Small, Social Awareness Venture, Initiative. Poster Making. Message - Do Not Litter.

I am not the only one

Found this outside a shop in Palam Vyaapar Kendra, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon, Haryana.

Delivered...But Need More Clothes+Altruism+Philanthropy From You.

Too Much Comfort Becomes Uncomfortable, And Too Much Discomfort Is Always Uncomfortable. So, Give Out Some Comfort From Too Much Comfort To People Living In Too Much Discomfort So That Everyone Becomes Comfortable. 

Today I felt India's population with it's poverty, and this time not vicariously.

 I heartily thank Alka Bua  for her valuable contributions. And my sincere thanks to Ankur Tyagi Sir, for his promise and support.

I went with a big rucksack, full of clothes, with a feeling of adequacy. But the rucksack was empty within 30 minutes. If anyone of you guys reading my blog have any piece of not-in-use warm clothes, either hand it over to me and I'll distribute them on your behalf, or take out a weekend, and you guys, yourself collect clothes from your respective communities and provide our brothers and sisters some warmth.

  'Provide and support them with some warm clothes and make their winter pleasant' This is my very kind request to all you people.    

City Centre

I met these kids outside M.G. Road Metro Station. Begging is their part time job, as they do it only on Saturdays. They asked me for some warm clothes, as it is December with an approaching harsh winter, and these shivering lads and girls have little on their bodies to abate their frigidity. They told me that I can meet them next Saturday, between 1900hrs-2000hrs, outside the M.G. Road Metro Station. 'Provide and support them with some warm clothes and make their winter pleasant' This is my very kind request to all you people. I am going to these kids next Saturday. 

A Daily Plan For The Inner Journey To Be From Darkness Towards Light.

Check your balance sheet daily before going to sleep. By balance sheet, I mean to say, bifurcate the daily activities you are performing in two categories. Is it towards destruction or construction? If it is towards the destructive or the constructive? Whether it is towards demolition or creation? After preparing the daily balance sheet of your daily activities, with a rational mind try to analyze the balance sheet you have come up with. Assimilate if the current balance sheet that you hold will lead you higher or is it going to take you further down slope. If latter is the case check the activities which are pulling you down from your true being; what you could be, what you are right now, and what you are becoming. Identify the activities which will help you towards the could, and will mold your becoming towards creation and not destruction. Work on an action plan action plan accordingly which will help you in focusing your energy on the latter type of activities, in order to increase the frequency of occurrence of such activities. Put some efforts to de-focus yourself from the former type of activities which are there to pull down your being from becoming. If I start practicing this daily I'll be able to draw the self, the spirit, the mind, from darkness towards light, instead to letting it run from darkness towards more darkness.

The real philosopher is not the one who only theorizes, philosophizes life, but the one who explores it, with rationality and objectivity. The real philosopher is the one who lives a life of an explorer, philosopher, and not merely pretends or projects himself/herself as one. Don't just try to look like a spiritual person, but try to be one.        

What Makes A Relationship Between A Man And A Woman Toxic?

I started pondering over this subject as I came across Part II, Chapter I of Family Happiness By Leo Tolstoy. I am no expert on relationships. To be honest,  I never had any real relationship. I then thought 'what the hell! I'll anyway punctuate my thoughts in writing.

So assimilating all the vicarious experiences I had through people, books (mostly books) I think it is the very foundations of a relationship that turns it into some sort of toxic and acerbic disharmony between a man and a woman. In isolation we are in constant tussle with our-own-selves; a constant battle is going on inside. And we think and feel it is something or someone which or whom is accounted or attributed to or for, outside. So when a man or a woman goes for a fornicating relationship, they tend to put all their expectations on the very relationship, expecting it to strike a harmony in their lives, which otherwise seems impossible.  That very expectation in my opinion is the root cause of all acerbity and toxicity. If we don't give relationship such a great importance; of which it is so unworthy anyways; and dwell in our own hobbies and interests along with the relationship, giving equal importance and emphasis to every aspect of life, a relationship will turn out to be more harmonious and balanced.

Having said that I would like to add that a relationship will not only be harmonious and balanced one, but it'll also help each individual to grow and be magnanimous in their own domain.

A relationship between a man and a woman knows no boundaries. It has the power to take one down to the gaping abyss of darkness or lift one up to the zenith of total freedom, bliss and peace. Relationships give one some sort of perspective, but a fornicating relationship between a man and a woman gives one a totally unique perspective in a different dimension altogether. It is upon us how to make use of that unique perspective to our own advantage. Are we looking to explore the deep dark abyss of life or are we looking to touch pinnacles of light, bliss and freedom, through the kaleidoscope of that unique perspective (of which I have no first hand experience though) which we acquire from a relationship?  This question stands its total validity in my mind and thoughts.

Now the question arises, how to make use of a perspective which is so great and unique that it seems larger than life itself? First we have to understand that whatever we come across or encounter; nevertheless how great or grandiose it may appear or seem on the first instance is not that great and grandiose, when compared to life itself. Everything is just another part of life and not the other way around. If we understand this in mind and in heart then the possibility of basing all our hopes and expectations on 'the relationship' reduces to an abysmal zero. And when it comes to 'giving equal importance to every aspects in our lives'; we need to be more aware and create a conscientiousness in our minds. It need not to be two equals two. it can be three is approximated to two. Approximations are more radical and pragmatic when it comes down to real life (I hope you get the idea).

People talk about giving space and freedom whenever this topic is being touched upon. In my opinion these are just byproducts; given you start a relationship being aware, conscientious and basing it on close to zero expectation, knowing very well that it is not larger than life; space and freedom befalls on its own accord.

Footnote : Since the author of this piece of shit has no real life experience about a man-woman or woman-man relationship; kindly give him that benefit of doubt which he deserves. And feel free to share your own thoughts and views in the comments section below. Cheers!  

Goodbye Sachin Tendulkar

Image Courtesy : www.thankyousachin.com

In the world of cricket and a country full of cricket lovers, Sachin Tendulkar is not only a name, but a living legend and an inspiration to many. Yesterday was a day when this celebrated cricketer took his departure from all the formats of the game (Since cricket has many formats, One-Day, Test Cricket, and now 20-20 Cricket). I was expecting that the newspapers, social media websites like facebook, twitter will all be unanimously, singing the chorus 'Saaachinnn...Sachin'. And I was not at all disappointed. But I am sure many people across the nation will be disappointed and will be left in tears when this demi-god retired from the game which has it's monopoly in India.

Was I disappointed hearing this news?

Maybe, at first. I liked cricket, played it till high school, but lately fell in love with other sports more than what I had for cricket. That gave me the opportunity to look at cricket in a different perspective and light. I have no current liking or affability towards Cricket. I find that, the format of the game requires the least physical fitness and with only a bunch of nation participating in world tournaments, there is no real competition as compared to other sports like soccer, tennis, or basketball. So reading the reactions of the people of India, on social media like twitter or facebook, under hashtag ThankYouSachin, #ThankYouSachin, I became a little more optimistic. Some people wrote that the game (Cricket) would never be the same without you (Sachin), some said "Life se ek question to khatam hua, Sachin ne kitne banaye." (There is one question that will never be asked again "How much runs did Sachin score).

Reading so much today in newspapers or on social media, one thing is clear that the popularity of this game is no longer going to be the same as it was from 1989 till yesterday. Many people are not going to follow this game as ardently as they were before. There is no one at present moment as big as Sachin Tendulkar, so our younger generation will have more options, in terms of following someone. I will say that; this day in the history of sports will be coined as the day when cricket gave way for other sports to flourish in India. So I #ThankYouSachin and hope in next 4-5 years we qualify in Soccer World Cup, and get more and more gold medals in Olympics.

MediaCrooks: At Your Feet, Obamaji

MediaCrooks: At Your Feet, Obamaji: Thus spake Rahul Gandhi while addressing a two-day media conclave of his party members on July 22: " Keep the level of debate dig...

No title (Contd)

21 years and 8 months are not enough for someone to know life inside out. Teenage is the age of committing incessant errors and after that comes the age, where one reflects back to their errors and try to mould their characters, accordingly. Even though when the introspections and circumspections of past are missing in one's life, one develops a character, nevertheless, but it will fail, when judged on the parameters of morality.

On that day it was raining heavily. Everything was gray and dark, including a small coffee shop. The age of that coffee shop must be over 100 years or so it seemed. Even the man sitting behind the counter looked much older than what he may actually was. There were about 4-5 tables in total, which, mostly were unoccupied, except one. The redolent smell of coffee beans, pancakes, which filled the room in abundance, along with the posters of great philosophers, thinkers, and writers of the past on the wall, was acting as an aggregation to the whole anachronism of that place.

On one of the occupied was sitting a young man, which seemed as an aberration, in juxtaposition with the ambiance and flavor of the place. He was wearing a white shirt along with a blazer (on the left pocket of which was a monogram of a university), tight pants, which in my opinion were a little short for him as his legs (without socks) were very much visible. He was wearing a black or may be gray or possibly brown shoes below his trousers (It was very difficult to identify the true colors of his shoes as there was a thick layer of dust and mud on them). From his external appearance or get up he seemed quite bourgeois. But his face and eyes were betraying his external projection of himself, in spite of his clandestine methods(dress-up) to make it obscure, his eyes and face were full of radiance, and were revealing his childlike curiosity to know everything about life.

(Contd....)

This young man aged 21 years, was looking out from the glass window of that coffee shop. The rain drops were falling slantwise on the window pane, and then after making a snake wise movement on the glass were falling in a nearby gutter, creating a hallucinating ripple in the muddled water. After a while he got bored with nature's redundant performance on the stage of that glass pane, with characters appearing and then going down the drain creating a ripple in the muddy water. He looked at his coffee which by now was still warm, so he took a sip at it before the warmth getting dissipated into coldness. Taking a deep and heavy breath he sighed. He waived to the 'just about' pretty waitress, and asked for his bill, the waitress giving him a fake, yet a radiant smile, brought his bill in a brown leather case. He opened the leather case and looked at the hand written bill, reached his pocket for his wallet took out crisp notes and left, leaving behind more than a generous tip for the waitress.

The heavy downpour by this time turned into a benign shower, with occasional winds blowing from here and there. Our young man had the habit of walking with his head bent, as much as his neck allowed it, making sure that each step taken, can be witnessed by his eyes. He was very conscientious about small earthen creatures, and avoided stomping over as many creatures as his conscientiousness allowed him to avoid.

Rain brings out the most subtle of human emotion and flavor. That is the reason it had and has been, one of the most favorite subjects for writers of past and of present. It (rain) brings out the true and driving character of a human, which will be evident from the following example.

The most supercilious hide themselves in shade, and can never assimilate the courage of a child to break free and drench themselves in the shower from above. They consider it trivial and banal, where at the same time, the most innocent and ingenuous, prefer to play, drench, and get itself dirty in the same 'rain', and that too with all joy, merry and enthusiasm.

There are other aspects and impacts of 'rain' related to childhood, adolescence, or adulthood. For some, rain brings the reminiscence of their gory past, and is a matter of great depression, while for some it brings joy, for some harmony and peace.

I am not wrong if I relate the effect of rain on a human soul, in accordance to their reaction towards it. The effect of rain on our hero was mixed. Though he was not one of those supercilious lots, so he preferred being drenched. But not with joy and merriment, or for peace or any hope of tranquility. It was freezing to bone, he wanted to suffer, suffer to his bones. But there was a sweet joy coming out of that bone drenching suffering, which was both physical ( Due to extreme cold) and psychological. This young man was dejected and rejected by everyone from human society, and was accepted only in the arcane society of aberrations and anomalies.

He thought of putting his headphones on, and after skimming through his playlist on his I-Pod, selected the album Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd, and hit the play button on 'Comfortably Numb'. He was possessed by one and only one thought, and that was of her. She was in his literature class. Now I have to describe 'her' first, before I can continue the dire predicament of our hero here.

She was a typical metropolitan girl, who liked to dwell in her outer appearance. Face full of make up, lips glossed with thick layers of lipstick. The type of girls, who don't miss the opportunity of checking themselves in elevator mirrors, car's windshields, after adjusting a few things here and there, and after admiring their own beauty, cannot hide their satisfaction and happiness (Thinking I am still beautiful and young). She was a plump girl of an average height, and was an advocate of 19th century Russian villages' charm and beauty. She had a stoic character behind that makeup that she wore everyday. Which was quite evident from her temple, which never twitched or contorted in any situation. But mostly she dwell-ed with the supercilious lot, and preferred the company of extravagant people.

Our hero was an outcast, and was not able to penetrate the periphery of her circle, with his average look, and bourgeois mannerism. Moreover he was a sissy, a feminist, and a meek creature (with no trace of any male chauvinism). He used to observe her behind his alibi of reading a book. What roused his curiosity in her was her makeup, her mannerism, and the stoic character she possessed, under those layers of external-isms. He wanted to penetrate those layers and wished to see the real human behind that female body. (Contd...)  

There was a food joint which was situated just outside the university where our scholar or hero was studying literature, philosophy, and philology. Which was mostly occupied by students or college professors. There was a vibrancy in that place. Attributed to the fact that the place was mostly occupied by young and energetic people. The food joint 

was not a very grand one, in terms of space, cost and quality of food and beverage served. Laughter, chatter and chaos were incessant part of that place.

Confusion

When this bitch 'confusion' strikes you, it stings like a bee or a wasp, or sometimes even a cobra, with all it's might have stung you, and that too on the most sensitive part of your body. Pain is immense, but you somehow have to distract yourself from it either being a workaholic, or alcoholic, or may be a sport freak. It helps, it does, but just only temporarily. Confusion is a state when you are an aberrant from your being, i.e. lack of self belief, lack of appreciation, lack of friends, but mostly it is an aberration from your core, former listed. How to get out of such predicament. I was pondering on the same subject for the last 90 days and was not able to reach to a prudent solution.

I drafted this post 90 days ago, not one day hither or tither. Today after 90 and a day more, I managed to find a solution to  this cowweb of confusion and havoc of my soul.

And that is simply, "simplicity".        

Is There Anything Wrong, With Us Feminists??

I will cut the crap out, and come straight to point. Right from childhood to adolescence I never felt any shame or male chauvinistic feeling about any annihilation, in any form, be it sport, intellect or any goddamn thing you may think of,  from the opposite sex i.e. female in my case. I respect them a lot, I adore them, I worship them, that was and is my upbringing. These teachings and initial upbringings were okay, till the time there is no line between love and lust, sex or desire, after that no teacher, no guide, you are on your own. Society is cruel for those who are sensitive and simply ignore to follow the norms, are subdued, suppressed, and are called eunuch, in this rapist and male chauvinist society. But the saddest part is, that the females think in the same direction. They demand or expect chauvinistic approach from a male, which in my opinion is ridiculous. Buddha was a hardcore feminist, Zarathustra was a feminist, there are so many Sufi Saints who were hardcore feminists, who changed the world and thinking of its people, for good, peace and tranquility. But the problem is not in being a feminist or in being a male chauvinist, the problem loses its obscurity when a male is a hardcore feminist, or if a female is a male chauvinist. If Anthony Susan, B is a feminist, historians will write pages upon pages in her eulogy. Majority is driven by the society and society is an antonym to aberration, so in my opinion, even if people (So Called Society) look down upon me. In terms, that I never proposed a girl (Based upon false pretentiousness), I never had any sexual relationship with a societal female, that too based upon false pretentiousness, and false promises, I am today proud of my feminism and conscientiousness towards paying respect to females. I ask this question to those, who accuse me of being an aberration, how can you commit without love, how can you, without discovering love, call your lust love and believe it, and make your counter female-part believe in the same, and still call us feminists an aberration. I think you need to introspect, and NOT us.

My Own Experiences And Realizations In BPO Industry.

"If a man is called a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry.  He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and Earth will pause to say, Here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well." 


~Martin Luther King, Jr.


Why I quoted the above lines of Martin Luther King, Jr.; when I am supposed to be writing about life in BPO industry? I shouldn't have done it, if, I would have not been living in India. In the bourgeois circle or class of our Indian society, which is the mass manufacturing factory of engineers, doctors, MBA's etc. etc., BPO industry is considered to be a mere trifle. So this post might put-off a few people belonging to the same typical bourgeois circle, because I am going to advocate here about the BPO industry, through my own experiences and realizations, which are not vicarious, but real.


When I first landed into a BPO, as an employee, I got this feeling from looking at life all around (people chattering, laughing, smoking, eating) that I got into a new world where I can apply and testify my philosophical, moral codes and, whatever I had felt, realized and tried to learn vicariously through books, now I can live each bit, all on my own. 


   "The sea's only gifts are harsh blows, and occasionally the chance to feel strong. Now I don't know much about the sea, but I do know that that's the way it is here. And I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong. To measure yourself at least once. To find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions. Facing the blind death stone alone, with nothing to help you but your hands and your own head." 



These words from the movie 'Into The Wild' started a cadence in my head. 


Lessons, Realizations, And Feelings:



At the very beginning the contrasting shift timings made my this realization more and more firm that life is never constant; it's the change that is always constant.



During the V&A training I realized the grandeur of sounds, which I would have missed, otherwise. My eyes used to get stuck at the mouth of our trainer, in order to comprehend the formations required to produce that particular sound with it's subtle variations.



In an environment where male-female ratio is healthy, one tends to lose his/her temperament of not judging a book by it's cover. 


"George O'Hearn: Beautiful women are invisible.
 
David Kepesh: Invisible? What the hell does that mean? Invisible? They jump out at you. A beautiful woman, she stands out. She stands apart. You can't miss her.
 
George O'Hearn: But we never actually see the person. We see the beautiful shell. We're blocked by the beauty barrier. Yeah, we're so dazzled by the outside that we never make it inside."


This above conversation from the movie elegy came to my mind, and I thought that this is something I need to implement, in-order to prevent myself getting beguiled from the mere pretense of things or their pretentiousness, so that the priority of knowing people from inside, from their hearts, remains. 
'Now I find myself surer in this task.' 


Whatever you do, give it your heart, and carry a feeling of humility towards your work and the company which is paying you, for your work. This world is not fair at all.  It's not like 'I work and I am getting paid for it'; it's 'I work and they are paying me for that'. I realized that one should always carry this feeling of gratitude towards the people or organization who are paying you for your work, in an unfair world.


There is a spectrum of people from different age groups, backgrounds and thinking, which is very exhilarating in itself and fundamental in bringing out the flavor, essence or color of human character. But I was very gullible or credulous, because of my transparency, and tended to give away my personal thoughts and feelings to people (I had this habit of trusting people very readily), who either made a mockery out of it, or disclosed it to others, which in turn lambasted me a lot. But now I learned the art of keeping some very personal thoughts and feelings, secret.  

The best part I liked about BPO is that it teaches you the art of controlling your moods and emotions. It is a requirement that whatever happens you have to sound energetic and enthusiastic, either you can repress your moods and emotions or you can practice Vipassana meditation, I'll go with the latter. 

In the end...


'Only unconditional, and love without expectations can bring you happiness, wisdom and peace' One more thing that was vicarious, now turned into real experience. 


I'll end this post with a quote.


"The wise man makes his own heaven while the foolish man creates his own hell here and hereafter."


~A Buddhist Saying  
       

Transmogrification

This simple looking old man in the picture is a tattoo artist. India have had a history of tattoo making, I learned this from my Grandmother. She used to tell me that women in her time used to get tattooed not for a style statement, but to secure their identities. In her time there was a big insecurity of forced conversion from one religion to the other. So women used to get their names tattooed on their hands. Writing a name with too simple a font, requires no or some aesthetic qualities.

Now the purpose of getting a tattoo has changed tremendously, and demands trendiness. This old, simple looking tattoo artist belongs to the period of my Grandmother. But I was amazed to see the transmogrification he was able to pull off, and that too in such an age. He had all trendy designs under his little roadside setup; from tribal to celtic font tattoos. I was thinking from where did the motivation came, to learn, when learning becomes more and more difficult as you start growing older and older. There was a whisper in the winds there, that 'with life; possibilities are endless'.

A picturesque or personification of an ingenious tattoo artist in this modern era is that of a long haired, immensely tattooed, immensely pierced individual. It is now the era of 'Judging a book by it's cover'. In such an era; this old, simple looking tattoo artist compels us to believe in those anachronistic lines 'Never Judge A Book By It's Cover'.   

Love; Perception; aesthetic qualities.

You walk down a road, or stand on your balcony, or drive a car, bike, cycle, or anything else. Do you see anything ecstatically jubilant, worth noticing (Unless you are not in Laddakh or Alaska) ? I guess it will be a meek yes or probably a no. Have you ever wondered why people want to break free, why they have this connotation of being a footloose, and break this chain of irksome obligations and oppression?

I cannot say about anyone else, but I pondered over this subject for many years. In my 24 years of life I read many sages (of the likes of Buddha, Kabeer, Bulleh Shah, Tolstoy etc.), but no one emphasized on leaving your home, family; and live a deserted life of an ascetic. Yet the idea of such life fascinates us and stirs up a kind of wild fascination. Why is it so? Are we not content with the life we are leading? Is there a kind of hidden beast, inside all of us? Or are we too busy in affectations? Or is it our curiosity towards the ultimate truth?

I cannot be sure, nor can I provide you with a readymade answer.

But what can I do is that; I can discuss love, complacency, and inexpectation. But to doubt is humane. Who am I to talk about such intricate issues? I am not Lord Jesus, nor I am Gautama The Buddha or any other enlightened or wise soul. I’ll quote Dostoevsky here

“When the whole essence of an ordinary person's nature lies in his perpetual and unchangeable commonplaceness; and when in spite of all his endeavors to do something out of the common, this person ends, eventually, by remaining in his unbroken line of routine--. I think such an individual really does become a type of his own--a type of commonplaceness which will not for the world, if it can help it, be contented, but strains and yearns to be something original and independent, without the slightest possibility of being so.”

Again Dostoevsky says

“Of such people there are countless numbers in this world--far more even than appear.”
I am an apotheosis of the same commonplaceness.

But since there are countless numbers in this world of the same commonplaceness; so many will be able to connect with what I write from now on.

I’ll take up love; since perceptions and aesthetic qualities all depends upon love.

But before that let me put up this audacious question, that ‘what makes up a sophisticated human?’

Sophistication? Intricacy? Circumlocution? Politics? Philosophy? Nah!

My experience says, simplicity, ingenuousness, and innocence.

I used to go to this tea shop every weekend. There are many vehement forms, contours, formations and arrangements of nature which usually goes obscured and dissimulated, under the kaleidoscope of resentment, apathy, aversion, craving and other such mind dwellings.

But when the mirror of the same kaleidoscope changes with the mirror of love, everything becomes so conspicuous. Beauty shouts at you, subtleties of things exhilarates you, simplicity towards ingenuousness amazes you, and you expect no more, at that space and time.

Above picture is the same clichéd arrangement of nature, I go through every weekend. But this weekend was a bit different. When I encountered this same old clichéd arrangements of nature with the goggles or spectacles or kaleidoscope of love, empathy, complacency, I was awestruck with the magnanimity of it. It was huge and unexplainable. 

Love is the base of every magnanimous perception which in turn becomes an aesthetic quality. Without experiencing crystalline love, human life is incomplete, and without getting habitual of it, human life is a waste.   
Unadulterated love has the power of such; to turn obtuse into acute. It gives you a clean pair of glasses to look at the world and childlike world is what I call paradise. I do not know how to develop such kind of love and how to sustain it. I just know that don't create an affectation of it.     

Yeh Jo Desh Hai Tera Swadesh Hai Tera - Incredible India

Mixed a few pictures, I took, while wandering around in India, mostly
delhi, with the OST (Yeh Jo Desh Hai Tera Swadesh Hai Tera) from
the movie Swadesh. All the pictures I have also uploaded in many
of my posts as in:

Incredible India

Water Boy - Not A Painting But A Digital Photograph

The Dhebari (Indian Lamp)

On The Turning Away....

Jama Masjid, Delhi, India

Meena Bazaar, Delhi, India

Black And White Delhi

This is for all NRI's and Indians living abroad...enjoy guys!! :)

The List Of Ten Things To Be Done, Before Hitting My Deathbed.

During my V&A training our trainer threw many questions upon us which were carrying this epitome of 'how much you know your own self'. I realized that we know about everything which is unimportant, without knowing what is most important. This Gap, or self-ignorance reduces and limits our perception of perceiving the external world. This wish list exercise is a very minute step towards knowing your own self, because it hardly tells us about our deepest inner self, but no gigantic step is sudden, but an aggregation of such minute steps. And as the famous saying goes 'Know Yourself To Know God'. So I thought to commence with this exercise. Day before yesterday I thought out my wishlist, somewhat performed a soliloquy, articulating my thoughts into speech, and today I'll be putting them into a blog post.

Following are the ten things which I want to do before my song gets over:

1) There are these six books which I want to read before dying : Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, War And Peace And Family Happiness by Leo Tolstoy, White Fang and The Call Of The Wild, both by Jack London, and Being and Nothingness by Jean Paul Sartre.

2) Attain Enlightenment. The whole purpose of life, in my point of view, is an opportunity to redeem yourself from your old habit patterns, break the chains of bondage, fear, aversion and craving, and eventually harmonize your being with nature, with people around and most importantly with your own-self.

3) I want to love a woman, with all my heart and being. I am not talking about that typical and cliched love we witness around us. I am talking about love, in it's most crystalline form, unadulterated by expectations and craving. But this should happen naturally and should come from within, otherwise that love will never be unconditional.   

4) I want to adopt 2-3 children and raise them as healthy (both mentally and physically) individuals, by inculcating in them high morals, values, and providing them with good education. I will never reproduce, as there are so many children already on this planet.
There is so much to learn from children. They are the apotheosis of innocence and love. 

5) Open up a tea shop, somewhere high up in a Himalayan village, where everyone working in it will be the owner of the tea shop, sharing equal usufructs. We will practice communism in that small institution, spreading good will. The shop will have it's wall full with graffiti, there will be good music playing all through from Pink Floyd to Bhimsen Joshi to Sabri Brothers, shop's ambiance will be benign, peaceful, and full of harmony.

6) Quit smoking. I don't want to die, craving for a cigarette. My last thoughts at the time of my death, should not be persistent with smoking.

7) Participate in both marathon and triathlon.

8) This is from one of my childhood fantasies, that I always wanted to become an engine driver, not an engineer, doctor or advocate, but an engine driver. So I want to work as an engine driver for maybe two or three years. The reminiscence of that view, which I experienced from an engine cabin, when I was a kid, still exhilarates me.

9) I want to swim across, from Rameswaram in India to Mannar in Sri Lanka.

10) To put a tick mark in front of every point in my wishlist. 

What Is Vipassana And Why One Should Try It, Atleast Once, In His/Her Lifetime.

I have been trying many meditation techniques in my life. Initially I had a connotation of meditation as something, after doing which, will fill me with all good, soothing, assuaging sensations in and on my body. So all my efforts and techniques were based upon looking for those particular thoughts and sensations. In the process I was trying to discard all that is unpleasant. Nothing wrong in that; who does not want peace and tranquility after all. But this is a temporary fix. The reason (which I understood later) behind this is the concept of misery. Misery in human life is because of only two reasons. Number one is Craving, and second one is Aversion. And I was doing the same through my meditation. Craving for some particular feelings or sensations or thoughts, while averting the other unpleasant ones.

Then one day I was google-ing Vipassana and came across dhamma website. I registered for a 10 day course, attended it, and survived those 10 days. In those 10 days my connotation for meditation changed. It is now that meditation is all about changing the basic human nature of aversion and craving. And I very well understood the relationship between our mind and body, not by some discourse but by practical application of Vipassana. I realized that there is a very small difference between my Basketball training camps and Vipassana. Practice and practice to change old habit patterns, take the control of mind and body, and to create more equanimity. The rules of this game are very simple, work hard, diligently, patiently, and persistently, and you are bound to succeed.

Now what hard work, what is the work here? The work is very simple too, sit in a posture with back straight, eyes closed. Start from the tip of your head, and move downwards, scanning each body part (initially keep the diameter of the scanner a bit broader, gradually with the period of time, as you get used to this technique, scale it down), upto the feet, and again from feet to the head. But what are we looking for? We are looking for nothing in particular, whatever the sensation is there on the part you are scanning, witness it and move ahead. What if nothing is there? Then witness that nothing is there and move ahead. One have to sit in the same posture and with the eyes closed for 60 minutes. To sit in one posture, eyes closed for 30-40 minutes is easy, but the latter 30-20 minutes are hell, initially. That is the practice of changing the old habit pattern, pain will come, but you have to witness it as a sensation, trying not to create aversion, then aversion comes even after you try very hard not to create it, but then again witness the sensations, moving ahead. And sometimes there are very pleasant assuaging sensations, try not to create craving for it, watch it and move ahead.

The whole simplicity and austerity of this technique lured and impressed me very much. There is no garrulous talk, no fancy music, no place to go to. All one needs is a body and consciousness.  

Anna Hazare, India Against Corruption: First Brush Stroke On The Painting In Making. Lets Take A Pledge To Complete It.

A Painter, Painting At Jantar Mantar.

Kick Off, Racing Start, Eruption. Acceptance of Joint Panel to draft the Jan Lokpal Bill is kick-off, racing start towards democratic awakening. We as the people of India need to carry this momentum till it's last stage, i.e. democratic empowerment and implementation.


After this there are two more crucial steps needed to be taken.Number one, we as citizens of India, have to make sure that Jan Lokpal bill passes through both the houses, i.e. Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Number Two, we as citizens of India have to ensure the effective Implementation of Jan Lokpal Bill.

After such large scale and high-octane awakening, we need to carry this momentum forward, till it's last stage. Then only we can afford to catch some breath.

Let us all take a pledge that we will not sit-back and relax till the picture is painted luminously, and completely.

Why Jan Lokpal Bill, Why Anna Hazare?? Abridged Differences Between Existing System And System Proposed By Civil Society.

Existing System	System Proposed By Civil Society
No politician or senior officer ever goes to jail despite huge evidence because Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) and CBI directly come under the government. Before starting investigation or initiating prosecution in any case, they have to take permission from the same bosses, against whom the case has to be investigated.	Lokpal at the centre and Lokyaukta at state level will be independent bodies. ACB and CBI will be merged into these bodies. They will have power to initiate investigations and prosecution against any officer or politician without needing anyone’s permission. Investigation should be completed within 1 year and trial to get over in next 1 year. Within two years, the corrupt should go to jail.
No corrupt officer is dismissed from the job because Central Vigilance Commission, which is supposed to dismiss corrupt officers, is only an advisory body. Whenever it advises government to dismiss any senior corrupt officer, it’s advice is never implemented	Lokpal and Lokyaukta will have complete powers to order dismissal of a corrupt officer. CVC and all departmental vigilance will be merged into Lokpal and state vigilance will be merged into Lokyaukta
No action taken against corrupt judges because permission is required from Chief Justice Of India to even register an FIR against corrupt judges.	Lokpal & Lokyaukta will have powers to investigate and prosecute any judge without needing anyone’s permission.
Nowhere to go – People expose corruption but no action is taken on their complaints.	Lokpal & Lokyaukta will have to enquire into and hear every complaint.
CBI and Vigilance departments lack transparency. Their functioning is so secret that it encourages corruption within these agencies.	All investigations in Lokpal & Lokyaukta shall be transparent. After completion of investigation, all case records shall be open to public. Complaints against any staff of Lokpal & Lokyaukta shall be enquired and punishment announced within two months.
Weak and corrupt people are appointed as heads of anti-corruption agencies.	Politicians will have absolutely no say in selections of Chairperson and members of Lokpal & Lokyaukta. Selections will take place through transparent and public participatory process.
Citizens face harassment in government offices. Sometimes they are forced to pay bribes. One can only complaint to senior officers. Hardly any action is taken on complaints because often senior officers also get their cut.	Lokpal & Lokyaukta will get public grievances resolved  in time bound manner, impose a penalty of Rs. 250 per day of delay to be deducted from the salary of guilty officer and award that amount as compensation to the aggrieved citizen.
Nothing in law to recover ill gotten wealth. A corrupt person can come out of jail and enjoy that money.	Loss caused to the government due to corruption will be recovered from all accused.
Small punishment for corruption. Punishment for corruption is minimum 6 months and maximum 7 years.	Enhanced punishment – The punishment would be minimum 5 years and maximum of life imprisonment.

"At 78, Anna is not fasting for himself, he is fasting for the future of my kid. I will myself fast on 5th April for a day and ask my 5 year daughter also to skip a meal on 5th April," 
Rakesh, a software engineer. 


VICTIMS OF A ROTTEN SYSTEM


There was much worse corruption in Hong Kong in 1970s than we have in India today. Collusion between police and mafia increased and crime rate went up. Lakhs of people came on the streets. As a result, the government was forced to set up an Independent Comission Against Corruption (ICAC), which was given complete powers. In the first instance, ICACsacked 119 out of 180 police officers. This sent a strong message to the bureaucracy that corruption would not be tolerated. Today, Hong Kong has one of the most honest governance machinery. 


Arvind Kejriwal
(The author is eminent RTI and anti-corruption activist and Ramon Magsaysay Award Winner)
E-mail parivartan_india@rediffmail.com

India Against Corruption, Support Anna Hazare, Posters Designed By Subodh Singh, From USA. Concept Dilip Dwivedi

We've created a poster and are distributing and pasting the printouts in the neighborhood. You can download the PDF and take printouts, and distribute and paste in your neighborhood.