Learning Lessons from Life...

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A little knowledge is dangerous. But then, ignorance kills. We know how ignorance has wrecked havoc across the Earth. Stories with painful morals are all over our history books. The trouble is, we don’t consider them as anything more than just stories. Let me put it in Haile Selassie’s words:

“Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.”

It’s almost like insulting your intelligence to state here that indifference and inaction both rise only from a foundation of ignorance and lack of understanding. To believe that being ignorant is one’s right, would be like inviting injustice and serfdom on oneself. There’s no way ignorance can be ignored… none at all, especially if there are problems around [and we’ve got them in abundance, of course].

Ignorance simply means the lack of knowledge, but I believe it can also mean the termination of learning. When learning is stopped, we don’t stagnate… we tend to go down. It is curious how after a certain time, some of us just forget to learn.

Smoky and Noisy Diwali

Okay, I know I spoke a lot about Diwali in the last post, but right now, I want to talk about how Diwali, the festival of lights is fast becoming the festival of pollution [or it has, already]. It is true that this blog talks very little about the wonderful things in India and I'm sorry to be taking such a somber tone on such an auspicious day. But it isn't easy to ignore the numerous bangs and booms erupting all around... let alone the scare of walking or even driving on roads, for the fear of 'Lakshmi bombs' and 'atom bombs'. At night, the sounds are less in their decibels, but the noise is replaced by smoke. Smokes and fumes from all firecrackers and fireworks.

Happy Diwali!! :)

It’s the festival of lights! A time when everyone feels excited and happy for various reasons.

Some really pious and religious persons from the South feel liberated because it’s the day when the evil demon, Narakasura was killed. Other religious and pious persons from the North feel exhilarated because it’s the day when Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after his epic 14-year struggle in the forest. Little boys and girls feel ecstatic because of the numerous exciting firecrackers waiting for them to burst. Bigger boys and girls [like me] love it for the new dresses and also the 4 days holidays that our schools grant. As for the older people who are too busy for both fun and religion, it’s about the sweets. So you can very well see how the reasons for celebrating Diwali differ not only from region to region, but also with age and even religion. Believe it or not, not only do the Hindus, Sikhs and Jains celebrate it, even people of other religions do [except for the pujas and other religious traditions]. It’s truly a time for pure fun!

So here’s wishing you the most bright and fun-filled Diwali ever!

P.S.
But do give a thought to the environment too... Those noisy crackers can really pollute the Earth like no other.

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This is not a real post... More like a dummy one. It's just to claim this blog in Technorati, so that you can find us there too. :)

Fear of Being 'Goody-Goody'

The most interesting subject to study is the society. It’s just like an individual. It has a mind and mood of its own. But like all individuals, the society also suffers from various syndromes. You might have heard of the NIMBY syndrome. It’s an acronym for ‘Not In My Back Yard’. It’s used to commonly refer to the prevailing attitude of people in a community to ignore everything [even if it occurs right under their noses], unless it troubles them in some way. Now I’ve discovered another syndrome in many people [including myself] and I’ve decided to call it the ‘ING’ syndrome. It stands for – I’m Not Good. Well, it isn’t a very well-though out acronym, but I guess it brings out the meaning to some extent. What this syndrome refers to is how many people don’t do good stuff, not because they’re indifferent of the things happening around them, but because they’re afraid to be good. They’re afraid to be known as ‘goody two shoes’!

The Hidden Division

India is, of course, very diverse and that diversity itself is its greatest treasure. One can see mosques and temples standing majestically side-by-side, forcefully reminding us all about the splendid land of religious unity that is India. Leaders and achievers of all religions, castes and cultures, irrespective of minority or majority can be seen in every field. It’s always a proud feeling when we recollect how many incidences of unity and peace have taken place in a country of so many dissimilar people. But though we may bask in the sunshine of such beautiful and glorious moments, let’s not forget the shadows on the other side either. Apart from certain isolated, unfortunate events, there is still a hidden division, almost invisible in the eyes of many people, deeply rooted in the heart of the society. A division that is not often recognized and publicized by the media.

A Visit to an Orphanage - The Joy of Giving

It was rather an uncomfortable journey for us, as there was very little space left in the bus, with all the bags and boxes crammed, as if the extra passengers weren’t enough. But we didn’t really mind. Once the bus began to move through the streets, we could get some air and with all the prattling, laughing and singing [we were playing Atakshari], time just flew by, without any of us noticing it. We also spent some time secretly watching photos in Benita’s digital camera and teasing the passers-by and everyone else who were unlucky enough to appear in our minds at that time. Standing on the footboards and clutching onto the neighboring seats for support, the drive to the Birds Nest Girls’ Orphanage was quite fun… especially when the bus went over road bumps.