Gai pe charcha

Scene I : A brand new car, straight out of the garage, to the temple of a local deity for wishes. Average speed – 40/50 kms. A busy two lane road.

Bang!!! From between the divider covered with bushes jumps out a cow and slams against the car. The front of the car along with the engine beneath gets damaged badly.

Scene II : Busy road, office hours. A traffic jam. 10 minutes of relentless honking.

Finally a good Samaritan gets down from his bike and tries to disperse a huge herd of cow which has settled in the middle of the road thus leading to a total block.

Well, these are just some of the few scenes with our holier than thou, Cow which I was a witness to. Needless to say they did not inspire my religious sentiments rather spoiled my day with a good bashing from my boss over a delay for an important meeting.

The first scene in question had turned pretty violent with 2 jeeps of Gau rakshak Samiti members hijacking the site with hockeys and sticks. Poor carwallah. He tried his best to convince them it was not his fault and that “MATA” (PUN INTENDED) chose his car for blessings.  I usually am not the kind of person who gets involved in any Begani Shaadi. However this time I went all out in support of the poor fellow who was being manhandled and threatened to be dragged to court. I suggested taking a second opinion from the hurt cow over settling the blame which apparently did not go down well with the members. This I made out from the looks and raise lathis. Without worsening the situation further I wished the fellow a silent good luck and got out from the scene lest my boss made my day again.

Gujarat is known for the innumerable gaushalas it harbours. Every second locality will have a gaushala such lavish which will put our grand banquet halls to shame. And it is in Gujrat only that I have seen millions of cows at a time together on road, loitering around, causing jams, eating plastic and other hazardous products and in some cases grievously injuring passer-byes with their larger than life (pun intended again) horns. It is bewildering, the benefits that these gaushalas receive. All donations to these shelter homes are tax rebatable. Political affiliations to these are common to fly the saffron flag high. Un – surprisingly these gaushalas lot of times serve as first step to ambitious political careers.

It is saddening and utterly disgusting to see human beings being sacrificed at the altar of animals, most of them dead already. If cow is a motherly figure in India, we need to ask ourselves which mother would like to see her children torturing each other savagely. Did not God create us all equals or that we still live by the belief that some of us are more equal than the others. It is sickening to see the politics over a mere animal who otherwise has no home, no care and is often left to die once she is of no use. Dead she must already be, in her soul, in her emotions, to see the ruthlessness of the human world.

I read as a child…Man is a social animal. I have grown up to believe Man is a wild animal who possess harmful weapons such as brains which can scheme, harm and when time comes destroy.

DEDICATED TO THE COW WHOM MY FATHER TAUGHT ME TO FEED EVERY DAY NOT ONLY FOR WORSHIP BUT ALSO TO GENERATE LIVELIHOOD FOR THE ONE WHO SOLD FODDER. 

Title Credits : Barkha Dutt via twitter

The Lion who never was a king

This story….begins with an end. The end of an era. The end of some good things. This story…ends with a new beginning. The beginning of fond memories. The beginning of some great leadership lessons. This story marks a paradigm shift. Where the chips fall, only time will tell.

There once was a Lion king, gentle, kind. Hardly the types who lead the pack. He treated all as one. His task was well laid out, to steer the herd past the sea, past the storm into the far land of greener pastures before the others. Few would have thought he would complete it for he lived in the present. “We will cross the bridge once it comes” was his favourite saying. He was often perceived as myopic. Like every herd, this one too comprised of the horses and the hyenas. While the horses trusted their king, the hyenas criticised him for his lack of diplomacy. They thought he lacked the vision, he lacked the aggression, he could not suppress the rebellions.  

And such they travelled, day in and day out. Over the high mountains, the rough seas, the flat lands. The pack stuck around. Barring a few who perished in the long journey, all the animals continued. The king took good care of his fellows. Those who were weak were not left to die. The strong were to bring them up. The hyenas would often share a laugh on the king. “Were we to run a charity, Oh lord, you would have been supreme”. The other groups who crossed the king’s pack, jibed at his compassion, his tenderness. “You sure you a lion”, “will you ever reach the goal” were just some of the statements the king had to live with. His pack seeing the others would often get demotivated, the morale stooping low and would show anger and frustration. On such days the king would encourage them to just take one step at a time and keep faith. Thus the journey continued, day in and day out. The pack somehow stuck around. 

And then one day, the sun rose brighter than most of the days. It was all green around. The place was warm and prosperous. The mission had been accomplished. But hold on….there were more lion kings around. So they were not the first. And everybody’s head hung in shame. Their king was not an able body. The hyenas were right. They should have been in the other groups. The groups, however, were nowhere to be seen. Upon enquiry it was learnt that the other kings in their quest to reach first had pushed their packs beyond limit. They had failed to understand the individual needs and had not cared enough for the animals the pack represented. While some of them perished, the others had left hopes of greener pastures and changed course. And so when the mission was accomplished there was no one to celebrate.

On the other hand the journey for the lion king’s pack all along was smooth despite the lows and highs which made the goal seem easy and achievable. Together they all had made it. The hyenas and the horses realised this alike.  Just when they were about to thank the king, the lion king came out of his den and sought audience to an important announcement. “My friends, Congratulations on this beautiful achievement. The journey seemed impossible without you. I had my flaws but you guys kept me committed. I salute to every one of you for your dedication and support. And now that my job is done, I wish to say good bye, and I sincerely wish for you all to lead your individual packs. But do remember, a leader is only as good as his last standing team mate”. With this the lion king turned around to thousands of teary eyed herdsmen.

Someone heard a horse say, “You never miss water until the well runs dry”.

धन्वन्तरि की दुर्दशा

एक त्वचा रोग के सिलसिले में आज पहली बार आयुर्वेद औषधलाय जाना हुआ। भीड़ देख कर आश्चर्य हुआ की लोग आज भी आयुर्वेद को मानते है। थोड़ा सुना, जाना तो मालूम हुआ कि ये वो लोग है जो अंग्रेज़ी दवा दारू से थक हार कर आयुर्वेद की शरण में आए है।  

सरकारी संस्थाओ के पास इतनी सुविधाएँ है, इतनी प्रतिभा है फिर भी उनकी बद हाली देख कर दुःख होता है। रसायन शाला के नाम पर चन्द कमरे, उन्मे बैठे २-३ डॉक्टर, ३-५ उदासीन नर्स, १ दवा  बाँटने वाला और १ चपरासी। दूसरी ओर बीघों फैली ज़मीन शहर के सबसे बढ़िया हिस्से में, जालीदार गोखड़े, सदियों पुराने बरगद के पेड़ जिन्होंने शायद इतिहास बदलते देखा होगा आज समय के परिवर्तन की कहानी कहते है। कुछ जर्जर पंखे, बूढ़ी अलमारियाँ और अघनिकले दरवाज़े, लोहे की जंग लगी कुर्सियाँ, पुराने फटेहाल दस्तावेज़ और उनपे जमी मनो धूल मानो सब चीख़ चीख़ कर समय के गतिशील होने का अहसास करा रहे हो। धन्वन्तरि ने जब सभ्यता को आयुर्वेद की देन दी तो शायद ही कभी सोचा होगा की ये दिन भी इस कला को देखना पड़ेगा। 

एक सत्य जो आज भी क़ायम है वो ये की जिस अपनेपन से मरीज़ को देखा जाता है उसकी आधी बीमारी ऐसे ही ठीक हो जाती हैं। इस चिकित्सा पध्यति से व्यवसायिकता अभी भी कोसो दूर है। अंग्रेज़ी दवाओं की अपेक्षा आयुर्वेद बीमारी की जड़ पकड़ता है। आयुर्वेद का सार भारतीय रसोई में ही छुपा है ओर इसके कोई दुष्प्रभाव भी नहीं है। बीमारी के साथ साथ शरीर के विकारों को दूर कर एक स्वस्थ जीवन का मूल संदेश देता है आयुर्वेद। 

इसके प्रति लोगों की बढ़ती जागरूकता ख़ुशी का विषय है। हर सवाल का जवाब पश्चिम से आए ये ज़रूरी नहीं। हमारी अपनी सभ्यता में इतने जवाब है की आवश्यकता है विश्वास की। हमें अपनी सोच बदलनी होगी, अपना नज़रिया बदलना होगा। वहाँ डॉक्टर के साथ interns को देख बहुत गर्व हुआ की ये बच्चें इस कला को मानते है लेकिन चिंता का विषय ये  है कि क्या मरीज़ भविष्य में इन डॉक्टर को, इनकी पध्यति  को मानेंगे?

आइये सोच बदले देश बदले।। 

O womaniya

Just returned from a late night soirée with my girl gang. We spent  the evening watching the latest Ode to woman kind-Neerja. The girls could be seen wiping tears off at every frame despite Neerja proclaiming in Kaka style,"I hate tears Pushpa". Well, none of them were Pushpa though but just... 

The movie for me was lot of things together. It was Sonam on her yet another flat as a man chest acting spree. It was Shabana in her emotionally stoic best again. It was a fantastic lesson in service before self reminding me at times of 26/11. But what stuck with me was the soliloquy by Shabana portraying Neerja's mother towards the end of the movie on how we bring up our girls. Yes, she was so right...we tell our girls to run away on the first threat to modesty and then to life.   No points for guessing why. It is the way the society functions. It is the way women especially mothers keep the daughters cocooned in the protective environs of family. In the movie, if Neerja's mother was her weakness, her father was her strength. If even 10% of what is displayed in the movie as the role of father is true, I salute the man. He instilled in his daughter the courage to stand up against the wrong and be brave always. And that learning came to rescue Neerja when the time beckoned. When Neerja comes back with her husband to her family seeking support in divorcing the lunatic, her mother cajoles her into working it out because that is how it ought to be. Girls are born to adjust and compromise. I went back into the story to believe my ears if it said Neerja was a successful model. So much for being a smart, savvy, financially independent girl. And she does try to make things work by subjugating to domestic violence, emotional torment, living life of a slave. And amidst all this her dad who encouraged her to walk out and move on. What a marvel the man is. 

The movie had all of us girls debating if we would do what Neerja did. Well, sounds easier said than done but some of us turned cold turkey even at the thought of it. Reason...why take a panga. Thanks to our upbringing, maybe. With so much talks of empowerment around, breaking of glass ceilings, gender diversity and women    welfare this movie was a jolt that shook me out of reverie. The education needs to start at home. We need to make our women stronger and responsible. We need to make them capable of pulling their own chairs and not wait for chivalry to happen. Women were not born only to reproduce, they are an equally rather more responsible and Multi tasked segment of our society. We need to condition our women In reducing our dependencies on men folk to make us feel secure. Independence, more than financial needs to be mental and emotional.  

And yeah...hang on... Is that a lizard I see in the corner of my room. Oh my gawd!! Let me go and fetch a man to shoo it away while I put my sermon on women liberation on hold. After all we should not be making man kind completely redundant either. 

सरहद के आर पार

शहर से थोड़ा आगे मुड़ो सरहद दिखेगी 

वही सरहद जिसके उस पार दहशतगर्द है और इस पार आतंकी 

वही सरहद जिसके दोनो तरफ़ सियासतें है जो खेलती है मासूमों के दिल से दिमाग़ से 

सुना कल रात सरहद पर गोलियाँ चली, लहू बहा

वही सरहद जिसके उस पार भी लहू का रंग लाल था और इस पार भी।।

Learnings of a Bereaved soul

Diwali is approaching. And so are some of my intimate memories with my "One true love." Bosco, my friend and confidant who always blew the whistle at the wrong time. For those who know him, he was the most lovable, intelligent and obedient dog. Diwali after him has never been the same as before. My earlier memories are of spending heaps of money on fireworks which lasted no more than an hour or so. I would invite every possible relative to witness the show which was nothing less majestic than what states do on their anniversaries. It would be lot of pomp and show. Individually I would generate carbon footprints equivalent to a month of any pollution intensive activity. It would take my dad an hour next morning to clean the area around my house.

 

And then Bosco arrived. The happy, boisterous jumping jack through the year would turn into a demure, timid lad every Diwali. His plight hit me hard the 3rd Diwali he was with us. In a haste to be a part of celebrations, someone amongst us had left the door open. I was lighting an Anaar, Bosco saw this, came running from the inside room, kicked open the hydraulic door and threw himself on the Anaar. Though he did manage to put the anaar out but in the endeavor burnt his paw and nose slightly. Thereon it changed everything. From a loud noisy affair my festival catapulted into a silent night of lights only. I felt his pain with him after that every Diwali. I would sit inside besides the bed cuddling him for the entire night refusing to leave him alone even for a moment. I never went out socializing during those days only to save him some misery. Bosco is now no longer with me  but his painful memories are. I have given up on fireworks completely. Everyone around me is amazed at this transformation and my only excuse is that I have grown scared of them after so many daring years.  

 

Bosco has changed me in so many other ways too. He taught me to never take anyone for granted. His untimely demise drilled it hard that life is short and we should spend it appreciating good things in life. We should do what we love often. Thanks to him I never loose an opportunity to tell my family and friends how much I love them. At the same time he would conduct himself such that he never wasted time on someone who did not like him. He had his people clearly demarked. He cared two hoots for his haters ignoring them completely to their utter dismay. In short Bosco taught me to be at peace with myself, care more, love more and give more. I am a lot more compassionate and forgiving now.

 

To everyone else he was just a dog but to me he was a master. Living with him was an absolute pleasure besides some great learning. Many would laugh at it but I read somewhere "Dogs do speak, but only to those who listen". I did and was fortunate enough to make amend at the right time for I always wanted to be the one my dog thought I am.

 

Deeds of encouragement from a not so encouraging month

Gujarat is reeling. While I sit in my office and pen this down the surroundings outside wear a gloomy, deserted cover owing to the Patel reservations agitation.

The gloom manages to engulf me as well even though I have just returned from a laid back, all girls holiday which is my usual half yearly escapade. Yes, I am dejected because unlike the Patels and Gurjars no one fights for women like me. I could do with a reservation for special stag entries in night clubs, a reservation for guaranteed lower berths in trains since with passing age I am unable to climb up without hurting myself. Some assistance here and there and some men standing for me would just boost my morale up enough to sing praises to my motherland on days other than National holidays.

Oh…that reminds me of our 68^th Independence Day which has just passed. The kind of Citizen I am ever so passionate, loyal and go getter, I have high dreams for my country and I believe in channelizing them. Like I mentioned above, the holiday, I was in Lucknow then and this close friends’ home where I was staying had a very devoted maid working for her.  She was 10^th fail yet had very high aspirations. In one of my “we all are born equal” banter with her she voiced her desire for formal employment. The activist in me assimilated this information out speeding a Japanese express train and sent her to meet one of my HR friends in the city for job. Well, the prospect must have worked out because from the next day she stopped coming to work. My friend was a bit surprised since this poor thing had never ever ignored her calls nor ever given her a chance to complain and here she was, absent without information. That night I woke up from a terrifying dream where this so far best friend of mine was throwing my luggage out of her house shouting fury and this dame of hers is standing in a corner with a sweet box in her hand. One can only imagine the relief I breathed on catching my flight. So much for doing good to people and lowering the employment rate of the nation. Since then this friend has called me twice and both the times I have managed to miss her call expecting the worse.

As I step inside the elevator to attend my daily morning meeting with the top guns of the hotel (they can literally shoot by means of their candid conversations) it decides to stall at the next floor. I have always had this phobia of getting stuck in an elevator all by myself with no means of getting out. This time thankfully people are standing out and they know I am in there. I am seething with fury. I think of what a senior leader would do in such a circumstance. Instantly I am reminded of Amit Shah (yeah yeah the same Gujarati politico mastermind). He faced a similar predicament while on a visit to one of BJP’s headquarters. It was heard the HQ had their grants scraped for next two months. Bingo!! What an impact. Seeking encouragement, by the time I reached the meeting I had prepared my speech well on how unacceptable it is for technology in a upper upscale hotel to betray like this and the importance of regular checks and maintenances. My tone was well rehearsed to make a visible impact aiming at throwing some weight around. On finishing I looked around hoping to see some faces hung low in shame. Did I see a smile there instead? “But madam, the elevator has a notice pasted saying out of order”, blurts out a junior bloke. “Are you trying to tell me”, I argue, managing to maintain the same air, “it is more about reducing our lead time in sorting out issues. And that we still have not managed to do. Let’s begin the meeting.”

Needless to say my concentration had timed out and the moment meeting was over I ran down the stairs to my office and fetched this monthly horoscope out which had warned me about August being a tricky month for Sagittarians and how it would be in their best interest to keep their mouths zipped and ideas locked.  True to being an overconfident Sagittarian I had earlier trashed it maybe to read it now more carefully word by word only to save the rest of the month.