Growing up!

When you are a child, you often come across frustrated adults grumpy and irritated about nature's irony called "growing up". But when you are a kid, you never truly appreciate, truly understand why people are so bugged with the entire idea of growing up. Twenty years down the line, you find yourself in the shoes of those very people, thinking often, sometimes aloud, that growing up does truly suck. Why so?! Honestly, I myself have asked this question so many times. It's not like I live a depressed life, not at all. I am happy, enjoying every moment of my being. But somewhere at the back of my head, whenever there is a comparison between now and then, the then seems to dominate, taking me over, filling me with a sense of nostalgia.

I remember when I was a kid, I couldn't wait for this little self called "me" to grow up. It was like an eternal wait and somehow, in my head I kept waiting, waiting for something to happen, waiting for time to show its might, waiting for so many things. I was excited, excited to enjoy every moment of my life to the fullest, excited to go to college, to earn, to LIVE! But nothing happened, not in my head at least. I grew up (Or did I?) in the eyes of everyone. And it came as a big shock. When the hell did that happen? It was tough to comprehend. Wasn't I fully prepared. Wasn't I waiting? And yet, when it struck me, I was taken off guard. Soon, days turned into months and months into years. But I (as I'm sure many others my age) continued to be in denial. And a good part of me still is, which refuses to grow up, refuses to accept the undeniable truth.

Its not the age that's the issue. It's the responsibility. The excitement is still there. But its shadowed, overpowered by an anxiety. What will I do? It's all on me now. I can't be the same carefree kid that I was (or at least I am expected not to be). And it surprises me, that how the grand event I was so eagerly waiting for, I now want removed. I want time to go slow. I am expected to take so many decisions all of a sudden. Without a forewarning, I have been bombarded with serious talks of life. Life?! Life itself has changed, from being about chocolates and TV and playing around, to jobs and future and responsibility and expectations. No matter how hard I try, this time there's no escape. I will one day have to go out for work, job?!?! It sounds so remote in my head, and yet so unexpectedly up close and personal. It's right there and yet so far away. I am an amalgamation, of past and present, of dreams and reality, of excitement and anxiety.

While growing up, there always was an exit route, something to look forward to, something to make my adrenaline pump. When I was in preliminary school, there was High School. When I came to 12th, the tears in our eyes while graduating were washed away with the hopes of an awesome college life. But what now, where to!? There are no more crossroads, no more choices, no more running away. Theres only one way from here and that goes to the adult world, the creepy boring adult world.

But of course, there is always the hope. the hope that my life is in my hands (like they say, its your life, make it large!). Endlessly confronted with choices, one always has the steering wheel in his hands. I do too. And I know I will survive! And I also know that in the years to come, the new life to start, I will be best guided by one person who has been with me from the very beginning, who knows me more than I do now, who knows what my dreams were, what I wanted, what made me smile, what made me cry, and that is the reflection of me as a kid! I know I can't stay this way forever, but if only, I want to be carefree again, I want to be wild again, I want to be a kid again!

Non Sense

I know its really non sense to ask this but I was wondering, how is it that your inspiration is supposed to run dry but your spirits, on the other hand, always get dampened. Weird?! Isn't it contradictory?!

Coz well, isn't it so that you get your inspiration from your spirit only. I always presumed that your muse is nothing but a more popular resident of spirit-town.

So like one day if I'm writing and I my inspiration runs dry, it would mean my spirits are dry too and so it should be perfect for some spiritual writing! :P

Lap top?!..

I had noticed this thing earlier but it never incurred to me like this. So yesterday when I was just generally surfing the net in my typical way, keeping the lap top on my bed, after I was done as soon as I picked up ma laptop, I realized that it was burning hot at its fundament, so much so that even the bedsheet felt like it had been freshly ironed. And that is when it struck me. Aren't laptos supposed to be used on our laps?! So what is this, some sort of a cospiracy? I mean if they really ARE supposed to be kept on your lap, then howcome they are so damn hot at that very place which would be ON our laps. Do they wanna burn us or something? And that is when I realized that I have placed my pally at every possible place, the bed, the table, the ground, even haning mid air at times with the meagre support of my hands, but never on my lap!! Ironical, isnt it? But the interesting thing is, it seems as though it was made never to be placed on your lap. Reaons? Many. Firstly because my laptop one of those sad HP Pavilion notebooks who's screen won't bend beyond a certain level (which level, by the way, is rather uncomfortable) so its virtually impossibe to keep it on yor lap and look at the screen at the same time. It's like Heisenberg's uncertainity principle, either you can keep it on your lap OR you can look at the screen with full certainity, to be able to do both fully is IMPOSSIBLE. Secondly, the burning base. I mean I'm pretty sure that if I keep my so called 'lap'top on my lap for more than 5 minutes, I'd end up cautereizing (I like exaggeration, so please don't mind) my sexy thighs (see...exaggeration!). Thirdly, if one actually tries it, it is damn uncomfprtable to use the mouse-pad if the laptop is actuallt on your lap. You inevitably have to tilt the lappy to make the experience more comfy.

Hmm..I seriously wonder if lap tops were EVER meant to be placed on laps??!!

One day in the past....

June 24, 2008; 2:00 PM: Today was almost like a day in the past. Why you ask? Well, because after ages I had some sort of interaction with all those people, who at one point of time were my routine companions.

I spent the morning chatting with a friend who is still in touch with me, but that gave the day a start so it counts. It felt like the old times, when we used to chat about the various comedy shoes that come on TV and laugh over them. We were laughing just like the old times, with only one difference, we could not see or hear each other laughing. Then I scrapped some of the really long lost friends, my immediate seniors from school whom I was closer to than most people from my own batch. It was more of a monologue (scrap you see!) because apparently it seems that in these three years they have forgotten me as much as I might seem to have forgotten them. I can still remember that it was this lot who taught me how to have fun, how to enjoy each day as it comes. The hours at a stretch in the Reading Room (where people did everything except for read). But alas, it all seems to have buried down the sands of time. Things have changed so much, no contact for almost 3 years. But I realized, maybe not them, at least I can make an initiative. I managed to have a scrap chat with one of my first senior friends, with whom I had had some great times. Further into the day, I added probably one of my oldest school friends on gtalk (yep, he wasn’t there on the list till now because in school we never used these IMs). We were like the academic buds, discussing everything before the exams and giving each other solace for the exorbitantly large syllabi. We chatted for some time and then decided to meet up (not that I hadn’t met him in the last two years, but still, it felt like a new start). All in all, its still just the afternoon, and it already feels like a “day in the past”, that past which made me what I am today, that past which is filled with memories enough to make me smile for a lifetime (oh k! that was sheer exaggeration but you get the idea!)

As the day progressed, I sat thinking about what college life had done to me. It had made me drift away from those people with whom I used to spend hours at a stretch at a point of time. They are the people with whom I have genuinely had the best time of my life (so far). They are the people who have seen me grow to become what I am today. There was a point of time when you somehow just expect that you’d forever stick together. They say that true friendship stands the test of time, but honestly does it? So I raised a question before myself-is it the saying that’s wrong or is my friendship with these people not true?

And the answer I found within myself- a little of both. The saying is wrong because no relationship remains unaltered unless you make an effort. I am not saying that you lose friends. Not at all. But things change. You might be the best of friends in school but if you fail to make an effort to talk or stay in touch for three long years, things change. If you’re lucky then probably you’re still friends, but it’s not the same. Probably it will get the same again if you stay in touch from now on: but then again, it needs an effort. So it all comes down to this I guess- true friendship stands the test of time provided you make an effort for it to stand. Else, it will never stay the same, it will inevitably change. Change of course is a part of life, for better or for worse.

Regarding the second part- was my friendship with those people true? Of course it was, depends on how you define ‘true’. Does it mean ‘unswerving’, then nope, never. But if it means that even after two-three years of not really being in touch, your face still lights up with elation at the thought of talking to them; you feel the same way you used to when you were with them, amongst them; you once again feel what it means to be really happy, without any worries or superficialities, not the adulterated happiness which one often experiences nowadays but genuine happiness….then our friendship sure is true. Then why do I say that it wasn’t true to some extent? Because both the sides, me and them, got preoccupied and lost. Both became so deeply engrossed in their new lifestyle that somewhere down the line, we drifted away. I am not modest enough to inculpate it all on myself; I say both were at fault, or rather, like I always say to console myself- “Some things are inevitable”.

I realized one more thing. These people whom I am talking about, they might not have been my best or closest friends, but they were friends no doubt. I have shared some beautiful memories with these people. But I was foolish enough to make an effort for those whom I call “best” friends but not for these people. I will not generalize because I don’t know what you all do? But I know about myself that I discriminated between friends in a way, didn’t I? My law friends (where I belong now!) might say it is a “reasonable classification” (for those who didn’t understand, it’s a lawyer thing!) but life is not some legislation, no rules, no laws. This is life! And friends are those people who make life worth living (but of course, after family). In today’s world, practicality is inculcated in us to such deep extents that all our decisions, our thoughts are guided by it. Perhaps that is why we blow the concept of “moving on” and “accepting the change” out of proportion and do not even try to keep those things together which can easily be preserved, like friends. I kept my close friends under my eye, but lost touch of the others. And its not a very conscious mistake which we make. It just happens. What is needed is that we be conscious of not letting it happen. We make a mistake thinking that friends are substitutable, but they are not. No person is. Not even the jerk from school who made you realize how much hatred abodes in you. You might find new ones no doubt, and they might even be better (or worse in case of the jerks) but they are not the ones whom you have left behind. We fool ourselves for some time thinking that we sail new seas now. But how can we forget that the river from which we emanate is what makes the sea? That river in which we flew till now is still there, the only difference is- the sea which we now call ours is made up of many rivers put together.

There are days when you are fully content with the change, fully happy in the moment; with your new life; with new people. But these instants are interspersed by moments where you remember all that you have left behind, and it is in these times that you simply wish you could have one day…..just one day in the past!!

Little THIS Sunshine!

So the other day as I was impatiently standing in the bus eagerly waiting to get back to the guest house where I’m putting up, I got this thought. There are so many things in life which are so small and yet they give us such immense pleasure and happiness. He he. It reminds of this particular Shaktiman dialogue: “chhoti chhoti magar moti baatein” (or something like that. I wouldn’t know. My friend told me. Courtesy: Snigdho). It means things which are very small but which mean a lot. Or for that matter the famous Hindi proverb “Gaagar mein Saagar”. And isn’t it so damn true. I mean think about it. There are so many things which are like minuscule but which can make life worth living. So here is my list of some of those things which if we look at in the broader perspective, seem very small and insignificant, but which give us a lifetime of pleasure at those moments, a pleasure which is literally beyond compare:

1. Finding a bathroom when you have been wanting to pee from like ages: isn’t it absolutely heavenly. C’mon now. Own up. You know it is!
2. Highly contextual. When you have been waiting for that stupid DTC bus from half and hour and you’re late and tired and its about to rain and there, just when you were planning to take an auto instead, you see it down the horizon. Ahhh! Sheer elation I tell you.
3. Hmm, don’t now how many would share this one. But supposed there’s a project submission the next day and you somehow couldn’t finish (which happens rarely but still, it can happen!) or whatever and just when you had given up hope, the electricity goes out and it doesn’t come back till early morning and the backchods of the batch bug the professor to death and manage to get an extension. Yey! My GPA is saved!
4. That first monsoon rain (especially if you live in Jaipur) when you rush to the terrace with your sibling and get drenched and when your parents come back from office in the evening, after a little scolding session for getting wet, you all get to have hot tea and pakoras in the porch (especially if its summer vacation time!
5. That journey in the train back home after the end terms! Ahh! This one is surely beyond compare! The anticipation is simply exhilarating.
6. Umm..ok..this toh I know definitely a lot of people won’t share, but every time your result comes out after the end terms!
7. Long drives with your family.
8. Spending the entire evening trying to cook a special dinner for your parents’ anniversary while they are away just to see that expression of half amusement-half bewilderment on their face when they return.
9. Getting those calls from your friends at 12.15 AM on your birthday just when you thought they won’t call.
10. The first time you take out the quilt and cuddle under it when the winter has just dawned.

Dreamsville!

Oh k..so i need to make this confession that i'm really bugged abhi (sitting in the office) so i need to do some TP..he he..it almost reminded me why i had created a blog!..

For those (if any) who liked the mumbai post and wud like to read further .. ull have to wait .. cos i have something else on my mind right now .. something which ive discussed with my friends lots of times .. something which im sure im not the only one thinking of .. something which has been on my mind ever since i was a kid! Yes, that something is my dream life (or rather lives as you'd see)

Remember those times when you were watching some movie or reading a book, or even just whiling away time watching TV or something and you come across this particular style of life that fascinated you so much that you just dream of having a life like that .. well, dont know about all f ya but i sure did have a big list of those lives .. being a big TV buff as i was (and am), I often had something or the other to watch or probably even read .. and i would often fantasize leading the lives as those characters (of course, being the self-0bsessed freak i am i always thought id make better use of it than these characters ever did .. he he) .. but the point is i dreamt .. of so many things!

as i grew up, i realized i wasnt the only one .. soon, there were days when me n my school gang would spend hours talking about these dream lives and what it would be to be in them ..
one more interesting thing was, my dream life seemed to change with my age .. i fantasied different stuff when i was a kid than what i do now (yep, i still am a dreamer).. so heres my list of the top..hmm..lets take 5 as f now.. lives to dream of

Shanks' top 5 lives: (ooh..sounds..umm...freaky actually):

5) and at number five this week we have the ever so wonderful dream life of shanks when he was a kid.. the life as a planeteer. For those who dont know what this is, its probably not even worth reading this post then.. as a kid i was a huge fan of this animation series known as Captain Planet, with those 5 planeteers ( i hope this is how its spelled) .. an honest confession: i had no interest in saving the planet or anything .. it was just a sheer fascination for those rings of the 5 elements .. i was always very confused about which ring i would take if ever given a chance .. my top priorities were always wind and heart, but i would have been happy with anything i guess!

why is it a dream life?.. like duh! ..how cool wud it be to have super powers at your tips (or knuckles in this case) .. somehow i always had a fascination for the supernatural (positive) life .. it would even make the occasional tiffys with the bad guys worth it .. and of course not to forget the feeling of being in control of something other than..well..yourself!

so there we have it..at number 5 the dream life of planeteers!

4) At number four we have...um..lets see... ooh..yeah... at number 4 we have the dream life of shanks when he was around 8-12 .. the life of a power ranger .. i know i know, even i find it funny now! .. but back then it was the best thing ever! .. i mean those funky costumes and marshal arts (wowa!).. luvd it .. see, this was due to the fact that any1 can take away your planeteer ring but no 1 can snatch your skills as a warrior! and there are added benefits in the form of cool gadgets (especially those watches)! plus you get to transform into that megasord (or whatever it was called..u know that big robot formed when all of the smaller robots used to join together) even for the whiniest of villains .. so it was good enough for me!

3) he he..umm.. we...oh k.. I used to live in the land of fantasy and magic till time happened and i grew up .. so naturally, the dream life now was more practical.. this must be when i was around the age of 10-15 .. i remember our summer vacations .. aah.. days at a stretch with nothing to do .. gosh! .. of course my favourite pass time was TV .. this ones also an animation but its a book also, a movie, everything possible .. it depicted the perfect simple life! .. nothing special about it, no glamour, no magic (well, ok .. probably there was magic but of a different sort) .. this was the life of the characters from the series Heidi. remember the simple life of the alps, with no hustle-bustle .. only the mountains, your luved ones, your goats (he he), that dog which was choooo adorable! (i wanted that dog soooo bad) .. and of course mother nature all around! In fact, it was this show because of which i developed a fascination for the mountains and in particular snow! .. ooh and not to forget the perfect meals they had (hot milk with bread n cheese..umm..maybe i wud have chosen butter) .. but i watched it everyday .. being more n more enticed by the hill life! .. it just cudn't get better!

2) and...at number 2 we have the dream life which continues to be a big fascination for me (and a LOT of my friends even till date, with a few modifications though).. yes, ALMOST topping the charts is the magical life at Hogwarts .. ahh, this has probably been one of my (and many others') favourite dream life .. i dont know where to start and where to end about this one .. its all soo good.. oh, but i never (and never ever ) wanted to be Harry though..i wud have preferred to be who i am but just in Hogwarts, it would have been so cool giving Hermionee a competition with the OWLs....!!.....sighh .. i remember when i had read the first book ever, it left me enchanted .. and from that very day i have had a fascination for this life, its been almost, gosh i dont even remember how long its been but i still fantasize it like the very first day, probably even more! .. with every book that came i craved more n more to be a part of the magical world! .. in fact i have no qualms in admitting that this has been the best dream life for me for quite some time and it is still is to a great extent .. oh k, question: then why the hell is it number 2 and not number 1? .. well, reality comes in! somehow over the years we all just got used to the fact that it ain't gonna happen! .. but still, Hogwarts has and would always remain ONE OF my best dream lives!

1) aannd.....(drums role)....topping the charts this time we have the evergreen saga, an epic...the epitome of friendship and probably every teenager's dream .. this has been my dream life soon after i grew up! yep, im talking about none other than the life of Friends. Be it Joe, Chandler, Phoebe, Rachel, Ross or Monica.. they've got it going! .. the thing that makes this life so desirable is the fact that its so real! .. easily relatable, the friends life is just what it takes to give you a kick in today's rat race world! who wudnt want to extend those fun moments with friends to a lifetime of masti! but of course, one big problem with this dream life was- it kinda promotes going away from your our family, and that is why id always want this life to be in my dream only, am not so sure if id want it for real!.. he he..

so there you have it..friends bags in the award for being shanks no.1 dream life!

****ahem ahem..and now here, at this point there's a surprise for every1..yes..now i shall disclose what is my actual, real, and probably the most craved for dream life.. honestly, all of the above do not even come close to how badly i'd like to have this last one..its so precious for me that i wudnt even want to give it a rank.. cos this is one is beyond compare!.. my BIGGEST, BestEST (he he) and actually the PERFECT LIFE is my own life when i was a Kid! :( ..they used to say growing up sucks.. don't know about every1 .. for me it doesnt suck, but it sure isnt nearly as gud as my childhood .. ahh .. those days of utter joblessness, no tension of career, no worries, no need to stay away from home doing stupid internships(highly situational)!!, spending hours doing silly stuff with your sibling, yet enjoying every moment of it.. doing nothing in particular on new year's eve yet getting the maximum satisfaction out of those hours spent on the roof on 31st night staring at the stars with a blanket wrapped around you! .. enjoying each holiday as if it is the first time you're ever celebrating it .. putting those diyas on the roof during diwali! .. those first times of everything! .. getting happy in the smallest of things .. spending those uneventful evenings with all four family members cuddled up under the same quilt (he he, which i always used to snatch away eventually) .. every single moment without fail feeling as though you're the most loved person on the planet (oh well, this one is still there so i shudn't complain) .. going to school to meet friends and spending hours talking and chit chatting about anything and everything .. sigh .. i cud on n on n on!..

i guess this has been the gift of age to me.. it is only once after i grew up that i realized how blessed my childhood has been .. all the above mentioned lives are at their place, but nothing i mean nothing compared to this one.. ive lived it for so many years and in all that time its only left me wanting more! .. i guess thats the biggest lesson life can ever teach us.. the lesson of learning how to luv what u have, becos ones its gone..ur just old! ;)

I Walk a Lonely Road.....!!.....??....

Well firstly I'd like to apologise for not being able to write for a long long time..well been busy!!..Not that anyone reads this..but well, I do owe an apology to myself..

So anyways, its around 12:00 in the night and I have a History test tomorrow..still i got this weirdest urge to scribble this one down!!..so here goes..

Well, so off late I've had the opportunity of strolling all by myself after dinner, which can well be credited to the constantly increasing workload at college, which keeps most of my friends deeply engaged in some thing or the other. So, I walk alone..putting in other words: I walk a lonely road." And it is during these short lasting rendezvous with myself that I got to realise a lot of things. For one, how much fun it is to walk alone!!..Trust me, I never knew it before this, probably couldn't have even imagined it being fun..And that is perhaps why i used to always connote a negative sense to the song - "boulevard of broken dreams"!!..

Elucidating more upon the lucrative nature of this newly discovered leisure activity, you can not imagine the amount of fun it bundles up in itself. I mean, lets start off by saying that you never have the patience or the interest to observe things. Do not mistake this to be peeping into others business. Not at all!..But yes, definitely observing everything around you, as you walk the so called lonely road. You see so many people around you, majority delusioned by the nicety of the company they cherish on these walks. They'll laugh, fight, run, snog (this is a relatively new addition to my vocab thanks to the HP mania), do all sorts of things, totally oblivious to your eyes as you analyse their moves, actions, but definitely not their snogging (that is one activity I prefer to keep my eyes off)!! But anyways, the point is that you observe, you see, you think and you comprehend!..Comprehend what? Well, that totally depends upon the person observing. Like I observe the social pretences people need to follow at times to keep up with their companionship wealth, while the same set may put up a show of hard-to-break bonds to some people. So there you go, each to himself (Herself)..

Then what do you do once you've observed. Well, you ponder. And soon, its not just you walking. It is you marching upon the beat of thoughts- both good and bad (I try keeping them good!) And then before you know, your much-cherished time with yourself is over, till you await its arrival the following day and the day after that and the day after that and so on.

But above all, on these solitary strolls of yours, you are bound to bump into one person!..Probably the person who you ought to see more often, the person who has been with you longer that all others- and that person is....you yourself!!..Yes, it is only in these moments that you manage to meet yourself, the real you, not the one who you want to become or whom others want to meet..but the one who has been there all along..you just failed to acknowledge!!

And then, once you meet yourself..you'll realise that being all by yourself (which technically is always two as I just established) is not all that bad...Now is it?..So well, whats the harm if....

I walk a lonely road!!

The Guard and the Bubble

Well, this is another one of my personal philosophies dealing with the two different type of introverts.
One day as I sat looking at a child in the street blowing out bubbles from that little thing that vendors sell at typical primitive urban settlements. The bubble seemed so beautiful indeed, with all the seven colours making momentary appearances as though playing to decide which one comes first and which later. And then of course, we had read about the scientific aspects of bubble formation making me realise that it after all isn't as simple as it looks. I mean what we see is just a transparent sphere that genuinely makes us believe that what we see is what is the reality, what lies beneath. But then I realised, as I was taught, that it is not just that, it is not just what is visible, it is actually a double-layered structure with various complexities involved. Thus, the lesson that comes through is, what we see is far from what actually lies within.
Well, there we go, I have developed a base for my philosophy. So now we get started. All of us have some day or the other heard of the phrase "to have a guard on", which means that the person being talked of always has a kind of wall in front of him or her, more like a shield, to prevent other people from closing in. People definitely have different reasons for having a guard on, some have it because they are afraid of getting close to others, while others can be just called shear introverts. But this is where my philosophy comes, I think there are two types of introverts, one the "guard on" type while the other the "inside a bubble" type.

Now what is this "inside the bubble"? I believe that introverts do not necessarily need to have a "guard on". There is a much smarter type of introverts, who make you believe that you can see the person through, but in reality, what you see is nothing more than what we see inside a bubble, forgetting that in reality there is not just one, but two layers (though transparent) between you and the truth of the other person. But the very fact that they are transparent makes you fall for the illusionary truth of their personalities. And it really is tough to get to know when the person is actually transparent and when he or she is inside the bubble.

Having a guard on, on the other, is the normal style of introverts, who may be called the original unevolved introverts. It is like having a wall in front of somebody, i.e., you cannot see through, no illusion, no false hopes, just no vision at all. The point is, for these people, the other person can easily get the feeling that he or she has a guard on, that I cannot easily break through this thick wall and that he or she may require some time to pull it down. Here there is no illusion, its all the reality, i.e., you can see that he's not letting you close in.

So there we go, that's my theory..on one side there are people who can be easily seen to be introverts and on the other side there are these disguised introverts who make you believe that they are not. Its all about being not able to see through a wall as opposed to being able to see a lot inside a bubble, but not realising that that is not the complete truth.

Now, that's where my theory ends. But my dear friend Divi came up with an addition to that. See says that in a bubble you always see different colours, at times one is more prominent, while at other times, another totally steals the show. So that means that such people seem to be different at different times (that is to the best of my interpretation, I'm sorry if its wrong Divi, you can always correct me!). And this really amazes you how one person can have so many different sides. It bedazzles you because you were apparently living under the false impression that you know that person but nope!, and then he or she does something that just makes you think "where did that come from?"..but its all about realising that you actually do not know that person, coz hello!..remember the bubble, what you see are all the different colours from outside being reflected in that person. Here I provide another aspect, it also shows that such people are also very good at camouflaging with the surrounding, because they are so busy trying to hide their real self that they don't see this coming that they are actually just reflecting the colours of the outside..seems so void (at least to me), doesn' it!

Is divinity divine?

Well, I thought of writing this article after reading my friend Divya's write up on divinity at her blog http://poignantrose.blogspot.com/2006/08/divinity-defined.html. When I commented on that article, I realised its about time I write my views on the same...so here goes...

Well, as Divya had said that she does not believe in the concept of religion, in submitting to a supreme power when you need help, she does not believe in the exploitation done, the commercialisation done through religion. Said she rather believed in the entities (the pagan way), the sun, the moon, nature!!..So, I was thinking about it and this is what I guess my views are (I write I guess because there are some things, some topics on which you cannot be so sure of your views..but that's the beauty of thought!!)....

It is very much true that religion indeed has been exploited..the cacophony, the excessive trade, everything just supports the claim!!..But then, like I had told her, is it not into the very human nature to exploit anything and everything to its own benefit. I mean, the human society has a tendency of using everything that involves more than one person. Lets assume a situation where there was no religion, no god to worship..lets assume the pagan days when human faith would rest upon nature. If such were the case, then how can we be so sure that the sun, the moon, the stars, nature would not been exploited. Well, I'm pretty sure they would have ;because like I said, its in the very human nature to exploit anything that can be beneficial for it, even in the remotest of ways. There are so many things around us that are used up for one motive or the other, but that does not and should not stop us from continuing believing in the same..that would be against the very concept of individuality!!..I mean our belief on anything should not be dependant upon what is happening to that particular thing..there are loads of bad things in the world..but keeping faith and continuing your belief is what is making the world go round..But in no way am I contradicting Divi's point.Both the views lead to the same conclusion-Its all about choice!! Yep, it was her choice not to believe in religion because of the exploitation that was being done, which is perfectly fine in a way!! But my choice is to continue having faith because i believe not in religion, but I have faith in the human faith!!

Oh, by the way, please do not think that just because I'm supporting religion means I'm religious..its slightly more complicated than that!!

Like I said, I do not believe in religion, i just have faith in the human faith! I believe in the power of the human will, I believe in the divinity of humanity. It is not religion that is divine, it is the human belief that is. Is it not surprising how conveniently we take humans to be the centre of the universe- I mean think about it, be it any religion, gods are always taken to resemble human beings..Brahma created the universe and the amazing thing is he looked like nothing else but a human!!..I guess had animals had the potential to rule the planet and communicate, they would have pictured god as an animal, won't they? But we have just never ever questioned this have we? U know why?..because its not really the form given to god that we believe in, but we believe in the human thought that gave rise to that form and hence, we never question it!!..I mean I am a very strong believer of god..and I m pretty sure everyone is, even those who call themselves atheist..but my belief is not in any particular god, but I very much believe in every religion..because if you ask me, religion is not about god..its about the humans, its about the way of life..its about what should be the ideal behaviour: but who would listen to it just like that, so for that we gave it the supreme tag of god's commandment. And it makes total sense..god is everywhere..he (or she) is within us, he is the human thought that created religion, he is the human faith that helps us go through the toughest of times. God is not any entity, he is just a force..one force that survives on faith..and this force is so beautifully embroidered into the fabric of life that it just amazes me!!..Science can never, doesn't matter how much it tries, explain everything, because its not supposed to..but neither can religion..so there we are, what we have is a perfect combination of religion and science, each complimenting the other!!..none alone can stand, none alone can satisfy!!..All is one and one is all- a cosmological conspiracy..yes, god is in our thoughts..for me, god might be in my parents, for others in a statue!!

As for surrendering to a supreme power,I think that's very interesting..another one of the mysteries of the human kind!!..i mean think about it, none of us can deny (OK! maybe some can!) that keeping faith in one supreme power has helped us in tough times, the thought of having one hand above us has given us light in the dark, hasn't it?..but i still stand strong in my views..its yet again nothing but human faith..it is this human faith that gives strength to humans themselves and they become their own destiny makers..of course, there are times when you do need to surrender and it is in those times that the human faith establishes a nexus between the humans and the supreme power, the force that I talked of..so basically, my philosophy is: it all comes to one word: faith...a choice..and whatever you choose have faith in it..The force does not want worshipping, it does not want religion..all it wants is faith..the biggest religion always was and will always be humanity, the religion of love, the religion of harmony!! (i do not wish to elucidate any further upon the religion of humanity because i think its too cliche and all know of it)..

So, there we go: Divinity is indeed divine..everything is..the moment you have faith (in anything) you get in touch with this divinity!!..so my message to all will be, just have faith..be it in religion, be it in god, be it in anything..but just have faith!!

The KISS theorem....

Well, this is not exactly a thoughtful write-up...but just something which i wish to share with all of you, particularly the writers. In my school, we had a magazine and I was one of the editors. So, when our names were announced as the editors for the year, i totally bloated up with joy (although a few insiders had leaked out the info in advance....but the joy of being pleasantly surprised is just too pleasant to miss). That very afternoon, we had our first official meeting as the editors (excuse me for using the term too often, but it just adds to the effect!). The previous year's editor-in-chief gave a small welcome speech and then started off with the serious part. And the first thing that she said was,"what do you think when you write". The opinions that emerged were swinging in the spectrum ranging from-"each word has to be well calculated and its effect must be assessed"...to..."duh! when you write, just don't think, thats the beauty of it". Satisfied that the new editors had representatives from all genres of thought, she proceeded on the next question, or rather a sub-question- "well, ok, that sounds nice...tell me, what should your language be like?"..Yet again the human disparity of thought had its say. And on that she said-"fine kids (maybe she liked calling us that)!, here comes your first lesson as writers- the KISS theorem". And on the very mention of the word, some exchanged weird looks depicting that their immaturity wasnt that repressed after all!! And then she elucidated...well, the theorem was given by one of the most famous english teachers of our school..standing for 'Keep It Simple Stupid'...it had become a commandement for the editors of the school magazine..it stood for writing in a simple language..."you do not really need to show off that you deserve to be a writer by writing bombastic words or writing language, which the majority fail to comprehend...", was what he used to say,"...your spirit, your real talent as a writer lies in writing such that everyone who comes across your piece can easily take it in..you dont want it to go in with a jerky ride, now do ya? Its about having control over yourself, not to boast for it truly is the most dominating and luring of all human flaws....your writings should not be targetted on the elite but should be for everyone."....And that was our first lesson in writing..to keep it simple,stupid....dont know if we managed to keep that in mind while writing, but now I have grown to be a personal believer of the theorem....I mean think about it, im sure there are loads of writers out there who have more words in their vocabulary than stars in the night sky.... but doesnt the kiss theorem make a lot of sense..i know that nobody writes for others....we all write for ourselves but somewhere, isnt the very purpose of writing to express yourself and expression is not a solitary affair..it needs to be done on somebody, expression needs to have an object on which, or precisely on whom, you express your views....if that be the case, then the theorem stands correct, the expression should at least be such that is comprehendible to all!!..It really made an impact on me, cant say have been successful in writing as simple as possible but can definitely boast of a certain progress!!..well, maybe thats for those to figure out who read what I write huh!!..But I personally feel that at least this theorem should be told to all those who want to write..i mean whats the harm in knowing....think about it..just keep it simple stupid!