Symbolism and the Indian mindset !

We Indians have perfected some arts. There is nobody in the world, like us urban Indians, especially the Mumbaikars, who can thrive on speed. Or rather haste. We can make sense out of total cacophony, of noise, pollution, local trains, rickshawalas who refuse to come where we want to go etc. Conversely, we can also get completely lost in a peaceful, quiet and ordered environment, where we do not have to run behind time. Such is the life we lead where we choose to be on the move continuously. Think of the next plan before completing the current one. And this life of running to reach our every changing goals, and some times, running to even stay in the same place, has given rise to a form of symbolism that is distinctly Indian. Or even distinctly Mumbaikar. It is as much symbolism as hypocrisy, one can say. But giving the benefit of doubt to us, I would say it is just self-appeasment and self-satisfaction. Are you wondering whether I am just trying to make a fool out of you by weaving some random words together? If so, then picture this.


Traditionally, we Indians begin our day by bowing down to the Sun god, and end our day by chanting the prayers of some other God. Throughout the day, at various stipulated time intervals, we are traditionally supposed to offer obeisance to assorted deities. But the pace of our life does not allow us to indulge in such religious activities on a daily basis, forget sticking to the times. We could let go of them, but no. Our mindset doesn't allow these rituals to be cast aside, fearing the wrath of God almighty. And some times that of the elders in our family. So then, what does one do? One conveniently remembers to bow down before God before important exams, filling important documents, buying new appliances, certain festivals etc., not to forget the silver foil on the pedha, which is fasting on certain days. I seriously don't get the concept of apparently 'fasting' where in fact one consumes copious amounts of sabudana [sago] items and other sundry 'fasting' foods. We have collectively managed to reduce religions to a level of mere symbolism. The God fearing populace has succeeded in trivialising the Almighty. Ah what a blasphemy!


Moving on, literally, let us notice our own actions at the end of a long tiring day in college or after work, when we board a jam packed fast local and face atleast 30 minutes of commuting. We storm inside, tred on peoples' toes and more, 'book' a seat at the next station [if lucky] or go with the next best option i.e. sitting '4th seat' or even '5th seat'. [Some ultra thin people manage that to my never-ending amazement. Being blessed with a rather large proportion, I do not claim to do it.] What, one might wonder, does one achieve by touching just a tiny bit, some times mere centimeters of one's posterior to the hard wooden seat? In fact, the cramped position creates a more uncomfortable situation [and gives one muscular thighs] but the illusion of having sat down after a long day gives one as much mental satisfaction as plopping one's rear end firmly on a sofa. Again, symbolism at work here.


We don't show symbolism in any other thing as much as we show in that one necessary yet utterly hateful aspect of everyday life- cleaning. When done by others, it must be done to such perfections that even a speck of dirt must not be visible. But when one has to move one's own lazy *** to do it, one again resorts to symbolism. Observe the roadside stallwala dunking the dirty plates in a bucket full of even dirtier water and claiming them to be spick and span. Or your household help just swatting at the floor with a broom when she thinks no body is watching. Or even one's own behaviour in the lab of trying to achieve cleaning of the apparatus with least effort [that too after the lab assistant shouts at one], in a bid to get out fast. Lack of time, or the presumed lack of it, are the reasons given for the above actions.


The last example I would like to give is some thing close to the hearts of all those who are and have been students. Symbolism in punishment. Santosh Desai states in his book, and I heartily agree, that suspension is a form of punishment invented for the sole purpose of delaying any constructive action. Till now, I have not been able to come up with any answers as to how it has helped reform the erring individual or to correct his mistakes. By most people, and not just students, it is seen as merely a 'cooling period' which would erase their acts from public memory. Similarly, the punishment of 'writing lines' given in most schools is a mystery to me. Wasting precious paper, ink and ATP in writing the same lines over and over again seems to have no apparent benefit except excersize to the arm and a slight improvement in handwriting.


If you take a moment to think about it, I am sure you can come up with dozens of such examples from your life and surroundings. It will only serve to reinforce the fact that symbolism has crept in and started eating into our minds because we have become so wrapped up in our busy lives. I shudder to think of the inevitable day in the future, when living itself attains symbolic levels.

 

A vacation that served to rejuvenate me and on which I ended up having the most fun that I have had for quite some time, is symbolised by this picture.
It was exactly like what this shows- A stormy sea swathed in pseudo-calmness given to it by the cool winds blowing along with the tang of salt in them. I, like the lonely ship, battling through it all, chopping and swaying precariously but still managing to stay afloat, catch some fish, enjoy the sights. Wanting to reach the land, for fear that the huge sea is a mirage, but dreading it at the same time, because here on the sea I was free to explore my mind and catch as many whiffs of the salty air as I want, but there on the ground, awaited the responsibility of cleaning, cooking and eating the fish. I had exams to face the moment I got back. I wanted to meet them head on and prove myself and get them over with, but I also wanted to linger for a moment longer, just until the sun got down. Just until the stars filled the sky. Just until the moon lit up the way home. Just until I could close my eyes and capture that scene in my mind's eye, once and for all.
Just one picture, clicked probably nonchalantly, but the range of feelings it hid within. Sort of shocks me too.

A vote of thanks usually follows some kind of great event, and heartfelt acknowledgements are generally given after some kind of achievement. Right at this present moment, neither has some great event just occurred, and nor have I achieved any thing of note. So I think this is the perfect time to thank some people, who have, directly or indirectly, supported me, influenced me, loved me and been with me through thick and thin, over all these years. The reason why I think this is the perfect time is because I want to acknowledge them for no special reason. I don’t want the reason to overshadow my thanks. So here goes…

My parents- For being my support-system, disciplinarians, guides, teachers and recently, for being my friends.

My sister- For always reminding me that some body looks up to me, and hence I have a responsibility towards them as well.

My grandparents- All of whom are the rocks on which our family rests. I am proud of my educated, liberal and intellectual heritage.

My childhood caretaker Vanita bai- For making sure I was well-cared for in the absence of my mom. May you rest in peace.

My cousins- Mayuresh, for filling my childhood with lots of laughter and joy.
Archana, for being my books-buddy.
Amit, for teaching me to play cricket and all the long summers spent playing in Baroda.
Nachiket, Neha, Jai, Shreeya, Rucha, Isha, Viraj and Pushkar, for being living reminders of the concept of extended family.

My maasi and masa- For making Baroda my ‘home away from home’ during the vacations. And masa, thanks especially for the amazing smses.

Manali- In whom I found not only a friend, but also the strength to make it through the tough times and the will to fight hard. No happiness is complete until I share it with you and no grief is lessened until you tell me it will be alright.

Viviktesh- For being my friend for almost 17 years now. The bad times have changed our equation but the essence of our friendship will always remain intact. Also, thanks for introducing me to interesting science.

Pratik- For being the reason I smile and the reason I seethe with anger, alternately. Our equation is such that it will equal to zero one day and 100 the next day, but for me, it will always be a Nobel Prize winning one.

Hazel- For making me realize that dogs are wonderful creatures and giving me a place in your doggy heart. You may be Manali’s bitch but you are my pet.

Shruti- For being a great friend, an amazing conversationalist and for always being there to talk whenever I want a laugh or to just share my thoughts. I really miss you ever since you’ve moved.

Rashmi- For singing your ‘silent songs’ in my poor ears from 8th to 12th standard. Those years were super-fun and I will always keep calling you ‘bhabhi’.

Aakrutee and Ruchi- For completing my drawings and helping me pass in the subject in school. Also, for being such good friends.

Chandrahas- For all those wonderful conversations and words of advice. I hope you will realize soon that you are a wonderful person and you deserve more than you expect.

Jui, Tejal, Girish, Pranoti, Shree, Ameya and Nikhil- All of you together made the school days really memorable and one of the best times of my life. I hope we all stay together for years to come and every New Year is brought in with as much fun as has become the norm.

Shruthi- For tolerating me every single day for almost 2 years now. For being the biggest reason I get through the tough days in college and the person I love to share all the great days with, the most.

Akshata- For always taking my taunts sportingly, for being a really fun, reliable person, always coming to eat out and sharing the rickshaw fare.

Divya- For that maniacal laugh that is just so infectious and for clearing our OC doubts.

Nimi- For choreographing our dances and more importantly, for making all of us cartoons dance with perfect co-ordination.

Shelly- For being my fellow bhukkad.

Hiba- For sharing my love of books.

Ashwini- For always being upbeat and introducing me to Max.

Sindhu- For always being an active part of our group.

Priyanka- For being another bhukkad and for all the fun ‘bum bum bole’ steps.

Kamu- For giving me a little tension when I take things too lightly.

Priti- For teaching me to eat raste ka bhel and being the ‘jerry’ in the ‘tom and jerry show’ and entertaining us all the time.

Dipti- For the phone conversations and for bearing with my fits of anger.

Khushboo- For being a calm and cool listener, and a great support.

Siddharth and Aniket- For all the fun we have between lectures.
Manisha, Aniket and Chetan- For being my lab partners and partners-in-crime.

My school and college teachers, especially;
Asmita teacher, Sathe teacher, Pranoti teacher, Sahay teacher, Wakankar madam, Padhye madam and Sarnaik aji- For guiding me through school.

Anita Ayre madam, Kunal sir, Dube sir, Nilesh sir and Pradnya madam- For being excellent teachers and also helping us organize the college events so well.

Deboshree- For being a wonderful GS and a very supportive senior. You have set us a great example.

Rashmi- For always being ‘khushmisaj’ and a very helpful senior.

Advait- For making me realize that a ‘hangover’ can remain for a very long time and an ‘ice-cream’ does not necessarily have to melt. The practice match is proving to be pretty good though the overs seem a little less.

And finally, a big thank you to God for giving me this wonderful life and giving me the ability to love and express it.

Is Luck by Chance ?!

We give Lady Luck a lot of significance in our lives..! India winning or losing a match, the fate of apne ilaake ka candidate, our journals not getting certified, getting lousy marks in a certain subject, being hammered for 6 sixes in a gully cricket match, a movie clicking at the box-office, a Star shooting to fame in whatever field..and us missing the train by one second...we attribute everything, we can't or don't want to explain, to Luck.

The big question though..is Luck by Chance ?! Or is it by design ?! What I mean to say is, is Luck just an unexplained charm that is cast on somebody for no reason...or is it a direct result of your actions and thoughts ?! Our answer to this question determines whether we believe we have control over our life...or we just live each day without thinking of the bigger picture !

I believe Luck is no bolt from the blue. It is a result of our Karma. As you sow, so shall you reap. By thinking this way, we can stop passing the buck to the invisible forces that control our life. If we believe that what we get is what we deserve, we will start retrospecting...we will learn to judge our actions..good or bad...and our thoughts...positive and negative...and the buck will rightly stop at us.

If all of us start taking responsibility for our situation...we will realise that only we can change it. And once we stop the blame game, and start making positive differences to our life...we will start seeing the change in our luck. How amazing will it feel to enjoy a success made excellent from good...by just that slice of luck! But to reach the point of 'good' it is YOU and what you do that matters.

But then, there are some things which are still left unexplained...sometimes we do everything right...and to the best of our capabilities...but even then luck doesn't favour us. I guess, in that case, we can say Luck is by Chance..but I believe some day or the other, Lady Luck will pay us rich dividends of our actions.

So...fal ki chinta ho...toh Karma karo...phir naseeb bhi saath dega !

Bhel Puri...

A typical day in college is like bhel puri! Sometimes....its just right! But sometimes.....chutney kum pad jaati hai! :D Now, for the bhel puri to be just right..the kurmure, the chutneys, the sev and the puri are obviously necessary! Buuuut.....if you eat them separately....then the tangy spicy flavour just doesn't assail your taste buds...! What I mean to say by this mouth-watering metaphor is, that my bhel puri is a direct function of it's ingredients.....me and my friends!

I have been having some amazing 'chaat' in college for the last few months....! The group is a rag-tag bunch of people.....each and everyone of whom adds their own unique flavour....and completes my day in some way or the other! Let me begin with the always 'hyper', always tensed and very reliable CR of our class!! What would we do without her shusshhhing us every moment?!?! Oh but she has some 'favourites'...the girl I will for now call 'the Joker'! And I don't mean it in the Dark Knight way....! :D The ever-smiling, water-sipping Joker is the one who bears the brunt of our CR's scolding everyday!! But hey, so does the girl who has described the college in a filmi dialogue which we won't ever forget....!! The way these two fight....I feel like butting in....punching them both....and finishing the job once and for all!!! Really....aisa kyun karte hai yeh log???

And so...we move on to the 'Two Sisters', one of whom shares her birthday with me!! They seem quiet and generally unruffled....but get them on the phone and they can blabber away to glory!!! Oh, and supposedly, or so one of them says, I share not only my bday but my nature with the other!! Well....then you have the 'Shaitan'....or shall I say, 'the Matt Effect'?! Or maybe 'the Butterfly'...! She is never still....always upbeat....moving around...talking to everyone....and yes, she has one 'just a friend'!! ;D Then there is 'Tension-free dips'! She is just like me in many ways....both of us never take tension....we do a lot of tp...and we never study till the last moment! He he! Her total opposite are two girls I will call the 'Tension Queens'! You would think the most difficult questions in any exam are going to be specially reserved for them!! :D ! But hey, they are a whole lot of fun too.....one of them shares my love for books...especially HP....and the other can understand just what I mime when I don't feel like talking....!!

Speaking of tension....how can I forget the girl who has been bugging all and sundry about the KT rules!!! I guess she is the girl who has 'Attitude Unlimited'...!! And is always ready for any tp...any eating plan....anything the group comes up with!!! Talking of 'attitude'....there comes to my mind the girl....who has been frequently and rightly called the 'Babe of the First Year'!! With all her supposed link-ups....you may mistake her for a 'tp' sort of a girl....but take note...she isn't that....because what has also been rightly said about her is that she is very straightforward...!!

Such is the bhel puri I get to have everyday....and yes....I am loving it....though this was said with a burger in mind...he he! The proportions of the chutneys goes haywire sometimes....the puri is not that crispy on some days.....but during and after a long, tiring day....this bhel puri is what keeps me going!!!

Inspirational Politics...

Today morning, I woke up to the news that 'change' had come to America. After 8 years of Republican governance, the Democrats had captured the Presidency, the House and the Senate. I watched Prez-elect Obama on TV, delivering his post-victory speech and I was seriously moved. This man, who in his own words is a 'skinny young man with a funny name' had inspired millions of Americans to turn out in large numbers and elect him to the Oval Office with a resounding majority. What, I thought, is so different about this 48 year old, African-American that has brought the winds of change to the US ?

Barack Obama is indeed the right man at the right time. Irrespective of the predicted negative effect the Obama presidency will have on India, I admire him for some changes he has brought about in the US and in my mind even before he has taken up office.

Obama has very shrewdly used the discontent created by the Bush administration in his favour. He was on-the-ball when he equated his competitor McCain's projected policies with the Bush policies. He moved the hearts of the millions of American families who have sons fighting the war in Iraq, by promising to withdraw troops according to a well-structured plan. He inspired the youth to vote, and touched the hearts of the common man.

This can be seen by the massive turnouts his rallies saw, the largest number of small contributions raising one of the highest number of monetary contributions for a candidate and the young and old who turned out in droves to volunteer for spreading his campaign.

Because of his heritage, the blacks, Asians and Hispanics dared to believe that this man was their answer to racial prejudice. But he didnt alienate the whites and that says a lot about his people skills. Obama's oratory infused energy in the masses, his urging the people to embrace change paid off.

For me, following this election has been a great experience. Never in India do we get to vote for one person as our executive. I believe for a people to express their majority opinion, a two-party system is the best bet. In India, we end up voting for a small party which forms a coalition with different parties and a different government than we had voted for comes in power and again, we play no direct role in electing our executive. Never in India do we see the common public so enthused and so inspired by any candidate because our election system does not project any candidate as our future executive.

As Tagore said, our country has awakened in the Heaven of Freedom, our democracy is population-wise the largest in the world, but in principle is it so ? Why does our youth never feel inspired enough to take an active part in the country's politics ? Why do we still continue to elect old and unqualified people, sometimes convicted criminals to run our nation ? Why can we not start our own version of 'change' even at the grass-root levels ? India has it's own 'Obamas' but do we notice them ?

Obama rightly said, this victory is not the change itself, it is the chance for the people to bring about the change. There are many people in India who want this chance too. But with this state of affairs I can hardly hope to get the chance. And again, Obama comes to my rescue. At one of his campaign rallies he made this statement, and I believe we should take something from it. He said, " Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, work for it and fight for it."

And so I can only hope and act on another US President from Illinois Abraham Lincoln's words, " I WILL PREPARE, AND SOMEDAY, MY CHANCE WILL COME."

Save thy language !

After expressing my opinions on some universal topics, I now wish to launch into a topic that is not of life-changing proportion but is very close to my heart ! I fell in love with the English language when I was 6 years old. The love affair began with my introduction to Enid Blyton's uncomplicated prose and there has been no looking back since then.

My mother, who loves books herself and has introduced me to various genres of books, and my father, who has never refused me any book I have ever wanted to buy, were just the sort of parents needed to instill a good habit in me, which I believe will stay for life.

My fascination for English led me to read lots of books, experience different genres, compare the styles of different authors and try as I may, I cannot point out any single work as my all-time favourite.

The innocent tales of Enid Blyton, the adrenaline filled war and adventure books of Alistair McLean, the Jeffery Archer books which follow the lives of it's characters through the years, Erich Segal's books which tell tales of Doctors and Scientists and the timeless Love Story, J.K. Rowling's magical world of Harry Potter, Agatha Christie's delicious mysteries with murder thrown in whenever things get boring, Chetan Bhagat's books which offer an insight into not only young India but also the young Indian writer, the ageless and enduring saga The Thorn Birds, the eerie and sinister Rebecca, the witty works of Shakespeare, the poems of Tagore, Keats and Tennyson, the wide and varied world of books has been a very large part of my very small world !

And so, though I myself use the 'sms-lingo' in my smses because it is more practical from the point of view of saving time and cost and also as the name SMS suggests that it is a Short Messaging Service, I cannot tolerate the blatant ignorance people display to the proper, grammatical version of languages, and not just English here. I find it a sacrilege that grammar is thought useful only for scoring well in the languages and not as a practical and integral part of the language that needs to be used in our conversations and correspondences beyond the examination hall.

I judge people on the basis of the respect they show to the languages they use. I am not against infusing humour into the language by deliberate mispronunciation or intentional alteration of grammar. But when the situation needs perfect language, I won’t gonna tolerate no foolin' around! :-D !
I guess nobody cares much about the way we handle our languages, but I certainly do. So if you can, try and make the effort to use languages in their correct form as much as you can! I beseech you, implore you, let the languages live and help them flourish!