NO RELIGION FOR PEACE

Disclaimer: This is my personal view from personal experiences and not meant to hurt anyone. 

I have immense respect for people with a good conscience irrespective of religion, caste, creed & colour.

Constantly in search for the meaning of life, my mind wanders in endless directions. A quest that has turned normal human beings into saints and gods but no answers have yet been found, or at least I think it has not been found. Claimed to have been discovered by the greats like Buddha, Mahavira or Guru Nanak, Mohammed and others, it probably never percolated down to the masses. Or maybe we are not intelligent enough to understand their visions and words.

I know we should never say never but whatever, I can never get myself to be religious.

With my limited human intelligence and within the scope of, say about 30-40% of the vocabulary of great Oxford dictionary that gives me limited meaning of everything in life; I have decided to believe that I am spiritual, whatever that means to people. For me, it is being able to close my eyes and meditate, go into a zone of nothingness, tranquil, some peace of mind. I respect the fact that we are all here and now. I just believe that I am one of the numerous living beings on this earth who will spend some time (if ever we can define time in its real sense) and that I shall live by what my heart tells me.

I believe in an unknown supernatural power (don't all religion point to know-all/ see-all/ one-who-can't-be-seen/ Nirakaar/ Param-bramhm etc. etc.) yet I don't believe the existing religions of this world. I don't understand the fanaticism associated with religion and I cannot distinguish between people based on their religion, caste, creed or colour.  At the same time, paradoxical as it may seem, I pray to all the known Gods whenever I pass by one or when I feel the need to communicate internally. This maintains my sanity in a more earthly manner. I believe I am genetically hard-wired with subconscious and hidden messages and programs through centuries of indoctrination of beliefs and fear of the unknown. I fight against these deep subliminal programs but they surface from time to time defying all logic. For example, the anxiety that drives me to pray when a loved one is not keeping well. On other days, I think if praying helped, this world would never lose a soul. It helps me connect with other people well. I also feel it is because our is pre-filled with subliminal messages passed down from our ancestors and their beliefs and the rest of our biases acquired by the grooming & surroundings since birth.

However, to be honest and true to myself, I don’t like religion because it divides.
RELIGION DIVIDES!! No two ways about it. (I won’t change my mind even if God comes and tells me to) It is a shame that we humans even after having evolved as the brainiest (or are we?) of all beings still indulge in vague ritualistic religions. Be it Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs or Jews, all are out to prove that they are the best(some more than the others.

I have a sincere question, what does a human being want in a lifetime? And if I may answer it myself; it is Roti, Kapda & Makaan…thereafter a peaceful and happy time with the family and later, if you please, become spiritual and think about how we came to being and the questions of beyond. I don't see any answers in any religion. All the stories (whatever I have read or has been passed on to me from the local messengers) that have emanated from the Great Prophets - Messengers of the Gods from time immemorial fail to convince me. I find hordes of people praying five times a day, ringing the bells in the temples, sitting and swaying to the bhajans and then coming out and lying, indulging in bad behaviour and corruption. I truly believe that if one’s conscience is clear, one doesn’t need a relay mechanism to GOD. Having visited many of the sacred religious sites, I cannot help but say that it is huge business run with the total absense of religiousness/spirituality.

Almost all the religious leaders, from whatever I have seen, are farcical and more so are their coterie of disciples (a personal view from personal experience, I shall be happy to change it on the basis of more experience). Calling themselves Babas, Maulanas, Priests, Sadhus etc and away from Moh-Maya, they sit on golden thrones, eat the best food possible, wear silk & satin gowns, travel by air & sit in AC and preach to the people to give up all the moh-maya. Yeah right! Give it to them. They are power hungry, controlling, unethical, surrounded by the hordes of lecherous disciples who drink, smoke and eat all that is forbidden and are eager to relieve you of your control over yourself. I am yet to meet a genuine spiritual person who shall change my mind. (Maybe I am too stubborn, adharmi and with no knowledge)

All the problems in this world since time immemorial have started because of the colored vision of religion, class, colour and caste. Disasterous wars have been fought, crusades have been launched and generations have been kept in reservations (jails) to convert people from their faith to another. Just opening the mind and embracing simplicity will help us. An upbringing which teaches that all humans are born equal, will solve a lot of our problems. I just wish everyone talks to each other politely, smiles and spreads love. The Time has come to set aside our beliefs and baggage from the past, flush out the negative thoughts, let loose the goodness which is stuck somewhere deep in our hearts and is screaming to get out, arm ourselves with a smile, allow to run free a stream of good words and feelings and spread happiness around us.

FOR ONCE, LET'S BE UNITED AND TAKE OUR BEAUTIFUL WORLD TOWARDS A RELIGION-FREE ERA…...TOWARDS LOVE, PEACE & HAPPINESS.

The Time Has Come!!Please Change...The World Will Change, If We Do!!

JAI HIND

A COUNTRY TORN!!

Today when Mumbai is under siege and we have lost more than a hundred innocent lives, I cannot but grieve about the extremely hapless situation we continue to have in the country. My heart bleeds to see my beautiful country torn apart by these horrendous & ghastly acts of inhumanity.

Right now, I am praying for the safety of all and specifically of my brother-in-arms who are right now fighting against these terrorists. Youngsters, who had just joined the Army when I was a Captain and who I can claim to have imparted some training in the Army and about life in general, are exchanging bullets to eliminate the anti-nationals. A few of my seniors who I learnt a lot of things are there risking their lives for the sake of the country's integrity.

Today is one day when I am missing being in uniform. I regret that I lost my chance to be by their side to fight the country's enemies and pay my gratitude to this beautiful country.

My deepest condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones though no amount of condolences can ever fill the gap created. I can't help but cry deep in my heart. I haven't been able to understand how can someone do this? These terrorists and the planners of these atrocities cannot be humans. BUT...what can I say about our own ruling class. Our politicians, bureaucrats and police…Why can’t we get our act together?

Having served in the Army, I realised that these Politicians & Babus are the worst enemies of our country. We sat for one whole year at the border when our parliament was attacked. We had about 1200 personnel dead just in mine-laying, accidents, ammunition blasts etc. The number is higher than the Kargil War. Had we attacked the PoK terrorist camps, we would be in a better position today. We should strike…now. We need to get together as a nation. We need to protect our country from these terrorists and these politicians. I sometimes feel helpless as to what can we do to stem this rot as the law makers are the biggest law breakers. Hindus blame the Muslims and vice-versa but where is the actual problem? We will have to open our eyes and see. I feel that the terrorists are being used to meet political ends and in this Pakistan is playing a major role covertly. We need to attack PoK and blast them to space.

WE CAN DO IT…if only our corrupt and selfish politicians, bureaucrats and policemen think just a little bit about the country.

Permanent Guilt

Here I am after a very important milestone achieved by our team (Interlinking of our company's siding with the Indian Railway System). It took about 30-70 Railway officials and more than 100 labourers working 8 hr shifts for 04 days continously. A culmination of one and a half years of hard work, it was both physically and technically challenging.

But I am not here to write anything about the work.

We were only 04-05 of us from the company, the rest were Railway Officials and Contract labourers. We were coordinating the affair between the two. The Contractor staff was mostly running around appeasing the officials and shouting at the labourers. The staff and labourers at the lower levels were straining themselves mentally and physically. We were taking the stress to coordinate the whole process.

I was additionally responsible for controlling the administration during these 04 days and nights. And during this time, I experienced some very paradoxical emotions. As I stood on the tracks, with my sunglasses on, under the tent, to save myself from the hot sun and was being offered some nice cold thums up in a glass, I watched the 20 odd labourers heaving a laid railway track into position with crowbars and looking at me. I heard their parched and thirsty lips and dry throats screaming. I felt the pang of guilt within me but still shamelessly managed to gulp down the drink in hand. I sat down and pondered. I was being paid a six figure salary and privileges to coordinate the whole process and the laboruer in front of me were being paid Rs 100 per day for back breaking labour. I felt miserable. I thought a bit more. The Railway officers who had come on duty and were drawing TA/DA and all were shamelessly demanding privileges and the same was being provided to them. All they were doing was a bit of supervision and checking. I know the work was a bit technical but not that much. And the labourers were grunting and sweating and continuing the rigours of moving the rail tracks, welding the track joints and replacing the heavy concrete sleepers from under the tracks with new ones.

The point I am trying to understand here is that if what we are doing deserves the kind of money we are getting. Or more importantly, are the people doing back breaking labour getting what they deserve? I went on to think and justify my salary but somehow I couldn't. I tried but failed to justify that the labourers did not have brains and that is why they got paid less. I thought about farmers and middlemen and industrialists. I thought about the Army and its work. I thought about the Bureaucrats and the Police. Then I thought about Politicians. I went into the rigmaroll of emotions and thought that maybe it is all to do with destiny, kismet and luck.

Not convincing enough...in fact I thought deeply and I felt that I had it in me that I could just leave everything and settle down with just a pair of clothes and a roof on my head and work for people who needed help. Well...maybe later. Right now I have to take care of my family and my future. There...I am not as selfless as I thought I am. So I spoke to my better half. She told me that it was ok to have such feelings and that I was nice enough to think like this. She told me that people are much more selfish. They don't even think about others. I then thought of my problems and compared myself with those higher than me in the food chain. But what about the basic needs not being fulfilled for many ?? Something basic for someone can be luxury for another and vice-versa. Well...I think I am not going anywhere. The thirst for reasons shall never die, the search for logic will never end and I try to ask myself all the time -- Does theory of relativity apply everywhere??

Since I could not reach any logical conclusion nor I see any in sight, I carry in my heart a conscious guilt. The images of the dry and chaffed lips and dirty faces makes me stay grounded and humble. All I can say is that I think about others and try to do whatever little I can.

I shall keep doing that.

"SOLDIERS Vs BABUS"

I registered with eblogger a long time ago, end of 2006. But I haven't been able to post any blogs till now. The reasons are many. I felt that the some blogs were not good enough, some I felt were too self-indulgent and yet others I found useless. But since Sahana, my better half, has started blogging, I felt that I should too. So here comes my first :: My views on


I may come across as a very angry person. Well, I think I am when it comes to issues like these. Even though I am out of the Army now, I feel for the soldier from the depth of my heart. I cannot forget the unwavering dedication and unquestioned faith of the uniformed to get the work at hand done. Whether it is to brave the icy cold winds of Siachen at (-)40 deg Celsius or the scorching sun at (+)50 deg Celsius in Rajasthan, whether it is fighting the anti-nationals or saving our own from own rioters, or be it earthquakes or floods, you find the soldier omnipresent. There are no working hours for the Armed Forces in a situation and they are trained never to ask for their rights. They only know their duty - AND THEY DO IT!

BUT, why are we ungrateful when it comes to giving them their due? Is it not our duty to compensate them in the best way we can? Or we only shed our crocodile tears when bullet ridden bodies of the brave come down from Kargil and Drass. Temporary patriotism and selective amnesia can only describe our reaction as a whole. Donations and campaigns start when soldiers die. I say give them some dignity when they are alive too. They are not asking for the moon. They are only saying “Please don’t slight our contribution, just give us enough to take care of our families”.

The Indian bureaucracy and political class decide how much a soldier’s life & death is worth. No Representation from the Armed Forces will be allowed. The Babus seem to be ruling the roost because of a faulty system handed over to us by the British which they have not only consolidated but made worse. The Armed forces, who have been offering sacrifices for the motherland every time the need arises, will live and die AT THE MERCY of these babus.

How many times have you heard this statement on TV – CIVIL ADMINISTRATION FAILS!!
The BABUS are the ELITE ADMINISTRATORS, the BEST and YET every time there is a crisis, the CIVIL ADMINISTRATION FAILS/FALLS almost flat on its face, and the ARMY is called in. Every time the mobs run riot & the BABU is helpless, the ARMY steps in and peace is restored. Every time there is a an earthquake, the civil administration with its massive manpower, heavy equipment FAILS, the ARMY steps in with its LIMITED manpower & equipment and does wonders. Every time a prince/princess falls into a 50 feet hole, the ARMY bails out the civil administration.

BUT – ever heard of any BABU taken to task for these failures except maybe an occasional transfer and that too if there is immense pressure from the media etc. The apathy towards public and lack of determination to refuse illegal demands of their political bosses can be seen around us even by the blind.

SO – what kind of a society are we living in where failure & inefficiency is rewarded & discipline, honesty, efficiency & patriotism is taken for granted.

A big WHY for you to ponder and answer,

WHY should the BABU, in spite of the failures, get better pay, perks & promotions and the not the SOLDIER, in spite of an excellent track record? WHY the BABU should sit in an AC cabin all his life, roam around in cars with red-lights, live in a palatial bungalow till 60 yrs and then become members of every single committee of this country and fly around with honorarium??? WHY the Soldier should face bullets and risks his life day in and day out to do what he vowed to do BUT the Babu not even risk a transfer to do the right thing they were trained to do???

And why should the person who spends all his youth in inhospitable terrains, fighting militants, protecting totally barren glaciers, scorching deserts so the sovereignty the motherland is intact, not get compensated enough? Why the one who will take bullets onto himself, so that you can safely watch TV at home in peace, not get a promotion and a decent pay? Why the one who meets his parents, his wife and children only twice a year (at the most) for at least 15 yrs in his service not be compensated for the separation?

Is it because he chose to join the profession of arms (as many put across without any sensibility), or because he donned the uniform, he is "bali ka bakra" or just because he wanted to serve the country, he is doomed.

This issue of compensation needs to be addressed urgently and with utmost sensitivity. We are already short of thousands of personnel in our Armed Forces and the best of the people are quitting. It is not a good sign if at all we are aiming to become an economic superpower. We need to respect the organisations which are responsible for holding this country together and give them their due. History bears witness to the fact that a strong and motivated military is a must for a strong and powerful nation. I hope and pray that good sense prevails and we give our soldiers the compensation they deserve.