Just received a beautiful post on WhatsApp in which the protagonist, a senior citizen colourfully dressed, objects to be a called an old man and insists that he be addressed as a senior citizen. An old man represents old age while a senior citizen represents seniority. He then goes on to explain the essential difference between the two. He says that while an old person laments about the past, a senior citizen adapts to new way of life. An old person looks for and seeks support while a senior citizen provides support and is a source of inspiration. Old man awaits the end while a senior citizen awaits a new morning with enthusiasm.
The protagonist further goes on to advise that age is just a number that should not in any way come in the way of the quality of life. And while most of this post is about mindset and attitude, it propagates the need to dress colourfully, which is symbolic of retaining colour in one’s life.
History as per definition in Cambridge dictionary is the study of or a record of past events. However, any attempts to distort history through post facto reinterpretation or ascribing motives based on subsequent developments is fraught with dangerous consequences. If it’s not a faithful record of events, it’s not quite history but some other subject.
The reason for this rather cryptic start to this blog is a series of posts and articles that are doing rounds in social media on India’s first Prime Minister, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, whose birthday we are celebrating today as children’s day. These posts talk about his errors of judgment and wrong decisions in the context of Kashmir, Pakistan and China, his westernised lifestyle, his alleged weakness for good things in life, his disagreements with Sardar Patel and his purportedly Muslim lineage, Not that there are no contrarian articles on his socialism, his moderation, developmental agenda to make India self sufficiently and his secularism.
I think the success of any democracy lies in the freedom of speech and expression, but let’s use history only to make our present and future better so that mistakes of the past do not come back to haunt the nation again. Let’s leave Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Azad and even Indira, Rajiv and Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the annals of the history for these people cannot defend whatever we write or say about them now!
Let’s simply celebrate 14th November as a happy event called children’s day irrespective of whether we agree or not with what these people did or thought!
When Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after killing Ravana, people of Ayodhya lit diyas to welcome their favourite king and this purportedly is the origin of Festival of Lights, Diwali.
Over the years the festival got transformed from decorating houses to bursting fire crackers to starting new venture to starting new account ledgers ( bahi khatas) to eating sweets to exchanging gifts to gambling et al. But the real essence of Diwali is reiteration of the feeling of happiness, hope, optimism, positivity and above all generosity and empathy towards those not as well as us!
This Diwali let’s hope the darkness of pandemic is eliminated and that a stronger India and better future for all bring joy, happiness and prosperity to all !
Wishing all my friends and acquaintances a very happy , healthy and prosperous Diwali!
We are regular visitors to Johannesburg as our daughter’s family resides there, though thanks to the Covid pandemic, this time we visited South Africa almost after 3 years and meeting our daughter’s family after 2 years, her last visit being during Christmas just before the Pandemic set in.
Now that her children are of slightly more manageable age, this time our trip and stay was not restricted to Johannesburg; in fact, she and her husband had arranged a weeklong road trip to three of the most cherished destinations in that country.
We started in two vehicles- being driven by my daughter and her husband, loaded with all the provisions required by a large family for one week. No stay was in a Hotel and therefore, all the cooking was to be done ourselves for which all the provisions were required, the proposed destinations being remote in the finest sense. Our first destination was Bush Camp, some 400 odd kilometer from Johannesburg, closer to the South Africa’s major city of Bloemfontein. The camp set up by a wildlife aficionado is spread across acres and acres of wild bush forests that are home to several wild beasts – more prominently Lion, Leopard, Giraffe, Zebra and antlers. The cabins built in the midst of forest, of course protected by fences, had just about bare essentials. The meal cooked on wooden logs that also served the purpose of bonfire under starlit open sky with chilling cold was an unforgettable experience. Two nights at this location especially meant a whole lot to the young kids, who had a whale of a time in sighting animals at their wildest best. Of course, a visit to Bloemfontein next day, which was around 70 kilometres from the camp site exposed us to a well planned, neat and clean city with a colonial overhang, with large white population.
A lion resting majestically atop a hill in the bush campCheetah cage – a favourite place of my grandsons. Once grown, Cheetahs are then released into wilderness.
After two nights of adventure, it was time to leave for the hills of Drakensberg. This journey too was more than 400 kilometres and the stopover at foothills provided a scenic views of the mountains that had just seen snow having melted away paving way for lush greenery. Colonial type of cottages, golf course, wineries, plantations, all lent an aura of awe to this place. Just behind the mountains lies a small independent country Lesotho. Two days at Drakensberg included freewheeling visit on mountain trails and mandatory wine tasting at a few wineries. The place is like heaven on the earth, with the countryside having the same quaintness and beauty that’s comparable to Switzerland.
A bird’s eye view of Drakensberg Sun is about to set behind the mountains- Drakensberg
Other 300 kilometers drive took us to the port city of Durban. Actually, I thought Durban was like any other old port city – congested, busy, business like. But I was proven totally wrong. It actually turned out to be as beautiful as the famous Cape Town, if not more. It’s terrain is hilly and from the top of the hills, the sight of clear blue waters of Indian Ocean is panoramic to say the least. And while I was told that climate of Durban was akin to my home city Mumbai, also a port city, Durban during our brief stay was quite chilly, windy and overcast. The city has a large Indian diaspora and Chatsworth Centre in Durban looked like any other Indian mall with restaurants and shops having Indian lineage and connection. Had wonderful food at an Indian restaurant and beautiful beaches, city centre and casinos made Durban a complete tourist package.
Sunrise as captured from our apartment atop a hill on the beautiful Bluff beach of Durban
Drive back to Johannesburg from Durban, a good 600 kilometers stretch, was another pleasure and it was good to be back after a memorable weeklong tour of this beautiful country of South Africa comprising nature, wildlife, sea, beaches, mountains and well appointed cities of Bloemfontein and Durban! No amount of thanks to my daughter and her loving husband for taking all the pains, including long drives, would be sufficient. And of course, the company of our cute grandsons to our entourage only made the journey more memories!
There are two type of people – conversation makers and conversation killers. Conversation makers feed conversation by engrossing themselves fully into conversation. On the contrary, conversation killers are in a hurry to end a conversation.
An essential difference between a conversation maker and conversation killer is that a conversation maker expresses keen interest in the topic on which conversation is happening. He makes conversation interesting by fuelling it with the facts that he has about the topic and raising questions on the things that are alien or not known. A conversation killer shows no interest in the topic and either tries to change the topic or presents a blank face to the starter of the conversation.
A versatile converser is one who can carry on conversation on large number of topics, an ability that arises from one’s exposure to diversified subjects mainly due to the habit of reading. He or she also has ability to shift levels and gears depending on the person on the other side. One should be able to carry on a conversation with the same aplomb with a 6 years old as with an eighty years old, He or she is generally equally at ease with a sportsman, a litterateur or a scholar.
This as much applies to oratory too. Oration is like a conversation with audience and unless there’s a connect, which is established mainly by evoking interest in them, a speech is also like a one way communication likely to be killed without achieving any purpose.
The thought for this blog once again is attributable to ever so relevant perspective of the great Mahatria, whose gems are being shared with me daily by one of his ardent followers. These are motivational, inspiring and capable of changing our approach towards life. His yesterday’s Pearl that inspired the above blog read:
“People find you interesting only when you show interest in what they are interested in.”
My daughter stays in Johannesburg, a beautiful city in this beautiful country of South Africa, but the first thing that people ask me on knowing this fact is, “ Is it a safe place?” And this question is not uniquely or exclusively applicable to Johannesburg or South Africa. There are many places world over, including in our country, which are either not considered safe ( for different reasons ) or become unsafe after the sunset.
Police is a force that’s raised to maintain the safety of citizens from all internal threats – thefts, robberies, mugging, Eve teasing, molestation etc – the way our army is supposed to protect us from external threats. If we are so proud of our armed forces, why police force does not inspire the same awe and trust?
We have seen individual officers helming a particular department for a period of time and making a discernible difference. Who can forget the valour and leaders of Julio Ribeiro and KPS Gill for their role in deliverance of Punjab from clutches of terrorism! Many officers such as Pradeep Sharma, Daya Nayak etc showed exemplary courage in ridding the city of Mumbai from the menace of underworld! But these are exceptions and in certain matters exceptions don’t work.
I am sure many of my readers have visited Dubai. I understand that more than 80% of population of Dubai is composed of immigrants and less than 20% are natives. But look at the mortal fear of law that the country evokes in all its residents? The cops are seldom seen patrolling on the roads, but you drive and walk on the streets and roads with such gay abundance as if no crime exists in this world! I understand that Emirates has only adopted Sharia law in part but it surely compares to the Ramrajya that we have read about in our scriptures.
Police can do it, if there’s political will and if citizens are ready to adopt community approach. Police is not for providing security to a handful of VIPs but to the citizenry at large and it can become a force to reckon with if large scale reforms are carried out – in their service conditions, salaries, non-interference in their work, equipping them with technology for surveillance and quick response et al!
If we want to live life king size and if we dream of Ramrajya all over, our Police has to reform itself and it’s thought and approach. I think the unforgettable lines of Gurudev Rabindrnath Tagore, “ Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high…” should be adopted as motto by all police across the world!
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depths of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever widening thought and action- into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake.
A coin has two sides Heads and tails If one side wins Other fails!
For every Dr Jekyll There’s Mr Hyde If one represents virtue Other personifies vice
Ravana had ten heads As he had mastered 6 shastras and 4 vedas Other representation is the 10 emotions* That made him demon killed by a Deva!
Aren’t we all too victims of these 10 emotions But only Burning effigy of Ravana is deemed fit Extermination of these emotions from our persona Will be real Dussehra in its true spirit !
Ten emotions are:
Kaam (lust) Krodha (anger) Moha (delusion) Lobha (greed) Mada (pride) Maatsarya (envy) Manas (the mind) Buddhi (intellect) Chitta (will), and Ahamkara (ego)
In childhood in Delhi we loved Ramlila Wrapped in a shawl to ward off cold Hot and Roasted peanuts in hand It was fun though same story got retold
Part of youth spent in Kolkata Exposed us to pandal hopping Ma Durga’s glory was fascinating Life had a great fun as a topping
Mumbai’s Navratri had altogether different flavour Colourfully dressed people dancing to the tune The festivity oozed everywhere And the life seemed to be one big boon!
Festivity is not exclusive to three metros India is one big country Other places across the length and breadth Celebrate Navratri with same zeal & pageantry
And Covid is also not restricted to three metros It has gripped the entire world and spared none Festivals are in our spirit and God in our heart Let’s stay alert till this Covid is undone
Mahalaya marks the last day of Pitrupaksh and heralds the arrival of Ma Durga on earth as a creation by Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh after they prayed to Adi Shakti at the behest of Devtas who were being tormented by Mahishasur. This is also the start of Durga Puja and nine days of celebration of Navratri starting from tomorrow after the end of Pitrapaksh.
In view of the anticipated fear of Covid third wave, this year also the celebrations are likely to be subdued ( no pandal hopping or dandiya and garba), but whether we celebrate it in subdued manner or go whole hog, nothing can prevent this feeling of joy and hope that this festival brings to all of us. The modern Mahishasurs of today should get obliterated from our midst should be our prayer to goddess Durga, the feelings expressed in the following verse:
Ma Durga has arrived on earth As a creation by Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh To rid the mankind of Mahishasurs That seemed to be giving us pain and controlling our fate!
A word of warning to the Mahishasurs of today Covid, terrorists, arsonists and rapists on earth Don’t invoke Mother’s wrath She will obliterate you all and spread the mirth!
We are a cricket obsessed nation and we all know that a 5 days test match has four innings in all – two by each side. Like our scriptures and philosophy tell us about the four stages of life Brahmacharya (student), Grihastha (householder), Vanaprastha (forest walker/forest dweller), and Sannyasa (renunciate), we sometimes also draw inspiration from cricket. If you hear a farewell speech carefully, usually the people wish the retiring persons “ a very happy second innings,”
A very dear colleague of mine retired on the last day of September that’s day before yesterday and expectedly, everyone was wishing him a happy second inning. This made me to think that how come at such a late stage in life that’s upon attaining superannuation, one is to begin second innings? Was he playing so slowly that he ended up using the four days of the test match to complete the first innings?
This inspired me to write this blog to analyse the various stages of life in comparison with a cricket match. Actually, the childhood upto the school going age is the first innings that our parents and others close to us play. It’s mainly around receiving affection and adoration. It’s an inning in which we bowl and others bat.
Second innings is our student life during which we play the game for ourselves that is we bat – to acquire knowledge, skills, physique etc to make a standing for ourselves to secure a good comfortable future.
Third innings is our Grihasth ashram, when it’s all about family and meeting their requirements. Here again an individual is fielding running day and night to fulfil the material needs – a home, car, bank balance, kids etc.
Life post retirement from active job is in fact fourth innings, when one should play the match for himself. It’s the time to invest in one’s health and pursue the passions that got lost somewhere in our race for material excellence. As this person, whose retirement triggered this idea in my mind, said in his concluding remarks, “ I now want to pursue my passions. I want to learn about blackholes and am investing in buying an advanced telescope. There’s a Sitar lying at home that I bought for my son, but which never got played.” I think this is the essence of the fourth innings to pursue passions as diverse as sitar and astronomy. And if the fourth innings is played with so much joy and enthusiasm, the test match can never be lost irrespective of how well or badly the earlier innings unfolded for us!
Arvind Arya blog 