In the memory of the guitar...

As he loosened his tie of his rented Raymond’s, looking into the cracked mirror of the wing bathroom, the four years spent at his alma mater zoomed past his eyes. He let out a small smirking laughter for all the people whom he had left behind. He always wanted to lead the race. He was at the epitome of his success now. He didn’t have any guide; he heard everybody but listened to no one. He persevered night and day alike, each of his second devoted to his choices, which he had made very carefully. Started from scratch, but here he was, on the pinnacle. Some got gold medals, some got the best prizes while some got applauds. But he had got the best job. As he splashed the cold water on his face each drop that fell on his face, anointed his new found satisfaction. His research was impeccable as to what the company wanted. He was the best at GD, and his resume was crafted for the company. Since four years he knew what he was preparing for. The courses he took depended on what the company thinks of the subject. He knew his limitations and hid them by excelling where others were limited. His list of achievements was long and unique. He had learnt things just because he knew he would make a mark instantly in places where there is low competition. While people struggled dismally to display their zeal to show their worth, he showed them the trophies. While people foolishly pursued their passions his activities were targeted towards his singular goal. Now he had beaten them all.

After four depressing years of struggle, where he saluted donkeys and laughed at dull humour of the colleagues that helped him here, he was the one who was wearing the smile. He walked back to his room his face still wet with cool pleasure. He wouldn’t be giving a treat, there was no one who wanted it, and neither did he want to share his success. As he walked through the corridor the trickling water on his face had started to irritate him. He needed to wipe it off with a towel. Thinking about the water on his face, he wondered how same things seem to work so differently in different times. As he rummaged through the mess of his belongings on his table, taking care that the water doesn’t trickle down on his laptop, he finally found the towel over his old guitar. He had left playing it three years ago itself. He covered his face into the warmth of the towel, wondering why the useless piece of guitar was kept on the top of things. “Sameer, kya mein aapka guitar lu?” It was his wingie. He nodded and gave the guitar. The boy, shouted a ‘thanks’ as he ran with the guitar to his room. “Enthu freshie...” he said nonchalantly and then suddenly with a pride of an achiever, “Baccha bhi seekh jayega...”

Somewhere nearby, the sounds of strumming started. At first he just heard. Then he started tapping his foot unknowingly. Then what might have been an impulse, suddenly overcame him and he rushed to the room where such beautiful sounds were originating from. Two beds were lined up in the small 6feet cross 8feet room and there were 14 people closely stuck and listening to the miraculous tunes of the instrument played by his wingie. He stood outside watching, his wingie was playing with his back to the door. Someone might’ve then seen him, as the strumming suddenly stopped. “Aapko disturb kiya kya Sameer?” He was so overcome by an incoming desire that he didn’t even hear that, he walked in took the guitar in his hands and turned to walk away. Everyone stood there scared, waiting silently. He didn’t know what he was doing. He just knew he had to do it. He turned to face the 15 odd people in the room, closed his eyes and started strumming. Hesitated notes came out at first, then suddenly he went into a trance and it was like the three year old magic had come back to him. He played a flawless Hotel California. Seconds passed slowly, minutes had almost stopped. This is where he wanted to be- In front of an audience lost listening to his performance. He loved the guitar. He never played it because there were people who were better than him and he wouldn’t be noticed easily by the company. As he was still playing, the four years once again zoomed past his closed eyes. He saw all that he had lost- his friends, his fun and his guitar. He was afraid to stop playing, didn’t want the joy to end. He was afraid to open his eyes, it might all be just a dream that would break. But then finally his song came to an end, he couldn’t remember any more. He opened his eyes. There was silence. Then he didn’t know who started it, but every one of them broke into a very loud applause. Then, for the first time in four years, he cried...

IITB Debating: This House will disallow Non-Vegetarianism

IITB Debating: This House will disallow Non-Vegetarianism

Its an online debate which we guys are having now. I gave the third affirmative speech.

Is it unfathomable because there isnt any depth?

As I lay in the dark in the ambience of the sunshine, mind incomprehensible, aware of its consciousness tries to fathom the complexity of its existence. Completely clear of the confusion that has baffled it; my mind takes me into a somber and pensive silence in the midst of a thousand and hundred different clatters and chatters of the humdrum so called real life. The silence was not inevitable, it never is. The plentiful obsessions of life are complicated enough to keep it from butting into the labyrinth of the Truth. Yes, truth is a maze; the endless hunt for it has forever led us to discover only more and more unanswered questions. The belief that there exists logic, order and meaning in the universe fuels this desperate hunt.
Every now and then, a thought is given to the entire scheme of things being a hoax with insurgent and courageous components of the scheme coming up with concepts found tangible only by themselves and maybe by certain other components who are bored with their ‘humdrum so called real life’. Their valid irrefutable argument being that if one thinks the concept cannot exist that doesn’t mean it does not. Perhaps, they are right; perhaps they are just a part of another faction of the wild human imagination waiting to be disproved. Nevertheless, accepting that it could be a possibility definitely gives you a way to pass life; or as another look out; it definitely gives you a pass to a way of life.

The Final Lap...

The final lap…

It’s happened so fast. It was not exactly wonderful, but it was worth an experience. Just yesterday I was a school pass out, jovial, carefree, somewhat intelligent (this thing I still am), young boy of a sweet sixteen years of age. And yes it did happen fast, it was not exactly wonderful, but it was worth an experience.

The years 2006, 2007 then going through 2008, were really happening years in my life. I am sure so must they have been yours. I don’t know if its adolescence attitude, or teen age’s exaggerated nostalgia, but I bet even years down they line, ill count these years as ‘different’ if not any other glorification.

So many things happened, so many ways learnt, so many emotions, and so many experiences. To sum it up all quickly, it were years of; studying head breaking concepts while getting ready for JEE at PACE my alma mater; of facing mind blowing challengers or rather colleagues and now friends, most of whom have the potential to rock the world even in stand alone mode; of facing the worst diseases in my till-now-life(with the hope that they remain no less than the worst all throughout); of coming in and out of love (no adjectives for this one); of facing nerve wrecking depressions to the suicidal point, and successfully dealing with them; of immense internal struggle to stay ‘alive’ along with existing; of losing all my strength again and again only to gain it back; and finally something that is going to matter the most, of maintaining a focused mind, to overlook short term benefits for long term gains(Now did I sound like an insurance agent?) It was not exactly wonderful, but it was still worth an experience.

As I write this; with bloodshot eyes, a sun shining somewhere near my left eye, a lump throbbing somewhere in my cerebrum (hope I’ve got my bio right?), and a mind which wants to sleep forgetting the bad dreams the day gives; I have a purpose at hand and a message to give to all my colleagues in the 12th standard, in India who are preparing for the various entrance exams. If you are bored with the long sentences, that keep my ‘parts’ a ‘whole’ then you may prefer to read on as I choose to give you some relief, and relax the formality of my language to sound less respectable and more acceptable.

Friends, we are in the final lap. The two-year long net practice session is over. It’s time for the ODIs. We need to win the matches; we need to take the cup. With different entrance exams that we all are appearing for closing in, it’s our turn to take the sprint. The baton is already with us, we need to take it to the finish mark.

Just a couple of months imagine, could decide the fate of a couple of scores of your years. Surely, life has much more to give if not our qualification, but why take the risk? Remember, luck is going to favour the brave and hard working. It won’t be pedagogical even if I remind you that God helps those, who help themselves. So what are you waiting for people? Say you’ll win, and say it now, and with the grace of almighty you’ll surely do. Put in your best, don’t compromise with the effort part of your fate it ‘cause that’s in your hands! Pledge yourself to the system of exams, and you know the fruits!

Pick up your pace; give the race your best shot. It’s a rat race guys and gals, and only those win who have their noses ahead! So people, I end here, enjoy thy ride, take care. And wish all of you success in your-----final lap.

Shas signing off...

Never Mind

This poem is the depiction of the emotions and chemical reactions my body and mind encountered due to the conflict in my mind, over the existence of meaning in life. This question coupled with the desire to understand my mind had driven me crazy, unable to find answers. Finally my intellect comes to salvage, and I drop the desire to comprehend my mind, drop the desire to ask the question of existence of meaning in life, because I realize its not a question to be asked but to be answered...

So bemused, so frightened, uneasy conscious,

Petrified by the power of itself, so innocuous.

Emotions demure, flow through the pen,

Amidst the trumpet of silence and quiver;

Without an inkling its intimate self,

Suffocates it with suffusing power.

So hapless, so impotent, the victim suffered,

With none to blame, self harassed self-tortured.

Pushing itself into the darkest recess,

All light sucked out, hollow inside;

Forcefully diving in the ocean of pain,

Happy hormones swept, away by the tide.

Thoughts of defeat overflows from the eyes,

In effort to hold the last breath, vanity cries.

Aware of the scarce sense of the self imposed dementia,

‘Enough!’ yells the intellect, no longer stoical;

As enlightened as always, consciously proactive,

Decides to take the reins, responsibly practical.

So powerful is the mind, power that flows through the brain,

So incomprehensible is the mind, in the reins of the brain you can train.

All cynicism, all skepticism, consciously sidelined,

No doubts that one doesn’t have to find meaning in life,

Cause meaning is not to be found, but to be created,

With principles, with focus, with an endless strife.

---Shashwat

The Origin of the Religion

What is our basic aim in life? Why do we do anything at all in life? To achieve the so called “Happiness”. In fact, this is the aim of every creature in the world. The deer feels happy on chomping the juicy plant leaf; the lion feels happy on tearing the juicy deer. These creatures seek happiness based on their instincts. But we humans, fortunately or unfortunately, endowed with supreme capacity of thinking and of apprehension, want to seek answer to the question of what happiness is.

Consider a simple example of a child who loves chocolates. He is sent to a room where there are heaps of chocolates. At the first sight, he is extremely overjoyed. He then begins eating the chocolates. When he eats the first chocolate he is very very happy. Happiness acts on him like alcohol and he desires to be ore happy by eating more chocolates. When he puts in the mouth the second chocolate he is quite happy, since most of his urge to eat was contented by the first chocolate. By the time he starts eating his tenth chocolate, he is almost fully contended and loses interest in eating anymore chocolates. Eating more chocolates won’t give him anymore happiness now. Why does this happen? Why does his way to achieve happiness by eating chocolates suddenly become discarded?

Our philosophers and thinkers have given a perfect and well known but less understood reason for this. They have said that happiness can not be searched for outside, it lies well within you. This means that happiness which is derived from material things is transitory, while the feeling of happiness if we are able to create within us, that is, through some thing imaginary, that happiness will remain eternal. This is precisely a reason why some wise men created God, crafted a religion and developed a culture.

Religion gave man the image of something supernatural, something metaphysical, something to be awed, and someone called God. With the introduction of the concept of God, people got a direction to their hay wire life. They got an eternal source of happiness. They could melt out all their sorrow on the feet of the Almighty, find content even in the difficult situations in life by calling them the wish of God, and find happiness in worshipping Him and pleasing Him by following the religion. Religion taught them to end their greed and jealousy. And taught them peace and comfort.

...To be continued

The Concept of God

How could people of different religions and different thinking co-exist in India? Yes, because of ‘religious tolerance’. Tolerance is firmly rooted in the Indian psyche. But how was this tolerance prevalent long ago in the Upanishadic and the Vedic period? Even before any constitution was adopted! It was because of the concept of GOD.

The concept of God in Upanishadic (and even earlier Vedic) thinking was quite different from the more common definition of god as creator and dispenser of reward and punishment. The Upanishadic concept of god was more abstract and philosophical.

This concept was presented as an exploratory theory and not a strict definition or an inviolable truth.

Different texts postulated the doctrine of a universal soul that embraced all physical beings. All life emanated from this universal soul and death simply caused individual manifestations of the soul to merge or mingle back with the universal soul. The concept of a universal soul was illustrated through analogies from natural phenomenon.

The Vedic Indians believed the idea of ‘Ekam Sat’ or the ‘Only True’ i.e. God is one and one alone. The universe had emanated from the ‘Ekam Sat’. Worship in any form would ultimately reach the ‘Ekam Sat’.

"The bees make honey by collecting the juices of distant trees, and reduce the juice into one form. These juices have no discrimination, so that they might say, I am the juice of this tree or that tree. In the same manner all living creatures, when they have become merged in the True, know not that they are merged in the True... "

All living creatures merge in the universal soul and are thus leveled by death.”