Selfless Performance !!!

Achey din are here sooner than we could imagine !

* Indian Economy grows to 7.4%.
* Manufacturing grows to 9.3%.
* India’s Brand Value is at its highest ever. * India ranks No.1 on the Global Consumer Confidence Index, ahead of US.
* Amidst a global slowdown, India rises to No.1 position in attracting FDI, ahead of China and US.
* Proactive reforms and transparent governance have made India an investment hotbed.
* In the world’s largest financial inclusion scheme, 180 million bank accounts have been opened.
* Affordable insurance schemes for the poor.
* Decades old Bangladesh territorial issues resolved.
* Naga accord signed.
* Naxal problem reigned in largely.
* Response quality to national disasters best ever.
* Railways & Power sectors running at their efficient best.
* Stalled projects worth Rs 4 lac cr put back on track.
* Infra projects like roads/ ports being developed at break neck speed.
* Foreign relations at the best ever.
* Fiscal deficit is reined in.
* India has become the hottest investment destination.

In just 18 months !

Wake up India !

Wake up India

Indians need to realize that after voting Narendra Modi to power the job only begins and not ends. Time is running out ! 15 months are already gone. Modi and his team is doing what they can despite all sorts of hurdles by worthless opposition parties & self seeking sections of media.

It is sad that most of us are sitting like judges on self-created pedestals and keep commenting on how Modi & team are performing, little realizing that it is once in centuries that you get a leader who is worth following - a leader who is nationalist to the core - a leader who has nothing personal to seek - a leader who is uncorrupt - a leader who can lead India to that place in the comity of nations we all dreamt all our lives.

It is sad that we are losing a historic opportunity to be a part of nation building. We are clueless in that era of India's life in which we should have a clear goal. None of us are seriously involved in Swach Bharat effort. We continue to be as dirty as ever. After 5 years we would conclude "Modi fails in Swach Bharat program" ! We are doing nothing to make social security insurance schemes of the govt reach the vulnerable sections around us.

Modi is desperately trying to break the nexus between business & politicians to stop generation of black money and to blunt the strong sections of media feeding on this loot. This may cause short term pain as black money withdraws from the system but eventually India would gain.

To ensure that we remain where we have been made used to by Congress cultured politicians of all hues, we have started striking for wage hikes, reservations etc. - a recipe for disaster. We are doing this despite watching the yawning gap between China & India - these actions would only widen the gap.

Wake up India !

Modi is leading India - be led for the sake of India - may be the last chance !

The churning !

Dear Friends,

It is 4th July 2015.

A strange but not entirely unexpected thing has happened. My revulsion against social media usage has reached a point which can be called critical. I am not being able to handle anymore the restlessness & distraction it is causing in my life without adding any value. I have started hating Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp etc. The very thought that these activity points are hogging most of my free quality time is revolting. The quality of intellectual numbness it is causing is scary.

Inane messages, sick jokes, repeated words of 'wisdom', cut & paste life changing sermons have started causing a stink. A fertile mind has been ballparked into an arena of restricted mental playground making intellectual capabilities get used to a bonsai existence. All this is causing restlessness which gets enhanced each time the notification beep rattles my ear drums. It is distracting enough to keep derailing me from enhancing more meaningful pursuits of my life. The entire exercise has become a zero sum game intellectually. One of my fond possessions - a smile of satisfaction & sense of achievement as I would hit the bed each night has vanished & instead, has given way to a scenario of a chaotic subzi mandi. It is outright frightening to say the least as it has the potential of not only worsening the quality of my life but also deteriorating my medical parameters like BP, pulse rate etc. Enough !!!!!

(We are going for a short break ! Dont go away !!! Hahaha !!!)

As I was putting down my thoughts in the early hours of morning of America's Independence Day, my wife was irritated a bit and blurted "This twitter shwitter can wait ! Can you please fetch milk & bread from the market ?" And then snatched the cell phone to read what I was writing. As she waded through my heavy thoughts, her eyes gleamed with hope. "May be you get out of this muck, if you are serious this time ?" she quipped and smiled curiously. "But for Heaven's sake dont offload it on Facebook ! Friends may worry what has happened to you" !!!

I got up to fetch the stuff from the market.

After the break......

I tried my best to melt back into 'hot choco fudge' of my thoughts but it was not easy. The fresh morning breeze had refreshed my agitating grey matter but without altering the intrinsic fibre of my arguments. I was convinced of the need to disentangle myself from the web of the web. I took a deep breath. 

And there was a notification beep on Twitter !  Almost mechanically the robot in me picked up the cell phone - it was a tweet from Baba Ramdev "Please join me on Pinterest" !!!

Hey Baba !!!

Whatever my friends may think (:(:(;

 

A Spiritual Sojourn

Yesterday I visited Guru ji's Ashram near Chattarpur Temple Complex. Here are my thoughts on the visit -

Aum namah Shivay,
     Shivji sada sahay,
Aum namah Shivay,
     Guruji sada sahay:

My visit was a result of the mass following which has built over the last 4-5 years about Guru ji and hence there was a natural curiosity to know this phenomena.

I must acknowledge that before my visit, I was aware that this curiosity was actually the antithesis of the phenomena ! Curiosity implies an inherent intent to question. Question everything - What is the basis of the faith which lakhs if not crores of devotees have in Guru ji ? Whether Guru ji had those attributes which make him a messenger of God or incarnation of Shiv ji which his devotees believe he is ? And so on....

I called it antithesis because this phenomena leaves no space for questions. It is a phenomena of complete surrender ! No questions asked ! Take it or leave it !! Period !!!

Yet a rationalist like me did go there yesterday, perhaps with questions in mind.

It took me 5 to 6 months to get convinced to go to Guru ji's Ashram. My acquaintances, who are ardent followers, would narrate one story after the other of the miracles which happened to whosoever came in Guru ji' s contact. I was given laboriously compiled books on Guru ji's immense spritual prowess leading to all kinds of miracles - right from getting VISAs to getting cancer cured. Over time these repeated stories started having the rub off effect on me.

Was my exploratory visit to Guru ji's abode also to some extent led by my desire to seek those miracles in my life ? I wouldn't deny that !

Yesterday was Thursday, 25th June 2015. I reached the Ashram at sharp 6 pm. The place is about 10 km from Chattarpur Temples complex. People reach there by all thinkable modes. Much before the Ashram begins, you are ushered into that environment by very energetic individuals in a highly methodical & professional manner. The entire process of getting into the Ashram, going through various rituals & having the sacred langar is managed in a clockwork precision way. All through one hears shabads from Sikh scriptures and Lord Shiva's mantras.

Very frankly, there was nothing very enhancing in the rituals. Yet very simple & without the complexities of an ennui laden religious process. Thousands of devotees as well as organisers seemed a part of an amazing pond of love, trust & surrender to their beloved Guru ji. It seemed like an endless pond of blessings in which countless souls were bathing without the pond seeming small. Yet, were all these people led by pure feelings of devotion or selfish motive of seeking success, prosperity and cure ? - I can't say !!

What was my take away ?

My rationalist being saw the following - I went to a place where all the people seemed insecure and were looking for 'tinkey ka sahara' - where needy people were longing for miracles to happen in their troubled lives ! The endowed somehow wanted to secure what they already have been blessed with and some greedy prayed for more perhaps.

On the contrary, my irrational being found all these people very secure - drenched in the abundant love for their Guru ji. Those countless ordinary souls who have no gyan or knowledge on how to seek or realize God were there in the Ashram in a state of complete surrender at the feet of Guru ji with unconditional love & trust in their God incarnate.

Interestingly I was closer to my Irrational Being !!!

Lord Krishna in Bhagwad Gita propounded two modes of seeking God - Gyan Yog & Bhakti Yog. The former is a tedious way of exploring the existence of the Creator & realising Him. This exploration may or may not get completed in one life time. The latter, comparatively simpler mode, talks of complete surrender without questioning anything. It is the latter which forms the basis of Guru ji's phenomena. A simple uncomplicated offering yourself at the feet of your Creator.
Is there anything wrong with this simpleton mode of seeking God ? Lord Krishna didn't think so. He in fact advocated this mode. Hindus' revered scripture Bhaagwat Katha dwells upon Bhakti Yog at great length and underscores its significance. Guru ji has led his devotees on the path of seeking God through Bhakti Yog as enshrined in our scriptures.

So I came back with images of innocence engulfing fear, quivering lips chanting Aum Namah Shivay in complete surrender, smiles which signatured complete trust in God through His messenger - their beloved Guru ji. These positive vibrations reinforcing an already blessed place made pious by Guru ji. Perhaps all these angelic vibes become potent enough to attract the Creator's blessings making miracles happen ! Just as a possible explanation though !!!

The baggage of my rational questions melted in the irrational heat of innocent samarpan at the Altar of the Almighty !

A human being has to spend on an average 70 to 80 years of his life fighting all sorts of problems, looking for solutions to those problems and inventing twigs of faith to latch on to.

As I treaded out of the Ashram pensively, I pondered - If a harmless act of faith makes your life seem more secure, even if psychologically, then why not !

My first Hindi poem !

मेरी पहली हिंदी कविता

दर्पण

सूनेपन के कोलाहल में

    शब्दों के उस हालाहल में,

ढूंढ रहा हूँ सुर को लय को

    कटुता में उलझे प्रणय को.

आंख मूंद कर देख रहा हूँ

    बनते मिटते चित्रों को,

हृदय पटल पर आते जाते

    परिजन और मित्रों को.

जीवन के उस कोहरेपन में

    जो भी सोचूं सपना सा है,

रिश्तों के कच्चे धागों में

    किसको बोलूं अपना सा है.

यादों की भूलभुलैइयां है

    या कोई जमघट सा है,

नियति की लिखी कहानी में

   हर पृष्ठ नटखट सा है.

मरू राहों पर तपते पाँव

    मातान्चल की ठंडी छाओं,

जीवन के इस अग्निपथ पर

    तात साथ बरगद सा है.

पीड़ाओं के ताने थे कुछ

    कुछ आनन्द के बाने थे,

संघर्षों की चादर का रंग

    जान पड़ा कुछ मुझ सा है

दर्पण में दर्शन को ढूँढा

    दर्शन में दर्पण को ढूँढा,

समझ ना पाया मर्मों को जो

  ये मेरा मन कैसा सा  है.

Preface

The content hereafter is a random collection of prose, verse or any creative form meant to provoke & agitate thought !   I have just tried my bit as a non- essayist, a non-poet, a non-artist and above all a non-entity - in all humility !!!