Song for the Seniors

After visiting the ‘home for the aged’ for quite a few times, and interacting with the so-called senior citizens, I feel that one of the greatest and most ominous curses of not only this civilization, but also of the entire human race, it is the practice of the home for the aged. Luckily in many cases, these homes truly home away from home, and if it is being looked after by nuns, one should thank one’s stars for such a privilege. But does our civilization require homes for the aged? Are not every individual is condemned to become aged at some time or other? Why do we not keep our aged with us at home, and hurry up to keep them as far away from their children as possible? I feel sad when I listen to the stories of these aged men and women, they have too many tears to shed than words to utter.

Take for example, this senior citizen, who even past his seventy fifth year, is as agile and normal as a forty year old! Today he came on an official work regarding an exhibition; he is allergic to the hot sun, and so preferred the evening hours to engage in some work, but his memory is as fresh as ever, and no one can ever think that such men should be relegated to homes. He would not like to go, for sure, but on our side it would be a cruel thing to send them much against their wish, to the homes for the aged. I do understand some of these homes have become yet another form of commercial centers, where people could mint money on the gullible filthy rich children, who want to get rid of their parents because they would only be burdens to their private life.

I have come across several senior men and women who contribute more to their families than their children; it is true, the aged men and women are more susceptible of age-related diseases and illnesses, and may require constant medical care; but if they are well taken care of, one may not come across people who are as caring and loving as these are. Traditional rural families cannot think of giving up the elderly, because they are not only precious assets to the community and families, but they are also the one’s, who direct the destiny of the communities. Their wisdom and knowledge is something that even the most erudite of the community cannot equal to. After about sixty, one’s life cycle reverses, and the elderly become like children, and that is why they also behave like little children.

I was not fortunate to live with my grandparents; both my maternal and paternal grandfathers expired quite early in life, one when I was about seven, another when I was some twelve years old; my paternal grandmother died after she began to live alone after the property was divided between the sons, and since our family was not close to her, we had very little feelings for her. However, I had fond feelings of my maternal grandmother who lived up to about 90 years, and had tender feelings for her; even when she could hardly see, she would try to cook for me, and she was so proud of her grandson that she would talk about him to all the people of the neighborhood. I felt what it means to have the affection of grandparents.

If only we realize that grandparents are the treasure house of not only traditional wisdom and knowledge, but also of love and concern for the family, they would be better treated by the present day generation. We might have long abolished the system of homes for the aged, and on the city highways and in trains we may not be able to see the senior citizens begging for food. If this is what we are subjecting our aged parents to, then worse things are in store for us, and it is time that we remedy the situation and bring back the aged to our homes, so that their footprints may sanctify our households, their voices may sweeten the air, their sight may colorize our vision, their touch may make soil into gold cakes, and life will not be the same when they are around. They are our treasure, and it is time that we honor them for what they are!

Trip through Grace History

It is a wonderful experience to go through the Grace History of each one from time to time; unfortunately after the initial stages of formation at religious life, most of us do not revisit our Grace Histories; some of us may be fortunate to revisit them when we attend some sort of refresher courses. But luckily our Grace History continues in wondrous and mysterious ways, sometimes we may not even pause to take stock of the ways how we are led by God. We are sure to find the footprints of God in every Grace History, and therefore every Grace History is sacred, not only to the persons concerned, but to everyone, who believe in God. It is part of the Universal Heritage that we leave for generations after us.

Maybe I should explain what I mean by Grace History. This is a ‘narrative’ of each one’s journey in faith, how we had been led by the powerful hand of God through thick and thin, and to realize that we are safe under his wings, to borrow a phrase from the Psalmist. Thus every one’s life story is a Grace-story, and we can be proud of our stories, with all the joyful and sorrowful moments. If we look at the most important and significant moments of our life’s journey, we will realize that there had always been an invisible, powerful hand protecting us from all the dangers we had been subjected to, by our own follies or by the vile plans of others. Grace History in other words shows us our road map, the path we had trodden, and that gives us strength to walk forward.

I wish we get more opportunities to visit our Grace Histories more often, not necessarily to find fault with the people who make our life miserable, nor to blame ourselves for the opportunities we missed, nor to regret for commissions and omissions. I remember some years ago we had begun in our Province, what was called ‘live-in’ meetings, and these were wonderful moments for us. Similar age-group men met together for a heart-to-heart conversation; as we reviewed our journeys, we realized that many of our paths intersected at several points, and we felt deeply moved by the histories of several of our friends, and that brought us closer to one another.

I remember there were times, when some of our friends were sharing their Grace History they were on the verge of breaking down. Narrating our Grace Histories is also cathartic (remember the Greek notion of Catharsis, meaning purging), and it purges us of the impurities, short-sightedness, and help us to remove the dust out of our bright spots, and let the light shine. However it is painstaking to enter into a serious and sincere narration of our Grace Histories, because it involves our own failures and successes, pain and agonies, joys and ecstasies, the role of self and others in the course of the journey. Therefore my Grace History is a tiny bit of the history of this world, history of humanity.

Often in life, we have a tendency to only look at the dark spots of life, and refuse to take note of the bright spots, the spots which had been giving light to our journey forward. Though the dark spots are integral to our journey, they alone cannot make our journey; the light and the shadows together make our Grace History. The dark spots may show to us our action, and the bright spots the action of God, and that is sure to help us realize that we are led forward according to a divine plan, and not merely by chance, as agnostics and atheists might claim. It is a great consolation to realize that I have a Grace History that I can share with others, and that our histories intersect, helping us to walk forward hand in hand.

Missing the Bus

Missing the bus in our country, or in any of the Asian countries for that matter, is nothing to be amused at, because when the buses do not ply on time, how can the commuters be blamed for missing the bus. If that is the case with buses, there are things in life where we human beings do miss the bus, even when the buses ply as scheduled. Probably that is the reason why nothing seems to happen in the lives of the ninety nine per cent of the population. It is only the odd one per cent of the people who find life so very amusing, that they are ready to do anything for the humanity, for the universe, for nature, and for themselves. These are the people who see a ray of light, when all the others see only the dark clouds.

This man from Australia is one such man, who for fifteen months had not earned or spent even a penny, I realize that he is one among the one per cent, and I felt happy to read about what made the difference in the life of this fifty plus man. He had a promising career in an organic farm, and he states that a chance viewing of the movie “Gandhi” made him to rethink about his life. He had said that one saying of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi had pushed him to think twice about the quality of his life : if you want to transform the world, transform yourself. He had realized that it was money which was the center of all evil, and if he would be able to annihilate the getting and spending money, he might be able to enter into happiness.

It was interesting to read his account on how he was slowly realizing his dream of living a life without bound by money, and his life brought him to closer proximity with nature, and he had begun to feel the beauty and bounty of nature. Towards the end of his short presentation about what he was all about, he asserts that what can make us truly happy is not money, but relationships, friends, and he got many after he began his experiment with truth. What gives me joy is to realize that there are so many persons in the world around us who are careful not to miss the bus; even if they miss it, they make sure to catch it before it speeds up. These are not merely trend-setters, who dare to dream for the world, for humanity, for nature, and for the universe.

Each one of us goes through a moment in life, which can be termed as a peak experience; but most often these moments may be shrouded by our own personal problems, bias, prejudices, sorrows and agonies. These moments of “realization” do not last for too long; if one does not take note of them, they may just pass by, and it may never come back. If we are alert and prompt, we may be able to allow ourselves to be recharged by the powerful currents flowing from this experience. Most of the great people of the world down the centuries have all gone through these peak moments and had benefited from them, and thanks to these experiences, we are still sane and safe. Their legacy is the spotlight showing light to our generation.

It is such a wonderful thing to even imagine what would happen if every individual in the world were to be a person who had undergone this peak experience; in that case, everyone would have been a Buddha, the enlightened one. In that case, there may be no evil in the world, no killing, no greed, no avarice, no jealousy. Life would be so very different. Unfortunately those who miss the bus may remain stranded all through their lives, and today I only wish each one of us makes an attempt to be awake when such moments of enlightenment dawn upon us, and be drowned by the magical streams; when we come up to the shore, then we may be different persons, with a new vision and a new mission. Life will be so very colorful then!

Lenten Triduum… Journey inwards!

It is long since I had spent three full days during the season of Lent to be with the suffering Lord and the suffering humanity. The one thing that takes priority during this season over everything, particularly the spiritual aspects, is the exterior practices, penance and reparation for the past sins. Most often I forget the reason why I do all these penance and sacrifices; it is surely not the time for slimming, as some think it to be, or time for dieting, or time for putting a little control over one’s eating habits. Even the fast and skipping of meals often remain at the level of external practices which do not touch the heart, the core of my being. This year I propose to spend three days on an inward journey, into the core of my being, where alone can I encounter the suffering Lord and the suffering humanity!

Three days are not such a long duration in comparison to my life-time and I can afford to take the 72 hours away from my daily schedule (though I often claim to be too busy for some of the courtesy calls and appearances, many a times I catch myself aimlessly moving from one meaningless activity to another!), and be by myself. The world is not going to miss me much during these 72 hours, which I consider are going to be privileged moments to enter into my self! It is not that I have not ventured into such journeys before, but most often such journeys were interrupted by worldly preoccupations, and I would return to my humdrum reality from half way. Thus I hope and pray I survive the full three days alone with me!

Did I say alone with me? But I am never alone; I am a composite of the body, mind and spirit, and at any given moment I am controlled by these thridev (trinity). I had very seldom given time to enter into the three koshas (layers) of my self. Indian philosophy would detail several koshas, ultimately ending with anandamaya kosha, the blissful layer, and that is what I am hoping to embark upon during these three days, to ultimately seek and find ananda, the perfect bliss! It is God alone who is bliss, and that is why we dare to call him/her anandamayi! The ever joyous, blissful! What a wonderful name is this for God! How wonderful would it be if all of us on earth are as blissful as God is!

Let me place certain assumptions before I jump into the deep waters; am I sure that I am going to enter into deep waters? How deep is it going to be? For a person whose head is immersed into water, it really does not matter if the water level is seven feet high or 20 feet high; the fear and panic one experiences is the same in both the levels. How far I would be able to hold myself is left to each one? From my side, I need to become conscious of where I am? Am I still at the shore, untouched by the living waters that flow from the Lord’s presence, or am I well into the deep? Or am I able to feel the waters slowly rise (it is the Lord’s doing), or that I am moving into deeper waters (it is my Spirit’s doing)? Let me close my eyes and feel the waters?

As a preparation for this three days of inward journey, it is a wonderful thing to enter into the presence of the Lord purifying ourselves. The tribals of India would always begin any religious celebration with the first day dedicated to purificatory rituals, so that their bodies, minds and spirits are free from any sort of impurity which may prevent the Lord entering into our midst. I would like to invoke the Spirit of the Living God to let the living streams flow over me, and purify me of all that would prevent me from recognizing his presence, seeing me with my inner eyes, and holding on to him as my greatest treasure! Let me repeat the mantra on the eve of my journey, as many times as I can: Spirit of the Living God, let your streams flow over and cleanse me!

Today is the Day (Lent 4)

One of the greatest evils that many a good and virtuous men and women easily fall prey to is procrastination. With all good intentions, these men and women begin to postpone the good work they have thought of and planned for. But by the time they get into action, much of the efficacy of the action is lost, and the work remains just a meaningless action. We have also heard about jurisprudence, that justice delayed is justice denied. We love to wait for opportune moments to embark upon our ambitious plans and projects, and quite often we are surprised to note that the delay often costs us a lot.

We human beings care notoriously known for delaying good actions, and that is why it is said that we should do good works at the very moment we conceive them. There are things which cannot be waited. We should use our conscience to get going, and the season of lent is a reminder which tells us, we cannot wait for too long. The story of Doctor Faustus (based on the medieval play by Christopher Marlowe) is a bitter reminder for all of us to realize that if we wait too long, we would lose the battle; even our bitter appeals to the devil for a minute, or a few seconds would be in vain.

In the Old Testament, we hear God giving ultimatum to the people of Israel to return to him; the people of Nineveh had 40 days to repent and return to the Lord; but if the people were to wait for 35 days to get over and they would do the needful on the last five days, it might be too late for them. But in our case, we do not know how many days we have been given; who knows before our conversion, our time may run late. And hence the urgency that the season of Lent comes with is real and we cannot take it lightly. Today is the favorable time, says prophet Joel, and are we listening to him?

Lent is a season which calls for concrete action; we cannot write pages after pages of resolutions which we would consider putting into practice after the Lent. However noble a resolution be, if it cannot be put into concrete action, then in vain is it. After listening to the cries of our neighbors with empathy, we are called to plunge into action immediately, and here each one will have to estimate what he/she is called to, without comparing one with the other. This action alone can lift the brother and sister who is steeped in pain and sorrow and provide the much needed solace and comfort.

Lent is not a season of high and noble ideals, but is a season of concrete action, where the body, mind and spirit jointly embark upon acts which can benefit humanity at large. When my action and sincere efforts are targeted at my neighbor with utmost empathy can bring down the blessings of God and of the whole of creation. It is also an invitation to live in the eternal present, in com-union with the God of Now, because it is only in the present moment that we can truly encounter God! The action can proceed only when we have listened to the cries of our brothers and sisters with hearts, with empathetic sentiments! This action will again take us to deeper listening and the cycle will go on endlessly, taking us into deeper realization of God's presence in our midst!

Daring to be Different

I remember watching the hilarious 'My Fair Lady' for the first time; I was no better than Eliza, whom Mr Higgins turns into a well-groomed English lady! Eliza was expected to act and behave like all educated, genteel English, and not exhibit her raw intonations and pronounciations! Higgins in today's idiom would have expected Eliza to fall in line, or to get lost! His was a laborious task of bringing Eliza in perfect alignment with the rest of the crowd, whom he considered enjoying a social standing and appreciation, which was worth all the trouble! Today we would question the noble intentions of Higgins, and ask him, Why can't Eliza be as she is?

If there is one dinstinctive feature of God's creation, it is the variety. Is it not wonderful to realize that there are no two plants the same; no grasses are identical; no two human persons are ditto! Not even the so-called identical twins are not the same; they have their own distinctive features; not even the Siamese twins! This is what makes the universe so very wonderful. Remove the variety, then the world will soon lose its color and vitality! I would love to look at a flower garden, decked with dozens of varieties of flowers. It is a feast to the eyes and the senses. You also look at a garden with just one variety of flowers, however enchanting it may be; it may not be as captivating as the former!

Unfortunately the society recommends uniformity, because that is how it is easy to bring an order and discipline. Variety and differences bring a seeming confusion and chaos. Let me illustrate it with an example. In a family, if all the children eat chicken, it is easy for the mother to cook one dish; but if there are three children, one fond of chicken, one pork, and another mutton, what would be the plight of the poor mother; she cannot be cooking three dishes each day to satisfy the three children! That is why uniformity is considered a great virtue to impose discipline. But where there is uniformity, you cannot expect variety, color and a flowing dynamism.

It is so very easy to flow with the currents; to be like the rest is no big challenge. In a democratic society, most people do not raise their voice against injustice and corruption, and it is safe to be so. But if one dares to raise one's voice against the injustice, one is asking for trouble; it would not take much time for him/her to realize that his/her last hour has come. So, is it proper that we try to align ourselves in line with the rest of humanity? True happiness is not in this kind of passive alignment, but in active dynamism, which propels me to contribute my distinctive feature for the betterment of society. If I can add just one different color to the existing rainbow, the beauty of this array of colors is only enhanced.

But daring to be different has its own share of troubles and challenges. A fish which tries to swim against the current has to fight against the forceful current which keeps pushing her towards the sea. Moral determination and personal commitment are the pre-requisites for any venture that involves this daring. Criticism and branding are the usual consequences of daring to be different, criticism which can at times try to smother the fire that burns deep within, but if one is determined, no criticism can really put off the fire. The world today beckons humanity to open up her heart, to let the million hues and shades criss-cross the skies, and celebrate the wonderful array of colors, of being unique and different!

Into Eternity

Organ donation is still a rare phenomenon in our country; and the same is true of other nations as well. When we come across persons who have dared to donate their eyes and body, we raise our eye-brows; we find it hard to believe that there are persons who could so easily pledge their eyes, so that through someone else, they can see the world; their bodies would be used for medical research in medical colleges and research centers, so that students would be able to learn anatomy and be able to serve humanity better. There are so much organs in need each day, and probably only a fraction of the demand is met by generous souls!

I am coming back to Jyoti Basu, who had donated his eyes, and body; his body had been donated to the SSKM medical college and research center. That was Basu's last gift to humanity, truly a wonderful gift! We Christians believe in buying our bodies, so that they may become earth; Hindus cremate their bodies after death, and they too become earth. But when cadaver is handed over for the betterment of humanity, does it not serve a greater purpose than reminding us that we are earth, and to earth all shall return. After death, what else do we have to offer to the world, but our bodies, and that is what this great man has done, and I take my hats off for him.

We live in a society, where even ordinary blood donation is a matter of great rarity. There are sophisticated people who would reason out why they should donate blood, which may be sold for a big price! There is so much of blood is in want each day for either direct transfusion, or during surgeries that sometimes people lose their lives due to lack of blood stock. But, what do I lose by donating a unit of blood? I don't lose anything; the body is able to get back to normal within minutes, and still the stigma remains. We do not need to donate blood on every second month, to make a record, but if we can donate blood whenever we can, we are being responsible social beings.

There are such lovely words said of blood donation; this is something that all of us can do so easily, and it does not cost us anything. All that we require is a little courage, and a greater amount of generosity. Only about one in a ten thousand or million may die due to donating blood, and when we give blood to the needy, we are sharing the free gift of nature. This is something that we all of us can share without holding back, and it is this blood which makes us all one, going beyond distinctions of rich and poor, privileged or underprivileged. We do not need to worry about donating our eyes or our body, we can start with blood donation. If I can donate blood to those in dire need, I can be proud to be a universal citizen.

There is fear and prejudice against organ donation; this happens even between siblings and first degree relations. We are surely against commercialization of human organs, which are priceless gifts; but if I can pledge to give my body and the eyes, which is not at all going to affect the way I am, after life spirit departs from my mortal remains, it can contribute a lot to humanity. I know deep within that my spirit is calling me to fill in the form of pledge to donate my organs, eyes and the body, and still there is something which is stopping me, but I know after a few weeks or months, I would dare to fill in the pledge, and tell the world I care for her!

In Support of Serpents

Snakes! the proverbial enemies of humanity from the time of the first parents, Adam and Eve, there is hardly any who would say something in support of these animals. They are a cursed lot, already from the time of the genesis, and they are still so, except for a few minor religious sects who have taken shelter with snakes as their deity, as is the case with Manasa Devi in Bengal, and Naga Devadai in the southern India. But that does not stop the snakes from harming even the very people who worship them as deities! It has gone deep into human mind that snakes cannot be allowed to live!

We are taught already from our childhood that snakes are evil, and they are all poisonous. They cannot be allowed to prawl around in our gardens and fields, but they should be killed on the spot! We may even allow our enemies to escape our beating, but cannot allow snakes from escaping, leave alone letting them run away peacefully! Much of our understanding about snakes is faulty and erroneous; and quite a bit of it is based on prejudice. We cannot think that the snakes also have the same right to live on earth as any of us is! We often claim that the earth belonged to us, and not to these, and so they can be dispensed with without any hesitation.

It is basically ignorance which make us conclude that all snakes are poisonous; even the harmless grass-snake are killed at the very first sight, and we have great pride in proclaiming to the whole world that we had killed a very poisonous snake! One of the environmentalists had recently announced that out of all the snakes commonly found in India, only two varies are really poisonous and so are fatal, and most others are not poisonous. They may bite others, but people cannot die due to poison. There may not be too many people who would bite this idea, even if it is based on facts and scientific data.

I have heard several stories in our village, where people had died due to snake bite, and have also heard about those men and women who recovered after snake bite! But generally the stories of the people who have succumbed to poisonous snakes had been doing extra rounds than those who had recovered from such a bite. Now the point I would like to propose is that it is time that we think twice before we look for sticks and rods to kill snakes. It is said that snakes would not deliberately harm anyone; until they are provoked, they would mind their own business! After all, they are not after human blood!

If the human race claims a rightful place on earth, then the snakes too have a rightful place here, and the fact is that these creatures are more friendly to the earth and the universe than humanity! It is time that we stop condemning all snakes as poisonous and kill them instantly. The number of snakes in our villages and gardens and fields have reduced considerably. If this situation were to continue, then after some years, we may not have any real snake to show to our children; the snakes might have then become like what dinausours are for us today. Let us give the snakes their rightful place on earth, and they too would honor us for that act of charity and kindness!

Madness of Human Malady

It is incredible to imagine what the human beings are really capable of! It was only the human race which was able to unravel many of the mysteries of the universe, and life on earth; it was the human mind which is capable of travelling back in time and space, and at the same time travel to the distant future and predict what is in store for them. Unfortunately no other animal had been given that privilege to re-create the earth we had been handed over; and it is hard to say if we have made the world better or worse! Our children would be in a much better place to answer such probing question.

At the table during dinner, our conversation came back and forth to what the human beings are capable of! They would do any thing crazy in order to prove to the world that they mattered, and what they were convinced of was God's word! We recalled to mind the air craft pilot who took the US plane to blow the Twin Towers! It was not merely a matter of "guts" to even blow one's own self, which can never be refitted, but to be convinced that they were doing something good and worthwhile! Many fanatics may name them martyrs, but were they really so? Especially when we see hundreds of people murdered due to the plot hatched and executed by them!

Or think of the 25/11 attack on Mumbai! I simply admired the amount of work that had gone behind such a masterplan! No ordinary people would be capable of planning and executing such a complicated plot! Great minds were involved in such an attack, and the very fact that these people who executed the plot for the most part went "missing" during the time of the blow, was ample proof that there could not have been anything left for chance! That really is proof of human ingenuity, and what they are capable of achieving. But unfortunately, much of the human positive energy is wasted!

If only all the human energy which is wasted with unhealthy practices and destructive schemes and plots, is preserved to do good to humanity and to the universe, there would not be so much of disparity, inequality and poverty in the world! Just imagine how much money, time, energy and resources are wasted by corporate houses, not so much to keep them on the top, but to keep the competitors down. Millions of rupees/dollors are wasted in maligning the competitors, suing them with cases which are next to non-sense, just to disrupt the production of things which may put the other corporate house in jeapardy.

The amount of money spent on advertisement is targeted not so much to introduce new products and goods, but to show how their product is better than the rest; how their goods are the best in the world! There is no question of comparative degree here, but only the superlative ones. Will it be possible for humanity to ever realize the futility of investing so much of energy, time, and resources in things which can only harm humanity, and shorten the life on earth! Will good sense ever prevail on earth, and rival nations, groups and sects ever be able to put aside the differences and seek similarities, which alone can bring respite to the otherwise fast disappearing species on earth, the human race!

Befriending Nature

Come, let’s be friends! That is the theme of the three day youth Assembly of the National Council of Churches in India, organized here in Kolkata, and I had a taste of the some 700 youth gathered from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and different parts of the country. The youth are initiated to befriend God, nature and humanity, and I thought it was a wonderful way of presenting the theme, nature sandwiched between God and humanity, and in fact that is how things came to be, if we take the Bible seriously, or if Charles Darwin were true. Science believes that humanity came much after the birth of the universe and nature, and today it is humanity which is on the warhead to destroy the universe! It is a matter of concern for all of us.

I am not much worried what these 700 odd youth, equal number of men and women, from all over the country and even beyond the borders would achieve in these few days they are together to think aloud. In fact, they may go home with tabula rasa, their minds as blank as they started this workshop, and there would be nothing to be surprised about it. But if every youth today begins to open his/her eyes to see the kind of world we have made, and the kind of world we are giving birth to, then things will be in a better shape when it is time for us to bid farewell to this universe. But I already feel we are unable to give a clean earth to our children, and we are fully responsible for the world as it is today.

In this regard, we should be doing something in black and white instead of talking too much about it. [In fact, I have begun to write about it after doing some work in this regard, and so my writing about it may be taken seriously]. If every human person, be s/he is in a village or city, begins to do just one small act in order to conserve and nurture the earth, the wounds we had inflicted on her will soon be healed, and we may then be able to see the morning sun rise, listen to the song of the bird at our doorstep, find friendly insects and butterflies entering into our drawing rooms freely, doves and parrots would visit us each day to claim their due share of ration!

We all want to do great things, which can change the situation in a huge way, and if we wait for such an opportunity, then we may be too late. Let me write what I had done in the past few days. When I had gone for the New Year celebrations to a village, my friends offered me four saplings of a particular variety of chili, which is known for its pungency. After bringing it home, I had prepared two flowerpots with enough mud, and planted the plants, two each in two pots, and have been pouring water each day. I had raised the pots, so that the sun’s rays may bathe them each day. And after pouring water, I go close to the plants and whisper something nice into their ears, and I believe they are so happy to hear my voice.

But yesterday as I was pouring water to the chili plants, it occurred to me that there is another flowerpot close-by with ‘useless’ grass growing in it beside a tall plant! I had been watering the chili plants and the two Aloe Vera plant and not to others. I thought for a while: I take care of the chili plants because after a few months they will yield chili which I may use in the cooking, but what will I do with the grass? Then, if the chili plants and the aloe vera have the right to live and get attention from me, does not the grass too have the right to live? Should it also not have the privilege of being talked to with love? Does the grass not as important and significant and even precious as any other so-called useful plants? How can I differentiate between the plants, when they all live together?

E/Affecting Changes

If there is one thing which is so very peculiar to the human race is that it is never contended with the way things are. Unlike most other primates, the human beings are constantly in search of change; everything that is new becomes out of date (or out of style, as is in vogue today)within no time; if one looks at the fashion world, we would be puzzled to realize that even before a fashion commodity reaches the market, it is declared out of fashion. Things are changing at break-neck speed, and it is quite impossible to keep pace with them. But the moot question is: should we keep pace with changes and adapt ourselves ever so often?

New Year celebrations bring along a bagful of promises to change; we want changes to take place as the clock strikes 12 on the new year eve. It is as if we all have the Alladin's magic lamp, which can change and transform us at the fraction of a second! We all wish to hear the whisper of the genie, Your wish is my command! We hear a thousand and one promises for change that people assure us of: giving up smoking, drinks, some vital bad habits! There are also others who promise positive things - to call up parents at least once a week, to do household chores with the wife, etc. But how long do the changes work?

Unfortunately changes as we desire do not take place; even before we take note of what we had promised, we had broken the promises, and we are back to square one. We see ourselves just as we were before the new year! We often fail to ask ourselves this simple question: can a new year (which by the way, is just an imaginary concept) change the way how we relate to people, behave, and act in our personal and social lives? Are we not asking for too much from a concept, which is just incapable of ushing in changes in us? But then, are changes impossible in our lives? Can't we break out of our unhealthy habits and soar to newer heights?

Of course it is possible, and there is a simple way to do that! Paradoxically, the more we try to change ourselves, the more we fail, and therefore in order to change something in ous, the best thing to do is to become conscious of what we want to change, and stop at that. That is where the trick is: to stop with becoming conscious of what we want to change; if we force ourselves to change, then it would end up in a disaster. One may ask, then how will a change take place? The universe will take care of it; our body-mind-spirit will take care of the change that is to be effected. Mind you, the change that will take place will not be dramatic, nor spectacular, but would be lasting.

There is a simple way to test this theory: look at the lasting changes which have taken place in ourselves, and we would notice that these changes took place without our realization. Look at the way trees and plants grow; the change or transformation is imperceptible to our naked eyes, and yet it is real and lasting. We need to trust in the transformative power of the universe and the body-mind-spirit complex, because there is nothing which is beyond the power of these two vital poles which determine what we are! We might call them the divine powers, because they have so much of creative potentiality, if only we surrender to be moulded and shaped! To be transformed and be changed!

Fast in Fellowship

I know many people in India think of the former chief minister of Bihar, Sri Lallu Prasad Yadav as a clown in Indian politics, one who can amass public money property shamelessly, and even justify doing so publicly. He has been credited to have turned the ever loss-making Indian railways into a profit making one, which made the world take note of his USP. But I have a soft spot for this Bihari for several reasons: he is a man of the soil; he might have made a fortune out of the fodder scam, but he is also the one who believes in taking care of cows, and sometimes does not feel shy to pose milking the Jersy cows for photographs!

Needless to say, Lallu's wisdom is rustic, untouched by scientific and technological advancement. There are sparks of rustic wisdom in his speech, and one is left to amusement at the wisdom of this man, who however fails to apply such wisdom to reality. While many parts of the country are going through drought-like situation, Lallu had proposed a way to partly overcome this drought, which for the most part is human made. Citing the example of Jagdivan Ram, who during the time of drought in the early years of Indian independence, invited the citizens to fast once a week, Lallu invited the present generation to skip their meals (at least one meal) one day a week!

I found this simple solution not only innovative, though the credit goes to Jagjivan Ram, but it also challenges the people who are responsible for creating such a situation. It is also a challenge to the ever-increasing human greed and avarice. I welcome the idea whole heartedly, and propose an improvement of this idea as follows: It may be hard to skip the meals a whole day, since most of us would not have energy to work if we don't eat the whole day. So here is a way out. On alternative days, I can skip a meal; on monday I skip breakfast, on Wednesday lunch and on Friday supper. At the end of the week, I had skipped three meals, equivalent to not eating for a day.

Doctors recommend fasting as a means of staying healthy, and there are people who fast to keep themselves trim. But fast that is proposed has a wider social message, not only purely personal. What is important is not just to skip a meal, because that may not affect the world around. But then there is a way to make this simple act of fasting meaningful to a wider society. I cannot eat up what I save out of fasting on other days. If I feel the pain of those thousands of men, women and children going hungry to bed each day, then I will keep the grains, pulses and vegetables I save each week, and hand it over to the people who are in dire need of them. In this way, while I feel the hungry stomach, I can see the smile in the face of the hungry children.

Living very close to the VIP road of the City of Joy, I can see on weekends there is no parking space around our house. There are hundreds throng in and around Music World in Park Street, prepared to dole out some money to eat outside. If all these eateries, both big and small, were to pull their shutters once a week, save the food and money, and hand them over to the most deserving children, men and women, then we will see the world changing rapidly.If all men and women earning a salary or wage were to pause for a day in a month, and hand the money for those who lack basic amenities of life, then the world would be a better place for all of us.

Plateful of Flowers

When someone is sick and is admitted into a nursing home or hospital, it is customary for friends and neighbors, to carry a “Get well soon” card with a bouquet of flowers. As I am recuperating from a bout of influenza, I received a bouquet of flowers, a plateful of e-flowers. Nature’s pure gift, unalloyed, groomed by rain and shine, and a little bit of human care! It is not only a feast to the eyes, but it also brings the best of nature to our doorsteps. The seasonal flowers seldom fail, even if the monsoon rains fail. They follow nature’s pre-designated cycle, and come what may, they are there with their beauty and fragrance.

The rain-soaked flowers sitting leisurely on the plate, holding each other making the best circle of friendship that can ever be imagined or re-created, is a sight that can transport us to an altogether different realm, if only we are look into the blossoms. Unity in diversity is what they uphold, by mingling with flowers of different shades, all adding to the cosmic rhythm, that the universe is still safe and secure. But don’t jump too much into their short-span of life; it is human beings who evaluate the quality of our lives by the number of years we have lived, not so for nature.

Is it not a wonderful thing to contemplate how nature has a different kind of life-guide than the human beings? The birds and insects, trees and shrubs all of them have a million stories to tell the human beings, if only we have the ears to listen to them. Today we listen to what these blossoms staring at me tell, or wish to tell at this moment! We don’t need to keep our ears to listen to them, but keep the doors of our hearts ajar, so that their words may enter into us, and transform the way we look at life at large. Once they touch us, we may look at nature with different eyes.

I am fascinated by the instance in the Bhagavad Gita, where Arjuna pleads with Lord Krishna that he might receive His cosmic vision. Krishna chides Arjuna saying that with human eyes he cannot behold his eternal, celestial beauty, and so He offers his disciple a third eye, with which he would be able to have the cosmic vision of the Lord. That is what we all need today, to look at the footprints of the maker in all that is around us; then even a blade of grass, or a still, stationary tree may have a message for us, what they are and what we are.

It is time for me to pass this plate on, so that the joy of beholding their beauty may not stop with me, but become contagious, very much like the swine flu, the H1N1 virus, so that after a few years, or decades or even centuries, we may have a humanity which is in close contact with nature and her bounty. On that day, there will not be a plateful of flowers, but only nature gathering plateful of human beings around her chest, treasuring them as if they were her very own. Is that not what many religions call Paradise!

Lame to Game

What can a lame former knight of the fifteenth century offer to the modern management, group dynamics, spirituality and psychiatry of the twenty-first century? One might wonder, if I was only kidding. It is next to impossible for such a person to have any trace of memory in modern minds, were he not someone who has etched his name in the annals of history. But it would be interesting to note what his contributions to the modern world are, before reckoning him with laurels.

This dreamer, who had far too great ambitions to win the whole world, had formed a band of men, who today number about 18,000, spread around the world, involved in anything that a human mind can imagine, and his successors are even today looked upon as the ‘black pope’; if there is any group of men that the hierarchical Church would lean on at the time of any major crisis, it is these men, ever ready to give even their life to save the Vicar of Christ and the Church militant.

Church militant? He was a knight, and so he could think of the Church and the Society only in military terms; was he not the first Superior General to head the band of men, who called themselves the Society of Jesus? His Spiritual Exercises today is considered a great spiritual classic, and men and women who long to have an experience of God in the midst of all the hussle and bussle take this small book, and get themselves lost in the forest of love and God’s compassion.

If the company that he founded along with nine other companions were to survive five centuries, it is no mean thing. He had a method of forming his men that even management curricula will fall short; men who were not even above average, became firebrand missionaries, teachers, social workers, thinkers, writers, researchers, and inventors. What ignited these men that they are able to surpass all human expectations and calculations? What is the magic behind these men?

Ignatius of Loyola was too short in height in comparison to the six feet men and women; he seemed to have looked quite handsome in his younger days, but that was not the case in his older days; he clothed with rags, and lived such a miserable life in the heart of Rome, bearing all privation happily, but pouring all his efforts in forming his men, giving them council, writing letters to them (already in a matter of about 10 years, he seemed to have written over 3000 letters). His legacy lives on, in the men ready to fight any battle, be it moral, social, religious, economic; name it and they are ready to fight. If one lame had surrendered his sword at the foot of Mother Mary, today 18,000 men are ready to fight, not with swords of steel, but with swords of faith in God and humanity, trust in the age old wisdom of their founder, confidence in the five century old tradition… If one were to claim that Ignatius has not given to the world anything positive, that would be the greatest lie ever!

Mute Witnesses of Human Malady

It suddenly occurred to me what the so-called inanimate beings which surround us would tell us if they had the gift of speech; what they would do, were they given the capacity to think. If only the walls were able to speak, then the humanity would be on the road. To the great advantage of humanity, we have placed around us mute witnesses, who can only see and hear and not speak. The amount of filth and rot that we carpet each day is known only to these things which see each of our movements. And we can rest in peace that they will never charge us, pull us up, or retaliate for all the evil we had done.

The cold-blooded murder that a person might have committed, making sure that no other human being on earth witnessed it. If the walls, furniture, books, bed, were to bear witness in the court, the world would be very different. They would have been able to prove beyond all doubt that there is no worse creature on earth than the human beings, and no better creature on earth than the very humanity. Unfortunately the earth is people with the good and the bad, and the only authentic and sincere creatures who can ever separate the ripe from the rotten ones are these.

I were God, then at least on an experiment, I would have given the gift of speech to these inanimate beings, at least for an hour. It might be too much of a time to really destroy humanity, so I might consider reducing the time to ten minutes. But imagine if all the bricks were to bear witness to what humanity has done to the universe, then their anger can burn the earth, and turn it to a hell. But then, evil may be destroyed for ever.

The most noble people sometimes are called the mad, the insane. These are often the people, who can speak to the so-called inanimate beings with the same ease and confidence that they are capable of communicating with the rational human beings. But we the ‘ordinary’ persons cannot accept such people as belonging to our category. Perhaps there is greater truth in being insane than humanly sane. When an insane person speaks to the clouds, to rocks and stones, to cows and buffaloes, do they not soar to a higher level than of humanity?

It would be a great blessing of God, if we are given the faculty to be blind to see the cruelty done to humanity, to nature and to the universe, to be deaf to the curses and insults humanity heaps on one another, to be insensitive to the culture of violence and torture that mindless men and women inflict of the innocent and the voiceless, to be out of my head to forget what is happening around me, so that the human pollution does not take away the spontaneity and innocence I entered the world with. In other words, I too wish to be turned into another mute witness to the maladies of the universe, and yet not touched by them.

The Pieta

As one walks through the magnificent St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican, one is awe-stuck at the innumerable works of art displayed at the holy place. The bigger than life size sculptures of popes of the bygone days, the paintings of some of the most notable artistes of different ages; beauty and sanctity have joined hands, and sometimes it is art which takes the upper hand, and religiosity moves behind. There is pomp and magnificence as one walks through the sacred portals, sanctified by innumerable men and women over the two millennia. But what remains today in this headquarters of the Roman Catholicism is of great and immense value to the universe and to humanity. In a sense, Vatican and the city of Rome bear witness to the great sense of art that Romans entertained in their design of the city, buildings, walls, temples. Imagine the Pantheon in the heart of Rome, which has altars for all possible religious groups, thus paving way for inter-faith communion, rather than dialogue.

But let me focus my attention to one of the most note-worthy treasures of St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican, the Pieta by Leonardo da Vinci. The marble sculpture bears witness to the close bond that a mother and her son can cherish. The gentleness of the mother almost flowing out of her grace-filled face, and the humble submission of the Son, who allows himself to be cuddled by the all loving hands of the Mother – you would probably need a magnifying glass to really study the feelings and emotions that the artist has poured into his work of art. This is one place in the basilica, where there is always a big crowd, as they enter in, and find it soon at the right. The life size sculpture captures the basic human bond, in the most eloquent way, and it is a treat to the body and the soul of every mother and son, who are tied by a bond beyond all telling.

Perhaps the most enduring bond between two human beings is between a mother and her child. Even in 60, a man is a child to his mother, a woman is a child to her mother. That filial bond can never be severed, even if one party deliberately wishes so. This is one of the miracles of nature; even in 60, a son would love to rest his head on the lap of his mother, who might be in her eighties. The comfort and security of this bond is so very different from the kind of bond that the world knows. Is it not strange then that when a person who is old enough to be a grandparent is sick, the person’s mother would love to take care of him/her as if the person were a child; she would not even hesitate to bathe, feed and dress him/her. One can be as vulnerable and helpless as one is in front of one’s mother, because she only can understand the child she had given not only birth, but also shaped inch by inch. It is this eternal bond that flows out of the Pieta.

One of the greatest gifts that we human beings can cherish is our mothers; this is in no way to belittle the significant role that our fathers play in our lives. Since we had been dependent on her from the moment of conception, through the long months of carrying in the womb, and seeing the light of day through her body, we carry in ourselves our mothers. We had been drinking her blood every time we suckled her breasts, and were nourished by it. But coming in contact with the worldly pressures, we lose touch with the tenderness of our mothers, and become hard at heart. The suppleness of heart, tenderness of feelings are lost too soon. I wish we take the photos of our mothers at some of the most significant moments of our life on earth: childbirth, sickness, success, pain. It is only a mother who can give back the life her son or daughter had lost.

Today I would like to place myself in front of the Pieta, and bring to my eyes my mother; I would like to replace the eternal mother with my own mother, and would like to replace the eternal Word with my own self. I would like to see myself cuddled by my mother; caressed by her loving tender hands. I would like to become a child again to her, so that I may experience the bond that keeps me close to her. I also would like to thank all the mothers who have crossed my way; I have another mother who has nurtured my intellectual thirst, another mother who nurtures me when I am very far from my biological mother. After all, all mothers have this quality of tenderness in their genes, and today I bow my head to these mothers, and pray for God’s abundant blessings on them. I only wish I have the tenderness and loving compassion that my mothers have for me! (Brussels)

When Nature Spread Carpets...

All around I see a white carpet of snow, carefully strewn on plants, housetops, on top of every conceivable object on the lanes and by-lanes of this vast city. It is a treat to one’s eyes, and as I walked along the streets, with hedgerows piled with snow, I stretch out my hand to touch them, and they immediately slip from my hands, as if playing hide-n-seek with me. Unadulterated white powder generously strewn, no human mechanism may be able to reproduce such artistry, such delicate work of love. But alas, there is hardly anyone to even take note of this wondrous miracle! Gifts of nature abound all around us, every day, and every hour and every minute, and we need a thousand eyes to behold her beauty, not out there, but here and now.

The greatest miracle-worker, nature, does not measure and give to the world; her gifts are always in unlimited measure, like a true lover showering all that he has on his beloved. He does not calculate and measure when it comes to self-offering. Nature gives all that she has, and the best gift that she could give to the world is herself, and is there anyone to receive them? As I walked along a park with lovely carpet of snow all around, so soft and so gentle, at times I felt indignant to put my foot on them! Oh, how can I be so cruel to stamp this lovely gift of nature? I would like to take this gift in both my hands and give it a gentle kiss! Oh no! I am too old to do that! I should be a little child to do that, and no one would frown at me; they would think that it was part of my childish play. But now, I have to be careful as to what others will think, how they would regard me if I were to do that. I cannot be entirely what I am as I behold nature; I have to be heartless and emotionless before her bounty.

Nature’s great gift lying in vain, unregarded, uncared, and the vast part with trees around, I can find hardly anyone. A gift is often exchanged only between people who care for each other; we do not give gifts to someone we do not like. Nature showers her gifts on us only out of her boundless love for us, and even if we do not treasure her gifts, is it not proper that we at least receive them with dignity and honor? What we can give her in return is a big question, we cannot enter into, but is it not human to treat her with love for giving to her gifts we surely do not deserve? The only people who really recognize this gift are children; I could see three children while walking along the road, play with snow, throwing it on one another. She becomes the object of joy and happiness among people, and probably that is the reason why she came down from heaven. Is it not true then that when she is down, the temperature is kept under control? How can we be so blind to take note of her in our midst?

If the weather is cloudy for days on end, then we look forward to the sun, and are very happy when he turns up (though science would warn us that it is not he who turns up, but that we who turn ourselves to him!), and we get out of our heated rooms, to be bathed in the natural stream of warmth and life. But when the sun light is too much in abundance, we hardly take note of him, and the gifts of nature that come in large measure become a routine object, like the church bell chiming each day at the appointed time, or the train passing by with a loud horn at a particular hour each day! Unfortunately we have so many things to keep us busy the whole day long, that even some of the most beautiful events and incidents of life become routine exercises, and we can care very less. There may be a year, when we may not find snow spreading a lovely white carpet all around our city, and then we may complain to nature what made her turn to us harshly, for denying the lovely gift!

Today I would like to pause for a while to reflect about the different gifts of nature that come to me unannounced, unprepared! They come to me so casually without much pomp that I don’t pay attention to them, and they may even escape my notice, and I may miss them forever. Today I go through my mind’s eye and enlist all such gifts that come to me freely – the air I breathe, the water I drink, the sunlight and the moonlight at day and night respectively, the cool breeze that soothe my drooping spirit, and enliven my heart, the blue sky that takes me beyond the horizon, the birds of the air and the flowers, plants, even a little grass has tidings of joy and happiness for me! They all make the world and my life beautiful, if I really care for them. Today I fold my hands in sincere reverence and love for nature, for her unconditional love for humanity! I do not dare to promise her that hence forth I will take her seriously, and accept her gifts with open arms; if I do that, then I will have to regret for making such a promise I cannot keep. I plead with her to bear with me when I am blind to her beauty, deaf to her music, senseless to her soothing sensations, tasteless to savor her sweetness, and give me the grace to accept her whole-heartedly into myself and be immersed by her love beyond all measure! (Brussels)

Divided We Live

There is no creature on earth as authoritarian and self-centered as the human beings. Unfortunately we have come to believe that the human beings are the centre of the universe, and everything is at the behest of them. I am intrigued to think that we have fragmented the world that we received thousands of years ago, and the world is slowly dying, and I wonder if we will be alive to give her a decent burial. We have cut the earth as if it was a birthday cake we would like to share with others, and today in the name of sovereignty and supremacy, we have broken the world into pieces demarcating for ourselves and preventing others to enter into our territory. That I think is the height of human mockery of the unity of the universe. We cannot think of the universe as one, because we are used to seeing ourselves as different from others. What annoys me is the wired-fence that divides this earth into countries and nations, preventing freedom of movement.

If birds of the air enjoy that absolute freedom to move wherever they want, even migrating thousands of miles in order to avoid the bone-chilling cold, or the scorching heat of the sun, why can’t human beings be so; if the fish of the ocean can move from one end to the other, spending a good part if not the whole of her life, why can’t we. If I move from one place to another, clandestinely sneaking through the wire-fence, I am penalized, and put behind bars. When I am born, I am not born as an Indian or Belgian or a Filippino (Pinoy), but I am born as a human being. I am born as part of the human family without any boundaries. But as soon as I see the light of the day, a tag is tied to my wrist that I am an Indian or an American. I carry this tag till I fall into the ground again, and when I am placed inside the womb of mother earth, I go as I had come, without any tag. I die as a human being, without any identity. Then why do I need to entertain the wire-fence.

Who has limited my freedom of movement; the word is in fragments. No one carries with him or her even a square foot of earth. We all of us will die empty-handed; then why is this demarcation? There is fear in some people that if the wire-fence is removed, then there will be a mad-rush to wealthy nations, and soon the riches of the nation will be drained, and the locals and the natives may be deprived of the riches they had been enjoying for centuries. But isn’t that logic first of all based on false and erroneous premises? The wealth of the earth belongs to the humanity, not only to the people of one particular group; the oil of the Gulf does not belong to them, the gold mines of the America do not belong to them; we behave as if we have worked for this. By claiming absolute power and authority over the natural resources, we have brought infamy upon humanity. How can the custodians of oil fields in the Gulf live in palatial buildings, while hundreds of thousands die of hunger and thirst in the African and Asian countries?

I have neither the intelligence nor the means to undertake a novel research to eradicate all wire-fences, so that the wealth that we invest in guarding the boundaries, preventing people of one “nation” trespassing into another land, may be better utilized to improve basic amenities to the downtrodden, and the backward class people. Let no one claim power and authority over the land, which does not belong to any one particular group, even if they are the original settlers of the land. The earth does not belong to anyone, neither to me, nor to you. Let us think of the land as we think of the sun and the moon, and the oceans. Thank God, we have not made demarcations on the ocean, to say that the water till that line belong to us… I would like to be the almighty God for just one minute, or just one second, if that could ever be granted. I have only one wish as the all-powerful God : in a fraction of a second, to uproot all wire-fences, and replace them with flower plants all over. People then will present one another bouquets and flowers, sharing not only what they have, but also what they are.

While we talk about the boundaries that separate us on the basis of the nation and country, there are also other smaller boundaries and limits that we create for our own convenience. Today I would like to pause for a while to think of all the different boundaries I have created for myself, on the basis of my caste, creed, nationality, religion, culture, profession, interests, tastes, color of the skin, language… every time I make a frantic attempt to belong to a particular group, then I am excluding myself from a wider group, or humanity. Our social structures compel me to belong to different social groups, but I am also free to be by myself, so that I enjoy the freedom that I am born with. Today I would like to consciously dissociate myself from all the different groups I am part of, and consciously brief myself as belonging to the community of the universe. As I sit quietly to contemplate this great feeling, let me see in my mind the endless ocean of men and women surrounding me, and I slowly getting dissolved in this limitless ocean. Let me feel the energy flow from one person to another, enriching and ennobling the entire human race. Can I then ever tolerate wire-fences separating me from my own brothers and sisters? (Brussels)

Thank you Net!

When computers were slowly entering into the lanes and bylanes of our lives many years ago, many thought that it was an Alladin’s magic lamp, which could provide solutions to many of the problems which haunted humanity, and they were hopeful that the machine would soon compete with the human mind in providing solutions, not only mathematical and scientific, but also may take hold of the lives of ordinary mortals. On the other side of the spectrum were people who were very skeptical about the role and function of computers in our lives. They considered the computer as an agent of the devil, or the evil one to use a non-religious word! They were not only cautious, but also warned humanity of the great disaster that maybe brought about by the machine. Many years after the computer was born, the skeptics were face to face with a greater danger to their sanity and sanctity, the advent of the World Wide Web. The world was placed in front of us on a platter, and it is for us to take it or not, but it has sneaked into all that we can think of and is the spirit that pervades the earth.

It would be futile for me to speak for or against the computers and how they have shaped the world today, and information technology has brought the world within our fists, as one cellular phone company has its slogan as. The internet has opened a sea of information for us; there is a danger of being drowned in this sea, but one may also find rich treasures in it, and make use of them for one’s own growth. Often when confronted with problems, perhaps the best friend one may turn today is the www.google.com. And invariably there may be solutions that may make you smile, and very seldom does the internet turn you down. There is anything you want in the net, but I have seen that for a discerning mind, it has all the riches one may seek. It is a double edged sword; one may use it for self-defense, at the same time it could be used to kill one and others. The choice is ours.

In the modern world, people have become so busy that they have very little time for other persons. Time is the most expensive thing in the world today for some, and they may not be able to spare even a few moments to listen to others and give counsel. One has to try to find one’s own solutions to the problems that confront one today, and can no longer look to another for help and support. Over the years, the internet has come to fill the vacuum created by the modern times. A ready reckoner, friend in need, guide in trouble – that is what the internet today is. Let me illustrate this point with an illustration. Before I left the country for a month-long visit to the Europe, I had to reload the Windows in my laptop, and subsequently the program I frequently use, including the Microsoft Office. Since I did the loading just before I was to leave the city, I did not care to install some of the programs (in computer language drivers) required to run internet (LAN driver). When I reached Brussels, I realized I had not loaded this particular driver, meant for this particular brand of laptop. I had not taken the original CD given at the time of purchase of the laptop which contained the necessary driver. I knew where I had to look for help. I went to the internet and looked for the driver, and in an hour, I was running internet from my laptop.

I know it is not the time to shower encomium on the internet, but I have realized that many a time, it had solved many of the problems which might have cost me time as well as pinched my purse. If the internet has in a sense killed the markets and made many a technocrat unemployed, it is also true that it has opened the gates of opportunities to willing souls, at the least price. You might get anything you want without paying a penny, and you don’t even need to run around looking for that, it is given to you on a platter at your study or reading room, or anywhere you are with your laptop and an internet connection. Most of the well-known books are available online, not only for a price, but also free. There I can find every forbidden subject on earth freely available, there are also everything that is sacred. The beauty of the internet is that it has brought together into a matrimonial alliance sacred and profane, religious and secular, this worldly and other worldly, mundane and spiritual; whatever it be, you will get what you are looking for. Isn’t that a beautiful thing.

Today I would like to pause for a while to reflect on what the world has become thanks to the advancement of technology. It has opened the floodgates of grace to enter into every nook and cranny of our little world. I would like to thank the millions of men and women who have spent millions of hours to crunch the world to fit to our purses, tastes and fancies. I would like to remember the countless number of persons who have generously offered fruit of their labor, so that humanity may enjoy the benefits. I would like to think with gratitude all those who have foregone their earnings and payments in order to make available their sweat and toil for the less privileged. It is not that life would be meaningless without the internet and the email, but life has been ennobled because of them. I would like to call the internet as a channel of grace, which has the potentiality to turn the world into a home of peace and serenity; but as is wont, wherever grace resides, sinfulness to hides beneath her skin. But I will have a plea to make : let us not throw the baby together with the bath water! (Brussels)

Letter to a Wounded Soul

I am aware that a letter is not the most soothing balm to a wounded soul, but I stand here before you on behalf of the whole universe, to tell you that the wound that you bear in your heart today is carved on our bones, and no one in the whole world will ever be spared from the sin of the fallen humanity; and I too am a victim and victimized, just as you are, and I would not try to shed my futile tears to express how I vibrate with your soul. I wonder why the earth did not protest against such a violation of life, when you were subjected to such an ordeal; I wonder why the heavens did not roar to stop the ferocious lion leaping onto an innocent lamb; I wonder why the birds of the air did not protest this gross injustice done to a voiceless child! I stand here to condemn the entire creation, which had let your little heart be pierced so violently that you cannot hide your wounds. I am here to condemn the God you believe in so religiously for not taking your side, and bring justice! Oh no, here I am at last to condemn myself for not opening my mouth in protest.

I can see the wry smile on your dry lips, and you had not believed in anyone speaking on your behalf, not even the very people you thought your own. How could you ever doubt that the enemy could be from within your fold and not from out? You had taken for granted that the people whom you thought would be your guardians had turned against you, and yet like a lamb you spoke not! I am here to condemn you too, not because you silently bore the scars, and did not utter a word against the sward piercing through your heart, not because you did not even open the matter to the parents who callously left you to the stars, not because you dared not jeopardize your future by claiming justice for what had been done to you; but I am here to condemn you for not condemning the world, and teach her a lesson. But you had known how to punish this world – by bearing courageously the scars that bear witness to the world that so long the scars remain on your body, the world cannot be absolved from her heinous crime.

The anger and the vengeance that you bear in your heart is enough to explode the Himalayas, and throw the endless Ganges into her depths; the earth that had given shape to your body is a mute witness to all that had happened to you, and the sky and the naked walls, and the cold earth are witness to what the earth has gifted to you! But were you in your ripe age to receive such a gift? You carry even today the scars of the crimes of humanity in you, like the blood stains of Lady Macbeth, it cannot be washed away, the scars you bear in your body will haunt humanity till there is breath in you. But there is no reason for you to suffer any more, today I have come to reverse the annals of history; I would like to rewrite the pages of the past, so that there will not be a little soul carrying the indelible scars of the crimes of humanity. I may not succeed in removing the scars from your body, but I may succeed in revealing to the world that what has happened to a little soul in a remote corner of the world has the potentiality to bring down fire from heaven and burn the whole universe.

Alas, the world has not changed much even after so many years, and do you think that the one who pierced your heart so willfully will one day return to you with folded hands, and fall on his knees and confess in public that he was not worthy of your forgiveness? No, what has happened to you has made history, but not what they make; it is a routine exercise for some, to pierce the hearts of others, and do it till there is energy in their bones. No water from the holy Ganges can every absolve the world from the crime, and today we have come to pay our humble homage to the scars that still remind us what we had done to you. I wish to bend my head with reverence and kiss the spot that still bears the scars, and shed tears till there is none, so that you may be free from the scars, and return to the fullness of joy and happiness that the universe may offer to you.

Forgiveness is a silly word, and you can only laugh at the people who may recommend it as an easy solution to hard problems. I know even the people who preach the notion of forgive and forget know not that life is not a night of drunken revelry that you would not remember what happened a night after; that would be the last thing that I would ever propose. But I have something else to offer to you. Break my heart with a blow of a sword and break me into pieces, so that the blood flowing from my flesh may wash away the ugly scars that cover your skin; I am no hero to venture into an heroic act of laying my life for humanity; I am no saint to offer my life in vain for no cause, but I would like to do this as a humble expression of what I owe to this universe. If even one soul on earth has been blind to you, it is a disgrace to the very universe. I would like to kneel before your presence and behold your scars in my bloody hands and tell the world, spare this child! Let my words reach the ends of the earth, and return to you, so that you know you have become a healer par excellence, with a power that can heal the broken, wounded universe!