"The stuff that dreams are made of, vertigoes around"

The beginning

2009-12-31T00:32:00.006+05:30

Happy new year to all my dear ones. The year has come to an end, and so has an era of my short but deep relationship with this blog. But as 2010 commences, it's time to move from a blog to a personalized feature rich website of my own. Therefore, I'm shifting completely to my new site- souravroy.com.There will not be any more new posts in this blog.

Visit http://souravroy.com

क्रांति कन्या

2009-12-29T20:03:00.004+05:30

क्रांति कन्या

वो क्रन्तिकारी थी
मतवारी थी
चली जा रही थी
इन्कलाब के गाने गाते
और हम खुद की आज़ादी के सपनों संग
उसके पीछे चले जाते

यही लड़की समा गयी थी
अंधे की आँखों में
लंगड़े की नसों में
जब येरुसलेम में उसने हमें छूआ
और इस सुनहरी शाम का अंत
उस दर्दनाक क्रूस पर हुआ |

वो क्रन्तिकारी थी
मतवारी थी
चली जा रही थी
इन्कलाब के गाने गाते
और हम खुद की आज़ादी के सपनों संग
उसके पीछे चले जाते

तिरंगे में लिपटी
ये लड़की
गयी थी डांडी
हमने नमक बनाया
और इसी नमक का क़र्ज़ चुकाने को
किसी ने उसे मार गिराया |

वो क्रन्तिकारी थी
मतवारी थी
चली जा रही थी
इन्कलाब के गाने गाते
और हम खुद की आज़ादी के सपनों संग
उसके पीछे चले जाते

इसी लड़की के गीतों को
नए शहर के लोगों ने गाया
उसी देश के शासक ने
विएतनाम को जलाया
और किताबें भरी आज़ादी के गीतों से
और अगले दिन आकाश को खाली सा पाया |

इस क्रान्ति कन्या के बच्चे
जो कौवे की तरह जन्मे थे
अनाथ कहलाये
स्कूल गए
पर धूप नहीं पहुंची
सपने देखे -
आज़ादी नहीं
भूतों के !
सुनसान सड़कों पर
'माँ-माँ' चिल्लाकर सो गए
भूखे पेट
बगल से ट्रेन गुज़री
और ऐसे ही किसी दिन
इन बच्चों ने अपने यूनिफॉर्म को जला दिया |

उस दिन मैं भी नहीं समझ पाया
जब उस लड़की ने
मेरे जूते के फीते बांधे थे
और कान में प्यार से कहा था-
"संभल कर चलना
गिरना मत ||"

-Sourav Roy "Bhagirath"

झारखण्ड

2009-12-29T19:56:00.001+05:30

झारखण्ड

खनिज-कोयला-जंगल के देश में
मांदल नगाड़ा बजाता
तमाखू खाता
गुज़रता है तुफू सोरेन
गाता-
'पहाड़ तोड़ने से अच्छा है
पहाड़ बन जाना'

उसकी स्त्री
गमछे में बच्चे को
पीठ पर लटकाकर
बीनती है चटाई
जो पहुँच जाती है
इन्द्रप्रस्थ की सड़कों पर
उसकी बहन के साथ बिकने को |

तीर धनुष से
खेलता
उसका बच्चा
मार गिराता है मोर को
ख़ुश है तुफू सोरेन
पेट भरेगा आज !
अगले दिन बच्चा
बन्दूक पकड़
तैयारी करता है
शहर जाने की ||

-Sourav Roy "Bhagirath"

अभी यहाँ...

2009-12-29T19:42:00.003+05:30

अभी यहाँ...

अभी यहाँ
मैं बैठा हूँ
अभी यहाँ
तुम होती
अभी यहाँ
समंदर किनारे हम टहल रहे होते
और समंदर हमारी धड़कन सुन रहा होता
अभी यहाँ
ऊपर वो चाँद और तारों से सजा आकाश
हमारे संग दौड़ रहा होता
हमारा हाथ थामे
अभी यहाँ कोई नहीं होता
और मैं तुम्हारी आँखों में डूब जाता
और ये गाती गुनगुनाती ज़िन्दगी
यूं ही बीत जाती
अभी यहाँ
दुनिया ठहर जाती
सब कुछ धीरे धीरे हमारा हो जाता
ये दुनिया हमारी हो जाती
और हम एक दूसरे के हो जाते
अभी यहाँ
एक तारा टूटता
और हम एक दूसरे को मांग लेते
और वो तारा भी हमारा हो जाता
अभी यहाँ
तुम नंगे पाँव दौड़ती चली आती
और मैं तुम्हे देखता
और तुम सच्चे झूठे बहाने बना
मुझसे लिपट जाती
अभी यहाँ
मैं तुम्हे जगाता
तुम्हारी जुल्फों की लटों को सुलझाता
और तुम आँखें खोल
मुझे देखती
अभी यहाँ
मैं मर रहा होता
और तुम्हे अगले जन्म में फिर मिलने का वादा कर
मैं सुकून से तुम्हारी बाँहों में मरता
अभी यहाँ
मैं बैठा हूँ
काश यहाँ
तुम होती !

-Sourav Roy "Bhagirath"

Donating Blood on Muharram

2009-12-29T02:24:00.000+05:30

Today is Muharram- the day of martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed. When Muslims from all over the world conduct mourning processions, beating their chests and backs with chains, to observe Yaum-e-Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram which is the first month of the Islamic calendar. Considered a day of bereavement, many Muslims observe fast, give charity and pray in remembrance of Hussain who was martyred this day around 1,400 years ago at Karbala in Iraq.

On this day, Muslim residents of Amrai village in Chinhat area of Lucknow organized a blood donation camp along with the local health officials. Villagers bravely came up and donated the life saving fluid. They were happy. The very news brought a big smile on my face! If this is new wave, I welcome it. Being Sankalp volunteers we've seen the problem of blood shortage so closely! A common man is either hesistant to donate blood or is unaware. Here on this ocassion our brothers from a remote village have taken a brave step to serve for the sake humanity in rememberance of the great warrior. Kudos to them!

Why can't we be teachers?

2009-12-28T02:49:00.002+05:30

Its exam time and all we can think about is books, notes and coffee. On this context, as a self realization (which every student goes through during exams), I must say that the most discussed topic among hostelites is the inferior quality of education and the teachers who literally don't know to teach. My country has the oldest custom of education & I desperately want to prove them wrong. I must say, if given a chance (and paycheck) would love to take up teaching as a profession. I teach my room mate and I believe I'm pretty good at it. Right through my childhood, exam season has been the time when I get the opportunity to demonstrate my skills as a teacher. I have always believed that a teacher-student relationship is THE most beautiful relationship in the world.

If teaching can be so fascinating, why then, do we have a shortage of good teachers in our country? Forget about other institutions, IITs are running with a 50% shortage of staffs. Most teachers there have retired, yet have been asked to stay back on special requests. Its good to know that IIMs have taken a step forward by inspiring their alumni to stay back and teach, but the outcome is not at par with what is expected, in terms of quantity, ofcourse. There is a big halla over how much the country lacks educational institutions. We don't lack educational institutions. We lack teachers. Bring in good teachers and entrepreneurs are more than happy to invest. But unfortunately, we don't have quality teachers. Why is it so?? The answer is simple- Why will a skilled conversationalist, unless highly inspired by his personal motivation, prefer to teach with a salary less than that of a good-for-nothing-software-professional! A software engineer with an experience of 3-5 years, at an average earns more than a Head of Department in IIT with a lifelong experience. What a shame!

Who is to blame? The universal spit-basin- the government? 'Cause every time we see a problem, we blame it to the bade bhaiyyas. Yes, indeed the government is to blame. The first step that can be taken is inspire skilled alumni to stay back in an institution and teach. Secondly, paycheck of a teacher should be at par with that of IT professionals. But most importantly, the youth must realize that teaching is an amazing profession. Job security, learning with teaching, plenty of time for recreation and a stable life- all in one place. This is one place where you get to prove yourself. I'd love to take it up as a profession, given a chance, (and a good paycheck, ofcourse) and I'd love to see the youth of my generation join in.

12 Angry Men- what Character Study is meant to be!

2009-12-27T00:01:00.011+05:30

12 Angry Men is a 1957 courtroom drama by Sidney Lumet. The film begins with the end of a trial. The jurors retire to deliberate the case. A preliminary vote is taken and the result is 11:1 in favour of the guilty verdict. Eleven jurors have raised their hands to convict a young man of killing his father. Only Juror 8 has doubts. At first even he does not truly believe the young man to be innocent but notes that the case for the defense might have been presented in a more convincing manner and that the boy might be given the benefit of a doubt. Since the boy is to be executed if found guilty his life is now in the hands of the jury and juror 8 reasons that the least they could do is talk about the case a bit. As time goes on some of the jurors change their minds and find that there is perhaps enough reasonable doubt not to convict the young man after all. But not everyone is easy to convince.

The entire film is shot in one room and with 12 men. But that is more than enough to sweat the viewer out with the jury as the heat rises, literally and metaphorically, among the men as they make their way towards their final verdict. Interestingly, the jurors (apart from two at the end) are never named. They do not need to be. Their characters speak for them. The characters of each of the jurors emerge through a wonderful mix of perfect casting, excellent dialogue and near-flawless acting. The film succeeds in doing something very rare- developing an intelligent plot while also developing 12 believable, memorable and distinct characters. Although it was Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb who really made this film legendary, but every character's individuality is neatly built.

One another brilliant aspect of this film is its simplistic editing. Sometimes the best editing is to just leave it alone. There is a scene that shows great editing by giving as much screen time to Lee J. Cobb’s monologue. However, the editor also works on the viewers subconscious, by showing him alone and isolated in the frame, whilst showing other juror’s in pairs. The editing also crops closer to him later in the scene, making it seem even more powerful and important. A brilliant piece of neat, simple yet hardcore editing; a magnum opus, indeed!

Compulsory Voting- Right or Duty?

2009-12-25T23:15:00.010+05:30

I really liked the idea of making voting compulsory for residents of Gujarat recent elections to a local self-governing body. It indeed is one of the bravest moves taken by a state government in a long long time. Even states Himanchal Pradesh are willing it implement it. But a few questions will be asked like voting is a right and not a duty. Compulsory voting is against Article 14 & 19 of the Indian Constitution. One good thing about the bill is that it allows negative voting if the voter does not wish to vote for any of the listed contestants. This is a great way of protest if the voter is not for any of the contestants. Well… I think for a move like this, even the constitution can be amended.

Democracy has always been known to run on four wheels- choice, legitimacy, equality & participation. Compulsory voting is the only way to counter voting apathy and declining legitimacy in our country. Its a matter of shame that voter turnout amongst the poor has been usually much higher, than amongst the privileged. Compulsory voting is indeed a brave and good decision.

Now the question is how will it all be implemented? Like forcible vasectomies in the name of family planning or like submission of Income Tax with proper infrastructure in place. Well... We can only hope for the best.

V Shantaram, the forgotten magicain

2009-12-24T12:26:00.004+05:30

There have been a very few filmmakers in India who can be compared with V. Shantaram. With a directional career of about 70 years from 1927 (Netaji Palkar)to 1986 (Jhanjhar), he a one-of-his-own-kind Legend.This great producer-director-actor is most known for his films like Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946), Amar Bhoopali (1951), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje (1955), Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957) and Navrang (1959), to the path breaking Duniya Na Mane (1937) and Pinjara (1973). Who hasn't been moved by Ai malik tere bande hum in Do Ankhen Barah Haath? And who can forget the sinuous, gravity-defying dances of Sandhya in Navrang and Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje? And Aadmi, the remake of what is arguably his finest film, Manoos, where he used nights and shadows to enhance the narration, a pioneering technique at the time. He has depicted the rich Indian art, culture and values like none other.

I've included a holi song from Navrang (& not one from Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje or Do Aankhen Barah Haath) because of its amazing editing sequences. This song reminds me of my childhood Sunday mornings watching Rangoli. One thing notable about Sandhyaji's dance is how she depicts a shy girl and immediately tramsforms into a rather rowdy man. Later the steps performed with the elephant in scene is amazingly brave of her. Today's actresses like Katrina Kaif can't even change their facial expressions. Dancing front and back, changing the entire body language with an elephant dancing beside you is too much to expect.

Today, these names are loosing their stand in the hip-hop generation. V. Shantaram is an institution who commands incredible respect in the industry. The kind of film making techniques and ideas he possessed during his time are not found in today's generation. He has his own place in the history of Indian cinema and is an inspiration for many. He was an Indian filmmaker loved by likes of Godard & Charlie Chaplin. He was a doyen whose techniques and imagination knew no bounds.

Prometheus and Open Source

2009-12-24T02:25:00.001+05:30

I was recently reading parts of the Greek mythology. I was amazed to see the resemblance between Prometheus and the open source programmers of today. Prometheus is credited with two great accomplishments. He created humankind out of clay. He stole fire from Zeus and gave it to common people. Prometheus was a Titan, a powerful deity in Greek mythology. He was noted for his almost limitless knowledge. He was a master of architecture, mathematics, navigation, medicine, and metallurgy. He was the champion of humans and freely shared his knowledge with common folk. Zeus, the chief and most powerful of the Gods, was angered by Prometheus’s sharing of his knowledge. It gave too much power into the hands of common people. As punishment, Zeus withheld fire from Prometheus and common people. Through trickery, Prometheus went to Mt. Olympus and stole fire from the sun. He shared fire with the people. Again Zeus was enraged. He tied Prometheus to a rock in the Caucasus Mountains. He sent a huge eagle every morning to pick at the liver of Prometheus, but during the night the liver was made whole again. The eagle returned every day...

Today, millions of open source programmers are collectively busy airing the fire Prometheus once started. And the fire lives on!On this note, I'm strongly reminded of a beautiful poem by Gurudev Tagore-

"Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake."

Sachin vs Politics

2009-12-23T10:07:00.002+05:30

Though I'm not a hardcore cricket fan, I recently watched a few matches and lo! Sachin is just the same!! His simplicity, humbleness, adaptability, schoolboy-like enthusiasm is off comparision. He recently crossed 30,000 runs in international cricket. And I'm pretty sure, he'll soon hit a 100 centuries.

On the recent bloodshed in Maharashrta, Sachin humbly said- “I am a Maharashtrian and I am extremely proud of that. But I am an Indian first. And Mumbai belongs to all Indians.” Thackeray warning Sachin to confine himself to his game and not make political statements was such an unfortunate event! Look who he was addressing- A person who being the centrefold of Indian media for past 2 decades, and managed not to get into any controversy! Can you remember one controversy that relates to Sachin? Ball tampering incident? that backfired on Mike Dennes himself. Ferrari customs? Well... Sachin paid his dues. Sachin- being in limelight for 20 odd years, has managed to stay clean. Not just that, Sachin sponsors 200 underprivileged children every year through Apnalaya, a Mumbai-based NGO associated with his mother-in-law, Annaben Mehta. He's probably the only man in history after Jesus & Nepolean who is addressed by his first name.

Turning against Sachin maybe the greatest political mistake Thackeray has comitted (in terms of support). Recent allegations of Sanjay Raut against Sachin are even worse- "There has been no instance of Sachin extending a helping hand to other Marathi cricketers. Forget others, he did not even support Vinod Kambli. In contrast, Gavaskar when he captained India, had half the team drawn from Mumbai and Maharashtra. He gave Test caps to many Marathi players including Suru Naik and Zulphikar Parkar at least for one match. In this context, Gavaskar is a genuine ‘Maharashtrian’ and the whole country loves him even now in the same way,”

In a country, 70% acquired by youth, where politics is hated and cricket is THE religion- challenging God is the biggest mistake one can commit. I'd love to see the way it all ends.

ABC of my life...

2009-12-23T01:34:00.000+05:30

Well... Finally even I decided to take up this exercise. The exercise involves writing one word for each alphabet. That word should reflect one’s self and should be written as fast as possible. I was highly inspired by my teacher and hence decided to attempt it myself [Reference].

Here it goes-

A- Anabhra Ratri Ki Anupama (My poetry book)
B- Bokaro & Bangalore (Heaven)
C- Chickpet (A place I visit very often for Sankalp purchase & printing)
D- Dreams (Something I do a lot)
E- Education (My quest in life)
F- Family & Friends (My strength)
G- God (The only quest I've given up)
H- History (My favorite subject in school)
I- India (my motherland) & IIT (My dream that broke)
J- Jana Gana Mana (Reminds me of School days & Sankalp meetings)
K- Kubrick & Kurosawa (My 2 favorite directors)
L- Love (Life's greatest motto)
M- Meditation (The only thing I do for myself)
N- Noesis (My favorite word along with Vertigo. I generally name my team as Noesis)
O- Optimism (My way of hiding failures)
P- Pink Floyd (My favorite artists)
Q- Questions (My head is always filled with these)
R- Resource Management (My work in Sankalp)
S- Sankalp India Foundation (My greatest passion in life)
T- Torrentz (My source of movies)
U- Urgency (I'm always found running around)
V- Vikas Vidyalaya (My school)
W- Wikipedia (My favorite website)
X- Xerox (The lifeboat of every engineering student)
Y- Yin Yang (My two sides)
Z- Zzzz (Reminds me of my childhood when I used to sleep a lot; I miss my sleep these days)

Killing in the name of God- "The Ayodhya Issue"

2009-12-22T16:51:00.012+05:30

Ayodhya issue is once again in the limelight, thanks to Justice Liberhan. I’ll take up the entire issue from scratch because most youngsters of my generation don’t even know about it.

The Ayodhya debate is a political, historical and socio-religious debate that was most prevalent in the 1990s in India. The main issues revolve around access to the birthplace of the Hindu god Rama, the history and location of the Babri Mosque at the site, and whether a previous Hindu temple was demolished or modified to create the mosque. On 6 December, 1992 the Babri Mosque was destroyed by Hindu nationalists, 150,000 strong, despite a commitment to the Indian Supreme Court that the mosque would not be harmed. On 16 December, 1992, Liberhan Commission was set up by the Government of India to probe the circumstances that led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid. It has been longest running commission in India's history with several extensions granted by various governments. Politicians like L.K.Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were alleged to be influential in the demolition. More than 2000 people were killed in the riots following the demolition. Riots broke out in many major Indian cities including Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad.

The report of the Liberhan commission was leaked to the media, on the occasion of the Lok Sabha session. Later on, Government tabled the report in Parliament. Once the Liberhan report captured headlines, there were hues and cries all over in the name of Ayodhya. BJP and the Sangh Parivar are hoping that they could use this occasion to bring the temple issue back in the nation's agenda once again. The other political outfits are demanding action against the persons found guilty by the Commission, who include former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani. We have seen an active VHP after a few years on this occasion. They must also be thinking of using this occasion to stage a come back. But is that easy for the BJP, VHP or other sangh parivar outfits to make use of this occasion? I think that it will not be easy for them. I have reasons too to come to this conclusion.

'Ayodhya' was not an ordinary issue as far as the sangh parivar is concerned. They aimed at constructing a beautiful Ram temple at the place where the babri masjid stood. Apart from that they have an agenda, which was to bring the Hindu brothers to their fold using the Ram temple issue. In the early 1980s RSS and the VHP gave such an instruction to the lowest level of their organization. The preparation for the Ram temple movement was organized in a manner by which the issue will reach all the villages and the households of the Hindus. See for example the Ram sila pujans and Ram sila yathras, organized in all the villages. People welcomed the programmes with folded hands in every home and village. Such was the importance of Sri Ram in their minds. Hindus organized in the villages above creeds and sub creeds; it was of course in a way a Hindu renaissance. But that was not that evident in the south. The 'rathayathra' of L.K.Advani, from Somnath to Ayodhya was also part of that sangh parivar agenda. BJP too was playing its role in the Ayodhya movement. One thing has to be mentioned; this was the most well oiled and well planned programme in the history of sangh parivar in the last 40 years or so. So much understanding was there in the parivar organisations. All of them moved together- with one mind and eye.

Whether the sangh parivar gained anything from that temple movement? I think this is the apt time to have a look at this fact. As I mentioned earlier, the parivar could function like a well oiled engine in this programme. They have succeeded in expanding their base in the hindi heartland too. The victory in Uttar Pradesh was due to this. But whether they succeeded cementing their base? Without any doubt any body can see that the reply is 'no'. Why? It was really 'sani dasa' for the sangh parivar after the 6th December, 1992. The main organization in this struggle was none other than Viswa Hindu Parishad. Where they stands today? It has lost its ground. No more a popular organisation now. No work at the grass root level in most of the states. Just limbing on in most of it’s areas. They are not in a position, organisationally, to organise agitations and even to attract even the young sanyasins to their fold. In states like Kerala, it is evidnet and they are not in a position even to organise an agitation; it has to be mentioned that all these when the state government is taking complete control of the temples in the state in the state including the famous hill temple of Sabarimala, discarding the Devaswom Boards. Again the 'love jihad' issue has created anxiety in the minds of the Hindu families....but here too the VHP has failed miserably. It has to be mentioned that the organizations like NSS, SNDP and others came out openly against the love jihad issue.

Now come to the RSS. Do you know what is happening to them in this country? Its organizational base has collapsed; the number of sakhas gone down considerably; so too the number of swayamsevaks. May be they will be getting more money in the way of 'guru dakshina' since even the toddy shop contractors contribute generously these days; and the organization accepts the same with folded hands. There is no leader for them who can attract the masses or for keeping the morale of their own sympathizers. All of them are now living with the dreams of the old gay days. BJP's case too is not that different. Sometimes people may tell that the BJP's base has widened and strengthened since 1992. They may even point out that the party came to power at the centre after 1992. That is true. They ruled the country under Vajpayee. But one should not forget that the same party was routed out in Uthar Pradesh, the battle ground of the temple movement. They were ruling the U.P without the help of any other party. But they finished fourth and fifth in the recent elections held in that state. What happened to them? What was the reason? Nobody, including those in the BJP will now believe that they will be able to stage a comeback in the next one decade or so. Not only the BJP; the entire sangh parivar lost its ground considerably since the Ayodhya demolition.

It is a fact that the 70 per cent of the population of this country are youths. Among those 70 per cent, at least 75 per cent doesn't have the experience of the temple movement. The organizers of the Ayodhya movement have also failed miserably in their attempts to bring the Sri Ram into the minds of the youths of this country. These youths are running for the sophisticated technologies. They are little concerned about the Ram temple or the Babri masjid. Again one has to understand that the sangh parivar out fits lacks quality agile leaders in these days who can attract the well educated youths of this country. They still have no such programmes too. It has to be mentioned that still these people are focusing on the issues like the protection of cows, which could generate very little impact in the modern, educated society.

Are they serious about Ayodhya these days. One may doubt their sincerity as the temple slipped out from their priorities. When Vajpayee government was at the centre, the VHP organized many agitations for the construction of the temple. There were parliament marches, sant sammelans, parikramas, karsevas and what not in those days. VHP leaders used to meet the pressmen daily in Delhi and their attack was always on leaders like Vajpayee and Advani. Ashok Singhal, Acharya Giriraj Kishor, Pravin Thogadia and company were in fact competing among them to attack the BJP men in the government. Where are they now? We haven’t seen any press conference in these days, especially after the coronation of the Manmohan Singh government. Even though they now hold press briefings on some occasions, the Ayodhya or the temple issue never crops up. Neither the parliament march or the karseva or the sant sammelans are there in their agenda in these days. In fact they have no courage to stand up against Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh.

Now let us go to Ayodhya. The temple construction activities were going on at the karsevapuram there for the last few years. Carving of stones, pillars etc. Now nothing is happening there; construction work has come to a stand still, not because everything is over but the decision of the leaders was to stop all the activities. The karsevapuram is almost like a grave yard, according to a media report; we could see only on chowkidar there in these days. The office of the temple reconstruction committee at Ayodhya also is deserted, except a very few persons. The so called prominent leaders of the temple movement rarely visit that office and the temple town in these days. What does it mean? Is it that the RSS and VHP too have lost hope in the Ram temple construction? People will be forced to think in those terms. Recently the sangh parivar organised a national campaign to stimulate their work; the subject chosen for the same was the protection of cow and not the Ayodhya. The bosses of the sangh parivar must have come to the conclusion that the cow may bring better results than the temple issue. In short nobody is keen on the reconstruction of Ram temple at Ayodhya in these days.

One has to think of the effects of the Liberhan commission report in this back ground. The BJP and the sangh parivar is not in a position to make use of it in these days. That may help L.K.Advani and his colleagues in the present leadership tussle in the BJP to a certain extent. But I do think that Advani must be aware, better than anybody else, that this issue also will not help him or his organization in the long run.

So, is there no solution? Yes there is! I believe it is not about the usage of the holy place, but it is about the sentiments of the people in our country. I see these holy places as places of peace and joy, because just worshiping never proves that you are a strong believer of God. So what if a temple was demolished 400 years ago? Should the Muslims of today who are not closely responsible for the demolition be hurt for that? I don’t understand the use of building any temple or mosque. Farmers are committing suicide, children are uneducated! Don’t we have many problems already? Why invite one more? Instead of wasting money in building a temple or a mosque, why can’t the government build a school or a hospital that would be helpful to poor people? This will bring us all to peace. The Government would love to take it up, I believe. Killing in the name of God should be stopped. An eye for an eye will only make the country blind!

Bystander Effect

2009-12-22T11:20:00.002+05:30

The bystander effect is the somewhat controversial name given to a social psychological phenomenon in cases where individuals do not offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present. The probability of help has in the past been thought to be inversely proportional to the number of bystanders. In other words, the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will help [From Wikipedia].

The earliest example of bystander effect can be traced back to The Holy Bible. A lawyer (who happens to obey all the ten commandments) asks Jesus “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus then tells him a story-

A Jew is going along the road, and is beset by bandits, who beat him severely, strip his clothes, and rob him. They leave him for dead. Later, a priest walks by. He sees the Jew, moves to the other side of the road, and walks by without helping. Later, a Levite goes by, sees him, and gives him a wide berth, going on without helping. Later, a Samaritan (considered by the Jews to be outcasts) comes by, sees him, and immediately helps him, taking him to a nearby inn, caring for him, and paying the innkeeper.

“Which of these is the neighbor of the Jew who is beaten by robbers?” Jesus asked.

“The merciful one,” replied the lawyer.

“Go and do likewise.”

Example 1

The most infamous example of the bystander effect took place on March 13, 1964, in Kew Gardens, Queens, NY, when Catherine Genovese was entering her apartment building at about 3:15 AM, from work. She was stabbed twice in the back by Winston Moseley, a heavy machine operator, who later explained that he simply “wanted to kill a woman.”

Genovese screamed, “Oh, my God! He stabbed me! Help me!” and collapsed. Several neighbors in surrounding buildings reported hearing her voice, but decided it was probably just a drunken brawl or lovers’ spat. One man shouted from his window, “Let that girl alone!” which scared Moseley away. This neighbor was sure to have seen Genovese crawling across the street, under a streetlight, to her apartment, but did nothing to help her. Witnesses saw Moseley drive away, then return about 10 minutes later. He had put on a wider-rimmed hate to hide his face, and searched for Genovese in the parking lot, the train station, and the apartment complex, for 10 minutes, before finding her prone in the external hallway at the rear of the building, where the door was locked. She could not get in. Moseley proceeded to stab her to death, inflicting multiple wounds in her hands and forearms, indicating that she tried to fight him off. She finally succumbed and he raped her as she lay dying. He then stole around $50 from her and fled. The whole incident spanned 30 minutes.

A newspaper blasted it the next day as “Thirty-eight Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call Police.” A simple phone call to the police would have sufficed, but everyone assumed someone else would do it.

Example 2
Kevin Carter was a South African Photojournalist who, in March 1993, took the most infamous photograph, so far, of the brutality and disregard for human suffering in sub-Saharan Africa. The photo shows a female Sudanese toddler, alone and severely emaciated, attempting to crawl to an aid station for food. A vulture is standing on the ground behind her, waiting for her to die so it can eat her.

Carter claimed that he waited 20 minutes for the vulture to spread its wings, which he thought would make a better picture, and when it didn’t, he took the picture as is. For those 20 minutes, the toddler had to rest before resuming its trip. She whimpered and panted, and Carter did nothing to help her.

He took the picture, scared the vulture away, then left the girl to continue crawling on her own. No one knows what became of her, but it very likely that she starved to death. Either way, Carter claimed later that he just “didn’t want to get involved.” He killed himself the next year, after winning the Pulitzer for this photograph, by carbon monoxide poisoning, in his truck in Johannesburg.

I'm sure most of us have experienced such situations. Self interest is something else but doing nothing when someone's right to existance is questioned is preposterous! Bystander Effect is yet to be proved. Lets disprove it!

Am I worthy enough?

2009-12-21T11:33:00.007+05:30

I have been a part of Sankalp for more than two years now. I see my thoughts coming into action here. I see the youth of my motherland constantly working for the cause of 100% voluntary blood donation- the blood revolution. 30 odd people, who have given their blood, sweat, tears and lives to serve for the cause- their nation. People who are highly inspired by the great men and women who sacrificed their lives for "freedom", for "revolution". The future of India rests with the youth. They are the salt of the earth. WE are the salt of the earth. These 30 volunteers- their promptness to suffer, their daring courage & their radiant yet silent sacrifice make me believe that with patience, everything can be achieved. The volunteers once not allowed inside blood banks have today expanded to the whole of Karnataka, with about 50 blood banks walking with us for the blood revolution.

My friend asked me lately, "If you had to live the life of one man for a day, what would it be?" My answer to it was- "The life of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, on 23rd March, 1931- the day of his martyrdom." He smiled and answered- "I expected that answer". That night I cried.

Since then I've been wondering, what it would be, to actually be alive during the times of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. It’s one thing to watch the movies describing him, his ideas what he did, how it all happened, but to be actually there is different. I sometimes think if I was at that age, am I cut up for such sacrifices, would I be able to do what the heroes at that time did. Would I have had the courage to defy the exploitations at that time? Or would I be a coward running scared? or worst be an obedient citizen going about my daily chores of life without batting a eyelid, cause that’s what most were doing otherwise how could a handful of british rule so many.

The last few words spoken by him "Dil se niklegi, na mar kar bhi, watan ki ulfat, meri mitti se bhi khushboo-e-watan aayegi" (Even after my death my love for my motherland will not diminish from my heart. Even my ashes will smell of my motherland’s greatness and love). AM I LIKE THAT?

Not many these days think the way a 23 year old thought at that time, I know situations were different but there is one thing common, India. our country it is still under oppression, still under rule the only difference is colour of skin, it was White then now its Brown. Mentality is still same- "Loot the country, fill in own coffers". The wondering that could I do what they did, because if my answer is YES and if hundreds, thousands others said it was YES, then we should not be where we are in the current ERA. I just wish to God (well.. if he exists) that when I die, I die a good death a bit worthwhile, or give me strength that I am able to do something, anything worthwhile for the country where I was born where my forefathers lived. I am not sure if I could say what Bhagat Singh wrote "I have been arrested while waging a war. For me there can be no gallows. Put me into the mouth of a cannon and blow me off." These heroes had conquered the fear of death and all I can do is shed a few tears watching ajay devgan or Manoj kumar sing their way to the podium to be hanged with a smile and shouting INQUILAB ZINABAD. On that one thought, I see my roots shaking. The day I can belive even a quarter of what THEY did, I'll find myself worthy to be called a Sankalp Volunteer, a revolutionary, a true Indian.

My life still remains a question to me, and so does my endurance & my extent of sacrifice.

My Oscar Predictions- 2010

2009-12-20T21:23:00.005+05:30

Presenting my predictions of Oscars for the year 2010. Due to my busy schedule, I'm concentrating only on the four of the ten major categories- Director, Film, Lead Actor & Actress. The other six (Editing, Original & Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor & Actress and Cinematography) will be announced later.

This year has been a great year for movies. The big names are back. The best of directors are in the race- Clint Eastwood, Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Ang Lee, Michael Mann, The Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, Woody Allen, Terry Gilliam, Jim Sheridan and Rob Marshall. Here are my predictions-

Best Director/ Film nominees-

Avatar (James Cameron)
Inglorious Basterds (QNT)
Precious (Lee Daniels)
Up In The Air (Jason Reitman)
The Hurt Locker (Katheryn Bigalow)

Other probable nominees-

It's Complicated
Julie & Julia
(500) Days of Summer
An Education

And the winners
Film-

Should be- Avatar or Precious

Will be- Avatar or Precious (or maybe.. Inglorious Basterds)

Director-

Should be- Kathyryn Bigalow for her amazing piece of art (she's also a painter btw).

Will be- Quentin Tarintino for his long due win.

Best Actor-

Morgan Freeman (Invictus)
Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
Colin Firth (A Single Man)
George Clooney (Up in the Air)
Danny Day Lewis (Nine)

Other probable nominees-

Matt Damon (The Informant!)
Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man)
Tobey Maguire (Brothers)
Joeseph Gordon Levitt ((500) Days of Summer)
Robert Downey Jr (Sherlock Holmes)

And the winner

Should be- Jeff Bridges
Will be - George Clooney for his amazing performance and a long due award

Best Actress-

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe (Precious)
Meryl Srteep (Julie & Julia)
Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
Hellen Hirren (The Last Station)
Carey Mulligan (An Education)

Other probable nominees-

Julia Roberts (Duplicity)
Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria)
Marion Cotillard (Nine)
Meryl Streep (Its Complicated)
Sandra Bullock (The Proposal)

And the winner

Should be- Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe for her brilliant performance or Hellen Mirren

Will be- Sandra Bullock for two great performances this year. Or even the deserving one (Gabby or Miren)

I reviewed my 5 favorite films

2009-12-20T17:52:00.002+05:30

I've finally jotted down my reviews to my 5 favorite films (as of December, 2009). Click on links to read my reviews-

Here are some sample pics of my movie collection-

Food For Brain

Why is Sarabhai vs Sarabhai different?

2009-12-20T16:05:00.009+05:30

Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai is a television show that aired on Star One during the year 2005. It will always be remembered for its comic values. What makes this comedy different is its portrayal of characters. A common Hindi sitcom is known to have an old fashioned saas (mother in law), a serious sasur (father in law), an overly charming son and his modern wife and a younger brother being loved by his father (in a way ofcourse). Well, in SVS, everything is just the reverse :) With a cast like Ratna Pathak, Satish Shah, Rajesh Kumar, Rupali Ganguly and Sumeet Rahgavan, this is by far the funniest modern Indian sitcom I've seen. Much of the humor is derived from the artificiality, hypocrisy and shallowness in the interactions of the city's elite and their perceived notions of the shortcomings of middle class society.

The ultimate character is that of Maya. Her confrontations with Monisha are always very suave and sugar-coated. The way she corrects Monisha, when she behaves in a little less sophisticated manner, by saying "It's too Middle class!" and then after all siad and done, she ends it up with her another punchline, "Don't mind hu'h beta, I am just joking". The way Sahil is always sandwitched between his mother and wife is not a new concept (It happens in every family), but the way it is initiated by Satish Shah is hilarious. This show has Satish Shah in his very own self, a character he plays the best; a person who knows to enjoy life and cracks jokes on anyone, anytime. The way he hates Roshesh and bullies him is marvelous. Roshesh' poetry, Monisha's optimized expenses- all put together make a great and a very fresh comedy. The humor is not cheap here; it is always backed up by characters you are familiar with. The stories are so predictable yet are a treat to watch because of your love for the characters.

P.S.- These comments hold good for the first 40 episodes. The next 5 episodes are watchable. The conclusive episodes of the season are a disaster.

Is Open-Source Pro-Communist?

2009-12-19T19:46:00.006+05:30

I recently saw a pic on Flickr that haunted me. The pic says "When you program open source, you're programming Communism" Later in the pic it mentions "A reminder from your friends at Microsoft" [Reference].

I had sleepless nights thinking about it. The diehard open source users I've known, my teacher, my seniors at Sankalp are staunch believers of Socialism. Even if Open Source "is" a form of Communism, is it "that" bad? Maybe "yes" for people in U.S. and Europe who have given Communism such a bad name. It may hurt sentiments of millions of Open Source developers in these countries. I can take this discussion to an end and give my opinion upon it, but I'll leve this as an open question. Recently, I was reading parts of "The Cathedral and The Bazaar" by Eric Raymond when I got some insight into this issue. Linus Torvalds' lack of desire to make money out of Linux is directly attributed to his diehard academic grandfather and his diehard "communist" father [Reference]. The philosophy behind any open source software is simple. Instead of zealously protecting the source code, open source encourages any programmer to tear apart the code and build it back up again. The theory is that this collaborative process encourages innovation and decreases bugs by increasing the number of people with a stake in the project. Open source as defined by Richard Stallman and his GPL "do" equate to communism. One only needs to read his treatise "Why Softwares Shouldn't Have Owners" [Reference] to see the parallels to the Marxist principle of collective property rights over private ownership. Indeed, he reasons that if you engage in the sale of software you are in effect perpetrating theft against your neighbor by denying him free access to that program by means of economic disadvantage. To earn a living by developing and selling software is high treason in Stallman's world of open source, unless it is released under the auspices of the GPL and thus devoid of any proprietary protections.

To me, being a Socialist, it interests me. I have no issues with Open Source being called Communist. Although, I would love to call Open Source "Socialist" instead of Communist. But what about the Open Source programmers in Capitalist nations like U.S or the European nation where Communism is more like a "slang" than a theory? I leave the question open for further discussion.

The Gold Rush- an 85 years old masterpiece

2009-12-18T23:50:00.002+05:30

The Gold Rush is a 1925 silent comedy by Charlie Chaplin. The eternal question for many Chaplin fans is, is The Gold Rush better than City Lights? There are some who would argue for Modern Times or maybe even The Great Dictator. There are even a few who like Monsieur Verdoux. But to say this film is better than City Lights is definitely inviting controversy. As a statement on social mores and values City Lights is far more indicting. As an important piece of film City Lights shows us many things that had never been done before and perhaps may never be done again on the big screen. But as a sheer enjoyable romp in The Little Tramp's world is where City Lights falls short. It is buried in social commentary whereas the Gold Rush has some social issues to deal with. To my belief Gold Rush is the best of Chaplin's works and I will watch it over City Light just for the sheer joy of seeing the artist in his prime. I will justify my point with four unbelievably brilliant scenes from this film-

The one in which he dines on an old shoe. Chaplin's exquisite grace, turned the boiled shoe into a gourmet feast: he carves it carefully, smacks his lips in anticipation, and then eats it with gusto and appreciation, sucking the nails as if they contained the most juices and twirling the laces around his fork as if they were spaghetti.
The one where Big Jim McKay and Charles struggle to get out of their cabin teetering on the edge of a cliff. Its funny? Oh yes! But the underlying camerawork is unmatched. Oscillating the camera and moving the characters accordingly, and the way the final scene is shot when Charles jumps off the cabin the moment it falls down :) This film was shot in 1925
The scene where Charles shows a dance to his imaginary dinner guests using two bread rolls stabbed with forks. They look perfectly like the boots he wears. Perfect!
The scene where Chaplin goes to a great deal of effort to prepare a New Year's dinner and is stood up by his date, spending his New Year's alone. This scene is almost unbearably sad, thankfully it is surrounded by scene after scene that had me giggling.

What a delightful film! I can see the imagination bursting on the screen in riches. Each scene contains surprises and bits of magic. This masterpiece is not just a comedy but an adventure in its best form. There are parts that make me laugh just thinking about them, like the eating shoe scene, fighting over rifle while Chaplin tries to hide from gun, and when the cabin is tipping over the cliff scene. When Chaplin finds Georgia the film unveils some truly touching dramatic moments. I genuinely felt for him. Chaplin is a auteur who can make me laugh and cry at the same time. Brilliant!

City of God- The Brazilian Godfather

2009-12-15T23:21:00.007+05:30

Cidade de Deus, or, City of God is a Brazilian film, directed by Fernando Meirelles, released in the year 2002, tells the story of life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, in an area known as the Cidade De Deus, the City of God. Fortunately or unfortunately, you are left in a world you don't want to visit, it won't be featured on a post card, and it's said to be the city ignored by god himself. This movie makes you feel uncomfortable, puts you on the edge of your seat- you are right into the middle of the City and you too are caught up in it's violent temptation. More importantly, it's about the triumph of the human spirit against all odds.

"What are you doing, you're just a kid?" "I steal, I kill, I carry a gun, how can I be just a kid? I am a man."

The Opening Sequence- Most Amazing!

The one thing that stands out so well in City of God is the photography, narration and above all razor sharp MTV style editing that flaws most films with their own styles. Fernando Meirelles really does ram this film home and paints a really bleak image of Brazil the world is none to familiar with. Among many things that amazed me-

The cinematography is some of the best I have ever seen- with a very visceral, jerky feel, very reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan.
The editing is a kinetic amalgamation of the old styles, and bringing them up to date with the most flashy and modern hip hop styles.
I've never seen such amazing character building in such a short time. Especially that of Knockout Ned, it took a mere 10 mins to bring this character from the nowhere to the lead.
The very first scene of the film, especially tracking the hen from top followed by the most daring jump cut sequence ever!
The football, the music, the heady culture of samba and carnival joie de vivre that never looses its charm. Its Brazil's answer to The Godfather.
Screenplay has never been this good. The way it involves the viewer is an amazing craftswork. You tend to forget that you're watching a Brazilian film. Subtitles fade away as you gasp and close your eyes to this fast paced roller coaster ride!

Well, if you ask me, a gangster film never looked this good. It is as if the camera is released in the wide open beaches, and kicked around like one of Ronaldinho's headers. It starts on the sand and moves steadily across. It picks up on the story but then heads into the sun. It then leaves us, in a journey you'll never forget.

Anabhra Ratri Ki Anupama

2009-12-14T19:57:00.004+05:30

Anabhra Ratri Ki Anupama is a collection of 101 poems by Sourav Roy "Bhagirath". This book is available. To grab a copy for yourself, contact sourav894@gmail.com

Front Cover

Back Cover

Introduction To Anabhra Ratri Ki Anupama By Rajat Agarwal

I have seen people who are philosophers. These people who are essentially feelers by nature, the ones who seem to understand human emotions to the core. Making use of analogy and art, these people are masters at expression. Then these are those who are workers. These are the people who take the philosophical guidelines and convert them into actions. Logical and work oriented, they are straightforward and direct. Sourav has been a pleasant surprise to this understanding of mine. He is a philosophical worker. A person who thinks and feels.
It is hard to believe that a person at such a young age can feel human emotions the way he does. Behind his youthfulness you will find a very sensitive person. His poems are a window into the contemporary society. His poems speak about human pain in a mesmerizing manner that is sure to leave a deep impact in your heart. Sometimes while reading the poems he has written, I have felt my reasonable self give way to the emotional self, felt my heart feel the emotions the poet in him depicts so beautifully.
I am sure Sourav's work will make its mark in the field of literature. And for you, it is surely going to be a wonderful reading, heart touching reading.
Rajat Agarwal
Sankalp India Foundation

Here are some glimpse of the book launch-

(Click on the thumbnail to visit the album)

Anabhra Ratri Ki Anupama 1st Edition Launch

Anabhra Ratri Ki Anupama 2nd Edition Launch

The first edition of this book was launched on 15th August, 2009. It was launched in a seminar hall among my people, my family; the Sankalp volunteers.

The second edition of this book was launched on 4th November, 2009. It was inaugurated by my department HOD, Dr Ashwatha Kumar.

"Rashtragaan"

"Kramshah"

"Rashtragaan" in author's voice

"Kramshah" in author's voice

"Joker" in author's voice

"Chappal Se Lipti Chahatein" in author's voice

Price- Rs 140 (Postal charges extra)

Contact- sourav894@gmail.com

Vertigo- Hitchcock's visual poetry on obsession

2009-12-14T19:43:00.004+05:30

"Vertigo" is a 1958 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. A film about obsession. I would put it among the 5 greatest films ever made. I must confess here, that this blog is also inspired by this film. The showman of popular cinema, Mr. Hitchcock directed a remarkable sequence of films in a row, each of them a classic; Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963). Never has a director made four such genuinely great movies in such a short space of time, either before or since. The pick of this high standard bunch is undoubtedly Vertigo. From the opening titles, with their circling spiral imagery, to the dramatic final scene this is a movie that takes you to a different time and place.

Talking too much about "Vertigo" is not a good idea. There's too many obvious spoilers in recounting the plot of the film. "Vertigo" is a uniquely personal film, not only for Hitchcock, but for a broad array of viewers who, like me have latched onto its tragic story.

The Official Trailer

My favorite scene?

Well... There are many actually. A particular scene with mesmerizing camerawork is when James Stewart(Scottie) and Kim Novak hug. We see from Scottie's point of view- the ghostly figure appears in the eerie green-tinged neon light reflected from the hotel sign outside the window. Her metaphysical, spiritual figure assumes solid shape as she moves out of the ghostly green light and crosses the floor to him, to embrace and kiss passionately. The camera pans and swirls around them (their background surroundings dissolve and place them in the livery stable in Scottie's subjective imagination, a location very important to the film)- the sensation must be the same distorted but gratified feelings Scottie is experiencing- vertigo. Completely lost in the dream, overlapping fantasy and reality, the loving couple continue kissing in front of the pale, greenish haze of the window. Also the definitive dolly zoom effect (the camera is pulled away from a subject whilst the lens zooms in to create the "falling-away-from-oneself feeling") on the staircase of the bell tower to create the vertigo dizziness.

This film is just breathtaking with all its visuals and its aura is just amazing. The cinematography and of course the directing and impeccable acting is just many of the ingredients to Hitchcock's masterpiece. It is a cinematic masterpiece, it is one of the best pictures caught on film, so pure and enigmatic to film history, it flows like good wine, spirally- like the stuff that dreams are made of :)

2001: A Space Odyssey- Beauty is the word!

2009-12-14T16:55:00.006+05:30

2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 science fiction film by Stanley Kubrick (who happens to be my favourite director as well). Being my favorite film, I have recommended this it to almost everyone I know. This blog is more like an answer to those who found this film slow-paced, and for those yet to watch it, you may continue to read this as a disclaimer to the film-

I'll give you a word-
Beauty

Beauty is an under-rated concept. Sure, you'll often see nice photography and so on in films. But when did you last see a film that contains beauty purely for the sake of it? There is a weird belief among cinemagoers that anything which is not plot or character related must be removed. This is depressing hogwash. There is nothing wrong with creating a beautiful sequence that has nothing to do with the film's plot. A director can show 15 minutes of spaceships for no reason than that they are beautiful, and it is neither illegal nor evil to do so.

'2001' requires you to watch it, in a different way than you normally watch films. It requires you to relax. It requires you to experience strange and beautiful images without feeling guilty that there is no complex plot or detailed characterization. Don't get me wrong, plots and characters are good, but they're not the be-all and end-all of everything. There are different kinds of film (this being the best of all), and to enjoy '2001' you must tune your brain to a different wavelength and succumb to the pleasure of beauty, PURE beauty, unfettered by the banal conventions of everyday films.

'2001' is primarily a technical film. The reason it is slow, and filled with minutae is because the aim was to realistically envision the future of technology (and the past, in the awe inspiring opening scenes including an amazing jump cut sequence). The film's greatest strength is in the details. Remember that when this film was made, man still hadn't made it out to the moon... but there it is in 2001, and that's just the start of the journey. To create such an incredibly detailed vision of the future that 35 years later it is still the best we have is beyond belief - I still can't work out how some of the shots were done.

The Official Trailer

The film uses invisible but powerful forces to manipulate the plot but perhaps the most overwhelming one is the picture's vision of man... In Kubrick's fantasy, the Golden Age of man was a neglected instant between a man-ape's exaltation at discovering the first weapon and a nuclear-powered spaceship floating in a graceful orbit around the Earth. Man has indeed evolved As a spectacle "2001" assaults the mind, eye and ear, with stimulating images and suggestions. We are surrounded by a totally believable futuristic environment.The film is filled with brilliant sequences and extraordinary moments: The first interesting minutes in which the story of the apes is told visually, without a single line of dialog; the zero-gravity toilet with its great list of instructions; the stewardess defying gravity by walking the walls calmly upside down; the frightening moment when we realize that HAL is reading the astronauts lips; the magical alignments of Sun, Moon, and Earth; the "Starchild" returning home to charm the orb. "2001" is filled with poetic imagery: the view of the Sun rising over the Earth; the tossing of the bone into the air in slow motion; the slow images of the giant spaceship revolving in a cosmic ballet. "2001" is also a work of great visual acuity. It allows us to view more than the mystery of existence and destiny implicit in every man. Its end troubles many viewers as they demand clarity where there can only be mystery. They insist upon an answer where there can only be a question. Every viewer had a different explanation of the mysterious end of Kubrick's film. But for those who can accept mysticism, the climax is deeply moving.

"2001" is unique among films in content and scope. The cinematography is out-of-this-world, the special and visual effects are breathtaking, and the classical music is sublime. Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" is art in the highest sense, like Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa", or Van Gogh's "The Starry Night". It is actually more than that!

"Rashomon"- the greatest cinematic exploration of the unfathomable human psyche

2009-12-14T16:18:00.005+05:30

"Rashomon" is a 1950 Japanese film by Akira Kurosawa, highly regarded for its philosophical undertones and its exploration of the unfathomable human psyche, "Rashomon" is a brilliantly spun riddle. It is about the four people, who give four different versions of the testimonies at the court, on the recently occurred crime. I'd like to focus here on what I think is the rarest of Kurosawa'a abilities: the way he changes the eye of the camera- and the composition of the world it creates for us, for each of the narratives- some are impressionistic; some flat and full of contrast; some deep. Some are composed around people, some around the environment with people in it, some around fleeting motion. Sometimes the words are the organizing principle, sometimes images.

The story itself deserves a mention: A husband & wife traveling through woods are attacked by a thief, who ties up the husband and rapes the wife. This is as much of the story as we can be sure of. The husband ends up dead of a stab wound. How did he die? Who was responsible? Each of the three give their accounts before a court (the dead husband through a medium!), and each account is entirely different. A woodcutter who witnessed the events gives a fourth, entirely different, account.

The Theatrical Trailer-

"Rashomon" is very much a visual film. It would be reduced to unimportant and insignificant fare without the cinematography, which captures the mood and feel of the jungle perfectly, as does the score. The film achieves an epic feel very rare for films filmed in fullscreen, especially during the battle between the bandit and the samurai during the last telling of the story. Kurosawa was also wise enough to choose a location for the film that would accurately capture the eerie, slightly disturbing mood of the story.

According to my teacher Mr. P M Krishnaraj {Reference}-

"Worth mention is also a line in the movie where the bandit says “it was a very hot afternoon. I was lying under a tree and resting. I saw a samurai who was moving with his wife in a horse. I would not have anything but for a cool breeze…which moved the veil move from the lady’s face and i was mesmerized by her beauty”

Now, how will a normal director shoot this scene. I can think of 3 shots which are cut like this-

shot 1: Bandit lying under tree. Sweat on his face (to denote hot afternoon)

shot 2: Moving shot of bandit and his wife on a horse

shot 3: Wind machine blowing and the veil of lady flowing

But Akira shot this in a very innovative way. And I think that speak volumes about his sheer talent. Here the bandit is clearly shown as a man who has walked long under hot sun and observe the shades of the leaves over his body. In the scene, bandit is sleeping in this state and suddenly the shades on his face starts moving. Not a wild movement, but a gentle move which clearly captures the phrase “cool breeze”. So without using that wind machine, you have shown what was the intention in the script."

My favourite shot in the movie is one which starts with the husband and wife kneeling, facing each other, a view of the wife over the shoulder of the husband; the camera then moves round to the side and simultaneously zooms in on the wife's profile; then pulls back behind the wife, ending with a view of the husband's face over the shoulder of the wife - a mirror image of the initial shot in the sequence. Absolutely awesome! And dating from 1950! Unbelievable!

8 1/2, an autobiographical masterpiece

2009-12-14T14:26:00.009+05:30

8 1/2 is of the most original and spellbinding films I know of. One of the beauties of cinema is to merge the artist's memory and fantasy; Fellini certainly utilized this magic to present his story and characters that embody both humanity and mystery. This film is an autobiographical piece (of Fellini himself) about a movie director named Guido, how his life is consumed by his increasing obsession with work. He avoids questions and problems as if they will go away somehow, only to experience more questions and problems. Ultimately, Guido realizes the only way to solve his problems is to face them rather than escaping, accepting himself instead of wishing he was someone else.

The opening dream sequence is most deftly crafted. Guido is trapped in a traffic jam. He loses his breath while unsuccessfully trying to escape from his car. People around (in their vehicles) are starring at him. The whole scene is mute (except the constant monotonous sound) and, from time to time, it freezes. Suddenly, he is free, and flying towards sky. Then, one of his assistants pulls him down to earth. The sequence brilliantly captures Guido's problems (which are dealt with in the rest of the picture) and exposes them metaphorically: him STUCK in traffic, TRAPPED in smoke, SUFFOCATING, wanting to escape, and pulled back down by his peers. Guido wants to make a movie about his (and Fellini's) MEMORIES: how once upon a time he learned about a chant that moves pictures, and the time he danced with the fat feminine prostitute figure. The other main component of his movie involves launching into space, a FANTASY that reflects Guido's (and Fellini's) desire to escape from worldly matters.

The Opening Sequence-

In real life, Guido is having problems with everything from his wife to his movie. So he thinks a beautiful actress, whom he fantasizes but knows little to nothing about, will be the solution to all his problems. When Guido meets the actress, he realizes she can't solve his problems, only he himself has the choice. This realization leads to the film's closure, with Guido having learned what's important to him and the inevitability of taking responsibility. There is also a scene where he is persuaded to ask a catholic priest for an advice about the content of his next film (since his films are widely released there is a moral issue). But he apparently has an aversion towards Church. And then, during a conversation with this priest, Guido suddenly associates his early childhood event (watching a dance of a prostitute Saraghina, and the subsequent punishment by one priest). So, the current event forces its cause to come out of his subconsciousness. Then, there is a scene – quarrel between Guido and his wife (played by Anuk Aimee) while sitting outdoors. She is complaining about his mistress(es) and he is denying everything. Then, his mistress (Sandra Milo) suddenly arrives and, after she saw Guido with his wife, sits to one table not so close. Guido's wife noticed that and realized that woman is his mistress. So, she is continuing her quarrel with him. And then comes one of the most visceral and fascinating scenes in the Movie History. Suddenly, wishful fantasy starts… Guido's wife stands up, coming towards mistress. They are kissing each other like longtime friends and making a nice conversation. Then, Guido enters his house from the childhood (which is shown before) with some presents in his hands. And, there are like 20 women around him fighting for his attention. He is whipping them (dominate them). And there is his wife – peaceful, calm, conservative, loving… So, under the pressure of all-around-him messes he is fantasying. This is psychologically known as the regression to the pleasure principle and is very common. This scene is known as "The Harem Scene" and like others is followed by brilliant, very suitable music score. From time to time, Guido is fantasying a beautiful young woman (Claudia Cardinale). She is another projection of his narcissism – an ideal woman to please all of his wishes not making a single complaint. Rosella represents (symbolizes) his super-ego. Pay attention to their phone conversation. Also in Harem scene (harem is actually his Id, fulfilling all his infantile fantasies) she is ABOVE him making complaints. His producer is "paternal figure". All his father's wishes, demands to Guido are now "reactivated" with producer. Pay attention to very interesting first "fantasy" scene in the movie (on the grave). Father asks a man something like:" How is my boy doing"? and the man makes face like: "Well...". Later we discover that the man is his producer. Guido's wife and his mother, the same thing. And we discover this in the same scene when his mother turns into his wife. Critical writer may represent his raw intellect but also artistic vanity while Conocchia is his neglected emotional aspect. At the end of the movie, he eventually becomes aware of the causes of his confusion and self-deceptions (this sudden awareness is symbolized by "shooting himself", shooting his confusion that is) and having a final monologue: "...Accept me as I am. Only then can we discover each other..."

It isn't really possible to place `8 ½' in any simple category. It is a comedy and a tragedy, a satire and a celebration, a movie about love and about the lack of it, a movie about making art and a movie about living, an autobiography and the most challenging kind of fiction, a masterpiece of style and a movie that's really about something. It's not for everyone, but it should be, and it's quite possibly the single greatest movie I have ever seen. 11 out of 10.

Bharat Ek Khoj

2009-12-02T19:13:00.007+05:30

I still remember how much I waited for the four amazing television shows on Doordarshan. Those days were simply the most glorious days of Doordarshan-

1. Vyomkesh Bakshi

2. Bharat Ek Khoj

3. Malgudi Days

4. Surabhi

'Bharat Ek Khoj' was aired for quite a long time. This was first aired in the year I was born. There were 53 episodes, each for a day of the week. 53 episode television series that dramatically unfolds the 5000 year history of India from its beginnings to the coming of independence in 1947. It is a series of explorations into the different periods of Indian history and was made in 1988 by the writer, director and producer Shyam Benegal. The serial is based on a book written by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, The Discovery of India.

This series was telecast on Doordarshan. The starcast included Om Puri and Roshan Seth. Pandit Nehru was portrayed by Roshan Seth, who had previously portrayed Nehru in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi in 1982. With an amazing pictorial presentation of Roshan Seth and enchanting tough voice of Om Puri making the serial one of the best TV series aired in India along with Malgudi Days. Categorizing it with documentary, it is the best documentary aired in India along with Surabhi. It portrays the Indian history with some fictional stories to make it more interesting. The timeline and the historical records it provided was a good source of knowledge about Indian history.

The starting track is a great composition by Vanraj Bhatia derived from Rig Veda, Book 10, Hymn 129

नासदासीन नो सदासीत तदानीं नासीद रजो नो वयोमापरो यत |

किमावरीवः कुह कस्य शर्मन्नम्भः किमासीद गहनं गभीरम ||

सृष्टि से पहले सत नहीं था

असत भी नहीं

अंतरिक्ष भी नहीं

आकाश भी नहीं था

छिपा था क्या, कहाँ

किसने ढका था

उस पल तो

अगम अतल जल भी कहां था

सृष्टि का कौन है कर्ता?

कर्ता है वह अकर्ता

ऊँचे आकाश में रहता

सदा अध्यक्ष बना रहता

वही सचमुच में जानता

या नहीं भी जानता

है किसी को नही पता

नही पता

नही है पता

नही है पता

वो था हिरण्य गर्भ सृष्टि से पहले विद्यमान

वही तो सारे भूत जाति का स्वामी महान

जो है अस्तित्वमान धरती आसमान धारण कर

ऐसे किस देवता की उपासना करें हम हवि देकर

जिस के बल पर तेजोमय है अंबर

पृथ्वी हरी भरी स्थापित स्थिर

स्वर्ग और सूरज भी स्थिर

ऐसे किस देवता की उपासना करें हम हवि देकर

गर्भ में अपने अग्नि धारण कर पैदा कर

व्यापा था जल इधर उधर नीचे ऊपर

जगा चुके व एकमेव प्राण बनकर

ऐसे किस देवता की उपासना करें हम हवि देकर

ऊँ! सृष्टि निर्माता, स्वर्ग रचयिता पूर्वज रक्षा कर

सत्य धर्म पालक अतुल जल नियामक रक्षा कर

फैली हैं दिशायें बाहु जैसी उसकी सब में सब पर

ऐसे ही देवता की उपासना करें हम हवि देकर

ऐसे ही देवता की उपासना करें हम हवि देकर

The list of episodes-

Bharat Mata Ki Jai
The Beginnings
The Arrival of the Vedic People (the Rigveda)
Caste Formation
Mahabharata Part 1
Mahabharata Part 2
Ramayana Part 1
Ramayana Part 2
Republics and Kingdoms
Negation and Acceptance of Life
Chanakya and Chandragupta Part 1
Chanakya and Chandragupta Part 2
Ashoka Part 1
Ashoka Part 2
The Sangam Period: Silapaddirakam Part 1
The Sangam Period: Silapaddirakam Part 2
The Classical Age
Kalidas and Shakuntala Part 1
Kalidas and Shakuntala Part 2
Harshavardhana
Bhakti
The Chola Empire Part 1
The Chola Empire Part 2
The Delhi Sultanate and Prithviraj Raso Part 1
The Delhi Sultanate and Prithviraj Raso Part 2
The Delhi Sultanate and Padmavat
Synthesis
The Vijayanagar Empire
Feudalism
The Fall of the Vijayanagar Empire
Rana Sanga, Ibrahim Lodi and Babur
Akbar Part 1 (Din-e-Ilahi)
Akbar Part 2
Golden Hind
Aurangzeb Part 1
Aurangzeb Part 2
Shivaji Part 1
Shivaji Part 2
Company Bahadur
Tipu Sultan
The Bengal Renaissance and Raja Ram Mohan Roy
1857 Part 1
1857 Part 2
Indigo Revolt
Mahatma Phule
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
Vivekananda
Extremists and Moderates
And Gandhi Came Part 1
And Gandhi Came Part 2
Separatism
Do or Die
Epilogue

This series has been telecasted many times on Doordarshan and is a must for any intellectual. It has a characteristic Shyam benegal style of concentrating on mental conflicts rather than showing war details or opulence of courts. Anyone who keeps on branding Veda communal will have an idea of deep philosophy inherent in them by listening to the tracks. Costumes of all the ages have been captured very efficiently and some of the episodes are my favorite like one on civil disobedience in 1930, quit India in 1942 , Shivaji 1 (It is the only televised account of Shivaji in which his conflicts with local Hindu chieftains are shown). There were some episodes with more philosophical value rather than historical like one in which India law on parentage is illustrated by a boy being branded shudra though his mother was a vaisya, his biological father a Brahman and his adopted father was a kshatriya king or the one involving Ashoka's brother and how he turns to become a Buddhist monk. It is evident that more emphasis is placed on social and economic moorings. Now this may be depiction of Portuguese Mughal conflict for trade interests or an episode where small songs for each of six seasons were sung in traditional tones. I remember the days when it was being telecast and not many had heard of it and had any inclination for it as well. But those of us who did watch it- it was a lifetime experience, from Om Puri intro voice to the actors enacting the days and era gone by- it was mesmerizing for kids like us. What separated it from the Ramayana and Mahabharata of the days was the bare and realistic approach to the facts- It had no pomp or grandeur and there lied the strength of the director.

Timeless Nostalgia.....Continues :)

Watch the episodes of Bharat Ek Khoj on You Tube here

क्रमशः

2009-11-19T19:29:00.001+05:30

क्रमशः

I
वो आंसू पीता हुआ बोला -
"हमका माफ कर दीजे हुजुर"
पर ठेकेदार पीटता रहा -
"बहुत देखे तेरे जैसे मजूर !
नेतागिरी दिखाते हो ?
कामचोरी करते हो ?
पहले तो काम के लिए रोते हो..
जो मिलता है तो सर पर ही चहड़ जाते हो !"
"मगर हम तो..."
"चोप्प साला ! बहस करता है
मुह ना दिखाना |
पेट सीने में दफन हो जाए
तब भी ना आना |
बहस करता है !
आँख दिखता है |"
ठेकेदार ने हाँफते हुए आखिरी लात लगायी
थक गए थे जनाब |
थूक कर चलने लगे...
"हाँ कमजोर को तो सभी सताते है साहब !"
बाकी मज़दूरों ने उसे उठाया
"मालिक लोग का मू काहे लगते हो ?
इन्ही का रहम से घर में कभी कभार चूल्हा जलता है..."
वह चुपचाप वहां से चल दिया..
मुह के खून को भी गोट लिया...
थूकता तो मालिक गुस्सा करते !

II
लड़खड़ाते कदम
अपनी झोपड़ी की ओर बढ़ते जाते थे |
कोई देहाती गीत मानों लबों पर आते थे
पर कराहने से फुर्सत न मिलता |
"साला... कहता है कि कामचोर है
बहस करता है
पगार बढ़ाने कि बात की थी
मु... मुन्ना बीमार है..."
आंसू पोंछ उसने दरवाजा खटखटाया
अन्दर चुप्पी थी |
उसने दरवाज़े पर अपने लड़खड़ाते हाथ दे मारे |
बीवी ने कपाट खोला |
"का हुआ जी इतना खून...!!"
"का कर रही थी इत्ती देर !
कबसे दरवाजा पीट रखे हैं हम..
तनिक जल्दी नहीं आ सकती थी !"
"आ ही तो रही थी, वो मुन्ना..."
उसने बीवी के बाल झपट लिए
उसे ज़मीन पर गिरा दिया
और बेरहमी से पीटने लगा |
बीवी रो रही थी - "काहे मारते हो..
कमजोर को काहे सताते हो..."
"बहस करती है
आँख दिखाती है !"
वो मारता जा रहा था |

-क्रमशः

-Sourav Roy "Bhagirath"

चप्पल से लिपटी चाहतें

2009-11-19T18:57:00.009+05:30

चप्पल से लिपटी चाहतें...

चाहता हूँ
एक पुरानी डायरी
कविता लिखने के लिए
एक कोरा काग़ज़
चित्र बनाने के लिए
एक शांत कोना
पृथ्वी का
गुनगुनाने के लिए |

चाहता हूँ
नीली - कत्थई नक्शे से निकल
हरी ज़मीन पर रहूँ |
चाहता हूँ
भीतर के वेताल को
निकाल फेकूं |
खरीदना है मुझे
मोल भाव करके
आलू प्याज़ बैंगन
अर्थशास्त्र पढ़ने से पहले |
चाहता हूँ कई अनंत यात्राओं को
पूरा करना |
बादल को सूखने से बचाना चाहता हूँ |
गेहूं को भूख से बचाना चाहता हूँ
और कपास को नंगा होने से |
रोटी कपड़े और मकान को
स्पंज बनने से बचाना चाहता हूँ |
इन अनथकी यात्राओं के बीच
मुझे कीचड़ से निकलकर
जाना है नौकरी मांगने...||

-Sourav Roy "Bhgirath"

"Debt-ridden farmers announce that their villages, and some their kidneys, are for sale"- THE HINDU

2009-11-16T11:32:00.004+05:30

"Kidney Sale Centre," proclaims a banner sprawled across a ramshackle bamboo tent at Shingnapur village in Amravati district of Maharashtra. The farmers here are threatening to sell their kidneys. "We have invited the Prime Minister and the President to inaugurate this kidney shop. They should allow us to sell our kidneys. We are all ruined by debt. Many farmers are killing themselves. Our kidneys are all we have left to sell," says Madhavgir Champat Giri, who sold all his land to pay his bank loan.

Residents of Shingnapur and other villages such as Dorli, Lehegaon and Shivni Rasulapur in the Vidarbha region have adopted a novel way of highlighting their plight by declaring that their village is up for sale. Farmers are no longer able to survive off the land. Every day, local newspapers report at least two cases of suicide by farmers. Since June 2005, 309 farmers have killed themselves, unable to bear the pressures of huge debts, grim poverty and loss of self-esteem. However, it is the first time that people have protested.

"Earlier, I even had money to dig a well on my field. Now, I have nothing," says Madhavgir. "I sold my land. I can't find work. No one can afford to pay farm labourers. There's no food at home, no clothes. We have become hungry and are roaming like dogs. We just drink water to fill our stomachs and go to sleep."

This once-prosperous cotton belt in eastern Maharashtra has faced the brunt of 15 years of liberalisation. Production cost of cotton has multiplied three to five times, but its market price has fallen from Rs.2,500 a quintal in 1991 to Rs.1,785 now. Prices of other crops have also fallen. Most farmers are running up huge losses and have to borrow heavily to keep afloat. Since most of them have defaulted on loan repayments the banks are unwilling to extend fresh loans. Their only recourse is to borrow from the trader-moneylender at 60 to 120 per cent interest. This has ensured that the farmers are trapped in debt.

"This year has been very bad," says Suryapal Chavan, an All India Kisan Sabha activist from Shingnapur. "Both the soya and cotton crops were washed out by heavy rains. Worse, the government has lowered the price at which it procures cotton by Rs.500. People are worried about how they will run their homes and get money to sow in the next season," he says.

It is the end of the harvest season, but the government has not even opened procurement centres to buy cotton. Yards that were once crowded with bullock-carts loaded with cotton and where farmers waited for days to sell their produce are now deserted. Farmers now sell to traders since they offer a rate that is only slightly lower than the government rate - Rs.1,500-Rs.1,700 a quintal. "There was a time when cartloads of cotton would leave this village. This year not a single cart has left," says Giri. Government procurement is just 6.25 lakh quintals this season where as it was 185 lakh quintals last season. Last year, the government opened 410 procurement centres. This year, there are only 160.

Once cotton was considered `white gold', and Vidarbha's black soil was perfect for its cultivation. There are 2.5 million cotton producers in eight districts in Vidarbha. With liberalisation, the `white gold' became worthless. The government has withdrawn market controls, tariffs and subsidies for agriculture, leaving Indian farmers to compete with farmers in the United States and the European Union who are protected by trade restrictions and provided with billions of dollars as subsidy. The 2002 Farm Bill in the U.S. alone gave $190 billion to large companies growing cotton, wheat, corn, soybean, rice, barley, oats and sorghum.

"Ten years back, the international price of cotton lint was $1.10 a pound ($2.42 a kilo) but now it is 52 cents. The retail price of cotton then was Rs.40 a metre, and it is now Rs.80. Retail prices have doubled but farmers are forced to sell their produce at half the price," says Vijay Jawandhia, an activist of the Shetkari Sanghatana. The government does not even provide proper infrastructure such as irrigation or marketing facilities.

A banner that announces the "sale" of the village.

The Central government can protect its producers from imports and crashing international prices by hiking the import duty on cotton. At present it is only 10 per cent. Import duty on other products such as sugar (60 per cent), rice (80 per cent) and secondhand cars (180 per cent) are much higher. "The government is willing to protect sugar farmers and foreign car manufacturers here but not cotton farmers. Imports have flooded the market and prices have fallen," says Jawandhia.

The U.S., the E.U., Japan and Canada restrict trade from developing countries by keeping tariffs on food products at 350 per cent to 900 per cent. India provides incentives to agricultural imports. But the `free market' does not apply to all agricultural goods. Some are favoured more than others. For instance, Maharashtra's politically powerful sugar cooperative lobby has ensured that sugar remains protected. "The Central government regulates the flow of sugar into the market so that its price is steady. Why don't they do the same to protect cotton farmers?" asks Jawandhia. Left with no alternative, farmers in the region are threatening to abandon agriculture and to sell their kidneys.

The flashpoint in Shingnapur came when suicide struck closer to home, in the village. On the night of December 16, 2005, Jagdish Deshmukh, 40, killed himself by swallowing pesticide. "We held a meeting and decided that we have to organise people. So we started this kidney sale agitation. What other solution? People are so desperate that some would really sell their kidneys, if given a chance," says Chavan.

Jagdish's wife Sangeeta is left to look after their three children and repay the debt. He owed the bank Rs.11,000, but she does not know how much he had borrowed from moneylenders. "This season we got nothing, just 20 kg of cotton and no soyabean. Bank officials came to demand the loan five days before he killed himself. They also came three days after," said Sangeeta.

Now she grows vegetables on their farm and sells them to earn Rs.10 to 20 every day. "We have an electricity bill of Rs.7,000. Yesterday they came and threatened to cut our connection if we don't pay. If they do that, then I won't be able to grow vegetables without the water pump. We'll be left with nothing." Her 12-year-old son Sandeep dropped out of secondary school. Now he goes around the village selling vegetables.

The recession has affected all aspects of village life. People are selling off their cattle. For the first time, landless labourers from Shingnapur have migrated to cities. Meet the `Mumbai Return' gang - the eight who ventured out to try their luck in the big city. Their first adventure outside their village did not last long. "We went to a construction site at Nerul, where we worked for two days. Then there was no work and two of our friends got malaria, so we spent all our money to put them in hospital. As soon as they got out of hospital, we hopped on a train ticketless and came back home," said Maruti Ade, a landless worker.

Maruti and his wife Reena find it more difficult to get work even once a week. Those who own land cannot afford to hire people for work. "Many are shifting to soyabean, and cultivating less cotton and jowar because their prices are so low. That means less work for us, because there is no need for much labour in soyabean harvesting. Cotton harvesting gives women a lot of work, and men are needed for the jowar crop," said Reena. "Those who used to grow tur and jowar and distribute them to us don't have grain in their own homes now."

The crisis has affected all - rich and poor. Meet Anil Tatte of Lehegaon in Amravati district. He won a Krishi Bhushan award from the State government. His innovative farm techniques made his yield double that of other farmers. But, today he is sinking along with the rest of this village. They too have declared that their village is up for sale. He said: "This year I even tried Bt cotton. It is expensive. I spent Rs.80,000 on my 10 acres (4 hectares) and got only Rs.50,000."

The "Farmers'kidney Sale Centre" in Shingnapur village.

Lehegaon, situated in what was once called India's Orange County, was once prosperous. "In the last five years there has been very little water. I have had to cut all the 2,000 orange trees in my orchard. They all dried up," says Anil Tatte. As in most places in Vidarbha, the problem here is irrigation. Only 10 per cent of land in the region is irrigated. In Lehegaon, even private wells have run dry, as the water table has fallen. "The Upper Wardha dam is near our village, but we don't get water from it. Pipelines from there go to the adjoining Wardha district," Tatte said.

The ginning factory in the village, which used to employ 400 people, has not opened this season. Dairy has collapsed. "Ten years back we had 600 cattle. Now we have 60. The price we get for milk is too low. There is a bank here. But now only a few traders go there. Recently the government arrested many moneylenders. Even they have stopped lending. They were the only source of funds for farmers," says Nilesh Tatte, a young farmer.

Residents of Shivni Rasulapur, next to Shingnapur, has also said that they will mortgage the entire village to pay off their debts. "The only time officials visit us is when the bank officers come to collect our loans. Or when the electricity board threatens to cut our lines. Otherwise no one has bothered," said Purshottom Bansod, a farmer leading the agitation.

"I want to sell my land. But no one has the money to buy it," says Arun Chambhare, a small farmer from Dorli, the first village to be "put up for sale". "We are living in darkness. They cut my electricity line. My daughter studies for her Class XII exam with a lantern," he says. Dorli, a predominantly Dalit village, has 47 families, of which 32 are registered as below the poverty line. Many more are sliding further downhill. And many more villages will be put up for sale.

Read the report in The Hindu

Project Sparsh- Relief For Victims Of Karnataka Floods

2009-10-10T01:14:00.005+05:30

Sankalp India Foundation
Sankalp India Foundation has initiated a massive relief Operation Sparsh for the people suffering from the floods in North Karnataka. People have been rendered homeless and they are housed in relief camps. Our goal will be to ensure that we reach out to these relief camps and participate in the activity that aims to provide immediate assistance to the people by mobilizing resources that are needed the most. We have been in touch with local groups who have been actively participating in the relief work since one week. We have also been in touch with relevant government officials who will be able to give us dependable information on the happenings. According to inputs received from these sources, food, blankets, household products and sanitary products in the same order of importance are the things needed in an immediate sense. Our attempt will involve to mobilize these resources and use the knowledge of the mentioned sources of information to choose the most worthy and needy recipients of the supplies and make sure that they are handed over to them. Furthermore, starting today Tuesday, 6 October, 2009 one of our volunteers will be present at Ground0 to understand the ground realities better and participate in relief measures.

Read More Visit-
Sankalp India Foundation- Project Sparsh
Live Updates
Project Sparsh

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जोकर

2009-09-30T16:48:00.016+05:30

जोकर

मुझे घड़ी के अलार्म पर उठाना है
कुकर की सीटी का इंतज़ार करना है
और अपनी मौत पर मर जाना है |
मुझे बिना शहीद हुए भी मरना आता है !
सवाल ये नहीं है
परन्तु जवाब है-
'मुझे क्या करना आता है?'

-Sourav Roy "Bhagirath"

राष्ट्रगान

2009-09-30T16:35:00.020+05:30

राष्ट्रगान

जहां प्यार करने के लिए
दिल होने से ज्यादा गुंडा होना ज़रूरी है |
जहां 'सत्य' शब्द का इस्तेमाल
केवल अर्थी ले जाने पर किया जाता है |
जहां का राष्ट्रीय पशु कीचड़ में रहता है |
और राष्ट्रीय पुष्प भी कीचड़ में ही बहता है |
जहां के डॉक्टर थर्मामीटर पढ़ना नहीं जानते
और कुत्ते अपने बच्चों को नहीं पहचानते |
जहां का हर चोर प्रधानमंत्री बनना चाहता है |
और हर नेता अभिनेता; और हर अभिनेता नेता |
जहां की आज़ादी का जशन
ढोल ताशों संग मनाया जाता है
और अगले रोज़ गटर में बहता तिरंगा पाया जाता है |
जहां टीवी, रेडियो, फ्रीज रिश्ते तय करते हैं
और लड़की के हाथ की लकीरों को फाड़कर
उसमे खून की मेहंदी रच दी जाती है |
जहां के सरहद निर्दोषों के खून से रंग दिए जाते हैं
सीज़फायर के लिए |
जहां के श्रेष्ठ अस्पताल में मरीज़ मर जाता है
क्योंकि उसे रक्तदान करने वाला सूई से डर जाता है |
जहां के मजूर भूखे पेट मर जाते हैं
और उसके मालिक के कुत्ते बिस्कुट खाने से मुकर जाते हैं |
जहां के मध्यम वर्गीय लोग साले मरते न जीते हैं
खूंटे पर अपनी इज्ज़त को टांग, अपना ही खून पीते हैं |
जहां का बेटा प्यार में औन्धे मुंह इस कदर गड़ जाता है
माता पिता के सपनों से खेल, काठ सा अकड़ जाता है |
जहां लड़की के जन्म पर शोकगीत गाई जाती है
फिर उसके मौत पर गरीबों में कचौड़ी खिलाई जाती है
जहां मिट्टी के कीड़े, मिट्टी खाकर, मिट्टी उगलते हैं
फिर उसी मिट्टी पर छाती के बल चलते हैं |
जहां कागज़ पर क्षणों में फसल उगाए जाते हैं |
और उसी कागज़ में आगे कहीं वे
गरीबों में जिजीविषा भी बंटवाते हैं |
जहां चीख की भाषा छिछोरी हो गयी है
लेटेस्ट फैशन गालियों का है |
उस नपुंसक किन्तु सभ्य समाज में
कुछ कुत्तों के बीच घिरा अकेला कुत्ता
फिर भी चीखता है -
" घिन्न होती है सोचते हुए कि
छुटपन में मैंने कभी गाया था -
सारे जहाँ से अच्छा... "

-Sourav Roy "Bhagirath"

Its Dengue Which is Killing!!

2009-09-28T12:01:00.010+05:30

Every day as I scan through the news sites I get to read more and more about H1N1. And every time this happens I get more and more frustrated with the way things are portrayed in the media. Since June this year we at Sankalp are having a horrible time. This is because of the unprecedented rise in the number of people suffering from dengue. Out of the few hundred requests for blood we have seen in last few weeks, we have come across 4 people who failed to get sufficient blood on time. All four of them were suffering from dengue! We have been working closely with emergency services since last 6 years. Never have we seen a particular disease take this high toll. Blood banks are out of platelets and each day scores of people are getting infected with the dengue virus. Still, I could find little news about the viral. Hardly anyone reported the fact that the disease is spreading more each day. The media failed to take notice of the immense shortage of platelets in the blood banks. Life just seemed to be so normal. With a mortality rate of dengue known to be close to 5% (Source: http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Dengue-and-Chikungunya-3A-The-Dirge-of-a-Nation-14892-2/) it is not something that the nation should have been ignoring so blatantly. Think of it.

Introduction To H1N1

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Did you

get to hear too much about the prevalence of dengue?
hear about how to save yourself from dengue?
See anyone taking steps to kill mosquitoes with an increased sense of urgency?

It will be a surprise to me if your answer is ‘yes’ for the above questions. If it is dengue, or if it is Chikungunya, it is just another infection that comes each year and kills a few from the billion that live in this nation.

Then H1N1 came. Switch on a news channel and you get to hear about it. Every child in the nation has been scared of this new viral infection. The general feeling in the public is that soon H1N1 is going to wipe the chunk of the civilization away! With all this ho halla, the media and the Government sweeping into action, no stone is being left unturned to overdo the preparedness to the level that the caution converts into fear and the fear makes way for horror! Masks are being sold at 10 times the price. School assemblies are cancelled. Tension is in the air. Each death that can remotely be linked to swine flu is being aired by the media with the minutest of detail.

It is not bad to prepare, but doing this for swine flu when the doctors claim that it is just flu but a more contagious variety of it is what I question. The mortality rate of H1N1 is less than 0.01% to 0.4%. This is pathetically low compared to several other season outbreaks of disease in our nation. Why then is swine flu getting all the attention?

I think I know the answer. And I am presenting the answer to you in two images that I have picked below:

Dengue Prevalence:

H1N1 Prevalence:

I know my answer now. Dengue has assumed a low profile just because it is not prevalent in the US and Europe. H1N1 is the talk of the town because it is what concerns the developed world!

CAUTION: Please do not see this article as underestimating H1N1. It is an attempt to highlight the issue that has been grossly disregarded. I hope and pray for the day when the Government and Media of our nation acts on the needs of the country rather than blindly following their western counterparts!

In-fact with the news reports about H1N1, we are heading towards a situation where a large number of people may die. Not because of the virus itself, but because of the fear, because of people not donating blood!

-Rajat Aggarwal

(Visit- http://www.sankalpindia.net)

The Rising

2009-09-24T12:28:00.010+05:30

"let us declare that the state of war does exist & shall exist so long as the Indian toiling masses & the natural resources are being exploited by a handful of parasites. They may be purely British capatilists or mixed British and Indian or even purely Indian."
-Bhagat Singh
(In his leter to the Punjab Governor;
"No Hanging, Please Shoot Us")

While reading these lines during my train journey back home, I couldn't sleep. A deep unrest clouded over me. If it was Bhagat Singh living to determine what is to be done on the present state of our nation, what would he have done? Aren't we exploited by Indians? (I hate to say "our own country men" in this context). Has the exploitation stopped? Then what are we waiting for? Are we waiting for a messaiah to improve things for us? Or are we hurriedly living to die before we see the day of judgement? I still remember some guys in hostel cheering on the rumors that even if a meteor hits earth a hundred years from now, they won't exist to see that! What a shame!!

I like articles and fiction more than newspaper. Newspapers crib. My understanding of today shouts on me that we need to rise up! Rising means a change, the greatest revolution of all times. A revolution that is not decided over meetings or dipped in bloodshed. BUT Revolution in the most regular things we do. Revolution in way we walk on streets. Stop cursing the municipality for a road blockage. Is it just their job because they are paid for doing it? It is an opportunity for everyone else! A privilege! Changes in the most basic things we do, may it be donating blood, or casting our vote. Let this revolution live! Live long. Live forever! Revolution is first within. We must learn to walk alone; each one of us!

Patriotic Rafi Saheb

2009-09-17T12:01:00.006+05:30

Jahan Daal Daal Par…………………..Sone Ki Chidiya Karati Hai Basera………….Woh Bharat Desh Hai Mera…………….
It was a one of the best patriotic song of Hindi Film Music. Rafi Saheb in his golden voice wonderfully describes the unique and prosperous natural, cultural, social characteristics of our country in the song from Kedar Kapoor’s SIKANDAR-E-AZAM (1965), composed by Hansraj Bhel in the great lyrics of Qamar Jalalabadi and the song was picturised on Prem Nath and Prem Chopra.
I was listening to a few AR Rehman songs, when I realized that Mohd. Rafi is no less when it comes to patriotism through music. These are the songs we sing together when we celebrate the glory of the cause we work for- our motherland. This is a tribute to the great man; Mohd. Rafi!
In 1948, Rafi Saheb was distinguished for the singing the song “Suno Suno Aye Duniya Waaloon Bapuji Ki Amar Kahini” after premature demise of Mahatma Gandhi, written by Rajendra Krishan and composed by Husanlal Bhagatram. In the same year, Rafi Saheb got a silver medal from Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru on the Indian Independence Day. Mohammed Rafi Â lent his golden voice for most of the inspiring patriotic songs of Hindi Film Music in the films like Jagriti (1954), Naya Daur(1957), Phool Bane Angaare (1963), Haqeeqat(1964), Leader(1964), Shahed(1965), Aakhen(1968), Lalkaar(1972), Hindustan Ki Kasam(1973), Badla Aur Balidan(1980) and Desh Premee(1981).
Shashadhar Mukherjee’s JAGRITI (The Awakening), written and directed by Satyen Bose is still remembered for its patriotic songs composed by Hemant Kumar in the lyrics of Pradeep. The Rafi number from the film, “Hum Laaye Hain Toofan Se Kashti Nikaal Ke, Is Desh Ko Rakhna Meri Bachoo Sambhal Ke” is a very cultured advice from a teacher played by Abhi Bhatacharjee to his students to became model citizens. The film won the Filmfare Best Movie Award in 1956 and Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award to Abhi Bhatacharjee.B.R. Chopra’s golden jubilee hit, NAYA DAUR had “Yeh Desh Hai Veer Jawanon Ka” by Rafi & Balbir picturised on Dilip Kumar & Ajit describing the heroic talent of our Army and People. Another duet from the film, by Rafi-Asha “Saathi Haath Badhana, Ek Akela Thak Jayee Tu Milkar Booj Uthana” is a well idea of joint effort for our labour force for development of Nation and the Country.
The Hindi-Urdu war film HAQEEQAT based on the 1962 Sino-Indian war, written & directed by Chetan Anand had became indistinguishable with patriotism in India because of notable Mohammed Rafi song “Kaar Chalee Hum Fida Jaan-O-Taan Saathiyon, Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon” composed by Madan Mohan in the lyrics of Kaifi Azmi. The film won the National Award for Second Best Feature Film in 1965.
The Rafi gems from Suraj Prakash’s PHOOL BANE ANGAARE, “Watan Pe Jo Fida Hoga Amar Wo Naujawaan Hoga, Rehegi Jab Talak Duniyaa Yeh Afsana Bayaan Hoga” depicts the immortality of soldiers who scarified their life for the country in the battle. The song was beautifully composed by Kalyanji-Anandji in the lyrics of Anand Bakshi which was picturised on Raaj Kumar.
“Apni Azadi Ko Hum Hargis Mita Sakte Nahin” from LEADER sung by Rafi Saheb under composition of Naushad beautifully portrays the daring and fearless endeavour of our freedom fighters. The song was picturised on thespian Dilip Kumar.
The songs from the film SHAHEED, “Aye Watan Aye Watan Humko Teri Kasam” & “O Mera Rang De Basanti Chola” picturised on Manoj Kumar and “Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil Mein Hai” & “Pagadi Sambhal Jatha” picturised on Prem Chopra & Anand Kumar respectively are the Rafi Saheb’s genuine salute to the freedom fighters of the country who scarified their life for motherland. The film was a debut of composer Prem Dhawan which was too first film to win three National Awards.
“Aaj Ga Lo Mushkuraloo Mehfilee Sazaloo, Kiya Jane Kaal Koi Saathi Sooth Jayee, Jeevan Ke Door Badi Kamjoor, Kiskoo Khabar Hai Kaha Tut Jayee” by Rafi & Chorus from Ramanand Sagar’s LALKAAR picturised in a defence party which portrays the uncertainty of life of defence people in particular and they may lost their live at any point of time defending the country from enemy.
Chetan Anand’s another war film describing the Indian Air Force’s role in 1971 Indo Pak War, HINDUSTAN KI KASAM starts and ends with the title song “Hindustan Ki Kasam, Na Jukhengee Saar Watan Ke, Haar Jawan Ki Kasam” sung by Mohd. Rafi & Manna Dey. The song composed by Madan Mohan speak well of our defence system. Another title song from Ramanand Sagar’s AAKHEN “Us Mulk Ki Sarhaad Ko Koi Chu Nahin Sakta, Jis Mulk Ki Sarhad Ki Nigebaan Hai Aakhen” sung by Rafi Saheb portrays rigid defence organism of India. Both the title song was played in the background of the film.
The Rafi song from Swarn Singh Kanwar’s BADLA AUR BALIDAN “Meri Laash Ki Mitti Kharab Na Hoo, Ise Aake Thikanee Laga Dena” is an indirect appeal of our freedom fighters to the defence people to save the soil and nation from the adversary. The song was composed by Sonik Omi and it was picturised on Rajendra Kumar.
Above all the last and superb number of this category, sung by our beloved Rafi Saheb is from Manmohan Desai’s Desh Premee:- Nafarat Ki Lathi Tadoo………….Lalas Ki Khanjar Phakoo………….Zidd Ke Pechee Mat Dauroo…….Mere Desh Premiyo Apas Mein Prem Kare Desh Premiyo…………..
The song was picturised on Mega Star Amitabh Bachchan in a plot of communal harmony among four communities: Punjabi, Gujrati, Bengali and Muslim lived in a sub-urban area. The roles of four communal leaders are played by Shammi Kapoor (Punjabi), Premnath (Gujrati), Uttam Kumar (Bengali) and Parikhit Sahani (Muslim).
Mahendra Kapoor, the first ever singer inspired by Mohammed Rafi, is famous for rendering of the most of patriotic songs picturised on the actor Manoj Kumar for which the actor felicitated the title of Mr. Bharat or Bharat Kumar and his brand of patriotism started from Shaheed with voice of Rafi. His most famous patriotic song was “Meri Desh Ki Dharti, Sona Ugle , Ugle Heere Moti” picturised on Manoj Kumar in the film UPKAAR for which the singer won the National Film Award in 1968 for Best Male Playback Singer and Second Best Feature Film Award to director Manoj Kumar . His other notable patriotic songs are: “Na Moonh Chhupa Ke Jiyo” from HUMRAAZ, “Bharat Ka Rehnewala Hoon” from PURAB AUR PASCHIM, “Woh Kaun Hai Jo Maa Ki Tarah Booj Uthayee Palkoo Mein Bethayee, Yehi Dharti Yehi Dharti” from GAANWAR, “Aandhi Aaye Ki Toofan Koyee Gam Nahin” from SAAT HINDUSTANI, “Aur Nahin Bas Aur Nahin” from ROTI KAPADA AUR MAKAAN and “Ab Ke Baras Tujhe Dharti Ke Rani” & “Kranti Kranti” from KRANTI.
“Honthon Pe Sachchai Rehti Hain, Jaha Dil Mein Safai Rehi Hain” from JIS DESH MEIN GANGA BEHTI HAI and “Chodo Kaal Ki Baatein, Kaal Ki Baat Purani, Hum Hindusthani” from HUM HINDUSTANI are the remarkable patriotic songs sung by Mukesh Chand Mathur. His light popular number from SREE 420, “Mera Joota Hai Japani, Yeh Patlung Englishthani, Saar Pe Laal Toopi Ruchi, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindusthani” had also feelings of patriotism.
The JAGRITI number “Aao Bachhon Tumhen Dikhaaye” by lyricist cum singer Pradeep, “Insaf Ki Dagar Pe” from GANGA JAMUNA by Hemant Kumar, “Aye Mere Pyare Watan” from KABULIWALLA & “Taqat Watan Ki Humse Hai” from PREM PUJARI by Manna Dey, “Nanna Munna Rahi Hoon, Desh Ka Sipahi Hoon” from SON OF INDIA by Shanti Mathur, “De Di Hamein Azadi Bina Khadak Bina Dhaal” from JAGRITI by Asha Bhonsle, “Dekho Veer Jawano Apne Khoon Pe” from AAKRAMAN by Kishore Kumar, “Sare Jahan Se Achchha” from BADI BEHAN by Lata Mangeshkar are also notable patriotic songs of Hindi Film Music. “Vande Matram” and “Ai Mere Watan Ke Logon” sung by Lata Mangeshkar are famous non-film patriotic songs.
From mid 1980s, the subject of patriotism or national integration became out of fashion from Hindi Film and Hindi Film Music. However, the film makers like J.P. Dutta, Subhash Ghai continues to make films on the subject of patriotism by taking risk of commercial failure.”Dil Diya Hai Jaan Bhi Dengee, Aye Watan Tere Liye” sung by Mohd. Aziz & Kavita Krishnamurty from Ghai’s KARMA (1986), was became undying. “Sandse Aate Hain, Hume Tarpate Hain” from Dutta’s BORDER (1997) is the last remarkable & popular patriotic song of Hindi Film Music, sung by Sonu Nigam & Roopkumar Rathod under compositions of Annu Malik in the lyrics of Javed Akhther.
The milestone patriotic songs of Mohammed Rafi and Mahendra Kapoor are being everlasting, still very popular in All India Radio and National TV Channels and also have the sense of hearing in all the corners of the country during the Independence Day, Republic Day and any other public functions. The songs facilitate in inspiring the pure feelings of nationalism or national integration whenever we hear them.
Rafi’s voice will always live on. As also his freshness and enthusiastic approach to life.
Lets not forget these masterpieces…

Why I Am An Atheist

2009-09-03T12:51:00.007+05:30

A new question has cropped up. Is it due to vanity that I do not believe in the existence of an omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God? I had never imagined that I would ever have to confront such a question. But conversation with some friends has given me, a hint that certain of my friends, if I am not claiming too much in thinking them to be so-are inclined to conclude from the brief contact they have had with me, that it was too much on my part to deny the existence of God and that there was a certain amount of vanity that actuated my disbelief. Well, the problem is a serious one. I do not boast to be quite above these human traits. I am a man and nothing more. None can claim to be more. I also have this weakness in me. Vanity does form a part of my nature. Amongst my comrades I was called an autocrat. Even my friend Mr. B.K. Dutt sometimes called me so. On certain occasions I was decried as a despot. Some friends do complain and very seriously too that I involuntarily thrust my opinions upon others and get my proposals accepted. That this is true up to a certain extent, I do not deny. This may amount to egotism. There is vanity in me in as much as our cult as opposed to other popular creeds is concerned. But that is not personal. It may be, it is only legitimate pride in our cult and does not amount to vanity. Vanity or to be more precise "Ahankar" is the excess of undue pride in one's self. Whether it is such an undue pride that has led me to atheism or whether it is after very careful study of the subject and after much consideration that I have come to disbelieve in God, is a question that I, intend to discuss here. Let me first make it clear that egotism and vanity are two different things.

In the first place, I have altogether failed to comprehend as to how undue pride or vain-gloriousness could ever stand in the way of a man in believing in God. I can refuse to recognize the greatness of a really great man provided I have also achieved a certain amount of popularity without deserving it or without having possessed the qualities really essential or indispensable for the same purpose. That much is conceivable. But in what way can a man believing in God cease believing due to his personal vanity? There are only two Ways. The man should either begin to think himself a rival of God or he may begin to believe himself to be God. In neither case can he become a genuine atheist. In the first case he does not even deny the existence of his rival. In the second case as well he admits the existence of a conscious being behind the screen guiding all the movements of nature. It is of no importance to us whether he thinks himself to be that supreme being or whether he thinks the supreme conscious being to be somebody apart from himself. The fundamental is there. His belief is there. He is by no means an atheist. Well, here I am I neither belong to the first category nor to the second.

I deny the very existence of that Almighty Supreme being. Why I deny it shall be dealt with later on. Here I want to clear one thing, that it is not vanity that has actuated me to adopt the doctrines of atheism. I am neither a rival nor an incarnation nor the Supreme Being Himself. One point is decided, that it is not vanity that has led me to this mode of thinking. Let me examine the facts to disprove this allegation. According to these friends of mine I have grown vain-glorious perhaps due to the undue popularity gained during the trials-both Delhi Bomb and Lahore conspiracy cases. Well, let us see if their premises are correct. My atheism is not of so recent origin. I had stopped believing in God when I was an obscure young man, of whose existence my above mentioned friends were not even aware. At least a college student cannot cherish any short of undue pride which may lead him to atheism. Though a favorite with some professors and disliked by certain others, I was never an industrious or a studious boy. I could not get any chance of indulging in such feelings as vanity. I was rather a boy with a very shy nature, who had certain pessimistic dispositions about the future career. And in those days, I was not a perfect atheist. My grand-father under whose influence I was brought up is an orthodox Arya Samajist. An Arya Samajist is anything but an atheist. After finishing my primary education I joined the DAV. School of Lahore and stayed in its Boarding House for full one year. There, apart from morning and evening prayers, I used to recite "Gayatri Mantra" for hours and hours. I was a perfect devotee in those days. Later on I began to live with my father. He is a liberal in as much as the orthodoxy of religions is concerned. It was through his teachings that I aspired to devote my life to the cause of freedom. But he is not an atheist. He is a firm believer. He used to encourage me for offering prayers daily. So, this is how I was brought up. In the Non-Co-operation days I joined the National College. it was there that I began to think liberally and discuss and criticize all the religious problems, even about God. But still I was a devout believer. By that time I had begun to preserve the unshorn and unclipped long hair but I could never believe in the mythology and doctrines of Sikhism or, any other religion. But I had a firm faith in God's existence.

Later on I joined the revolutionary party. The first leader with whom I came in contact, though not convinced, could not dare to deny the existence of God. On my persistent inquiries about God, he used to say, "Pray whenever you want to". Now this is atheism less courage required for the adoption of that creed. The second leader with whom I came in contact was a firm believer. Let me mention his name-respected comrade Sachindra Nath Sanyal, now undergoing life transportation in connexion with the Karachi conspiracy case. From the every first page of his famous and only book, "Bandi Jivan" (or Incarcerated Life), the Glory of God is sung vehemently. In the last page of the second part of that beautiful book his mystic-because of Vedantism – praises showered upon God form a very conspicuous part of his thoughts.

"The Revolutionary leaflet" distributed- throughout India on January 28th, 1925, was according to the prosecution story the result of his intellectual labor, Now, as is inevitable in the secret work the prominent leader expresses his own views, which are very dear to his person and the rest of the workers have to acquiesce in them-in spite of differences, which they might have. In that leaflet one full paragraph was devoted to praise the Almighty and His rejoicings and doing. That is all mysticism. What I wanted to point out was that the idea of disbelief had not even germinated in the revolutionary party. The famous Kakori martyrs –all four of them-passed their last day in prayers. Ram Prasad Bismil was an orthodox Arya Samajist. Despite his wide studies in the field of Socialism and Communism, Rajen Lahiri could not suppress his desire, of reciting hymns of the Upanishads and the Gita. I saw only one man amongst them, who never prayed and used to say, "Philosophy is the outcome of human weakness or limitation of knowledge". He is also undergoing a sentence of transportation for life. But he also never dared to deny the existence of God.

UP to that period I was only a romantic idealist revolutionary. Uptil then we were to follow. Now came the time to shoulder the whole responsibility. Due to the inevitable reaction for some time the very existence of the Party seemed impossible. Enthusiastic comrades – nay leaders – began to jeer at us. For some time I was afraid that some day I also might not be convinced of the futility of our own program. That was a turning point in my revolutionary career. "Study" was the cry that reverberated in the corridors of my mind. Study to enable yourself to face the arguments advanced by opposition. Study to arm yourself with arguments in favor of your cult. I began to study. My previous faith and convictions underwent a remarkable modification. The Romance of the violent methods alone which was so prominent amongst our predecessors, was replaced by serious ideas. No more mysticism, no more blind faith. Realism became our cult. Use of force justifiable when resorted to as a matter of terrible necessity: non-violence as policy indispensable for all mass movements. So much about methods.

The most important thing was the clear conception of the ideal for which we were to fight, As there were no important activities in the field of action I got ample opportunity to study various ideals of the world revolution. I studied Bakunin, the Anarchist leader, something of Marx the father of Communism and much of Lenin, Trotsky and others the men who had successfully carried out a revolution in their country. They were all atheists. Bakunin's "God and State", though only fragmentary, is an interesting study of the subject. Later still I came across a book entitled 'Common Sense' by Nirlamba Swami. It was only a sort of mystic atheism. This subject became of utmost interest to me. By the end of 1926 I had been convinced as to the baselessness of the theory of existence of an almighty supreme being who created, guided and controlled the universe. I had given out this disbelief of mine. I began discussion on the subjects with my friends. I had become a pronounced atheist. But, what it meant will presently be discussed.

In May 1927 I was arrested at Lahore. The arrest was a surprise. I was quite unaware of (he fact that the police wanted me. All of a sudden while passing through a garden I found myself surrounded by police. To my own surprise, I was very calm at that time. I did not feel any sensation, neither did I experience any excitement. I was taken into police custody. Next day I was taken to the Railway Police lock-up where I was to pass full one month. After many day's conversation with the Police officials I guessed that they had some information regarding my connexion with the Kakori Party and my other activities in connexion with the revolutionary movement. They told me that I had been to Lucknow while the trial was going on there, that I had negotiated a certain scheme about their rescue, that after obtaining their approval, we had procured some bombs, that by way of test one of the bombs was thrown in the crowd on the occasion of Dussehra 1926. They further informed me, in my interest, that if I could give any statement throwing some light on the activities of the revolutionary party, I was not to be imprisoned but on the contrary set free and rewarded even without being produced as an approver in the Court. I laughed at the proposal. It was all humbug.

People holding ideas like ours do not throw bombs on their own innocent people. One fine morning Mr. Newman, the then Senior Superintendent of CID., came to me. And after much sympathetic talk with me imparted-to him-the extremely sad news that if I did not give any statement as demanded by them, they would be forced to send me up for trial for conspiracy to wage war in connexion with Kakori Case and for brutal murders in connexion with Dussehra Bomb outrage. And he further informed me that they had evidence enough to get me convicted and hanged.

In those days I believed – though I was quite innocent – the police could do it if they desired. That very day certain police officials began to persuade me to offer my prayers to God regularly both the times. Now I was an atheist. I wanted to settle for myself whether it was in the days of peace and enjoyment alone that I could boast of being an atheist or whether during such hard times as well I could stick to those principles of mine. After great consideration I decided that I could not lead myself to believe in and pray to God. No, I never did. That was the real test and I came, out successful. Never for a moment did I desire to save my neck at the cost of certain other things. So I was a staunch disbeliever : and have ever since been. It was not an easy job to stand that test.

'Belief' softens the hardships, even can make them pleasant. In God man can find very strong consolation and support. Without Him, the man has to depend upon himself. To stand upon one's own legs amid storms and hurricanes is not a child's play. At such testing moments, vanity, if any, evaporates, and man cannot dare to defy the general beliefs, if he does, then we must conclude that he has got certain other strength than mere vanity. This is exactly the situation now. Judgment is already too well known. Within a week it is to be pronounced. What is the consolation with the exception of the idea that I am going to sacrifice my life for a cause ? A God-believing Hindu might be expecting to be reborn as a king, a Muslim or a Christian might dream of the luxuries to be- enjoyed in paradise and the reward he is to get for his sufferings and sacrifices. But what am I to expect? I know the moment the rope is fitted round my neck and rafters removed, from under my feet. That will be the final moment, that will be the last moment. I, or to be more precise, my soul, as interpreted in the metaphysical terminology, shall all be finished there. Nothing further.

A short life of struggle with no such magnificent end, shall in itself be the reward if I have the courage to take it in that light. That is all. With no selfish motive, or desire to be awarded here or hereafter, quite disinterestedly have I devoted my life to the cause of independence, because I could not do otherwise. The day we find a great number of men and women with this psychology who cannot devote themselves to anything else than the service of mankind and emancipation of the suffering humanity; that day shall inaugurate the era of liberty.

Not to become a king, nor to gain any other rewards here, or in the next birth or after death in paradise, shall they be inspired to challenge the oppressors, exploiters, and tyrants, but to cast off the yoke of serfdom from the neck of humanity and to establish liberty and peace shall they tread this-to their individual selves perilous and to their noble selves the only glorious imaginable-path. Is the pride in their noble cause to be – misinterpreted as vanity? Who dares to utter such an abominable epithet? To him, I say either he is a fool or a knave. Let us forgive him for he can not realize the depth, the emotion, the sentiment and the noble feelings that surge in that heart. His heart is dead as a mere lump of flesh, his eyes are-weak, the evils of other interests having been cast over them. Self-reliance is always liable to be interpreted as vanity. It is sad and miserable but there is no help.

You go and oppose the prevailing faith, you go and criticize a hero, a great man, who is generally believed to be above criticism because he is thought to be infallible, the strength of your argument shall force the multitude to decry you as vainglorious. This is due to the mental stagnation, Criticism and independent thinking are the two indispensable qualities of a revolutionary. Because Mahatamaji is great, therefore none should criticize him. Because he has risen above, therefore everything he says-may be in the field of Politics or Religion, Economics or Ethics-is right. Whether you are convinced or not you must say, "Yes, that's true". This mentality does not lead towards progress. It is rather too obviously, reactionary.

Because our forefathers had set up a faith in some supreme, being – the Almighty God – therefore any man who dares to challenge the validity of that faith, or the very existence of that supreme being, he shall have to be called an apostate, a renegade. If his arguments are too sound to be refuted by counter-arguments and spirit too strong to be cowed down by the threat of misfortunes that may befall him by the wrath of the Almighty, he shall be decried as vainglorious, his spirit to be denominated as vanity. Then why to waste time in this vain discussion? Why try to argue out the whole thing? This question is coming before the public for the first time, and is being handled in this matter of fact way for the first time, hence this lengthy discussion.

As for the first question, I think I have cleared that it is not vanity that has led me to atheism. My way of argument has proved to be convincing or not, that is to be judged by my readers, not me. I know in the present, circumstances my faith in God would have made my life easier, my burden lighter and my disbelief in Him has turned all the circumstances too dry and the situation may assume too harsh a shape. A little bit of mysticism can make it poetical. But I, do not want the help of any intoxication to meet my fate. I am a realist. I have been trying to overpower the instinct in me by the help of reason. I have not always been successful in achieving this end. But man's duty is to try and endeavor, success depends upon chance and environments.

As for the second question that if it was not vanity, then there ought to be some reason to disbelieve the old and still prevailing faith of the existence of God. Yes; I come to that now Reason there is. According to. me, any man who has got some reasoning power at his command always tries to reason out his environments. Where direct proofs are lacking philosophy occupies the important place. As I have already stated, a certain revolutionary friend used to say that Philosophy is the outcome of human weakness. When our ancestors had leisure enough to try to solve out the mystery of this world, its past, present and the future, its whys and wherefores, they having been terribly short of direct proofs, everybody tried to solve the problem in his own way. Hence we find the wide differences in the fundamentals of various religious creeds, which some times assume very antagonistic and conflicting shapes. Not only the Oriental and Occidental philosophies differ, there are differences even amongst various schools of thoughts in each hemisphere. Amongst Oriental religions, the Moslem faith is not at all compatible with Hindu faith. In India alone Buddhism and Jainism are sometimes quite separate from Brahmanism, in which there are again conflicting faiths as Arya Samaj and Sanatan Dharma. Charwak is still another independent thinker of the past ages. He challenged the authority of God in the old times. All these creeds differ from each other on the fundamental question., and everybody considers himself to be on the right. There lies the misfortune. Instead of using the experiments and expressions of the ancient Savants and thinkers as a basis for our future struggle against ignorance and to try to find out a solution to this mysterious problem, we – lethargical as we have proved to be – raise the hue and cry of faith, unflinching and unwavering faith to their versions and thus are guilty of stagnation in human progress.

Any man who stands for progress has to criticize, disbelieve and challenge every item of the old faith. Item by item he has to reason out every nook and corner of the prevailing faith. If after considerable reasoning one is led to believe in any theory or philosophy, his faith is welcomed. His reasoning can be mistaken, wrong, misled and sometimes fallacious. But he is liable to correction because reason is the guiding star of his life. But mere faith and blind faith is dangerous: it dulls the brain, and makes a man reactionary.

A man who claims to be a realist has to challenge the whole of the ancient faith. If it does not stand the onslaught of reason it crumbles down. Then the first thing for him is to shatter the whole down and clear a space for the erection of a new philosophy. This is the negative side. After it begins the positive work in which sometimes some material of the old faith may be used for the purpose of reconstruction. As far as I am concerned, let me admit at the very outset that I have not been able to study much on this point. I had a great desire to study the Oriental Philosophy but I could not get any chance or opportunity to do the same. But so far as the negative study is under discussion, I think I am convinced to the extent of questioning the soundness of the old faith. I have been convinced as to non-existence of a conscious supreme being who is guiding and directing the movements of nature. We believe in nature and the whole progressive movement aims at the domination of man over nature for his service. There is no conscious power behind it to direct. This is what our philosophy is.

As for the negative side. we ask a few questions from the 'believers'.

If, as you believe, there is an almighty, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent God-who created the earth or world, please let me know why did he create it ? This world of woes and miseries, a veritable, eternal combination of numberless tragedies: Not a single soul being perfectly satisfied.

Pray, don't say that it is His Law: If he is bound by any law, he is not omnipotent. He is another slave like ourselves. Please don't say that it is his enjoyment. Nero burnt one Rome. He killed a very limited number of people. He created very few tragedies, all to his perfect enjoyment. And what is his place in History? By what names do the historians mention him? All the venomous epithets are showered upon him. Pages are blackened with invective diatribes condemning Nero, the tyrant, the heartless, the wicked.

One Changezkhan sacrificed a few thousand lives to seek pleasure in it and we hate the very name. Then how are you going to justify your almighty, eternal Nero, who has been, and is still causing numberless tragedies every day, every hour and every minute? How do you think to support his misdoings which surpass those of Changez every single moment? I say why did he create this world – a veritable hell, a place of constant and bitter unrest? Why did the Almighty create man when he had the power not to do it? What is the justification for all this ? Do you say to award the innocent sufferers hereafter and to punish the wrong-doers as well? Well, well: How far shall you justify a man who may dare to inflict wounds upon your body to apply a very soft and soothing liniment upon it afterwards? How far the supporters and organizers of the Gladiator Institution were justified in throwing men before the half starved furious lions to be cared for and well looked after if they could survive and could manage to escape death by the wild beasts? That is why I ask, 'Why did the conscious supreme being created this world and man in it? To seek pleasure? Where then is the difference between him and Nero'?

You Mohammadens and Christians : Hindu Philosophy shall still linger on to offer another argument. I ask you what is your answer to the above-mentioned question? You don't believe in previous birth. Like Hindus you cannot advance the argument of previous misdoings of the apparently quite innocent sufferers? I ask you why did the omnipotent labor for six days to create the world through word and each day to say that all was well. Call him today. Show him the past history. Make him study the present situation. Let us see if he dares to say, "All is well".

From the dungeons of prisons, from the stores of starvation consuming millions upon millions of human beings in slums and huts, from the exploited laborers, patiently or say apathetically watching the procedure of their blood being sucked by the Capitalist vampires, and the wastage of human energy that will make a man with the least common sense shiver with horror, and from the preference of throwing the surplus of production in oceans rather than to distribute amongst the needy producers…to the palaces of kings built upon the foundation laid with human bones.... let him see all this and let him say "All is well".

Why and wherefore? That is my question. You are silent.

All right then, I proceed. Well, you Hindus, you say all the present sufferers belong to the class of sinners of the previous births. Good. You say the present oppressors were saintly people in their previous births, hence they enjoy power. Let me admit that your ancestors were very shrewd people, they tried to find out theories strong enough to hammer down all the efforts of reason and disbelief. But let us analyze how far this argument can really stand.

From the point of view of the most famous jurists punishment can be justified only from three or four ends to meet which it is inflicted upon the wrongdoer. They are retributive, reformative and deterrent. The retributive theory is now being condemned by all the advanced thinkers. Deterrent theory is also following the same fate. Reformative theory is the only one which is essential, and indispensable for human progress. It aims at returning the offender as a most competent and a peace-loving citizen to the society. But what is the nature of punishment inflicted by God upon men even if we suppose them to be offenders. You say he sends them to be born as a cow, a cat, a tree, a herb or a best. You enumerate these punishments to be 84 lakhs. I ask you what is its reformative effect upon man? How many men have met you who say that they were born as a donkey in previous birth for having committed any sin? None. Don't quote your Puranas. I have no scope to touch your mythologies. Moreover do you know that the greatest sin in this world is to be poor. Poverty is a sin, it is a punishment.

I ask you how far would you appreciate a criminologist, a jurist or a legislator who proposes such measures of punishment which shall inevitably force man to commit more offences? Had not your God thought of this or he also had to learn these things by experience, but at the cost of untold sufferings to be borne by humanity? What do you think shall be the fate of a man who has been born in a poor and illiterate family of say a chamar or a sweeper. He is poor, hence he cannot study. He is hated and shunned by his fellow human beings who think themselves to be his superiors having been born in say a higher caste. His ignorance, his poverty and the treatment meted out to him shall harden his heart towards society. Suppose he commits a sin, who shall bear the consequences? God, he or the learned ones of, the society? What about the punishment of those people who were deliberately kept ignorant by the haughty and egotist Brahmans and who had to pay the penalty by bearing the stream of being led (not lead) in their ears for having heard a few sentences of your Sacred Books of learning-the Vedas? If they committed any offence-who was to be responsible for them and who was to bear the brunt? My dear friends: These theories are the inventions of the privileged ones: They justify their usurped power, riches and superiority by the help of these theories. Yes: It was perhaps Upton Sinclair, that wrote at some place, that just make a man a believer in immortality and then rob him of all his riches, and possessions. He shall help you even in that ungrudgingly. The coalition amongst the religious preachers and possessors of power brought forth jails, gallows, knouts and these theories.

I ask why your omnipotent God, does not stop every man when he is committing any sin or offence? He can do it quite easily. Why did he not kill war lords or kill the fury of war in them and thus avoid the catastrophe hurled down on the head of humanity by the Great War? Why does he not just produce a certain sentiment in the mind of the British people to liberate India? Why does he not infuse the altruistic enthusiasm in the hearts of all capitalists to forgo their rights of personal possessions of means of production and thus redeem the whole laboring community – nay the whole human society from the bondage of Capitalism. You want to reason out the practicability of socialist theory, I leave it for your almighty to enforce it.

People recognize the merits of socialism in as much as the general welfare is concerned. They oppose it under the pretext of its being impracticable. Let the Almighty step in and arrange everything in an orderly fashion. Now don't try to advance round about arguments, they are out of order. Let me tell you, British rule is here not because God wills it but because they possess power and we do not dare to oppose them. Not that it is with the help of God that they are keeping us under their subjection but it is with the help of guns and rifles, bomb and bullets, police and millitia and our apathy that they are successfully committing the most deplorable sin against society- the outrageous exploitation of one nation by another. Where is God ? What is he doing? Is he enjoying all I these woes of human race ? A Nero; A Changez : Down with him.

Do you ask me how I explain the origin of this world and origin of man? Alright I tell you. Charles Darwin has tried to throw some light on the subject. Study him. Read Soham Swami's "Commonsense". It shall answer your question to some extent. This is a phenomenon of nature. The accidental mixture of different substances in the shape of nebulae produced this earth. When? Consult history. The same process produced animals and in the long run man. Read Darwin's 'Origin of Species'. And all the later progress is due to man's constant conflict with nature and his efforts to override it. This is the briefest possible explanation of this phenomenon.

Your other argument may be just to ask why a child is born blind or lame if not due to his deeds committed in the previous birth? This problem has been explained away by biologists as a more biological phenomenon. According to them the whole burden rests upon the shoulders of the parents who may be conscious or ignorant of their own deeds led to mutilation of the child previous to its birth.

Naturally you may ask another question though it is quite childish in essence. If no God existed, how did the people come to believe in him? My answer is clear and brief. As they came to believe in ghosts, and evil spirits; the only difference is that belief in God is almost universal and the philosophy well developed. Unlike certain of the radicals I would not attribute its origin to the ingenuity of the exploiters who wanted to keep the people under their subjection by preaching the existence of a supreme being and then claiming an authority and sanction from him for their privileged positions. Though I do not differ with them on the essential point that all faiths, religions, creeds and such other institutions became in turn the mere supporters of the tyrannical and exploiting institutions, men and classes. Rebellion against king is always a sin according to every religion.

As regards the origin of God my own idea is that having realized the limitations of man, his weaknesses and shortcoming having been taken into consideration, God was brought into imaginary existence to encourage man to face boldly all the trying circumstances, to meet all dangers manfully and to check and restrain his outbursts in prosperity and affluence. God both with his private laws and parental generosity was imagined and painted in greater details. He was to serve as a deterrent factor when his fury and private laws were discussed so that man may not become a danger to society. He was to serve as a father, mother, sister and brother, friend and helpers when his parental qualifications were to be explained. So that when man be in great distress having been betrayed and deserted by all friends he may find consolation in the idea that an ever true friend was still there to help him, to support him and that He was almighty and could do anything. Really that was useful to the society in the primitive age.

The idea of God is helpful to man in distress.

Society has to fight out this belief as well as was fought the idol worship and the narrow conception of religion. Similarly, when man tries to stand on his own legs, and become a realist he shall have to throw the faith aside, and to face manfully all the distress, trouble, in which the circumstances may throw him. That is exactly my state of affairs. It is not my vanity, my friends. It is my mode of thinking that has made me an atheist. I don't know whether in my case belief in God and offering of daily prayers which I consider to be most selfish and degraded act on the part of man, whether these prayers can prove to be helpful or they shall make my case worse still. I have read of atheists facing all troubles quite boldly, so am I trying to stand like a man with an erect head to the last; even on the gallows.

Let us see how I carry on : one friend asked me to pray. When informed of my atheism, he said, "During your last days you will begin to believe". I said, No, dear Sir, it shall not be. I will think that to be an act of degradation and demoralization on my part. For selfish motives I am not going to pray. Readers and friends, "Is this vanity"? If it is, I stand for it.

-Bhagat Singh

(1930)

Power Of Shared Vision

2009-09-03T12:49:00.005+05:30

There is a story that one day Shah Jahan wanted to know how the Taj Mahal was progressing. To find out he disguised himself as an old man and he went to the site by the Yamuna river. There he came across a stonecutter, whom he asked "What are you doing?" The stone cutter was annoyed by the disturbance and said, "Go away old man, don't you see that I'm busy?" The stonecutter's dedication impressed Shah Jahan. He went to the next stone cutter, and he was equally impatient and he told the disguised emperor, "Cutting stone is a great art, old man, and I can't be answering questions and practicing my art." Again Shah Jahan was impressed; from his body language he could tell that the man was proud of his professional skills.

Finally, the emperor went to the third stonecutter to whom he put the same question. "I am building the Taj Mahal, old man, and if I keep answering idle questions, I shall never be able to complete the most beautiful monument on earth." Shah Jahan returned to his palace much pleased. Clearly, the third stonecutter had given the best answer.

The first worker represented dedication to work. The second showed professional excellence. The third symbolized the power of a shared vision.

The power of shared vision is one of Sankalp's biggest strength. Each volunteer, irrespective of which stone he/she is busy cutting, sees the bigger picture; building the most beautiful nation on earth.

Information Technology & My Motherland

2009-09-03T12:47:00.007+05:30

The ascent of a country from poverty to prosperity, from tradition to modernity is a great and fascinating enterprise. India has recently emerged as a vibrant free-market democracy after the economic reforms in 1991 and it has begun to flex its muscles in the global information economy. But this revolution had eluded India for a long time. About 100 years ago, Karl Marx predicted that industrial revolution would soon dawn upon India. After independence Jawaharlal Nehru attempted to create it through the agency of state. But our inward-looking, export substituted path; inefficient public sector, over-regulation of private enterprise led to a collective failure. Low priority given to education was a final nail in the coffin. As a result, at the dawn of 21st century India was placed at 124th place out of 157 countries in terms of per capita income. In the 1990’s, as the world changed from an industrial to information economy; major reforms were seen in India. Factors like WTO agreements, the throwing open of Indian economy by the Narsimha Rao government and the globalization effect served to provide the necessary impetus to the IT boom that gradually set foot in India.

The success of Indian firms and professionals in the IT arena during the last decade has been spectacular. Entrepreneurs, bureaucrats, and politicians are now advancing views about how India can ride the IT bandwagon and leapfrog into a knowledge-based economy. Isolated instances of villagers sending and receiving email messages or surfing the Internet are being promoted as examples of how India can achieve this transformation, while vanquishing socio-economic challenges such as illiteracy, poverty, and the digital divide along the way. E-governance is being projected as the way of the future as IT has the potential to make existing processes more effective and efficient. The growth of the IT sector in India symbolizes the potential of Indian industry to perform at world-class standards. Led by some visionaries and supported by thousands of employees and entrepreneurs, the IT sector embodies much of what can go right when the spirit of human enterprise is given free rein.

India may be slow to enter into the global market but we are now prepared to take on the myriad social and economic problems faced by us. We are also backed by strong by strong ethical beliefs. This transition will make India a more stable nation and will also avoid the harmful side effects of an unexpected capital society. Today India produces 4 lakh engineers per year. We have 5 crore telephone connections, 23 crore mobile phone connections and 6 crore internet users. Information technology has thus seeped into the minds of millions of Indians, as India takes of on a promising growth ride.

A journey to Meghalaya, the adobe of clouds

2009-09-03T12:41:00.010+05:30

It was early February and my exams had just got over. Exams had gone well, but as usual; I never hoped for good results (and they never happen either). It had been a great semester. I reached home on 5th Feb. Baba (dad) had planned a trip to Assam & Meghalaya, starting from 6th Feb.

We reached Kolkata, early in the morning; on the 7th of Feb. Our train to Guwahati was at 4 in the evening so we had almost the whole day. Baba decided to take us to Belur Math.

Situated on the banks of Hugli (a distributary of Ganges), Belur math was the place where the Ramakrishna Mission was established in the late 19th century. This is where Swami Vivekananda lived the last few years of his life and finally attained mahasamadhi. The atmosphere here is serene and peaceful. It was an honour to be in the place where the great saint and his disciples dwelt and meditated.

On 8th Feb, we reached Guwahati, the capital of Assam. Assam is quite similar to Bengal. The only major difference is that Assam is heavily guarded by BSF jawans, with a tight security system in place. The fact that my cell phone (BSNL prepaid) had no signal here; did not surprise me. Actually due to security reasons, prepaid phones are not allowed in Assam (and also other disturbed regions like Kashmir). Only post-paid cell phones with proper address proofs are used here. Thankfully, baba's connection was the BSNL post-paid, offered to him by the Indian Railways. That evening we visited the famous Kamakhya temple. It is located on the top of a hill not very far from the River Brahmaputra. It’s always very crowded. The air smelt holy here. We were back by evening. Due to an important work, I happened to pay a visit to the railway station. The entrance was guarded by Army jawans & every passenger's entry was monitored. They were being checked thoroughly (including luggage). I soon realized that there was another gate (mainly for parcels), which had been left completely unguarded, and a large number of people passed through these gates unchecked. I complained to the station manager with an authority of being a passenger and the son of chief division transportation inspector, Ranchi (karna padta hai). He responded immediately. 3 days later, when I passed through the same place (during my journey back home), I saw 2 guards stationed at those gates!!

The next morning, that is, on 9th we started for Shillong, Meghalaya; our next destination. It's a three hours journey from Guwahati to Shillong. There are Tata Sumos and Indicas running to and fro, on this route at all times (except at night). I was disappointed to see that at the Assam-Meghalaya border, the guards usually let vehicles pass without a thorough check; on payment of bribes. On the brighter side, the cell phone's signal was back and I was more than happy.

Now about Megahlaya, "The Abode of Clouds.” All I knew about the state was that it consists of three hills- Khasi, Garo and Jaintia, and that Cherrapunjee is the place with maximum rainfall in the world. I had expected Shillong to be a small town, judging by all the villages I passed through, on my journey to Shillong. I had assumed it to be heavenly and filled with clouds. I'm afraid it was not so...

Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya and the capital of the undivided Assam, is like any other big city in India, with houses of a special type, for protection from heavy rains. Cars, especially Maruti 800 and Sumos are the public vehicles here. Very few people actually use motor cycles (obviously, it rains so much)! It was disheartening to see the beautiful valleys here littered with garbage and polythene bags. While searching for a hotel to stay; we met a cab wala, who was being very friendly. He offered to help us in our hunt for good hotel. A suspicious Baba drove him away. We boarded in a hotel and after freshening up, when we left for site-seeing, we ran into the same cab wala. He offered his services and after all the price negotiations, baba agreed.

The cab wala, Raja, was a pure Khasi, i.e., he was a native of the Khasi hills and belonged to the Khasi tribe. The old churches here, in Shillong, were a great sight to behold. On our way to the Shillong peak, Raja explained that Shillong and most other parts of Meghalaya, were under the surveillance of the BSF jawans and proudly exclaimed that it Meghalaya, in fact, was a very peaceful state. Men here are mainly farmers growing Potato, Carrot, Radish, and Paddy; or do other laborious work (driving, manual labour); and women in the family run small shops or help their husband in the fields. I was amazed to know that women here head the families and that the husband adopts the wife's surname after marriage. Also the youngest daughter inherits the family property. Raja also told me that during their crop harvesting festival, the virgins from the family offered their souls to the nature God. Later in the day, we paid a visit to the museum, where the diversity among the three major tribes here- Khasi, Garo and Jaintia was on display. Raja also had a lot to tell us about Shillong, that was the capital of the undivided Assam. During the 1972 split, when Meghalaya was formed, Guwahati was made the capital of Assam. A view of the city from the top of Shillong peak was a patch work of small houses and army barracks. I must admit that Shillong is much larger than Ranchi.

People here are very generous and patriotic. They worship the INA (Indian National Army) Jawans and idolise Subhash Chandra Bose. I must quote here that Netaji, with his Azad Hind Fauj had entered India through the north east. Great men like Victor Banerjee (a great Bengali and English actor) and Arundhati Roy are from this very state. People in Meghalaya are a witness to the Bangladesh war of 1972 and are deeply patriotic. The young generation of Shillong loves low waist jeans, ironically. There is a big stadium (Jawaharlal Nehru stadium) for Rock concerts & Sports here. There are many schools and colleges, quite a lot of them built during the British rule. Many Don Bosco institutions provide educational services to the people. They include a school, a degree college and a training institute. The St. Mary College for girls is also among other notable institutions. There is a golf course, where mainly Army and Air force officers enjoy their moments of peace and luxury. There is also a huge Air force base here which boasts of a radar, a set of helipads and also an air force museum.

Our next visit was to the Elephant falls or three step falls (water flows down in 3 huge steps). By 4:30, Raja had brought us back to the hotel in his Maruti 800 cab. Here we planned our trip for the next day, to Cherrapunjee. By evening, it was absolutely cold, unlike Guwahati. By 8, all shops were shuttered close.

The next morning by 8, we had started for Cherrapunjee village, a 2 hrs journey from Shillong. The roads here are good and the weather was absolutely perfect, though cold. Raja explained how difficult it is to drive during rains. Raincoats are a must, he said, umbrellas would never stand the rough weather and heavy rains. Strange as it may sound, the hills here are made of either sand (yes, sand), or coal, or limestone, or rocks (obviously). Even Uranium is found here. The coals mines are privatized here (unlike Jharkhand). Needless to say, the army guards the Uranium mines here (the same is true at the Jharkhand- Rakhamines, near Jamshedpur as well).

Cherrapunjee is locally known as Sohra. The entrance to Cherrapunjee was marked by Ramakrishna Ashram, established in 1931. Now I don't know why I have this strong affinity towards RK missions but this great institution in this corner of earth brought a big smile to my face. The land here seemed so dry. The grass was grey, or rather, not so green, and the same was the state of the jungles around. The waterfalls were huge (HUGE) but lacked water during this dry winter season. I could only imagine the volume of water that would flow down these falls during the monsoon. "When it rains heavily Shaabjee, the plains of Bangladesh are completely submerged", Raja exclaimed with a Godly grin. From the top of the hills I could see the plains of Bangladesh, or at least, Raja claimed it was. Everyone here in Cherrapunjee knew Raja. They called him Raja Hindustani. He had been driving on these roads for the past 25 years and was an expert at his work. He was very lively and enthusiastic. I liked him and enjoyed his company. He told us a lot about his family. Both his parents had passed away. His wife learnt computers and at the same time she coached the kids in the neighbourhood. On the other hand he was not very educated and he knew very little English (though English is the commonly used script here).

Now the village Cherrapunjee, in fact all of Meghalaya is mainly described by clouds, rain, jungles, waterfalls (huge ones), caves, monoliths, the Army, patriotism and a women dominated society. Monoliths are huge rocks erected by the tribal people (mainly Jaintias) as a tribute to their ancestors. The caves of Cherrapunjee are another major tourist attraction. These caves; some of which were more than 150 metres long; were a natural wonder. The caves were very difficult to explore, especially for maa baba, but they enjoyed it. Since it was winter, the falls were dry and the forests, pale (hated it!). At the same time the caves were open and safe, transportation was easy, and we could enjoy the beauty of the place without being interrupted by clouds or rains (loved it!)

The churches (and old graveyards) that I saw here are worth a mention. They were beautiful, at times standing secluded, on the top of hillocks. The people here, mainly Hindus, often visited these churches. I saw portraits of Gautam Buddha and Jesus Christ in the Ramakrishna Mission. The spirit of secularism is truly ingrained in the minds of people here, and it touched my heart.

I saw some villages in deep valleys here. Raja said that it took the people, two hours of steep trekking to reach Cherrapunjee village (to purchase food and other items of daily necessity), and an equally long, tiring, dangerous journey back to the village. The village and the surrounding mountains looked so serene, so still; straight out of a painting. The people here had learned to patiently stare at the hills and rains for days at a stretch, without complaining. Girls here wore lungis and looked a lot more beautiful than the low waist types in Shillong.

Three important things I'd love to mention here are 108- the wheels of hope, the state elections and my short conversation with a group of BSF jawans here.

The emergency helpline number 108 is in heavy and consistent use here. “Police, Fire, Hospital- any emergency? Just give a call.” This was commonly seen on billboards in Guwahati, Shillong and even in Cherrapunji. Army jawans guard these wheels of hope.

On the day of my visit, the Meghalaya state elections were being held in full swing. People including women & senior citizens were out on the streets to cast their precious votes. It was such a pleasure to see people participating with such enthusiasm.
During lunch at a restaurant in Cherrapunjee, I met a few jawans of the BSF. We spoke for a long time. They explained that they were posted on the Bangladesh border, 30 kms away from Cherrapunjee. They didn't seem to be happy about their personal lives. I told them about my organization, Sankalp, and what we young volunteers are doing to bring 100% voluntary and safe blood donation in Karnataka. Coincidentally, I happened to be wearing my Sankalp T-shirt on that day. They were all ears when I told them about Mission Siachen. I expressed our deep admiration and heartfelt respect for them, and also told them how they were a great source of inspiration for the youth. They congratulated me on our achievements and even took mine and Rajat Sir's number (Rajat Sir is the President of Sankalp India Foundation). This was truly a great experience.

We were back in Shillong by 4 in the evening. This place was expensive. Even vegetables were as costly as those in Bangalore. One thing I could understand was that cost of living in this part of the world is actually high out of necessity, not luxury.

On the next day; the 11th February, we visited other parts of Meghalaya. Obviously, Raja was our guide cum driver again! We visited the Mawjymbhuin cave. There is a natural Shiva linga here with a bent rock over it. Water flowed over the rock and fell over the linga, drop by drop. There was a Nandi shaped rock beside this. Such a natural wonder! We also visited a natural hot water spring and a sacred forest (due to innumerable monoliths here). The forest was extremely dense (as in Jurassic park) and during rains these are completely covered with orchid flowers of different colours.

Today it was different from Cherrapunjee. This part of Meghalaya was completely deserted and not a single person was in sight. The roads were not good which made it impossible to access these places during monsoons. We saw untouched pine forests, deep valleys & huge waterfalls (obviously with no or very little water). We were back in the crowded city by the evening.

Next day, we journeyed back to Guwahati and reached Kolkata early in the morning of the 13th. On 12th, during my train journey, I wrote my long delayed 200th poem. Though this journey, to an untouched, beautiful part of my country was over, I could still sense the echoes of the caves, the silence of the green valleys and the breeze near the waterfalls. And.. the beautiful people there.