Siege at Mumbai

It has been an absolute watershed (at least it seemed to be) on the making of the ‘Congress India in the making’ at the forthcoming eve: the General Elections. With every passing day the palpitation of the hearts has been on the rise; in fact, no party is immune to it. But what has happened in last few days have spelled enough doom for the ruling front much to the appeasement of the opposition. Each passing day seemed as if a year, and the Congress high command especially had no other way besides agonizing on the mysteriously slid ill omen, lamenting “jai shri Ram” to save themselves. “Where had we gone wrong? Where is the error in the finely choked out plan under the great minds? Why could we not foresee…” and so on must have given them sleepless nights. (This sometimes leds me to feel that there must somewhere be God maneuvering all these.)

We remember the “India is shining” campaign of the last time. And this time too a similar kind of thing was happening before the general elections although very subtly. But then, it was better this time in its quality and more seemed capable of happening: the pro-mass policies, ordinary man programs, mission to moon, Sixth pay commission, railway in Sikkim and so on.

The siege of the Taj is no less than what the media is tempted to call ‘India’s 9/11’. As if the entire nation was under siege. Some of our most precious lives too were lost. The havoc a few terrorists could cause speaks volume of our hollowness. And whatever has happened since Pokhran II does also testify to this. This is the reason why this time so much of mass ire the government has to face. And these are not unfounded, we know.

Therefore, what we need now is to introspect ourselves and try to re correct instead of the loquacious oratory of Cambridge and Oxford.

Musingz with the past…
Whenever I look at my past, which I often do especially the moment when I am exasperated, there are a lot of things about which I worry. It is a story in bits and pieces I brood over. Several incidents, whether I like or not haunt me like ghosts. Between this, however, there is someone who had always borne me a torch. It is my mother.
Whenever those dark moments prevail on me I wish you would surround me in your lap and everything would disappear. But I am grown up now. And so I must do without your physical presence. I also must learn to behave like a matured man. I have grown taller now since you left for heavenly abode, dear mom. I have grown beard and my moustache is thick and dark. I have developed all those habits which a grown up man possesses. But, sometimes I find in some corner the innocence still lives. Although till recently I had struggled hard to preserve it, however, of late, I have been resisting knowing that you are no more there. Yes the real world doesn’t want a grown man to have this in him. I am also able to feel how the real world is like, bitter like anything! I wish you were there, to protect me from. But alas!

Olympic Fever

I

The great games are over yet again. The competition for 302 gold medals by ten thousand athletes of 204 nations has ended. The greatest sports extravaganza on earth have ended.

Earlier, this mega event was declared "open" on the auspicious occasion on 08/08/08 at 08.00, 08min. and 08 seconds by the Chinese President Hu Jintao. 94000 mob thronged the Bird's Nest to join the eye witness of the history-in-the-making. Breathtaking display of human artistry by a judicious blending of head and heart marked the opening ceremony, which was viewed by billions of stunned eyes round the world. Each performance drew more and more attraction with widely opened eyes glued to their TV sets un-blinked. And even as sporting events continued later, people talked about this great show. Economists argued about the opportunity cost of this expenditure--a whopping $240 billion! Blessed are those who joined with the greatest sportsperson mother earth has ever nursed. And let this too be a message to the entire strife-stricken world--come, let us play!

I was very enthusiastic from the beginning. And it turned out to be even beyond. Yes, I did know some such thing is going to happen on that auspicious day. (I especially consider it to be so). Because the Discovery Channel had already been showing programmes on Beijing Olympics including the Bird's Nest from about one month before, which had already hinted at what is on the offing.

Great events happened in every field from day one. Records were broken and records were made. Every nation tried its best to enlist its name into that historic book which humanity will seldom hope to forget. 'That ultimate attainment for which every committed sportsperson lives.' Whatever happened at each day enthralled even the non regular sports lover (and I have to include myself in the list regretfully). Up til now I was not fully aware of the vigour of sports, which has now completely changed once I took even the minutest note of the happenings this time. I was, however, a regular spectator of the sport since Juan Antonio Samaranch's time.

II

Let us now recollect a few names and their immortal words (otherwise my tribute to these immortal spirits would remain only half-done):

Michael Phelps, the 23 year old and the first-ever athlete to win eight gold medals at one Olympic Games, said: "Nothing is impossible...all it takes is an imagination..."

Usain Bolt, the 23 year old Jamaican set world record winning gold in 100m running in 9.69 seconds. He said: "I'm Lightning Bolt!...My name is Bolt, Lightning Bolt."

The 26-year old Russian pole vault gold winner Elena Isinbaeva said: "The sky is only my limit..."

The 50 Years old(!) Canadian Fencer Luan Jujie defeating her 18 year younger opponent said: "My body is different from 30 years ago, but my heart is strong and that is everything."

Maarten van der Weijden, the 27-year old Dutch swimmer, who was diagnosed with leukemia, spoke these bold words after winning gold in 10 km marathon: "It[the disease] taught me to think step by step and to be patient. When you are in so much pain and lying in a hospital bed, you aren't thinking about the next month, but the next hour..."

Zhang Juanjuan, who won the gold in archery for China said: "I had a dream for the gold. I've been preparing for it. I was on a mission."

Sheila Taormina, the 39 and a half year old American became the first woman to qualify for the Olympics in three different sports--Swimming, Jumping and Fencing.

Every bit of these words which came out from their heart will inspire us now and forever.

Everyday

Everyday is a new beginning,
The moment we realize
What we did.
The sun shines brightly;
The straining retreats;
And mind you
We are able to feel the decline.

Our mind starts to become free;
We begin to feel relieved;
Thoughts begin to reemerge,
Gets into a shape,
And what we see is an art--
We have craved for
We have yearned for.

thoughts

Of all the thoughts that bog my mind is about man who concerns me the most. What if it is not the way the way it is? Ofcourse I must seek forgiveness for uttering this. Whether it is because I am taken to look into things in this way that I see things as they are, I do not know. However, it is also a fact that these thoughts do seriously haunt my mind of and on. Perhaps E. M. Forster’s idea to “connect” or “broad heartedness” is a solution to this pestilence. Still I think there must be something behind all these “muddle”.
Be it in a family, within a house, even among the near and dear ones, or friends there is always a hidden motive. There are masks and disguises, deception, treachery, lie, fraud and so on. Has it anything to do only because man by birth is selfish? Will the contrary be a value judgement? But flipping a few pages of history will give enough reasons against this theory. And without which we must not have ever been able to see this day—the progress humanity has made. Even if the progress is often unidirectional in several ways, there are instances like Netaji, Gandhiji, Albert Einstein,… who lived entirely for the wellbeing of man.
Contrary to this is human relationship. At least is seems so. Why? Are we bearing Adam’s Sin on our shoulder? Is human relationship a myth? When will we be redeemed? Will anyone come to lead us there? How long do we need to wait?