One Love

China (also the rest of the eastern countries) amazes me. I have literally fallen in love with this nation and its ways. The name “China” has Indian origin (from Sanskrit Cheena). I wholeheartedly wish India and China get together and form what has been known as Chindia lately. It will be the dawn of a super power. Both nations show tremendous growth in economy (though India is way behind China) and the recent President’s visit seems to have set a new start in the bilateral relations. May be things could have been sorted out with much care immediately after Independence. Nehru’s lack of introspection when it came to political diplomacy, appointment of his kin Krishna Menon, who triumphed at the same, ruined a possible chance to avoid enmity. Tibet and Dalai Lama only formed one of the inevitable causes for deteriorating the relations further. It will forever hurt that the then President, Nehru was so complacent when it came to handling a frenzied situation, put a regiment at stake with a neighboring country, with his mind lost in visiting (rather touring) countries across the world (while his own lay burning). He paid no heed to the compromising conditions (which was supposed to be a reasonable deal) put forth by the Chinese (in an attempt from their side to save further destruction caused by war), and he openly declared to “teach China a lesson” (Haha!) with seldom knowledge of the inadequacies faced by his own army! I can’t recall the numbers accurately; in the final encounter, each Indian soldier (with tattered clothes, famished because of lack of appetite, eye sight blurred because of a false promise from the government to provide them with sunglasses for protection against the harsh sunlight reflections in ice-capped mountains) had to fight several (5 I think, not sure) fresh, energetic, well-equipped, brisk Chinese soldiers. The end of a once glorious troop with its brigadier captured and taken to China. I would suggest the book Himalayan Blunder. The author (brigadier) describes that there is no humiliation for a soldier greater than being captured alive, set free in his home country after term served, and then being a target for the doubts and questions raised on his patriotism by his own country – which he had to go through. The book awakens and provokes every emotion present in you. The plight of Indian soldiers – no matter how much I describe here, I’ll hugely fall short from conveying its intensity.

“Not everything from the west is good” - was the remark that my Chinese born-brought up in Canada-USA citizen-visiting India boss put in front of our team when we were discussing some social issue. I’d say, nothing from the west is good! (not referring to South America) One of the worst feelings (or the best - depends) for a person is when he does not want to be himself anymore - which is the driving factor for him to change. Change is the rule of life - change in persona, an individual human being or the change/evolution seen in a set of people-forming a civilization - as I have elaborated in my previous post. We do live in a civilized society. But present Indian way of living – I do not understand. Is it some kind of a hybrid model of the Eastern world meeting the western world leading to a renewal and replacement of our good old traditions and customs? If yes, why the change? Or, is it that the customs and our way of life have been forgotten because we do not have enough time to ponder over it? Why do we think the west is good? (When I say “we”, I mean the changing lot of us, the changing aspects and who think the west is the best) I am referring it to be thought of as being “good” by us, because, you wouldn’t change or favor it, had it not been good. Or, is it because our way of living was “not so good”? (Phew! I am complicating it!)

The North American continent (which forms the prominent part of the” West”) - have we noticed has no age-old civilization of their own? A bunch of European people followed Christopher Columbus’s discovery –English, Dutch, French, Spanish and so on formed colonies and it is their descendants that form “The West” now. The very first line in wiki on American History -“The first residents of what is now the United States emigrated from Asia over 15,000 years ago by crossing Beringia into Alaska. Archaeological evidence of these peoples, the ancestors of the Native Americans, dates to 14,000 years ago”. The natives of that land are the Indians or the Red Indians. Even if you browse, its history starts with Columbus (1493 AD)! The so called “western civilization” formed because they got a vast, never-inhabited land (almost a continent), started from the scratch, applied and implemented all the success of Industrial revolution and the boon of newly emerging technology and made it what it looks today. Yelli namma centuries old traditions and civilization, and where the recently emerged set of burger-eating civilization! (Pizza is again Italian) No match whatsoever! Australia also comes under “The west”. The British sent prisoners to Australia (mainly Irish) and the formation of colonies again. The Aborigines of Australia are the native Australians.

So, with all these in mind, why is it that we do not want to be us anymore? What is it that the west has that entices the “changing us” so much!?! Are we so vulnerable to change that we are putting no efforts at all to resist the change? Or let me put it as - changing in the streams one necessarily has to, to keep in pace with the world is acceptable. But, it does not mean one has to give up what forms his roots’ identity. To give up our culture, heritage, (worst – some of them even despise it) is not agreeable. If this continues, there will be nothing of our Indian Civilization left for the future generations to dwell on. It will probably settle down to Graduate course on "Studies of Indian Culture and Heritage" by the Universities that exist in the West.

The Indian peninsula and the South-East Asia are rich with culture and heritage that the West cannot attain even after billions of years. Every custom Hinduism – Sanatana Dharma (includes Hindus, Buddhists, Chinese, Jains, Sikhs etc), Islam follow has a reason behind it (superstitions exempted). We have had great mathematicians like Aryabhata and Bhaskaracharya. Aryabhata – inventor of zero. To imagine the mathematical world without zero is itself scary (at least to me!) What would the poor infinity (1/0) do!! How would the metric system take birth! Bhaskaracharya’s renowned mathematics treatise “Leelavathi” – is the name chosen for a prestigious International math award. Chanakya – a great administrator and politician, a shrewd observer. I happened to flip pages of the Arthashastra at a book store and I directly landed on the page which gave “Ways of torture” (The description itself sounded torturous!) What a keen observer! The Buddha and his principles. Epics of Ramayana and Mahabharatha define Dharma, inculcate morals and values. We gave the world Nalanda University – where the affluent from across the world came to study. What happened to our way of living?! At least it deserves reminiscence, recognition and respect - and today’s generation aren’t even aware of how great a civilization they are born in! Swami Vivekananda - with his speech in Chicago caught the world mass back in 1893. Every other aspect is changing, ranging from no Akbar – Birbal stories, no Tenali Rama, no gilli danda and kuntepille for children to HARIKATHE, YAKSHAGANA – which might vanish within 5-6 decades. Vedas – I myself don’t know wholly what it is actually about. Yes, we have to change with time. But, not to the extent of letting go all that should be held on to.

Back to relations with China, if media leaves the two countries’ diplomats alone (stop forecasting China war 2012!), they would settle down to form a close relationship. http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/10/stories/2010061062390800.htm I loved the last line in the article - A top member of the Indian official delegation summed up India-China relations in terms of “pengyou” and “zhengyou.” “Pengyou” is a superficial friend. “Zhengyou” is a serious, real friend who will frankly admit to problems and work at overcoming them: “We have a zhengyou relationship with China.” Great!

M - factor

How is it that practices change over years in a civilization? Indus, Incas, Mesopotamia, Egyptian and the rest no longer exist. It is the traces of their practices that remain in today’s era of globalization. Change is the rule of life. And it is the same rule everywhere, in every country. Diversity in ways of living that once existed across the globe is fast disappearing; it is as well converging towards a common “way of living” and lifestyle. Evolution - Biological evolution, ecological evolution and the evolution experienced by a civilization. Biological evolution is driven by the necessity for creatures to adapt themselves to the environment. Early human hand was long enough to reach his knees when he stood erect. It is getting shorter with years as a result of evolution. (I am however not very sure of this as I vaguely remember coming across it several years ago) Ecological evolution is how the ecology along with its contents (living and non-living) change, as it gets old. Global warming must be a by-product of forced evolution. It is the evolution in civilization that has kept me preoccupied lately. Changes in individuals cumulatively result in the change of that civilization over the years. Symptoms can be as minute as how you dress-up your child or eating etiquette or even the kind of music a generation listens to.

Indians are evidently not the same they were in early 1900’s or centuries ago. Things have changed. Yes, and they should change. I have always believed that there will be something or the other to be learnt from every individual or even a nation! One has to take the best and leave the rest. MNCs came as a boon to India which held (and still holds) a “developing” tag. One of the results of globalization is the growth of MNCs in India. And one of the consequences of this growth of MNCs is the heavy financial package they offer (not post-recession). This has in a way brought-up the standard of living of people. After all, Dollars' and Euros’ worth are much more than rupees. These companies get a fair trade to use human resource from this part of the world. One such Indian couple worked for MNCs. The man earned around 80k-90k and the wife 60k-70k (approximate figures). After 2-3 years of marriage they got a child. After child-birth, its mother was not to be found in the hospital while the infant was very much there. Two pair of happy, welcoming (for the grandchild) grandparents panicked and looked for the mother. I don’t know what happened after this..until after 2-3 months from the child’s birth, grandparents insisted they will not hand over the child to the parents. The parents moved the court and the grandparents’ justification was that the infant’s parents planned to sell the baby. The court’s decision favored the young couple and a couple of months after the verdict, the infant was sold by its parents for 20 lakhs! This was an article in a local newspaper. And it shocked the hell out of me! When asked why they sold the infant – They did not have enough money to buy a house and that they planned to have another baby for the real “baby-purpose”! I thought the under-developed, uneducated, born in rags India did all this business and the reason is - to make a living. But, this is just so unethical! Can this be termed human trafficking as well? Looks like giving birth to off springs and putting them for sale will be the booming industry in the coming days! Simple rule (if emotions deducted) Get-together, Generate, Sell!! What about that woman? How could she even think of committing such an act! There is an old saying - There can be a bad son in this world, but never a bad mother. I need not elaborate more on this. Money is prioritized more than human relations in these days. It is better to revise the adages for this “modern civilized society”.

“Experience is almost always a greater determinant of happiness than things are. We want the new car and believe it will bring us happiness. Meanwhile, the vacation seems like a splurge. But if you’re going on vacation, odds are somebody’s going with you. And when we’re connected well to others, we feel most happy. A vacation also creates lasting memories. A car? It sits in the driveway, gets old and rusts, looks worse than the neighbors, and starts causing you dissatisfaction rather than satisfaction”— David Hochman.
I do agree that money plays a significant role and the world runs on this M-factor. But, obsession to it leads to madness and the insanity will leave us with an immoral civilization. In the end, none will be benefitted - not even the one who craves for money and earns it.

His-story

It sure is a time for celebrating Kasab’s death sentence, though the implementation looks to be way ahead in the time machine. It also definitely is a verdict any judicial body of a sane civilization that respects humanity would give. But, who knows! With the mercy petitions, may be by the time he gets executed (will he?), the world might end as well! Yes. It is a crime to kill other human beings. Killing of the innocent – History has mega-tons of stories on this. The twin nuclear bombings on Hiroshima & Nagasaki during World War ll, where people were literally burnt on a clear morning with the heat radiations ripping their skin and flesh off, within a fraction of a second, miles away from the epicenter. Jallianwallah Bagh massacre – innocent Indians fighting non-violently for a cause were fired at by General Dyre (that too by sealing the area without leaving anyone, not even women and children to escape). Africans, were made slaves and brought to work in plantations in South America and were similarly shipped across to other continents, mainly Europe. As I read somewhere, they were chained to form a line, made to walk miles (killed then and there if one of them got tired or fainted under the scorching sun) and transported in what were designated to be slave ships. They were put in a particular enclosure in the ship – naked - men and women alike, with no escape from all the remnants a human being leaves at the end of the day (within the same enclosure in the ship) – This lead to epidemic and killed several. On reaching the destination, they would parade naked and the lords would buy the ones that interested them. The Lords’ rank in the society would be set based on the number of slaves they owned. Only after the slaves fought back in unison were some reformations brought in locally. The Inca king was murdered in the capitol square by the Spanish explorer Pizzaro in 1533 AD. Spain, back then, was shattered by drought, natural calamities and was also deprived of riches, as a result of which a born-in-poor-family, hungry-for-power Francisco Pizzaro sought after the much heard riches in the land of the Incas. Incas’ riches and innocence were exploited and was shipped to their home country for the first time by Pizzaro (similar to Vasco DaGama’s ’discovery’ of India). The Incas never for centuries knew the existence of wheel. They built their civilization site as we it see today by commuting to places on foot, even built the renowned Machu Pichu by travelling tough paths and steep ranges on foot! Their Engineering skills were simply amazing to exist in that era! How brilliant! How innovative to cultivate with Terrace farming! And sheer hard-work to do so even without iron/alloyed tools for digging up the steps to form terraces, without any contact with the outside world! (They mostly used sharpened wooden ends). Added to that, no wheels to transport themselves or materials! Wheel is the best invention and fire - the best discovery in the history of mankind till date if you ask me. Gold was the main material in use – for ornamental purpose; the mummies were fitted with gold sheets molded to form Masks. The Spanish described the land to be a land of riches, which was the sole motivation for the conquest of the Incas. The Spanish invasion and the capture of the Inca King, Atahualpa (who was considered to be a descendent of the Sun – their god, by its subjects (Inca civilians)) led to the civilians’ and the administration’s exploitation, who were not well–advanced in war technology when compared to the Spanish. Thousands who rebelled against Spanish’s forced conversion to Christianity were killed. All this in turn led to the destruction of a great civilization. The killings go on either in the name of religion or for land. The Kalinga war by Ashoka and the Mughals‘ exploitation are more examples for land. Europe’s domination and formation of colonies is another. Each era has had its set of sources and elements which caused evitable killings. Ours is terrorism.

Back to Kasab’s deeds - It is a sin which can gain no redemption ever - yes. Barging into the political boundary of another country and showering bullets on the unaware, innocent and its least expecting natives is no doubt brutal. We all live in tomorrow’s History. What we witness today will be probably read, analyzed and even blogged by the next generation (like I am doing now) to be history. All these have been happening since the time civilizations across the world took birth – only called by different names. A couple of months ago, there was a cover page article on the miseries and the circumstances that people who form terrorists and their family are surrounded in. As a friend of mine always says – Everyone is a product of his environment. Kasab would definitely not be the same had he been brought up in a conservative South Indian family of the same caste as his or a nomad in the Austrian ranges! The environment and inculcation of values, urge to earn money to look after an over-flowing family, poverty, resilience to other’s ideas and fickle-minded approach all could possibly be the reasons. . If you had asked me a couple of days after 26/11, I would be fuming and probably said he deserves to be shot in the head - immediately! But now, I actually feel a little sad for the guy. He is a person with no formal education. No knowledge of the outside world during his upbringing. Somewhere in his hometown, his mother may be awaiting his return, like a Kashmiri mother awaits her son, with no clue on his terrorist links and whereabouts (not even if he is dead or alive). A terrorist’s wife will not even know if her husband is alive or dead. The article mentioned a woman who married for the second time after her husband (alleged terrorist) did not return, with much opposition from her first in-law’s family. It also illustrated a dozen more women who are still awaiting the return of their better-half and that their husband’s memories are enough to emotionally spend this life. Small children are given heavy guns, forced into terrorism and trained. How well is a small child of 10 or 11 years old, without (or even with) schooling, supposed to judge what is right and what is not! The root cause is elsewhere. The master-minds behind all these are elsewhere – those people have all the education necessary and beyond. They may be the known terrorist associations or the governments themselves! (The 9/11 was claimed to be a conspiracy by the US government itself). Matters and people to be revealed will not be revealed, because of the power vested in their hands. Kasab and his associates formed only a tool and means of achieving what was to be achieved by a much elated terrorist or terror-supporting body’s conspiracy. Like Morgan Freeman tells in The Shawshank Redemption – “The guy who committed the crime then, was a stupid boy, who didn’t know what the outside world was..But, there is no way this old man can go explain that boy..the ways of the world”. May be Kasab is feeling the same or would probably feel the same if left to grow old. But, in vain. What has been done, cannot be undone.

A link between Indian tigers and Indian female infants

Number of talks over saving Indian tigers around. Only "talks" and "extended heart-felt support". Does it really matter? Everyone sure does "feel" for the soon-to-perish specie. I'd say, stop sympathizing! Those poor creatures don't even have a developed brain (like we do!) to understand that their Cat family is awaiting a full stop in the near future. And our "warmth" will not save tigers in anyway. It all finally rests in the hands of Forest department officials, Zoo authorities and poachers. Even as I express my concern over the matter here, nothing is going to change. So, stop sympathizing. Deforestation and taking away their natural habitat from them will definitely not leave them with an ideal environment and home to flourish!! It's a fact that everyone was aware of and will be - eternally. Also, it is an obvious and expected outcome and are only the consequences of what all of us have done together - knowingly or unknowingly. "Haavu saaybeku, koolu muribaardu" is impossible to be reached. It is like pinching a baby hard and asking it to shut it's mouth from crying. Necessary steps to preserve sufficient part of the land as reserved forest and natural habitat for these animals should have been strictly enforced - which has not been done and will not be done!

Future? No big difference.
We studied in our school days - "Dodo was a beautiful flightless bird that existed in the Andaman and Nicobar, Mauritius and around the Indian Ocean islands."
Our children will study (or rather, we will teach them) - "Tiger W...A...S the national animal of India with majestic appearance and wonderful stripes! You know kid..I had seen it at the circus when I was in kindergarten! You gotta have a look at it's picture! Affsooos! You are not lucky enough to see it alive!" Circus - That reminds me of animals exploited for entertainment (which in turn reminds me of Maneka Gandhi and that movie Kaal - which had neatly gained itself a red-eye from animal activists and the illegal department for tiger - torture) Now, wait..I am reminded of a lot of things - some Hollywood actress who draped herself with fur ; Salman Khan who was behind bars for hunting Chinkara (endangered again) and many more.
What a pity! Ahaan! But, don't sympathize! As long as we continue to consume their natural habitat and continue to hunt them for pleasure, skin, fur, tusk or whatever! - There is no way that they will increase their population numbers.

Time for some gags. I read this somewhere (funny but a hard-core fact) which caused me to write this post :
"Save girls!...

Only 824 per 1000 men left
........

Just saving Tigers will not help!!
........

We can't take a tigress on a date!"

Yep..Female infanticide. Personally, I think, the whole process of reproduction in all animals is the most magically spectacular thing in the history of biological evolution! It's simply a masterpiece created by whoever it is...sheer beauty! Giving life - Sounds as good as the concept of Sanjeevini to me. But, tigers and wild animals are not the only ones who get into the hands of poachers. Human beings themselves hunt human beings, moreover their own offsprings (especially female ones - as good as killing the essence and origin of life. Forget humanitarian grounds, such "poachers" don't even realise that they are in this world only because of another female!). India and China are well-known for female infanticide and the practice still exists. And I'm not left with any words (to express concern on this murderous deed), but sympathy. Sympathy not only for those infants, but at the ignorance and lack of moral maturity in these "poachers". And like I said, nothing is going to change at the end of this post.

Kasturi

A sweet frangrance in musk deer is Kasturi. Kasturi - kannada magazine has served it's kannada readers since ages spreading the fragrance it desires to. While I picked up the latest copy lying on the table in my house to flip pages, something caught my interest. An article on the death of Chandrashekar Azad. An unbudging man to the British, a martyr at the age of 25 - with such an impact on the British that they feared and thought twice before even nearing his dead body! It is said that the then officer NatBauer fired Azad's feet under the tree where his body laid motionless, fearing he might come to life to wage an attack anytime. Years later, the same officer shows his bullet wound marks caused by Azad with pride to a journalist.

His ashes (the chita bhasma) preserved (more than his life - through deep illness and solitude in personal life) by a relative of Azad was taken on freedom marches and anniversaries at the Alfred park, Allahabad, after his death to invoke a sense of need for freedom. A part of it was used for the Brahman rituals and another part was put in the Allahabad Museum along with all the memorials of Azad. And now, the catch - it went missing! - says the article. Gone are the days when youngsters like Azad and Bhagat Singh offered to offer and also offered their lives for the nation's struggle. Yes, there is no need for a revolution now, because we live in the post-independence period. Everyone is happy and gay with his life and enjoying his freedom of speech, expression, equality and corruption..and the presence of hedonistic political system!! Now are the days where youngsters offer their lives for a love failure and exam failure! In fact, my very own classmate committed suicide after PU exams by setting herself on fire..even after securing a first class. Rabindranath Tagore's Nobel medal and important citations got stolen! Where? How? In a bank burglary? From a bank locker? Ah..let me think..from a University Museum! (reminds me of Dhoom-2) Yes, it happens only in the Indian system. Anybody else would have preserved it like he preserves a gem in his life. He would have loved it like he loves his family. But, on the other hand, there are businessmen like Vijay Mallya who, though out of a flair for flamboyance, (but still) patriotic and a proud Kannadiga does appreciable work (apart from breweries) and brings back - specifically to Karnataka, the sword of Tippu Sultan from London and to India, Gandhiji's belongings from New York.

The same experience with historical monuments - several parts of carvings at Belur, Halebidu being severely damaged..most of it out of intended harm and experiments. And nowadays, many historical monuments depicting sagas of local love stories..I mean, 'carvings' like Nanda loves Nandita (Sorry, bad example). Individually, it does not take much to respect what is our own and in maintaining our belongings to keep them in good shape. Not littering - that's a different issue altogether. I am referring to preserving what we have, what has been passed on and holds great significance of our culture and heritage; places and things of National significance. We definitely cannot protect it from natural erosion, but let's not harm them from our side. Kasturi, the fragrance resides in our ways, like it resides in the musk deer. Hope everyone identifies his/her share present within him/her.

Towards better

"Thousands of years ago, the first man discovered how to make fire. He was probably burned at the stake he had taught his brothers to light. He was considered an evildoer who had dealt with a demon mankind dreaded. But thereafter men had fire to keep them warm, to cook their food, to light their caves. He had left them a gift they had not conceived and he had lifted darkness off the earth. Centuries later, the first man invented the wheel. He was probably torn on the rack he had taught his brothers to build. He was considered a transgressor who ventured into forbidden territory. But thereafter, men could travel past any horizon. He had left them a gift they had not conceived and he had opened the roads of the world.

That man, the unsubmissive and first, stands in the opening chapter of every legend mankind has recorded about its beginning. Prometheus was chained to a rock and torn by vultures--because he had stolen the fire of the gods. Adam was condemned to suffer--because he had eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Whatever the legend, somewhere in the shadows of its memory mankind knew that its glory began with one and that that one paid for his courage.

Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision. Their goals differed, but they all had this in common: that the step was first, the road new, the vision unborrowed, and the response they received--hatred. The great creators--the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors--stood alone against the men of their time. Every great new thought was opposed. Every great new invention was denounced. The first motor was considered foolish. The first airplane was considered impossible. The power loom was considered vicious. Anesthesia was considered sinful. But the men of unborrowed vision went ahead. They fought, they suffered and they paid. But they won."

-Howard Roark (borrowed from Fountainhead - Ayn Rand)

A star

Birth and death are the two extremes of life. Man comes unarmed to this world; makes his mark- some reach great heights, some normal, some never put efforts to raise and some rise negatively (no efforts necessary). His deeds and actions will solely be responsible to create the person he seems to be in the intellect of people around him. In the end, leaves the world leaving behind his everything.
“Woman’s Day” is a “cause to celebrate womanhood and their achievements in political, economic and social backgrounds and became simply an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day”. O..h…h Yeah! One whole day in 365 days! (Unbearably too much of love showered on us!! :D) Anyway, this piece is not to take a stand on Woman’s day celebration. I am here to shower my whole-hearted appreciation on a Keralite woman who lives in my lane. Keralites are well-known for their humanitarian deeds and service to mankind. This woman in picture, married a widower 7 years ago. His profession is in another continent altogether and I have no idea how often he visits home. She lives here. The man has a physically challenged, beautiful (and I mean beautiful!) daughter from his first wife, who needs assistance in every other activity. What amazed me, is the pride that this step-mother shows about her daughter; the care with which she looks after her daughter. I have heard that it's hard to explain in words the feeling of motherhood. Hats-off to this mother who word-to-word has given her everything for the well-being of her daughter (I do not want to use the word ‘step’ anymore) I have always wanted to write about this wonderful young woman (who is almost of the same age as her daughter) from the day I met her. Such grace and simplicity; least expecting anything more from life. This is what should constitute stardom and celebration. And I know there are millions across the world who go unnoticed.