Contrasting features of life

How lucky today's children are. As soon as they are born, their parents make all kind of efforts possible to give the best to their children. Toys, dolls and what nothing! Video games, PS  and other innumerable stuffs that I have not even heard of keep their lives so advanced.

Times were different in those days when I was a child. It was even worst during my parent’s time.

I am among those generations that have undergone livelihood that the mere imagination would make today’s youth vomit. We were not different from today’s children except what time had presented a unique design of life style.

The cradle made of roughly chopped woods dangling on the bamboo piece slid under the ceiling gave the sweetest sleep. No matter how we slept, no matter where our head rested, our parents wouldn’t mind. (That’s why back of my head has an irregular shape that many people notice). I have been among those children whose mother prepared food in a ladle (Daru,zaru) and fed with the hand washed with plain water. Countless time toddlerhood has grazed the knees on the floor plaster with cow dung. Picking the butt of local cigarette thrown by grandma and grandpa and putting into the mouth was a fun. We never knew what it was not to swallow dried cow dung that was at our disposal. Playing with the pet like dogs and cats for an hour and taking meals without washing hands was never an odd thing in life. I am among those poor children who, as soon as winter vacation would start, used to turn socks into a ball. I have also the experience of taking chewed doma that my dad would keep on the table.

Bon betta, Horlicks and so many supplementary nutritious foods that I have never heard of, never saw me. I did not know that they existed nor do I know now. (Even now I don’t know name of many food items whenever I am to do shopping).What would make us grow healthy was never a question of nay parents. Simply feeding carbohydrate rich food like rice and curry of potato which of course is carbohydrate only, would satisfy mum and we. External micronutrients intake was never thought of.

What was Iodine salt then? Crude mustard oil and stale food laden with flies and cockroaches made our ingredients. We were not aware how important hygiene was.

On the other hand, today’s children fear of cow dung. They hate the mere sight of it. Outworn and torn cloth is immediately rejected. It is just the otherwise of what I have experienced. (I used to stitch pocket on a thin shirt and wear.

The distancing of two ones

“Fate cheats”, they would say,

And yes it did to them

To me,

To us

And few others.

What prophesy has to unfold

In a silence of our life’s movement;

What almighty directed the innocence

Of greedy convictions

Of thousand souls that abandoned

The land that they were born

Give birth to stupid children of curiosity.

Into their departure from their cradle

Dwells my hopeless hopes

That preaches me their perpetuity of departure.

Of one parents

Of one family

We were the children

Of the country

Yet we are no more ones,

As time goes by, our distance lengthens

And the road we are connected with

Loosens into stretchable long one.

When at times, I miss those souls

Whose history no one wants to read,

I look for them into imaginations

And there they gather:

Into family

Into groups

And into hopes.

Thus our distance fades

And they are born to the nations again.

An evening walk on CNR road

As I trod through the blacktopped road

For a walk as I used to, often,

I was disturbed by some sentiments:

Gone are those souls, who I used to see:

Walk in group,

In pair

And alone.

Gone are those times when I would see them:

Walk in cap,

Headphones

And earphones.

Gone are they who used to walk in:

Half pants,

Full pants

And skirts.

Gone are those souls who used to walk in:

High heels,

Myriad type of shoes

And  slippers.

I visited the nursery

To see if anyone lived,

But a silence of the site

Scared my sentiments;

I gave binoculars-like look

Down the gate

Towards the junction

And almost everywhere;

I saw those people in the emptiness

Of their presence.

Feeling the loneliness of air

In thoughts at once

I missed those people who resided

Among us through a brief time

Of life.

In memories shall they live,

In memory  now shall I live,

And when flashback flashes

There shall we all meet again,

With the lovely moments

And to see you all

Walk on the black road of the CNR

 In the same manner I used to see.

Meeting-a parting in disguise

Life is just like that; it isn’t a new phenomenon nor can we change how it should appear. Meeting is a departure in disguise. Meeting is the end of beginning of parting and, parting, the hope to meet again. In life, I have seen meeting, union, reunion and parting but of all, I used to fear meeting. While parting just would leave me sad, meeting always made me fear. Each minute, each hour and each day, I count time left as soon as meeting. Parting has sorrow leaving its presence to rule the aftermath, while meeting has a restless peace and hopes getting faded with each dusk fall. It is always better to have a sorrow alone than to have fun that disturbs the inner peace with each passing moment. The moment of meeting, I compare it to imprisonment of an innocent with delicious meals and lively facilities while dying within of the inability to prove he is not guilty. Of what good does it serve that kills us from within? Parting leaves sorrow, but disappears as time goes by. Time heals the wound that leaves us injured.
My life has this feeling: I like the moments when I just get excited with the feeling I am going home. Like a sparrow that weaves its nest in the corner of a roof, I weave dreams, make plans and fantasize of what I will do after reaching home. Reaching home and being with parents do not give as much pleasure and excitement. A soon as I see them, a pain starts knocking me now and then. The pain that would someday, as day and night alternately roll over each other push me away from heavenly feelings and experiences. I can’t withstand the detachment that takes my half soulful self. Perhaps, I often forget to live in present. Perhaps, this is a mistaken phenomenon of life. I am like this with life, forgetting to grasp pleasure from present. I tolerate parting in life. May be because I believe in, ‘out of sight is out of mind’ philosophy at times, I appear absolutely opposite to what the reality should have been.

"I will serve my country"-another hypocrisy

Often times we hear some people say,"i want to serve my country". Do they really mean it?Perhaps they are misguided by their thoughts.The people who say they will serve the tsa -wa -sum are the real parasite who feed greedily upon the government money.They claim for TA/DA and high salary.If they are to serve the country,why don't they just let their fake TA/DA go as money to the poor?Can they forgo it?Never!And still you think they are patriotic?Infact those who say this statement want to get a Bigger job and thus land us having country serve them.
The ones who really serve are the people in the lower position-Road worker,sweeper,technicians and caretaker.They don't get much salary yet survive the way big people do.They stand where those people who claim for TA/DA do.They have children and wives like the people in the position do.

Religion and Economics(My personal opinion)

If we look at how the marriage of economics and religion has ruled the attitudes and beliefs we have today, we will know how superstitious we have been.

1.Incense sticks and its business

Why do we use incense sticks? Is it to have better fragrances in the hall? Yes it is! Infact it is to please oneself. God is enlightened and does not have materialistic desire for anything.
In the attempt to please god, we have been destroying environment. Incense sticks have the following impacts:

Destruction of forest: Incense sticks are made from plants materials like resin and gums. Resins and gums have protective functions in plants. Bamboo is also exploited for this purpose. For further history visit this.

Pollution: The incomplete combustion of plant materials emits carbon that react with a molecule of oxygen to produce carbon monoxide and then slowly carbon dioxide that is harmful as per climate change. Infact, the quantity alone from incense stick isn’t a big issue but it become issue when we are degrading the forest for the raw materials, machine for processing and emission from other sources.

Health issue: Carbon monoxide and other gases I don’t have no idea of will also affect health. People usually burn this in a closed room to have better fragrances.
Notwithstanding to the aforementioned result, the trade of incense sticks keep on happening and yearly substantial forest degradation happens. Forest degradation accounts for 20% of emission as per UN-REDD. People have been brainwashed by religious sentiments and acceptance and thus become high purchasers of this. Here religion is used as the tool to make use of economics.

Statues (Murthi): “They enter darkness those who worship natural things (for e.g. air, water, fire, etc.). They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti i.e. created things”. (Yajurved 40:9). Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires they worship demigods i.e. idols. and Deuteronomy 5:8-10
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. (Exodus 20:4–6)
Veda also says there is no image of god.
Therefore, Inspite of the statements in the scriptures many industries around the world sale statues and images of god .Who has seen god? And also in different times, different image of god is seen. The sale of image and statues has become so much that people earn their living by doing so. In disguise of religion, economics has played its cruel role in the society.

A funny incident

It was in 2007,during the annual funeral rites of my grandpa.In pour custom,the sons are to shave off their hair and fast for a day until the rites are over.
In the conclusion of the rite,purhoits (a bramin who perform puja) serve gahunt(urine of a virgin cow).It is to to get purified by sipping in a drop by all the people who have gathered.Just a small drop is to be taken.
There was a man,my distant uncle who had just retired from the RBA.(We know how stubborn and silly army are when it comes to logic).My father said,"please serve gauhnt(cow urine) to uncle".
To this,uncle responded,"i just took a cup of tea before i came here,so i cant take gauhnt"
He must have thought gauhnt was a drink served in a cup to quench thirst.so denied.