Thoughts from the past...

A Pebble
I wish I was a smooth pebble lying on a roadside wilderness. Watching everything objectively. An object. A small hand would have picked me and felt my smoothness on cheek and may have carried me home. A mother's hand would have thrown me out of window, on to the city road. A bored leg would have kicked me and carried me along. Thus I would have travelled along...I don't want to be a milestone. I just wish I were a pebble...
1999

Leaf, girl and the artist
All the leaves have fallen...
I look at one small leaf on that lone standing tree and wonder whether its painted...and whether my life truly depends on it. I remember a story of a girl who lived looking at the painted leaf and the artist who died while painting the leaf. Did the artist deceive the girl?
1999

Hoping For Peace and Prosperity

Hope 2009 will be mixed bag of surprises....
Hope all warriors will return home safe...
Hope all Arms factories will shut down due to recession...
Hope there will be no reason to stock arms...
Hope there will be reverse migration and local community will prosper...
Hope world will learn to go global without disturbing the local...
Hope it'll be a green and peaceful world...

Every year people hope and wish for peace, safety and prosperity at midnight
But life itself is a mixed bag of surprises...
It tries to bring some people closer to peace and prosperity by robbing others of it...
Hope world learns to divide and share peace and prosperity...
Hope it'll be a another peaceful round trip around the sun...

Never Die Spirit

'Never die spirit' is oft quoted phrase for people and cities who bounce back to normalcy after a devastating experience. Bombay seems to be forever on the rebound. Cities can't stop. Financial capitals can never stop in tracks.

Last month on this day hundreds were caught in the cross-fires and ires of terrorists. Hundreds were shifted to one of the hospitals with injury. As the camera zoomed in hospital wards, another tale of another day kept coming back...

Many years ago someone took birth there against all odds. It was a sort of medical research history. Mother was ill. The unborn child was not of choice. Conceived in spite of and along with metal contraceptive, it was a rarest of rare case. It was too advanced a stage for abortion without risking mother's life. So non-medical efforts were made to force a natural abortion. Yet the little one survived. Doctors at that hospital made sure the child was delivered safely without a scratch from the metal loop inside. The miraculous birth went into hospital records. That child had indeed showed 'Never Die Spirit'.

It is the spirit present in everyone which makes sure we survive against and in spite of all odds. Battle against odds begins at the early embryonic stage itself!!!

Yet another year passes by...

The silent march of Time continues. Yet another year has passed by. One year added to my age and one subtracted from my lifetime. Many years ago a rebel was born who slowly lost all the will to fight. For there were no battles to be won. It felt better if others won them. It felt even better to hide in sidelines and see the spotlight on someone else. It made better sense to drop out of the race than win them...

Now is the time to lend a hand to little one and I don't know why I am teaching him to win. Can't reach depth within nor can soar high...yearned to be an ordinary next door girl...ordinary life it has been in this extraordinary world...

Ramblers Are Refugees

True, ramblers are basically refugee, seeking a meaning and shelter while being lost in the wilderness of the world. Once home, all the search and seek may end. But what if someone finds meaning in the search itself? Wandering, faltering, getting lost, finding way ahead without reaching destination becomes a way of life. Some are addicted to journeys and have no goals to reach.

Bombay's outrage: Are only politicians responsible?

It been 10 days since the terrible terror attack at Bombay. Probably this is the first time all people of the city, right from pavement dwellers near CST to south B'bay elite are affected and are very angry. People are hero worshipping NSG cammandos and politicians are getting brickbats. Bombay and India seems to be waking up from long stupor and asking right questions but unfortunately its only too late in the day.

We all learn in school lessons that India is a secular country. But not all people of India and specially educated class of India practice secularism and are tolerant about other religions. After more than 60 years of independence and bloody partition people of other religion are held in doubt and hatred. There are very few inter-religion and inter-caste marriages. Majority of Indians are superstitious about religion, caste, creed and even gender! Added to these are class prejudices. So people who are poor, of low caste, belonging minority religion and majority of women across all religions have remained neglected inspite of great progress of the nation.

I believe, we people of India, are equally responsible for the state we are in. We have allowed politicians to manipulate our sentiments. We have allowed politicians and bureaucrats to be corrupt by looking other way. We have bribed police forces to bail us out of troubles. We have allowed fanatic groups to tear down mosques to build temples or vice versa or kill people in the name of religion. We have neglected our children and youth. It is the educated class with unbridled ambition of personal growth and hunger for assets which is equally responsible for the state we are in.

Unless each individual changes his/her mindset and attitude things are not going to change. We get what we truly deserve at the end of the day. We must improve ourselves to prove that we deserve better than this.

Change is Quasistatic

Change has indeed come to America. It took decades maybe. But mindsets did change. May be not all. No society changes overnight. Any change is a quasistatic process. Slow but definite and irreversible. It is visible only when we see it happening all around us. It was visible in America yesterday when people of all colours and nations cheered Obama.

Society can change only when each individual becomes an agent of change and is willing to change his/her mindset and give up all prejudices. We all are equal. Race, religion, caste etc are the tags imposed by society. Our basic identity is that we are human beings. Unless we choose to be beasts.

We need true freedom from hatred which is taking us back to dark ages. I hope we learn to value peace and equality. Lets hope America takes another bold step towards ending conflicts and wars. We are waiting, America.