Losing our mind is not something vague, for we all experience it. Maybe we never cross the threshold, to be labelled as 'mad' by the more 'saner' members of our society. Guess they will never be able to share the ecstasy of an empty mind, for they have never stopped lying about their inert worldliness.

When you put your thoughts on paper, they are not always beautiful. Whether we can understand ourselves is always a matter of concern for the writer. Having your own thoughts read out to you is not what any person will look forward to. Thoughts are ever changing, ideas remain the same. It's the idea which a writer moulds, that is what he projects onto the minds of the reader.

हरशी सैरवैर धावपी म्हजे मन डोळळे माखून आपल्या भीतर काळोख करून बसलां. स्वताची आस बाळगिता तेन्ना ते मन आपल्याकूच खावपाक कित्याक काय सोदता??? निरागसपण ताजे कोणे काय चोरून व्हेले ताकाच बाबड्याक खबर ना.
कसलो हो वेळ आयलो, कोणा मुखार आपल्याक उघडे करप ताणे आता?

mogaachi fulaa

फुलाच्यो पाकळ्यो जश्यो सोबित फुलतात
तशेच मोगाची काळजां एकामेकात जुळतात
आता फुलां फुलप आनी काळजां जुळप हे एक कशे?
तुमी म्हणत ह्या कवीक लागला दिसता सामके पिशे

फुल फुलतले अशी जशी भोवरो बाळगिता आस
तसोच पैस आशील्ल्या मोगीन्चो अडकून उरता स्वास
चंद्राच्या शीतलकायेन बी केन्नाय एकटे मन करपता
काळजाक चार कुडी म्हणुन किते चार मोग जाता?

इति ऊवाच प्रसाद ओगीच मोगाचेर नाका वाद
आप आपल्या मोगाक तुमी घालून पळयात साद
आणी जर तुमच्या उल्याक कोण दिना उतर
तर चार सोबित फुलां फुलयात तुमच्याच मनां भितर

The two tools!!!

It is said that a resolute mind in action is the most troublesome enemy that one can face in their lifetime. And if you add a dangerous spark to it, then this could result in an explosive mold by itself...something that will not stop at anything to achieve what it wants...even if it results in its own destruction!!! So if such a bug mainfests within our own psyche, then 'bhagwaan bachaaye' will also not help to rid yourself of it!!! And in India we have 2 such cancers developing...people who have hijacked the propaganda tools of the Maoists and poorer sections of the society to their own cause (mostly of fame and recognition) and those who have hijacked the initial noble cause of Maoists (and i say the cause, not the means of achieving the cause) and their pro-poor ideals!!! For me, these 2 elements are more dangerous than any other danger that has befallen India till now, or is expected in the foreseeable future!!!

And why is it so? Why should someone highlighting the subdued voices of the tribals alarm me to make such strong statements? Isnt it naive of myself to be worried about this? Or am I joining the ranks of these same individuals per se? Am I really? Is it not that apparent to ourself? Have we forgotten the old adage that the pen is mightier than the sword? And here we have both these tools fighting together!!!

Is there anything else left to say???

Scientific Scepticism!!!

Much of the scientific thought that prevails today started back then as pseudo science. Science as we know it, is based on roots that are as yet shaky to a limit. Every scientific evolution has been based on a complex idea of theories...and as far as i know, theories are not facts. These are all mathematical calculations built around some number known as a 'constant'. So it could happen one day that Theory of Relativity or the Gravitational Theory could be replaced by some other theory which is more potent and more satisfying to the prevalent scientific temper. After all, that's what has been happening over the ages, isnt it? Lets not get rid of new Galileo's just because we cannot get rid of our old ideas. Or else, the sun would still have been rotating around the earth!!!

But then we do need to apply our logical minds when we discuss stuff like teleportation, telekinesis and other paranormal ideas. I can understand that the belief in such 'other' ideas can be strong as these are very intriguing ideas that appeal to the mind. Does our logical mind allow us to believe in miracles done by 'fakirs' and 'babas? We may pray at temples, but how many of us still believe that God's stay in these edifices? Can we quote a single non-controversial example of of the above 'tele' things apart from legends, and what others have told us that they have heard from someone else and so on? These are things we dont understand, and unless we are very sure of their working mechanisms, its better to be sceptics.

Being skeptic doesnt mean holding onto something even when you know that the new idea maybe better...it just means not giving urself unto something just for the sake of being with the new breed unless logic allows you to do so. A rational mind may hold you back from holding a fire in your hands, but the same sane rational mind will prepare you to do so when the time is right!!!

The idea of talking to someone thousands of miles away using something called a 'phone' would surely seem too far fetched even 200 years back, but a scientifically tempered mind would have looked the possibilities of doing so even then. Ask Leonardo da Vinci who had designs of a helicopter in his manuals!!! Granted he was no ordinary being, but logical and scientific thinking need not be the realms of geniuses only!!! But the ideas of 'tele' are not new...these ideas have been omnipresent in all civilisations - old and new - since men started using their imaginations!!! And the progress to implement these ideas have been zilch since then, while new ideas have come forth and have been visualised, designed and developed many many times. Imagination is never a bad idea (after all its the beginning of an idea), but in this realistic world (about what we hardly know anything), skepticism is the only tool that we have to prevent us from ends like that of Icarus!!!

As for me, I dont believe in something that doesn't sound logical to me, just like I dont believe in the principle of God, and surely not in 33 crores of them!!! It doesnt mean I am a fanatic in my beliefs, and will never change my thoughts in the future. But I believe in my own thoughts more than what others feed into my mind. I think there is a small Galileo present somewhere deep in the recesses of my cerebrum and cerebellum, and I am very happy for whatever experiments he conducts over there!!! :-)

Floods of tears!!!

Now that the Karnataka Government has finished its game of 'Ring a Ring o' Roses', and all have fallen down to their stupor, the BJP high command can now heave a sigh of relief. Advaniji must have had a good birthday as was evident with the participants and organizers of the game feeding each other cakes (vanilla, i suppose from the look of it)...a classic example of having the cake and eating it too!!! No, I am not saying this has got anything to do with Marie Antoinette and her cakes!!! Yeddy did make it very clear when he was very apologetic to the people of the state, and his tears did make up for what he was not able to portray verbally; as much as his smiles did when he finally managed to hold on to his 'khursi'!!!

All's well that ends well, but for whom did this really end well? The Yeddy-Reddy confrontation threw up a lot of possibilities as far as Karnataka politics is concerned, and the politicians had their hands full making the most out of it!!! While a few were making merry in Goa and Hyderabad enjoying a 'well deserved' paid for holiday, some others had camped in New Delhi keeping the cooks of Karnataka Bhavan very busy!!! Those who were left in Bangalore were ruing the fact that they didn't take a stance. What a pity!!!

In the midst of all this, what they forgot was that a part of the state was going through one of the worst natural disasters it had ever faced. As per an estimate, some 130-odd people have perished in the 14 affected districts; standing crops have been washed off and fields inundated leaving the affected hungry and without work!!! And just when they needed relief and solace, this drama had unfolded. Just sanctioning money and giving assurances has never been enough, but history has shown us again and again that the people in charge are capable only of that. We heard some MLA's claim that they can single handedly build 5000 houses in the affected areas - what everyone passively heard was about their overflowing bank vaults. And they say that politicians are much misunderstood folk!!!

For the people of North Karnataka, life will surely go on as usual. Some will work as laborers on some construction projects, others will migrate to urban areas in search of jobs - after all everyone does need to have a means to feed themselves and their families. They will wait to get back their lands and start farming once it becomes suitable to do so. Meanwhile we will see some houses built, some ads in newspapers about money donated for the cause and a few smiling faces; proclaiming it to be the victory of the government on the disaster. And during the next elections, these leaders will again be seen visiting the villages asking help from the electorate!!! I really miss those old days when we were taught about conscience in the moral science classes; now I wish they had taught political science instead of that...atleast I could have tried my luck in this great tamasha called Indian democracy!!!