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.”

Control that anger!

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Control That Anger!

Many a times when something or someone angers us, we tend to behave rashly. This rash act later makes us sad and the whole day is wasted in its reminiscence. If anger makes us unhappy, why should we be angry? The following steps will help us to control our anger.

Know the reason for anger. One becomes angry when insulted, disobeyed, irritated or under stress.

Know why to control anger. Anger makes us sad and spoils our day. If anger has such ill effects, then isn’t it necessary to control anger?

Know that you can control your anger. Man has the power to control his moods. You say that he/she spoiled my mood. But it’s your mood, your brain. How can somebody else spoil your mood?

How to control anger? By saying that you should control your anger, I do not mean to tell you to stop feeling anger; but to change the way you vent it out from a rash and rude response to a positive and constructive response without letting yourself down.

For example, if someone calls you a dog (or similar words) in public, you don’t need to get angry. Just calmly reply, “Friend, why do you take pains to form opinions about me. The people around us are wise enough and they know who is who and who is what.” In time of tough arguments when the opposite person uses swear words, you can always say, “I’m too polite to answer that.”

Always take justified criticism positively and thank the person for the eye opener instead of being angry. But when criticism is unjustified like-“Your nose is too long,” you should discourage it by casually replying-“I know that. Even my mom tells so!”

You don’t need to follow anger suppressing methods like closing your fist tightly and slowly releasing your fingers because that results into pent up emotions, which are detrimental to health. What you need to do is just change your thinking to a positive constructive force, and vent your anger in a very assertive way-a way, which is a wonderful blend of polite eloquence, tolerance and dignified subtle humour.