Incidental

Times. When so much happens. Much has happened. That what to write about first, becomes a warfare. In the cerebrum.

Night and day investigation of the events in the veil reaches such a heading. Simulation and sequence tends to engage the breadth of the carton. More than partial. Utterly. Sitting at a corner, reading a book doesn't happen, during all the time it is supposed to. Seemingly does, though. It evidently does come about. In substance, not much.

The globe seems to be comprising of so much more than the cyclic turns. Only the materialized find a place in the eye-shot. Array, argument and analogy remain. The case of fluxed understanding.

LAW ITERATES FACT

A look at the fancied statements by revered personalities on the recent Ayodhya Verdict and my words of discussion –

VINOD MEHTA, OUTLOOK:

'' In 1999 when the BJP came to power on the back of the mandir wave, the party got 23% of the vote. Which means 77% of Indians did not vote for the temple. In 2009, the BJP got 18% of the vote. Which means 82% of Indians did not vote for the temple.’’

Who better can I give the credit to, than the media for depicting political parties as representatives of certain religions? I’m sure whatever had been the reasons for 77% Indians not voting for BJP, they can certainly not so boldly be stated as this.

  

SABA NAQVI begins his Cover Story ‘Ayodhya’, OUTLOOK as:

''The politics of Lord Ram got some divine sanction from the law.’’

Lord Ram never indulged in politics i suppose, its rather ‘our’ revered politicians’ play land. His very statement well indicates his trust that the area of dispute was Ram’s birthplace and thus be granted to Hindus; if this is the way the land is to divided.

''Was this the majesy of the law or the primacy of faith?''

None sir. 

PRIMACY of LAW, maybe the MAJESTY of FAITH was so energetic as was able to attain  it in this land.!

I'm just playing with your words Sir, framing a better answer for your doubts.

''The little piece of land that will now be the right of Muslims will actually be an embarrassment for them, and could be used to corner them once again.’’

WOW! You get a third of the land that has not been yours for ages, and consider that an embarrassment; go ahead and disown it right away! I credit 'hunger for more' to your thoughts. More of what? Land!

ROMILA THAPAR, The HINDU:

''The court has declared that a particular spot is where a divine or semi-divine person was born and where a new temple is to be built to commemorate the birth. This is in response to an appeal by Hindu faith and belief. Given the absence of evidence in support of the claim, such a verdict is not what one expects from a court of law. Hindus deeply revere Rama as a deity but can this support a legal decision on claims to a birth-place, possession of land and the deliberate destruction of a major historical monument to assist in acquiring the land?’’

Pardon me Madam Romila Thapar for singling out your statements, but I found them best conveying the belief that many hold today, including our very own, self-chosen ‘leaders’.

My advice – maybe you should revere ASI’s findings more. I know of it being the highest Indian authority researching in matters of relics, and such blunt words spoken against an institution in the way mentioned above without sound facts is highly objectionable. Inviting trouble, aren’t you madam?

Ask any of them who went to site to get the remains, during the riots, years back. They’ll help you understand better the in situ details of the dug up area. They’ll tell you what they SAW.

And if archaeological evidence and first hand views of people involved are unable to convince you much, and as you evidently rule out the possibility of a technically competent institution in coming to a correct result; I should much suggest you studying the subject from the scratch to gain enough expertise in declaring a foolproof result over the history of the land. Because even American agencies’ outcome would fail to satisfy you am sure.

‘’ A mosque built almost 500 years ago and which was part of our cultural heritage was destroyed willfully by a mob urged on by a political leadership. There is no mention in the summary of the verdict that this act of wanton destruction, and a crime against our heritage, should be condemned. The new temple will have its sanctum — the presumed birthplace of Rama — in the area of the debris of the mosque. Whereas the destruction of the supposed temple is condemned and becomes the justification for building a new temple, the destruction of the mosque is not, perhaps by placing it conveniently outside the purview of the case.’’

When you talk of 500 years back built culturally eminent mosque being wilfully destroyed by a politically backed leadership, why not consider the many-centuries old temple which held its place ages before that, and was too subjected to destruction by the mighty Babar, the act being very much against the Islamic spirit of displacing an already existing monument of yet another religious belief? Isn’t your argument too much one sided?

'' The verdict has annulled respect for history and seeks to replace history with religious faith''.

When you talk of history, you should be considering it thoroughly, going 2000 years back too if needed. Wouldn’t it be impartial to take into account just 500 years for a decision and not the other many thousand years too, even if it be thrice the duration? 

History can, never be REPALCED anytime in future, by any event. It can only be strengthened by facts, which is exactly what has recently happened.  

As for many leaders’ view that declaring the place to be Ram’s birth place isn’t acceptable and goes against LAW, let it be known to them all that declaring this was eminent for a clear judgement. This fact  not established, I’m sure, would have brought in remarks of the opposite nature. Phew!

I am sure the following three months (God forbid more) have many humorous and sense-deficient statements in store for us all to listen to, each trying to justify the speaker’s erroneous point of view.

There had been too much of terror in the air during the days nearing the verdict, all by the government, making me feel that an outbreak was more of wanted than expected.

I totally believe along this all, that dismanteling a religious site for another’s benefit is completely intolerable, unethical and beyond the preachings of any religion.

And as I draft this post, I try to figure out the (in)significance of spending a great deal of time and energies over a patch of land. But it has implications farther than deciding to whom the land be given. For Hindus, its the birthplace of their Lord, as established by ASI as well. Why not just grant this for a temple and some area for mosque in the vicinity and close the chapter of this battle!

Let PEACE prevail!

OUTLOOK TEAM: You've utterly shocked me and many more by giving biased views with trickery and misinterpretations.  

Viva the 'Kid'

Coloring randomly my home walls with crayons, all eleven;
Drawing dolls and homes in mom’s diaries.
Tiptoeing at twelve to reach the summer’s delight;
Painting the ten nails with polishes all different and vibrant.
 
Clipping my hair, matching with the skirt and bellies;
Framing ‘thank you’ cards for teachers very dear.
Walking carefully, Stepping vigilantly on squares of floor tiles;
Hiding and seeking in grandpa’s bungalow.
 
Squattering in a house haunted, enjoying a ghost play; 
With a torch in a hand, at eleven in the night.
Tagging constellations and counting stars,
While it’s too early to wake, Or late to fall asleep
 
Striking fingers at points
Coinciding with a fish’s approach in a friend’s aquarium.
Castling and playing with sand in a kinder, 
Gathering ice balls once, while it rains;
After letting them strike the analysing hub’s carpet.
 
Rolling down the grassy hill and somersaulting through the plains.
Amassing pebbles and glittering stones trekking down the hilly terrains.
Climbing trees in gardens like what friends call monkeys :D
Tapping feet in unison to class in march after assembly.
 
Spending hours on a class chart, to take to school after vacations
Feeling the lightening chill upon a teacher’s scold.
Laughing a sudden burst at a joke’s remembrance,
Gossiping endlessly over recent the day has seen.
 
Attempting clinching five crazy balls bounced together on the floor,
Counting buttons in my frock and steps to play ground.
The fight with friends over silly trifle things,
The silliness in persistence in persuading parents 
For not-so-important things.
 
The claps’ reverberation on first stage performance.
Gliding fingers on keys over outlandish songs,
And singing them along, on for minutes and for hours.
Handling a slender object in hand, personifying as a mike for self;
Getting in a feel, perfectly as a singer would!

I wondered as i wrote these lines, 
How ten cross two years rushed away.
Ages seem to have passed since,
I did these last, and much more than these;
And still feel like it was just a yester night,
Like a morning dew on a daisy petal
When one of them was performed last..
 
How I miss these kidding acts,
The kid in me,
The carefreeness,
In each thought pondered over, in each word uttered;
In every emotion sensed, in every dream dreamt;
In all the activities done.
 
The days are past, and so are the circumstances
Letting me a chance to feel myself my innocence,
Am a little old today to treat my heart’s desire
And yet not too old to bar my heart from the joys
As i step in, in a day afresh;
Wish i, the angel in me lives long.
And survives the grievances, the tribulations, the dullness;
And revives my life, the heart, the soul! 
God Bless! :)

AYAAN's RECITAL

AYAAN's RECITAL

My long wish to attend, yes ATTEND, Ayaan Ali Khan’s concert found a fulfilment.

I was beyond the seventh heaven on spotting two posters of Spic Macay’s events in city in my random browsing through them. In dilemma as I was, between Pt. Shankar’s Sitar and Ayaan’s Sarod, my wish drove me towards the latter. In spite of sitar being utmost near to me, I rushed towards the sarod. First because it was Ayaan, second because I eagerly wanted to view a performance of Sarod, and lastly because it would be a new instrument I would get to listen to live; and so I let sarod take the prestige! I then set my way to NSIT to attend his concert.

Excited as I was, in addition to being overly expecting about the performance; my enthusiasm had reasons. None of Spic’s events in campus made the last year dull and lethargic. So the upcoming events infused in an outlandish gladness in an Indian Classical Music maniac.

      

Spellbinding and enthralling! Raag Kirwani was the most touching amongst all that he played. Ending the hour’s recital with a Bengali folk, the performance was more thrilling than I had thought it would be. Truly, a live performance is way better and real than a recorded version.

Comes towards the end his nail-filing part, given that left hand’s nails’ glides on the strings is the  potion of the magic. So swiftly his nails glide on the strings,..

Was almost in love with his sarod plays!

Definitely did the concert lay an everlasting impact on me, amazing the experience was, and exquisite the performance!

No doubt, Ayaan’s to be the best sarod player the world’s got to see, and the few who’ve got to listen to!

 You've got another fan, Ayaan!

NO MORE OURSELVES ...

 NO MORE INDIANS...

We are forgetting our culture! And more so at a rate rapider than the one at which we are mindlessly aping the west. Imbibing qualities from others is certainly worth an applause, but doesn’t the nature of those qualities need to be noticed first, lest it’s termed as an act of foolishness?

Let globalisation go on, but where does it necessitate the need to forget our rich heritage to find beauty in others’? While the west finds serenity and peace of mind in the Indian Classical Music, we still consider it wise to not lend an ear to the calling voice and are drifted towards the rock and the pop. Rather why should we bother to take time out of our lives to listen to the music the west has started to acknowledge as a means of meditation, the music which possesses the Power of healing. Our saints’ yog is now sold off as the Yoga; but is someone listening?

The larger the number of relations staying together under a roof, the merrier it used to be. Larger were the celebrations and more the number of occasions of doing so. Friendlier the neighbours were and there definitely was a warmth and brotherhood towards our fellow homo-sapiens, more than what exists today. Women were revered more. Well why would elders want to stay with their kids in their sixties; when their suggestions aren’t heeded to and a blind eye turned to the attention needed? I can now only call it ‘there were those days...’ when their participation in the family events nurtured happiness and their advices helped plug in the values; which when followed brought success. I think it answers well why words like ’tension’, ‘depression’ and ‘suicide’ are preying us today.   

The preaching of all Heavenly humans whom we now worship as God, are slowly fading away, being overpowered by their negative counterparts.

Seeing the day today makes me sceptical about our being called as the land of ‘Golden Bird’ decades ago. Doesn’t this cynicism of mine need to be proved out of place?