Heart is where health is!

 Home is where the heart is, they used to say. Well, times have changed. So have (wo)men and mores. So have lifestyles. Most people follow food fads. Zero figure is only for the clothes size. The salary figure per month has to be six digit. When competition thus gets fixated, who has the time for health, right?

It is the poor heart that takes all the blame because traditionally heart is supposed to be the home of all emotional excesses. 'The head is willing, but the heart is wishful' has often been the typical traditional  tune! In our post-modern, AI-obsessed times, however, it is not the figurative heart that fails. It is that fistful, literally size-wise, organ, the heart, that refuses to stay fit.

The pumping stations of our bodies, our hearts are responsible for the supply of oxygenated blood to each organ, big or small. When stress, both of the physical and psychological variety, is much too much, the heart gives way, causing coronary concerns, be it a heart attack, be it a cardiac arrest or a heart failure.

 Our era has made diabetes and hypertension our best buddies. Enemies they are of the heart. Hence the need to take care of our life styles as the heart 'dis-ease' is not exactly friendly either to the patient or to his pocket.

How to live a heart-friendly life? I suppose, 'avoid  each and every excess' could be the key. These days, people mostly work hard, exercise hard, party hard, etc etc and etc! Hardship it causes for the heart. Better hence to live in moderation. Eat healthy food that is less oily. Drink enough water. Eat fruits and veggies. Excercise daily. Thus the arteries would remain unclogged.

That takes care of the physiology of the heart. As for the psychology part, read whatever you like. Develop and nurture a hobby, be it singing, playing an instrument, painting. Gardening, however, is the best because it takes you real close to Nature. 

True, friends are fewer these days. Family hence could be your emotional stay. Enjoy quality time often with the immediate family for whom 'forgive and forget' should be the mantra, I suppose. An excursion now and then could better the bond, I suppose.

'Lessen the worry quotient' should be our goal as worry hurries harassing the harried heart. Meditation, prayer, yoga whatever relaxes the heart (muscles) should be our art as happy heart maketh a healthy (wo)man!

Pratima@ Heart has reasons that reason knows nothing about, said the wise men of yesteryears. On this World Heart Day, our heart-nama  asserts that now-a-days heart has seasons whose reasons we should locate and correct, right?

Song-n-dance!

 The last day of the ten day long Ganesh festival! Apparently, the household idols are mostly immersed along with the Gauri immersion, or mostly by the seventh day. So on the Anant Chaturdashi day, it is mostly the immersion of the public idols.

Across Maharashtra, there are immersion processions. The well-known ones, however, are the Mumbai and Pune processions. The Mumbai processions are well-known for the huge, very tall idols. Each year, they are immersed in the sea. 

I would not know about the Mumbai scene. May be, given the high tide tomorrow as it is the pournima, the immersion actually happens. The scenario in the Hyderabad Hussein Sagar used to be absolutely dismal though. It used to be very difficult even to see for days on end the broken idols, colours lost, the rusting iron frame broken in to pieces. 

In Pune, of course, as everywhere, the immersion procession is song and dance, both literally and figuratively. For one thing, it runs in to the next day. The lovely light and sound installations fade away with the rays of the morning sun, but the song and dance never stop, instead continue till almost the next evening. 

The first five 'celebrity' Ganapati mandala's mostly use traditional forms of dance and traditional musical instruments. Even their processions last for hours on end. Other prestigious mandala's generally leave the installation mandap/premises mostly after midnight. Eye catching is the decoration. During the 12 midnight to 6 a.m. duration, just the traditional musical instruments are allowed which is a mercy.

Why do I say so? Well, most mandal's have both, a large Dhol-Tasha Pathak (it performs in every chowk) and a 'huuuge' Dolby wall. Vulgarest of the vulgar songs are (mixed-n-)played, and dead drunk devotees(!?!) dance wildly!

The poor police. One truly pities them. Tomorrow when the procession would be completed by 5 p.m.ish, they would heave a hugh sigh of relief. Of course, not every mandal would do the clean up act immediately. May be, by Monday, all would be back to normal. 

This year, given the Monday holiday, there must have been capacity crowd. Such enthusiasm is absolutely great. Indeed necessary it is to celebrate the traditional festivals with fervour.  Yet is not it equally necessary to ask ourselves certain critical questions? Should vulgar songs be played? Should ugly gyrations be allowed? Should not there be a rough schedule that must be followed? What say?

Pratima@Should immoderate enthusiasm imprudently flaunted be allowed to taint the purity and piety of the festival?

H(e) for/of Harassment

 I write this with a very heavy heart. Yesterday some three people from the Pune Municipal Corporation came to this lane. Apparently, they wanted to put new meters on the water connection. They did not provide any identification documents, despite a request. They gave a xeroxed application form provided by the PMC according to them. It required details regarding the electricity meter, and all the details regarding the personal mobile number, etc. The job seemed out-sourced.

 The in-charge, belonging to a certain minority religion, earlier was screaming at the top of his voice "Grandmother, open the door" as I lock the approach gate from the inside. Later, he just continued staring hard, and trying to enter the premises.

 Even when it comes to autos, it is very often  the same experience. Such auto drivers keep both the mirrors directed inside. So one has to sit at such an angle that only the bag full of books can be seen. What to do? Buses do not ply, and surely not on time. Even if one rides a two-wheeler excellently, who wants a consciously attempted incapacitating accident!?!

Well, to get back to the water meter installation, since the meter was set up on the main line, the tap has gone totally dry, absolutely bone dry. There is not a drop of water. Of course, I shall go to the PMC, and do the needful. But extremely difficult it is when you are in to teaching, as timings would never match. 

Well, yet again, I was thus forced to realise that in this demographic country, one can live comfortably if and only if one belongs to certain castes, certain (minority) religions, and has a certain gender or two identity!

 The Swacch lady, too, is so 'well-behaved' that she literally throws the garbage pail back at you, while glaring at you as if she is the queen, and you are a criminal.

In front of our front yard gate, there is a huge neem tree from the neighbours' premises under which all such people stand/sit yaking for hours. Once I dared to politely tell such intruders that constant loud talking, actually screaming, disturbs. I was told off in crude Marathi that it is a public road!!! 

Obviously then such incidents, repeated umpteen times,  prove that the 'system' in this democracy is governed by certain identities, and woe to those who do not 'belong' to these identities! How does it matter that you are a sincere, genuine, law-abiding, tax-paying citizen!

This is nothing. If you stay awake late as you want to complete writing an article or two, there are loud, snide remarks about a witch (a 'hadal' in Marathi) by the 'under the neem tree' types! You cannot question anything as such smarties would say 'how do know/why do you think it was against you?/ directed at you?We were discussing amongst ourselves!' 

These wondrous votaries of free speech (who would not dare to utter a single word about drunks screaming like beasts even during broad daylight, not to forget late nights) forget conveniently others' rights to stay awake, to sleep/wake up as per their convenience, and, that, too, in their own homes! Clearly, such bossy behaviour boils down to demogaugy and demogaugery!

Plainly, there is some mastermind behind all this conscious viciousness. Whosoever it is and whatever might be his motives, the person is a sheer cad, as he has to so invisibly operate through bought (has to be!) minions! 

Surely silly, stupid harassment! A well-wisher suggested modes of dealing with it, and certainly I would try these. This blog is to assert that such harassment IS bothersome, but certainly it does not, and sure will not, serve its purpose of intimidation!

Pratima@ Such subtle violence is hardly harassment. It IS a mode of terrorism.

Listening is special

 Why is it that we have two ears but just one mouth/tongue? To listen more (to self and to others) and to speak less, right? Have you noticed how our favourite most God (at least currently! There is no knowing, given the very short memory the general public has!) has huge ears? Yet again the answer would be the same. He is a great listener, and hence in each and every critical situation, he comes up with a very creative, imaginative answer or solution.

Listening is indeed special. It is a science. It is a philosophy. It is an art as well. Listening is much much more than the physiological activity. It involves 'listening' to the body language as well. We always listen in. In other words, we are all attention, literally drinking in every word. All in all, listening is a combo of cognitive, behavioural and affective procedures.

Listening carefully can change your very being, nay, your entire life. Better hence to listen to not only to music or to people, but to books of all sorts. To nature one must listen.  Indeed every rustle and each rumble has its own message. At times, on a full moon or no moon night, one can listen to the very universe. Every morning has its own unique sweet song of hope, right? May be, thus bloomed the great prayers in the Vedas.

Look at mythology or at history. The most interesting individuals always are the great listeners, be it Rama (his version of  listening created both, an i-deal and a scandal), be it Arjuna (he listened, and thus emerged the Bhagwad Geeta), be it Shivaji Maharaj (who listened sensitively to the commonest 'mawla'/foot soldier, too) or be it Maharshi Karve, these great souls listened to both, the guru/the teacher and to their own selves.

Listening is special. Why, the very beginning of every human birth, anxiously awaited, is confirmed through listening to the baby's lusty cry! If listening is so central to existence, why is it that there is so much 'noise' in the process? Why so many barriers?

May be, very few people listen because most people have horrible attitudinizing, huge egos and very little grey matter! Most are so egoistic (and egotistical) that they hate to listen to anyone else, as very full of themselves they are! Actually, a very co-operative activity, listening may thus be vitiated into spreading rumours against a very good person who you do not want around for your selfish reasons and stupid goals!

Yet any good thing carried to an extreme can have its own dangers, too. Remember the Aesop story about a father, a son and their donkey? Best it is hence to listen to our real self, our own soul. That is the sole path to a great dia-logue which is the utmost gift we can give ourselves!

Pratima@Listening makes a great speaker, a nice societal citizen, and a good human being who leads, if at all, by and through his very own example!

Doctor in the Day-in-day-out life!

 Those good ole days when doctors were 'doctor uncle', a distant yet dedicated member of the family, are long gone. Doctors, once upon a time long long long ago, were family doctors. A very look at the at times kind and avancular, at times stern, scary, and frightening face cured half the dis-ease.

That friendly feel is now long past. We are in the specialist era. A visit to a doctor is scary now because of the monies involved. When such, such are the times, the common man's asli real time doctor these days is the chemist. 

The chemist is often the doctor day in and day out. In the daily lived life, 'across the counter', many people buy medicines as per the chemist's advice. Given the chemist's knowledge and experience, most often the medicine works wonders. 

Chemists  have  phenomenal memory. Our chemist, Pritam Rathod, never needed Aai's doctor's prescription while he fetched from the various and very many boxes the different tablets and capsules in the exact quantity.  He helped her in many other ways as well.

In the daily lived lives, chemists thus are friends, guides and doctors for many families. The 'across the counter' culture can hence never be wiped out by the online buy of medicines. 

On the  chemist's day hence, here is wishing well to this very important clasp of the medicinal chain!

Pratima@For a long long time, may the common man get the help of the chemists, the doctors day in day out!

N.B. Yes, I am aware that given the lure of dirty monies, chemists, too, can foist false placebos so that Pharma companies flood them with goodies. Such gone cases are in every field in our 'gone case', every which way corrupt, times. 

Daughter Dear

 The fourth Sunday of September is special. Wanna know why? It celebrates the best, the blessed gift a parent can ever have, a daughter!

Apparently, the Daughters' Day as a concept began in India as a conscience and awareness campaign, given the merciless female foeticide. Ramchandra Sirus, who was moved by the story of a man who killed his daughters as he wanted a son, initiated the day. That was the first decade of the twenty-first century. 

Yes, such were the days. If the second-born was a daughter, too, there used to be utter disappointment in so-called well-off, 'modern' families. Luckily, things have changed for the better now. Many parents are happy with an only daughter as well. By this time, moreover, even the U.N. has accepted the day as Daughters ' Day, and it is celebrated in many countries, it seems. 

Well, it should be. Daughters ARE special. Daughters are often compared to sunshine. Personally I feel daughters are the moonlight. The moon shines in the dark, is unbelievably gentle and soft, and yet is so powerful that it can turn even sea tides. That is a daughter for you, soft yet strong.

She is her mother's  very good friend, her father's solace, and in her rests their total faith and complete confidence.  Three fourth a doctor, one fourth a nurse, she is the best care-giver in the whole world, and happily and willingly she sacrifices her interests in the process. 

Daughters are excellent when it comes to winning laurels, and are exceptionally brilliant at very many things. A multi-tasker, a daughter knows how to extend twenty-four hours in to as many as are needed. Efficient, effective, emotional, endlessly the adjectives can string along, and yet a daughter would not be sufficiently  defined! Daughters are precious, in brief, and that is saying the least!

Pratima@ D'aught'ers are special coz 'aught' is in their very nomenclature. So sure are parents of their lucky charm that they KNOW she would be the best even in the worst context!

Adieu

 No place like your own home, they say. Absolutely true! I tried my level best to upload the blog at the usual time, but there was a repeat blockade here at my brother's place. Better now, than never! 

Bidding adieu then to your own abode is tough, right? In fact, 'adieu' was to be the theme of my blog. As per the tradition, in my family, the Ganesh visarjan/immersion takes place with the Gauri visarjan. The logic is that after a three days stay at her maternal home, Gauri leaves for her place. With her, we bid adieu to Ganapati, her son.

Well, festivals come and festivals go, like the typical diurnal circle. Yet bidding adieu to Ganesha has always been tough. The empty devhara without the murti/idol literally hurts one's eyes. One never gets this vacant feel after any other festival.

Let us explore this feel a little. In French, 'Adieu' literally is 'A Dieu', I leave you to God. Sure, of the pantheon of gods, Ganesha is the sole/soul principle. Metaphorically, he is Life incarnate. May be, hence bidding adieu to this Dieu/God is emotionally taxing. Most all feel the pinch of this 'adieu'.

Yet never is it an adieu. It is always a 'punaragamanay', 'pun: agaman', the forever return of all that is the best within the self, the real Ganesha, the lifelong living God within us, so to say. On this note, let me for the time being bid an adieu!

Pratima@ Farewell is actually a fare-thee-well, may be, the year long message of  Ganesha, the god principle, the 'all that is the best', within each one of us.

In the footsteps of

 Whatever be your age, you do feel lost and lonely when both your parents are no more. You feel as if you are exposed all by yourself to the furies and fancies of the four elemental forces. 

As you wallow in those dark matters, much worse than the lake of despair Milton describes in the first book of 'Paradise Lost', you find a distant echo of your plight. Thus you realise that in this big bad world, there exists somone who echoes the same sense of loss.

Slowly but surely emerges the pattern. The family traditions are being sincerely followed; attention is being sensitively paid to minor but focally important issues.  Tough job indeed it is as his life partner, (and not to forget his children, the gen next sons), would have her own insistent demands! But he finds the perfect solution to sort out life's riddles. 

Thus follows he the footsteps of our parents. The past walks in to the present, sure of the road safely winding in to the future. The contentment that thus overflows washes out drip by drop the dark potion of the grief.

 Thank you very much, Raju, very much indeed, for being the essentially genuine, efficient elder son. Both of us, Sanju and I,  can thus enjoy a unique sense of security. Thank you, Raju, for being a good son and a great brother.

Pratima@ Our parents' footsteps Parag follows/ Thus kindness genuine grief swallows! 

Gauri Poojan

 Today student attendance was low. Some students wrote to me saying that they could/would not come to college as they were busy with the Gauri Awahan. Possible! Mostly, however, the truth could be that the college has declared tomorrow as a holiday as it is Gauri Bhojan tomorrow. Students are in the holiday and festive mood!

Well, here in Maharashtra, and especially in Pune (the cultural capital!), Gauri Poojan is a part of the Ganesh festival that is a huge celebration in its own way. The poojan is in two modes. Whichever could be the family tradition, across Maharashtra, and especially in Pune (the refrain continues!), there is a very happy, joyous feel .

Personally, I love  the poetry underlying the very concept. Ganapati, Aai-Papa used to say, would be here at our home accompanying his mother, Gauri, who would visit our home as 'her' parental home!

What a feel! A huge thrill! Real rich! Our home as the goddess' parental home!Aai-Papa would thus be the maternal uncle and aunt of the Lord! For three days of the Gauri Poojan, hence the household wears the warmth and joyous hospitality of a parental home that celebrates the daughter's restful return home with her child. Well, hence, in our family, as in many households, Gajanana is bid farewell with his mother, the day of Gauri Visarjan/immersion.

I absolutely adore this concept as it makes the rituals very personalised, highly relatable, genuinely 'relative'.  Indirectly it nurtures in us the feel to be good, honest, sincere, the best versions of ourselves, right? I suppose, that is, and should be, the real meaning of a celebration, a ritual that makes us righteous!

Pratima@ Religion as the art of  life!

Rishi Panchami

 The very next day after the great Ganesh Chaturthi is the Rishi Panchami. Like most women of her generation, Aai used to keep a fast on the day. Well, I do not. Let us today explore the relevance of the day. May be, currently that could be the real tribute to the spirit of the day, may be, more focussed than a mere fast.

The traditional stories associated with the day are impossible. They would be absolutely unacceptable these days. They talk of the menstruating woman as impure so much so that in one of the stories the wife, who prepares food during her periods, becomes a she dog, while her husband, who eats the food she cooked, becomes a bullock. The 'lowly births' are due to, yes, the womanly bodily function, the periods.

In another story, an excellent girl suddenly finds her body rotting, full of worms. Her concerned parents try to find out the reason. It seems she is thus suffering 'coz in the earlier birth, she made everything impure by touching food during her periods.

Such stories as well as their underlying premises are absolutely unacceptable now. These tales, once upon a time, may be, were written with the noble purpose of giving some rest to the menstruating woman. Now when the world has changed so hugely, and life has become a consumer market with technological gadgets flooding our daily lives, the traditional tales appear terrible, irrelevant.

I look at the day a little differently. Ganesha is the deity of knowledge, of intellect, of ratiocination. As a proof, you have to just remember Sant Dnyadev's tribute to the Lord, which is in the very first chapter of Dnyaneshwari, and runs in to many "owi"s. 

If the Lord is thus intellect, the atmtatv, the originary and original principle, rishis who would spend a lifetime trying to understand it, need to be honoured, should be revered, must be remembered by the common man, far far away from such intellection. Hence this day as a tribute to the rishis, I feel. Hope you would accept this interpretation!

Pratima@New relevance must be found in traditional tales, if they are to mean much today.

The Great God!

 Each god in the Indian pantheon has his/her coterie, the absolutely committed devotees. Be it Goddess Saraswati or the various incarnations of Laxmi or Yellama, be it Shiva, Krishna or Shri Rama, each godess or god has her/his dedicated devotees. At times, they denigrate each other as in the case of the Shaiva-Vaishnava debate.

Ganesh, Gajanana, Ganapati, however, is one deity whom All Adore. He is the beginning of all the beginnings, and has no end. In the beginning of any ritual, be it religious, social, hey, even political, Ganesh Pujan initiates it, adorns it.

He is a very interesting concept as a deity. He is 'gaja anan' or 'gaj mukh'. In my opinion, this uniqueness shows his total, complete and inalienable togetherness and union with the entire ethos, the very ambience. No wonder, the  small little mouse is his vehicle, while the much hissing and much hated snake is his waistband. He is unity incarnate!

Solidarity he is, too. He is 'gana pati'. According to the legend, Lord Shiva himself made him the head of his followers, the 'gana's. The gana's are as good as the societal rejects. He chooses to give them an identity, a sense of togetherness and solidarity. 

Look at the contemporary times, for example. The ten days long Ganesh festival literally makes the day, nay, the year, for/of everybody, the sculptor, the florist, the fruit vendor, the pandal maker, his daily wage workers, the electrician, the politician's 'punter', not to forget, the 'dhol pathak', the list is endless. Is not he thus the support and the lord of the 'gana', the common folk, whom hardly (m)any acknowledge?

No wonder, Lokmanya Tilak, known in his times as the leader of the common man, chose the 'Gana-pati' festival as the occasion for a clarion call against the cruel, vicious, unjust coloniser!

Ganesh is indeed THE Great God. He is everything every which way, philosophically, religiously, mythically. The old and the young, the rich and the poor, all worship him. He is creative, he is intelligent. He is imagination, he is wisdom. Remember the way the  Vaidic rucha's, the abhanga's by saints describe him? He is the God of Gods! Long live the Ganesh festival!

Pratima@ The Great God Ganesha is everything. He is the brain, he is also fun. He is the very head, heart and soul. No wonder, the very thought of bidding him a good bye brings a large lump in the throat!

Fast unto...

 To keep or not to keep the fast? That is the question! Yes, that is often the psychological state of many women, and often becomes an existential theme/threat circa the beginning of 'Shravana'. 

Why? Well, against keeping a fast, there is a huge hue and cry. It appears old-fashioned to the majority.  Well, such ignoramuses need to be told that keeping a fast occasionally is considered the most modern technique by the hip hep happening dieticians. In other words, modernity/tradition is not wafer (literally, please) thin.

Most often, keeping a fast is frowned upon by the feminists. The argument is, does a bridegroom keep a fast to get a perfect proposal? Why should women alone keep the hartalika vrat, pray, keep a fast to bag the future Mr. Perfect?

Well, easy equivalences of the I-versus-you variants are spurious in my opinion. Such fasts should be a personal choice in my opinion because the inner equation between a couple/within the familial space is an on-going and eternal process of give-n-take, right?

Well, a fiance/husband may not make a cup of perfect, or otherwise, tea for the woman when she returns home after a hectic day. He may be helping out though in many other simple but focal ways. The 'to-be-hated' mother-in-law may be a better support system when compared to a creche for the young couple, right?

Should not such decisions be freed of a guilt trip? Imposing a blanket no-no against a fast is equally fascist and an interference in the personal space, and a road-block in the search for a just and happy society, right? 

Why always 'react'? Why never 'respond'? Any 'opposition for the sake of opposition' strategy is peurile, reductionist and downright vicious and silly. Instead, negotiations open up a constructive dialogue in my opinion.

Look at issues from an alternative perspective, I would say. The 'hartalika' is a celebration of a bride's choice, for instance, because Parvati observed it to marry Shiva, a choice the whole world waxed against! Well, creative solutions construct a better being and becoming!

Pratima@'Fast'-n-loose may be an intellectual fashion rather than a thought through response!

In the professional contexts, there are very many adjustments often made by an employee, right? We do not disagree and fight with a silly boss every nano second, right? Why then reduce the in-laws into villains just because you dislike a ritual they follow? 

Myth matters!

 The title of our blog today is consciously ambivalent. It is so intended. As per the use of 'matters' either as a verb or as a noun, it could mean 'myths are important' or it can mean 'aspect/facet of a myth'. 

 Let us discuss two myths to understand this subtle difference. The first of these two myths refers to Daedalus and his son, Icarus. The father is a master craftsman, and is thus respected by all, including the deities. The son, Icarus loves flying like a bird.

To indulge his son, the master craftsman makes him wax wings. As they are so light- weight, Icarus can fulfil his lifetime ambition. He can actually fly. In his vanity though, he flies too close to the sun. The wax wings melt and falling from such a height, he drowns.  A myth central to identity issues, this myth has been much used by Western artists and authors.

The matter of the second myth is both quite similar, and yet radically different. In this story, too, there is a master craftsman father, Vishwakarma. He is described in the Vedas as somebody who crafted the very universe. 

In yet another version of the myth, as per the post-Vedic texts, he is not the all powerful maker of the universe. Rather, he is the divine craftsman, in all senses of the term 'divine'.

His son is supposed to be Nala who built the setu, the bridge, that helped Rama and his army cross the sea. In another version, he has five sons who are good at the five basic crafts, much required for the community existence of the agrarian variety rooted in the barter system.

As meanings thus emerge multi-dimensionally, now let us see why a myth matters. Well, the Western myth is more about an identity crisis. The Indian Myth, however, is about symbiosis,  is about the sense of togetherness as a community.

Almost the same is the scaffold and construct  of both the myths. Radically different are the significations of both, thus holding up two visions, two world views. It is thus that myths matter, in all the senses of the terms!

Pratima@ Myths mirror visions!

Knowing to know!

 Philosophy! The very word appears boring to many. In an era dominated by makeshift solutions to the very concept of living (note, please, I did not say 'leading' which would be a more conscious and conscientious 'act'), philosophy would be boring to most, right? 

Yet the irony is that in the current scenario, if at all books are read, they are mostly about 'how to live', 'why to live', and 'when to live', given the meaningless rat race that life has been reduced to. Incidentally, in this epoch of robots robbing man of most all meaningful activities, significantly 'satsangs' by Sadhguru, Sri Sri and such are overflowing to capacity! Philosophy thus seems to matter.

What exactly is philosophy? The very word is a compound term which comes from two roots, philos and sophia. 'Philos' means the love of, while 'sophia' stands for wisdom. In brief, the very essence of philosophy is love of wisdom! In other words, philosophy is the staple diet of a meaningful life.

Philosophy is then intellection. It is analysis of the modes and methods of living, of trying to understand it. Socrates to Confucius, philosophers of all hues and varieties have attempted precisely this principle.

These thinkers tell us how to lead life meaningfully, too. In other words, philosophy is an ethical base of living. It makes precepts and practices poetically power-packed. Philosophy hence is in the words of Homer, and in the quotes crafted-n-created by the rishis and munis.

Does that mean philosophy is old and ancient? Yes and no! 'Yes' because it has been there from time immemorial, and 'no' because it constantly shifts, changes, assumes new avataars, finds new answers to old questions. 

In brief, philosophy which means 'know thyself', philosophy which means a 'life well lived', philosophy which means 'lead me from darkness to light' is everywhere, in religion, in literature, in science, and in ethics. Philosophy is the be-all and the end-all of the very existence. Happy World Philosophy Day!

Pratima@ "Thinking: the talking of the soul to itself" said Plato, while his disciple, Aristotle, opined wisdom is not a solo act, it is the daily practice!

 

Unique indeed!

 Unique indeed is this Friday! It celebrates together the "bail pola" ( a day dedicated to bullocks, a farmer's fast friend, though in tribal villages in interior India, the indigenous festival goes on for five days), the "jivti" day (a day, as per the Indian lunar calendar, celebrating motherhood), and the engineers' day.

Apparently, the three celebrities, bullock, mother and engineer, may look as different from each other as cheese and chalk. Put your thinking cap on, and sensitively looked at, very many similarities do emerge. 

To begin with, all these three are essential to existence. Yet they are most often completely ignored. All the three are exceptionally hard-working. Neither of them makes a huge hoo-hah about the solid contribution they actually make. Such old faithfuls make life real, right? Here is wishing them all every possible ounce of gratitude they richly deserve!

Pratima@ Silent but efficient/they are the best!

Awesome AstitvA!

 Come September, and very many College/University campuses overflow with a longing. This yearning is for the pulsating BMCC campus that since end August is echoing with the verve of music and the rhythm of dance, with the power of words and the magic of pics-n-reels, all these and other arts echoing the distant but distinct drums of tradition and the Indian ethos. 

The youthful talents across and afar from Pune await being at the BMCC campus circa August-September 'coz, you guessed it right, annually around this time, there unfolds the unique, awesome AstitvA. 

Mood AstitvA, that recently celebrated its fourteenth avatar, is indeed unique. To begin with, it makes tradition trendy. It so celebrates Indianness that identity, the real significance of AstitvA, blooms insightfully in every event here.

The very nomenclature of the thirteen events establishes this uniqueness. AstitvA celebrates the youthful mastery in fields as diverse as Nrityalankar (dance, solo and group), Swaralankar (vocal music, solo and group), Vadyalankar (instrumental music), Shabdalankar (essay writing), Drishtikon (short film making), Clickathon (camera as the brush!), and Sanchpadika (treasure hunt), for instance. 

Such names add their own allure of exotic ethnicity that each event glorifies. The whole of AstitvA  in its entirety has a central theme (G20 this year) with each art-form underwriting its own unique sub-texts. This year, for example, the Swaralankar event celebrated the soulful mastery of Hridyaynath Mangeshkar and paid a tribute to the genius of A.R. Rahman.

Given such unique focus for each event, no wonder, even in today's era of the ChatGPT, hundred and twenty-five youngsters actually managed to think through and pen essays on themes as diverse as"G20", "Indian Soft Power", and "Digital Transformation". The BM indeed needs huge congratulations for making some hundred and twenty five students actually attempt the forgotten art of essay writing!

Such is the enthusiastic participation in the AstitvA events that the recently concluded edition boasted of more than two thousand participants in thirteen events. Most interestingly, many skills such as Mandala Art, for instance, were attempted both online and offline.

The BMCC pride, AstitvA, is so very viral because of the fair, impartial and objective quality of the evaluation. This year, the judges, as  usual, comprised a list of who's who in the art world of Pune. Shrirang Godbole, Rahul Ranade, Ramdas Palsule, Jatin Pandey and other such great names evaluated the entries at the primary and at the final levels, thereby adding authenticity to the entire event.

Equally revered are the chief guests who formally inaugurate the AstitvA at a glittering ceremony. Mohan Agashe this year, Rahul Deshpande, Subodh Bhave, Arti Ankalikar-Tikekar, Anand Bhate, the very names prove how awesome is the AstitvA allure.

If art comes, can social responsibility be far behind? The event supports an NGO entitled Seva Sahyog. The commerce and management students of the BM use this event to hone their business acumen as well. For two days hence the campus is abuzz with stalls of all sorts.

Actually, such student participation at the management level is the core strength of AstitvA. The event energises students' capacities and capabilities by making them run the entire show. Teachers sure guide them. The entire onus, however, of conceptualizing, designing and executing AstitvA events rests firmly on the young shoulders. Never ever do the these young stalwarts fail to impress all with their team spirit. 

No wonder, memories linger. Exactly a week ago, the very campus, but especially the Tata Hall and the Poonawala Hall, wore a glittering, ceremonial splendour. Pulsating with the youthful energy and creativity, the two days seemed to linger longer as if wishing that this good thing should never end. A week later, yet again begins the wait for the glorious, gorgeous AstitvA, the mark of the BMCC identity.

Pratima @ Bliss it was to be a part of AstitvA/And to be young, ah, that literally was heaven!

Says Pratima Agnihotri:

Even if you are not a blessed BMCCian,

Flagship Astitva would sure make you one!

Hindi hamari!

 We are an independent nation. Ours is a  country that celebrates unity in diversity. Yet we do not really have a national language so to say of our own!

Hindi is actually the fourth most spoken language in the whole world, after Spanish, Mandarin and, of course, English. In India itself, a staggering seventy eight per cent citizens speak Hindi. Sure different dialects of Hindi get spoken/used. That is true of any language though. English, for example, has so many dialects in England itself, not to forget the American, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand varieties of English as used by the native speakers.

Actually, Hindi should get immediate acceptance as it is the language of the ever expanding Bollywood industry. Hindi literature is great, too. Given, however, the regional politics, Hindi is not allowed its unique glory!

The different Language Commissions and the many language formulas and Hindi Exam Board after, Hindi is not our official lingua franca. Officially it is not actually. Unofficially, the honour goes to English. I absolutely adore English. I do love the language. Yet my mother tongue as well as Hindi should get their dues, too! Hindi hamari hai! Hame Hindi pe naaz hai!

Pratima@Hindi zindabad!

A joke or two

 This evening by sheer chance I came across a stand-up comedian who was mocking marital bliss, who was putting up for a huge laugh the husband-wife fights. He dissected the progress from "I love you" to "I told you (but whenever do you listen?!?)". Hence these three jokes.

१) A couple is strolling down a busy road. A beggar accosts them and says, "Hey, beauty, give a fiver to a blind man." The husband looks at his wife, gives the beggar a tenner. The wife is irritated, and asks, "Why are you wasting money just like that?" Pat comes the sharp answer. "Well, he sure is not pretending to be blind. Poor soul! Must indeed be helped."

2) It is pitch dark. The husband wakes up as he hears a hiss. He sees a deadly cobra near his wife's foot, about to bite her. "Oh, God, Poor cobra! Sure going to die in a second, " says he, and goes off to sleep, snoring aloud the next second.

3) It is a bright morning. The husband is sleepy still. The wife says, "Wake up fast". "Say something," snaps the husband, "that will make me get up." "Well, the whole night you were chatting away to glory with Sona Darling on the FB, right? That is my fake account on the FB.", the wife informs him as she rushes to the kitchen. The husband has not slept a wink since, they say.

Pratima@ Life is indeed a laugh riot!

 

Unique beauty

 We have lots of trees in the front yard and the back yard of our home. Some of these are fruit bearing trees such as a guava tree. Earlier we had an alphonso tree with lovely, tasty fruits. Papa had planted it. We had a papaya tree, a banana tree and a cluster fig (umber) tree.

Naturally seasonally there are many birds nesting in the small little garden. It is fun watching the different ways they build nests.  Some are neatly structured, while those by the pigeons and crows are quite a mess. 

Once quite near our main door, there was this beautiful little nest. It had three lovely blue eggs. The bird that guarded it was unusual, too. It was not the common mynah or the jaybird though now I realise that the eggs do look similar to those lovely blue  eggs. 

A hawk like big bird ( earlier, every evening a kite or two would perch on the topmost branch of the mango tree) was after the eggs. The three of us, especially me though, used to guard the nest and the mamma bird as much as we could, too.

Remembered all this because the nest, the bird were so very beautiful. Both, the bird and the nest, were different, and yet unique because simple, too. 

Quite symbolic I find this fact! Whatever is unique, different and yet simple and clean is finally more appealing than a conscious construct. May be, this fact holds true, especially of art. May be,  it could be especially relevant when we think of literature, may be, films, and, yes, music.

Sure, path breaking catalystic stuff initially may appear intriguing. It has its own inner  logic, too, like the Kumar Gandharva mode of music which so mesmerises that it becomes an obsession.

Art, like life, is unique, right? Simple at the surface yet with deeper layers complexly inter-woven to create a unique mosaic, right? Just like the waves at the sea shore, each unique, each different, and each inter-woven with the next and the earlier! That is the unique beauty of being, I suppose!

Pratima@Life is beautiful!

Suicide

Suicide as a concept was theorised in the Western world in the late seventeenth century. In a way, hence, we can say that every which way, it is a response to a volatile context. When the circumstances around seem impossible, this self-destructive response emerges, I think.

Which is the solution to such a mindset? Well, my favourite most motto is "this, too, shall pass." However unhappy any situation may appear, the moment we remind ourselves of its transience, its impermanence, the sting of the suffering is lost, I think.

Envisioning clearly and repeatedly what one wants (to be) is very important in my opinion. Such a self-projection screens the immediate difficulties and their bitterness, I feel. Yet another aspect never to be forgotten is that our suffering appears gigantic to us even when it is honestly, absolutely nothing when compared with the really, truly difficult lives people lead, and with dignity.

Two of my favourite most examples are Helen Keller and Stephen Hawking.  She was born blind, eh, visually impaired in today's politically correct parlance. In that era, life as a blind woman must have horribly difficult. Yet she managed monumental creativity!

Similarly, Stephen Hawking was born bright, was leading a life destined to be happy and charmed when an auto-immune disease gradually limited him. His own body, so to say, rebelled against him. Did he give up? Nope! He celebrated life, brilliance, creativity instead! 

I think, people who are suicidal are actually screaming for help. Yet they are so adamant that they are absolutely not open, are completely closed to any suggestions, to any help, however genuine, however gentle. Instead, they are so deeply, in fact, insanely, in love only with themselves that a genuine kindness, a true concern, however close by or far-n-further is unimportant to them. Such narcissistic self-obsession must emerge from excessive ( and, obviously, empty) egoism, I think.

Yet another aspect of this issue is euthanasia. Old people, when they contract an incurable illness, often think of  this option. In a way, as Freud proved, death wish is inevitable. When one is old and weak, physical suffering appears eternal and unnecessary. Hence this conscious choice which is recognised by many countries. 

Well, forget its dangers in a country like ours, I feel such a concept is complex. Well, I think, if the body that gave us so much joy in so many ways is now weak, it must be indulged, not injured. Yet another viewpoint I have is that if I cannot create life so to say, I cannot destroy it either, however old, woebegone I may be. As it is, there must be any number of so called near-n-dear ones waiting for your death, your last breath! Why add one more person to those well-wishers, right?

My role model is Socrates, who even when forced to drink hemlock, mocked ignorances of all kinds, and till the last breath, kept on teaching, spreading the good word, the best truths, around.  Yet another one is Bhagat Singh whose last wish was to complete reading the book he was about to finish.

In my opinion, when life gets too bad, mad, hard, as it often does, better just to laugh. Listen to music, read a book, look at nature which shall throw at you zillions of examples of creative survival.

Why worry so much over what others think? Let them consider you the worst gone case. You know very well you are not one. So laugh it off. Which mode of suicide is painless, anyways? Instead, better to live!

 Look at the ant. It carries a weight hundred times heavier than its tiny self. Yet it survives any bitter winter of discontent. So does the spider who resiliently re-builds a natty net, no matter how often wiped away! Let us, in brief, live, and happily n heartily!

Pratima@Life is precious. Let others, any specific  sect , for example, not hypnotise you about its worthlessness.  That is their politics. Suits them and their obsessive self-centred (financial as well) purposes . Hardly wholesome though.  Instead, lead a normal life. LIVE!

 

Pain killer

 The other day I was following all the road safety rules. As usual. I was to the left of the road, not in any way jay walking. Suddenly, this car comes from behind, zooming fast and past so closely that the side view mirror hit me hard on the right shoulder. The rudeness of the hit-n-run driver, a fat old man, and the smirks he shared with the fruit vendor made me realise that the hit was no accident at all. Rather it was consciously attempted to knowingly hit my right side.

Sure there was pain. I attempted all the first aid, volini, a pain-killer, some rest-cum-sleep, etc. Sure such first aid helps. It can save a life, for instance, when a person, who is in the throes of a heart attack, gets immediate first aid. Or if a person who has suffered wounds or burns gets immediate relief, it indeed is a pain killer. Undoubtedly, such first aid helps.

Do you know what the real pain killer is? Just being yourself, and letting the crooks know that their viciousness, and mean cheapness have not affected you one bit. "Carry on, Crooks," should be the message, your ideal response. "If you hit my right side to imbalance me, I shall make my left side strong, too," should be the conscious and confident response. That is the real pain killer, I believe so absolutely.

Sure baddies would get paid, and they would have to suffer for each one of their very many wickedness-es in this very life. That is for sure. There IS justice in this vast universe. For SURE! That sense of justice, too, is a divine pain killer, and in multiple senses of the term 'divine'.

In time it would sure happen. It has to, it must because otherwise the bad will be outlandishly wicked. On time, however, your own resilience is, your own calm happiness is the real balm to you, and the worst salt rubbed in to the wounds of the wicked, right? So when a bad person or his/her stooge hits, hit back by carrying on coolly. That is the best pain killer indeed!

Pratima@ A knowing smile is the best and the only real answer!

Twist, twist, twist-n-turn!

 Twist, twist, twist-n-turn, hold, twist,twist, twist-n-turn. Hey, what do you think I am up to? Practising the Samba or the zumba? Nope! No way! Well, I was just trying to give a beat to what the physiotherapists do day in, day out!

Yes, it is the Physiotherapy Day. So, like a loving, dutiful sister, sent an easy muscle relaxing trick by Dr. Mendel to my brothers. Also wished Aai's physio. In the process, I thought of setting a possible beat to physiotherapy exercises which are also muscle relaxing techniques basically. So all that jazz!

Well, yes, there is yet another reason why I thought of the title. Yes, it is the ninetieth birthday of Asha Bhosle. In my opinion, "Twist, twist, twist-n-turn, hold, twist,twist, twist-n-turn" best describes not only some of her zing songs, but her very zany personality and life, right? Sure, with all these celebs, we know just the carefully crafted persona, never the real person. Yet the ebullient youthful image she has in her nineties is fabulous, and fascinates me.

Asha's voice may not have the sweet gentleness, the delicate innocence, the lyrical purity, the perfect training that Lata's unbeatable "Sur" has. Yet it has its own unique charm. She is absolutely versatile. No "type" is untouchable to her. Sure Lata, too, has sung a "kaanta laga" for R.D. Burman, but the sensuous quality of the "Aaiye meherban" is so heady that it is, I think, the best oomph song of all times.

Yet this very "Helen of Bollywood singing" can touch the chords of solace and togetherness in "dukh aur sukh ke raste/bane he sabke vaste" version of"abhi na jao chodke". She can manage a bhajan, a kawwali, a ghazhal, an absolutely non-poetic, "mera kuch saman" or the great "do labzo ki". Twists, twists and turns her voice to create unique expressions as different as "dam maro dam" and "chanda mama dur ke".

Her life, too, of course as presented to us, has many, in fact, very many twists, twists and twists. Yet at every turn, she appears to emerge stronger. May be, she has a good P.R.! One would not know. Others have been dragged over coals for being clean and straightforward!

Well, it can surely be said that she lived life on her own terms and conditions, and managed to make it as she wanted it to be. Personally I am of the opinion though that there is no need to discuss details we hardly know. I would rather concentrate on her singing which sure has a new turn at every twist.

Here is wishing many more great songs to Ashaji even now as she chooses to re-invent herself at ninety as a model for a fashion show. Atta, Asha! Twist, zoom, turn, a Tarana Treat forever for us!

Pratima@ My favourite most Asha rendition, however, is her Marathi natyasangeet. Absolutely in a league of its own! No twists, no turns/ but the very soul it churns!

Eventbaazi

 The entire evening yesterday was full of the feel of "dahi handi". Practically everywhere, at every crossroad, were these speaker walls screaming, rather screeching, the famous Bollywood "Govinda" songs. Psychedelic light beams were swirling across every nook and corner. The (now no longer only Pune special) dhol-tasha pathak's were as decible high as possible. The auto fellah I hired provided a round-the-city tour of this scenario under the pretext of Tilak Road being jam-packed, but actually to hitch a free ride for his elderly relative!

Later, by 9.30ish, wapp groups started flooding the mobile with videos/reels of the actual human pyramids. It is undoubtedly an adventure sport. In Spain, especially in Valencia, this game, known there as 'castelles', is indeed hugely popular. It is a show of co-operation, team work, faith in each other and bravery-n-courage. Shows how across spaces and belief systems, the human heart yearns for the same rush of the adrenaline high.

In Maharashtra, however, it is more eventbaazi, I feel. Why do I think so? Well, if it were not so, every chowk would not have huge flex of the who's who providing the money and muscle power for the entire dramebaazi, the noise pollution mentioned above, some small time or big ticket "star, yaar, surely not kalakar" accepting the "supari", the "Bhai" doing the inaugural gestures, the mad mob dancing the most vulgar way possible to provocative tunes, right?

I would not even mind this tamasha. Does any of the above-mentioned worthies care about the safety of the govindas? Is there any safety net provided at the venue of the event? At the places where they practice? They are mostly from lower middle class families. If an accident takes place, who takes care of the wounded, the injured? Basic human(e) questions! Ignored year after year! Hence the title!

Much worse is the parody of the original quasi-religious myth  that is (un)knowingly mocked  at in the entire eventbaazi. Absolutely mixed-up it is. Hence the 'combo' title to the blog!

In the Krishna myth, why did he go for the stealing of curds and milk? Surely he needed neither. He was a born prince, and was being raised as one. The Krishna practice is actually a very democratic sharing of the spoils in a playful, happy, together way. The lowest of the low is thus enabled by the ruler, the prince, to share the best, and in a joyful, lovably mischievous, together way, right?

The contemporary drama has none of this principle. Instead, it is an ugly show-off of sick glamour, moolah and muscle power which is sad, mad, and bad! Hence this blog with that title to mourn the mockery of a good concept!

Pratima@Oh, Lord, save the crooked. They know exactly very well what they are doing!

Unique is this tithi!

 The Shrawan Krushna Ashtami is indeed unique. Want to know why? This happens to be the tithi, the day according to the lunar calendar prevalent in India, when Lord Krishna and Sant Dnyandev were born.

Unique indeed are both of them. As the Bhakti Marg or the Bhakti Panth paves the path, let us follow it and proceed from the concrete to the abstract. So let us first appreciate the greatness of Sant Dnyaneshwar. 

In my opinion, he is literally everything a human being can ever be. He is a great poet, a superb philosopher, a wonderful thinker. He revived, in fact, initiated in a way, Marathi. He brought to the commonest man the great knowledge cooped up in impossible modes of  thinking and being. He changed thus the very social structure. Great every which way!

And all this when he was in his teens! He took samadhi  when he was just twenty-one! Yet his achievements are such that many people would need many lifetimes to attain one tenth of these! Worst of all is the fact that he was harassed like hell all along. Yet he survived, and in the most positive way possible, and in the process, energised  the  very society and its mode of thinking and being. Most motherly was his kind mode, moreover.

The brightest of the brilliant and the best of best he was. Yet he was treated worse than the worst. That never made him bitter though. Instead, he uplifted an entire way of thinking, living, being! He could make a dull animal recite the greatest Vedas to prove the unity of being. He thus lived the concepts, the precepts he preached. Simply superb!

Shri Krishna, too, is extremely interesting as a deity, a divine concept. Right from the moment he is born till his last breath, he has to constantly face utmost difficulties and the biggest problems. Horrible are the hurdles that are consciously created in his path, his own Mama trying to kill him as a baby, as a child, as a teenager. We all know the way his father ferried him across the Yamuna in spate, the Putana Mavashi, the Kaliya, and so on, and so on! Difficulties never cease for him.

Yet he never ever loses either his cool nor his smile. He knows, moreover, how to find a positive way out of an impossible situation. Forever creative in his thinking, he always manages to uplift every possible reject of each possible variety, animals to zealots!

Most importantly, he never wastes time fighting or answering back the vicious. He just lets himself be, does the best in the worst context, and thus wins life itself. His sense of humour and his love of life in all its forms never ever waver. Absolutely endearing and enriching concept of divinity, right?

Well, I can go on and on and on. Almost write a book on each of them, and yet not get done! Both of them, however, prioritised the best way. Better to follow them thus, right? Let both of them abide ever in our lives!

Pratima@Both of them always leave the choice open. They never impose any thought processes nor any compulsions of  so-called purity on anyone. May be, that is why these great souls appear comfortably adaptable to every shallow sect that hardly follows their spirit though!

Food Fares! (or Food Fair)?!?!

 Currently, the world nutrition week is on. Yes, food sure needs celebration. No, I am not going to quote the Bhagwad Geeta which describes in detail the process of "annad bhawati ..". In brief, though, I do admit that the equation between the food and the very being is quite ancient as any religious text can prove beyond doubt.

In fact, the world over-n-across, there is an obsession with food. Oh, no, I am not talking about the so-called " khau gallies" every two/three tier city, too, is brimming with. In fact, in mini metros like Pune proliferate so many eateries and "khau gallies" with dedicated foodie clientele that often people wonder if cooking food at home is no longer the norm nor the fashion/passion!

Beyond such taste-bud(die)s, on the menu, we have endless discussions of food. Books, articles, social sites, blogs, vlogs, YouTube, and so on are overflowing with debates and discussions regarding niche food, namely, food for brain, diet for arthritis, food to avoid any amnesia, dementia, Alzheimer's, sago-n-ragi for seniors, and so on. Oh, no, not to forget the food for furry friends!

Equally the rage is the cult food! Sects such as the Bramha Kumari gang have this fad about 'satvik' food that only their blessed prepare as pure. Actually, to put it mildly, it is so bland that its lack of taste can make anybody 'tamasik', and running fast toward some inn or a dhaba for a 'dabba'/lunch box!

Yet another craze (quite literally!) is the food for depression. Actually, along with a good brunch and dinner on time with a simple neurobion and a banana twice a day with a tall glass of an apple-cum-beet root-lemon juice should suffice! 

But chefs and psychologists must survive, too! So the boom of lazy bums, whose grandparents worked horribly hard so as to produce brilliant sons who would make lots of money so that GenX or Z or whatever can comfortably idle around, all along feeding on fad (actually, fab) food!

Indeed, currently nutrition week type Tedex Talk to shallow prattle about food is such a buzz that forget Chapter XVIII of the Bhagwad Geeta on three food types, most all so froth and salivate at the mouth that there is hardly any food for thought!

Pratima@Given such near total lack of fair brain fare, it is not wonder that farmlands are mere fodder for debates and riots!

Teachers' Day!

 Teaching

 Earnestly!

Answering

Contentedly!

Heartily!

Equalising 

Ramifications!

Dedicated

Are teachers

Year-long!

Happy Teachers' Day!

Pratima@ Teachers perform yeoman duties./Learners' lives thus filled with bounties!

Animal Form!

 Aai-Papa encouraged us a lot when it came to reading. No wonder, I was an avid fan of the Aesop's fables, and the Panchatantra. As children, that fantasy world is highly appealing, like Alice's adventures  in the impossibly probable wonderland. Yet the animal forms linger forever in our mind.

As we grow old, we realise that the animal forms are actually from the human world. So the bunny rabbit is never merely shy. Nor is he the timid one worried about the falling sky. He is also somebody horribly sure of himself, and hence degrading others. Well, this animal form we meet repeatedly in the real world rabbit, eh, rat race!

The other animal forms met equally regularly, if not oftener, are the wicked wolf, the dodging fox, the cute but crafty cat, the fence-sitting bat, the shrewd and dangerous serpent in the grass, and so on. 

The most difficult ones to meet in the public space are the regal lion, and the shy fawns. Yet in our private familial space, they are the regulars as wonderful parents caring for you as if they are the king, without nary a worry.  That forever protection lingers a lifetime, even when they are no more. Similarly, the gentle grace of a shy fawn is the sister who  continues to be the (s)cared little one who    needs a generous hand-holding.

Given such animal form(s) from both the real and the fictional world, no wonder, George Orwell thought of the Animal Farm as a parable of human foibles, and, most importantly as a political allegory, exposing the grand failure called the Russian Revolution. In brief, animal wor(l)ds matter the most!

Pratima@ "I could turn and live with animals,"  said Walt Whitman. Read his  "Songs of Myself", especially No. 32, and the entire argument would resonate with you.

Sports Special

 Are sports special? Indeed, yes! Why? Well, most people are busy playing games, right? No, I am NOT referring to the stupid addictive computer/mobile games. They are truly dangerous. Life threatening, however, are the games people play, especially for mastery/control over others.

Such games have a huge variety. The most well-known is playing the victim card. Such people are great at blaming the circumstances and/or the other people for their difficulties. They choose to ignore that they never play by the simple rule, 'we make our destinies', and hence we continue to play it passionately, however many might be the blocks and hurdles on the way. 

The other game is sado-masochistic. "I am the king, you are the pawn; you better me obey, or you are gone," is the motto of such 'master' players. Often their behaviour is passive-aggressive. Eternally, they are playing the cat-mouse game with the often hapless, at times willing, victim/other.

The collective games people play are quite crazy, too. In my blog yesterday, I referred to one such viciously dangerous game, the cult craze! It is a horrible mind game, and better be beware of such brain-washing.

There can be healthy games, too. The "you win; I, too, win" game is the best supportive, creative mode which does not make "any one" suffer! Similarly, team togetherness is yet another winning match. People who respect others, and self, prefer such win-all strategies.

The so-called actual games, however, are no longer sports. For one thing, they are hyper professional. They are, moreover, excessively competitive, and are market- and monies-driven. Look at the gentlemen's game to understand the circus! Yet another example could be the cultural fests such as 'manglagaur games' which capitalise on the traditional venture(s) factor. 

 The heady but dangerous mix of these with the 'favourite club or preferred  national team' feel is a volatile match that George Orwell discussed most explosively a century ago! Let us not practise what he preached against very vocally. 

Well, when World Cup or Olympic Games are imminent, better that we wake up to all such ugly realities, weed them out, and let the real winning spirit, 'may the best player/team enjoy his/her/their day!", be the motto. Sports would truly be special then!

Pratima@ An honest win is ninety per cent genuine efforts and ten per cent luck! 

Cult Cruelties

 Sure you have heard of cults. Remember in Delhi (and there have been many such parallels, multiple such examples across the length and breadth of our country), an entire family believed that some "baba" , or some such creepy crazy control freak, talked to one of them, and an entire family was ruined, destroyed? 

Cults are indeed dangerous. How? Why? Well, to begin with, why is their communication secret? Mystique? Why is not it open like the very air we breath? Why is it necessary that their message does not jell with the humane decencies, normal practices?

Next, why do they need to deny the parallel established realities? Why the rejection of the simple joys of life? Why the belief  that they alone, their practices and rituals alone are pure? Is it not a new caste system? Why does a cult need to deny the mainstream realities? To build a parallel sultanate?

It is very interesting that such cults want their own empires. Obviously these are very much rooted, mired in money matters as well. A genuine prayer does not need any rituals. If the rituals of the established religion are a horror, how can the sick silly rituals of some sect be okay?

Sects take advantage of simple people, tired with the disappointments, difficulties and distresses of a tough life. Cults feed such sincere souls with ominous mumbo-jumbo such as 'the end of life is near', 'there is a flood of depression', et al kind of  sheer nonsense.

 For depression, there are very many non-chemical (shocks are given in shitty Bollywood films alone!) transformative therapies! And, yes, Nature has the power to regenerate itself, however much human-beings may  destroy it. 

Sovereign sects would not suggest such simple, creative, positive alternatives. Instead, they would use scientific sounding half truths, actually  falsehoods, which beguile the thinking power, the intelligence of the innocent. These sects, moreover, use subtle hypnotism. Their auto-suggestion mode is apparently very individualistic, highly personalised. That is deeply deceptive and dangerous.

Actually, being a devotee in a sect  is an addiction, too, almost as bad as drinks, doing drugs or silly computer games that flood the market. Such sects subtly control straightforward people who are either overcoming a trauma or are actually silently calling out for support and love.

Following a sect is, honestly, committing spiritual suicide. Everybody around must understand the subtle call for help of the so-called devotee. These devotees are a danger not only to themselves, but to the entire family and community.

The cult devotee mindset is no different from the mental state of a jihadi who has been so indoctrinated that he/she is ready to do anything to follow the orders of the supremo, however much the supremo and his minions ill-treat, debase the devotee, use him/her for all the donkey work!

Funny it is that the cult devotees would not do such duties at home, for the near and dear ones, for the extended family! Most uncritically, however, they would accept and practice any nonsense which they vehemently deny in the established religion. Actually, they are deceiving themselves. Or, may be, they are consciously choosing to be deceived!?!

Cults ARE cruel and crude control mechanisms. A human being must never ever give up on the thinking self . Suppose, a cult tells me that accepting Prasad is bad, then i must, not even deeply logically, but simply question why the cult is creating its own ways of its own Prasad, its own exclusionary rituals, right? 

Jihad of any variety, whatever nice name it may carry,  IS a horror, and must be avoided. A life simply and honestly lived is much better than  being a gilded but trapped bird who believes that it has flown out of, away from some  imaginary cage! Birds need neither cages, nor traps. The sky is indeed the limit, however small be the flight of delicate wings, and, yes, there is always a normal simple succour for every beak!

Pratima@"Following a cult is a nice way of saying that very few people like you," says Martin Muis!😀

The Dog Devotion

 The dog, in my opinion, is indeed god as the anagram (to be very specific, anadrome) of the word reads. There can never be any other animal that is as patient, tolerant, and yet deeply loving. A dog loves, believes the master from the heart, from its very soul.

A cat, too, loves from the soul, etc. A cat's love, however, is restricted only to herself, her comforts, her preferences, etc etc and etc as it is always she, she and she alone that matters the most. Absolutely self-centred a cat is. I should know!

 Despite our maid's protestations, she was of the opinion that I should throw the as yet blind kitten in the dustbin, I was firm that I would allow the kitten a fair chance at life even when her mother had abandoned her.

Aai was not exactly okay with that decision either. She let the kitten be though. Till the kitty turned a super healthy eight months old cat,  she was so used to us, her humans, that she was hugely surprised when she first saw a cat.

Thereafter it was her catty world though. She would allow me to pet her at her decided hour, and as much as she wanted. After the allotted time got over, she would just jump away. Why, she was even irritated with her own kittens if they bothered her a bit too much.

A dog, on the contrary, is selfless love. The owner may ill-treat him, not feed him on time, not bathe him, not take care of him, and yet the dog would continue to love the master. Even after months of extreme  crude and rude behaviour, one gentle caress or call from the master, he would limp and run to greet the master.

Does that mean that dogs lack self-respect? No way! A dog sulks like anything, is upset hugely if the crook of a cruel, heartless master ignores, disrespects, ill-treats him. Basically, however, he has too huge a heart and too gentle a soul to hold a grudge.  A dog is truly large-hearted, and forgiving. Almost like parents or generous siblings.

Dogs, therefore,  do deserve a day devoted and dedicated to this unique species. There is something noble about the animal that is reflected in literature as well, whether high-minded or populist. Remember Homer? Or the 'famous five' series, for that matter?

Here is wishing that human behaviour as human beings is more and more like a dog's, devoted and divine!

Pratima@Behave well with an animal. It would sure reciprocate, and a dog, the utmost.