An Atheist or a Believer!

A believer shall believe in all religions or solely his own religion, he might pray to God every day and worship him and might consider fasting and sacrifice something sacred. Well, that’s our perception but a believer is simply someone who believes in the creator of this mighty world. He believes that someone is listening to his prayers and shall answer them someday and if things go wrong, eventually they shall fall in place. It’s the faith and hope he has in ‘The Almighty’ that connects our soul to whom we address as God, Allah, Bhagwan or the various names we have given ‘Him’.

So who is an atheist? A person who just does not believe in God or a religion or is it the absenteeism of faith? Why would someone just give up on the creator? Did all his trust disappear, has he been lacking hope, is it his past experiences or is he moving towards skepticism? Some of us may fail to accept various religions, the stories our elders told us about deities and all that has been inscribed in the religious books, but does that mean there is merely no existence of someone above us; who has been watching our move and silently cares without our knowing?

An atheist shall thank himself for his own life while a believer prays to someone above! A believer has someone to make him see the brighter side, someone to pray to and someone to look forward to; someone who motivates him to live life, not just survive. An atheist and a believer stand equal but a believer is motivated to his path. Our Lord is our shepherd to guide us; he is taking care of his herd but what about the sheep that lost their way? An atheist might seem like a lost sheep.

Well, I think Karma decides it all. Your deeds shall only decide your time and if you do something good, you shall get your fruit. Moreover, if we try analysing the lesson every religion teaches, it all sums up to Karma indeed. We do something good and we are rewarded by something better for what goes around comes around and we have to pay for the bad things. To help our fellow human beings- Even our parents taught us to help everyone and then the fact that God is one. He doesn’t fit in one religion, the books or the idols or temples; but a soul that resides in our heart.

It might not necessarily be a deity; we might find hope in our parents, friends, role models, well-wishers or anyone that shall motivate us or show us the right path in the phase of our journey. God is that hope you see in someone and have named it differently, a name you take to thank or blame for your life while our Karma should be held responsible. A believer shall do good deeds in the name of God while an Atheist does it for the sake of humanity. Nobody has proven his existence therefore some of us might take it as a belief.

We might rely on science more than religion but there are many questions that even science can’t answer. For instance, when we say there is no light, it’s not dark but the absence of light. So, the same way when we say we haven’t seen God, doesn’t mean he isn’t there!. Only a hope can make you feel his presence and the absence of hope make you think it’s a myth. The debate between an atheist and a believer can’t be concluded for it’s our own perception and wish that decides his existence for us but the being a believer only gives us a positive hope- a hope of something good and what’s wrong in believing and doing the right thing? You never know, miracles might happen!

Politics... and the shit that follows!

Every morning I read the newspaper, my first reaction is to pity my own country dealing with the unresolved political issues. A country where everything seems good on the outside and when you scrutinize it, you see the loopholes in the system; though now there are loopholes everywhere! When I was young, I dreamed of becoming a leader and the way I see everything now; I would rather be a servile than a government servant. Politicians say that the common people can only criticize everything and it’s not easy to stay in that dirty puddle and rather tough to survive in it. Is it our perception to conclude politics as we see or is it really that ugly? 

We have had good leaders in the past, leaders who thought for the country and the people as well and who were genuinely concerned about various issues. I agree to the fact that corruption has been there in the system from the very beginning, at least we dint have businessmen in the form of ministers, who before the elections promise a common man every little necessity, to let him pursue dreams with a false promise of fulfilling them in return of a mere vote; and he is fooled. A common man is fooled yet again and has given up dreaming by now. Politicians are doing nothing but to make a common man dance to their tunes like a snake charmer.

All the demons like inflation, corruption, poverty, racism follow the common man and have been clinging to him since years. The fear from the landlords, undue debts being passed on to generations, the unfulfilled hunger of just three wishes- food, clothing and shelter. He toils, begs, cries and pleads; he sweats for a penny and sleeps with empty stomach only to feed his family. He is the common man who struggles only to face every hurdle the politicians toss in his life. Couldn’t a human, who was one among us, who asked for just three things all his life and still undeserved it? It’s not the system to blame but the human who has become so heartless.

Look at how politics has become the most criticized field. The reason being our politicians, whom we voted for just to see, how juvenile they could be! How in the same political party, two leaders are fighting amongst each other with caricatures and various cheap tricks displayed on hoardings and newspapers, where every state has at least one minister to commit scams of 1000s of crores, where a minister makes a deal with a gas firm only leading to gas prices becoming more and more expensive, an agriculture minister coming up with more advanced schemes to fool the farmers, where the president who was hailed the most for being the first woman president did nothing for a country, demands for three times increase in her salary. This shit we hear every day, is politics indeed.

Why can’t we have a minister like our former President APJ Abdul Kalam who did so much for us to bring a good change and asked for nothing in return? Why is it that every human who stands for the truth, who takes a stand for what is right is shut and banished in the country? Why were the modest and honest people like Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi and many more amongst them asked to stand aback when their motive was to serve the poor? Where are the leaders gone, the ones we had when we fought for the prolonged freedom? The thoughts of this country’s youth have been washed away as the politics they see is only getting filthier and ugly. The lessons and values learnt have been forgotten and the “Satyamev Jayate” we talk about- this is the truth behind it.

Politics has made its way to drugs and medicines, schools and colleges, clerks and officers, education and educationalists, sports and sportsmen and every little spot. The sad part is, among these villains stay the innocent, who have tried to survive in this system, who shall stand in a queue for hours, won’t cheat in an exam and will visit an office umpteen times only to regain their pension. I just hope that in the time, when the only way to get things done is to go against the system; we don’t end up losing the people who actually stood for the truth and shall give up to the wrongs, who shall be forced to accept dishonesty and learn to lie looking right in one’s eyes and our country shall indeed go against the Truth; that once triumphed.

My clothes don't tell you who I am!

A woman you see down the streets, a lady with her uptown heels; a mother with her beloved child and a husband’s endeared wife. Someone behind a man’s birth and his success lies a ‘Woman’. Sadly, the world has lost her importance among the years. It has always been a Male-dominated world and since we are losing the count of women, each one of them fears the threat of being suppressed by every man and his presumptuous torture.

We live in a society where we worship idols, where books are the religion and our culture speaks of who we are! The way we carry ourselves might seem more important than our conscience. The one to conceive us, to take care of us for nine months in her womb and then to be the first one to hold us in her arms was a woman; but does she hold the same place as she did years back? Since birth we had been told to pay utmost respect to a woman; whether a teacher, a sister or any strange lady. But the times haven’t changed as in the past Lord Rama’s wife Sita and now someone else; it has always been a woman whose character is questioned.

A woman so graceful, so beautiful who carries herself with conviction and her heart full of compassion; doesn’t she wish to feel good about herself by wearing fashionable attire? A little girl walking in the scorching heat, can we fault her if she dons a pretty skirt? Does being a female snatch away all the liberties of having the fun only a man can or are we suppressing the women from doing so? These questions shall always remain unanswered and debatable but what I have to say now is why we tend to get judgmental just by a woman’s apparel. If you can’t judge a book by its cover, how can you determine a person’s character in a mere glance?

When a woman wears shorts, skirts or any skin attire that might reveal her body; people think she has no morals or she is purposely provoking men and god forbid if she gets raped, molested or teased by some hooligans on the street. . .They blame her clothes! They just ghastly stare at women with no shame in their eyes. What if their own daughter or sister was in her place and someone else did that to her? What if she had no wrong intentions, a subtle body language and quite decent sense and she maintained her dignity? Is this the culture we preach and the society we live in? Maybe we have avoided and do not wish to accept the ugly sight.

A woman defines elegance and the word would lose its essence if we turn from a sylph to a slut! So next time, take a moment to know the woman intensely, with the decency and modest behavior she deserves. We have citizens who truly respect a woman but things should be set straight for the ones who degrade her, who by their orthodox thinking have a pre-determined notion that a woman is alluring men towards her and take advantage of her. To know a woman; look into her eyes and the way she talks, she walks and carries herself . . . Not by mere clothes she wore! For the women out there, we are the ones who give the world a chance to judge us, so let us stay classy with a sense of sophistication.

Naukar 'Devta'

I couldn’t come up with any other apt title to describe the present scenario in India. “Jee Haan..Is desh me, aaj neta se bada naukar hai.” I’m sure all the women reading this can empathize with the familiar situation. Every morning either my mom is being too polite to him or yelling on the phone for his absence. It’s weirder when my family members are sweeter to him than to me. We offer them money, food, security and love and in return enslave them as to do render the services we demand. Not because we can’t do it, but are somehow ashamed and lethargic to do it, everyday. Since years and centuries, we have always had someone to rule upon us. 

We were freed from the rule of Britishers back in the year 1947, but I guess it was merely India in the name of freedom; not every Indian. A country where they tend to show their efforts to shorten the rich-poor gap, why are we still looking for servants? Is it because of the dependency or the fact that we always wish to be above someone. It’s not only the servants but all the people working under us who are still struggling for survival, whose significance we snub. The backward caste people who are employed in sewage department or collecting wastage from every house, beggars on the street who make their livelihood by selling flags or toys, women who clean public toilets just to survive and all the people involved doing such filthy yet crucial work.

Talk about the ferocious fashion you imitate, mouth-watering delicacies that melt your heart, luxurious and cozy lifestyle you crave for, stronger social network, metal music and the Hollywood inspired movie sequels; our country has always been influenced by the West. While welcoming the boons of upcoming modernization, we have faced banes too! Like the severe obesity, relationship issues, drug abuse, increasing crimes being observed in the society, the youth becoming more violent and more to add on. But if we really wish to be like the foreign countries, then why not take a step towards banishing dependency on servants. 

I agree to the fact that the weather conditions of our country and in this dusty atmosphere, it’s really difficult to go a day without cleaning the entire house, utensils, clothes and everything else. But Sooner or later, we’ll have to abandon servants and do the rest by ourselves. The tantrums of the domestic helpers have increased only because of us! We are the ones who pamper them, feed them, pay the wages they demand and resulting; We spoil them. They take advantage of this situation of decreasing laborers and increasing demands. Though now, even they know that merely dusting, cleaning, sweeping and washing wont feed their family. They have moved to other developed sectors, they have switched to better jobs in the need of more money and moreover, Respect.

For now, yes we name them as servants and they have become our necessity. But the future I foresee; either they will be someone lost in the crowd among us or history shall repeat and we shall bow down to nobody else but the sublime Naukar ‘Devta’.

You don’t know how much you’re loved.

You have a life someone wishes for, you have those looks someone envies and everything someone dreams of. In your own unique way, you’re special. You might not have known but you’re blessed. You shall regret, you shall cry and then there might come a moment you can’t wait to say goodbye to this mighty world but dint you realize; someone out there loves you more than this world.

How our lifestyle has changed from generations is known by us but what we fail to accept is how time has changed our conscious mind and leaded to negativity. This negativity has lead us to all the monetary gains, to greed and to gloominess. In this race we are running, the dreams we are dreaming; we forget that in spite of all the bad happened…there has been good too. We just prolong the sorrow and shorten the feeling of ecstasy. It’s high time we accept the fact that we shall face serendipity as well as misfortune; the question is how to handle oneself in such circumstances.

We never appreciate our life at present circumstances; in fact we humans have the tendency to criticize everything around. Criticism and envy to such an extent that we cannot see someone else happy. That’s one reason to the endless crimes, suicides and violence in the society! We keep demanding and these demands have no End. We fail to attain the first reason to happiness- Satisfaction! Coming back to the point; earn as much as you wish for, in the end all you’re hungry for is Love. We are social animals hungry for someone to care; somebody to love. But the present generation has a contrasting view point towards love; wanting love from their parents in form of gifts, love from being in a relationship and favors from friends. If you have it, you’re lucky enough and if you don’t; there’s nothing to crib about.

If you feel unhappy about something, think about those who aren’t privileged like you to get a better family, friends, good food to eat or a place to sleep. Life isn’t fair to all. Karma plays its role and in spite of having everything at a moment, you end up losing it. If you feel unloved just because you haven’t met your Mr. Right, well many women lose their sons, husbands and brothers in tragic fights worldwide. But their family is still living with subtle pride, that their son gave his life for his country.  If you’re planning to runaway just because you were cheated by your lover or have some petty family issues, think about someone who lost his mother because of a deadly disease and is fighting for his life in the hospital.

We keep talking about social service and visiting orphans, old-aged people, handicapped and other disabled people; but behind everything we do.. The lesson one should learn is forgotten. All of us shall face crises; whether financially, mentally or physically… But the one who manages to stand up and Live this life is indeed a Winner! You came in this world to make a difference in your own little way. Don’t let trivial issues force you to give up your life. You don’t know how much you mean to someone until they lose you. However you are, whoever you; someone loves you for being ‘You’. Whenever life tries to knock you down, stand up to your feet every time so that the bitch knows whom is she messing with. Don’t let a short phase of melancholy depress you; as they say it ‘It’s the darkest before the dawn’. And Of course you're loved; You just don't know it yet!

Mommy, I love You!

We have become acquainted by the recent trend of celebrating days based on various relations, therefore; today being the International Mother’s Day… I have got something to say. A feeling every daughter has and the strongest bond every child shares, though my story is slightly different. She is miles away right now, and I don’t even know whether she’ll read it. But this is the smallest thing I could do, to convey my love for you. Thank you for this day Ma. You gave me life, what more could I ask!

I might not have been the best daughter my mother could have,

But certainly my mom has loved me for who I am.

She never said she wasn’t happy,

Every time she wanted me to get better.

She has been the first one to criticize me,

Only reason being because she knows my weakness.

A little stingy in humble praise,

Like she knew I wished to make it to the stars.

A savior I came across and

An Angel who taught me to look up against all odds.

She made me savor every bit of my childhood

Those are just memories I miss now.

The times I cried, the times I smiled,

She’s always there to hug me tight.

Cautious she supervises, cares and carves me,

Like a sculptor carving a sculpture in a stone.

A role-model and perfectionist in herself,

She always inspired me to be like her

But I was just born as her replica,

Never could I even be close like her

I know we have had our bad days,

We fight we argue and I know I have been bad too;

But through the end of life there’s just you

To love me endlessly when I come back to you.

Because You gave me the beautiful gift of life

And in no birth could I have anything to repay You.

Catharsis to the most prized Possession!

The immediate urge of acceptance has lead me to sudden pessimism; and to that extent that I fail to look at myself in the mirror; to look with sheer confidence in the eye and the fear of self-doubt about my own conscience. Writing has always been the only way I tend to share how I feel; my words convey my emotions and the only way I can express. It’s the closest thing to me because there is nothing else that defines me.

The initial stage when you start writing is during those juvenile days in school; when you pen down those silly incidents in your diary or when you step into your adolescent period when and are pretty confused how everything is changing at a pace you can’t match. However; writing is an enhanced form of ‘Catharsis’ in literature, meaning the vent out of emotions. You can write when you want to cry out so loud but you’re afraid to show your weakness; you write when you’re happy or sad; you write in your low or high spirits and the most beautiful thing about writing is besides sharing it with your diary or laptop, it still stays with You.

For me; it was those memories I was making during school days that I wished to pen down forever; the silly fights and the unforgettable days with my best friend; the times I broke down in tears when I lost something, that then mattered the most to me and the uneasiness I felt inside that I couldn’t share. Now or Then, my love for writing shall remain eternal. Certainly the times have changed, the reason I write has changed and so have the writing patterns. But it shall forever be the most precious thing I own. It wasn’t in my blood or the people I aspire from and I never read too many books to write, it just came from within.

Whenever I pause for moment thinking about my career, my future and the life I wish to live- It has been about dreams to fulfil. I wished for luxuries, success, fame and money like everyone else; but my priorities have changed. More than a successful life, I wish to live a happy life. To proclaim happiness through the mere feeling of satisfaction; by simply making my passion- The sole source of everything I want to achieve. I shall choose to walk through the path everyone rejects because of the conventional method they have been following for years. 

I never said money doesn’t matter; you need it to survive in this world. But running behind the sheer pleasure of earning so much, don’t forget that It’s the little things that give you inner happiness. That kitli ki chai in the first monsoon shower is always better than that of some five-star hotel. It doesn’t take much for at least giving it a try and to do something different; especially when you have it from within. We do make mistakes, fall more often and fail to accept criticism positively; but it shall only make Us better than who we are. I do get a crazy thought to stop writing, divert myself and attain as many degrees, but then it’s just a mood swing. One just needs a break and then start with a new spirit. And for all those who love writing like me, please never stop. We are among those few who let laymen empathize and connect the reader through what we write. We hold the Pen- Our mighty weapon and someday, We shall create a revolution! Keep writing.