Friendly Neighbourhood

It’s not a challenge to be attempted,  Not a mystery to be solved, It’s not a journey to discover, Not a slave to pleasure, It’s a combo pack of moments,  One is the owner, rest are tenants. 

In the contemporary social classification system, our status is proportional to our affluence. As we earn more, we ascend in this pyramidal structure, through the levels based on materialistic possessions, accompanied by behavioural changes. An individuals’ worth and conduct in each level is its distinguishing feature and the competition, to rise to higher levels, is ruthless. These levels are segregated not by a sharp boundary but a wide, transparent and permeable band which allows inter-level transfer. The occupants are not rigid but floating continuously in horizontal as well as vertical fashion. There are few currents (with luck as the suffix in their names), which flow in vertical dimension. These continuously moving drafts displace the unsuspecting riders, at times upwards but more often downwards. Transparency of the separating band allows the possessions and conduct to be seen from a lower level, almost always alluring the onlooker. If we manage to climb up a level hoping to ac...

When I got posted to Varanasi, it was a shock from the professional aspect but on personal front, I was not disappointed. It is believed that the place is blessed and I hoped to experience its positive energy.  While staying in the officer's mess and not yet part of the golfing circuit at DLW (Diesel Locomotive Workshop of Indian Railways), I had a lot of time at hand in the mornings. Thence started the routine of long walks to Assi ghat, then along river till Dashashwamedh and back. It appeared that the dirt which administration and NGOs had removed from the ghats had been deposited on the roadsides. Nevertheless, mesmerising performances of Subah-e-Banaras at Assi ghat, while sipping hot lemon tea and savouring on Kachori and Lassi, as early as Six O’clock in the morning, were enriching for soul more than its shell. The ghee and sweet combo after a long walk on chilly winter morning, a perfect recipe for a longer siesta in the day. I was fascinated with the place and wanting to k...

A Republic is defined as a state in which power is held by the people through their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated head. The fundamental difference from democracy is Republic's dependency on supremacy of established rules or constitution.  The Roman Republic of antiquity, which is referred to and considered one of the oldest Republics in the world, was in fact an oligarchy. Even before this Roman republic, there were many small and literal republics in Bhārat, called Mahajanapadas. These were interspersed with small kingdoms mainly in Gangetic plains and principally followed Vedic teachings as their constitution. The date of these Mahajanapadas is estimated between 600 BCE to 350 BCE. In the later part of this period, as the techniques of war fighting evolved, the threat from the outsiders increased considerably. Coupled with the evolution in Vedic culture, due to external and internal influences, these independent republics gave way to large unified...

Long time ago there was a small village with a few dwellers. They were an unhappy lot; deceitful, hostile, full of guile and fought over insignificant things, causing serious harm to each other. Whenever, there was an external threat, they would unite and ward it off, but soon went back to their pugnacious ways. They were getting tired of perpetual fighting, but couldn’t get rid of their ingrained scepticism. One day a wise man, who was passing through the village, listened to their predicament. He told them the reason for their misery was the lack of mutual trust, which prevented them to live together happily and solve problems amicably. Unable to comprehend, the villagers probed him further about how and where to find it? They requested the man to help them. The wise man agreed but stipulated, till the time the learning is complete, you shall not go away. The  villagers were thrilled but also reluctant about the duration it will take in completing the task. So they agreed to nomi...

Land got divided, water was segregated, Colours got aligned, food was differentiated,  Dress got defined, crime was appropriated, Language got separated, culture was isolated,  Man got dissected, God was celebrated.