They are Watching....

Where to ? Miss?"
"To the stars "...she said
A question always bugged my mind as a kid. Are extra-terristrials a possiblity? A inane thirst for fantasy and thrill made me a avid reader of this topic..On a starry night , when i look up at the skies , I feel someone's out there. Waiting ,watching...

I feel bellitled.That the earth is a miniscule speck of this fascinating universe makes me wonder about man's conceit, his arrogance about knowledge and technology.

I belong to that sect of people, who believe that one day "they" will come back to earth.They were here before, they left with a promise to return, and they will keep their promise.

They've been watching over us, monitored our foray in the world of science,seen us use the first atmoic bomb,seen us kill each other for religion or for land ,trying to prove our supremacy over each other..and may be the "Gods are laughing".

They may have wanted to see a green earth, rich in flora and fauna, a balanced eco-system. Like a beautiful painting that took millions of years to evolve. The painting went awry.It' s stands eroded of millions of acres of tropical forests, millions of extinct species and many more endangered.

No artist likes a creation that did not turn out the way he wanted.

Before the end comes, they will come here. They will tell us what they wanted , and where we went wrong...everything will end ...there will be silence and they'll start working all over again..

Go out to night and look at the skies, may be you will see them smile!

Wake up please-II

Thank you for all your comments, they got me thinking.Freewill and freedom to express are such a gift.Tried to absorb what was said and the mind became restless again.I think I take exception to one line of thought that is very visible in the comments.I have strong views against the act of generalizing. By that I mean rubber-stamping a community with a image that we have built in our minds.Have we tried to analyse that who sowed the seeds of hatred in the minds of a few Hindus and Muslims? How do we know that all Muslims are bad and all Hindus are good or vice versa?
I knew of a Marwadi friend of mine who used to be hurt when people used to use the word " Marwadi" to make fun of someone who is stingy. He would go furious and wonder how people can generalise in this fashion.This is just a very small example but it shows that we cannot classify a particular community as per our pre-concieved ideas.

Secondly, in any relationship, be it between two people or two communities, one can never go back in time and change the doings of the past."Moving on" always involves both parties forgiving each other and working in cohesion for a better tomorrow.I must confess that I am not well read on the history of Islam or it's teachings so had to do a quick research before I could comment.

In my post I had mentioned "....They interpreted their religion in a way that suited their vested interests and are forcing it on the masses..."

Looked up for the meaning of Jehad and here are a few excerpts

"Jehad today is a much maligned word, thanks to its misinterpretations by the Mullah Community and the indiscriminate ignorant projection by the media. Seen objectively, the Koranic concept of Jehad is not atrocious at all. The greater Jehad is to be directed against the evil tendencies within oneself, in order to purify and elevate oneself into the path of righteousness. The lesser Jehad is to take up cudgels on behalf of the tyrannised and oppressed Muslims. Several limitations have been prescribed in the religious texts on the use of the instrument of the lesser Jehad. For example it can be sanctioned only by the governing class. But today many others have usurped this right, creating wide misunderstandings and misplaced zeal."

"Muslim scholars explained there are five kinds of jihad fi sabilillah (struggle in the cause of God): jihad of the heart/soul (jihad bin nafs/qalb) , jihad by the tongue (jihad bil lisan), jihad by the pen/knowledge (jihad bil qalam/ilm), jihad by the hand (jihad bil yad), and jihad by the sword (jihad bis saif)"

"....the reader takes verses out of their context in order to pervert their meaning to suit his own whims and desires. Treating God's book in this manner is an act of great insolence. One who studies the Quran with this insolent attitude can never receive guidance from it."

I think it is quite clear that a few people build their religious beliefs based on what they are taught by the "Learned". My appeal was to go beyond these people, refuse to accept what they say and try to analyse for yourself the righteousness or purpose/gains of a deed.

Drawing parallels to the situation in Pakistan is like comparing apples to oranges.If a particular nation's pysche is disoriented and built on economic and political pressure then it has lost it's crediblity.

Again, why is being moderate or secular always equated to being political? It's my personal choice to respect each community.I have seen the Bombay riots very closely to understand that violence achieves nothing but death, fear and misery.Low income and middle class people lose their bread-winners.When people dont have food to eat then religion is the last thing on their mind.

My Dad's best friend all his life was a Muslim by the name Hussain. A amazingly humorous person who visited us each evening and who we kids adored and waited for.We visited their home on Ramzan-Id each year and sent sweets during Diwali and Ganesh festivalI never saw terrosits in them, never saw hatred for us or any Hindus. God forbid there are riots in my area and anything were to happen to them just becuase they were Muslims,I would be terribly heartbroken.

The point is that we need to accept the fact that there are scores of well-meaning Hussain uncles there and equal or more number of well-meaning Hindus in our society. Why should they suffer when they do not believe in this Hindu Muslim divide?So friends.."Packing Muslims away to Pakistan ..or beating them up like stray dogs " are words I would never bear for my beloved Hussain uncle..

If you truly understood Hinduism and it's principle of tolerance we would not be living such terror filled lives.All said and done ,each person has his own views and no one can force a idea under someone else's throat unless he/she believes in it..On that note friends..I repeat HUM SAB EK HAIN

for info: http://www.jammu-kashmir.com/insights/insight20000804a.html
http://www.saag.org/papers2/paper154.html

Wake Up Please

Anguish and despair fill my heart , as I pen this blog. Not again, how many more and why!!The blasts in Varanasi made a sea of questions resurface in my baffled mind. The mind goes back to the riots in Mumbai in 92.Amidst all the vandalism, the uncertainty,the fear of what next some questions that kept coming to me. why this? what will they gain, what demon possessed these people to kill children and elders alike? What religion approves ,let alone teaches to kill? When one can't give life what right does one have to take it away?

As a kid it took me some time to understand that it is not a religion that is at fault but the certain people who consider themselves the custodians of it.They interpreted their religion in a way that suited their vested interests and are forcing it on the masses. The results are that they remain high up on a pedestal of human ignorance, safe and secure while commoners , brainwashed by these cynical bigots , are killed callously.Like their life was worthless, like they did not mean anything to anyone, just figures on statistical reports.

Fear paralyses us. When I heard of the blasts all I could think was ..Are my loved ones safe???. I have been to the famous Sankat Mochan Temple where the bomb exploded, I have taken the Shiv- Ganga express and I have got lost in the maze of the Gaudalia Market taking the cycle rickshaw. A sudden realisation that bomb blasts are no longer events that happen to other people in other cities rattled my brains.

When the community unites for a common cause ,miracles can be achieved. We all aware of power of unity.Why not invest this power in issues that are related to struggle to live?Poverty, uncleanliness,lack of social discipline are just few of the issues ..People and positive effort can go a long way in making a difference in these issues. But we continue to ignore these issues and create a negative energy with acts of violence.

Emotions look for a channel to be expressed.Fear transforms to anger and irrational thinking. This sentiment is what all politicians look to exploit.They glorify their deeds by saying they gave tit-for-tat.

I appeal to all my fellow Indians to refuse to be swayed by emotion and not indulge in mindless rioting or killing. None of this aids the healing process.If the energies of the each Indian find the right channel miracles will happen. Please live and let live
I pray that the souls of the dead rest in peace and may the Almighty forgive the vandals.
and always remember. HUM SAB EK HAIN