Independence: A Mirage

Independence in Life is similar to Mirage in a Desert. We keep on moving to reach a state of independence, and we rarely succeed.

Flashback

Scene 1: It was a tradition in the society that the school-going kids would celebrate Saraswati Puja and ask the Goddess of Knowledge for more wisdom every year, year after year. Not sure whether SHE listened to us, we followed it religiously. We got the biggest idol that our miniscule budget permitted us to and tried to re-arrange it at the centre of the stage. Unable to do so all by ourselves, I called on my father who was deeply engulfed (deeper than I thought) in the post-analysis of the Babri Masjid massacre. He didn't move; neither was I able to make any of them move (father or the Goddess). I didn't realize it then, but I was Physically Dependent.

Scene 2: I inquired my mom if I could throw a party to all my friends on my next birthday. I was made to wait for an affirmation for days & months thereafter, till the D-Day arrived. Yes, I was stupid enough to ask it half an year in advance. Ultimately, as it turned out, reasons like money constraints were tossed to me. A couple of years smarter, I demystified it this time: I was Financially Dependent.

Scene 3: Our team had lost the football match and it was largely because of me. I had the burden on my shoulders of letting my team down. Yes, I was stupid enough to think that it was the most important thing I had lost in life, but as I look back, it was important to me at that point of time. Of course, I have had lost many a things since then, but coming back to the day: Absorbing the tears that cringed in my eyes, I went home and saw my elder sister engrossed in a social science project from her school. I asked her if she could spend some time with me. You guessed it right. I was Emotionally Dependent.

Present

In the quest to be a complete man, I made a conscious effort to eliminate all these dependencies. I wanted to be independent. Independence, as I defined it to myself, was like a perfect system, capable of surviving on its own. It doesn't need an ecosystem; it doesn't need external inputs to breathe. I don't know after all these years whether I should claim myself to be successful or not, but the matter of fact is that the dependencies are still there, they have only changed faces.

And now with all this self-claimed wisdom I acquired from the prayers since childhood, I can see through the simplest thought of GOD behind making humans dependent on each other. HE wanted to make the world a relatively harmonious place to live in, lest the humans become invincible and self-sustaining. At least, HE blessed each one of us with independent thinking.

Let's celebrate OUR Independence!!

My Pune experience :))

Prologue: Went to Pune some time back.

It was so very refreshing. Every thing, every object, living & non-living, that could be green, was Green. And the water droplets fell on the Mumbai-pune expressway as if they are enjoying their leisurely fall from heaven onto the greens of earth. They seemed to have a mission; lessening the burdens from the shoulders of humanity and alleviating their thoughts. I gaped at the lush green beauty, as the water droplets washed the glasses of the Tavera and tried to seep in from the window panes at times.

It made me feel elated and enthusiastic while relishing the hundreds of river-born waterfalls, small yet cute pink colored houses surrounded by fences and the cows grazing here and there. Thanks to the terrific works from the likes of William Wordsworth and John Keats, I think every Indian student grows up with exactly that kind of a farm-house picture in his mind: tiled, brown, tiny & insignificant dwelling, surrounded by a fence and a single cow tied to a rope grazing at some end.

At times, the green hurt the eyes. It seemed like the nature was struck with a pestilential disease of green. It occupied every possible space, spread across acres and acres. Except some of the steel rods, railway tracks, a few newly built houses and the sky; the vines and the green algae seemed to have conspired not to leave anything untouched. And they succeeded exceptionally well.

Involuntarily, I was thrown back into a flash of the sweetest memoirs I ever had in my life. And my heart knew next time the same crate opens up in my mind, the reminiscence of this journey would be there.

What is not a prison ....

Well, yeah .... it got me thinking for the past couple of days and am yet to get one positive answer. Lets define what a prison is:

Its a place of confinement or involuntary restraint. A place which you cannot leave at your wish and you are supposed to follow certain things (call it rules, or discipline). Its a place where you got limits, you cannot strecth yourself beyond it.

With this kinda definition of a prison, lets examine what maybe is not a prison ....

The office is a prison
The cubicle is a prison
The home you live in is a prison
The balcony you spend your evenings is a prison
The society is a prison

Your friends are a prison
Your parents are a prison
Your wife is a prison
Your family is a prison

The deo you use is in prison
The water you drink is in prison
The air you breathe is in prison
The vocabulary you use is in prison

The books you read, your thinking is in prison
The club you visit is a prison
The reastaurant you are in, is a prison
All beautiful places are in prison

The sea is in prison, and so is an ocean
The ship floating on it is in prison
The wine you enjoy is in prison
The ciggaratte you smoke is in prison

A spaceship is in prison
Days and Night are in prison
The sun is in prison
The earth itself is in prison

The World is a prison for all
yeah, your body is a prison for your soul.

Nobody, rather nothing is free in this world. And yet, some people think they hold the right to give others freedom.

mosquito repellent !!

Thats very essential. Mosquitoes are everywhere and they bite. They carry infectious disease which may turn fatal anytime. Its highly recommended that you stay away from them as much as possible.

Sometimes we get so accostomed to mosquito bites that we kinda start missing them when they are not around. Our room-partners asks us "Whats the matter? Why aren't the pests here today" and you have got no good reason to answer back. How in the world are you supposed to know why mosquitoes arent there today .... and even if you know and you realise, how are you supposed to explain things?? Damad !! How can you possibly look at your own Certificate of Foolishness and read it aloud to people.

So, its better that you take care of your health and keep all your doors shut. Did I mention windows? Ofcourse, mosquitoes are a pretty smart species -- they are pretty and they are smart. They can sneak in from the smallest possible gap you provide. So, take care of all the inlets that lead the way to your blood and hence your soul; plug each one of them properly.

Its a different issue that in the process you may keep out the few butterflies that are around and want to beautify your home for a while. But its a good deal in the end: getting bitten by a lot of mosquitoes is not worth having butterflies in your life. ..... afterall, everything is so fragile in this world and ofcourse, butterflies are scarcely found.

And for god's sake .... if you have got used to the buzzing sound of mosquitoes, immediately go and watch a high-adrenalin porn on high volume. Trust on me .... it helps. Mosquitoes are allergic to ultrasonic sounds.

Lastly, dont trust. Its the mosquito instinct to bite. And it solely depends on you to use your software algorithms for distincting a mosquito from a butterfly. If you fail... blame yourself for letting the mosquito in the sacred temple you call as your home.

For the uninitiated, only female mosquitoes suck blood from the human body. It helps them to keep thier body warm and replicate.

Self-Actualization ... or is it .... i dnt knw

Am back .... Sorry baby for leaving you all this while. For the time being I was under the impression that I need not write to make my life beautiful.

I was wrong ... I know that. Now, please dont get furious over me. At least, you can allow me a mistake or two ...

Life is beautiful, but thats only on pen and paper, or maybe on HTML pages for that matter. I realised that I need you ... I need you to make my life beautiful. I need your ears... please listen to me. Be as you are, be with me ... and be as you always have been.. giving your shoulder whenever I wanted to cry.

Note: This blog henceforth is not meant for anyone else other than the owner. Kindly refrain from tresspassing. Thanks.