Changes

It is surprisingly cool. Such days are few and far between, in this city. This city, which I call home. Where I have lived here forever, except for a few sojourns.

As the wind blows from the east, from the direction of the sea, you realize that nothing much has changed but a lot has happened. The same smells and the same shanty dirty streets. The parked cars, which eat into the road, have increased. Layers and layers of tar have been added. Old houses are gone and new flats have come in.

Yet the same old trees, sway in the distance, most have weathered the storms of  nature and man’s insanity. People have grown older, new friends have been found, old ones  have either been blown away by the winds or the relationships have just waned, but history just strolls on. It walks past the very streets, which I transverse, still. I can see it, silently taking stock, of the events- what happens today, leads to a tomorrow.

It speaks through people. We hear about the past, we gain hope and passion for the future. We hope to out do it. It fuels our aspirations, by setting the chimes. We change, we walk past those things and suddenly realize in vain, but it remains. It is a superfluous being. It transpires, it lives, it exists, in our very blood, that which can never be changed by mere concrete.

I have been hearing it for 18 years and some of its stories have been forgotten, some distinctly still clear,  it still accompanies me. It instigates, it is the thread of attachment, it is what makes the chemical being, live. It is what cognates. My heart pumps it, I can feel it. The mind never tires, the hope of a better tomorrow, the dreams of unseen heights and the thrills and spills.

The path has long been laid. But even that is preceded,  by the waves and the lands. We are fascinated, when we hear of our past, not only about our family, its achievements, contributions, but also at the history of our very Earth and universe- the true family, which we belong to.

We hold on to what we can. No amount of spirituality and science can cause a centrifugation in us. It is innate. It is what makes us, us. Memories remain of  from where we came, the nostalgia will be sustained. Beyond skin, flesh and bones, our blood is thicker.

I stand upon, the wind tickles, I smile and I walk on. Life is never the same, change is the only constant, that is why everything remains.

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What can we do? (or) what we can do?

I feel quirky and verbose enough to write something. Of course I am never the one to face a dearth of words, but posting does take some effort- like making your head think about one thing. If only it was like those good old days, where I wrote a post or two a day. Maybe there is a relationship between posting and the number of comments, but one fact which I should mention is that bloggers now days have become Scrooges- we care too much for our authority and don’t seem to be giving pingbacks any more!

The good old ping seems to be rare, soon we will have a ping market, where we all can trade and we will have terrorists making poor kids give links to their websites to recruit more people(just the thought of it!). I say this with the full interest of bloggers and blogging in my mind- what with the advent of celebrity bloggers and comment box chats, traditional bloggers like me soon will need subsidy to survive. Hope I will be able to keep my 0.0001%(stat from Alexa) share of visitors to the web.

So before I start running, you are expected to stretch your hands- first  raise it up, then side ways, again up and then down(and scroll down). Keep repeating this(yes you can walk when you talk, now you can exercise while you read). So do I see you all doing it-good.

Do this and you can stop your self from being a victim of excessive social networking(gone are the days when bloggers were bloggers, now most of us are caught up in Facebook, twitter(albeit being Christened as “micro blogging” ). Reading blogs might be the only break you take.

Bare not offence either- See, I am only advising you. So don’t tweet “He thinks he is too great, @visheshunni bloggers are not fools!! ” or  something like that. It is quite pitiable that we fail to take offence to things which we should. Or blame it on the ever-changing world-One second it is a fire, the next second a politician and the third an actor, fourth inevitably will an ad.

We read things in the Newspaper and forget it. We vociferously argue and a few seconds later wonder what we were talking about – the days of a modern man are filled, inevitably with hours and hours of being busy. We are convinced that unless we can hang a board from your collars with Busy etched on it, we are incomplete.

Blunt things happen, you forget what you did- can you recall what you wore yesterday? We expect ourselves to do certain things and others add to it. End of the day when your head hits you pillow, your head starts bubbling and you realize how fraught all this is. Personally I hate it when the world looks like a grave yard and haunted with busy quietness. It just does not work. Insanity is needed.

We crack stupid jokes, we have fights over petty things, yet all that energy in you needs to go somewhere. Blogging is a good thing, it helps get away from your usual self. You realize your life has a lot of potential- I like reading good person blogs, it is tough be conceited and funny.

Letting go is really important I guess. After all Atlas might be holding the world, but then he can’t do anything about what the creatures in it do. We can nod our heads at whatever happens but the larger picture is going to take it’s time to change. So should we then be good human beings, as in mind out business and be busy?

To appreciate things, we need to look at them. And you know what maybe it is our business to look at those small things. They might help us understand global warming better, they might help us understand the mentality of neighbours better and yes maybe even understand ourselves better too.

It is fine, to call others mad, crazy and what not, but it takes a lot of guts and a bit of candour to see that they might be right and we might be wrong. No I don’t mean concede your point, just try to see how the other person reasons, who knows you might see the flaw in your argument as well.

I do wonder if we as a world can ever have consensus ad idem. This is not just a question of the good and the bad, but a question of what defines us. The heterogeny is of course too great, but somewhere, in there, we are all humans and most certainly Earthlings. We can wage wars and have raging peace talks, but if we do look at the larger picture more closely( should not be mistaken for looking at smaller things, surely) we will find that beyond all that we can still live in peace.

If  life was a football game, then we surely have a referee to blame. And a referee is needed only when we don’t trust ourselves any more. Of course blood is thicker than water, but surely humanity is bigger than the people alive at one point of time?

Or is it that which divides us? Why should we continue the battles our fore fathers fought? Maybe in this age and time, we should try to appreciate humanism more – instead it is disheartening to find in the name of religion and politics, people hating each other.

There will be enough love in this world, if we can one person, who can show embrace humanity and not a group of people or country. But unfortunately all of us come from varied backgrounds. Whether nature has made us differently or not ( like having our eyes where our spleen is) nurture surely does. But then we all are the special one, do we realize that?

To you and me, poverty maybe a movie or a music video. To someone else the things which we face are non-issues. Every issue is important for after all good health does include happy spirits. There are many initiatives in this world, but more than movements and initiatives, it is our ability to rise above remorse and have the voice to say, “he can be such, but I am better”.

No this is not about showing your other cheek, but rather catching the other person’s hand and showing his reality. We all live in our own little heavens, but do we realize that what we are doing can make the world a hell for others?

We need to let go, of our ego. We need to be willing to stand our ground-look at the world and realize where we are and then see if we are in the right place.  This is a need and not a want.

We need to take offence, when someone tries to disintegrate us. And yes there is something called putting things the right way, today we might have shrunk it down to four letters(more or less) but not everyone can understand what happened to warrant that one word comment. And the right way is not merely fire for fire, but trying to see what caused the fire.

We cannot recall what we did yesterday, but we can of course recall how we were hurt. If you think you should do something to someone who has offended you, do this- stop talking to that person.

Don’t shout, don’t act, just stop talking. That too is an action. Be quiet. Watch the other person. True silence is a weapon. For it removes the enemy or opposition.

The toughest person to face is yourself. When you come across a blank wall, you try to retrace your route, let them try it. I know what I say, is not possible, for I concede , I too might be wrong. I don’t see any harm, for after all I am not hurting anyone(or at least trying not to). Yes I too get furious and angry, every does, but it is just a reaction, we need to respond.

So hope this has given you enough exercise. Pardon me if you have exerted yourself too much. But if you aren’t too tired, do burn some more energy and let me know, what you think.

I might sound rather romantic and Utopian, but every sunrise does mesmerize and makes your day. If I have managed to make even one person happy/appreciate/given belief to then I have got what I want.

Individualism is mistaken- it is not doing those things which will benefit us in the short run alone, it doing those things that will help us become better in the long run. And what is going to do us good, is a good world.

A dead leaf

He held the dead leaf in his hand. Fallen from its plant, it was left to rot and fuel its own origin.

Or it could be picked by a wind. It can fly away from here, it can sail to the lands the winds choose and finally i might settle in a land of paradise, forever in a new joy or..

..or it might end up in a land as dead as itself. It will then stay there, till something swallows it or lifts it again. But one which is dead?

When it was alive, it was bound to its plant. It nourished it like its brethren , it was one among all, acting like how all expect it to. But is this what a passing eye feels but never the one held? Maybe it is held thus, because it chooses to?

But doesn’t one dream of the birds in the sky, at least when one is young and can race the clouds? Is it that dreams are meant to be dreamt but never sought in life? Is it just, is it fair to just die? Is this how frail all this is?

Is this a continuum, where the memories are buried and memoirs forgotten, sooner or later?

We strive for living, we fight for survival, we work together, we rebel, there are new beginnings , there are old endings, a fresh burst of air here, more heat there, one for all, all for one, will it be in the end, that we all will come alive, like actors talking a bow as themselves and being applauded for the parts we played?

Is this all a fantasy, these endless possibilities? Is our imagination a tool used to lead us from reality, which might shock the living out of us? What is living, if we are to die a baseless death? But isn’t this what we see and learn? How is this real? Can there be something bigger which we are a part of?

Is it love, that we die for? Is it misery that we live for this long? Do we all wait for the day, when we open our eyes no more? Is it that the quest we go on, offers no more, for the recesses have long outrun the excitement of the path, unbeaten?

Are words capricious fabrications, just to easy the pain of knowing the inevitable ? Is the mind there only to paint a vivid misery when in joy and a blunt happiness when in sorrow? Is the past only to be a seed for a morrow and today a retrospection where we dare to water that seed and tomorrow the day when the leafs do peek again, a visage fresh and innocent that the first brush with the polluted air does font it of earth?

So much for a dead leaf. What beauty can there be in the dead? For once dead all that remains is to rot. But when alive, all that remains is that we die. But when unborn, when a dream, all that remains is to brought alive. Call it optimism, call it human vanity, call it that I try to hide from reality and maybe it is true but I will dream anyway.

I may fail again and again. But I will pick up leaves again and in them see much more than what I need to. It might all be a soothsayer’s words, but at least there is hope of a better morrow. The plant may not remind us of the leaf, but the leaf sure does make you search for a plant.

I believe there are magic flowers, do you? Even if you don’t I do. I can feel them, hear them, see them, one day I will get to them. When I do, I will show them to you, I will not get angry or take pride for how can own that which is already owned, unless it is a meek being or I elude myself by calling it is a gift. When a leaf is plucked another one might grow, but there is more to be given for that to happen.

You can hold water in your palms but can we stop it from evaporating? Only thing left is to put to use while we still hold it.

My 300th poem

Click here to read and comment

The madman

Once upon a time, I found a key. It  opened all the doors I tried. And in one room, which I walked into , I found a madman.

He seemed to be talking to himself. Papers were strewn around the room. There was a musical Instrument , I noted(but I forgot which string it was) and also a football. When he saw me , he gave a rather rueful smile. Sorrow not his , but mine. He seemed to know, that I held the key. But he did not try to escape, rather he started talking to me. This was what I think was said between us. I have(for obvious reasons) excluded the initial part of the conversation. I regret keeping you in the dark about the secret, but then the war within me has not yet ceased and the land is still the ante, how can I spread ruse among the people , the bounty?

The madman:-Shhhh…its a secret..

me:- But why should it be?

The madman:-Because people don’t deserve to know it.

me:-Who are we to decide?

The madman:- Who can predict the masses? Nitwits lead by nitwits.

me:-But isn’t it our responsibility?

The madman:-You are responsible as long as you use are allowed to use your discretion.

me:-But don’t we have the choice? And when we choose to act , aren’t we accepting that we can withstand anything.

The madman:-True enough. That is why we choose not to be a part of it.

me:-But this a nation. We people are a part of it. If we don’t rise up the challenge, then no one will.

The madman:-Of course they will. You and me , will never be allowed to do what we imagine. We have a few good leaders among the thousands and they some how survive, some become sycophants , some are born into a creed and some are just destined to be.

me:-What if , we choose our destiny , by making a choice now.

The madman:-Tell me, have you ever felt at any point of time, that you should share this secret?

me:-Yes I have.

The madman:-Have you shared it?

me:-N…yes

The madman:-And, How did people take it?

me:-They couldn’t understand what I told them.

The madman:-Everyone?

me:-Everyone.

The madman:-Why do you think so?

me:-Maybe I didn’t put it properly.

The madman:-Maybe.

me:-Or maybe I chose the wrong people.

The madman:-Then you agree , that the majority till date , in the sample space you chose can’t understand a simple matter.

me:-Maybe.

The madman:-If so , can you think of the type of leaders they would elect.

me:-Yes, but isn’t it our responsibility to help them choose better?

The madman:-And how do you intend to do it?

me:-By simplifying it.

The madman:-You want to dilute it even more? What is it you are trying to do , add more water to the ocean?

me:-No…its not like that..

The madman:-Alright , tell  , do you think people will listen to you?

me:-Why do you think they won’t?

The madman:-Because you try to make sense of things,  you  try to see the source of problems..and that is what no one wants to do , at least they are not allowed to do that..

me:-But aren’t they free to realize that?

The madman:-Freedom? How can slaves be free? From the second they are born, they are bombarded with everything  that  which  we are against. It is not that people are bad or something , that is relative,  it is just that life makes them such..You call it inertia, they call it determination; In the end who is right ? Its either or neither and not one.

me:-But aren’t you the one who told me , that there is a right and a left , a while back?

The madman:-Of course and I still stand by it. Yes what is happening is wrong. We see things differently and we realize. We have , even when we were small , realized that you are not supposed to do certain things. We have  exploited our capabilities and our cognition is better developed. But tell me if I were to lock you in a room , how would you feel?

me:-Aren’t we all locked in rooms of sort or the other?

The madman:-We are. But how big the room is the question and also if it dark or if its got some light. Imagine you are in a small dark room , just big enough so that you can’t really touch the walls , when you are tied to one place. How would you feel?

me:-I get what you mean , but isn’t that our mistake?

The madman:-IS it our mistake that this world has people who are willing to exploit the masses? Is it our mistake that we cannot chaff with good stupor stuffing? Is it our mistake that all we seek is a peace? Is it our mistake that we become a kind of aliens if we were to stretch our heads to full sensibilities? What shall we do, slay the animals when we are against cruelty to animals? Can you tame a wild, fully grown beast?

me:-No we can’t , but we can help them when they are young.

The madman:-Exactly.

me:-So? Let me go tell the secret to the young ones.

The madman:-To what vain? You would have to take it upon your self to make sure they perceive things the ‘right’ way. And yes , we are like this because of our circumstances.

me:-But it is possible, if we can separate them from the society?

The madman:-And then how will you show them enough of religion, so that they respect culture and understand the functions of it but at the same time they aren’t be draw to the mania. How can you show them enough about difference in classes , so that they understand not everyone can be a master for not everyone knows ‘why’ they are doing something and at the same time ensure that they feel that no one is superior than another?

me:-But isn’t that the truth?

The madman:-That is not the truth but the reality you see. The difference is bound exist . But all animals are equal. And it is not that some are more equal than others , it is rather some understand equality better than others.

me:-But then if they do understand equality why do they exploit?

The madman:-When people know smoking is bad why do they smoke? When they know hurting someone is bad , why do they hurt? Some understand equality but only a few can judge and answer the why. We believe in equality not because it sounds cool but because we  need to be equal to everything so that we can talk the same language and make everyone feel inclusive and thus belong to everyone and everything. The reason for that is , we seek peace. We cannot tell a tiger to stop killing the deers but nor can we kill all the tiger. We cannot imprison the tiger nor can we reason to it, when it is hungry.

me:-Then? Anyway humans aren’t tigers.

The madman:-Yes we are not. But tell me can you talk about  your riches to a beggar? You do nothing but  tempt him. Is it possible for you to praise a dead leader in a land where he was loathed? You will only end up stirring unwanted emotions. Can you explain to a moderate that there are extremes? For him his grey , is bright enough and dark enough , if anything , he is happy to watch a silver lining on another cloud and say blessed are a few.

me:-But we are talking about Equality.

The madman:-Exactly. To the beggar, you can talk about the world. In the country you can talk about the precedent and the consequence. And you can agree that the silver lining looks good and blessed are a few, but then you can blow him a little so that he starts flying towards the sun.

me:-All that sounds wonderful , Yes yes. But how do you do it?

The madman:-That will be something you should search for. You have the key , you know it opens doors, but you should know what lies behind the door before you open it. A key without a lock is useless and the secret without cognition is worthless. And if you open the wrong door, you might let out the true madman.

me:-Aren’t you the madman?

The madman:-I am.

me:-Then did I open a wrong door?

The madman:-yes , you have. Your life will never be the same again.

me:-Will you be leaving this place , now that I have set you free?

The madman:-Ha but a home needs to be lived in and besides who will tell people, the others who open this door, the secret ? I cannot leave.

me:-But I insist. And I already knew it.

The madman:-Everyone knows , few realize it. You are a madman like me. I have locked myself , in my room and spread the keys so that people who I hope to meet , will come to me. You have locked yourself in your mission and you place the keys with a few, who know you. If either of us was free, we would never meet our kind. What is freedom, but the chance to realize our choices? Our freedom lies within and not in the world. How can we belong to a world which is not ours?

me:-I hate to leave you.

The madman:-We shall meet again, when we need to meet again. Our choices will lead us. So choose wisely.

And I left the room. I walked for a while, before I realized what had happened. As he said my life has never been the same again.

P.S:-

1)The title is borrowed from Gibran.

2) “All animals are equal but some are more equal than other” is a line from the book animal farm.

Beyond illusions

We will open our eyes,
See beyond the horizon
And sit in our castle’s porch,
Knowing from where we rose,
That finally we reached where we chose,
Albeit the illusions and the remorse.


For the strength of an illusion lies with the perceiver,
And somewhere in there we always want something better;

Click here to read the full poem 🙂

What are your Identities?

Something lesser than a dot in the universe.

Something as big as a dot in the galaxy.

A thicker dot in the system.

Earthling.

human being.

Asian.

A person from the subcontinent.

Indian.

South Indian.

Tamilian.

Hindu

Brahmin

Iyengar.

…….(other identities)

This is the Identity the world(i.e. those who might not know anything about me and also society collectively) would attribute to me…but is it the one I want? Of course I am all that , but I would prefer to be seen as

Something lesser than a dot in the universe.

Something as big as a dot in the galaxy.

A thicker dot in the system.

Earthling.

human being.

Humanitarian.

Thinker.

Philosopher.

Optimist

A person who believes in equality(equality – when everyone has the same opportunity.)

Writer, more specifically a poet(however good or bad I am at it).

A person who loves music.

An artist(however good or bad I am at the various arts).

Football lover.

Nature lover.

Captialist(more in lines of a Randian).

A teenager.

Indian.

Nationalist.

Secularist.

Tamilian

………..(other identities).

Of course there are a lot more which I might have left out at this point. I might call myself a philosopher and no one else might. But it does show how I perceive myself. Anyway more about this in my next post.Right now I want to know,

What are your identities?

As we talk together

When I see light ,
I know nothing can die.
When I see you,
I know I need not fight.
When I know you ,
I know what is right.
When we are together,
The world not perish,never;

click here to read the full poem.

Religion, freedom and What to kill?

As a human being your place on Earth  is dependent on your “sense of belonging”. And we try to belong to a myriad number of groups , in various permutations and combinations , but ultimately the one that seems to scar the singular human comradeship is our religious affiliation.

To secularists it causes endless heart aches, to see humans tear apart each other. But then we have come to a point , where a few frown upon these secularists and the heads of such groups declare them as infidels or a threat to their religion and that they need to be dealt with.

Is belonging or not belonging  to a religious group all that important?

What has made religion the single autonomous power , with their various Gods?

One argument would be that man in general prefers not to take up responsibility.

The irony here is, we have taken it as our responsibility to take care of these religions , with our life and even more.

As we move into a new Era , where in we have started to accept that we need to change our attitude and our demeanour and approach to solving the pragmatic problems in living, the way we define our “sense of belonging” is quintessential .

The reason for problems is that we interact and in the process  two universes of ideas clash , the barring is too much to sustain a bi-ambitious world.

One way to ensure a mono-synthetic society is to conclude that suppression is the only way to maintain a balance. If we look at this syllogism closer , we will find that the major premise is that we need a balance and the minor one that suppression is the only way.

And this exactly is what religion has helped evolve over the ages of humanity.

I do not claim religion is the root of evil , rather that religion has been chained and is being made to do as the masters who control it want it to do. Religion in essence aims at freeing man and hopes to breach the boundaries of human perception.

But in reality the essence of religion lies in the minds of people . The majority of whom are  gullible, influenced  by the rhetoric of orators and politicians. The reason for this gullibility is because we cannot define what is “good and what is “bad” in absolute sense. The alteration done is so simple that many fail to see it – a change in the yard scale. And to change this , we first need to change the latter premise – that suppression is the key to the balance.

To redefine maintaining a balance in any other way , than the existing one, is going to be a task which is hard to even imagine – we would need to move away centuries of domination and slavery. Unfortunately , the method adopted in India(i.e. giving reservations) is a negative step. In a way it is acknowledging that we have become subservient to the pseudo dogmas. It would only strengthen the hold of the suppressive methods.

What is suppression? This is a important question to answer. I would call it curtailing ‘freedom’.

Freedom is again a word which needs to be defined. You can say freedom is that which gives an individual a proportionate sense of belonging and acceptance. And here lies the answer , to what we can try do.

We need to understand and appreciate freedom. The line between indulgence and freedom may be very thin , almost nonexistent but the crux of freedom lies in the way we perceive and interact with others. Of course we cannot interfere with the way people think or make choices for them , but what we can do is try to remove the vintage prejudices and sneers , by stopping them from reaching our future.

We should try to find our way to a better race , not by thinking what ‘God‘ would find comforting but by understanding that our decisions are binding on the future of our kind. It might seem Utopian to dream of such a day, for after all we are no more than a galaxy of cells working together to survive . But then doesn’t this galaxy coexist without any Upheavals? Of course you can say that their thinking capacity is taken away by the ‘brain’. But what is the brain , but again another collection of cells?

But of course there is always a reflex or death. We can say reflexes give us a short term relief , i.e. revolutions are a temporary respite and well that death is the ultimate end of a bad mind. But then what dies and what lives on?

This is the question , which religions have capitalized on. And through out our history this is the question used as a fear of tool. I do wonder if hell really did exist, didn’t those exploiters realize that they would be the first to be dipped into a cauldron of boiling oil? But of course they do claim that , they are messengers of “God” .

At the same time without fear and guilt , we humans probably will be out of control. But then , I think it is better we remove these fears created by our imagination and present to our kind the real threats – without proper cooperation and coordination our race might bring about its own end; Earthquakes, tsunamis , floods, drought etc .

If we care enough for the living – this is not just about  ‘healing the world’ , it is about saving ourselves. The world can take care of itself. Earth as a planet will go on for millions and billions of years. And anyway whatever you do , will affect the entire universe . And no it is not caring for the smaller things – it caring for the most important thing – the ‘I’ .

Kill religion? I don’t think so. We need to kill our inhibitions, which stops us from understanding.

Is killing justifiable?  Can you face yourself ?

P.S;- Thanks Indi for helping me in edit this 🙂

Change(55 word fiction)

How are we ever going to change all this?

You can’t change it.

What do you mean? That we are helpless , useless? We don’t have a right , that our love has no value , that we are…

You don’t get it..we can’t be the change , we can only be the catalysts to a change.

oh!