Uss ko Kahaan dhoondhey re bandey .... 💐

( A childhood memory and a spiritual awakening has triggered this write up. )

Soon after the Morning Namaaz, my father used to switch on the cassette player and we children would literally wake up to the voices of Sabri Brothers singing one of the most popular Qawwalis ever ...
"Taajdaar e Haram ..."
and
Lata Mangeshkar singing that heavenly Bhajan soaked in spiritual purity ...
" nis din barsein nain hamaarey ... "

Those voices, those words and those thoughts are forever etched in my heart.

Having been brought up with such fulfilling and plentiful diversity has not just enriched me spiritually but also prepared me for the life that I am now leading ...

Many times in life man needs a cushion (or perhaps a punching bag 😊 !) to rest upon in difficult times (or alternatively punch the pain out !!! )

So while no one really knows between Religion and Man, who created whom, logically speaking religion must have germinated from this seed called pain.

And therefore, religion, as a guiding philosophy should ideally bring peace in the lives of the believers and comfort them like that cozy cushion ( or the punching bag ) in their stressful time

The role of religion from being the guiding star to becoming a red herring is a subject of serious thought and discussion because it has brought more discomfort and misery on this Planet for reasons that are no more pious 

The shocking fact that God / Allah / Bhagwaan is being "sold" to unsuspecting believers sometimes in the form of bread and sometimes in the form of guns , has never dawned upon most of us ... !!!

And hence in the midst of life's tough times the believer thinks only of more Pooja , Havan , Waziifa (specific number of chants for a special purpose) taaviz , pilgrimage etc 

So when more than a decade and a half ago, I faced an extremely challenging and the most difficult phase in my life , some well wishers  advised me to go for Hajj / Umra to find peace of mind

(Umra is like Hajj , all rituals are the same , but it can be performed at any time of the year , whereas Hajj is performed in a specific month and on specific days of that month )

But my parents, sincerely religious and admirably courageous souls that they were, were against any such "escape" route.

They argued as to how could anyone find peace in pilgrimage when one's life was scattered like a city after a devastating storm ?
How on earth would going away from problems solve them ?

Indeed back then picking up the broken parts and reconstructing a walkable path ahead was not easy ... But bringing back some normalcy in life was the need of the hour ... and for that I had to put in my most diligent efforts by ensuring my presence where it was needed the most.

The pilgrimage was forgotten as I gradually began attending to the more worldly matters requiring my attention at that moment.

Some months later I met a cousin, who had gone for The Hajj Pilgrimage that year...

She told me something that even on this day makes my eyes moist ... How can it be true ... That feeling , I have never been able to put in words ... !!!

My heart flutters with joy and amazement ... Disbelief and gratitude ... !!!

I felt wrapped in the embrace of a deeply protective divine power as my cousin described vividly in detail the miracle that she had seen ...

She had seen something that to rationale, logic and perception seems completely impossible ... !!!

She said that during the tawaaf (the parikrama) of The Holy Ka'baa , at that place which is the holiest and the most revered one for any Muslim , a little distance away from her  .... but right there in front of her ... 

She had seen me ... !!!

Had she seen me ???

Yes ... That's what she said 

She had seen me there !!!



💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝

Independence Day Greetings to all

Independence Day , 15th August  is just a couple of days away
And if I may be allowed an honest expression of what my heart tells me , I dare say , on social networking sites all kind of celebrations and debates begin like a  cloud burst , and rather early too , in a flood like out-pour where everyone is  trying to score quick loyalty points  .... I may be accused of doing the same :-)
Loyalty shows through deeds more than words ... Hence let my words be .... Carry on with your deeds dear friends :-D

Would like to share some interesting things I noticed in the past few days .... we Indians have been offered ways to reiterate and display our Indian-ness for this one special day  ....
Hence there are among other things:
1) A collection of  ring tones playing classic patriotic numbers to choose from,  that will greet everyone we call from our phone on 15th Aug and amply convey how patriotic we are

2) There are also dupattas and stoles in tri-colour, saaris with tri colour borders and pallus and other accessories to wear for Independence Day outings

3) If you choose to send messages instead of calling , there are a handsome number of "Ready-to-use"  quotes and tri-colour images celebrating this sacred National Day  available on the net to wish friends and family

Every celebration is now becoming class-oriented , limiting the reach of joy to a particular class of society ....
It is a  class that can afford mobile phones  and has access to the internet , essentially the moneyed and educated class whose morals are strikingly ironical ...
They may themselves break traffic rules but preach righteousness to others

But there is another class of human beings too who start celebrating  this day well in advance
They are those under-nourished and  malnourished children , who should have ideally been in school , and at least been provided one balanced meal a day , selling  replicas of The Indian National Flag on traffic signals


Ever since I started using messaging and Facebook , I have almost stopped using the phone for its basic purpose i.e calling people for a conversation , hence  the ring tones provided will not put across  my patriotic feeling to any audience
And in my opinion the other options available do convey greetings and best wishes , but  they are not my own words
Therefore I am writing down my feelings ...in my own words

I feel that it will be a much more profound greeting even if the words are few , but are our own and the  feelings come from our heart
The only compliment I like to give myself often  is that I would like to think of myself as  a very grounded person
Usually I buy clothes , food and other requirements from local neighbourhood sellers
Also I prefer Indian  fruits and vegetables , Indian cosmetics , Indian toiletries , Indian tourist destinations etc because I think this is the way we can help our lesser privileged countrymen and  in effect  serve our country a wee bit better

While I wish every Indian across the globe A Very Happy and Proud Independence  Day , I wonder if instead of asking foreign brands to come and  flood our markets , would it not be better for our governments to promote the local artisans and farmers  to improve their products and take that to the foreign market ... ?
Would that not be a more dignified way of  presenting ourselves to the world ?

Let this Independence Day be an opportunity for all of us to reflect a little and to look back a little 
Instead of just a "one day celebration"  let this be a process where we celebrate India every day not with token  ring tones and dupattas and stoles but with a sincere promise ...
Let us promise ourselves to put in our efforts to make India the nation  where our diversity is the strength of the masses ,  not a plaything in the hands of vested interests to exploit and loot us and our Motherland

Happy and Beautiful Independence Day Thoughts and Wishes to All
God Bless

May Better Sense Prevail

What do you do when you are facing some of the worst moments in your life ?

Do you go and kill people who have not done any harm to you because someone has harmed you ?
Or do you try to get over the shock so that your thought process is not influenced by outside vested interests ?

Do you start hating everyone, specially belonging to that community, sect , religion etc ?
Or do you allow space for the fact that every creation of God is born with both good and bad inside him/her/it

Still worse
Do you go and burn yourself up ?
Or do you sit and try to calm yourself ?

The options are not easy to choose when one is devastated beyond words

The person who has been hurt and wronged is not in a position to take a mature and prudent decision obviously because in a state of shock , anguish (and at times personal loss) the power to think rationally gets majorly compromised
Such a person needs friends to stand by him , to spend time with him and most importantly to calm and soothe his mind and heart
This is the time when Friends are tested for their sincerity
It is not always about monetary help that one expects from well wishers
Many times the more important requirement is guidance , showing a ray of hope in times of total darkness , healing the wounds and trying to erase the scars

This is true for all times
Human suffering may be due to a natural calamity or a man made / created / planned disaster ... or even a broken relationship or having not done well in an examination
It is always the response of the victim that determines his/her future

ALWAYS REMEMBER:
VIOLENCE ( and VIOLENT RETALIATION ) NEVER HELPS  ANYONE .... And in fact it HURTS THE VICTIMS MORE
There can be no valid justification for violence... mental, physical , verbal ... all kind of violence is criminal

If one is blessed with the power to ever give an advice to someone , they must take time to think rationally ( do the difficult job of setting the bias aside for a while ) , and  always talk about ushering in peace
This instantly brings positivity and surrounds the aggrieved person with an aura of hope which sets the ground for a better future ...
May better sense prevail