THE FEMINISM OF ATTIRE

The way a woman dresses somehow becomes a matter of supreme importance whenever a discussion on serious issues like sexual violences or culture take place.In case of a rape,there is always a question of provocation from the women who "dressed to kill".The same way a woman who dressed in Jeans is a biggest threat to Indian Culture(so it seems).It is funny to see women from Gujarath in Chennai always dress up in fabrics not suitable for the humid climate just to protect their identity;not to mention the purdah clad figures in hot sun.

Dress denotes personality and it is your nature of work , the geography and of course your figure and complexion which are the determining factor when you choose an attire.But the undue burden on women to become the flag bearer of culture,or a status symbol(the man in jeans and tshirt with his wife in silk and gold is nothing but a showcase to display his wealth)is nothing short of inequality.Women are not used or allowed to dress cool and are socialised to dress uncomfortable.The miniskirts and high heels are culprits too from the modern side of capitalism who want to project women as a sex symbol alone.

People rise their eyebrows when they see something which they are not used to.Thats why a fully covered body of a girl in jeans and shirt provoke many than the sari clad bare midriff.So in the era of globalisation, let the women folk be cool and stop scrutinising on personal choices of dressing(This plea is to those women also who are equally bad when it comes to criticism of the so called modern dressing).And what you wear has nothing to do whether you are modern or traditional which is an attitude.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

CORRUPTION

The omnipresent yet invisible to the innocent eye phenomenon corruption recently got into every mobile savvy Indian's vocabulary ;thanks to Anna hazare's hunger strike and the fiasco followed.The last of the surviving tribe of gandhian was as ferocious as a hijacker in insisting to bring the "public touch" to the Lokpal Bill.But one wonders:Does it in any way control corruption?

Are we not having enough laws already?How come all Politicians are branded bad and the so called civil society representitives qualify as men of cardinal virtues?Don't we need a system at every nook and corner of the country where the civil society becomes the real watchdog of administrative procedures to prevent wrongdoing rather than a few getting into the lawmaking body by putting unnecessary pressure?Whose interest is served ,anyway?One feels sympathy to Government who agreed to the demands may be because of the fear of the so called revolutions happening in the middle and far east.

Corruption is not only the abuse of a post;it includes any violation of trust and is certainly not a monopoly of Government.A vendor of fruit who sells you bad product in a high price also comes under the definition of corruption. In our society, it is often people who does not have a direct share in power talk loud about corruption and it is this power deprivation which seems to be the driving force of the new age crusaders against corruption.

No one is going to give a clean chit to Government regarding corruption.But to make things better,there are better ways which are highly demanding than forwarding the messages"support Anna".Its time to stop blaming but act constructively using the existing system itself.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

DEATH SINGS A LULLABY

As another year is about to end, suddenly the thought of death came into my mind. It will be like a full stop where you no longer exist,I think.In Harry Potter,it is explained as "as easy as falling asleep".Death becomes a shock when it happens to a youngster and a relief when the person was a bed ridden elder.At any rate it is a stressful event for those who are close to the dead one.Any way the loss will be an irreparable one as no human can replace another.With the sorrow of two tragic accidents happened this year to two wonderful families I know, my year end thoughts refuse to go beyond the realm of death.Since I do not believe in rebirths, the losses are permanent.I hope people who suffered the trauma of losing their dear ones will recover someday somehow.

It may be a lullaby to those who left

But the dear ones hear only a sad song

As another year pass

the sorrow remains do not know how long?

When shiva the destroyer dances and yama enters the house

You surrender even if you are strong

You leave your body and all is blank

you go to rest while the church bells say "ding dong"

LET THERE BE LIGHT

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

December brings snow, cakes and carols with the biggest birthday celebrations of the greatest revolutionary, Jesus Christ. Apart from the religious aspect, he brings the picture of a man of charisma and conviction who sacrificed himself for humanity.This holy martyrdom and the power of assurance of his words( it need immense courage to speak"I am the way,the truth, the life") made christianity the most popular religion of the world.The acceptance of outsiders is another appealing factor.The conversion to christianity is high not only because of active missionary work; it offers a sense of belongingness and provides clear cut answers which is very attractive in a world of confusion.

Many believe that The church have moved away from what Jesus have preached.Whatever, he remains as one of the great leaders of history who is remembered and worshiped all over the world.

Merry christmas

LET THERE BE LIGHT

CRICKET

Its a curious thing that Cricket, a game designed for English summer is the biggest business in Indian subcontinent now.People quote the 1983 world cup win and media penetration as the reason for this immense popularity.But I believe that there are deeper psychological reasons.Cricket as a game is very much like our "unity in diversity".It is a loosely knit team game where individual performances matter more than the actual team work. So an individual with proper training can shine and win irrespective of the weaker links in the team.In cricket, there is lot of time to analyse and speak unlike other fast paced team games like football and volley ball where the action is fast and continuous.And there is a lot of statistics involved which the calculating,EMI addicted middle class can well identify with. i do not think cricket will ever be appealing to mediterrenian people who are more active and outdoor.Here we as a nation prefer to sit and talk more which is possible during the commercial breaks which appear after every over.

So before blaming anybody else for the over popularity of cricket at the cost of other games, one should think of how it became popular.

Indian sports in general have a long way to go because we have not yet developed any proper system of infrastructure and training.Still there are individuals who shine in every sporting event in india and cricket being more individualistic obviousely perform better than other team games. Commercial interests and advertisement friendliness of the game adds to the current situation.

let us hope that a proper system and culture of sports will develop in India sometime and all forms of sports get importance.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Philanthropy has been a value emphasised by almost all religions as a contribution of the more privileged to their lesser fellow beings.Later communism emphasised in level playing of an egalitarian world where a rich man is evil.This made a lasting impact on the mind of people and many rich people feel guilty for being one.So they want to do social services to shed the guilt of not doing anything for the poor.This is the cause of most of the so called corporate social responsibility projects we see.

An industrialist or a businessman do contribute to the development of the country and they do not need to feel guilty of making money. If only they really feel like giving, they should do social service.The people in the orphanages especially the children end up being highly materialistic with the occassional visit of corporate fellows with gifts and they increase their pestering power.They need care and love on a continuous basis than a publicity gimmick of distributing sweets. So in the end nobody really benefits.

Give things only when you enjoy giving(not everybody is like that).Anybody who contribute to the economy is doing their duty towards the people even though indirectly.Do your duty:that is the biggest social responsibility you have in a country which still need a lot of improvement in delivering services. Do not take up social service for the wrong reasons.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN

Patriotism is a very difficult thing to maintain in India with all the news on corruption, the pathetic state of infrastructure and the almost lack of civic consciences. Yet many will tell you that Indian culture is something which is to be proud of.They mean the family and rituals mainly.This is again something which I personally does not rate too high.But there are things in India which I am proud of; the culinary variety,the great many forms of textiles and accessories, the dances and most importantly music.

Musicians are the true representitives of all good things we attribute to India. When a Manganiar singer of Islam religion sing in praise of Krishna that is the true secular heritage we share. People who believe that all muslims are terrorists should listen to Manganiars. They are unusually tallented and such a delight to watch.Same way all the classical and folk artists contribute to harmony and peace and try to spread whatever good left in India to the world.Thanks to them, I can still say that I am an Indian with some pride.

LET THERE BE MUSIC ALWAYS

LET THERE BE LIGHT

MODERN DAY MISNOMERS

The scholars of English language must be well aware of how the usage of certain words have been changed over the years.Certain words which denoted alarm at one point of time are now used to denote appreciation (for example,fantastic).But there are many other words describing virtues of human beings which lost its actual meaning in the modern day(especially in India).This may sound strange;but let me give you some examples.

Humility is considered as a great virtue.A person of great achievement with no aura about himself is considered to have humility.Sometimes, even after achieving a lot,a person can feel inadequate and this may be the reason of not showing off.So the humility here can be actually cowardice in disguise.Especially persons from armed force are supposed to have pride in what they are and next time you see a police or military fellow with extra show of humility, rest assured that he is unworthy.

The line separate arrogance and confidence is very narrow and most of the time people confuse the two.Many confident people(especially youngsters) are termed arrogant and vise versa.To put it simple,"I can do it" is confidence and "I alone can do it" is arrogance.In the same way,being careless is sometimes described as cool(doing things without much tension). A cool person will be efficient without breaking his/her head over something:never careless about things.

A wise person is the one who have seen the world and who is objective with a sound judgement.But now a days,people who states that "world is a bad place"are proclaimed as worldly wise.A person without optimism and faith cannot be objective and a good judge.Because the world still has lot of good things to offer.

Many a times a person who is adamant is called courageous and many people become too rigid in the name of discipline.Both courage and discipline have wider meaning.Courage is standing up for something which you believe in.But that does not mean that you refuse to change even after you are proved wrong.Same way,discipline is a way of life of self control rather than sticking to a particular pattern and norms.

A "modern smart person" often can turn out to be a cheap person .One who bargain and push himself cannot be smart in the real sense of the term. Smartness is all about efficiency and energy level not about smart talks and tactics and this kind of smartness can irritate people which ultimately pull one down.A real smart person will not be short sighted but view things holistically. Smartness is not cunningness.

Do not confuse between emotional and passionate. An emotional person cannot balance and judge properly because of the strong attachment. Passion is all about involvement but it will never shut one's eyes from reality.

Simplicity is all about not showing off and spend according to the needs.Many a times misers may look simple because they hate to part with money and end up buying less.

One bigest misnomer I come across is branding naive people as good. A person who never talk back and whom you can order around is often called as good and when something happen to them because this naiveness people say" it is a pity that such a nice person has to go throuugh all these".Being good requires a lot of strength and conviction and a weak person end up worser than a bad one.

The great Indian family converted the word love into dependency.The affectionate parents never let the kids to do anything of their own as long as they are alive. One's career, life partner,name of the kids and their future etc. are all being decided by one's parents in the name of love. The moment someone thinks about deciding oneself, he/she will be subjected to emotional blackmails by these type of parents and even if some one break free from this, they may feel guilty. Such is the vicious circle of dependency coated with LOVE where your choice of following your heart becomes the "rarest of the rarest and heinous " crime.

Finally let me tell you about power. In India the ability to misuse rule of law is power. If you do not need to stand in queue anywhere,if you can jump the traffick signal without any problem,if you have ten subordinates around you to salute, you have power. That is why Lord Akton says that "absolute power corrupts absolutely". Many people do not know that more than the symbols above ,power comes from personality and strength of character and just because aquiring a position does not ensure power.

So there is corruption in our vocabulary also.It is important to be good judges of fellow humans and oneself to get these things corrected and for that try to cultivate all the above virtues in the real sense of the term.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

"TIME IS MONEY"

I know many youngsters who are workaholics and want to make the most when they are young say,before they turn forty.Many even admit that once they reach middle age, they will retire from the mundane tiring jobs in which they are in and will chase their dreams.They want to use the time when they are healthy to make a secure future before they enjoy.For this they are ready to take up extra jobs in their leisure time(if they have any)also because they say "time is money".

Well, I was taken aback because for me this sentence meant something different."Time is money" I think, does not mean that you should convert all your time into money making. It talks about time as a greatest wealth one can have.In other words, those who have enough time at his/her disposal is the richest.It is important in life that one should have enough time for one self ,to do things one love.And as you cannot bring back time once it is passed,it is more important that one should live in present, do things which one want at this moment rather than postponing it till one feel financially secure.Sadly, in spite of all religious texts emphasising this point of living in present, very few only seems to realise its importance.

People once they are lucky say about the perfect "timing" with which the things happened.This timing or the "right things at right time" is a bonus for people who respect time and live in the moment.The prisoners of past and the gamblers of future cannot be blessed with "timing" because they may never be able to keep up with present.

So before you work extra time for the better future of your kid,think about the child who want your time now more than he/she want your money in future.Do not expect that you will chase your dreams when you are old and secure(you will be tired,only).Its now or never because "time is money".....grab it now and utilise it for you before it is too late.

COMMUNISM CAPITALISM AND EQUALITY

When I first heard about the "time when each human listens to other like music" it appeared to be such a beautiful world.There were also promises for an egalitarian world where everyone will be treated alike.But how can people with different abilities be treated alike was a puzzle.
Communism is the most influential political ideology happened in the world because of the huge promises it carried(almost like a religion) and the material analysis which was very appealing.Even after the end of soviet union,we still have china and cuba and a lot of people who practise different versions of it from the socialists to maoists.
Communism presents a highly narrow view of society which tend to portray rich as bad and poor as good.It made making money with hardwork a sin and fail to acknowledge individual merits and differences.It violates many principles of nature and basic human instincts.And in principle it put more restrictions to people and took more life than Nazism or Fascism.And the opiating effect of it is higher than that of any religion.
What about Capitalism which is the natural enemy of Communism?Well, the competition and chances of growth are the good things about it but the emphasis on making things big can always put pressure on human life.It always highlight instant success and state that one can sell anything with advertisement.It sometimes set unrealistic targets which can be often cancerous.Still The democracy which is supposed to be the best system of governance so far ,work best with capitalism.With the mantra "think global act local" capitlism can work well for countries like India with a proper balance of welfare measures and market forces.
In the name of equality one should not vouch for uniformity.No one should be banned from pursuing one's own path.State should not put too much restrictions on one's life but should try to give basic facilities to all so that people should be naturally ready to compete.Too much protectionism always hinder development.
Differences are the very nature of life.It does not make things superior or inferior.It is the hierarchical thinking which create problems.Even in the worst of times ,people have a choice.If one is free and confident within there is no need for any "isms"to make the world a better place to live in.
LET THERE BE LIGHT

EMPIRE SINGS BACK........

When Indian writers who write in English started winning awards across the globe,it was termed as "Empire writes back".Now it is the turn of singers.The Liberalisation generation who communicate in English is coming up with amazingly high quality English songs of all possible genres.They hate to sing popular numbers from the west but create their own songs with a touch of Indianness.The young kids who are still in college are saving money to come up with new albums of their own.The internet gives them space to propagate their tunes.
Confidence and camaraderie are the two things which makes this singers the real face of the changing India.The tradition of respecting senior musicians is replaced with singing along the tunes of your buddies whom you love.When reality shows concentrate on imitation,here the key word is originality.
Rahman is winning Grammy and Oscar and I am sure there is a bunch of youngsters who will follow....They are amazingly talented.(Anybody who is doubtful can check reverbnation.com and try e flat,skrat,blacklisted and touchwood).
LET THE MUSIC BEGIN............
LET THERE BE LIGHT

WAH USTAD!!!

Music is said to be the bridge connecting oneself to the supreme self.The songs appeal to the cognitive part with the thought provoking lyrics and the music along with the voice which render it soothes senses.Being a music lover who enjoys all genres ,I still had apprehensions about my ability to enjoy instrumental music until I heared two greatest artists who literally took my breath away.
Pandit Shivkumar sharma and Ustad Zakir Hussain are one of the most popular pair in Hindustani Jugalbandi.The stream like sweetness of the Santoor when joins the storm of Zakir's Tabla create an out of the world experience.In the end Zakir performed such unbelievable strokes as if he unleashed the power of all elements into the concert hall.
It was amazing to see such greats with so much of humility and abundance of talent.They truly represented the secular India.
Jai ho
let there be light

FAITH

Faith is one word which can be used in different ways.It is an emotion,an identity and more than that a great force which literally, can move mountains. In the name of faith the maximum number of bloodshed happened.People are very posessive about their faith and they are ready to die and kill for it.Because they believe that their faith is the truth, nothing but the truth.This belief has been the root cause of all wars.But how can a noble emotion become a killer?
Faith in mass level can be a larger energy reservoir which can be used by a manipulator.When faith turns to a concrete religion,the list of do's and dont's adds up and any violation ends up in destruction.
All the established Religions in the world are now in a dilemma because leaders of religion never tried to re interpret moral code of conduct in holy texts which are actually mere reflections of the reality of the time of its creation.Anything which does not try to adapt is supposed to perish in the near future,as per nature's rule.But religious fundamentalism is growing because of people's fear of new phenomena like globalisation.
In Europe,the Catholic religion is deeply criticised by many new age film makers.Many protest all over the world is happening against religious hegemony which is the source of inequal laws.In India where religion is part and parcel of life,one still wonder about faith because it has more connotations than religious.
Faith is that belief in something which you hold strong when something goes wrong.It is your backup when you fail.It is the extreme trust that things are going to be fine.If this can be kept in an individual level,it can create wonders.It gives immense strength to one .All people who changed the world had faith in plenty.But equally important is that one should never impose this faith on anyone else.One has to search and find it freely without any bondage.Only a strong person can stick to it.Weaker people forget the core and run for symbols and become faithfully FAITHLESS.
Everybody has to have faith in something and it should be whole hearted.Let us forget the boundaries for a while in this New Year eve and hold our FAITH tight for a better tomorrow.
HAPPY 2010.....
LET THERE BE LIGHT....................

THE MOVIE MAGIC

Films are an integral part of our life now especially in India where people live and die for their favourite stars.It is an industry which is a prime employer to many and at the same time a complex expression of art where many talents come together. There are people who think about it as a weapon of social change and political propaganda. But majority take it as a method to relax.Some movie makers only like abstract ways of telling a story which they claim as realistic.Some like to show more violence to make things real.Some prefer pornography.Well, whatever be the theme, the way it has been told matters a lot.
A good movie is one which communicate the feelings and situation of characters to you.A good screenplay,proper casting and characterisation with good editing and moreover the sincerity of the film maker makes a movie memorable.It should use the visual possibilities more rather than depending entirely on dialogues.Movies like WAY HOME(KOREA) in spite of simplicity atracts you because of these factors.It should not shout the social message louder but help the viewer to interpret things in a subtle way.
I wish to share some of my all time favourite movies here(The list can be longer,of course but I am sticking to 10).
1 BICYCLE THIEVES: The Italian neo realist classic of the early 50's is still surprising with excellent camera and universal theme.
2 AMADEUS : What matter when you love and hate someone so much at the same time?Watch Murray Abraham as Saliery in this wonderful musical to know.
3 SOUND OF MUSIC :A tale of bravery with immortal music.
4 CHILDREN OF HEAVEN : The most sincere movie about children.You start adoring every character.
5 SHATRANJ KE KHILADI : The best example of a story adoption to movie.A master stroke by the great Satyajit Ray.
6 MONSOON WEDDING : Get transported to a Punjabi wedding where some universal family issues attract your senses.
7 CHAK DE INDIA : The best Indian sports movie(IQBAL IS ALSO GREAT BUT THIS ONE WAS TOUGHER)
8 I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND : Erotically humorous.
9 NOTEBOOK(malayalam) : Extremely bold,balanced and sincere take on teenage.
10 RATATOUILLE : This animation movie talks about importance of being yourself in a very different way.
I prefer positive movies and like Hrishikesh Mukherji's movies very much.Action and thriller also are always welcome.
Hope to see more...
LET THERE BE LIGHT,camera and action!!!!

AGE,RESPECT AND WISDOM

Whenever there is a quarrel between two people of considerable age difference, the old one in almost all cases end up saying"I have seen more than you".With the number of years he/she lived in the world to support this claim, this statement is a trumpcard of the senior in every game of generation gap.Well, it is technically correct.But can it be a general rule that elders know more?Can a man of forty who never experienced anything other than his daily routine claim this to a younger fellow with more experience of the world?
In simple societies where everyone does the same kind of work,age and experience are directly correlated.But in a complex world with so much of professions an aged person may not always be the most experienced or knowledgable.
O K; But what about the wisdom? Younger people are supposed to know more nowadays but they lack wisdom: that is what many think.Another complaint which we hear often is youngsters do not respect age now a days because they think that they know better.But the truth is wise people irrespective of age are still being respected now.
Wisdom is an ability to think beyond mere facts which helps one understand people better.It is a gentle,cool way of analysis based on one's experiences.And to be frank, it again has nothing to do with how long one has lived in this earth.If one continue to fail to learn from life,he cannot be wise.You do not even need to be a voracious reader or a big traveler to gain wisdom.It comes from understanding the rules of nature and more than that understanding oneself.A wise person will have a lot of common sense and humour sense like the zen gurus.He will not take life too serious but just flow like a river.
Wisdom is like a bell in the jungle.It may not be visible easily.But when a breeze touches it,it sweetly chimes which can be heard miles away.Only when situation arise,wisdom can be perceived.A younger one can be wise if he/she is true to him/her self which is the greatest posession one can have.So age alone does not guarantee any one respect unless they are wise.
LETS BE WISE...........
LET THERE BE LIGHT...........

I HAVE A DREAM

When we hear about children who fulfilled their parent's dreams we praise them.But have we ever thought what happend to those children's dreams?Every children have their own dreams but most of the parents manipulate them according to their ideas.The child may be a natural in music but the parent may force him/her to become an engineer which they think is "more secure and profitable".In the most important years of life,children will be forced to learn things in which they are not comfortable.This is the greatest wastage of human resources one can think of.
Every child have abilities and aptitudes which can be identified since childhood.If someone pursue his/her career based on these two criteria, success both at the level of financial and satisfaction will come even if it takes some time.But when parents think too much about "what if my kid does not make it'?,and work out the back up plans first,the chances for the kid to fulfill the actual dream is nil.The parents take the kid's victory as their pride and the failure as their shame.So for the sake of family pride, people pursue things in which they may not be good at.The animals and plants are luckier than Homo sapiens here because nobody try to make a deer into a lion.
In a Reader's Digest article,Jacquelyn Mitchard asks:Why to teach kids to ignore their instincts?The parent's role is to help and support the children to make right decisions.This will happen only when both share a close relationship where open communication is apreciated.If parents want their children to succeed in life,there is only one way;allow them to do what they know best irrespective of your ideas.After all ,nobody have a right to dream for others.Reserve your dreams for yourself not for your kids.You are just an instrument to bring a new life to this world.The child is an independent entity with brain and passion which will fully bloom in due course of time.
In a rock concert recently,I was alarmed at the amount of display of violence by the young audience whenever they hear heavy metal songs.They seemed to be angry at people who did not allow them to follow their dream.
The best plan is your original plan and if you plan well you are going to make it sooner or later without back up plans...grab it and give it a full shot....success will come your way.....
So dear parents,have patience;observe your kids and help them when needed.Help them to make good decisions and be independent..They are not your reflections...........
LET THERE BE LIGHT

BOND WITH THE BEST

When the Indian students in Australia were subjected to attack,people once again started thinking about going back home were they are safe.In normal situations itself,people who start live abroad get some kind of guilty feeling that they left their motherland.We were always being remind of our roots.But can one feel a sense of belongingness to a place just because one's forefathers lived there?
Whenever thinking about this situation,Ruskin Bond is there giving a beautiful answer to the problem.This Welshman fully belong to Mussoorie and he understand Indian soul much better than many Indians.So if we think of roots,where will we place him?He, through his amazingly simple literary works reminds us that you belong to the place where you feel at home.He recently celebrated his 75th birthday and still writing beautifully about the India he loves.
You are a product of your experiences and feelings.So your roots are your comfort zone, not necessary be your place of birth.So people who feel fine abroad need not come back to SWADES just because they are persons of Indian origin.After all "Yatra viswam Bhavatyeka Needam"(the world is a big nest) and you have to bond with the best suitable environment for you like Ruskin Bond.
Long live BOND.............
LET THERE BE LIGHT

THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL............

People are generally interested in success stories.Especially when someone achieves against odds.For many,winning is proving a point.But defining a winner is rather difficult because it is a state of mind.
Achievement which comes as a result of meticulous planning and hard work is definitely a moment of success.But for some it is the most natural thing to happen.They may not feel any joy but relief.Sometimes,when the achievement comes as a surprise beyond expectations, it may result in shock even.You need time for the information to sink in.
For some people,achieving anything means celebration.They forget everything at least for sometime and feel great.There are others who keeps complaining about the winning itself also because they feel that they did not get proper justice.Some people do anything to achieve things.For them only result matters.So who is a winner?
When you have anything to prove to the world,showing your achievements can be the best way.But to feel like a winner,your satisfaction matters a lot.Even if you do not have any big thing in your credit,you end up as a winner..It is a sense of fulfilment which make you happy.When you do things just to show off,you may not enjoy the process or may not be in a position to celebrate.One who keep learning never fails.So if u want to be a winner,keep doing the things you love no matter what is the result.Everything will be fine.

BE A WINNER..........
LET THERE BE LIGHT............................

WHO IS A TEACHER?

"Student died of punishment"..."Teacher made student stand in the hot sun for two hours"..... These are some of the latest news on the cruelty prevalent in Indian Primary Education system where forgetting alphabets become a non bailable offence.The impatient and frustrated teachers, the parents who insist only on result and the society which allows such things happen are all responsible for these extreme acts of sadism.When a teacher thinks oneself as a dictator who can do anything with the children whom he or she think ignorant is totally unfit for such a job because teaching is never a uni dimensional process.
In a class room,a teacher explains things to the children.For the younger ones, he/she is someone who know everything.But a good teacher is one who never stops learning.A question from a kid may provoke the teacher to think in a new dimension.The story written by a prodigy in the class may surprise him/her.The very love and respect a teacher gets in exchange of few hours of explanations of "how","what" and "why"is a priceless treasure.So teaching is a process where in the end both the student and teacher get enriched.
"Knowledge shines when shared".The education system demands exchange and cooperation.Its a mean to ensure the bright future of the society.The job of a teacher is highly demanding as he/she is responsible to shape up character.When people who did not get admission in any other professional courses end up in teaching, quality take a back seat.Any profession becomes productive when people with right aptitude choose it.People should understand that teaching is such a responsible and noble profession.Once upon a time, GURU or Teacher was the most respected person in society.In between the job lost its charm but it is still the most responsible job one can think of.
One excellent teacher of mine(a physical trainer) always show how to do things by demonstration..Another one, a musician never was afraid of making mistakes by herself and she was always ready to accept suggestions...So one cannot put general qualities for a teacher.The only thing is teacher should take the student along with him/her from darkness to light.He/she has to be careful not to be in darkness.Everyone who share and transmit good will are worth calling teachers.KABIR was right when he wrote:
"GOD and GURU standing
whose feet shall i touch first
but, of course GURU"s!
who told me about GOD first"
Let us not let cruel minds to torture the kids in the name of teaching...
LET THERE BE LIGHT......................

THE EQUATIONS OF FEAR AND POWER

When Mumbai was attacked by terrorists,people started to search sollutions for bringing about communal harmony.The media debated on terrorism.Then came the pub attack incident in Mangalore, and the new hot topics were "cultural invasion" and "women's liberation".Now it is Varun Gandhi's speech and everybody is talking about communalism.But watching closely,all this incidents points towards intolerence and more than that FEAR.........
Fear is a basic human emotion.Most of the time we fear things which we are not familiar with because we do not know what will happen.Sometimes a familiar tyrant can also create fear in our minds based on the past experience or social conditioning.The fear of the unknown is more dangerous because it can lead to prejudices.This feeling can easily become communal and people may think about preventive action.There are people who take up arms in this regard whom we call terrorists.But there are others who have all this feeling but will not show them open.Fear make them communal and the same fear prevents them from expressing it.
How the fear start? well, if we worry too much about mistakes, fear will be there.Anybody who cannot take failures as a learning experience will have fears. People who have no guts to take the responsibility of their failures will end up concluding that others are responsible for what went wrong.So the fear of failure slowly gets converted to deeper emotions.When someone who want to fish in troubled water tells that one's failure is the result of another person or community the seeds of hatred is sown.
What people do to channelise the fear?One easy way is to associate yourself with symbols of power.People try to associate themselves with people who have power or try to excercise power over anyone whom they think are weaker.One general character of people with fear is that they like to obey and command at the same time.The logic is ,if i am obedient my master will not attack me and the same way if i show my power, my subordinate will not attack me..People who are fearful need the protection of hierarchy.They cannot tolerate democracy and equality where everyone have freedom to choose.They are afraid that if they give freedom to choose,things will go out of their control and their position will be shaken.They are afraid of everyone who are different from them("modern women, minorities, anyone).
So it is this fear of losing their position which make people communal,chauvanistic and even terrorists.Fear does not allow one to face reality.So the most important thing in the fight against intolerence is the eradication of irrational fear.If one is courageous enough to face life,he/she will not try to blame others for their mistakes and they will understand that the real power is the courage to stand up for oneself ,not bullying others.Parenting becomes all more important because self respect, self reliance and courage are only be taught at home.
So it is at home, a communalist is being born,society only play a passive role..Parents of the future,please make your children self reliant and tolerant.That is the only thing we can do for a better tomorrow with lesser violence based on intolerence...............
LET THERE BE LIGHT