"Life Sciences" Chapter-1 The Usuals

At times I just cannot help sniggering at my own self for all the times, I tried in vain to change things about me. Things that have been so homogenously innate in us that we oversee them completely, until something shake’s or stir’s you. More or less like, God as the bartender, asking you, “How would you like your Life (Martini) “Shaken or Stirred?” :-) (Apologies for the blasphemy)

A tough choice I would say, Shaken or Stirred, is like choosing between an earthquake or a typhoon. You choose it or not, but the shakes and stirs are like the Bonus component of our CTG(cost to God ;-) for giving you a human birth) , the only difference being that there is no predefined frequency as to when these bonuses would be distributed. Not to digress from the moot point, I find it very common how we miss noticing small things/virtues/qualities inside us, until and unless, life stretches us to those limits. Just like the biological human DNA there exists another DNA that marks/outlines your personality. That DNA also carries the reason for all the choices you consciously or sub consciously make. The more you try to understand that DNA the more you understand your soul, the more closer it brings you ,to the answer of that one question, that you ask yourself every morning when you wake up, and every night before you sleep.

Why Am I Here? What is my purpose? How do I fit into this equation called LIFE? Is my life going to be one the many lives that live and fade away or is it going to be any different? These questions at times are the consequence of the shakes and stirs. At times these questions are themselves strong enough to shake and stir your reason.

For some of us all this analyses is really a waste of time. I mean who has the time to ask all these questions?? Why can not you take life as it comes and have a party? Lets go for the KISS,,,,(ahem ;-) concept I mean(Keep it simple silly) and enjoy your human existence before you go back into the cycle of 8,400,000 births as ant, fly, monkey , squirrel , pig , porcupine ……..and what not. I guess enough of wise talk. Let’s talk what everyone talks today, what everyone finds cool today. Cool is the buzzword man. No matter what you do you have to be cool. Its no more a choice, it’s a necessity. If you are cool you will have girls, people will like you, and you will be invited to every party happening around the neighborhood. Wild and wicked parties with names like Ladies Night and Rain Dance. Now how can you miss that Man? Isn’t this what Ram Prakash Dwivedi and Bhupinder Singh always wanted…… ;-) now referred to as Dwivs and Bhups. I mean after all what we need in Life is money, money and more money with a topping of love, security and success. Who cares for all the crap of solving an unsolved mystery .Work hard and party harder.

Wait wait wait…it sounds as if I have heard this somewhere before. Oh yes now I remember, I hear this all the time I am in the company of someone having shitloads of money and attitude(???).What a unique definition of attitude? This so called guy (Bhups/Dwivs) will start sounding more dramatic and condescending as he gets drunk. Then he is going to brag about everything he does. He will boast and yell out with honour the way he managed to balance with finesse ‘One night stands’ with ‘Double promotions’ he got at office in a single year. Wowwww!!! This is the man !!!! Matching such distinct arts at once is amazing. Sounds like the real life version of James Bond. This is one of the most common prototypes you can find today among us.

I really do not have any problems or complains to the way these people live their lives. I am writing this just to bring out the paradox between the 2 types and how they co exist today. Coming back to the questions I mentioned above I really find it impossible for the Bhups/Dwivs even to guess an answer to them. I would also doubt if they would have ever asked these questions in their lives?? At times in our lives its not about finding the right answer, its about asking the right question. That is what draws the line between Dwivs/Bhups and the Usuals. Yes I am a Usual .At times I also tried to be a Dwivs/Bhups but I really love being a Usual.

I really think it is cool to spend a day at some local orphanage/Gurudwara than rain dancing at a disc. I think I am cool because I am asking the right questions. I find it is really cool to look at a beggar across the street and try to reason his existence with yours. I believe that at times logic and rationality are too limited to explain valor, honour and endurance. I think our lives abound with people who are usual/common but if you ever try to scratch the surface you will find that they have been true heroes at times. Life is not just about money, success and pleasure. Its about giving back to the very reason of our existence, the reason that encompasses parents, God, people who are more capable then I am, but never got the chance to prove themselves. It’s about looking beyond ourselves. It’s about understanding the value of freedom, the power of love, the sanctity of brotherhood, the bliss in fearlessness.

I realize that we have a limited time to find the answers to these questions. In the process of finding these answers I believe, I and all of us, have the capacity of touching lives in a positive way. You never know when a Usual might be trying to be a Bhups/ Dwivs. Wouldn’t you like to put an arm around his/her shoulder and sort out his dilemma? Wouldn’t you like him/her as Usual? I am sure you will. :-)

Life Sciences - Prologue

The last time these fingers moved across the keyboard ,with this page open on the desktop was exactly a year ago. Coincidence as we may call it ,I just felt like updating this old , deserted blog post, oblivious of the fact that today its one complete year.

Life Sciences- sounds more biological but I like the title for the sheer perspective it can offer into ,why and how, people make choices. Choices ranging from something ,as small and trivial as choosing to Lie (trust me ..it is simple and trivial today..we do it al the time) to something as complex and baffling as choosing between Channel [V]/FTV and Aastha.(infact this would be simpler ;-)).

What I said above is just one of the many dillemas I will touch in the coming days. Some funny , some intense and some different. The frequency of the posts will be directly proportional to availability of time and hitting the right mood. Hope I dont take another pause for another year.

So this is just a prologue to a series of chapters with titles, ofcourse keeping my point of view as generic as possible , which would cover a wider number of circumstances.

Mandeep

Rang De Basanti---A Generation Awakens

"Dhuaan chhataa khula gagan mera nayi dagar naya safar mera jo ban sake tu hamsafar mera nazar mila zara"

As DJ(Aamir) puts it wonderfully towards the end "There are two kind of people in this world..One are those who accept whatever is going on around and don t give a damn. The others are the ones who take the responsibilty of saying no to injustice .Those who stand for the TRUTH like the ones who didnt think twice before laying down there lives for this nation.Well it works out pretty well for th first kinds who love the recluse from facing the naked truth they have been taught repeatedly that any fight against red tapism , bureaucracy , corruption is futile. And some of them don t really care as whatever happens around. Coz they have all the money and time in the world for there own selfish reasons. Well they are not really wrong ?? The philosophy here is that the best way to serve your country and justify your human existence is to work and be a strong contributor for the over 8.1% GDP growth. This theory has 90% of the takers since it is based on 1.Facts 2. History 3. Rules. Years will pass and you will still be collecting cash in some corner office in a sky scraper in New York. And then you would take apart out for charity, create jobs , create foreign exchange flow. Not bad an idea if someone wants to wait that long. Not a bad idea to have the recluse from social responsibility.

Then there are the those who feel that something is missing in the life they are living . They see the imbalance that exists in the society . They at times try to fill in that void with the economic theory above. But then it doest help...because the feeling which has been there in the first place is too much to be filled in by economics or mathematics. These are the people who want to do something about the ways things are going on. So they wake up one day from the long slumber with a desire to make one honest attempt. A life with a demeanor that says you don't need dollars or years to make that difference instead you need that belief. A belief in yourself , a belief in your country , a belief in your people, a belief in your culture and a belief in your vision. The same kind of belief and fearlessness that Bhagat Singh , Chandrasekhar and there associates had. And that doesn't mean you have to be a terrorist , a murderer or an assassin. All it means is that you have to be what you have always wanted to be . And you have to be that TODAY without waiting for that tomorrow that might never come.

Those of you who feel they are a part of the second kind should only continue reading this further as this will never make sense to a mind that has become accustomed to live a life of slaves. Section that follows is for those of you who feel that we are still not free . This time around the enemy is within our very own system.

Since you have now chosen to be one of the second kinds there is no going back . This is that part of life where fear doesn't even exist. I was a staunch believer of the first kinds until this movie literally transformed me into the second kinds in less than 3 hours. No matter how many times you see it you will still draw something new out of it. The differentiating factor comes out in the way a normal man can relate himself to DJ, Sukhi , Aslam , Karan , Laxman , Ajay , Sonia. People like you and me who feel the pain somewhere within but don't let it out as they would be laughed upon until a jolt wakes them up. People who yearn to make a difference but are always limited by circumstances surrounding them which can be economical, physical or emotional.
So how you make that difference you yearn about. There are many ways of making that difference today. The Jessica Lal murder case retrial is just one living example of the change that we can make together. As a matter of fact people gathered around India gate with candles inspired by RDB to demand justice for Jessica. Doesn't it mean that even today people can be honest and patriotic The movie has the narration of an English Jailer who unleashed unspeakable tortures on Bismil , Chandrasekhar, Bhagat to break there spirit. It is said that Bhagat and his friends fasted for 114 days continuously in the worst of living conditions to give us the freedom that you relish today. Never in the history of mankind has someone ever remained without food for that long. And this happened when they were laid naked on ice with nails chipped off and wounds smeared with salt. They gave there lives to make sure that we breathe in freedom.

As Karan says in the end to a question from an audience as to how can you make a difference. “ We will join IAS, IPS, Military forces , politics and change the way things are going on.” But this doesn't mean an engineer, a doctor or a banker cannot make that difference. It all depends how true and pure is the desire to make that change. That attempt can come in any way. If you feel that you can make that difference today post a comment to this small article.

A Generation has Awakened............................. Carrying on from where they left...............

Where are we heading??

Its been a long break of about six months since something new appeared on this blog. Well the last six months have been quite eventful...transitory to put it more precisely.

A lot of unanswered questions (some of which are apparent in the last blog) are now answered. This reminds me of the famous quotation by Sir Isaac Newton which goes :

I know not what I appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been
only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and
then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell, whilest the great ocean
of truth lay all undiscovered before me.

My last blog said we have come a long way!!!Really?? Have we? Well below are some of the truths of today.

->The purity and the magnificence of the rising sun when it feels like the universe is greeting you with arms wide open with all its grandeur it has to offer. BUt today its more fun to have a blast through the night , facing flashy lights on your face , drinking and dancing throughout and then sleeping in the morning.

"Calling all creatures of the night- Bacardi Blast" has taken over "Isn't that sunrise beautiful".

->That wonderful feeling of feeling the morning breeze on your face when you feel one with the universe. But now we prefer that storm of Chanel 5 or GUCCI perfumes laden with pheromones that remove the tiniest trace of purity from our minds.Dont we???

At times I wonder "Where are we heading?"

->The gratitude and that feeeling of surrendering to silence, stillness in revernce to the belief that there is a power that exists in this universe beyond the realms of our present vision. That silence and stillness is today replaced by freaking out , hectic schedules and tiring days at work.

I ask everyone including self- "How much time do we give ourselves today?". You know the answer , dont you?

Infact our very understading and definition of beauty has changed."SEXY" is the buzzword , beautiful is something that rhymes more with boring . RIght?? "Wear your attitude , wear less" . I dont understand what kinda attitude are we looking for.At times I feel that how far we have drifted away from HIM. But its never too late to turn back and appreciate what has been holding and nurturing us for 13 billion years. I hope we understand that someday...someway!!!!

Who Am I? 

Its A Long Way Up Baby!!!

Its A Long Way Up Baby!!
Contradictions, confusions, doubts. This is what forms part of every one’s life everyday. What sets you apart from others is the way you handle them or rather the way you hide them at times with that ignorant smile or an easy shrug of shoulders saying" I don’t care”. But then it’s not that easy getting your hands off them for they form an integral part of your grand plan. Your plan of making it your way. What really amazes me till date is the perfection man has achieved in concealing facts, contradictions and confusions not only from the world that he is always vulnerable of but also from himself. The way he has learnt to utmost perfection of lying to himself...lame excuses that give him an easy way out of the truth and let him live in a virtuosity he has created on his own, where everything will go the way he wants it to go. Where there is no threat ...where he feels secure, feels safe, feels more attached to procrastination. The ultimate bliss of lying down with his eyes closed and let time pass by. But then how long can he live in this dream. Sooner or later some thing is going to happen and he will have to come back to the real world because for him the time is still but in actuality the clock always keeps ticking .Every hour, every minute, every second. With every breath that you take you get old. That’s the truth. that time wouldn’t stop or wait for you. It will keep moving at a preset pace. But then Time will never ditch you…it will never fasten up it’s pace. There will always be 3600 seconds in an hour no matter where you go. But then do we really value or understand this honesty on part of TIME...rather we take it for granted and then we find ourselves in a dream again where the words " I wish " are all that one can speak and one can hear because when the time was apt we were still in that dream. At times we like the dream so much we don’t even want to accept the truth.
Every religion on this planet emphasizes that the most important thing for a human to grow is to have a dream, an aim, an ambition. To have a dream is something very different from living in a dream. All of us have dreams not only because of the reason that they are out of the tax regime but also because that each and everyone of us have once in a while dreamt of becoming someone inspirational not just for people around us but for the entire humanity. There is no wrong in dreaming those dreams. A dream is one of the purest and best realizations imaginable. But then to transform this imagination into reality needs unflinching determination and a colossal amount of work. It is about crossing that insurmountable barrier of doubts, confusions, and contradictions. This is what gives us the true definition of the immortal human spirit. Something innate in us that converts that insurmountable into surmountable. Not just it means work but also facing the contradictions and doubts that keep haunting you and me. Rather than escaping them why not face them and ace them and work your way out ,not around of the rabbit hole because this rabbit hole runs very deep and you have to start right from the bottom and telling you what. Its a long way up baby.
God created life in order to have a realization of his true self because even for God everything is relative in this world. To really understand and appreciate his own grandeur He had to create someone with as much power as Himself and He created you. He gave you the power of making your own choices. Let us not disappoint Him. Let us respect and value the powers He has bestowed upon you and I. The power to choose and the power to create. All it needs is a realization that they really exist inside you somewhere. No one can deny the principle of evolution but the salvation lies not in the just the process of evolution but in its implementation. Something that sets you apart from others is not the mere existence of evolution but the pace of it. How good are you at evolving? How agile are you at adapting.? and how honest are you at putting in the work to transform these dreams into a reality, a truth. A truth that speaks for itself. That needs no proof. A truth that’s self evident. The TRUTH that you made it because you are worth it. Worth a lot more than what you are right now.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility. 

My First Blog

This is my first blog..but not the first day ..just one of the many days and nights i have lived..some of them wonderful ..some of them not..but what makes a man a man?..is it in his origins or his past..or is it in the choices he makes every day..every second of his life..maybe this is the ultimate powere GOD has given him..the power to "choose"..but how often do we make the right ones..but its never too late too work upon the wrong ones made..a choice can be made right now infact.
The choice that takes me to my future or a choice that takes me away from everything i have and everything i love.