Sublime and Silly

When I thought of writing, many things that bug me cropped up in my mind. There are range of issues from dirtiness to poverty, from silliness to cheating. Later when I showed some of my writings to my friend in Kolkatta, whom, I turn to have an opinion sometime,suggested, ‘not to write too many bad things about India, what a foreigner would think if he/she reads this’. He is right, I thought, we are the ambassadors of our country,so we should keep certain restraint from criticizing our country. Yet I can’t overlook the complaints I hear from my friends abroad about the poor infrastructure in my country, I can’t shy away from the ‘reality’ I am encountering in my day to day life in India. There may be poverty in every country, pollution and corruption... no country is an exception of this fact. But what has taken me aback many times, is the cheating attitude ingrained in Indian psyche irrespective of the social respectability or financial status.

Many times I was cheated by fruit vendors(they are very cleaver at handing over the rotten fruits by keeping aside the good ones you select) and was forced to argue with shop owners who take extra money for keeping the milk in freezer. Again this is the same with auto walahs and taxi walahs who try to over charge.While travelling in trains I witnessed many times the open bribery of TTEs for allotting berths to those who are in RAC list. I feel honesty is completely disappeared from our society with very few exceptions.

Seeing all this an optimist like me would feel very low and would say to myself , ‘Yes nothing will change in India’.
I do wonder why we cheat ? What prompt us to cheat others ? I don’t think it is financial troubles that force one to cheat. But this attitude is there generally in Indian blood. Evenif they are rich these cheaters would keep on cheating. So I want everybody to do a soul-searching before blaming the politicians or bureaucrats, because this very same society compose of them too. It is very sad we are from the land of a great man who devoted his whole life to truth- a man who preached high thinking and simple living. Yes he has been vanished from the heart of Indians, may be long back. He is the man whom Indians failed to understand, he is beyond an ordinary Indian can think of. I would like to quote the words of Tolstoy who was inspired by this great soul called Gandhiji, ‘A scoundrel doesn’t realise greatness’.

Love at first sight

Some people and places attract you at first glance. It was my love at first sight! Love by instinct. The very first day when I landed in Macleod ganj, the hill station near Dharamsala, my heart was leaping with an unknown joy. I felt a sense of belonging even before seeing the place. The sight of little monks jumping out of the big van caught my eyes. They were happy and smiling, their innocence coupled with seriousness in the glittering eyes conveyed to my heart. I felt an innate attraction towards the place as to Tibetan Budhisam. I looked around with a child’s curiosity, the mountains seem hiding a beautiful mystery behind the dancing fogs, nature was as fresh as a new born child.

Macleod ganj looked like an International centre in India and it was the charm that place carries. I felt happy to be away from the staring and intruding people from the rest of India!

The place seemed like a ‘mini Tibet’, with all the Tibetans there. The land looked like blessed by divine grace. In that small place Tibetan refugees try to retain their culture, their art, handicrafts etc. It was great a souvenir roaming around Macleod ganj, the Tibetan Temple, where Dalai Lama resides, and the surrounding area look so majestic with the presence of monks in maroon robes. I relished on Tibetan dishes like veg shabri, momo, and variety of soups and salads on everyday till my departure.

For Tibetans, spirituality is part of existence, a way of life, they do believe and adore their spiritual leaders as they do believe in Budhism. With the monks all around, one gets an air of divinity around you. During my stay there, I never have seen a Tibetan shouting to anybody or staring at others. They smile from their heart, they are untouched by pretensions and hypocrisy. I was really moved by the warmth and affection of this people.

‘Tibetans escape to India every year in search of freedom, their life in Tibet is stooped to the level of second class citizenship. They are not even allowed to speak to foreigners'; one Tibetan Masseur says. He narrated how he was caught by the Chinese police for the ‘crime’ of giving cherries to foreign tourists! In Tibet, Tibetan’s are always been spied. I felt deeply grateful to India particularly to Nehru for giving asylum to this people.

Tibetans who are born in India have never gone to their mother land, because they fear of getting caught by Chinese authority. As one Tibetan guide jokingly put it, ‘ incoming is free, but out going is impossible’! But this simple peace loving people still live here in the hope of getting back to their mother country one day. They don’t resort to any kind of violence, they don’t shout for their freedom, but just wait with patience. But will Chinese authorities wake up to the reality?

Recently China claimed Arunachal Pradesh as the next incarnation of Lama is born there and try to control the Tibetans elsewhere. Again it is sad to remember what mighty does to the fragile. What harm a nations greed can does to another nation. As America’s Iraq invasion, Tibet invasion also is all about money. Fortunately(or unfortunately ?) Tibet is a blessed land with abundant natural resources and minerals. But again, as always, world watch in silence when a culture is being crushed, when her peace loving people are haunted away from their mother land.

I really felt sad seeing this people who are being fated to live as refugees in another country with none of their fault. I asked myself why this simple people are suffering?

' Thum Alla ka Bacha Hain'

My first visit to Kashmir in last June changed my perception about that place. When I landed, Srinagar airport resembled of an ‘army barricade’ ,with all men in uniform around. I couldn’t find any traces of people in the airport. I was vainly searching for the person who was supposed to receive me at airport in the midst of staring glances of army men. I made a call to that I could hear only my host’s voice saying ‘I am here come out’.
Then I realised unlike in other airports visitors are not allowed anywhere near the premise of airport. I was under the impression that Kashmiri’s are living under terror.

With a kind of anguish and anxiety I left the airport with my host, but on the way I could find lush greenery and misty mountains all around Srinagar. I haven’t seen such amount of greenery in any cities of India. The gigantic and elegant ‘chinar trees’ stand everywhere as a representative of Kashmiri pride. The people seemed bothered about nothing other than their daily cores, life seemed flowing as usual.

The lovely place and her smiling beatiful people captured my heart. I was clean bowled by the hospitality of the people of Kashmir. Wherever I have been to, they made me feel at home. They serve ‘ Kashmiri kawah’ (a delicious drink made of cinnamon, saffron, cardamom and green leaves) as if treating someone very close to you. I never felt like this anywhere in India, except may be in Dharamsala among Tibetans.

I could see hope in people’s eyes during my stay there. They are just like any others struggle to make a living, ordinary people having ordinary dreams, hopes. And every Kashmiri complained me of how media portray their land in a bad light. ‘They don’t write anything good about Kashmir, but keen to write bad things’. One Kashmiri Business man told me. I even wondered are we too much interested in negative things? Bad things get good publicity.

It was a refreshing experience to watch the dal lake from the house boat in the early morning when the foggy mountains were pampered by the mild sun rays. The cool breeze around me lend fresh air and I would like to be in that feeling again with a hot cup of Kashmiri Kawah. The sight of boats moving through the lake in the morning itself was so enchanting to my soul. Dal lake is like a town in itself. Everything from vegetables to dresses and jewels to handicraft items are available inside the lake.

I left Kashmir with a hope to visit again, with so much wordless emotions stored in my heart. The kind words of an old village man at my host’s bunglow rebounded towards me, ‘Thum Alla ka Bacha Hain’,(You are child of God). I couldn’t hold back my tears when he murmured that to me while putting his hands on my head.

Withering Leaves

Well known journalist Pritish Nandy writes that ˜Mumbai is taken over by builders’(Times of India). It is extremely pathetic to see the city is being bowed down to builders and speculators. Mumbai is the city where we feel a sense of belonging even though you don't belong to it.

But sadly this sky scrappers don't serve the purpose of our basic need, a shelter to cover over us.
A recent survey showed that 50% of Mumbaikers are homeless and 60% of its population live in slums. Not a single place is left without being bulldozed away by the builders.But who owns this buildings ? Despite all this buildings why people find it extremely difficult to get a place to stay ?

The beneficiaries of this soulless constructions are politicians,building mafia and speculators.
They say Mumbai is second to London in terms of house rent ! But whats the average income and living standard of a Mumbaikar when compared to a Londoner ? What contribution it can give to the development of a city ?

I wonder why we don't take this issue seriously ? Why we cant check this mindless construction where lurks the slow destruction of our environment.

Riches and Rags

Indian cities are a perfect example of how luxury and poverty dwell on face to face. On its one side there is an abundant display of huge buildings and big cars and the other side it is crowd, filth and penury.

The poor sewage system, beggars, mushrooming slums make make city life horrible. I feel Indians learned to live among the dirt,bettal spits and smell of urinals. And as if this is not enough, people are being punished with, roaring vehicles, jammed buildings and loud speakers.

As usual the authorities are least bothered about all this ‘public issues’.
I often do a lot of traveling in India,but its always difficult to find a hygienic restaurant and clean toilet at a reasonable price here. I dont know why generally public is not much concerned about cleanliness. I feel as our politicians, we ourselves lack sincerity.

Its of course a Himalayan task to keep cities clean when it is crowded with people. But many times public seem to be really an undisciplined mass and behave as if roads and public places are to spit and to use as urinal.
So I feel public should be educated before encouraging tourism, before beautifying certain parts of city, before building fly overs and airports. No tourist wants to visit a dirty place. I do remember how my friends abroad used to complain about dirtiness in India.

Why not we begin it now? Why not we begin to teach about environment and to keep our surrounding clean, at school level?