To believe or not to believe?!

When we were kids, we had utmost and irrevocable faith in our parents. They were our role models, there was no one else better than them. And so we tried to imitate them. We wanted to be like them. Their word was the final word, iron clad. We simply couldn't and wouldn't believe in anything else. They told us to pray, we prayed. They told us to be good, we tried to be good. They told us to believe in god, we believed in god without a second thought, even though we didn't fully understand the concept of 'GOD'. We believed in every truth, story, fable, lie, order they gave us, because we didn't know any better. As we grew up, we started questioning these beliefs naturally. We started rebelling against orders, fought against lies, believed our own opinions to be true and started creating our own fables. It is but nature, how God has made us, we are not at fault. But old habits die hard, the seeds sown when young still hold their roots even if the tree has grown and wilted.We retain a part of what we were taught in the childhood. Our conscience questions our rebellious nature, a part of us still wants to meekly believe and sometimes we take the easy way out by believing instead of questioning.

My mother is a pious woman. She has unconditional devotion towards God. In her own way she tried to inculcate these very qualities in me, when I was but a kid. And since I saw her as my role model, I had utter faith in her, I believed in her, listened to her, tried to do as she told me to do. She believes in Sri Sathya Sai Baba. She told me to believe in him. She told me he's a God, and I believed her then. I believed he was a God, I prayed to him, I asked him for wishes, as children usually do. As I grew up, my belief didn't change, even though I no longer needed to blindly believe what my mother said and always agree with her. Call it my blind faith, call it superstition, call it my innocence or whatever. But I had my own reasons to believe. Of course the intensity of my belief was directly proportional to how big a mess I was in at the time (Yes, I wouldn't call myself pious in any sense).

Just recently Sri Sathya Sai Baba died at the ripe old age of 85, and as is in the case of people who are always in the limelight and who leave behind a lot of money in trusts, controversies followed. Many people started debasing him on the various social networking websites, newspapers and other media. Many videos were released showing him to be a fake, how he cheated people in his miracles etc. Other controversies started about the money he's left behind in the trust, about who will head the trust after Baba's demise and so on. All these people fail to remember that Sri Sathya Sai Baba, maybe he's not a god, but he sure did a lot of charity work for the people all around the world & not just in India. His trust supports a variety of free educational institutions, hospitals, and other charitable works in over 166 countries. Whatever money he obtained from the devotees was ultimately used in their own betterment through these very educational institutions and hospitals. He preached spiritualism, meditation, good karma, sanatana dharma (All God's are one) and purity in human values and character. He was an Indian guru, spiritual figure, philanthropist, and educator. He used the better part of his life in influencing people spiritually. He did not do any sort of harm to other people. He did not preach jihad or murder. He's no Osama Bin Laden or Dawood Ibrahim. He tried to influence people to become good human beings.

So maybe he's not a God, he definitely is a better Human being than us lot. Instead of belittling him, wouldn't it serve us better to give him credit for his good work? After all that's what humanity is all about. Remember Jesus Christ? And how he was treated when he was alive? Now they believe him to be the son of God. Maybe he is, maybe he's not. But he was a spiritual guru too, he worked for the well being of others, he preached peace, non violence and spiritualism and look how he was crucified for his teachings. History shows that we human beings cannot be trusted, we make mistakes. But we should also learn from these very mistakes instead of repeating them. Don't believe in Sri Sathya Sai Baba, don't believe in Jesus Christ, but give them credit for the good that they have done instead of blaspheming their name. They may or may not be God, but they are human beings as long as they are on earth and its up to us to follow their good teachings.

I for myself, still believe Sri Sathya Sai baba's teachings. Like I said old habits die hard. Maybe I am not that pious, I am still young, I have yet to see the world, am too attached to materialistic pleasures. But I also do believe in his teachings of spiritualism, good karma and sanatana dharma. There is only one God, pray to Ganesha, Jesus, Vishnu, Buddha or Allah. Ultimately its your faith that matters.

Book Review :

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë


My rating: 4 of 5 stars




I remember when I first started this book, I was in school, possible 12-13 years of age. It did not appeal to me then, in fact I read the first part of the book (wherein Jane is in Lowood and applies for the governess position and leaves for Thornfield) and gave up reading it altogether. The language was beyond me, the plot very slow and dragging. The only reason I had even picked it up for reading was because its a classic, and I love classics. So now here I am after 9 years, rating the same book, with a considerably high rating, reason? A friend of mine rated this book with 4 starts on good reads, which piqued my curiosity and I took it up for reading again. Have to say am relieved and quite thankful that I did!


A genius of a book, a truly epic novel, one of the best classic love stories (by my opinion). Though the character of Jane Eyre has been given too many genial qualities (except for her physiognomy), which is nigh impossible to perceive and probably the biggest fault of the story. Then again, the story would have taken different directions if Jane Eyre had been characterized with discernible faults, and I doubt that would have been agreeable to us readers. The plot does drag sometimes, and like all English novels of those times, the surroundings described are quite dreary and unappealing (unless you like dark haunted mansions, damp dreary marshes etc) which does put a damper on one's mood. But right when you'd want to give up reading and throw the book away, Bronte brings out a rather small and likable twist which makes you want to continue reading the book again. That's the redeeming quality of the book and the reason for my 4 stars.


Also am a big Jane Austen fan, and Bronte's way of telling the story quite appealed to me. The story may appear to be like a fairy tale with a happy ending, but here again Bronte proved herself different by not making the story 'just another romance novel', by ending it with some elements that are certifiably sad yet likeable. But for all its merits, the book requires patience, and read it only if you are in to classics, romance and have loads of patience stored.


PS. Please do not read it when you are in school, unless you are a genius yourself.






View all my reviews

Be a Human

Live for today,
for tomorrow is not yet known.


Dream a little,
cos' dreams make life worth living.


Make a wish,
someone might just hear you.

Believe in yourself,
believe that you are made for greatness.


Make some mistakes,
for you have yet to learn.


Learn to forgive,
become the greater person.


Inspire others,
for they might be on their last shreds of hope.


Make some friends,
you will need them in your life.


Show some kindness,
your actions do unto you.


Care for others,
cos' caring makes you human.


Make others smile,
their smiles are unspoken blessings.


Show some love,
love is all that you live for.


Be a Human,
because that's what you have been born for.

6 Important Life Lessons

Okay I copied this, but it was too good to pass on


Lesson 1: Naked Wife
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, “I’ll give you $800 to drop that towel.” After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob.
After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 dollars and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks,…
“Who was that?” “It was Bob the next door neighbor,” she replies. “Great!” the husband says, “Did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?”


Moral of the story:
If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.




Lesson 2
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, “I’ll give each of you just one wish” “Me first! Me first!” says the administration clerk. “I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.” Poof! She’s gone. “Me next! Me next!” says the sales rep. “I want to be in Hawaii,relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.” Poof! He’s gone. “OK, you’re up,” the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, “I want those two back in the office after lunch.”


Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.




Lesson 3
A priest offered a lift to a Nun. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg. The nun said,”Father, remember Psalm 129?” The priest removed his hand. But,changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once again said, “Father, remember Psalm 129?” The priest apologized “Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.” Arriving at the convent, the nun went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, “Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.”


Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.




Lesson 4
A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A rabbit asked him,”Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?” The crow answered: “Sure, why not.” So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested.
A fox jumped on the rabbit and ate it.


Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very high up.




Lesson 5: Power of Charisma
A turkey was chatting with a bull “I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree,” sighed the turkey, but I haven’t got the energy.” “Well, why don’t you nibble on my droppings?” replied the bull. “They’re packed with nutrients.” The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree. Soon he was spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree.


Moral of the story: Bullshit might get you to the top, but it wont keep you there.




Lesson 6
A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.


Moral of the story:
1. Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy
2. Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend
3. And when you’re in deep shit, it’s best to keep your mouth shut!

My experience with the Writer's Block.

  
    What is writer's block? According to Wikipedia, writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. Well apparently it is not just limited to authors and professional writers but can affect us amateur writers too.

    I never used to believe people when they said they are going through the writers block, always thought that it was an another word for procrastination. But when I went through it myself, rest assured, I can vouch that it sure exists. Its so frustrating when you can't write anything! Never did I think that there will be a time, where I won't be able to think of anything to write! Am a compulsive writer. Writing's always been easy for me. As natural as breathing. I could always think of some or the other thing to write. Poetic verses used to come to my mind unbidden. The only thing I couldn't do was write fiction. Not because I lacked imagination, believe me I have plenty of that, but because I lacked direction. My stories would go in all directions without a definite ending, and that's the only reason you don't see me writing fiction. When I was going through this period of writer's block, I couldn't think of anything to write. Even when I did come up with something, I just couldn't follow it up. Sometimes my topics are such that I can't write it in one go, and it used to happen that while I was writing well one day, I couldn't continue it the other day. I would either forget the matter I wanted to write or I just wouldn't feel like writing it, convinced that it was not going to be interesting enough to read. I remember I once started up a poem on the battle of  Thermopylae, and finished two complete pages. So far so good. But then I just couldn't end it, and had 2 give it up altogether. Such a huge waste of time and energy.

     This disheartened me so much that I completely gave up writing for 4 months, blaming it on a lack of time and lack of creativity. Not completely untrue either, when you are doing engineering (especially from Mumbai University), all you get to write is assignments, assignments and more assignments. And with us final year students, who have grown lazier by the year, its copying, copying, and more copying. So no creativity there. And then I wonder how I got the writer's block.

    So after 4 months, what got me writing finally? The answer is: people reading my blog  and asking me why I am not writing anymore. This made me so ashamed of myself that I decided to write something, even if its not interesting, and to see to it that I follow it to the end. And what better thing to write on then my godawful experience itself? So here I am, writing about my Writer's block, with naught a care for what others think about my article, and just being happy with the fact that I finally completed writing something. It's not been easy writing this article either, even though its not some ground breaking work I am writing on, I got up at least 6 times while writing this, and almost gave up 2 times, but now am almost to the end. Like I said, its not ground breaking, nothing commendable, but its still a beginning. And hoping that there are more to follow (posts I mean, not writer's block).

    And one last advice from my experience: the best way to deal with writer's block is to confront it head on, rather than procrastinating or giving up writing completely!
So Happy writing! :)

Time for a change?

2010 has been the year of scams for India. From the IPL scam to the LIC housing finance loan bribery scam, just when we thought that India has seen it all,and possibly can not take any more, we are again affronted with a new scam namely the PDS food scam of bihar.India is no stranger to scams, be it the Bofors scam,Satyam scam, the Harshad Mehta-Ketan Parekh stock market scam or the Telgi scam. But never has our country been riddled with so many major scams alone in a single year as has been the case of 2010.The collective figures of the scams in 2010 alone are well beyond Rs 2,00,000 crore – a 13-digit figure. And this is not counting the recent PDS scam of Uttar Pradesh, whose value is yet to be properly evaluated by the authorities but is estimated to be 200,000 plus crores alone! Below is a list of the scams that hit our country in 2010 and their estimated values:

2G Spectrum scam - Rs 1,76L crore

CWG scam - Rs 8,000 crore

IPL scam - Rs 1,200-1,500 crore

LIC Housing Finance (LICHF) scam - Rs 1,000 crore

Adarsh society scam - Rs 1000 crore

PDS (wheat and other food grain) scam - Rs 200,000-plus crore

Though mind you all, these figures are just an estimated value and how many more zeroes the ongoing probes will add to these approximate values is yet to be seen.

This makes us wonder what the government is doing while all this is going on right? Well let me tell you, they are doing NOTHING! Yeah well nothing of use anyways. In fact many major politicians are being held accountable for these very scams. 

A. Raja, the cabinet minister for communications and information technology, is the criminal mastermind behind the 2G spectrum scam. Criminal I say, though he still holds his cabinet post and proudly gives speeches on the idiot box as though he's a freedom fighter. Lobbyist Nira Radia proved just how her kind of species can use their reach and position to influence events and public opinions and even decide who can or cannot become a cabinet minister. Then there's Suresh Kalmadi,the 'Sports Mafia' of India, who while organizing the 2010 CWG became richer while the country had to face verbal blasts from the world all over for the sham that was the CWG. Lalit Modi, the 'Big Boss' of IPL, the businessman who made Indian 20-20 legendary (not all in the right sense), is now himself legendarily known for the scam that rocked the Indian sports scene (I say sports since cricket very much accounts for what passes as sports in our country). Not just Lalit Modi but many political bigwigs and well known Bollywood actors are also caught up in this huge money laundering scam which is a shameful excuse in the name of entertainment. We have to wonder whether Sharad Pawar deserves a clean chit for his inaction in exposing this scam (whether deliberate or unintentional is yet to be known).The very recent LIC housing finance scam saw top brass executives like LIC Housing Finance chief executive Ramachandran Nair, Life Insurance Corporation secretary for investments Naresh K Chopta, Bank of India general manager RN Tayal, and Central Bank of India director Maninder Singh Johar being arrested for this multi-crore fake housing loans scam, the likes of which haven't been seen since the Unit Trust of India corruption scandal a decade ago and the 1992 securities scam. And how can we forget the Adarsh Society scam, where political bigwigs like Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan duped our nation's war widows out of their rightfully deserved homes. Chief Minister Ashok Chavan's kith and kin aren't the only beneficiaries of this scandal though. Three former CMs — Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushilkumar Shinde and Narayan Rane — all of whom have been, ironically enough, potential contenders for Chavan’s post also stand accused of owning flats under ‘benami’ names in Adarsh. Though Chavan had to give up his post as the CM (hardly any kind of justice in it I feel), the myriad others who partook in this political sham are still being probed by the various 'government agencies' and will undoubtedly remain scot free. And now the most recent PDS (public distribution system) food scam of Uttar Pradesh, where food grains meant for those under the below poverty line were snatched from their mouth and sold off to the open markets and even to the neighbouring countries, is possibly the biggest and the most shameful scam to ever hit India. Even though the scam was exposed recently it actually took place during the period of 2003-2007 under the Mulayam Singh regime. Apparently the Allahabad High Court has observed that a scam of such proportions could not have occurred without support from top officials and politicians. Well that's news! If you notice the major parties involved in all these scams have been cabinet ministers and brass officials of the ruling government party. Well FYI, while all this is going on, the opposition party isn't so far behind. Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa is in deep trouble over the alleged land scam involving him and his family. Yeddyurappa is accused of granting prime land in and around Bangalore to his sons and sons in law at throw away prices. And yet we see him still holding his post as the CM and crying his innocence for the world to see. The CBI on the other hand, being directly controlled by the government can hardly be trusted to 'actually' probe all these scams and put the culprits behind bars. I wonder whether that isn't a scam in itself?

How can these people even think of participating in such scams? Is the greed of money so great that they are able to smother their conscience enough to steal from the poorest of poor? To steal from the wives of those brave soldiers who gave their lives to protect us? Really, do they even have a conscience at all, or are they some new breed of mutant beings who don't even have an iota of humanity left in them? And all in the name of money. But these criminals shamelessly disguised as the government cant escape the increasing dissatisfaction and the urgency for unfulfilled justice among the common people for long. It would do them good to remember that it is we who made them and we who can destroy them just as easily.

So now since neither the ruling nor the opposition parties of the government are innocent, what do we do? Whom do we use our precious votes on? All these political scandals are enough to discourage any sane human being from voting. But then that's accepting defeat and we'd be accomplices in these criminal activities if we just give up. So while these political parties steal, scandalize and play the blame game, its left to us common citizens to wield our power over them and right the wrong. And how we can do that is a subject we direly need to think upon. Nothing is impossible, all we need to do is think and act. And if the ultimate solution is a new form of government, then so be it!

Ganapati Bappa , Chinese & the nostalgia

The GSB ganeshotsav mandal.

So the Ganapati fever is back again!! Year and year we chant "Ganapati bappa morya, pudhchya varshi lavkar ya" & the elephant headed god never disappoints us & graces us with his presence every single year.Every year 1000's of Ganesh pandals are set up bringing together people from all parts of the country.

The earliest memory I have ever had of Ganesh chaturti is going out with my family-dad,mom,gran & bro-to the GSB seva mandal,which is our caste Ganapti pandal. I remember I used to look out for this time of the year very eagerly, though not for the love of god, rather more for the fun I used to have with my brother and cousins at the mandal (yeah what did you expect? I was a kid :p). Mom used to dress me up in all my finery, ghagra choli, flowers & the likes, which since I had no fashion sense at the time (& don't even get me started on my moms fashion sense) was really terrible. It still pains me when I remember those childhood fashion deprived years. We used to set out early in the morning, hire a cab & after a 2 hour journey (which I used to spend sleeping on my moms lap or hitting and pinching my brother), reach the pandal. The moment we would set foot out of the cab, I'd start eating my mom's brains out asking about my cousins whereabouts (I really pity her, its not like she had an inbuilt GPS system just to answer my questions :p). Then would start our big family marathon to deposit our footwear at the pay & deposit stalls ( I always used to enjoy this since I got a chance to jostle my bro and pin it on the crowd surrounding us & cry to mummy if he did anything about it :p). Since we were konkani we used to get first preference during entrance without having to stand in line. That always made me feel important like my dad was some rich political honcho or something (the imaginations of a kid, tch tch). Then would start the impossible task of locating our extended family. After half an hour of frantic searching & another of frantic calling we would finally locate them. But no the search wouldn't end there, that was only half the job. The main problem was locating good seats. Mom & dad being mom and dad ( that is old people) always wanted to sit in the front while we being kids wanted to sit in the back that is nearer to the food stalls. The food stalls held the most appeal to me. The smell of the hot bhajias, the Chinese noodles n soups, the batata vadas, popcorn would make my stomach churn with hunger. I was more interested in these food stuffs than eating the prasad lunch (which was always served too late for me to hold on to my hunger,and this by the way was the very excuse I always gave my mom). And luckily I had my partner in crime, my brother who was three times my size & so worse than I was :p It also helped a lot when my cousins and me would start banging our feet & throw a fit when our parents refused to give in to our demands. So in the end they didn't have any other option then to relent to our demands or face public humiliation (courtesy us :D). Then would come the praying to god part. In my innocent childish mind I held god as a distant mighty figure, whom my mother always used to tell me to pray lest bad things started happening to me. That reason in itself was enough to get me to pray to god. None other required. Not like now when I have at least 10 favors to ask from god, from good marks & my desired phone to my crush giving me the light of the day, or a good future husband (kidding...really!) & ending with a better life for everyone as an afterthought, lest god think that am selfish or something. After the praying would come the prasad lunch and my moms frantic efforts of getting me to eat. It probably never crossed her mind( or maybe it did) that my eating all the bhajias had  a huge hand in my hardly eating the prasad. But then I hardly cared since mom would always eat the leftovers, saying we should never waste food as god doesn't like it & I always got off with a mild reprimand. This was followed by the bidding of teary goodbyes (among the elders) & hurried punches (among us, lest our parents caught us actually doing it). Then the 2 hour cab ride back home with me again sleeping on my moms lap. Those were the wonder days!

As years went by things changed, our rituals changed. Fewer & fewer attendees followed by change of timings and priorities. I still go to the pandal with my family but without my bro, who never gets an off from work and whom I miss terribly, especially on such occasions as am left without my partner in crime. I still sleep in the cab sometimes but am left with no one to pinch or irritate, & left to my own devices I find refuge in my phone's e-reader as usual. Eating in the stalls isn't fun anymore, not without my brother & the degraded quality of food, which was never really high class in the first place, doesn't help either. Plus nowadays I am so used to eating out with my friends that the bout of independence I used to feel when I & my brother would go to buy in the stalls with the meager amount of money that dad used to give us, doesn't hold the same charm to me anymore. I still pray to god, but now my prayers are leaded with fear and awe and the realization that this is the almighty being who holds a key to my future. There's not a pint of the old childish innocence left. I have a 100 favors to ask and a thousand thoughts in my mind to distract me. From damn my odhni is slipping, to oh that guy there is really cute and when is this thing going to end so I can get back to my books, the thoughts never end. The favors are likewise from god please clear me with first class,I'll definitely study hard next time, I'll even give up non veg food for 3 months and I know I haven't been a good kid, but just this once make mom to agree with me & what not, you get the gist. Like I said, with maturity, priorities & thought processes change. We start caring more about what the people around us are thinking & we start enjoying lesser and lesser. Our demands to god increase and so does the devotion. With all that's been said and written here by me, I really still do like going to Ganapati with my family but lesser and lesser so and I know and fear that one day its going to stop all-together. Its inevitable. Its either going to be my work or something else equally important and fickle at the same time. I just wish some things would never change. Life would be so much more better, wouldn't it? Wishful thinking...sigh...