I was reading about man's adventures in space...about his exploration of planets not only to satisfy his urge and curiosity to research and know, but also to pursue economic objectives...
...Suddenly, it struck my mind, if nations could actually begin a process of COLONIZING SPACE...After leaving no LIVING SPACE on planet Earth, man could actually turn towards other planets and start fighting for space in SPACE...
The question I am asking is why can't we set our own house in order...? Why have we added a black tinge to the BLUE PLANET...? Why are we interfering with the life supporting pillars on the Earth...? Thanks to unmindful deforestation we have concrete junglaes today...No nation is prepared to take responsibility for polluting air and water and we call ourselves a CIVILIZED WORLD...
All is not lost, we could still save our Planet by doing our bit...Lets take a pledge, we shall plant at least one tree in our lifetime...We shall make an effort to not only use dustbins to dispose off waste but keep in mind the biodegradable and non-biodegradable nature of the waste................etc.
All it requires is a new vision and insight that we are not consumers but producers, not predators but protectors, not destroyers but caretakers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Muslim-Hindu Debate...
....or should I say the Hindu-Muslim debate for some could even object to my writing Muslim first and others could say Muslim must be mentioned first...
RIZWANUR REHMAN loves a Hindu girl, Priyanka...They marry but do not live happily ever after...and we say Hinduism is essentially a tolerant faith while we call Muslims rigid...
We say Muslims are pampered for political ends. For example, in the Shah Banu case...
We say Muslims have their own Personal Law...
We say Muslims have four wives and are outbreeding everyone else and soon they will overtake Hindus...
We say Muslims are disloyal as they set off firecrackers whenever Pakistan beats India at cricket or Hockey...
But it's never Mohammad X or Yousuf Y who is targeted, we have demonized a collectivity as a whole...Our national mind is infected with intellectual cancer of thinking of 'us' and 'them'...
I thought it would be difficult to argue that criticism of entire community is wrong but found it almost too simple to do so...
1) The Rajiv Gandhi government's action on the divorced Shah Banu was pure political opportunism...It was asellout to Muslim conservatives but did it not betray Muslim women and Muslim reformers? So why do we stigmatize the community as a whole when many among them too lost out in the process...?
2) Muslim Personal Law covers only marriage, divorce, inheritance...how does it help the Muslims who are not subject to it?
3) Even if some Muslims have 4 wives, how does it increase Muslim population as the number of reproductive women remains unchanged...
4) If a handful of Muslims are pro-Pakistani, how can we label an entire community? Shahrukh Khan cheered the Indian team in the recent T-20 championship final against Pak...Irfan pathan won the Man of the Match for the same game...
Now lets talk about Hinduism...Today, we read about Hindu fundamentalism...Isn't it odd? ...because Hinduism I feel is a religion without fundamentals...no organised church, no single sacred book, no compulsory beliefs...This is precisely the reason I became a believer of this faith... I was born and grew up in a Hindu household. I turned atheist for sometime with the discovery of rationality but it went once i realized its limitations and also considering the fact that the world offers too many mysteries for which science has no answer...
I was happy to call myself a Hindu once again, a religion whose rituals and customs I was free to reject, a religion that did not force me to demonstrate my faith by a visible sign...Above all, as a Hindu, I belonged to the only major religion in the world that did not claim to be the only true religion...
But today, i feel sad when i come to think that the devotees of such tolerant faith plotted and executed post-Godhra proudly admitting on camera how they butchered human life in the name of religion...I feel shameful when I come to think that the devotees of this faith desecrated a shrine and assaulted Muslims in 1992...Muslim invaders may indeed have destroyed Hindu temples, putting mosques in their place, but did this destroy Hinduism???? build 'RAM' in your heart.... and if Ram is in your heart, it will matter little whether HE is in bricks and stone....
When religion teaches love and tolerance, why do we choose to hate and divide???? Why can't we have our daughters married to Rizwanurs and Muslims accept Hindu brides as well...????
RIZWANUR REHMAN loves a Hindu girl, Priyanka...They marry but do not live happily ever after...and we say Hinduism is essentially a tolerant faith while we call Muslims rigid...
We say Muslims are pampered for political ends. For example, in the Shah Banu case...
We say Muslims have their own Personal Law...
We say Muslims have four wives and are outbreeding everyone else and soon they will overtake Hindus...
We say Muslims are disloyal as they set off firecrackers whenever Pakistan beats India at cricket or Hockey...
But it's never Mohammad X or Yousuf Y who is targeted, we have demonized a collectivity as a whole...Our national mind is infected with intellectual cancer of thinking of 'us' and 'them'...
I thought it would be difficult to argue that criticism of entire community is wrong but found it almost too simple to do so...
1) The Rajiv Gandhi government's action on the divorced Shah Banu was pure political opportunism...It was asellout to Muslim conservatives but did it not betray Muslim women and Muslim reformers? So why do we stigmatize the community as a whole when many among them too lost out in the process...?
2) Muslim Personal Law covers only marriage, divorce, inheritance...how does it help the Muslims who are not subject to it?
3) Even if some Muslims have 4 wives, how does it increase Muslim population as the number of reproductive women remains unchanged...
4) If a handful of Muslims are pro-Pakistani, how can we label an entire community? Shahrukh Khan cheered the Indian team in the recent T-20 championship final against Pak...Irfan pathan won the Man of the Match for the same game...
Now lets talk about Hinduism...Today, we read about Hindu fundamentalism...Isn't it odd? ...because Hinduism I feel is a religion without fundamentals...no organised church, no single sacred book, no compulsory beliefs...This is precisely the reason I became a believer of this faith... I was born and grew up in a Hindu household. I turned atheist for sometime with the discovery of rationality but it went once i realized its limitations and also considering the fact that the world offers too many mysteries for which science has no answer...
I was happy to call myself a Hindu once again, a religion whose rituals and customs I was free to reject, a religion that did not force me to demonstrate my faith by a visible sign...Above all, as a Hindu, I belonged to the only major religion in the world that did not claim to be the only true religion...
But today, i feel sad when i come to think that the devotees of such tolerant faith plotted and executed post-Godhra proudly admitting on camera how they butchered human life in the name of religion...I feel shameful when I come to think that the devotees of this faith desecrated a shrine and assaulted Muslims in 1992...Muslim invaders may indeed have destroyed Hindu temples, putting mosques in their place, but did this destroy Hinduism???? build 'RAM' in your heart.... and if Ram is in your heart, it will matter little whether HE is in bricks and stone....
When religion teaches love and tolerance, why do we choose to hate and divide???? Why can't we have our daughters married to Rizwanurs and Muslims accept Hindu brides as well...????
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Silence is Everspeaking ....
Silence flowing is Life...
Silence vibrating is creation...
Silence shared is friendship...
Silence seen is infinity...
Silence maintained is strength...
Silence allowed is rest...
Silence expressed is beauty...
Silence preserved is tradition...
Silence omitted is suffering...
and Silence stabilized is fulfilment...
Silence vibrating is creation...
Silence shared is friendship...
Silence seen is infinity...
Silence maintained is strength...
Silence allowed is rest...
Silence expressed is beauty...
Silence preserved is tradition...
Silence omitted is suffering...
and Silence stabilized is fulfilment...
...Just Keep Going!!!
One seed
and one more
and the forest grows....
One drop
and one more
and the river flows....
One blow
and one more
and the mountain goes....
One word
and one more
and the literature grows....
so write and keep sharing!!!
and one more
and the forest grows....
One drop
and one more
and the river flows....
One blow
and one more
and the mountain goes....
One word
and one more
and the literature grows....
so write and keep sharing!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
