To circus, we go!

  To circus we go

A Murder - that I am sure of and a botched up investigation - that too is certain. The media did a commendable job by hounding the authorities to stop the case from going into the garbage dump of unsolved and covered up cases. The case became an international movement. Support came pouring in from across the world demanding justice for Sushant. The authorities were forced to hand over the case to the CBI. The day a favourable judgement was passed was celebrated as a personal victory day even as Sushant's handsome face smiled from the sidelines. It broke my heart! The victory was for the people for whom it had become a national obsession. The victory was for the warring channels who didn’t fail to claim ad nauseam that they were the first to start the movement so rightfully deserved to take the victory lap. The victory was for the family who had lost their only son who will never be whole again. What it wasn’t was justice for Sushant. He has become a national pastime and investigative fodder for the wannabe detectives of the virtual realm. 

Now the case is being investigated. All the parties involved in the case are being investigated. Continuous interrogation and evidence collection is going on. But it saddens me to see how rival channels have let their hounds with cameras and a mic loose on the streets of Mumbai. Every movement outside of the safety of the homes of the involved individuals has become a nightmare. They can’t even go to the offices of the CBI without being waylaid by the rain soaked reporters. They bang onto their car windows, they block their movement, they thrust their mics into their mouths, they push into their faces all the time expecting them to tell them that yes they are somehow involved in Sushant's murder. The questions asked are stupid and akin to harassment. ‘Did you kill Sushant?’ ‘What did the CBI ask you?’ ‘ Did you take all his money?’ ‘ Why aren’t you saying something?’

Well I am just a diploma holder in Journalism but common sense tells me that even if they are guilty of some wrongdoing they will not confess to it on the roadside trying to get into their car where a reporter is forcibly holding the car door ajar. They will not nod their head and say yes they are the culprits. So why this wasted exercise. It only makes them look like circus clowns. Its like a scene from the handmaids tale where the offender sits inside a circle and all the other women stand encircling her accusing her and cursing her some even slap her. 

At this stage its important to wait for some real breaking news before flashing trivial information on screens. There should be a system of proper media briefing by the officials so that this movement doesn’t become a street brawl demeaning the very purpose for which it was started. The power of the people is immense and can move mountains. A revolution to take down the entitled lot who go on living under the smug knowledge that they are above the system and will never come under the radar has started, powered by the people and the media - social, print and TV. Because of our foolish quest to rush up the process and hang the guilty all this will be jeopardised. Responsible journalism and well informed opinions are the need of the hour to prevent a collapse of the civilised structure and ensure systemic changes for fair application of the law.

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!