, lose their identity.

I am not trying to degrade the kind of living in these countries. It is their way of living. They grow up to be independent enough and start to be on their own at a very small age. The local kids here, drink and start dating at a very small age. Parents dont have the control over these kids. Their main aim is to party and be in gangs whenever possible. I find many teen pubs opened for these young generations. Can this hold good for the Indian kids? 

 In order to get identified among these local population,I find many second generation children trying to cope with this situtaion. They are trying to behave like a local and so they start partying like the other local kids and start to lose their identity. They are neither Indian nor are they accepted as locals by the local population. They are not able to adapt themselves when they come to their hometown on occasional visits. They are not able to enjoy their stay in India.  The best example that can be quoted here is "Dev Patel". The Slumdog star who is brought up in UK, was not able to adjust to the local conditions and the croud when he was  taken to India for attending a family get-together. He is still not able to get over that feeling. 

Life isn't a bed of roses.  Though we can buy anything and everything in the other countries from the food varieties to the cloths, is it possible to buy the time that we spend away from our dear ones? Is it worth earning so much money being away from our near and dear ones? The couples who come down to foreign lands are not able to take care of their parents.  They are not able to help them,when their parents need them during dire situations. Will they be able to get back those precious times? The answer is a blatent "NO" to all these questions.

I am not trying to convey that one should not travel abroad to earn money. I am trying to convey that it is not fair to settle down in a foreign land claiming that those countries have got a better standard. I am also trying to say that we can get together to build a better place to live in India itself instead of setting up wrong examples to our future generations that it is better to live abroad rather than in India.

" India is  a better place to live in and let us all be proud to be Indians. JAI HO "