Totality of a Religion

“Break down a mosque, break down a temple, and whatever there is besides. But, do not break a human heart, for that is where God himself resides.” – Swami Vivekananda

This is an all time favourite quote of mine. I was again reminded of its depth when recently I was witness to an interesting conversation that transpired between two gentlemen who shared my compartment in the train.
The conversation revolved around the religious faiths the two of them belonged to and the significance of their Gods. Initially, as is always the case with such delicate subjects; what began as a friendly discussion gradually evolved into a heated argument and finally concluded with neither understanding the other’s viewpoint.
Each was trying to make the other feel the omnipotence of the God that symbolised his religion, subtly in the beginning; but when it became obvious that the other was not getting convinced; it became a contest – of superiority and prestige.
This set me thinking. Wasn’t the understanding of the totality of a religion more significant than worshipping a single religious figure?
Can one Krishna or Jesus or Mohammed or Buddha be greater than the collective meaning and essence of the religious institutions they symbolise? Those who go on a rampage trying to propagate the teachings of one master or trying to glorify one figure as God, has really not understood the gist of his/her religion.
If a person can appreciate the universal religion of humanity, he would never confine his/her worship to a single religious figure. I personally feel the collective spirit and philosophy of a religion encompasses individual teachings and it is not a single entity that represents a religion.
And he, who has understood his God, will never try to convince another person to change his religion or convert to another.
Realistically speaking, is it all not man-made; Gods, religions, castes? We, human beings make rules and break them; we build places of worship and ourselves demolish them. What does the power of the unknown (or God) have to do with all this? Ultimately, is God not our ‘conscience’? I am just thinking aloud, that’s all.

Verbose language, anyone?

“Amrita Sher-Gil was a plosive among the susurrants of colonial India’s elite, a percussionist striking through the mellifluity of its strings.”

A perfect example of grand verbose language written by the eminent journalist Ranjit Hoskote. My friends and I often get into discussions about simplicity and non simplicity of language. For reasons apparently unknown to me, I always maintain that I love such flowery verbose language. One particular friend is quite vociferous in saying that only people who desire to flaunt their language and those who don’t care whether they convey the message or meaning, use such language. Well, probably she is right. But, again what is wrong in showing off or flaunting or conveying something you are good at? Not everyone can boast of possessing such language. And I personally feel that writing simple, straight, concise, crisp and all the right kind of prose becomes atrociously boring after a while and look similar across all English text books and books written in a simple manner. And, what about the variety and thrill and excitement of having learnt new words or a different style? In our attempt to stick to simple, sweet, nice things, we might be depriving ourselves of learning so much more. Same goes for grammar too, in our obsession to use perfect grammar, we lose the skill of spontaneously stringing beautiful words together that give the reader a high and instill curiosity in him.
Again, I do accept that verbose language is more suited for fiction than the newspaper or web, because a casual newspaper reader will not have the patience to check his dictionary for meanings. Yet….it does not imply that verbose language should altogether become non-existent.

The million dollar smile

I saw two men walking together

One had a frown on his face and the other, a smile

The frown was constant and so was the smile

The man with the smile was blind...

What are the colours in his black world that make him smile?

What is the sublime prayer that steadies his faltering steps?

What is the faith that lights his darkness?

Maybe his blackness is tinged with unusual colours we fail to realise exists

Or maybe his darkness too is rainbow tainted

Or maybe he is just fortunate for not seeing the complex irony of colours the frowning
man sees

Whatever it may be, this man sure does have various reasons to smile...

We get what we deserve.....

The election results in a few states are out. When I looked at the front page of today's newspaper, it struck me that most of the potential CMs are apparently ageing gentlemen, with some of them struggling to even walk or talk at length without gasping for breath. Isn't it an irony that a country, which has such a huge population and blessed with some of the best minds in the world is unfortunate or incapable of having young enthusiastic leaders to guide and steer it foreward???
Where are the highly educated, intellectual, sensitive, charismatic youth of our country hiding? Have they all gone into permenant hibernation, to resurface only in the glassy air-conditioned corporate corridors? Yes, when i make this allegation, i know i am equally to be blamed, because i too like the rest decided to invest my education, energy and time in the corporate world. But, i still wonder why? Why can't some of the bright minds that pass out of IIMs and the other top notch business schools think of politics as a career and endeavour to inspire and change the destiny of India? Ofcourse, I hear there are a bunch of IITians out there who have formed a political party, now lets idealistically hope more like them join the fray and root out corruption, poverty, child labour and the like from the face of our country once and for all.
Finally, we have no right to grumble about the vicissitudes of our politics or economy or anything, because we truly and factually get what we deserve...If we are endowed with the sensibility to entrust our destinies in the hands and minds of these tired greying gentlemen, then we need the good sense to accept the ups and downs of their governance too.

That amazing thin line

The thin line that separates:

Life and death
Love and lust
Separation and togetherness
Love and betrayal
Sanity and lunacy
Laughter and tears
Reality and fantasy
Rags and riches
Power and helplessness

The list goes on…. have anyone of you wondered how fragile that thin line is and that it can snap any moment, changing life’s equations forever….