I can’t help myself. It’s pathetic. I am helpless with laughter.
Don’t ask me why, for how can I discredit our hard working law keepers.
Well, as we say in these parts any police man would bungle it up just once, and that is what the poor man did. Leave the poor guy alone, for god’s sake.
He was deputed for training on the safety of VVIP’s. The man was a little careless, as was natural; the unsuspecting guy went for a stroll leaving his bag on the seat of the bus he was in. An opportunist thief( would the god ever forgive him!) took advantage of it and stole the bag. The poor cop would certainly have kept mum about the whole incident no doubt, ( man, think about the shame!) but the problem was , the bag contained a service pistol issued to him for the purpose of training, and ammunition enough to shoot down a few honest citizens. Reluctantly he reported it to the concerned.
We the public was unaware that a loaded gun was amongst us threatening our very safety till the moron who stole the gun started showing off by pointing it at all and sundry and in open daylight. The ignorant people thought that it was a toy gun till the gun started making genuine gun noises. The guy was taken in and revealed the origin of the gun.
The poor officer is now under “you know what it is officially called”, and an investigation is on about the incident.
My doubt is, if these are guys entrusted with the security of our VVIP’s would they be safe even among children! The children could get hold of a gun easily from the body guards themselves…… and you know play a little dangerous trick with it……..Oh my, how the imagination runs. All because a poor honest hardworking law keeper bungled just once in his whole life! Think about the ingratitude, the man has done umpteen numbers of heroic deeds, for what else was he selected for this very special training.
Our poor man must be thinking about the hard facts of life while he is cooling his heels at his home.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Musings
Hatred is exhibited in many ways. There is class hatred, community hatred, and cultural hatred. On various occasions I had the good fortune to experience all of them. Yes I meant that. I can not but call it a good fortune, because it usually brings the real people out, their pettiness, their indefinable anger at others, their suspicions, and their fears. As a student of the human element I am happy to partake in such incidents even when I am at the receiving end of the shoddy behavior.
It also surprises me a little. Hate is mostly cowardice, it stems from fear rather than any observable external causes. It is repressed anger at being defeated in some way. That may be purely imaginary or fabricated. Years of mistrust of others lies beneath some of these incidents. People shut themselves off from others and that provides food for distrustful minds. But do they believe in it, that is, that all the others are out to get them? Not really, yes some very low lives acts as if they do, but that is out of the pure motive of material gain. But at times even the supposedly intelligent follows in their footsteps. That is what so surprising about this phenomenon.
The work place is definitely a cauldron where such callousness can be exhibited with barely a negligible amount of restraint. I have certain co workers whose only happiness in life seems to be the promotion of their own kind. We may call ourselves secular and open minded, but in reality we are no better than what we are. In India this is more so. There are historical reasons for such distrust. But that alone does not cause the behavior. In the case I mentioned above the fake anger is so wide spread that all sort of people are involved in it. It seems that there are no class motives at the superficial level. But nothing is farther from the truth than that. Certain very shrewd elements have threatened the others into submission and is utilizing them with impunity. The interesting thing about it is the industriousness the poor submissive creatures are exhibiting under duress. Al of them seems completely bereft of their reasoning faculties.
The attacks on the “others” have reached a proportion which these poor beings are finding quite suffocating to sustain. They are even resorting to histrionics to achieve their aim. But none seems to have succeeded. The real cause behind the failure is the lack of self belief among these unfortunate beings. They never practice what they preach. All of them are shady characters thirsting after lucre. Hard words but unfortunately true. Once they have got their hands on it they starts to perceive ghosts in the closets and are frightened that these would come out into the open sooner or later. The only option then is to fashion an all out adventure against whom they fear. At present yours truly is being given enough to think that these lofty “idealists” ( Ha Ha )and faulty practitioners have reached at the end of their tether. Fear is a frightening phenomenon, it makes people do things. It might make these poor beings do ignoble things.
In the meanwhile the performances are definitely worth watching. Yes they are totally amateurish and lack the spark of real life events. But that does not drain the enjoyment of watching these cowardly figures battling it out for survival. I feel some amount of pity for them. Not too much though, because none of them have a worth while motive to hold aloft and because they have made a big chunk of money from it. I often think of bringing these shady deeds before the rest of the world but have refrained from it because of the possibility of encountering many such bad eggs in the endeavor. A lame excuse you may say but these characters are not without intelligence and are good at covering their tracks. The moment we try to do something about it the whole nasty establishment would be out to get you. The whole system is corrupt. This is a fact, at least in India, one we have to regretfully admit. If you move against the stream you are a “goner”. This could only do as a last resort, when they finally single you out for attack without it being caused by you. When that happens you need to be prepared, you need to have every document to prove your case at any of the social bodies. At such extremities whether the establishment turns against you or not pales into insignificance.
If I move against them now it would turn their petty hatred towards me. Not that I am afraid of it( I hope!) and not that they do not hate me already. They heartily do so as they do every honest person around. Oh don’t think that I am blowing my own trumpet, far from it, I know what my personal drawbacks are. But this petty desire for people’s money is not one of them thankfully. At the end of every financial year this same piece is enacted. My wonder is who they are trying to fool? No one is being fooled any way and their gain seems to be the simple feeling of temporary power of unity. A sort of sinner’s pact. Only the god knows how much they have amassed by way of swindling the masses. By the manner in which they are roping in even outsiders as guest artists for the performances they are really having a very god time at making hay while the sun shines.
One of the seedy characters in the play, does seem to have, some connection with the powers that be and is gleefully misusing it to gain his personal and caste-ist ends. Did I say caste-ist? Yes I did and in this “terribly” secular society that does not seem to be a drawback at all. On the other hand it is a sure way for survival and growth. This was an evil proposed to be cast out in our society. It still exists but in a very different form. In the earlier periods
It was the upper caste feeling that led the way . Now there has been a great turn around. The once submerged classes have become revived by the early secular society after the freedom struggle. Now these have become unified into different interest groups covertly helped by the political parties on various grounds. They all amount to one thing. Grasping at vote banks.
As these sectarian groups grew they devised a strategy of promoting themselves and their interests vigorously. It has reached a stage where one can not do anything in this land without considering its caste-ist ramifications. This individual I am talking about is an emotional cripple who has never grown up. He does not know the first thing about leading people and believes that the only known method is to harass every one intermittently, he is a caricature of megalomaniac.
But he would be the last to admit that he is ineffectual in most cases. Yet he is made much of by some of the staff because he is a member of their own community. At the beginning it was very much underplayed, now it is shamelessly exhibited by everyone belonging to that power group. Their recent revival has to do with the arrival of the present boss belonging to their power group.
I certainly seems to be very irked by the recent development in the workplace by going through what I wrote above. Or perhaps I am expressing what I had felt all along . Well, I’d better stop this before it sweeps me too off my feet and into the fold of some of the groups in operation!
It also surprises me a little. Hate is mostly cowardice, it stems from fear rather than any observable external causes. It is repressed anger at being defeated in some way. That may be purely imaginary or fabricated. Years of mistrust of others lies beneath some of these incidents. People shut themselves off from others and that provides food for distrustful minds. But do they believe in it, that is, that all the others are out to get them? Not really, yes some very low lives acts as if they do, but that is out of the pure motive of material gain. But at times even the supposedly intelligent follows in their footsteps. That is what so surprising about this phenomenon.
The work place is definitely a cauldron where such callousness can be exhibited with barely a negligible amount of restraint. I have certain co workers whose only happiness in life seems to be the promotion of their own kind. We may call ourselves secular and open minded, but in reality we are no better than what we are. In India this is more so. There are historical reasons for such distrust. But that alone does not cause the behavior. In the case I mentioned above the fake anger is so wide spread that all sort of people are involved in it. It seems that there are no class motives at the superficial level. But nothing is farther from the truth than that. Certain very shrewd elements have threatened the others into submission and is utilizing them with impunity. The interesting thing about it is the industriousness the poor submissive creatures are exhibiting under duress. Al of them seems completely bereft of their reasoning faculties.
The attacks on the “others” have reached a proportion which these poor beings are finding quite suffocating to sustain. They are even resorting to histrionics to achieve their aim. But none seems to have succeeded. The real cause behind the failure is the lack of self belief among these unfortunate beings. They never practice what they preach. All of them are shady characters thirsting after lucre. Hard words but unfortunately true. Once they have got their hands on it they starts to perceive ghosts in the closets and are frightened that these would come out into the open sooner or later. The only option then is to fashion an all out adventure against whom they fear. At present yours truly is being given enough to think that these lofty “idealists” ( Ha Ha )and faulty practitioners have reached at the end of their tether. Fear is a frightening phenomenon, it makes people do things. It might make these poor beings do ignoble things.
In the meanwhile the performances are definitely worth watching. Yes they are totally amateurish and lack the spark of real life events. But that does not drain the enjoyment of watching these cowardly figures battling it out for survival. I feel some amount of pity for them. Not too much though, because none of them have a worth while motive to hold aloft and because they have made a big chunk of money from it. I often think of bringing these shady deeds before the rest of the world but have refrained from it because of the possibility of encountering many such bad eggs in the endeavor. A lame excuse you may say but these characters are not without intelligence and are good at covering their tracks. The moment we try to do something about it the whole nasty establishment would be out to get you. The whole system is corrupt. This is a fact, at least in India, one we have to regretfully admit. If you move against the stream you are a “goner”. This could only do as a last resort, when they finally single you out for attack without it being caused by you. When that happens you need to be prepared, you need to have every document to prove your case at any of the social bodies. At such extremities whether the establishment turns against you or not pales into insignificance.
If I move against them now it would turn their petty hatred towards me. Not that I am afraid of it( I hope!) and not that they do not hate me already. They heartily do so as they do every honest person around. Oh don’t think that I am blowing my own trumpet, far from it, I know what my personal drawbacks are. But this petty desire for people’s money is not one of them thankfully. At the end of every financial year this same piece is enacted. My wonder is who they are trying to fool? No one is being fooled any way and their gain seems to be the simple feeling of temporary power of unity. A sort of sinner’s pact. Only the god knows how much they have amassed by way of swindling the masses. By the manner in which they are roping in even outsiders as guest artists for the performances they are really having a very god time at making hay while the sun shines.
One of the seedy characters in the play, does seem to have, some connection with the powers that be and is gleefully misusing it to gain his personal and caste-ist ends. Did I say caste-ist? Yes I did and in this “terribly” secular society that does not seem to be a drawback at all. On the other hand it is a sure way for survival and growth. This was an evil proposed to be cast out in our society. It still exists but in a very different form. In the earlier periods
It was the upper caste feeling that led the way . Now there has been a great turn around. The once submerged classes have become revived by the early secular society after the freedom struggle. Now these have become unified into different interest groups covertly helped by the political parties on various grounds. They all amount to one thing. Grasping at vote banks.
As these sectarian groups grew they devised a strategy of promoting themselves and their interests vigorously. It has reached a stage where one can not do anything in this land without considering its caste-ist ramifications. This individual I am talking about is an emotional cripple who has never grown up. He does not know the first thing about leading people and believes that the only known method is to harass every one intermittently, he is a caricature of megalomaniac.
But he would be the last to admit that he is ineffectual in most cases. Yet he is made much of by some of the staff because he is a member of their own community. At the beginning it was very much underplayed, now it is shamelessly exhibited by everyone belonging to that power group. Their recent revival has to do with the arrival of the present boss belonging to their power group.
I certainly seems to be very irked by the recent development in the workplace by going through what I wrote above. Or perhaps I am expressing what I had felt all along . Well, I’d better stop this before it sweeps me too off my feet and into the fold of some of the groups in operation!
10000 is not easy
After applauding Sehwag for his effort, it would be dastardly to ignore the achievement of a rare gentleman in the Indian squad, Rahul Dravid, the former Indian captain.
I had my doubts on Dravid’s captaincy. I thought he was unfit for the job. Time proved me right. He was not able to cope with the pressures and he quit, a good thing that is. A few wins are not enough to make a good captain, there is a thing called staying power. In the cruel and highly publicized world of international cricket, only the toughest or the lamest would outlast others.
Take Ganguly for example, he was tough; he had the qualities of leadership. He was fit for the job and he made a good captain. On the other end of the spectrum there was Azharuddin. A passive and unemotional man, he had the selectors with him, for he rarely fought with them. Both outlasted many others in the game, one for the qualities inherent in him of being a leader and the other because of the total absence of these very qualities.
Dravid was very middleclass in his approach, an out and out gentleman, he was nice to all and to the other teams, he had very intelligent and interesting notions about captaincy, but they lacked the gut instinct of a real leader. Not every intelligent decision would win points in a game like cricket. It is played with mental strength rather than pure acumen. If considered on the basis of pure talent, there could be any number of players fit to play at the highest level of the game. But most of them fail because of the lack of this inner determination, this hidden talent to handle pressure.
And that is what required of a good international player. If he can translate it into his captaincy he would become a good captain. Dravid did not have the knack to convert his “Great wall of India” effect into his captaincy. He crumbled when real pressure struck. This was but natural, his nice qualities made him a below average captain. People like me had a sort of inkling that this would happen.
But this one flaw does not make him anything other than the greatest player in the game now on technical lines. He plays out of the book every time he is out in the middle. Most other players in the game lack his technique and finesse. He is a little slow at times. But his role is just that, curb the onslaught of the opponents, and make it possible for others to take over.
Yet he has reached the pinnacle. He has now 10000 runs in his kitty. This is no mean achievement. It requires years of hard work and determination and playing form. It is a mammoth achievement for any batsman in international cricket. His greatness may be overshadowed by that of Sachin Tendulkar’s and Ganguly’s and other international greats.
He was a bit low when he quit captaincy. He was out of form for a while and had even the indignity of being dropped from the one day squad, which of course he did not deserve. Yet he came back and made good runs for the team at home and overseas. His determination has finally paid off and now he has earned a place among the very greats of the game.
Well done Dravid, keep up the good work, you are still young and there are a few years of cricket left in you still. You may not capture the interest of the lay persons who believe cricket is all about putting a bowler to the sword. To us one of your good defensive shots is as good as any glorious cover drives that you play.
It has been great watching you play. We cherish those memories. Thank you for giving us such pleasure over the years! 10000 runs are not easy but you made them look easy.
I had my doubts on Dravid’s captaincy. I thought he was unfit for the job. Time proved me right. He was not able to cope with the pressures and he quit, a good thing that is. A few wins are not enough to make a good captain, there is a thing called staying power. In the cruel and highly publicized world of international cricket, only the toughest or the lamest would outlast others.
Take Ganguly for example, he was tough; he had the qualities of leadership. He was fit for the job and he made a good captain. On the other end of the spectrum there was Azharuddin. A passive and unemotional man, he had the selectors with him, for he rarely fought with them. Both outlasted many others in the game, one for the qualities inherent in him of being a leader and the other because of the total absence of these very qualities.
Dravid was very middleclass in his approach, an out and out gentleman, he was nice to all and to the other teams, he had very intelligent and interesting notions about captaincy, but they lacked the gut instinct of a real leader. Not every intelligent decision would win points in a game like cricket. It is played with mental strength rather than pure acumen. If considered on the basis of pure talent, there could be any number of players fit to play at the highest level of the game. But most of them fail because of the lack of this inner determination, this hidden talent to handle pressure.
And that is what required of a good international player. If he can translate it into his captaincy he would become a good captain. Dravid did not have the knack to convert his “Great wall of India” effect into his captaincy. He crumbled when real pressure struck. This was but natural, his nice qualities made him a below average captain. People like me had a sort of inkling that this would happen.
But this one flaw does not make him anything other than the greatest player in the game now on technical lines. He plays out of the book every time he is out in the middle. Most other players in the game lack his technique and finesse. He is a little slow at times. But his role is just that, curb the onslaught of the opponents, and make it possible for others to take over.
Yet he has reached the pinnacle. He has now 10000 runs in his kitty. This is no mean achievement. It requires years of hard work and determination and playing form. It is a mammoth achievement for any batsman in international cricket. His greatness may be overshadowed by that of Sachin Tendulkar’s and Ganguly’s and other international greats.
He was a bit low when he quit captaincy. He was out of form for a while and had even the indignity of being dropped from the one day squad, which of course he did not deserve. Yet he came back and made good runs for the team at home and overseas. His determination has finally paid off and now he has earned a place among the very greats of the game.
Well done Dravid, keep up the good work, you are still young and there are a few years of cricket left in you still. You may not capture the interest of the lay persons who believe cricket is all about putting a bowler to the sword. To us one of your good defensive shots is as good as any glorious cover drives that you play.
It has been great watching you play. We cherish those memories. Thank you for giving us such pleasure over the years! 10000 runs are not easy but you made them look easy.
Sehwag Does it again
It was pathetic watching the guy being interviewed same time last year. His face had the look of a haunted human being. I was all for the guy notwithstanding his poor run of form. Any one who could wield the cricket bat like him needs to be accommodated in a side. The selectors thought other wise and the poor man was dropped.
If it was not for Kumble and to a lesser extant Dravid he would still be cooling his heels in his home town. His re entry was not very noteworthy. He was struggling for some time before he started to find big runs. Now he is back in his grove. I could not watch him play at Madras, but bearing the killing heat in mind, he must have played like a real champion.
The guy is also useful as a team man. Does a little bit of thinking on the sides and comes up with good suggestions for the teams cause. A striking example is the manner in which he insisted in giving one more over to the tiring Ishant Sharma the young and up coming fast bowler against Ricky Ponting the Australian bat and their captain. The ploy worked and Ponting bowed out to the spirited Indian bowler. That turned the table on the Aussies and made an impossible win possible for the Indians.
You do not drop such a destructive batsman from the side. I saw his 2004 innings on TV , his first Triple Century. It was lethal. The Pak bowlers and fielders stood watching while the man brutally mauled them. It was not all power. He is not a Chris cairns or Mat Hyden. He is a touch player really with a penchant for taking the attack to the bowlers. When this man is on song there is nothing better to watch in cricket. He may not be the “copy book” style of batsman. But he is exiting, as Geoff Boycot himself would vouch safe.
Incidentally the Boycot is a great fan of the man.
Kudos Sehwag. Hope you come up with many such innings.
If it was not for Kumble and to a lesser extant Dravid he would still be cooling his heels in his home town. His re entry was not very noteworthy. He was struggling for some time before he started to find big runs. Now he is back in his grove. I could not watch him play at Madras, but bearing the killing heat in mind, he must have played like a real champion.
The guy is also useful as a team man. Does a little bit of thinking on the sides and comes up with good suggestions for the teams cause. A striking example is the manner in which he insisted in giving one more over to the tiring Ishant Sharma the young and up coming fast bowler against Ricky Ponting the Australian bat and their captain. The ploy worked and Ponting bowed out to the spirited Indian bowler. That turned the table on the Aussies and made an impossible win possible for the Indians.
You do not drop such a destructive batsman from the side. I saw his 2004 innings on TV , his first Triple Century. It was lethal. The Pak bowlers and fielders stood watching while the man brutally mauled them. It was not all power. He is not a Chris cairns or Mat Hyden. He is a touch player really with a penchant for taking the attack to the bowlers. When this man is on song there is nothing better to watch in cricket. He may not be the “copy book” style of batsman. But he is exiting, as Geoff Boycot himself would vouch safe.
Incidentally the Boycot is a great fan of the man.
Kudos Sehwag. Hope you come up with many such innings.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Psyche
There are phantoms in our psyche. They hunt us down in the most stealthy and silent manner. Often we are not even aware that they exist- but they do- and they are powerful.
The psyche is a god in its own right; it ruthlessly overwrites the dictates of intellect, ruling it over like a malevolent despot. In the most crucial moments of our existence, the psyche takes charge and brings us down to our knees, making it clear who is in the ascendancy. We then are helpless, like infants, fearful of the strange environment that we are in. The psyche is not transparent, it is partially obscure and its hidden parts are the most lethal of its instruments.
They are dangerous because of our total lack of knowledge about them. Where do they come from? No one knows for certain. There are theories, both ancient and modern, but none of them have been proved. Some say the psyche is the sum total of the experience a particular genus has, and some say it is the encoded knowledge in our subtle senses. Whatever may be the case, its debilitating influence on human actions is desultory, and other than compromising a situation it achieves little.
The phantoms of the psyche are known to attack us covertly, in the most unwanted of moments, making us useless, demure and defenseless, bowing to the iron dictates of this inscrutable of all phenomena. It dons on the garb of culture sometimes, making it impossible for us to digest even the slightest of variations in an alien culture. We are stricken with wonder when we hear of the inbreeding in Tamil families where dad’s brother is the approved groom for a girl; we abhor it, yet are not averse to accepting a different variation where matriarchy is concerned. These practices have definite cultural and economic origin without doubt, but those have faded into the background establishing a bizarre custom as a social necessity.
Perhaps the psyche is that part in beings that furthers the will to live, it nevertheless decapitates ones intelligence sooner or later, substituting it with something else, more basic and more instinctual. Hence is the origin of differences in life positions. Some of us believe a certain way of life would lead towards salvation; some others contemn it as destructive. These are stances of the mind, superimposing itself over the more reliable faculty of intelligence.
When carefully considered, our life has minimum to do with the aspects of wisdom, we are more in- tuned towards physical survival rather than spiritual uplifting. That is but natural, yet this has certain obvious pitfalls, namely the limits of the freedom that we envisage for us and others. We probably would go all out for unlimited opportunity as regards our own affairs, but would we advocate the same for the rest?
This is the crux of the problem, the stand we take is determined by our mental environment, and the doubts that we have regarding others in our neighborhood. This is an impasse, all efforts to resolve this issue have been fruitless. This is where psyche enters the frame, with all its instruments of terror, catching us unawares, forcing us to bend to its promptings. Thus even the greatest of secularist takes up arms against “the others”, saying he has run out of options. This of course is a lame excuse but nevertheless an inevitable one.
But, why, you might ask. The answer is not that simple. The shrinks say there are definite divisions to our mind; most of the activities are influenced by the outer portions of our personality, which is termed as consciousness. This segment is considered to be miniscule in comparison to the other two portions of the mind, the sub-conscious and the unconscious.
The control of the unconscious is not easily observable, but it is thought to be a store house of unlimited data from time immemorial, Karl Gustave Yung for example had a definite belief that this gigantic storage is filled with archetypes or coded threat signatures, gathered during the evolutionary process. Thus the archetype of the falcon is encoded in the consciousness of the chick, directing its movements when it espies such an adversary.
If this is the case, pressure of survival assumes importance over all other aspects of life making the pacifist to take up the cudgel and brandish it in the face of his opponent. The content of our psyche is violent; it usurps rather than assumes charge. It’s a covert operative, instead of a polished negotiator.
Thus there shall always be phantoms in our minds whether we like them or not.
The psyche is a god in its own right; it ruthlessly overwrites the dictates of intellect, ruling it over like a malevolent despot. In the most crucial moments of our existence, the psyche takes charge and brings us down to our knees, making it clear who is in the ascendancy. We then are helpless, like infants, fearful of the strange environment that we are in. The psyche is not transparent, it is partially obscure and its hidden parts are the most lethal of its instruments.
They are dangerous because of our total lack of knowledge about them. Where do they come from? No one knows for certain. There are theories, both ancient and modern, but none of them have been proved. Some say the psyche is the sum total of the experience a particular genus has, and some say it is the encoded knowledge in our subtle senses. Whatever may be the case, its debilitating influence on human actions is desultory, and other than compromising a situation it achieves little.
The phantoms of the psyche are known to attack us covertly, in the most unwanted of moments, making us useless, demure and defenseless, bowing to the iron dictates of this inscrutable of all phenomena. It dons on the garb of culture sometimes, making it impossible for us to digest even the slightest of variations in an alien culture. We are stricken with wonder when we hear of the inbreeding in Tamil families where dad’s brother is the approved groom for a girl; we abhor it, yet are not averse to accepting a different variation where matriarchy is concerned. These practices have definite cultural and economic origin without doubt, but those have faded into the background establishing a bizarre custom as a social necessity.
Perhaps the psyche is that part in beings that furthers the will to live, it nevertheless decapitates ones intelligence sooner or later, substituting it with something else, more basic and more instinctual. Hence is the origin of differences in life positions. Some of us believe a certain way of life would lead towards salvation; some others contemn it as destructive. These are stances of the mind, superimposing itself over the more reliable faculty of intelligence.
When carefully considered, our life has minimum to do with the aspects of wisdom, we are more in- tuned towards physical survival rather than spiritual uplifting. That is but natural, yet this has certain obvious pitfalls, namely the limits of the freedom that we envisage for us and others. We probably would go all out for unlimited opportunity as regards our own affairs, but would we advocate the same for the rest?
This is the crux of the problem, the stand we take is determined by our mental environment, and the doubts that we have regarding others in our neighborhood. This is an impasse, all efforts to resolve this issue have been fruitless. This is where psyche enters the frame, with all its instruments of terror, catching us unawares, forcing us to bend to its promptings. Thus even the greatest of secularist takes up arms against “the others”, saying he has run out of options. This of course is a lame excuse but nevertheless an inevitable one.
But, why, you might ask. The answer is not that simple. The shrinks say there are definite divisions to our mind; most of the activities are influenced by the outer portions of our personality, which is termed as consciousness. This segment is considered to be miniscule in comparison to the other two portions of the mind, the sub-conscious and the unconscious.
The control of the unconscious is not easily observable, but it is thought to be a store house of unlimited data from time immemorial, Karl Gustave Yung for example had a definite belief that this gigantic storage is filled with archetypes or coded threat signatures, gathered during the evolutionary process. Thus the archetype of the falcon is encoded in the consciousness of the chick, directing its movements when it espies such an adversary.
If this is the case, pressure of survival assumes importance over all other aspects of life making the pacifist to take up the cudgel and brandish it in the face of his opponent. The content of our psyche is violent; it usurps rather than assumes charge. It’s a covert operative, instead of a polished negotiator.
Thus there shall always be phantoms in our minds whether we like them or not.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Days
The mornings could be the same, a hectic rush to finish toilet, get dressed, and start for the work place; however, as the day progresses other events will take place, altering the nature of the day, making it whole or incomplete. The days have characters, faces as it were, physical as well as psychical. They have moods, tempers and temperaments.
The day’s are like people, sharing their emotional life, behaving like individuals and dying like mortals. Yet, there is something grand in the demise of a day; even the most flimsy of them dies gracefully, leaving us with a sense of longing, or a vague sense of apprehension. Perhaps they remind us of our own mortality, our own insufficiency, our own utter isolation from everyone and everything else.
The days have life; they are often vibrant and colorful, dull and morose. The day’s take on the hues of the seasons, immersing in them, acting them out. They are idiosyncratic, every day different from others, distinct.
In summer, the day absorbs the energy of the sun, illuminating and intensifying feelings, and defining events vividly as clear cut frames of reference. Summer days have a life of their own that is intense, defiant and brazen. Even in the tropics where the heat carves out its own separate domain, ruling like a fearsome despot, with red eyes and glistening saber, the day performs the miracle of life, infusing enthusiasm even in invalids.
Every day is magical in the sense it ushers in new hopes, desires and new aspirations. Even those on the way out falters for a moment, fearing of having made the wrong decision. They may have lost all hope, but every new day ignites some hidden fire in them, reviving them as it were.
- felt like writing a poem, but not being blessed by the goddess of muse in that sense, I have to make do with the above.
The day’s are like people, sharing their emotional life, behaving like individuals and dying like mortals. Yet, there is something grand in the demise of a day; even the most flimsy of them dies gracefully, leaving us with a sense of longing, or a vague sense of apprehension. Perhaps they remind us of our own mortality, our own insufficiency, our own utter isolation from everyone and everything else.
The days have life; they are often vibrant and colorful, dull and morose. The day’s take on the hues of the seasons, immersing in them, acting them out. They are idiosyncratic, every day different from others, distinct.
In summer, the day absorbs the energy of the sun, illuminating and intensifying feelings, and defining events vividly as clear cut frames of reference. Summer days have a life of their own that is intense, defiant and brazen. Even in the tropics where the heat carves out its own separate domain, ruling like a fearsome despot, with red eyes and glistening saber, the day performs the miracle of life, infusing enthusiasm even in invalids.
Every day is magical in the sense it ushers in new hopes, desires and new aspirations. Even those on the way out falters for a moment, fearing of having made the wrong decision. They may have lost all hope, but every new day ignites some hidden fire in them, reviving them as it were.
- felt like writing a poem, but not being blessed by the goddess of muse in that sense, I have to make do with the above.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Axing Away
The kind Mr. Dhoni was helpfully illuminative,
He revealed that he had decided to,
“Axe them”
He was supposedly talking about dropping a few senior players from the squad for the one dyer’s in Australia.
But who knew there was more to it than it seemed!
It appears that immediately after returning victorious from down under he did put something else to the axe.
A “live goat” to wit! Not by himself of course, he had it done at a temple near his home.
No I am not making it up.
Animal sacrifices are still discreetly practiced in some parts of the land, though banned by law. Kalighat at Kolkotha was famous for it before the ban came.
Dhoni seems to be an old believer, though he rides modern BMW’s!
This is the land where the great Budha walked. He compassionately took a lamb up while it was being led to such a sacrifice and carried it there.
Not to haste it to its end, but to save it by his presence.
No, I am not being sanctimonious, I love lamb chops like my neighbors.
There is a saying,
“Eat that which you kill and your sin will be absolved”
To kill to eat seems natural if not necessary.
But to kill to spill blood, well that is another matter altogether.
He revealed that he had decided to,
“Axe them”
He was supposedly talking about dropping a few senior players from the squad for the one dyer’s in Australia.
But who knew there was more to it than it seemed!
It appears that immediately after returning victorious from down under he did put something else to the axe.
A “live goat” to wit! Not by himself of course, he had it done at a temple near his home.
No I am not making it up.
Animal sacrifices are still discreetly practiced in some parts of the land, though banned by law. Kalighat at Kolkotha was famous for it before the ban came.
Dhoni seems to be an old believer, though he rides modern BMW’s!
This is the land where the great Budha walked. He compassionately took a lamb up while it was being led to such a sacrifice and carried it there.
Not to haste it to its end, but to save it by his presence.
No, I am not being sanctimonious, I love lamb chops like my neighbors.
There is a saying,
“Eat that which you kill and your sin will be absolved”
To kill to eat seems natural if not necessary.
But to kill to spill blood, well that is another matter altogether.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Enjoyment
I tell myself, don’t panic.
But it is of no avail. The matter is a little sensitive. It involves paying good money and getting little in return.
It’s about a broadband connection and it is driving me crazy.
Being fed up with my dial up connection one fine day I decided to welcome the inevitable, purchasing a broad band connection. There are several ISP’s I could have gone to, but I decided to stick with my existing one. The BSNL.
It is still run in a set up it is long accustomed to, though it has become a company now. There are the usual procedures, filing application, waiting for “sanction” delays and what not.
Finally they arrive (as usual when nobody is at home) and install the connection.
I had repeatedly enlightened them on my desire to be connected to the net through Linux rather than Windows.
They do the reverse and contentedly depart.
While they were leaving they informs my wife to find a Linux guru to configure Linux and that they can only connect to Windows
There begins my frantic search for a Linux “guru”. None could be found in the vicinity.
I turn myself into a sub guru and try to configure it myself. That did not go off particularly well.
My expertise in configuring the router turned out to be something to be desired. I bungle it up.
I call the Company and they are thinking about it at present. Perhaps they are “ in the process of taking a decision”
In the mean time I am left with my windows connection and no way to get patches for my Linux os and have to shelve many rather grand ideas.
I am shelving out good money too. That is the enjoyable part.
But it is of no avail. The matter is a little sensitive. It involves paying good money and getting little in return.
It’s about a broadband connection and it is driving me crazy.
Being fed up with my dial up connection one fine day I decided to welcome the inevitable, purchasing a broad band connection. There are several ISP’s I could have gone to, but I decided to stick with my existing one. The BSNL.
It is still run in a set up it is long accustomed to, though it has become a company now. There are the usual procedures, filing application, waiting for “sanction” delays and what not.
Finally they arrive (as usual when nobody is at home) and install the connection.
I had repeatedly enlightened them on my desire to be connected to the net through Linux rather than Windows.
They do the reverse and contentedly depart.
While they were leaving they informs my wife to find a Linux guru to configure Linux and that they can only connect to Windows
There begins my frantic search for a Linux “guru”. None could be found in the vicinity.
I turn myself into a sub guru and try to configure it myself. That did not go off particularly well.
My expertise in configuring the router turned out to be something to be desired. I bungle it up.
I call the Company and they are thinking about it at present. Perhaps they are “ in the process of taking a decision”
In the mean time I am left with my windows connection and no way to get patches for my Linux os and have to shelve many rather grand ideas.
I am shelving out good money too. That is the enjoyable part.
Superman
People die when they leave their bodies don’t they?
Perhaps they do perhaps they don’t, no one has come back from the dead to tell us otherwise. But yet we would like to believe that we would survive even death.
Such is the human vanity. Or our fear, may be its a little of both.
-About the Genome project, some even predicted, we would live to 1500 years.
Well, hardly in this world, in its present state, for he/she would have to do away with themselves before they reach a quarter of that age.
There is a nice story in our land of a period in which there was no death. The Lord Shiva “wasted” the god of death Yama in a fit of anger and did not appoint any one instead. Utter chaos ensued.
One of our poets did a hilarious piece on the aftermath. The world became so over crowded that its elder citizens had to be shut up in earthen pots( probably a reference to burial pots found in the land.),for others frequently trampled on them.
They were given little to eat and they had become so small to be taken for frogs and -they were every where! Starving them only made them smaller, not deader.
People were at their wits end because of the absence of death.
And they were very relieved when another god of death was finally appointed!
I do not know about the moral of the story, but in the original it was funnier than anything I read.
Well let us expect that when the genetically created superman arrives the world is ready for him as Nietzhe thought
Perhaps they do perhaps they don’t, no one has come back from the dead to tell us otherwise. But yet we would like to believe that we would survive even death.
Such is the human vanity. Or our fear, may be its a little of both.
-About the Genome project, some even predicted, we would live to 1500 years.
Well, hardly in this world, in its present state, for he/she would have to do away with themselves before they reach a quarter of that age.
There is a nice story in our land of a period in which there was no death. The Lord Shiva “wasted” the god of death Yama in a fit of anger and did not appoint any one instead. Utter chaos ensued.
One of our poets did a hilarious piece on the aftermath. The world became so over crowded that its elder citizens had to be shut up in earthen pots( probably a reference to burial pots found in the land.),for others frequently trampled on them.
They were given little to eat and they had become so small to be taken for frogs and -they were every where! Starving them only made them smaller, not deader.
People were at their wits end because of the absence of death.
And they were very relieved when another god of death was finally appointed!
I do not know about the moral of the story, but in the original it was funnier than anything I read.
Well let us expect that when the genetically created superman arrives the world is ready for him as Nietzhe thought
Self doubts
Here I am, troubled by self doubts again.
But really, why are people like this, we do one thing and they guess some thing else. We want to help and they turn hostile!
Hostility turned inwards is hate, and hate can be a little too much to handle at times.
Here I was trying to help a poor bugger thinking he deserved it, and it turns out he doesn’t need it……
He does need it badly, but wouldn’t admit it; it amounts to the same thing. We get laughed at for what amount of good we did.
Well, I know, no sane person really cares about what others think of him and what he does, it is not that, it is the hidden animosity that is troubling. Not from others but the recipient. No, we don’t expect them to be servile because we did a favor to them -for the rest of their lives. That would be obscene. But at least we expect recognition.
Well, who does recognize whom these days! We do a good turn to somebody out of good will and we appear as the dumbest person alive!
My friends say I was crazy to do that. The problem is, people have become wise, and none expects any thing from any one other than by way of coercion.
That is acceptable, because there is no loss of face involved. I should have guessed it; none needs any crumbs of bread other than by way of the sweat of their ‘wicked’ brow.
Hello Satan, how are you! (Perhaps I am a little too self righteous?)
But really, why are people like this, we do one thing and they guess some thing else. We want to help and they turn hostile!
Hostility turned inwards is hate, and hate can be a little too much to handle at times.
Here I was trying to help a poor bugger thinking he deserved it, and it turns out he doesn’t need it……
He does need it badly, but wouldn’t admit it; it amounts to the same thing. We get laughed at for what amount of good we did.
Well, I know, no sane person really cares about what others think of him and what he does, it is not that, it is the hidden animosity that is troubling. Not from others but the recipient. No, we don’t expect them to be servile because we did a favor to them -for the rest of their lives. That would be obscene. But at least we expect recognition.
Well, who does recognize whom these days! We do a good turn to somebody out of good will and we appear as the dumbest person alive!
My friends say I was crazy to do that. The problem is, people have become wise, and none expects any thing from any one other than by way of coercion.
That is acceptable, because there is no loss of face involved. I should have guessed it; none needs any crumbs of bread other than by way of the sweat of their ‘wicked’ brow.
Hello Satan, how are you! (Perhaps I am a little too self righteous?)
Farming trouble
Luckily on this day the rain had stood off. Roads were clean and there was a new look to everything. The ride to the work place was pleasant.
But unluckily the weather gods have not been kind to our farmers. Their hopes lay shattered by the unexpected rains. A good crop was expected this time round. The price of rice had shot up for the past few months. We barely produce 20 percent of our requirement in the state as it is. And we relay heavily on imports from other states to fill up the gap.
Those states are trying to show their muscle, by demanding new terms, and better prices.
Our health Minister is currently advocating a change in diet for the entire population. Start eating meat and fish more, he says. They are plenty and within reach, and healthy. It naturally caused a great uproar in the media. The general public seems amused. They are a little apprehensive too. If their diet is to be determined by outside elements…… well what is happening to the world.
The blame lies on them as well. They left agriculture in search of a few fast bucks abroad. It’s true that these bucks are the real backbone of our economy and that they brought new prosperity to the land. The sad part is, no one really cared about what was happening in the farming sector. Most of the work force left in search of new pastures and the farmers sold their land for unimaginable prices to the land mafia as bucks flowed in to the market because of the influx of money from abroad.
It is our national character to build houses on single plots and live like lords of a manor. We dislike living in flats and multi storied apartment complexes. As money flowed in, farms were converted into house plots, circumventing all regulations. The government also thought of not interfering. Rice production dwindled.
Now the other states are teaching us a lesson on how to manage the economy and the needs of the people.
We have no one else to blame but us! We now need a Fukuoka.
But unluckily the weather gods have not been kind to our farmers. Their hopes lay shattered by the unexpected rains. A good crop was expected this time round. The price of rice had shot up for the past few months. We barely produce 20 percent of our requirement in the state as it is. And we relay heavily on imports from other states to fill up the gap.
Those states are trying to show their muscle, by demanding new terms, and better prices.
Our health Minister is currently advocating a change in diet for the entire population. Start eating meat and fish more, he says. They are plenty and within reach, and healthy. It naturally caused a great uproar in the media. The general public seems amused. They are a little apprehensive too. If their diet is to be determined by outside elements…… well what is happening to the world.
The blame lies on them as well. They left agriculture in search of a few fast bucks abroad. It’s true that these bucks are the real backbone of our economy and that they brought new prosperity to the land. The sad part is, no one really cared about what was happening in the farming sector. Most of the work force left in search of new pastures and the farmers sold their land for unimaginable prices to the land mafia as bucks flowed in to the market because of the influx of money from abroad.
It is our national character to build houses on single plots and live like lords of a manor. We dislike living in flats and multi storied apartment complexes. As money flowed in, farms were converted into house plots, circumventing all regulations. The government also thought of not interfering. Rice production dwindled.
Now the other states are teaching us a lesson on how to manage the economy and the needs of the people.
We have no one else to blame but us! We now need a Fukuoka.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Champions aren’t they?
Did Mr. Rick Chaleworth have any business in telling the Indian players they can’t win with the present team and thus dulling their spirits?
I am on hockey again. Well you can’t blame me for that! It’s our national game still, and I love the game. A good deal of commotion is being created by our blessed officials on the poor performance of the team in the qualifiers.
The former Australian captain is being called to India to repair the damage caused by
the loses and the assistant coach is sore about the things which passed before. Every day a fresh explanation is being offered for the debacle to enlighten us. First it was the refereeing, then the lack of experience of the players and now it has come to light that the real culprit is the doctor from Australia.
But Mr. Gill and company have decided to seek the assistance of the Doctor to treat the malady afflicting the team.. Is this sensible? There is a view that we don’t need some one from out side to tell us what to do on a hockey field.
Well we are sensitive are we not? We can’t handle rough treatment and hard physical training. Oh yes we do not need them for we are natural born athletes who don’t require any training. Put us on a hockey field and we would start to display the magical abilities we posses..
Guys, you are being comical, agreed that people can dampen your spirits by installing negativity in you., but you guys are supposed to be champs, and champions do not succumb to such tricks!
But the question is are you real champs or group of complaining idiots?
I am on hockey again. Well you can’t blame me for that! It’s our national game still, and I love the game. A good deal of commotion is being created by our blessed officials on the poor performance of the team in the qualifiers.
The former Australian captain is being called to India to repair the damage caused by
the loses and the assistant coach is sore about the things which passed before. Every day a fresh explanation is being offered for the debacle to enlighten us. First it was the refereeing, then the lack of experience of the players and now it has come to light that the real culprit is the doctor from Australia.
But Mr. Gill and company have decided to seek the assistance of the Doctor to treat the malady afflicting the team.. Is this sensible? There is a view that we don’t need some one from out side to tell us what to do on a hockey field.
Well we are sensitive are we not? We can’t handle rough treatment and hard physical training. Oh yes we do not need them for we are natural born athletes who don’t require any training. Put us on a hockey field and we would start to display the magical abilities we posses..
Guys, you are being comical, agreed that people can dampen your spirits by installing negativity in you., but you guys are supposed to be champs, and champions do not succumb to such tricks!
But the question is are you real champs or group of complaining idiots?
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Summer rain
We love rain in the tropics, especially when it comes on a summer day while you are drenched with sweat. In our folklore as well as in our literature rain is really a sexy motif. This may be difficult to understand for those who live in the cold countries. They might not be able to attach the same significance or realize the romantic under-tones the rain brings to the hearts of people like us.
We had a very good rainy season in the last monsoons which is just over. The summer is heating up. The last few days were deadly hot. Our preference, or should I say our dependence on concrete buildings makes it worse than it is. I remember Sartre’s “Iron in the Soul” where the heat is described as an octopus by the protagonist in the early chapters. Or am I wrong?
To tell you the truth I would rather suffer heat than the cold. My few brushes with cold have not been very inspiring.
Suddenly on this day the rain fell. And immediately people began to say things against her. There is a quaint saying in our land that the “the mother of rain is always sad” for if she does not come people curse her and if she comes they curse her again. Both causes inconvenience in the little lives of people concerned. I too had my own inconveniences to think of. For one thing I had to put on the gear before venturing out and I hated the extra burden on top of my safety gear when riding a bike. And for another, on our roads driving in rain can be a hair rising adventure.
You should live in India to experience that.
The rain got through the overalls to my skin during the 45 minutes ride to my home from workplace. I had a dozen scares on the road too, but that was minimal. I did not mind both. At one or too places the roads were submerged, and considering our wonderful innovation of filling every sewer with mud and rubbish that too was below the usual trouble level.
I always feel near Mother Nature whenever I feel the rain on me.
We had a very good rainy season in the last monsoons which is just over. The summer is heating up. The last few days were deadly hot. Our preference, or should I say our dependence on concrete buildings makes it worse than it is. I remember Sartre’s “Iron in the Soul” where the heat is described as an octopus by the protagonist in the early chapters. Or am I wrong?
To tell you the truth I would rather suffer heat than the cold. My few brushes with cold have not been very inspiring.
Suddenly on this day the rain fell. And immediately people began to say things against her. There is a quaint saying in our land that the “the mother of rain is always sad” for if she does not come people curse her and if she comes they curse her again. Both causes inconvenience in the little lives of people concerned. I too had my own inconveniences to think of. For one thing I had to put on the gear before venturing out and I hated the extra burden on top of my safety gear when riding a bike. And for another, on our roads driving in rain can be a hair rising adventure.
You should live in India to experience that.
The rain got through the overalls to my skin during the 45 minutes ride to my home from workplace. I had a dozen scares on the road too, but that was minimal. I did not mind both. At one or too places the roads were submerged, and considering our wonderful innovation of filling every sewer with mud and rubbish that too was below the usual trouble level.
I always feel near Mother Nature whenever I feel the rain on me.
Friday, March 14, 2008
A different sort of Opium
Was it General McCarthy who said that the life was cheap in Asia? He had the cute desire to use the nuke again on us it seems! Well if not the followers of the “great” general, some of our political leaders do not place much store by life. They believe in the policy of immediate and bloody retaliation, but only when they are safely away from the zone in which it occurs of course. This is the common human trait and we can hardly find fault with it.
But what about the poor morons who gets it good and proper in the exchange, well they are just that, Morons with a capital M. This statement is made from a stance that life is valuable and has to be preserved as far as possible. There can be other points of views. The harikiri types for instance, they show a complete disregard towards their own life and other’s life as well. What prompts them I for one could never understand?
Ideals can have a destructive hold on people; people at times even accept death to submission in certain cases. Men have died for causes and great objectives. Bruno would rather burn at the stake than recant. But I am with Galileo in this business. There is no point in braving the stupid to change the system overnight. Other than the very few, all the other revolutions have happened all most benignly, over a period of time giving people enough breathing space.
But there are scrupulous fanatics who deal in mass murders to keep their spoils intact. Some of the modern day Indian political parties are like that. Not the party ruling at the moment of course. It has enough sense to keep in the back ground whenever a national calamity happens. The fanatics I spoke of, they are not religious, if they have any religion it is the religion of gain. Gains are of different kind. Even the death of a follower can be turned into a gain sometimes, or should I say most times. The left as well as the extreme right has their numbers of martyrs, this keeps the system going. Their anniversaries are made much off, celebrated with great feeling and pomp. These occasions are conspicuous by the absence of any relatives of the dead and gone martyr. Their cases are never thought of.
But what is so wonderful about this is that, the poor muffins are convinced that they are doing something worthwhile, while every one else can see that it is other wise. The right wing has fashioned its cadres in the manner of an army and the left wing also has its methods of training. Where do they get the candidates is the question. Once they get them it is very easy because there is subtle machinery at work to make it happen. It can be called peer pressure. Once into the fold there is little escape, like we hear in the case of the underworld.
Scapegoats are pushed forward to the front and they get sacrificed for the “benefit” of the party.
Slowly the organization is taking on the role of the religion. As some shrewd writer had remarked some time ago religion is being replaced by the party and all its rituals are being re enacted with only the very perfunctory difference. Perhaps it is inevitable in a sense, because we are intimately linked to the motifs we are familiar with. They would emerge in one way or the other during the course of social evolution.
Living in our land at these times is not easy my friend, it gives us the heart sores.
But what about the poor morons who gets it good and proper in the exchange, well they are just that, Morons with a capital M. This statement is made from a stance that life is valuable and has to be preserved as far as possible. There can be other points of views. The harikiri types for instance, they show a complete disregard towards their own life and other’s life as well. What prompts them I for one could never understand?
Ideals can have a destructive hold on people; people at times even accept death to submission in certain cases. Men have died for causes and great objectives. Bruno would rather burn at the stake than recant. But I am with Galileo in this business. There is no point in braving the stupid to change the system overnight. Other than the very few, all the other revolutions have happened all most benignly, over a period of time giving people enough breathing space.
But there are scrupulous fanatics who deal in mass murders to keep their spoils intact. Some of the modern day Indian political parties are like that. Not the party ruling at the moment of course. It has enough sense to keep in the back ground whenever a national calamity happens. The fanatics I spoke of, they are not religious, if they have any religion it is the religion of gain. Gains are of different kind. Even the death of a follower can be turned into a gain sometimes, or should I say most times. The left as well as the extreme right has their numbers of martyrs, this keeps the system going. Their anniversaries are made much off, celebrated with great feeling and pomp. These occasions are conspicuous by the absence of any relatives of the dead and gone martyr. Their cases are never thought of.
But what is so wonderful about this is that, the poor muffins are convinced that they are doing something worthwhile, while every one else can see that it is other wise. The right wing has fashioned its cadres in the manner of an army and the left wing also has its methods of training. Where do they get the candidates is the question. Once they get them it is very easy because there is subtle machinery at work to make it happen. It can be called peer pressure. Once into the fold there is little escape, like we hear in the case of the underworld.
Scapegoats are pushed forward to the front and they get sacrificed for the “benefit” of the party.
Slowly the organization is taking on the role of the religion. As some shrewd writer had remarked some time ago religion is being replaced by the party and all its rituals are being re enacted with only the very perfunctory difference. Perhaps it is inevitable in a sense, because we are intimately linked to the motifs we are familiar with. They would emerge in one way or the other during the course of social evolution.
Living in our land at these times is not easy my friend, it gives us the heart sores.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Still Wild At Heart
Everybody likes wild beasts, albeit behind bars or behind a safe enclosure or in the very least from a safe distance. But in our land we do not keep much distinction between what is wild and what is not. This is not just because we are still very much an agrarian society, a few giant cities notwithstanding……
Our passions too are nothing short of the wild, for have anybody heard of an insensible desire to own and make use of the sons and daughters of the wild for making money without even considering the dangers involved: in this case the elephants. The strangest fact is that the government too takes a stake in it. Perhaps it is an established precedent and it would take some little while to change it. But that is what governments are for, is it not, to take unpopular decisions and implement them if necessary for the general well being.
All these thoughts came to me while going through the accounts of the destruction caused by tusker because he was really pissed of by something. It could be the behavior of his mahouts or it could have been anything else. He was loaned to a temple by another prosperous Temple for the annual festivities. He suddenly went berserk and chased his mahouts and others into the compound of a nearby house. The people took refuge inside the house and the tusker not liking it in the least, pulled the house down and some nearby buildings too. He went like that for some five hours or so, before being brought under control. Luckily he did not kill anybody on that day. But that is not a rare case at all.
Some of our greatest murderers are tuskers. Certain stars among them have a long and unblemished record in this business, killing every time they get furious. They are never taken to the court and tried and they have no untouchability because of that among the people. From the next day itself people approach them for blessings, and when they are running wild everybody is so delighted that they have a great time in running after the beast and watching the destruction in progress from a distance till it is finally tamed.
The poor beast provides great enjoyment, even when it kills. A little while ago a news channel showed us live the terrible mauling one of the mahouts was being subjected to, by the beast he had controlled till then. The incident was gory and blood curdling. The tusker was toying with the human being even after he was long dead. It makes a good news story no doubt, but it makes sorry viewing. I often wonder what prompts people to take up such jobs when there are several less deadly ones in the land and that too available. Perhaps it is the thrill of being the master of a big beast that is behind it.
The elephants are said to be intelligent animals. I suggest that they be taken to court every time they go wild and be tried. May be, just may be, they might get a hang of it and behave more decently towards us humans!
But the sorry thing is, most of these animals are being subjected to extreme torture by their masters to keep them under control and make them do things they do not want to do. When they break loose, the culprits in the torture incident, mostly the first mahout gets it very raw and very thorough.
We never learn our lessons do we?
Our passions too are nothing short of the wild, for have anybody heard of an insensible desire to own and make use of the sons and daughters of the wild for making money without even considering the dangers involved: in this case the elephants. The strangest fact is that the government too takes a stake in it. Perhaps it is an established precedent and it would take some little while to change it. But that is what governments are for, is it not, to take unpopular decisions and implement them if necessary for the general well being.
All these thoughts came to me while going through the accounts of the destruction caused by tusker because he was really pissed of by something. It could be the behavior of his mahouts or it could have been anything else. He was loaned to a temple by another prosperous Temple for the annual festivities. He suddenly went berserk and chased his mahouts and others into the compound of a nearby house. The people took refuge inside the house and the tusker not liking it in the least, pulled the house down and some nearby buildings too. He went like that for some five hours or so, before being brought under control. Luckily he did not kill anybody on that day. But that is not a rare case at all.
Some of our greatest murderers are tuskers. Certain stars among them have a long and unblemished record in this business, killing every time they get furious. They are never taken to the court and tried and they have no untouchability because of that among the people. From the next day itself people approach them for blessings, and when they are running wild everybody is so delighted that they have a great time in running after the beast and watching the destruction in progress from a distance till it is finally tamed.
The poor beast provides great enjoyment, even when it kills. A little while ago a news channel showed us live the terrible mauling one of the mahouts was being subjected to, by the beast he had controlled till then. The incident was gory and blood curdling. The tusker was toying with the human being even after he was long dead. It makes a good news story no doubt, but it makes sorry viewing. I often wonder what prompts people to take up such jobs when there are several less deadly ones in the land and that too available. Perhaps it is the thrill of being the master of a big beast that is behind it.
The elephants are said to be intelligent animals. I suggest that they be taken to court every time they go wild and be tried. May be, just may be, they might get a hang of it and behave more decently towards us humans!
But the sorry thing is, most of these animals are being subjected to extreme torture by their masters to keep them under control and make them do things they do not want to do. When they break loose, the culprits in the torture incident, mostly the first mahout gets it very raw and very thorough.
We never learn our lessons do we?
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Debacle
I hav’t seen Dhyanchand play, but he must have been a real magician with a hockey stick, even by Indian standards. Those were the times when hockey was played on natural turf, on real grounds. It was rumored that the introduction of artificial surface was intended to speed up the game and thus out maneuver the Asian teams who had wonderful natural skills to dribble the ball on normal grounds. Any how the game became visually pleasing by the introduction of Astro Turf. In the age of TV sponsorships such innovations may have to be expected. The Indian hockey went on a note of decline from that period onwards. The payers did not have the stamina to adopt to the new style of play and their opportunities were also limited in the early years of Astro Turf because we did not have many in the land to play on. All the upcoming players had to play on normal surfaces before being selected for the team and then graduate to Astro Turf when they play faster and fitter foreign teams on the alien surface. India was not alone in this. Pakistan faced the same problem. But they coped with it much better than we did.
But this year is the worst in the history of Indian hockey. Our teams in the past had faced humiliating defeats, but they have always managed to keep their nose just ahead to be in the reckoning for a spot in the finals of the most prestigious tournaments in the world like the Olympics and the world cup of hockey. This year changed all that. After a long 80 tortuous years we are finally out of the Olympics in the qualifying stages itself. The failure of the team does not come as a surprise. The team management was such that even a good team would find it difficult to gel together. These guys have been at the helm for far too long. They have not brought anything new to the team and still labor under the mistaken assumption that the players are talented enough to do it on their own against the best in the world.
The players too have come into a bit of money by sponsorships and the plethora of tournaments in the land. But they tend to forget their total lack of preparedness when playing the teams with better stamina and strength. Some of them take their place in the team for granted.
There is something very rotten in the management. But things are not going to improve by replacing the present one with a new one with the same credentials. Some people should sit and take stock of all that is happening in the game in this land and devise a pragmatic strategy to bring us out of this sorry plight. This could be done given the level of interest in the game at present in the land. Children with an interest in the game have to be picked at an early age and given the facilities to practice with best in the world. Find money for it with sponsorships or by state funding. This is the national game of the land, not just any game. We are spending enormous amount of dough to keep cricket in the fore front. The Board has money to throw away for spectacles and other functions. Why not devise a method by which some amount of the dough gets into the national game in some way, at least for improving the facilities in the land. I know it is difficult to make it happen. But a change in the whole concept of team management is imminent.
Come on guys our national prestige is at stake!
But this year is the worst in the history of Indian hockey. Our teams in the past had faced humiliating defeats, but they have always managed to keep their nose just ahead to be in the reckoning for a spot in the finals of the most prestigious tournaments in the world like the Olympics and the world cup of hockey. This year changed all that. After a long 80 tortuous years we are finally out of the Olympics in the qualifying stages itself. The failure of the team does not come as a surprise. The team management was such that even a good team would find it difficult to gel together. These guys have been at the helm for far too long. They have not brought anything new to the team and still labor under the mistaken assumption that the players are talented enough to do it on their own against the best in the world.
The players too have come into a bit of money by sponsorships and the plethora of tournaments in the land. But they tend to forget their total lack of preparedness when playing the teams with better stamina and strength. Some of them take their place in the team for granted.
There is something very rotten in the management. But things are not going to improve by replacing the present one with a new one with the same credentials. Some people should sit and take stock of all that is happening in the game in this land and devise a pragmatic strategy to bring us out of this sorry plight. This could be done given the level of interest in the game at present in the land. Children with an interest in the game have to be picked at an early age and given the facilities to practice with best in the world. Find money for it with sponsorships or by state funding. This is the national game of the land, not just any game. We are spending enormous amount of dough to keep cricket in the fore front. The Board has money to throw away for spectacles and other functions. Why not devise a method by which some amount of the dough gets into the national game in some way, at least for improving the facilities in the land. I know it is difficult to make it happen. But a change in the whole concept of team management is imminent.
Come on guys our national prestige is at stake!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Urbanisation
I have lived both in the rural and urban India’s, both seem the same to me. One of our well known poets wrote that “the City is morally poor and artificial while the countryside is full of unseen goodness” He wrote it sometime back. But to me the dissimilarities have certainly thinned out, and for the worse too. Now the rural India is as bad as the urban India, most of the urban goodies are available in the villages as well, at least in the places I have been in. It has obliterated whatever goodness the people in the villages may have had in the past. No wonder some advocate going back to nature…..
Cross cultural exchanges have one thing in common; they tend to cater to the worst elements in the human nature. I once asked a common man “why are people drawn towards evil?” He gave me an answer which I did not fully understand at the moment. He said “because people are intelligent” There of course was deep sense in what he said. It is intelligence which devises methods to enhance pleasure, and pleasure comes in many guises. I am not talking merely about the personal moral depravity we all have in us however polished we may look on the outside. This intelligent misuse of our social, economical, emotional environment goes much deeper than that. It is as if we have some sort of sanction to break all established norms. From whom, we may ask, from ourselves of course. We are the lords and masters of our own internal universes and we would not permit opposition to our supremacy.
I know that terms like “evil” and “goodness” are subjective and can be viewed from different perspectives. But I would like to place the right to live as the primary objective of all living things and everything which trims that right has to be viewed with suspicion. Cultural dominance is subtle and can not be perceived in action unless one is on the look out for it. There is no method to exclude lesser healthier elements in the dominant culture from operating, but being aware of them goes a long way in being prepared when the attack comes
Can we turn back rural India to what it was before globalization? NO. We can not and it has also brought several good things to the countryside in its wake.
The question remains, is this right direction to take? Well I do not know for one, there could be others more knowledgeable who can provide an answer.
Cross cultural exchanges have one thing in common; they tend to cater to the worst elements in the human nature. I once asked a common man “why are people drawn towards evil?” He gave me an answer which I did not fully understand at the moment. He said “because people are intelligent” There of course was deep sense in what he said. It is intelligence which devises methods to enhance pleasure, and pleasure comes in many guises. I am not talking merely about the personal moral depravity we all have in us however polished we may look on the outside. This intelligent misuse of our social, economical, emotional environment goes much deeper than that. It is as if we have some sort of sanction to break all established norms. From whom, we may ask, from ourselves of course. We are the lords and masters of our own internal universes and we would not permit opposition to our supremacy.
I know that terms like “evil” and “goodness” are subjective and can be viewed from different perspectives. But I would like to place the right to live as the primary objective of all living things and everything which trims that right has to be viewed with suspicion. Cultural dominance is subtle and can not be perceived in action unless one is on the look out for it. There is no method to exclude lesser healthier elements in the dominant culture from operating, but being aware of them goes a long way in being prepared when the attack comes
Can we turn back rural India to what it was before globalization? NO. We can not and it has also brought several good things to the countryside in its wake.
The question remains, is this right direction to take? Well I do not know for one, there could be others more knowledgeable who can provide an answer.
A very long jump
I was away visiting my village for the last few days, and in the mean time the SAF games was on in Kerala at its only metropolis. The biggest crowd is said to have turned up to watch Anju Boby George perform at the long jump pit, being its only real star. Should we thank her for being kind enough to participate in the poor mans games after being a big star in international arena! It seems so. She and her coach- husband are wont to offer all kinds of excuses for her poor showing in Olympics and other important meets. Some times dust is the villain and some times it’s something else. She was the world No.3 in her event at one time. Nothing is sadder than watching an athlete go through the motions not having the heart to compete at the highest levels of her chosen discipline….
Dearest, we do not want Olympic gold’s or the world championships, but we would like you to set the tracks alight on which you perform. We would like to see a real spark from you, so that others can dream of becoming something in their own fields. Be inspirational at least, be open and forthcoming, and do not hide from yourself and the world.
What we require are champions of heart, who can push themselves on by their own convictions, people like the great Muhammad Ali who was crazy enough to believe that he could beat an unbeatable George Forman
Anju dear you may not be the best around, you perhaps would never be able to upset the Russian trio, but yet put your whole heart into what you do, make the world say that you can do it.
There are no excuses for failures when you have reached three down from the top.
Dearest, we do not want Olympic gold’s or the world championships, but we would like you to set the tracks alight on which you perform. We would like to see a real spark from you, so that others can dream of becoming something in their own fields. Be inspirational at least, be open and forthcoming, and do not hide from yourself and the world.
What we require are champions of heart, who can push themselves on by their own convictions, people like the great Muhammad Ali who was crazy enough to believe that he could beat an unbeatable George Forman
Anju dear you may not be the best around, you perhaps would never be able to upset the Russian trio, but yet put your whole heart into what you do, make the world say that you can do it.
There are no excuses for failures when you have reached three down from the top.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Lathering Aussies
Oh my, who would have thought that Dhoni and company would pull this off! In case you do not know what I am talking about, Mahendra Sigh Dhoni is the new Captain the of Indian Cricket team, and the subject is the Indian Victory over the Aussies, the undefeated world champions in both the longer varieties of Cricket. It is still too early to say that India has come of age in world Cricket. But from what is happening, there is every chance that this team would give anybody the run for their money.
Forgive me the excitement, for this is unusual in the Indian Cricket, we won the 1983 world cup and the recent twenty 20 world cup, but never have risen to the stature of real world beaters. I know, I know, cricket is not a game followed by many, to some it is worse than say, golf, only a few countries in the world plays the game internationally at present, but all the same to a cricket addict such figures would never matter. To them the world means just a few national teams as far as cricket is concerned. Those who do not know the game and those who do not watch the game, well they will never realize the thrills this game, played for entire days together, can give to people .
Remember, Shelly wrote poems( Or just one poem at least) on the subject. Forget the words of George Bernard Shaw that cricket is a game played by eleven fools and watched by eleven thousand fools. Any one who have ever held a cricket ball, felt its leather, smelled the leather, held a bat in his hand, felt the shock on his hands after hitting a pleasing drive, can never forget the experience as long as he is alive. Even the controversies of match fixing has not dulled the interest and delight in the game.
Some say that cricket is a game invented by the British for the Indians, may be they are right!
Forgive me the excitement, for this is unusual in the Indian Cricket, we won the 1983 world cup and the recent twenty 20 world cup, but never have risen to the stature of real world beaters. I know, I know, cricket is not a game followed by many, to some it is worse than say, golf, only a few countries in the world plays the game internationally at present, but all the same to a cricket addict such figures would never matter. To them the world means just a few national teams as far as cricket is concerned. Those who do not know the game and those who do not watch the game, well they will never realize the thrills this game, played for entire days together, can give to people .
Remember, Shelly wrote poems( Or just one poem at least) on the subject. Forget the words of George Bernard Shaw that cricket is a game played by eleven fools and watched by eleven thousand fools. Any one who have ever held a cricket ball, felt its leather, smelled the leather, held a bat in his hand, felt the shock on his hands after hitting a pleasing drive, can never forget the experience as long as he is alive. Even the controversies of match fixing has not dulled the interest and delight in the game.
Some say that cricket is a game invented by the British for the Indians, may be they are right!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Be in motion
I know, I sort of committed to look into the subject of mind control yesterday. Yet there are times when we want to do something lighter and refreshing. So here are my thoughts for the day…….
First of all,I am an unashamed TV addict. I like movement of all sorts. The movement need not be orderly, it need not be synchronized, and it doesn’t have to be stylized. I like all sorts of movement, to me the highly stylized performance of a great dancer like Alarmel Valli( Bharathanatyam Dancer) and the moon dance of Michael Jackson are equally enjoyable. I will stick my head out and say that I am usually delighted to watch a crazy bum doing a totally chaotic dance for no purpose.
Yes I like movement, and I like TV and I used to play cricket and there were two games on TV yesterday involving Indian teams; the under 19 world cup at Kolalampur and the first match of the final of the triangular tournament in Australia. Both can’t be missed.
The games were great. The Sydney game in particular was a stunner, not in the sense of any dashing performances, but because one man decided to show what he was made of to the world. This man had been a teenage prodigy, a swash buckling batsman, a breaker of records, a real genius, at least by Indian standards, but his magic was waning, he was troubled by injuries, poor form, over work, and the passing of years. Like the fashion in the world he was being criticized for one and every thing which went wrong with the team. Some even say he only played for records. But on this day he stood like a colossus between Australia and an Indian defeat. He pulled off a good win for the team. I am sure if he had got out early in the innings the Indians would have succumbed to the pressure and lost the game.
He was surprisingly forth coming when talking to the press after the game, and he made it clear that he was out to make a point and made it as he wished. It was refreshing to hear him speak so for a change.
The Indian under 19 team won also, perhaps not very convincingly, but in the end it’s the victory that matters.
First of all,I am an unashamed TV addict. I like movement of all sorts. The movement need not be orderly, it need not be synchronized, and it doesn’t have to be stylized. I like all sorts of movement, to me the highly stylized performance of a great dancer like Alarmel Valli( Bharathanatyam Dancer) and the moon dance of Michael Jackson are equally enjoyable. I will stick my head out and say that I am usually delighted to watch a crazy bum doing a totally chaotic dance for no purpose.
Yes I like movement, and I like TV and I used to play cricket and there were two games on TV yesterday involving Indian teams; the under 19 world cup at Kolalampur and the first match of the final of the triangular tournament in Australia. Both can’t be missed.
The games were great. The Sydney game in particular was a stunner, not in the sense of any dashing performances, but because one man decided to show what he was made of to the world. This man had been a teenage prodigy, a swash buckling batsman, a breaker of records, a real genius, at least by Indian standards, but his magic was waning, he was troubled by injuries, poor form, over work, and the passing of years. Like the fashion in the world he was being criticized for one and every thing which went wrong with the team. Some even say he only played for records. But on this day he stood like a colossus between Australia and an Indian defeat. He pulled off a good win for the team. I am sure if he had got out early in the innings the Indians would have succumbed to the pressure and lost the game.
He was surprisingly forth coming when talking to the press after the game, and he made it clear that he was out to make a point and made it as he wished. It was refreshing to hear him speak so for a change.
The Indian under 19 team won also, perhaps not very convincingly, but in the end it’s the victory that matters.
Do you mind
Continuing with the last blog, what makes the mind so difficult to control? To know that, we may need to know what mind is! This is a difficult task, for there is no such organ in the human body. Some branches of modern psychology, for instance the behaviorism, do not talk about mind at all. It operates with a theory of stimulus-response. All behavior, whether internal or external, are reactions to stimuli and these are linked to the brain. Their contentions are not disputed here. They may be right or they may be wrong. The real matter is whether, this new line of approach has helped people. To be frank I very much doubt it. Eric Fromm et.al may have done some good work in the field. But Transactional Analysis has its own drawbacks. The foremost being, this self analyzing tends to bog us down. Such constant internal activity could become a source of trouble itself, but more about it later. Let us only say that people fancy the old fashioned psychological counseling to TA because it’s reassuring. It hands over the responsibility of locating the trouble to the psychologist, leaving us free to be crazy! And the psychologist deals with the mind exclusively.
Adolf Hitler shrewdly said that most people are like women and are easily led. In essence it means that people are dependent on others to think for themselves. All great leaders are aware of this fact. Human mind can not create independent thought waves. It relays on others to do that. It constantly receives thought streams from others and obediently fashions its own activity to suit these thought structures. Call it the activity of the brain, mind or anything, unless these incoming streams of thoughts are controlled and corresponding internal thoughts are stilled achieving peace could be impossible.
It is to attempt this that the whole science of Yoga was developed in India. I would like to look more into it, whether it can teach us something about the real nature of the elusive phenomenon called the human mind.
Adolf Hitler shrewdly said that most people are like women and are easily led. In essence it means that people are dependent on others to think for themselves. All great leaders are aware of this fact. Human mind can not create independent thought waves. It relays on others to do that. It constantly receives thought streams from others and obediently fashions its own activity to suit these thought structures. Call it the activity of the brain, mind or anything, unless these incoming streams of thoughts are controlled and corresponding internal thoughts are stilled achieving peace could be impossible.
It is to attempt this that the whole science of Yoga was developed in India. I would like to look more into it, whether it can teach us something about the real nature of the elusive phenomenon called the human mind.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Mind you,Its not easy
None are at peace with themselves and the world, you may think you are for a moment, but it wouldn’t last. This is the holy truth. That is why we run to the sages or alternately to the shrinks. Both won’t be able to help you, unless you help yourself. I had occasion to do a bit research on the subject and other than some medicines which completely shut off thoughts and thus relieve you of the pain you are feeling, there is nothing else in the market. Then I thought of looking into the older version of psychology namely the religious, some of them advice the constant thought of your savior or god and a firm belief in grace of god to compose yourself. Well I know it makes you shiver, this talk of God, so it does me! God is most anachronous thing in our times. And no wonder people are fed up with God; such are things that we see around us.
But there are versions of ancient psychology which disregards God altogether, this may come as a surprise to some of you but that is the honest truth. For instance in India there are six recognized branches of philosophy, only one of them admit the intervention of God in the scheme of things. The more ancient the works are the more broadminded they are. The earliest of these systems, the Samkhya system, does not talk about God at all, their theory being that the world was produced from the combination of consciousness and matter. We would not go into details, for our concern is finding a method to gain peace of mind.
Well the search was disappointing in this regard, I must say. The ancient Indians have analyzed the functions of the mind very thoroughly, the two methods they came up with to control it, although true, will not be very appealing to you. They call it “practice” and
“Keeping away from things” That is, you need to practice controlling your mind at all times (not very illuminating is it!) and you need to become disinterested towards the world in general (again an impossible task I must admit!). The great master who wrote the Yoga Sutras, the only dependable guide to yoga has emphasized that these are the only methods that there are, and of course I believe him.
The matter seems hopeless does it not?
But there are versions of ancient psychology which disregards God altogether, this may come as a surprise to some of you but that is the honest truth. For instance in India there are six recognized branches of philosophy, only one of them admit the intervention of God in the scheme of things. The more ancient the works are the more broadminded they are. The earliest of these systems, the Samkhya system, does not talk about God at all, their theory being that the world was produced from the combination of consciousness and matter. We would not go into details, for our concern is finding a method to gain peace of mind.
Well the search was disappointing in this regard, I must say. The ancient Indians have analyzed the functions of the mind very thoroughly, the two methods they came up with to control it, although true, will not be very appealing to you. They call it “practice” and
“Keeping away from things” That is, you need to practice controlling your mind at all times (not very illuminating is it!) and you need to become disinterested towards the world in general (again an impossible task I must admit!). The great master who wrote the Yoga Sutras, the only dependable guide to yoga has emphasized that these are the only methods that there are, and of course I believe him.
The matter seems hopeless does it not?
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