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.... instead of burning my money on firecrackers during Diwali (probably inflicting burn wounds on someone in the process), I were to donate the same money and time to cure a poor child of the burns she has suffered?
.... instead of splurging on Ganesha idols (which will end up at the
bottom of a pond anyway) and feeding him umpteen varieties of eatables , I were to feed a hungry child with the same money?
.... instead of literally wasting money and resources during every festival (and we have no dearth of festivals - do we?), I were to do something constructive which has timely relevance (for example, do something for the Bihar flood victims right now)?
Festivals are meant to be kind of family reunions - which is all the more relevant in today's scheme of things - where families are scattered everywhere. Festivals are meant to be occasions for middle class people to indulge in a little materialism - like purchase new clothes for children, gift yourselves a TV/fridge/vehicle.
Alas! The original meaning and intention have dissolved totally. Festivals are now a question of who splurges more. I want my Ganapati idol to be bigger and more lavishly decorated than my neighbours'. I want to show off to the whole village that I burst the maximum firecrackers during Diwali. It is a competition.
I have decided that I am going to celebrate festivals in their original spirit. I wonder whether the Gods would brand me an atheist and punish or curse me for doing so ..... !!!!
In this very thought-provoking series on Mutiny.in, a person who is half-Hindu and half-Muslim writes about how he wishes each of these religions to be perceived by the world. The first post looks at issues from a Muslim's point of view, while the second part of the article is a Hindu's view of things. Extremely well-articulated. If all (or even a majority) of people on both sides of the "divide" start thinking this way, then most of the problems, differences and animosity would be solved! Looking forward to an India resplendent in communal harmony. JAI BHARAT.
There is a popular dialogue in the Amitabh Bachhan-starrer Bollywood movie - Hum. It goes like this:
इस दुनिया में दो तरह के कीडे होते हैं - एक गन्दी नाली का कीडा और एक समाज का कीडा. गन्दी नाली के कीडे के लिए बाज़ार में spray मिलता है .. लेकिन समाज के कीडे के लिए कोई spray नहीं है.
[Literal Translation: Two types of cockroaches exist in this world - one which breed in gutters; and the other society-bred. The gutter-pests can be controlled by sprays available in the market. However, no such extermination means are available for the societal worms]
Its interesting how this dialog relates to the corporate world. Here's my adaptation of the same:
इस दुनिया में mistakes के दो कारण होते हैं - एक Inexperience से उभरने वाला; और एक incompetence से उगने वाला. पहले तरह के mistake को सुधारा जा सकता है; लेकिन दूसरी तरह की गलती के लिए कोई इलाज नहीं है.
[Translation: In this world, mistakes may occur for 2 reasons:
- Out of Inexperience
- Out of Incompetence
The first kind of mistakes can be reduced by experience; however there is no cure for the blunders of the second category.] I wonder by what magnitude it would benefit the nation as a whole if the incompetent lot were weeded out - both from the government circles and equally importantly; from the corporate world.
This is a very interesting (and disturbing) story. It is a true life story about a guy I know. We are talking about a professional who has spent the most of the last five months abroad on business. He occasionally comes home and one would be forgiven for mistaking him for a guest at his home! Read on ….
In the past five months, his father has been doing all his “official work” for him – right from paying phone bills to doing paperwork for their property. At an age when he should be serving his father; his father is serving him!!! But, he says his hands are bound – “Duty Beckons”, he says.
In the past five months, he has never taken his mother shopping. “I don’t have time to go shopping with you – why don’t you go on your own? I will give you my card”, he says. Upon being told that it’s not his money that his mom wants; but his company; he retorts saying he’s “busy” – The Call of Duty is his excuse.
He has not visited his village for more than a year now. Why should he? After all, he’s this big shot who’s flying around the world, living out of a suitcase. Don’t you know his profession, his Duty, demands more of his time? Village and relatives can wait.
In the past five months, he has missed every single important occasion in his dearest friends’ lives – weddings, engagements – everything, without the slightest hint of guilt. He has never been there when his friends needed him. “Sorry buddy, I’m too busy with my profession.”
In the recent past, he has completely ignored his resolution of doing something for under privileged children. The last time he did anything for them was more than eight months ago. He has all but forgotten about his responsibility towards his motherland, his country. Why would he? He’s touring the world on the pretext of his professional Duty. Country, society, underprivileged children – they all are not as important as his Duty, are they?
In the past few months, he has put his hobbies on the backburner. He has not posted a blog in the past 4 months; and he hasn’t done any serious photography for as long as he can remember. But hey, who’s got time for some dumb hobbies? He’s a professional. His Duty takes precedence over all these irrelevant things.
Well, well. Our professional sure does sound like a villain doesn’t he? I think I need to admonish this guy – or at the very least, ask him a question or two.
Mr. Professional, here are some questions for you.
- Isn’t taking care of your parents and keeping them happy your first and foremost duty?
- Don’t you know your business, profession is temporary, but your relatives will be there forever?
- Don’t you think it is your duty as a friend to be with your friends on the most important days of their lives? Don't you know the only way to have true friends is BE ONE?
- How can you forget your responsibility towards your country? You, the youth of the country, MUST play an important role in shaping its future. What happened to all the commitment you made towards the children who are the future of the country?
- Is it not your duty, too, to set aside time for your hobbies, interests and passions? Especially since some of your passions have the potential to make a difference in others’ lives?
Mr. Professional, it is high time you get your priorities right. You have to decide which duty comes first – the duty that pays, feeds and clothes you; or your duty and responsibility towards family, friends, country and society. Signing off with the hope that you choose sensibly.
Today has been a very satisfying day for me. I participated in an event called “Run For Hope”, organized by Lovedale Foundation. It was just a 5-km run intended to raise funds for constructing a school for the under-privileged children, the funds coming in the form of registration for the event.
The run itself was not anything special. It started around 9 am from Vittal Mallya road and terminated at the same place after about 35-40 mins. The event, attended by hundreds of Bangaloreans, was flagged off by Kannada film actor Ramesh Arvind. Good to know that the stars are involved in such noble causes. At first, I was kind of put off by the media presence at the venue; but later thought it’s a good way of spreading the word. After all, more the publicity such a foundation gets, the better.
I must say I had underestimated the effort it would take to run for 5 kms. I found myself constantly getting tired. I must have covered around 15-20% of the distance walking rather than running.
Throughout the run, I kept asking myself the same question again and again – Was participating in this run worth it? I mean, have I made a significant difference, or any difference at all?
My questions were answered when I completed the run and entered the playground from where we had started. About 20 kids from the foundation were there, clapping and cheering the runners to the finish. One boy of around 9-10 came up to me, offered me a Dairy Milk chocolate, and said “Thank You uncle”. And I must say I have never felt so proud before! This was a “thank you” coming from a kid who has been through a lot of turmoil at a very young age. The kids at the foundation are children of HIV+ parents, some abandoned, some previously exploited. At this tender age, they have faced fear, loneliness, uncertainty, exploitation – they have experienced it all. So a “thank you”, uttered by this boy on behalf of the entire bunch of kids, was nothing short of the greatest compliment ever given to me.
I am happy that I finally got a chance to do something that I have been advocating for a very long time. I just hope that this continues. After all, Hope was today’s central theme wasn’t it? Hope for the children; Hope for their future.
As I said at the beginning of this post – Today, the day I ran for hope, has been a very satisfying day for me.
This is a really encouraging example of children showing the way. This story is about Girish Koushik and Kishan Srikanth. Girish, a 10 year old boy from Mysore; is the Under-10 world chess champion. Until recently, he was considering quitting the sport. Reason – paucity of funds; and the (very unsurprising) apathy on the part of the Govt. You can read about it here When Girish and his family had all but given up hope, they found help from unexpected quarters – from another child prodigy! An article titled “Children help little chess champ” appeared on Page 1 of the 23rd May Bangalore edition of The Times Of India (I am saying this because I did not find any corresponding article online). The article says that Kishan (a 10 yr-old who holds the Guinness World Record for youngest film director), has chipped in to mobilize funds for Girish. Kishan has appealed to friends in school to contribute their “one month’s pocket money” for Girish’s cause. Kishan has also suggested TOI to set up a Genius Foundation Fund to help not only Girish, but also other talented children. The foundation’s main source of funding would be pocket money contributed by children. Kishan has been able to collect about 15 thousand rupees – an amount that may not suffice Girish for even one month, if he has to get proper coaching and other facilities. However, some corporates have shown interest in sponsoring Girish in the future. But that’s not the point, is it? The point is, children showing the state government how things can be achieved, provided the goodwill exists. A 10 year old child has done what the Government has failed to do. Or rather, a 10 year old shown that focusing on things that really matter will lead to a win-win situation (someone pleas explain this to the government!). I’d also like to add here that the movie which Kishan directed is called “C/o Footpath” and is about under-privileged street children. Another example of children taking up the cause of society. This is immense good news – it paints a very bright picture of the days to come. As I keep saying, children of today are the future of this country. And if the children of today consist of the Kishan’s and the Girish’s, then the future of our country is in good hands. Hats off to Kishan. Hope he inspires other people (kids and adults) to do something similar. And all the best to Girish for his future. Looking forward to the days when the grown-up Kishan’s and Girish’s will be the face of India. Jai Bharat.
It was a cold morning in New Delhi. I was travelling in an auto. The rickshaw stopped at a traffic signal; and a very cheerful-looking child beggar approached me. Having recently read this article which talks about parents almost forcing street children to beg, my mind was in a dilemma - whether to give alms or not. As a matter of principle, I avoid giving alms to beggars who I think are capable of doing some "work". Only if I see very old people or a beggar with an infant in tow do I consider giving alms.
Anyways, I was still contemplating whether to give alms, and if so, how much to give. But what the boy said caught me completely unawares. He was not interested in money at all. "Bhayya, thoda paani de de re". The kid was begging me to give him water!!. It took me a moment to realize that he had seen the mineral water bottle in my hand. I was stunned. Throwing all logic right out the window, I wordlessly handed over the bottle to the child. Forceful begging or not, how could I refuse to give water? He was overjoyed at receiving the bottle. He did a little victory dance of sorts and proudly displayed his prize to other kids at the signal, before disappearing into the crowd.
The signal changed to green and I moved on. But the image remained in my mind for a few days afterward. A thousand thoughts raced through my mind. Had the kid been genuinely needy or thirsty? If so, the situation of the poor in our country is worse than I had imagined. I mean even beggars are entitled to atleast one proper meal a day and in any case sufficient water to drink! On the other hand, had the child asked for water simply because he had seen the bottle (had he become a real kid for just a brief moment)? In which case, had I done the right thing by giving the water after all?
It beats me as to why do children have to be forced to beg!! Probably because begging earns more money than doing petty jobs? For one, children in India are made to work for half the wages (compared to an adult); but a child beggar can probably "earn" much more than an adult (the sympathy factor). This also gets us to the topic of child labour; but I think this topic merits a separate post, so I'l reserve it for another day. Coming back to the current topic, what the parents dont see are that if the kid goes to school instead of wasting his childhood in begging, he'l probably get a proper "job" and in the long run. But alas! the illiterate parents live for the present; and are not future-thinking.
In any case, this whole though-process seems to have come to a nought since I still dont have an answer to my question - If I see a child begging, do I give alms or not? Am I helping a child (a future citizen of the country) by giving some small change? Or is it an irresponsible act which will only harm the future? Now-a-days I seem to be only coming up with questions rather than answers; I seem to be posing more problems and solving less of them!
My friends - Ashish, Shweta, Shashank and Resha suggested to me that we begin the new year with a visit to SOS Children's Village at Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore. SOS is basically a non-profit organization committed to helping children in need. I had heard much about the place and was longing to visit it, so I jumped at the idea. I can summarize the experience in one word - humbling. We reached the pla  ce around 1 pm. What struck me immediately about this place was that it seemed so much more peaceful than its surroundings (Bannerghatta Road is as far from "peace" as is possible). We were shown around the village by a gentleman who doubles up as the escort. We were bombarding the escort with questions regarding the foundation, its goals and its functioning all the time. This was the first time I was visiting an orphanage, and frankly, I had no idea what to expect. Srijith, the escort, told us that the village has 16 houses, each with 8-12 children and at present, there are 150+ children. Each house has a "mother", and children across all age groups. We visited 2 of the houses and met with the children. The women apparently undergo 5 years of training before they take over as mothers in the villages. The experience inside the houses was the highlight of the visit for me. It felt so good to see the cheerful faces of children whom fate had dealt such a cruel blow. They mingled so well with us. The younger children were very excited to have visitors. They showed us around the house, jumping and dancing around all the while. The kids attend schools, music classes, dance classes, sports and what not. The sponsorship model is such that each individual or corporate contributor sponsors one particular child. Contributions need not be monetary - there are people who volunteer for activities like teaching during weekends and the like. We had been told that the main objectives of the SOS village were that the children should never feel they are orphaned, they should be able to live a normal life, just like any o  ther child, that they should grow up to be responsible citizens of the nation. We got to see this first-hand. The feeling of oneness among the kids is evident. They really do live like a family of brothers and sisters. We also met one girl, a former resident of SOS Village, who has now secured a job! One feels so happy hearing such encouraging news. After spending more than an hour with the kids, and clicking a few snaps, it was time to say goodbye. As I came out of the gates, my mind was a mix of emotions. At first, I felt sad and sorry for the children, for they have been through lot of grief and sorrow at such a young age; but then I felt happy that there are people who care. People who have dedicated their entire lives for the sake of such children. What a way to start a new year! Special thanks to my friend who introduced me to such a place. SOS Children's Village deserves to be commended for this exemplary show of humanity and brotherhood, at such a large scale. The thousands of selfless volunteers and teachers deserve all the respect one can give. Hats off to SOS, hats off to all those volunteers. I shall consider myself a worthy citizen if I can emulate even a fraction of what they have done. Signing off on a hopeful note - Hoping for a continued bright future for all underprivileged children.
Recently, my friend, who's been blogging for quite some time now, hit upon the idea of starting a blog magazine. BlogSarovar is the result of this brainwave. It has started off with 5 members (including me :-), each of us specializing in certain category of writing. We hope to increase the membership as well as the readership gradually. Expect this blog magazine to host posts related to anything and everything - movie and book reviews, politics, finance, sports, lifestyle, society and so on.
The idea of this magazine is to channelize our individual writing talents and pool them together. This way, we can synergize our thoughts and our energies, thus improving the quality and content. This will help us reach a wider audience.
I still hope to continue maintaining my present personal blog too, where I shall post topics which I feel are not relevant to the magazine, but still relevant to society. Depending on the number such posts I churn out, I shall take a decision later whether to abandon this blog and concentrate fully on BlogSarovar, or to continue with this blog too.
I had a really really strange dream a few days back. In the dream, I was acting in a movie ! Well, to be technically correct; I was not acting, but watching the premiere of the movie in which I had acted. The movie, titled "Of Ambition and Contentment" was about 2 friends Ram and Shyam. Since it was a dream, the story and all is a bit hazy.. but I'll try my best to put things as I remember them. In the movie, I play the role of Ram, an average, middle class Indian family-bred, 21st century, guy in his mid-twenties; who is a total all-rounder in life (alas! this happens only in movies and dreams). Was exceptionally well in studies during school time, champion sportsman, talented guitarist and what not. Graduated with flying colours, got his masters with flying colours! Even now, this guy is doing well in his job, much better than his peers. Now Ram wants to take the next logical step: go for his Ph.D. He has worked for a couple of years and now he thinks he has had enough of work, and wants to do some real learning and research. The other character in the movie is Shyam. He too has an excellent academic background. And he is multi-talented too (This is always the case with movies na? The central characters are always good at everything. And I've got so used to such characters, I'm even dreaming them!). Anyway, Shyam has completed his bachelors degree and is comfortably settled in his job. He never did his masters, so he's been working for 5+ years now. One fine day, when the 2 friends meet up, their discussion meanders to the topic of the futures of their respective professions and their personal future too. This conversation is the only thing from the dream which is crystal-clear in my memory. It went something like this: Ram (Me): Hey Shyam, buddy, so what have you planned for the future? Shyam (startled): What?? Are you by any chance talking about my marriage to {XYZ} ? C'mon man, I've just gotten into a relationship with her; marriage is not on the cards as of now. Me: No no.. I was not talking about marriage at all. I was referring to your career. Shyam: What about it? Me (Taken aback by his nonchalance): Well, don't you have any plans? Like a change or something? Shyam (Now taking a keen interest in the discussion): Change? I'm not sure I follow you. Me: I'm talking about a job change dude. Or about your plans for further studies. Shyam (In defensive mode): What are you talking about man? I'm not thinking about any such thing , atleast for a couple of years. Me (shaking my head): Don't give me that bullshit. You MUST have considered a change. You have been in the industry for 5 years already man. Shyam: Why would I think about anything like that? I am loving my job. I earn a decent salary. My career path has been shaping up well. Why on earth would I think about changing? Me (Slightly irritated): Wake up dude! All this loyalty-stuff is not going to help you in the long run. There's a limit to how high you can climb with your current form. You HAVE to do either jump or go for higher studies to get more lucrative offers. And what happened to all that real learning you wanted to do? Shyam: Look pal, I own a house in a metro, I drive an upmarket car, I've "been there, done that"; and all this at such a young age. I am also in a steady relationship. What more could I possibly ask for? And regarding learning; well I believe I'l learn as much during 2 years of work as I would in 2 years of higher studies anyway. True, it will not be research-oriented learning; but I think I can live with that. Thank you. Me (In Lecture mode): Hah! I know why you are saying all this. You are earning well and without too much pressure. You have developed your own cocoon - your comfort zone. You're hesitant to come out of it. You are afraid that if you switch jobs, you may come under more pressue. And you shiver at the thought of studying because it would mean a break in earnings. I'm sorry to say this, but you're just too lazy. Come on Shyam. Don't give up your dreams so soon. What about all the ambitions you had? Let me tell you man, its ambition which results in every human's growth in their career and life. As long as you are ambitious, you have a target to walk towards. You lose ambition, you lose direction in life. Just think about all our peers who gave up their jobs to pursue careers which they were passionate about. You dont have to do that because I know you are already in a career you are passionate about. Just give it proper shape yaar. Dont lose sight of your goal. You are capable of doing lot more than what you are currently doing. After all, during school days, you were the one who inspired me. (Ending my speech with a triumphant smile; hoping I stirred him) I'l never forget what Shyam said next. Shyam (looking me straight in the eye): If I keep running after ambitions, I'l never be content with life. Today it's about earning ever-increasing salaries. Tomorrow it'l be about social status or job status. Every time I achieve one "goal", I'l immediately start looking forward to the next step in the ladder. So when will I be satisfied in life? On my death-bed? I was totally stumped with what I had just heard. However, Shyam dint give me a chance to ruminate. He continued. Shyam: Look, I agree that we should not stunt our career growth if we feel we can do something more. I am not one to lie down and be content with whatever life gives me. But, right now I am content with whatever I have earned, whatever I have worked hard for; not what has just casually come my way. If at some point of time I feel my talent is being wasted, I will definitely look for a change. But as of today, I am content with everything in life. Now, I want to spend some time and effort on other things in life; like family and friends. And my social responsibility. All this while, I have spent all my time on myself, my education, my career. Now its time to do something for others. I just realized how involved I have been in my career and ignoring my near and dear ones. Its been months since I even spoke to my grandparents on phone, let alone meet them. I recently met a friend after a long time and realized how out of touch I have been with friends. I called up a few friends that day (yourself included), and that made me feel happy inwards. Coming back to the topic, you are right about the ambition part Ram. But I want to strike a balance between ambition and contentment. Me (Fumbling for words): Well, Uh..yes.. you may be right.. but..Uhmm..I still feel you can have the best of both worlds.. like.. At that moment, Shyam's phone started ringing; and I realized it was the alarm. I woke up but remained in deep-thought-mode for a few minutes. However, I just could not reach a conclusion. I hate it when I am presented with two mutually exclusive options, both of which sound right; and to make matters worse, no "correct" option is identified or no conclusion is reached!
Disclaimer: This is my personal blog. All the views and opinions expressed on this blog are entirely my own and do not reflect the views of my employer, organization, relatives, friends, acquaintances or any other person/entity.
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