Opium of the masses

'Religion is the opium of the masses' - Goes the partial quotation of Karl Marx
The full one is  - 'Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people'

Well I have always interpreted the first translated quote differently considering in the modern times opium is basically a substance of abuse. But in reference to the context it was written in its basically a panacea for the ills and sufferings of the world.
Well I would like to delve deeper. Religion is organised division of people along communal lines meant to give them a sense of identity and also some semblance of being looked after by some higher power. In times of distress one can always turn to religion and follow the laid down path to achieve some solace and in times of joy rejoice within the faith.
For me religion as seen today has become more of a burden on global humanity. Instead of defining our identities and helping us through tough times its making us fanatically inclined towards supremacy. It should have been inclusive leaving some window open for fresh ideas but its become a closed circle where a divergent thought is considered to be a threat to the piety of the faith. People fail to understand that religion is like a guide book leading us on the path of life for its meaningful interpretation. In fact it should give a sense of belonging to the vast humanity inhabiting this earth.
There is very little scope for integration of faiths. The faithfuls are bound by their inclination and staunch belief in religion. They have been locked behind doors which do not welcome the others. Whereas religion should give flight to souls so that they can rise above pettiness.
Reasons for this are plenty. According to me part of the reason is the vicarious nature of understanding religion. Very few faithfuls I think have directly accessed the scriptures, the holy books which carry the essence of that they believe in. The result being that a lot of its lessons are lost in translation. Someone else's interpretation cannot be your truth. You have to paint your own picture.
Another reason I feel is our unwillingness to comprehend and process logic and commonsense. We simply do not want to let our conscience do the talking. We have smothered it under the burden of second hand lessons.
I acknowledge the fact that not everyone has the means and the skill to directly take a swig from the fountain of knowledge but at least they can let their humane side flourish.  At least they can let the inner voice be heard.
In today's times its all the more important that we take this long pause in our lives as an opportunity to reflect and start afresh so that our beliefs become a vehicle to carry us forward and not to trample upon others.

Pass me the samosa!

There is so much of information regarding health, fitness and food that sometimes its overwhelming. I am about to bite into the crispy, spicy samosa and up pops the bowl of berries on my computer screen which will ensure that my waist is 26 inches and I look like a teenager. After all that bowl is the elixir of life and what I have in my hands is a nuclear bomb which will split me open.
Every second person on my friend list has become a nutrition expert. So I get free advice on what should sit on my plate and what should be kicked out. As per them half my plate should have nature's bounty in all its glory. Salad sprinkled with salt, pepper and a dash of lemon. The other half should have a quartered roti and a bowl of yoghurt. Well I bravely munch down the salad and later will chew the cud. How I wish there was a direct path to my stomach so that my taste buds could be spared. That quarter roti barely manages to go past my mouth, half of it is lost in transport. What finally reaches my stomach is sheer anguish, the cry of my taste buds who question their very existence.
My pocket is also not very happy with the directives. Chia seeds, colourful peppers, goji berries, blueberries, quinoa, cous cous all demand that I deepen my pockets so as to decrease the number on the 'inchi-tape'.
Exercise routine which my friend suggested is pilates. So I research and pick out videos only to find that its a close cousin of our humble desi yoga. But since its 'phoren-return' it must be better. Zumba is good at least I get to dance on bollywood numbers with all the latka-jhatkas. There is something called T-rex too. It sounds more like an extinct dinosaur waiting to be resurrected.
The flood of information is so much that I take a step back, close all the windows on nutrition and food on the google search engine and take stock of my situation. I feel happy when I bite into the samosa and its age old taste sits pretty on  my tongue. I feel elated when that ice cream melts slowly in my mouth, that dollop of ghee floats on my dal. A slow leisurely walk in the park, some asanas in the morning, a good game of badminton, or a happy jog on the footpath is enough to let the endorphins flowing. Why have we complicated health and fitness so much? Its a simple exercise in harmonising the mind, soul and body. Thats it. Living well, being conscious of everyday acts whether eating or exercising is enough.
So finally a thumbs up for all the enterprising friends as I go on a guiltfree trip and bite gingerly into the crispy crust of the aloo wala samosa. Once in a while its good to let go and be happy!

Statistics .....do they say it all

In the times of corona morbidity is everywhere. And where disease resides can death be far behind. Everyday the statistical data keeps shifting towards the skies. The tickers keep the count, going forward always. Its become so commonplace that its lost its shock value. We as viewers look at the data as a measure of the situation. The numbers are just numbers. They don't depict human lives, they don't denote once living human beings with dreams and aspirations. They lie around unclaimed and alone. Its disturbing to dig deeper into the data and relate it to lives. A while ago I had penned something which I want to share with you. Its an effort to comprehend the ultimate reality of life.

Oh! the cruelty of it all.
The invisible hand, the shadow lurking in the shadows
The finality, the irreversibility
The suddenness and the shock
The unpredictability, out of the grasp of the most enlightened souls
The most learned minds.
The stealth and the horror
The invincibility and the unappeasability
The ugliness and the serenity
The natural and the unnatural
The feared and the revered
The expected and the surprise
Oh! death you cannot be explained
You hang there, away in some remote plane
but when our paths will cross even you cannot explain
Your mystery will be a mystery
but as you are a truth so is life
Can't stop living, waiting for you to come
One life, one journey, one soul and one end!

Circus of life

Relationships! Well we as social beings are governed and guided by relationships. Some we are born with, some we form and some we get married into. The first one where we are born into a relationship parents, siblings, relatives are the most natural form and yet very unnatural in the sense that you don't get to choose them. But still you will always gravitate towards them.

The second type which you form are the friends. Well this is where you have absolute control. You meet people, you like them so you meet them again. And it carries forward from there. You meet people, you don't like them, you don't ever see them again even if you ruffle a few feathers. This is one relationship which sees you in your element. You are what you are with your friends. There are no pretences usually. 

The third kind and the weirdest one is the one you enter into through marriage. I call it weird because for one you got to be in it for ever like for always, till death do you part. For another, knowingly you allow yourself to be tethered for life. And another weird thing is that its the only relationship which requires the most work. 

Your birth family is part of your DNA so you literally grow cell by cell with them. It works, if doesn't work it will still work somehow! I hope you get what I mean.

Friends of course you have selected after much thought and grand trials so there you definitely have done the work before cementing the relationship. Afterwards its mostly a smooth ride.

A spouse is an area of concern. The world's best psychologists will also agree that you need to work on your marriage everyday if you want to stay true to your vows. Even time cannot vouch for the long haul. You have to keep tinkering at it. Years of living together and bearing each other doesn't guarantee conjugal bliss. You can never say ah! finally my work here is done! It carries on and on. Its like a never ending trial. you commit a crime, you stand in the witness box, you testify, you get the judgment and before you know it you are back in the witness box. 

And so goes the circus of life!!

The other!

We as a civilized society have come a long way. Here by society I don't just mean the Indian society but the world as a whole. From being cave people today we live in sturdy houses, well most of us do. From hunter gatherers our needs and wants have conjured up delights beyond simple imagination. Everything around us has improved exponentially in the age of technology but our thoughts and mindsets remain the same.We are still divided into 'us' and 'them'. The fear of the other, the sheer callousness of it all is appalling.
A different language, a different appearance, a different colour, a different place still evokes feelings of alienation. Racism, sexism, parochialism, all the 'isms' still determine our reactions in uncomfortable situations. Is it the situation and our inability to think rationally in times of distress that makes us petty or is it something deeper? Primal feelings have always been a part of our psyche but we buried them deep under the garb of civilized and acceptable behaviour.
I feel these attitudes have always been there. But since social acceptability determines our stature we somehow manage to smother them. Only when certain conditions arise and we are no longer required to behave a certain way do we slacken our hold and let them the darkness surface. Its also related to the herd mentality. When most of the world takes the low road we too seek comfort in numbers without fear of rejection and follow.
We have to chose our paths and choose the qualities which will shape our desired personality. It doesn't mean that the other less desirable ones will vanish. They will also be there. We just have to train ourselves well so as to keep a grip over them even in trying times. Multiple crises around the world are spawning ugly patterns which can further create chasms. Now is the time more than ever to rise and uphold our functional systems.

Save Mother Nature

“How can we be so arrogant? The planet is, was, and always will be stronger than us. We can't destroy it; if we overstep the mark, the planet will simply erase us from its surface and carry on existing. Why don't they start talking about not letting the planet destroy us?” - Paulo Coelho

I too was an advocate of saving mother nature. Saving our planet. I too got placards made in school on the dying Earth and how we should do everything within our power to save it from destruction. And then I came across this quote and it turned my belief sytsem on its head. How presumptuous of us to think that we are greater than our home, that we have the ultimate power of creation or destruction. Nature has unleashed its silent weapon on us and we stand helpless armed to the teeth with nuclear toys. 

The video clips going viral of how animals are roaming the streets jammed with humans a fortnight ago are so ironic. Humans invaded every space they deigned fit for use and today they sit in apartments measuring a few sq ft cowering under the might of the tentacled-virus. Earth which is way beyond our comprehension took only 14 days to spring back to health and we are still trying to cope with the pandemic, still trying to find answers, healing is still a far cry.

This pandemic has also brought to the fore the sheer foolhardiness of our race. Our shenanigans, our one-upmanship, our arrogance still persists in the face of utter destruction. We still continue to deal in the old currency of deceit, greed and hegemony. 

One thing is certain the world as we know it will definitely seize to exist. A new world order will emerge. My only wish is that this new order is more humane, more egalitarian, more tolerant of differences and diversity. I hope we learn to be content in our own spaces and work for the betterment of the whole humankind. Politics of dominance and supremacy only lead to conflict. The world is one global village in times of technology so inhabitants of the whole village need to coexist and prosper. 

To fall is inevitable but to rise after a fall defines the resilience of the human spirit. I only hope that we rise towards the light!

Home is where the heart is

I take pride in my humble abode. It has been a long journey of collecting, discarding and maintaining the household stuff that we acquired (need based and want based). Hubby dear is also responsible for helping me make the house of our dreams. He might not be actively involved and he might have been boorishly reticent in appreciating my efforts but tacit approval has always been there. I strongly believe that a beautiful, well kept house is very important for the mind to function well and the body to relax. After all after a hard day's work the solace that the four walls of your house provide is incomparable (in the current lockdown situation you might not feel the same). No hotel room, no luxury abode matches up to the comfort of a home.
Maintaining a clean house and finding the zen in it is so necessary. Its a place where you can undo the knots which tie you down in a social set up. The warmth of a home, the colours of its design, the glamour of the artefacts, the smells wafting from the hearth, all say you are welcome! I have always tried to decorate and re-decorate my house. We started small and as age advanced and the pockets got deeper the look also became a bit chic if I may say so. And now I feel its the way I wanted it to be. The remaining desires are for my actual house. Once we leave behind the allotted accommodation and move into our own abode these desires will also manifest. I know desires are endless and wisdom says we should keep them in check but what the heck! they give me joy. The innumerable dreams I have which I see with open eyes sitting under the neem tree in my garden are important to me, They bring a smile to my lips and keep my heart light, healthy and happy. I don't want to look onto the other side where dreams don't come true. I am happy being here in a suspended space between the house I currently have and the one I am desirous of having.

Books! yipppeeeee

The world of books! well I just wasn't moved by anything today, no news, no social media tirade, no family so thought of my favourite topic - Books! Well in retrospect I think I was in love from a very young age. Here I mean the love for the written word. Love for a man developed only after I got married to one. I remember reading my english literature book even before the schools started. i would read even the contents page, copyright bullshit, acknowledgements and even the names of the authors who on behalf of NCERT compiled it.
Comics were my escape route to the world of tin tin, asterix, pinki, chacha chowdhary I am sure you know them all. I would exchange my collection with my friends and ensure that the comics were returned in exactly the same condition. Then one summer a friend gave me a 'Hardy Boys' to read. I finished it in one afternoon and thereon my love for novels grew. All kinds of books visited my home. I was not much of a buyer more of a library person. They would sit on my book shelf and accompany me everywhere even the loo.
Over the years I have read a cross section of books. Mystery, fiction, romance, literature, thrillers, non fiction you name it. A book in hand is the best feeling you can get. A new book has a certain virgin allure to it. The moment I run my fingers over the glossy cover I get a sense of the promise it holds. Then the smell of the fresh print invades the senses and I can resist no more. I gingerly open the cover and start with the first page, everything before chapter one is lapped up. And then the real journey begins taking me wherever the author meant to take me. If the book is good I don't want it to end ever and relish every word. And if it fails to hold my attention I can't wait to finish it and jump to the next one. I must confess I finish every book that I start. So not so good ones also find a reader in me. My night stand always carries a couple of books. It makes me feel safe. An open door at night is not so much of a threat as an empty bare nightstand. It sends me into paroxysms of anguish. Its almost like a cocaine addiction.  Now kindle helps in instant gratification and in the middle of the night I can order a book. Though its not even close to the paperback experience but it keeps me from going completely bonkers!
The sexy spines of the books lining my sarkari book shelf are an assurance that come what may I will always have them to stoke the fires!

The pied piper of.....

......of India. Difference being he is not leading them to the precipice. At least that's what I would like to believe. Notwithstanding the naysayers. Its been a long stay on earth for me but in my conscious mind I can not think of any leader who instilled so much passion and pride in the masses. There have been greats but none who had such a connect with the people. He requests earnestly and majority of Indians fall into step irrespective of religion or social status. I am from a generation who were brought up deriding India and Indianness. The west and its philosophies were way too cooler. But today when I reflect upon my land it fills me with a sense of security and makes me want to discover more about my culture and its people.
The first time around when the whole of India came out (mostly in their balconies) to appreciate those who were providing their services during the lockdown I thought that the novelty of the idea will make people respond. This time I was sceptical what with the others calling it a foolish act and unscientific. They wanted some concrete action in the fight against the global scourge. But once again the people's response was overwhelming. I no longer belong to a country which grows and develops under self doubt, which is unsure of its true potential. The people of this country, the citizens who are 'dhoti clad' and 'dirty' have way more power than they have been lead to believe. And it took one exemplary leader to show us the mirror. Jai hind!

Social media crusaders

There was a time when to raise your voice you had to prepare yourself well. You had to be informed enough and motivated enough to raise issues. But in the times of social media expressing instant opinion has become so easy. A simple comment, a simple thought or a simple action can draw in responses which would put any civilized person to shame. Every one is wearing an intellectual hat nowadays no matter how torn it is. The language used to express views is crass and reflects on the mindset of even supposedly educated people. Talking of educated people well their education seems only degree based. There seems to be very little knowledge. Opposing and cristicing everything because they belong to the intellectual breed has become a habit. Extremes of opinions and their expression is so rampant that its disturbingly hurtful.
I have so often commented on certain issues hoping to grab the other person's attention and make him see the other side but to no avail. There are celebrities whom I have tried to interact with but they too don't entertain alternative views. Though they are quick to respond to sycophants. Social media has been at the root of many a revolutions which have shaped the world of today. And that is a good thing. It has given voice to every individual. But most of the times this voice is distorted and raucous which I feel is not the way of a civilized world. If the virtual world is the current reality then we need to first educate ourselves in being responsible.

Importance of success

Just finished watching 'Chhichhore' movie. Loved it the first time and even more the second time. The first time it was a laugh riot. The second time apart from the laughter it set me thinking. The message for us parents is strong.
In today's times of solid competition and cent percentile performances there is no scope for error. Every child is expected to achieve a hundred percent which is simply not possible. But our expectations are so high that usually from a very early age we set up our children against tremendous odds. What's in it for us? Definitely not the well being of the children. Had that been the case we would have taught them to be happy and perform as per their capacity. But we want our children to score to earn gloating rights for ourselves and then go all out on social media advertising the percentage and congratulating them online. It can be done in person too. But then how will the world know. I too am guilty of it when my son did well in 10th standard. Though at that time my reasons were different. Actually he did his 9th and 10th from Kargil from a Kendriya Vidyalaya. My husband was posted there and we chose to grab the opportunity to stay together. There were people critical of our decision and even called us selfish for sacrificing the future of our children. But thinking of it now guess I didn't need to prove anything to anyone.
We need to teach our children the value of hard-work and that the result is not a matter of life and death. We need to teach them to handle failure too. Because that is what life is all about.
A life well lived full of laughter and goodness is what one needs. Success is important but success which is a measure of your own capabilities. In this crazy world there are ample fields to succeed in. You just need to follow your heart and do your best.

Moping and mulling

Its been a slow day today. A regular, mundane affair. Planning a menu, cooking it, eating and feeding, reading, a lil' bit of cleaning, some amazon prime (Mrs Maisel to be precise), some half hearted effort at exercising and mulling over the point of it all! Yes this sums up 2nd of April for me.
Well while walking at a semi brisk pace in my front yard I got thinking and drew a few conclusions which I would like to share with you all. First was regarding relationships. Talk of relationships and  the spouse is first in line. You see after 24 yrs together we know each other so well that disagreements and verbal duels are very easy to conjure. They have become second nature. But during the fifth round of my walk I realised that partnership works only as partnership should. One has to put in conscious efforts at every turn. One has to evolve with the other or else the divide will grow and you will slip into an existence where life will slip by in one blurry moment with very little to account for it. So a communication session is scheduled for tomorrow.
The second one was concerning me. I am now on the other side of 40 and my body and mind have started showing the signs. You know what I mean. Aches and pains, sagging everything, wrinkles, deficiencies, greying hair, pimples - well they make feel like a sixteen year old, something to cheer me up. Then in the 21st round of my walk I realised that as long as you are alive and kicking you need to live it big. You need to get a grip on things and make the best of what age is doling out to you. You need to take very good care of yourself and look a million bucks despite the wrinkles. After all you are how you feel. And I want to be happy and one hot gal till the day I die. So I pulled myself up and vowed to be the best version of me. Its important to be conscious of everything that you do so that every experience can be cherished. Having said so its time to get my beauty sleep. Will see you again tomorrow! 

There is something wonderful about a blooming garden and fruiting plants. Blooms in every conceivable colour dance around in a whiff of silent breeze rustling up faint perfumes to invade the senses. Small saplings gingerly sprout from the earth where earlier I had planted market bought flowers (their seeds took root). Some are still struggling to grow and some are ready to bloom. Tiny green mangoes hang delicately in bunches from humungous trees where no man can reach only a stone thrown by him can. Vegetables mainly eggplants shine in their purple glory on the tawny branches of the bushy plants. Small tough as stone guavas hide behind the lack lustre leaves of the guava tree. Tomatoes mostly green shine as if massaged with a delicate muslin cloth waiting for the sun to ripen them.
And then it happens! An army of unruly, rowdy and fearless langurs invade my vegetable garden. They wreak havoc on the fledgling garden. Pluck eggplants and munch on them. Mercilessly dismember my tomato plants and taste, yes just taste the little green tomatoes throwing away the rest. They pull out small saplings of the summer garden which has yet to see the light of day. I try shooing them away but they just sneer at me baring their teeth as if mocking my inefficacy at fighting them. I watch helplessly as they maraud my garden and their kids jump around roughing up the carefully made beds. Then the master steps out and just raises his hand to throw a stone at them and lo and behold, all of them scoot for dear life. Guess I was too much of a lady to appear threatening to them.
We assess the damage done and then finally conclude that God's other creatures also need to feed. Its alright if they chose our small patch to feast on. The vegetable truck will come in the morning to replenish our stock. I forgave the squirrels and the parrots too who nibble on the raw mangoes  and throw down uneaten fruit to cover our backyard with the waste. My heart is furious but I take the moral high ground and let the microcosm of my garden live in its natural habitat. But if I had my way I would buy them their food from the vegetable truck and keep the freshness of the garden for me!