THE BUSINESS OF GURUDOM.

Guru, acharya, teacher, master, professor, the pir-e-murshid, mua’llim. Different words, same ideology. The semantics hardly matter. Every civilization has recognized and bowed before the salience of this institution. The idea of guru cannot be defined, for the world of definitions seems too small. In India, guru is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the very manifestation of divinity and the Supreme Truth, Para Brahma. In popular perception, however, the guru often tends to be an awesome and severe figure, now asking for Eklavya’s thumb, another moment denying Karna the right to learn. On the contrary, Krishna is the supreme embodiment of the guru, patiently removing Arjuna’s doubts and gently leading him to enlightenment-nirvana.

The west has borrowed the concept of guru and distorted it beyond recognition. The confusion about guru, yogi, mahatma and sanyasi has gone a long way in penetrating myths that would require a superhuman effort to rectify. Worse still, a guru has become a generic name for all categories of religious teachers. The western world has a rather interesting word on the whole business of gurudom: for them guru is someone who uses modern psycho-therapeutic techniques…who has a lot of group encounters…uses hydrotherapy…some primal scream and does strange things. The original idea is far removed from what is being perceived and conceived right now.

A true guru draws out and sets free the characteristic qualities of the taught. Consequently, a guru need not be a religious leader alone – though a quest for truth and search for ultimate reality permeates all aspects of Indian life. The West, instead, has transformed the role of the guru into one of an agony aunt or uncle, trickster and magician all rolled into one. The Indian ideal is opposed to the modern practice of making everything easy for the pupil. Manu clearly set out the role of a guru: “As a man who digs with a spade obtains water, even so an obedient pupil obtains the knowledge which lies in his teacher.”

A true guru does not intimidate. He encourages. He does not tell the student how to live his life. He merely sets out an ideal. He does not bind his pupil in a miasma of theory and ritual. Instead, he leads by suggestion and example. He does not blind by the brilliance of his own personality, but opens the eye of the pupil to truth, beauty, love and wisdom. The guru is full of gravitas. He is not frivolous. The Sanskrit word guru literally means ‘heavy’. He knows himself and at all times tries to be himself. He breaks rules and conventions, but does so gently. He is persuasive, but not aggressive. He makes an impact on those who seek a meaning for existence. In his own ways he helps us to recognise that life is a precious opportunity. He fears no one and is feared by none.

AND THAT's WHY WE LOVE CRICKET...

I have never been an overtly ambitious person. But my one burning desire in life is to be amidst a crowd of roaring, cheering Indians in the stands of the Lord’s for an India vs Pakistan cricket match – preferably while the Sachin’s and Afridi’s are still around. I am sure almost all cricket crazy Indians (read: over half the population) share this dream of mine.

Yet there are some souls who detest even the mention of the word cricket (GOD help them!!!). To such near and dear ones, why we love cricket and swear by it...

1.The men in blue
There I said it. Guyz and gals are all crazy about them. The gals drool over these cricketing hunks and the guyz ape them for their looks and attitude. Special mention must be made of Sachin Tendulkar, the Adonis of Indian cricket. Dhoni too has been endowed with admirable attributes other than his once long hair and sweaty forehead. Sreeshant and Bhajji are a class apart. Their on and off- field antics has escalated them to various highs and lows of their public image. And of course there’s Rahul Dravid – always the gentleman with his unmistaken smile and cute dimples.

2. The emotions
It is fun watching grown men fall over each other in ecstasy in cricket. From Yuvraj’s air punches and Sourav’s shirt swirling to Bhajji’s monkey tricks and Sreeshant’s cries and tears; the theatre of cricket has orchestrated some of the most dramatic performances in cricket history. The entire nation heaved a huge sigh of relief as Sreeshant held on to Misbah’s catch at the T-20 finals. India chocked with emotions, was crest broken when we made an early exit from 2007 world cup. The nation indeed danced to the tunes of cricket mania.
"Cricket is my favourite soap opera of sports."

3. The grand sport of cricket
It’s the undisputed Grand-Daddy of sports. While soccer, tennis is equally exciting, there is something intrinsically sacred about cricket. Or may be I am just partial, like the scores of people across the globe, to this game of life – CRICKET.

THE GLOBAL WAR'N'ING.

Mahatma Gandhi once famously said: “the Earth has enough resources to meet the needs of people, but will never have enough to serve their greed”. The human gluttony has now put us in a situation where we are being confronted by Mother Nature. Rapid climate change, global warming, rising sea levels; the tipping point to disaster is fast approaching and the time to act is now. Or it would be too late.

Wondering how can you contribute to the greening of India and the world?

Here’s a guide to tackle climate change:

My Green Valley
The childhood thought taught in school: forests are the lungs of a city. Yes indeed, they are. Do your bit, plant a tree in your garden or somewhere in your locale.

Electrifying Idea
Wanna buy a new car? Wanna keep the air clean? Wanna escape the rising petrol and diesel prices? Well this is it! The chance to hit bull’s eye in one shot. Buy an electric car. With the savings in the fuel, you can easily recover the cost of the car along with some mental satisfaction.

A better idea: Catch the bus…and the train…
The principle option for reducing energy use in our cities is to ensure that mass transportation is efficient, comfortable and reasonable (hello! Is the government readying this???) more in the bus, will ensure fewer people using cars or other transports.

Yet another one: Walk, don’t drive
With petrol prices galloping, it’s time to abandon those leisurely and romantic long drives. Walking a Km or more would not only save you money but also help you cut the flab around the waist….why not plan for a hour long walk with you loved one??

In a New Light
If you haven’t yet switched to compact fluorescent lamps(CFLs) that use one third of the power than conventional bulbs, you are living in environmental darkness.

Bore Well?
Not really. Borewells that form a major source of india’s water supply are now beginning to run dry. The dig for them is getting even deeper and costlier. There is a need for mandated water harvesting and recharge zones in urban areas.

Green Shopping
Companies making electrical appliances have been asked to stick energy efficiency labels to help discerning customers. Be on the look for green label when you go shopping next – it could mean plenty of saving for you.

Home Audits
So you thought you had green home? Best to get a home energy audit done by experts who tell you just where you can save power, how efficient you electrical appliances are. Internet sites offer to guide for free of charge in case you don’t want to fork out money.

Lungi is in
In a bid to save on air conditioning, Japanese executives no longer wear ties and suits to formal meetings. With india’s climate being described as hot, hotter and hottest, it’s probably time to ban western wear for men. One option for south Indian men is the traditional lungi that our own finance minister adorns.

Tele-commuting
Instead of burning gallons of fuel either driving a car or flying a plane, companies are increasingly encouraging their employees to use the phone to transact business. With web-conferencing, things have become all the simpler.

Computers off
Most people think that allowing your computer to hibernate or go into screensaver mode means they are saving energy. But you would be surprised to know it does consume power and also increase carbon emissions. It is best to switch it off if you do not plan to use it for few hours.

Save paper, Use G-mail
Ok –ok …no pun (un)intended! Instead of penning down your thoughts and letters on paper made from killing trees, try G (green) mail instead. People all over the world even in corporate offices are cutting down on printing or faxing messages and instead using e-mail.

Ban the Bag
Well with the regularity with which we use plastic bags, after say 3000 years if the ruins we leave behind are excavated, chances are only plastic bags would be dug up. Sounds like an exaggeration? Take precautions so that it remains an exaggeration. Don’t choke up Mother Nature. Be kind to her and the next time you go shopping for groceries, remember to carry your cloth bag.

Our & D
Technology today holds the key to combating climate changes. The search is on for breakthrough technology in all sectors that cause major emissions. The scientists and technologists should come up with their own innovative solutions to save our planet Earth.

OH 'MY' GOD!

Faith in God and religion are like the two sides of the same coin. However, what a group of people show off is an unequivocal display of Blind Faith in both. Their stereotypical thoughts and views portray God as a radical fanatic, raging against reason and compassion. For them, He is the one who would divide and reign, kill and kidnap and would never stop arguing with history, which He thinks is the lost baggage of lies. A manufactured God, who has been composed, created and assembled to stimulate fear, instigate terror, ransack the world and shatter the hopes of million. He, a weapon of mass destruction, must be feared!

Every time I read or hear about the Amarnath shrine, Babri Masjid, Ram Mandir or Ram Sethu, I am gripped with a sense of helplessness and religious dissent. A feeling shared by many men and women of this country. India’s secular credentials and its innate capacity of tolerance have been badly shaken by what happened in Gujrat, Ayodhya and Mumbai 15 years ago and the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and elsewhere in 1984. These ugly eruptions have been the handiwork of disgruntled politicians, anti-social elements, criminals and hypocrites. Their reasons for these misdeeds- uncertain ‘true’ facts (sic!). What these lunatics fail to understand is the relevance such facts hold today. What these fanatics pass off as religion is very often pure ritualism which is closer to superstition that belief in Almighty. They, under the pretence of religion, tweak around certain rituals and empower these rituals to propagate fear, terror and superior might in young and old minds. They lack religious tolerance and hence are unable to understand the true underlying principles of their own religion.

An unassailable thought flows through Rig Veda: “truth is one- the learned may describe it variously”. Every religion teaches us love, compassion, tolerance, the omnipresence and omnipotence of God. One sees, feels and hears God everywhere; in birds, animals, trees, running brooks, a cherubic child, the wrinkled face of an old woman, a dilapidated mosque, in the remains of a temple, in the collapse of WTC in New York, in the feat of a swimmer who has redefined human limitations, in all triumphs and tragedies and every birth and death. If this is so, why all this fuss and mess in the name of religion?

Religion and belief in Almighty, which were once a personal affair, have now become a global revolution. The world is being turned into a religious society. Religion, in recent times has become the italicised word in politics and in India it is the most blatant political con. It is mythological pretension for some and minority ghettos for others. This concoction of religion and politics has turned into a lethal weapon aimed at demolishing the secular, democratic and cultural roots of India. In this connection, distinguishing between belief in God and in religious rituals is necessary. The option of choosing a religion or following one’s religion should be left as an open choice in its truest sense and not just in terms of a constitutional statement. Religion should never be made a part of a political manifesto. The earlier this is understood and done, the better it is for our motherland, lest she’ll be a witness to her own division and annihilation once again!!!

THE INDIAN FARMER: LOST AND ALONE.

Said Gandhiji: “True India lives in her villages.” By this he referred to the millions of Indian farmers who shape up the real India.

But with globalization, free trade, runaway urbanization and changing socio-economic scenarios, the Indian farmer is all alone in this massive global village. He has lost his way like the solitary migrant in search of a new life in a mega city like Mumbai. The ruthless and gargantuan waves of globalization have either gobbled him or washed him ashore living him high and dry. While our farmers continue their struggle against floods, famines, droughts, inflation, penury, illiteracy, they have been suddenly jettisoned onto the rickety and shaky bridges of globalization and changing economic conditions. How many of them get across is the mind boggling question. Going by the reports of farmer suicides and deaths, it seems many have failed to swim safely through the turbid waters of the sea of globalization. Many drowned fighting, many simply surrendered and many are on their way to perish.

As a matter of fact most of these concepts sound Greek and Latin even to the educated class of urban India; so how will our illiterate farmers comprehend them? Well to put it straight how many of us know that globalization is a multidimensional, complex phenomenon that presupposes the integration of economic, social, political and cultural aspects of life at the global level. Globalization of international trade, technology transfers and capital flow will have tremendous impact on agriculture. And this impact on agriculture will surely affect India’s stand in the global world. About 60-70 percent of our population depends on agriculture for their livelihood. To achieve a 7 percent growth in the economy, agriculture must register a growth of atleast 4 percent. Now it is around 2 percent and is declining. This situation must be changed.

The agricultural policy drafted by the Indian government is a huge sigh of relief, but it just might not serve the purpose unless and until our farmers reap its benefits. For this the government has to reach every farmer’s door and embrace him as a part of the fast paced economy. With research, development and innovations in the field of agriculture at the backend and government support and supervision at the forefront, the day when our farmers can compete with those in the advanced societies is not too far.

CHILDREN:DO WE CARE FOR THEM???

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn,
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight,
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy,
If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty,
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient,
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence,
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate,
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice,
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith,
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself,
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.

-Dorothy Law Holtz

A child, deep down inside the mother’s womb, is a human being in the making from moment of his/her conception. A little child is a creation, an image of some unknown superpower to be loved and to bestow love.

A question often lingers in my mind: Are we, as a nation doing enough for our children? Disturbing features like infant mortality, child morbidity, malnutrition, child abuse, child labour, child marriage, beggary juvenile delinquency, drug addiction, the broken homes…all these prove how by neglecting our children, we are jeopardising the future of the country. An entire nation at peril! While we boast of tremendous achievements in the fields of IT, space research, nuclear technology and medicine, we fail to provide the basic medicare and necessities to children. Even elementary education seems a distant dream for some. Without any care from parents and society, these children go astray and get caught in the vicious circles of crime and abuse. They become aberrant and become a recluse in the society. With such a bleak present, can we hope for a better tomorrow?

Though the Indian government has done a lot to better the life of our children, there still remains a gulf of difference between what has been done and what needs to be done. As human beings, don’t we feel a pang in our heart when we hear a child is killed before or after birth just because it carries the stigma of being a ‘girl’? Are not parents responsible for conceiving a child without proper planning and then either dumping it or blaming it? Such incidents are not just limited within the backward or rural areas. Even the so called educated class have turned a blind eye to the plight of children. Poverty, penury, illiteracy and apathy of the society ruin the young innocent lives on one hand and at the other extreme, children of rich homes feel alienated and orphaned despite all the riches lavished on them. All the wealth and material things in the world can never be a substitute for the precious time and loving care the parents alone are privileged to give to their children.

Look, look around you and you see an innocent child. Look at the child and you see his future. It’s up to you, whether you see a gloomy dark future or a mirthful, joyous one for him. Children are a joy by themselves. These cherubic beings need to be loved, need to be taken care off by every one so as to keep the joy in living and the joy of loving in our heart and share this joy with all we meet.

TO TRUST OR NOT TO TRUST

Nothing gets funnier and murkier than the trust vote on July 22. The D-day is just two days away. And it’s the best time to be a member of the Indian parliament. You get wooed by the ruling party and the opposition equally. Now, if you belong to a small or independent party, this is your day man!!! All your wishes will surely come true-old and new.

The human trafficking in the parliament that we have been witnessing in recent days has reached its own pinnacle. Members are being coaxed for anything and everything, right from ministerial posts to complying with their requests to rename airports (well money is the default option hence it doesn’t require a mention). And the reason for all these ‘deals’…TRUST, my dear.

Hey isn’t trust essential for the survival of any relation? Here the ruling party’s relationship with the parliament is at stake and the opposition’s yearning to have a second innings at the parliament is up for grabs. A single ‘trusted’ (or no-trust) vote can seal the fate of the Indian government. Oh! I love the principles of democracy…it’s a thriller-killer indeed.

The whole funda of trust vote is simply superb! Imagine this: A parliamentary session going on. All the members of parliament playing their version of the popular game show Deal Ya No Deal. A thumbs up by an MP and bingo you get your man. All you need to do is fix the deal with him well before and make sure he doesn’t tread back on his words. Didn’t I mention it’s a suspense filled emotional drama...because here the MPs play their own deals too. They might just tweak their votes and leave you in a crunch at the eleventh hour 59th minute. No wonder we are the biggest democracy in the world. Our MPs can horse around, conduct selling of honourable members of parliament to other honourable members even while other members try to break or make the same sale, change their trustworthy decisions at any time. And who dare stop them from doing this? Democracy rules, right?

Unlike other countries-say US who field just 2-3 candidates- we have a wide range and variety of choices and options to choose from. Talks, campaigns, discussions, debates are amongst the few things on the agenda on a US candidate in our case, who thinks of wasting time in all these things? Oh yes! Our candidates do campaign. Their campaigning is exactly a smaller scaled down version of the much hyped, ongoing trust vote and the strategies involved in it. Nothing new yeah!

At the end of the day masses’ trust is what matters the most. We, the Indian people have the complete authority to decide our government. But the idealism of democratic elections that attracted liberal voters now ceases to exist...its dead. So my friends, trust me, we may have thousands of candidates and hundreds of parties, but we just don’t have much choice to trust anyone.