Missing!!!

Six years back when I gave you your birthday gift, I didn't realise that it was the last time we were celebrating your birthday. I wish I could just turn back time and be with you once again. Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but I feel that some pains just grow with time. I never realised how difficult it would be to be part of  every joy and sorrow that came after you. When I was happy, I needed you to share it. When I was sad, I needed you to wipe my tears. In every turn of my life, every new chapter that began, I needed you. And now I need you more than ever. I need you to guide me and I need you to care for me. This is the period when I needed you the most and this is the time I am all alone. When there is so much to come and so much is required, I find myself completely helpless. I wish again and again that you were here with me. Part of my joys and part of my pain.

Clouds

Like the overcast sky outside, my heart is also clouded
The season of rains seems never to end
They say this bad weather will pass and there will be sunshine
But I do not know when that will happen
The air is standing still and not a bird flaps its wings
A heaviness seems to have fallen everywhere
Standing alone and praying for the best
Waiting for the traveler's return
But there are some who leave without a goodbye
And go to the land of no return
And those who are left behind with tears
Have to wait for their own turn

Tide

I feel a sense of loss in everything I do. For everything that I have left behind comes to haunt me. I wonder where I am going and when will I find peace but till then it is just restlessness and tears. A sense of fear surrounds me. It seems as if nothing will become right again. I wish I had a shoulder to cry on, a lap to rest my head and pour out my heart. I feel so helpless as if I was trying to hold some sand in my fist. I feel like standing at the shore and watching the sea wash away my footprints. I feel so lonely and even the beauty of my surroundings fails to enthral me. Like a bird who is lost in a storm, I long to find a sense of direction. I long to reach that welcoming door that stood ajar waiting for me. I long to walk down on that familiar path, I long to go back to those who loved me. And yet, I do not know, when and where fate will bring us together again. But I hope that one day we will all be back together, smiling and satisfied with each other.

A stranger in some unknown lands

Sometimes i wonder where life is taking me
A stranger in some unknown lands
With just my memories to take me on
But a heaviness in my heart as well
A part of me wants to hold on to the past
Go back and undo what has been done
But life has no point of return
And i am just a dry leaf in the wind
Unaware of what my destiny holds
I go where i am taken to
I wander in some places unknown
A stranger in some unknown lands

Mumma

They say that time is the greatest healer
But even time fails to heal some pain
And every day I miss you more
And every time I wish you were here
Even time cannot ease the pain
The heartache of losing you
For you are the one whom none can replace
I wish you could come back and tell me all is fine
I wish you could comfort me one more time
I wish you were part of my joys and sorrows
I wish you would hold my hand again

Tangled

It feels so strange, a kind of weird feeling. Leaving behind everything that took us more than three years to build to never set eyes on it again. What took us three years to make, we left in just three days. Carrying with us just our memories, we left behind what was ours. While we did move on, a part of our heart was left behind. Something is amiss, something is broken, something lost for ever. While my heart wants me to go back, i know that i have to just move on.
Life brings with it many changes and change is what needs to be accepted. Things and people and places will change with time and he only thing that remains is our memories.
Something about all this makes me think about death, when one leaves one's everything, every loved one behind and moves to an unknown destination. It made me think that the day leaving our home will cease to be painful will be the day when we will be prepared for our death.

In anticipation

Wondering what the future holds
Hopes and wishes and prayers abound
For a peek into the life yet to come
For where the events are going to turn
Some dreams hold the secret
Some prayers give the comfort
Wishing it becomes as beautiful as a dream
Floating lightly in a lively stream
A dream I dream and a dream you have
Of what the life is going to share
For every prayer has an answer
And every dream has a believer
For future is a page unturned
Waiting for its time to come

Understanding

It seems funny that those who claim to know do not know and those who know make no such claims. For it is easy to say a thing on the superficial level while very difficult to go deeper into the vast ocean of unknown and come out untouched, unperturbed. But another thing is that those whose lives have been so touched, rarely let a show of it. They have a calm outlook, sharing with only those who dare to come near them, who are willing to be drenched in the experience rather than just play with the bubbles. Making theories about others and claiming to know how other people feel is just a fool's way, a real person tries to feel as others feel, experience what the others are experiencing. Life is not as simple as it seems and sometimes those we think as fools know more about the truths of living and co-existing than the so called wise men. A child may know more than a professor. In such a circumstance it is always better to accept what the other person is saying instead of stereotyping but putting entirely different individuals in the same class.

Destination unknown

Sometimes I wonder what it is all about. I wonder why things happen the way they happen. Though I have seen that in the end everything turns out to be for the best, sometimes I wonder why so many trials and tribulations. Why the heartbreak before happiness, why so many tests? But then I feel that it is these tests and trials and tears that bring out the true character, that wipe clean the blemishes. But what is the end of it all? I wish I knew what comes next, but then maybe the whole point of this journey to get to the destination unknown, to perform on a promise made in another eon.

Tanha

Bemasraf si lagti hai yeh duniya mujhe

Jaise koi apna mujhse kho gaya

Na jeene ki tamanna hai, na marne ka junoon

Aftaab bhi akela kahin so gaya

Kuch khaali sa, kuch khokhla sa seene mein hai

Dil hi ghut ke jaise khamosh ho gaya

Ubal ke nikal aaya hai aankhon se toofaan

Par yeh jag hi saara mujhse beparwah ho gaya

Established sexual relationship equals to marriage

 

While there might be a debate on whether marriage is a civil contract or a sacrament or something in between, under the present legal scenario, marriage is a form of legalised sexual relationship that establishes paternity and inheritance. In certain tribes, living together constitutes a valid marriage and for every region there is a different set of formalities constituting marriage, some may have pheras while for others just exchanging rings or garlands is sufficient. In short, the ceremony of marriage is just the recognition by society of the beginning of a relationship and it may or may not constitute of ceremonies. While the Supreme Court has laid down what constitutes a valid Hindu marriage, Muslim marriage is offer and acceptance and Christian marriage, a public declaration along with exchange of rings. A civil marriage is also a consensual acceptance of the relationship in a court of law. The importance of sex in marriage has already been pointed out in 2012 by the Supreme Court while stating that it is the primary condition. However, the recent judgement of Madras High Court stating that consensual sex between competent parties (parties who have come of legal age for sex) is equivalent to marriage and either party can get it registered is not altogether a solution. While on one hand it raises a doubtful condition regarding adultery, bigamy and incest on the other, it will incite moral police. Further, it is not sure what documentary evidence can be provided for such relationship. Still, it raises an important issue especially at the time when brides were subjected to virginity and pregnancy tests in the state of Madhya Pradesh, even though premarital sex is not taboo in certain tribes of that region.

Worried

Not knowing what to do and where to go
Not having an answer to life's queries
Not having the courage to go ahead or to turn back
Am I alright or have lost touch with the reality?
How to go on I know not
To leave all and move in another direction?
Having lost the desire, the hope, the passion
I don't know if I even want to go on

Stark realities

One of the most disturbing experiences in my life is witnessing the social divide that has engulfed our community. Even in an old age home I saw that the inmates were not ready to share their room with a woman who was supposedly from a lower class with some even saying that this is for officers and not for sweepers. The same thing I had witnessed while teaching slum children. Even kids under the age of 10 were unwilling to share their seating place with others who came from families of beggars or rag-pickers. With such social prejudices being rampant it is not an easy task to ensure 100% literacy or a just development. Before ensuring the economic development of this country, it is essential that the mindset is changed first.

Privacy in cyber space

The freedom of speech and expression as well as the right to privacy in cyber space is subject to same restrictions as outside it. The gravity of the situation lies on the fact that the data in cyber world is not bound to geographical boundaries but is shared across the globe. The threats of cyber terrorism and incidents of citizens’ protests of their governments on social networking platforms has led to the governments taking the cyber world seriously and also imposed certain surveillance measures as well. However, the fact that one country is using e-surveillance to monitor data from all other countries is outrageous. Privacy and security are both basic rights but which at the cost of the other is the question. And also the question remains, how much privacy should be curtailed to ensure security?

The Earth and earthlings

One of the biggest environmental concerns is the pressure of growing population on the environmental quality. Mahatma Gandhi had said that this Earth has enough for each man's need but not for any man's greed. In this consumeralist society, the earth is paying the price of man's greed. Where on one hand there is need to provide food security, on the other, sustainable modes of agriculture have to be developed to avoid environmental damage. The pressure of providing food to the growing population of men and livestock should not result in degradation of the quality of the environment.

Alone

I feel so lonely
As if there is no tomorrow
As the air stands still
And the song of birds seems distant
The sun casts mellow shadows
No sights no sounds give pleasure
And from a distance your face appears
But I cannot touch you
I cannot go near you
And I feel so lonely
With you gone so far away
I feel all is lost

Haze

It seems not right
When things go out of hand
When nobody is there to listen
And nobody to understand
When friends become strangers
And stars seem astray
When happiness is lost
And love goes away
Oh why, oh why, oh why
Things don't stay as they were
And this world plays its tricks
And nothing looks clear
It seems all hope is gone
It feels nobody is there
And in this gloomy haze
What was mine is nowhere

And trafficking in India

The Indian Express, Pune edition dated 2nd April has published a story of how women and girls from drought hit areas in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are being pushed into prostitution in Mumbai and Goa. It is another unfortunate scenario that those who are already suffering from natural calamities are being further victimised. It is so easy to lure those who are starving to do any kind of act against their will, and young women and girls have always been vulnerable, being unable to fend for themselves. They can be trafficked on the pretext of finding work or they might be lured into it after they have migrated to other places in search of work, but in either case, they are the victims. And unfortunately, the truth cannot be known till they are rescued.

Syrians selling their daughters

Read a disturbing piece of news some days back about Syrians selling their young teenaged daughters to old Arab men to save their husbands. It is something that made me feel so miserable and angry at the same time. On one hand I felt sad for the poor women of that war torn country that they have no other resource than to sell their children and on the other there was anger that is that all a daughter's life is worth. It further angered me that such things are happening all the time and nobody takes any preventive steps. While on one hand the situation of Syria saddedned me, on the other such blattant violation of human rights angered me. In any case, the pathetic condition of this country like many others needs to be improved with necessary steps to be taken both at the national as well as international levels.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/22/syrians-selling-their-daughters-to-saudi-husbands.html

For a better tomorrow

For a better tomorrow
It should be we and not me
It should be world and not community
It should be hope and freedom
Playgrounds and not prohibitions
Flowers and not guns
Food and not drugs
Love and not fights
Sharing and not snatching
Living and not just existing
 

Pay as you weigh!

A Norwegian economist has suggested that obese air passengers should be charged extra and has propounded three models describing how people belonging to different weight category may be charged. While it may seem like good economics, with majority of people facing an ever increasing waistline, it is doubtful how feasible it might be. Can weight really be a good criteria for grouping people? I am not too sure about it. Most probable chances are that there will be widespread protests if airlines try to implement it. And most important, it might lead to unjust classification and stereotyping based on weight. However, one good thing can come out of it. It might encourage people to exercise and try to maintain an average ideal weight. And that might be good, not just for their own health but for the world at large. Not sure about the airlines in that case!

Hero worship

Justice Katju's mercy plea for Sanjay Dutt seems funny to me. Just because he is an actor does not mean that he is above law. He may be a good actor or a good family man but that does not mean that he can get away by doing that what puts the lives of lesser known, poorer people behind the bars. It seems funny that the man who has studied law and knows the principles of 'Rule of Law' fails to understand the principle of equality that is the most cherished principle of all. It is high time people stop hero worship and get down to real things, like promoting equality for less fortunate ones.

Just like that

Wondering what life would have been like if I had been somewhere else, some other country, some other family. I doubt it being as blessed as it is now. Because I may cry over small things I know that what I have got the vast majority of the world would die to get it. But still, would I be a different person if I had not got this freedom? Would I be a fighter if I had been underprivileged? Would I have surrendered or moved on? No idea what I would have done because circumstances make a man. But I know I would never in any circumstance bend down or compromise on my principles. The only thing is had my principles been the same in different atmosphere and upbringing?

Questioning our neighbours

Sometimes I really wonder what our two dear neighbouring countries gain by killing innocent people. Why is that these countries have so many communal clashes, bomb attacks and mass killings? Is the violence state sponsored or is the state completely helpless in protecting the basic human values? Does the general public support such killings? Or do the minorities have no rights at all? Because a country that fails to protect its minorities is in a very pathetic condition. A country that stifles the liberal voice cannot claim to be a democracy. Isn't it a shame that those who are to be cherished are crushed, those who should be heard are attacked? Shouldn't our neighbours grow up and allow peace to spread its healing touch? Shouldn't they be willing to allow a condition of love and progress prevail instead of generating hatred that kills not just the victim but also the perpetrator? I wish I could question our neighbours.

Believe

I believe that the ocean lies within me
All I have to do is take it out
I believe that the skies open in my heart
Filling it up with mysteries from beyond
I believe there is no void
But only the light that guides
I believe that even that which is empty
Holds treasures unknown

Questions of all time

Some of the basic questions that the human mind starts worrying about from the moment of his gaining consciousness are the questions about his surroundings and about his existence. The very first question of ‘what’ he perceives around him is answered by his sensory organs, but the moment it is answered, it poses a number of many other questions. These questions are the questions of ‘how’, ‘when’ and ‘why’ of the existence of what that is perceived. The questions of how and when can be solved through the various sciences, social, physical and life. The question of ‘when’ it came into existence was answered by the social sciences of geography, history, geology, archaeology, anthropology and so on and the question of ‘how’ it did by the physical and the life sciences. Though even these questions have not been answered completely or in full certainty for new theories have continuously altered or even replaced or overruled the preceding ones, we can safely assume that yes, they have at least some answer to them. But the greatest question of all times has always been ‘why’ it came into existence. This question of ‘why’ has deluded man for ages, from the prehistoric times to the modern world. Why the universe was created and why life was created are the two sides of the same coin, because there couldn’t be life without universe and what purpose of having a universe when there is no life to perceive its presence. So this is the question that religion sought to answer. Religion taught us of an unseen power that is the creator, the sustainer and the destroyer. The power, that is known as the God. So to understand the reason behind creation is to know the mind of the Creator. But knowing the mind of God posed another dilemma. How to understand the thoughts of that what cannot be perceived. For religion taught us that God cannot be perceived by our senses. So is it just useless wanderings of the human intellect. To seek the unknown is more than a herculean task. But then, if there is a question, there must be an answer to it. But what exactly is the answer? Physics has already shown that for changing the state of anything, there must be external force acting on it. It also proved that left on its own, an existing matter can only move towards chaos and never can order be created out of chaos. For creating order, there must be an external force creating it. While there are direct evidences of evolution, there has never been a perfect theory explaining it and again the question comes forth, but why. While religion answers this ‘why’, it comes at loggerheads with science. There are some who try to create a compromise between the two, the majority tends to accept one and reject the other, something that has led to many wars in the history of mankind. And so, we can safely say that this question of ‘why’ has left the human mind baffled since time immemorial and will continue to challenge him, till the time he comes face to face with his creator, the power behind all that is there. For nobody can explain the ‘why’ except the one who did it.

You are

You are the truth

While all others are myth

You are the beginning

And you are the end

I may call out with other names

But I call out only to you

You are the one I seek

You are the one I find

When I am lost

You guide my way

And you are my refuge

When I am tired

You are my anchor

You are my pilot

You are my guiding star

In all I do, you are there

You are in my joys and my sorrows

You are in my trials and tribulations

Wherever I look, I find you there

Whenever I look, you are there

With my open and my closed eyes

In my dreams and my consciousness

You are the answer to my every prayer

To the every question I raise

Just a wish

Twenty years after the blasts comes the judgement punishing the perpetrators of the crimes. But is it justice? For those who suffered twenty years back have continued to suffer to suffer for all this time. And may even continue suffering, for the past rarely dies. Time and again, every small incident reminded them of what had happened in the past. Not just those who lost their loved ones, but also those who were accused knew that this part of their past will eventually stare them in their face. But is it the right time? Or should it been done many years back? But still the mastermind of the killings roams free. So is it justice?
Why not we build a better society where some traders of death fear to enter? Why can't we have a strong system of love and trust that no outsider can sway us and make us fight with each other? Wishing for a country that has no communal or caste based hatred. A country where nobody can even try to break us, nobody can try to turn us against our own brothers. Waiting for a country that is full of love and equality and justice.

Questioning why

I really wonder why is there a need for people to kill others in the name of religion? Isn't the purpose of religion is to bring about love, peace and understanding? Then why is it that only hate and mistrust is promoted in its name? Why is it that the so called religious people are more judgemental and non-forgiving? Why is there darkness, where there should be light? Neither the scholars nor the innocents are safe in this world full of fanatics. Where is the humility, the kindness, the care that forms the fundamental nature of a human being? Where is the fairness and the faith in righteousness? Why has the human life lost all value? Why are we sitting on this catastrophic time bomb that is ticking away every time an innocent life is lost? Will this world survive if the linchpin is removed? I really doubt that and yet I watch all these voices getting silenced.

Sometimes

Sometimes I wish the time would stop
And I could cherish the moment forever
Sometimes I wish I could fly
And reach to the end of the world
Sometimes I wish I could touch the sky
Or stand on the moon, walk by the stars
Sometimes I wish I could talk to birds
Share a thought with the flowers
Sometimes I wish I could hold colors in my hand
And with the lights as I wished
Sometimes I wish I could blow smiles
And cover all things with a golden mist
Sometimes I think the heart goes crazy
And starts living in a fantasy world
And yet sometimes I think, why not fancy
A dream is also a reality for sometime

Food security

Food is the basic requirement for every human being and in a country like India with majority of people living below the poverty line, malnutition, high infant mortality are a common place thing. Ensuring that every individual gets the minimum nutritional requirements is an uphill task requiring not just a strong legislation but a stricter implementation. However, in a country where agriculture is dependent upon rains, the first step to be ensured is that there is an improvement in that sphere. Better irrigation facilities and providing better qulaity seeds alongwith organic manures and pesticides is the first step towards ensuring that the poor does not sleep hungry. But an irony of this country is that the grower of grains often sleeps hungry, his children are malnurished and he often resorts to suicide to escape his debts. Ensuring food security and providing steps to protect the farmers are much needed towards ensuring equality, but they both require a dedicated work, a collaboration between the public and private sector and a true will to implement it beyond the votebank politics.

Ban on human scavenging

Bravo Delhi government for making Delhi the first state to ban human scavenging. But a lot still needs to be done. There is a need to ensure the strict implementation of the law and punishments be imposed on anyone violating it. Further, the rehabilitation process of the individuals and families previously occupied in human scavenging should be done with great attention and they should be brought into the main stream of life with new jobs and a respectable status.
Human scavenging has long been a shame for India and it is the begining of a new era when it shall be abolished from all parts of the country. Banning the same is the first step towards ensuring greater equality and protection of human rights. While New Delhi has taken the first step, the other states are also required to follow suit and make India a place where equality is seen at every walk of life.

Need for equality

Each day I wake up I witness more and more horrors in the society. Every day I learn about new forms of human rights violation. Whether it be female genital mutilation or child trafficking, whether it be horrors in the name of religion or in the name of civilisation, whether people are butchered for natural wealth or for bringing modern values, the truth is that human life has no worth in the real sense. It is a war between the haves and the have-nots while the have-nots are struggling for survival, the haves want to rob them of whatever little they possess. Acts of violence are committed to prevent the weaker section of the society from rising above. They are committed to prevent the concept of equality to be imposed. And the world favours the oppressor. Nobody raises voice when the weak of a society is abused by the stronger, richer, higher class of citizens. The logic applied is that they deserved it; they asked for it, they are doomed because of their backwardness. It is easy to point a shortcoming in the minority community but nobody wants to shoulder the responsibility of removing that shortcoming and bringing that minority or backward community at par with the others. It is easier to blame them for being illiterate but nobody wants to teach them. Is this world then really worth living? Is it the world that children dream of when they think of their future? It is our duty to bring about equality. If you want to oppose reservation, they allow your children to eat in the utensils washed by a dalit woman. If you want to live in a clean environment, then stop pushing the poor to the edge. Together we can build the world; otherwise it is just war and more and more horrific acts of human rights violation unfolding day after day.

Right to get offended

We, as human beings, are most capable of getting offended by the words and actions of others. Muslims got offended by the movie ‘vishawaroopam’, Hindus by Oh My God, Christians by Sins, Sikhs by Jo bole so Nihaal. Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasrin offended Muslims while M F Husain offended Hindu sentimentality. An artist was forced to remove his paintings from an exhibition at Bangalore while VHP is targeting an art exhibition at New Delhi. But has anyone, even a single individual ever pondered about what is it that they offended about? Is it the truth that hurt? As we know that the acts of one single individual do not reflect the ideology of a community. But when you get offended it shows that you acknowledge that such acts are a part and parcel of your life. So is it really fair to get offended? Maybe one should take a lesson from these portrayals and resolve to remove such humiliating activities wherever they exist. If there is an ounce of truth in what is shown in pieces of art or literature, maybe they should be taken as an eye opener and used as a tool to remove such evils. What is the use of getting offended? Better take a positive step and move towards a better society devoid of all evils that are portrayed.

Why ban music?

Every now and then one or the other self proclaimed guardian of culture and religion is trying to curtail one or the freedom of artists. Every other day either it is terrorists issuing warnings or blowing up people or else some so called religious authority who is trying to curb the freedom of expression of citizens. Are these people really the guardians or defenders of religion or they its true enemies, creating an atmosphere of hatred and discrimination? Some say that girls should only sing at home others say that music is haraam at all times. While they themselves lack concensus on various issues, they try and impose their own beliefs on others. If music is so bad then why do you have hymns and other debotional songs? If it is so bad then why call out for prayers in musical tune? If it is so bad then why do you enjoy the song of birds? And while on one hand they ban some from performing they themselves don't mind hearing others perform. Isn't it bit hypocitical? It is time that a partition be put on secular and non-secular acts. Otherwise every single individual has the potential to make other people's lives hell.

Fresh air canned!!!

It is amazing to know that they are actually selling canned fresh air. We all know that levels of air pollution are increasing alarmingly, but making a business out of it was beyond imagination. A businessman in China has started selling cans of fresh air 'trapped' from pollution free areas. A great business idea in a community that cares less for the atmosphere and more for health concerns without realising that one is dependent on the other. And moreover, even this 'brilliant idea' of getting fresh air for breathing is flawed. If somehow they have trapped fresh air in cans, how can one breathe in that air? Because once the can is opened, canned 'fresh air' will mix with the polluted air. Wouldn't it had been simpler to plant a few trees, reduce emissions and try to conserve the environment? Well, till someone reaches this logic, just add a few cans in the grocery list!

Darkness and light

Looking at the fireflies made me wonder what is light and what is darkness. While the firefly emits some light at night, it is not a streak of light, but a light that vanishes right in front of one's eyes, only to reappear at some entire different place. Looking for fireflies on a dark night means constant focussing because you blink and you never know what course that tiny creature has taken. It means that you have to extremely vigilant otherwise you will have to scan a wide area of darkness to capture that one moment of light.
Isn't all light the same. One second of failed attention and we fail to grasp what is happening in the world around us, requiring us to make special effort to get back on the track. One moment and the world moves ahead. The light of knowledge, the light of faith, it all requires a constant vigil. You cannot afford to relax if you want that one glimpse of perfection, one moment of truth. Because when there is no light, it is all dark, and you cannot move ahead without stumbling. For darkness has no existence for those who hold on to the light. But those who let go of it, they have to wander unaccompanied, unguided in an unknown territory.

Need for greater artistic freedom

Just because of a few radical voices, the freedom of artists is being curtailed every now and then. Just because of a few self appointed guardians of religion and culture, the freedom of expression should not be extinguished. If a piece of art shows the negativity present in the society, it should be used as an inspiration for bringing about a change. Instead of banning a film or a book, lessons must be learnt on how the shown evils can be removed from the society. An artist can be a medium of change, the spark that lights a fire. He should not be unduly harassed. Society should allow an artist to showcase his view, his perception. If something needs to be banned, it is the hatemongers, people who deliberately set out to disturb the peace, to offend others. It is not the artist, it is the extremist who needs to be banned.

Unknown

Where I am and what I do?
I travel through lands I know not
I am in a time that I know not
I look at rules that I know not
Where I exist what I am supposed to do?
Move from one place to another
From one realm to another
From one age to another
Those who are mine are not my own
Where I have come from I know not
Where I will go I know not
How long I will stay I know not
Is it an existence or a mere passing?
I just try to seek some answers
I just try to move with my prayers
Moving through the eartgh's layers

mist

is is another year, same date
there are some hidden sorrows
and also some open tears
and yet, life goes on
but in all the ups and downs
in all the joys and sorrows
something deep inside is missing
something that was you
but still i can say
that you are as much a part of me
as i am a part of you
for i know i will never see you again
and will miss your loving touch forever
yet, somehow deep inside
i can hear your voice-
telling me to go on
encouraging me and holding on to me
for i know that you are here for me
even though i can never see you again
 

Freedom of speech and right to offend

How free should free speech be? Does it give anyone to make derogatory remarks against any individual, any group, any tribe, any caste, any community, any religious denominion, any country or any creed? Can the acts of an individual be used to generalise and pass comments on the entire social group that he belongs to? One man cannot reflect the ideology of a community. There are black sheeps everywhere. So why is it, that so much of stereotyping exists in the society? And why, on the plea of freedom of expression, more and more creative indviduals, intellectuals ending up being offensive? If every man uses his freedom to speak against anyone he feels like, then this world end in no time. Attacks and counter attacks will become the rule of the day. So how much freedom is essential? And should freedom be curtailed? If there is no freedom there is no democracy. But does democracy mean animal rule? Is it right to offend people, to hurt them? Or will it be better to help them fight their weaknesses and make them a better individual? Why shouldn't speech be used to make it a beautiful world? Shouldn't speech be used to have discussions, understand differences and respect individual perspectives? You improve some and I improve some, together we will make a better place.

Love

True love, that inexplicable feeling, is something that needs to be cherished. It is an emotion that is wordless, that is beyond the limits of languages, beyond all man-made boundaries, beyond any definition. It is something that only the soul knows and the soul feels. Some unknown reason, why we care, some unknown reason why we pray, some unknown reason why we trust. It is something that cannot be bound by age or time. Something that transcends all material needs and aspirations. It lives in purity and is a sign of beauty. It cannot survive where there is greed or lust for material things. It is something that every soul craves for, yet only a few attain, because only a few are ready to make those endless sacrifices that are required in the process of achieving this state. It is a state of everlasting bliss, where not an ounce of fear or evil can touch or penetrate the protection, the veil of righteousness. It is needs an effort to achieve, but that effort is truly worthwhile.

Hate speeches- really?

Mr. Akbaruddin Owaisi, you seem to have forgotten that we live in a secular nation. Have you any idea what secularism means? It means that each and every individual has a right to follow his religion freely without any state intervention. Sir, when you give a hate speech, you forget that when you swore into your office, you swore by the Constitution of India, whose basic structure is secularism. You also forget that your right to speech and expression is subject to certain restrictions. You also forgot that spreading enmity is an offence. You seem to have forgotten many laws while you yourself are a lawmaker.
But sir, above all, it seems to me that you have forgotten that we all are human beings. You have forgotten that as a human being, you should love all your brothers. You have forgotten the national pledge and you have forgotten the basic dictates of human nature. And not only you have forgotten many things, you are also seemingly oblivious of the fact that your speech can infact cause harm to many innocent individuals of either community, individuals who do not approve of your line of thought.
Therefore, I would advice that before you or anybody else, proceeds to deliver a hate speech, you should please stop and reflect upon what can be the repercussions of your acts. Getting false praise from a few should not be the aim of your words or deeds. Please try to spread a little bit of love. There is already enough hatred in this world.

Minister educate yourself

Mr Bhagwat, first you say that rapes happen only in urban India and not rural Bharat and show your ignorance about the realities of rural Bharat. I would you like to suggest you to go and talk to all the Khap panchayats who make all kinds of absurd rules about where they operate. They will tell you the reality of Indian villages. And now, alongwith your ignorance, you are showing your chauvinism. So you think women should only do household chores? Mr Bhagwat are you scared of women? Are you afraid that once all the women come to the fore, men like you will have no place to hide their face? And yes, you say that if a wife doesn't perform her 'duties', she should be divorced. You speak of Indian traditions, Indian tradition says marriage is a relation of births. It says marriage cannot be broken. Marriage is a Samskar and you speak of breaking it, you call it a contract. Minister, you are being stereotypic. You need a refresher course in Indian culture and should learn the importance of marroage. You need a refresher course in Indian law and learn the right to equality guaranteed under the Constitution. You need a refresher course in history and learn about Indian society. you need a refresher course in current affairs and learn the present state of society. Minister, please go and educate yourself before you open your mouth.

Kaash ki ay zindagi tu fursat mein mili hoti
Chand lamhe humne tere sang bitaaye hote
Ek nazar bhar humne teri simt dekha hota
Kuch naghme humne teri bazm mein gaaye hote
Dil ko kabhi teri koi justju bhi hoti
Zehno mein kabhi tere tasawwur banaaye hote
Afsoos ki chand kodi ginne ki ujlat mein
Teri mashakkato ke zikr hume kya bhaaye hote
Tu karti rahi bezubani mein daastan apni bayaan
Kaash humne bhi tujhe apne dard sunaaye hote

A reply to Dr Zakir Naik

Dr Zakir Naik when you attack other religions you seem to have forgotten that Islam is a religion that is based on the principle of peace. The word Islam itself is derieved from the word Salama that means peace. It is, therefore, not right for any follower of this religion any other person's religious faith and beliefs. The Quran itself states that you tell them those who do not follow your faith that 'to you, your religion, to me, mine'. It states to stay away all arguments and say peace and move on. Then, how do you attack any other religion? And above all, how to you say something that can arouse attacks on your own religion? One has a right to preach his own religion but not to demean any other religion. Show the goodness of your own but do not attack any other. Otherwise, you will create hardships not just for yourself but also for lots of innocent individuals. Let the religion of peace remain a religion of peace. Light of truth cannot be extinguished. Set an example to be followed and remain away from controversies.