Rituals for people or people for rituals?

I remember one catchy line said by Mithun Chakraborty to Paresh in the film OMG "they are not God loving people , they are God fearing people" as the later tries to fight against "Act of God" .
The above line holds true for most of us. When we were kids we we asked to fold our hands in front of God or else face his wrath. In fear we used to do as was told.

I used to see my grandma being a widow, never used to touch any non veg food which she at one time loved dearly. She used to fast for every "amabasya" and then used to have some non cooked food like fruits etc. She was strict about not touching non veg also. My mother used to cook for us , clean the kitchen and then cook for her separately. All the non veg items should not touch any veg item. The utensils were not even barred.

Now when I was getting married I was asked to fast the whole day. I was made to eat at 5 am in the morning( I was feeling miserable eating at such time) and the remaining day I was made to eat only sweets or lassi. Damm. By the time I reached the mandap in the evening I was starved and feeling less energetic. I begged everyone to bring me some food. My elder brother brought a handful of pakoras and asked me to eat quickly. So I there was eating pakoras like a thief as if I am punished for getting married.

These are very common example that I have stated. We Indians follow loads of them almost everyday. Rituals are part of our lives. There are some rituals which we should follow whereas some are too much for us. Why do we need to fast the whole day twice every month? Just for pujas.What will happen if you do puja at your home? Will God not listen to you? Then why do you feed HIM everyday after bath? Why is a widow punished for someone who is no more? Why cant you live your life as before? As far as marriages are concerned we are told that in order to maintain good health fast that day. Comeon think about the sugar level getting dropped, the hunger pangs we get. How is that worth?

One collegueof mine says "We dont drink coconut water after sunset". Bewildered I asked the reason thinking it must be linked with acidity. But no her answer was something which lacked logic. "I am taught that way and I follow that".  I asked her instead "Is ritual for people or people are for rituals". Comeon drinking coconut water has nothing to do with Sun rise or Sun set. The Sun God is busy with other things. He is not perturbed by this. What gets perturbed is your system. It might not take it well as the metabolism slows down at that time.

But alas where there is logic there is no God and subsequently no rituals. So mainly the rituals are too much exaggerated. You follow some and do what you feel comfortable. God surely will not be angry on you. God is not vindictive. Love your God, love your religion but first love yourself. Dont sacrifice your health. Its not doing any good. Think about it. If you still cant get the answer I will utter like Shah rukh Khan "Rehn de..tu nehi samjhega".

 

Blogging - the journey I love

It all started some 7-8 years ago when a friend of mine studying in a elite college told me that he reads people's blog. He used to get unlimited internet connection in his hostel and was an addict. Bewildered at his words I asked "What is a blog?" When he told me about it I started reading few. I was studying Engineering and was not as fortunate as him to get an unlimited net connection. I had to coax the Airtel guy for not giving us proper 3G signal in our hostel (mind , in those days 3G was just launched and not every area had got it. If u get a 2G thats pretty good enough).

Back at home I used to stick to the computer chatting with him and surfing the various sites. There grew the urge to write my heart's content. I thought of giving it a try. I was not sure how to write and whether anyone will read it or not. As human beings we are always afraid to take the first leap. Once you are within it , your fear goes. I was tempted to write about my personal thoughts that too somewhere different from my diary.
There I went opening my 1st blogspot account and started with a movie review.

As years passed by the blogging continued. I enjoyed it thoroughly and its still my favorite pastime. The best part of it is I am not dutifully bound to it. People lack interest once anything becomes a duty. If any idea pops up in my mind I sit down and write it. Being moody I sometimes lost interest but that doesnt stop me from writing. I have invited people including my friends and colleagues to read and comment. Their honest criticism help me to look forward and improve.

In recent times people are more engaged in writing biographies and personal thoughts as a book hence the importance of blogging has  increased manifold. My best critic is my English Mam who read my blog posts and commented "Never give up on your passion dear." They say what your nature is will be reflected on your writing. I am too straight forward and believe in writing or talking to the point. Anything beyond that is something that can be ignored.

Coming to indiblogger I have found so richly talented people that its a complete pleasure sitting and reading their posts. Many are informative, some are funny , some are witty. I am amazed at the number of members this site has. It brings me sheer joy when I find people taking their time and reading my post or commenting.And with Indispire topics I am now never short of any topics to write my blog post. I dont write for all of them though( I am choosy about it).

For the last 7-8 years of blogging irrespective of any progress or improvement on my side I have just loved writing. Its just that I am the owner of my own kingdom and I can write whatever I like. The freedom and also boundless nature of blogging has given me the true essence of satisfaction.

The tagline of Indiblogger beautifully says "We blog therefore we are"....Happy blogging.

All about books

I am choosy about everything.Be it food,clothes,color even books. I read them all only if they are interesting enough to catch my attention . Once I am into it there is no leaving. As a book worm I read all type of authors. Some write great stories , some have great story writing style but the content is so-so.

To list down favorite author I would start with Agatha Christie. I am a fan of her books. The way she writes and solves a murder mystery is something which leaves me awe struck. I started her book with "The Crooked House" and then went on and on. She never disappoints me. Her detectives Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Mr Harley Quin, Tommy and Tuppence , Mr Parker Pyne are by far my most loved characters.

Then comes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Who can say no to Mr Sherlock Holmes. The suave writing and plots are something incomparable to any other mystery stories.

I must include my Harry Potter series. I am never too old not to read them again and again. I love them a lot and would love to read the 7 series of novel as and when I get time. I am in love with Harry, Ron & Hermione and have never missed any movie of them.

For Indian authors I have liked Chetan Bhagat but not fond of his writing now a days. He has the ability to hook the reader till the end but the content is not upto the mark. Ravinder Singh's books also has so-so content. What matters is the story and the way u r writing it.

A book is something I never regret to buy and build a library of my own. I carry my kindle everywhere and "I am never without a book". I love reading short stories if I cant complete my long novels. I thus reside in my own world most of the time.

Do you go looking for happiness?

Happiness - a term very important now a days. As a child I did not ponder much about this term as I did not encounter what a stressful life is. As with all of us, maturity and age brings a host of problems. You can avoid or resolve them but cannot deny. Amidst  such practicalities of life you have to be happy. Now thats  tough isnt it?

I was going through numerous health related articles where they mention that you have to sleep for 8 hrs, hang out with friends, eat right, exercise and God knows what else, to lead a "Happy" life. Inspired by it I started asking friends to go out on weekends. Most of them were busy many a times and I felt lonely. I exercised to be in shape and most of the days I did not enjoy it. I curse myself for being obese and again I cant let go my love to eat.

Then I found in an article that look inside you to find happiness. Now what does that mean? I am not happy. What will I do to make myself happy? Should I slap my boss and say that you are most weirdest guy I have ever met? Kill everyone whom I hate? This is possible only in dreams. In reality I will have to mingle with them no matter how much I curse them under my breath.

I discussed with a friend about this. Yes sometimes I do discuss some earthly things.  According to him no one is responsible for your happiness except you. Give up on the expectations. Your indifference will either matter to those who want to be with you or at least will help you having what you really want to do. Bang on.  I started dwelling in my own world. I mix with people but dont expect anything from them. If I need anything I would do it alone. All of those friends whom I used to call thousand times and who never cared to give me a call back was taken aback by my behavior. As I slowly moved away they asked me the reason for such behavior. I smiled and replied "I am too busy nowadays".

Happiness is ignoring the negativities of life. They will be there so dont bother. Move on with more confidence. Remember its your confidence and attitude which people fear. What you actually do is secondary. Depend only on you. Well I am no lecturer. But these are the simple things which we should remind ourselves from time to time. Live and let live. Dont go nosy about others. People dont like them. Sing, make merry and above all live. Dont think I will put on if I go for a chocolate bar or an ice cream which is too tempting. Its ok to treat your taste buds sometimes. Exercise to have a healthy body and mind but not when your body is against it.

Dont go looking for happiness. Find it in every small things like chitchat, cooking, singing, gardening etc. Be more creative and stop gossiping. And so I repeat "Live and let live".

Very short stories

After writing many a long prose the idea of short story tickled my mind. I personally love short stories than novels. Here's my first try at it.Do comment your thoughts. It will help me improve.

Story #1
With a mind full of thoughts about her busy schedule as she descends the stairs, a known voice which was not heard for long, calls her from behind and in a while all her past moments flashed in front of her eyes.

Story #2
 The curious child asks his older brother "Why did GOD create this world?" Confused by his question the older one smiled "well I guess he didnt have a choice."

Story #3
 The girl returned from school and called out "Mum, where's the food?" Little did she know that people die but habit remains.

How do you wish to be remembered as?

I was having a casual discussion with dad who had just returned from a "Smaran Sabha" (remembering a person who has died), of one of his colleague who passed by few days back. Dad was a bit gloomy as the thought of the inevitable loomed in his mind and made him realise that probably his danger time has started and one by one all his friends and relatives are bidding good bye.

I brushed up those thoughts immediately and started discussing something else. He then said that the uncle whose Smaran Sabha he has attended , was a man with acid tongue. No matter what he did, though genuine, did little to cut short his bitter tongue image. The people speaking on the Sabha tried their best to enclose his negative behaviour with a positive note yet that feeling which had hurt people was prominent from their words. I jokingly told my dad since the uncle is no more people are making this effort to sound their grievances as sweet as possible. Had he been alive they would have spoken only about the negativity.

This led me ponder as to how we would be remembered when we die. Surely we will not be there to witness everything , yet do we want people to remember us as a person who was jovial, sweet, loving, caring etc etc  or do we want us to be remembered for our anger, poor behaviour. As long as we live we care so much about our image but what happens when we die? Had that uncle been a little sympathetic towards people and had he not spoken ugly words, he shouldnt have been remembered like this.. Nobody is perfect but as they say words hurt more than physical assault, we can always choose our words wisely and think twice before speaking. This is not to say that we shouldnt take stand where necessary. Yes we should and its required. Again we can be only that much strict as required and always look at every possible aspect before giving our verdict. It would gain us people's respect and love.

Music Mania

Music is a part of our lives. It soothes your brain and calm it down, sympathises with your mood and relaxes you, acts as a medicine and help you to overcome grief. So on an so forth.

To describe the genre of music I would say I really dont have a fixed one. I like to listen to soft music mostly but during anxiety or joyful mood its the drumbeats that uplifts them. If I am at my singing class , classical music is what I feel I should rehearse more . I feel mesmerized by the sound of strings caused by the tanpura , the music of flute and never forget to thank the Almighty for this creations.

As I get stuck in the traffic while returning home the soft melodies of 80s and 90s never fail to grip me even I am thorough with their lyrics. Again I find myself dancing to the beats of the sound when I am in a jolly mood. This reminds me of a friend who relaxes mostly by plugging her earphones and dancing to the tune. Sad songs are another favourite of mine. I find great depths of emotions, voice and lyrics in them. It makes you think and related to your personal life.

Music has no limits, no bounds, no gender, no religion. It is simply wonderful in its own way. The day I am writing this post is Saraswati Puja and as an offering to God I simply pulled out my harmonium and sang whatever I felt like. It made my soul enriched with a sense of comfort and pleasure.