Quarantined by a poem :(

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This is not the life that I want to achieve. The circular and monotonous loop goes on and on. Is routine work just enough for mine existence ? Is this post written in sheer frustration or addiction ? Several choices and questions, don't have guts to answer. I forget what was in my mind.

What I fail to see in my observation becomes most critical or taken as an obvious for others. May be my ego comes in between obvious and me. Life contains paradox, that's why there is nothing like truth. Search for absolute truth is extremism. Nothng absolue exist in the nature.

There is this arbit theory of world peace attained by pure rationalisation fails to understand. The world peace can't exist without war. Duality is here and will stay; Human nature is forged of both faith and reason while dominance of one let to the extremism. Duality of human nature is not considered. Man- Woman, Nirakaar - Saakar, etc; When good arises, the evil rises too. Beauty- Ugliness are just two sides of same coin. For every choice, duality will appear. That's why religion put God as one.

I raise my voice for rationalism but I am not against humanity. I have unbound love for the human life. I am not bounded by moral code of conduct or command of the book. I am free.

Many times, this struggle against brutal force for equality appears futile. When I find love and affection for me in eyes of others, the flame re-ignites. You know all about love when you feel it. I believe that love transcends all still history is against me.

Thanks for going through this bizarre post. I have edited this post more than 20 time to bring order in this chaos. Nothing works. And poem that inspired me for writing in middle of night : Safe written by Dear Rajjo.

Quotes for Refreshing mood:

It is myth, not a mandate; fable, not a logic; and symbol, rather than a reason, by which men are moved. – Irwin Edman

There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter. - E Hemingway

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. - Buddha

Nothing to write, much to say...

1- Have anyone watched or know about Iranian, Chinese or Russian cinema ? If yes, then you will know about the struggles of the director with state or clergy to express his thoughts in public. I wrote below paragraph after watching the movie Marmoulak :

Artists are born in the environment of suppression. The more the external suppression, the greater is the degree and urge for expression. Sometimes in their life, they met beloved one/ones and there art touches the crust. More the design and glamour in the expression comes from the dream or psychedelic effects. Drugs, weeds and alcohol are compatriot of artist. What lies hidden is the supreme desire of not being general masses. The expression disturbs the stable order of the society and creates ripples in the youth minds. And as the age takes toil on the youth, the rebel expression is submerged into the abyss of social mind. The rebel of art lies in an unfathomed corner of the the underground movements, far away from the burden of the tradition. The struggle in the conscious blossom in the works of them. And the hidden emotions are unbounded by their compassion to share themselves for others.

2- History, experience, reason help us in expanding our sense of justice and morals. With the natural progress of human sentiments, we start seeing justice and truth is the same light. I wrote these words about truth here in the flash one day : Truth can't be expressed in one liners. Truth isn't linear. Its circular in nature containing paradoxes. Such is the mystery of the nature... What we fail to feel, capture on the broken mirror of mind. And those deceitful memories gives you illusions. Mind helps in ejaculation of the thoughts through memories. Spontaneous releases the truer part and even feelings become muddled up with time.

3- Here it is summary on the creative people edited from a viewer's comment on the movie Five Easy Pieces (1970) : The film is an intense character study of an alienated, misfit drifter who seems to have no specific direction or place in life. Psychologists who study creativity have found that generally creative people contain a number of specific personality characteristics. One of the main characteristics of creative people is 'alienation'. In essence, he is a nowhere type of man. Creative people tend to be quite impulsive and open to emotional display, and are quite often labeled as temperamental. Many great creators have doubts about the quality of their product and the authenticity of their talent, hence the notion that creative people are never satisfied.

I will end the scribblings for today here with a couplet of Faiz-

निसार मैं तेरी गलियों के अए वतन, कि जहाँ, चली है रस्म कि कोई न सर उठा के चले
जो कोई चाहनेवाला तवाफ़ को निकले, नज़र चुरा के चले, जिस्म-ओ-जाँ बचा के चले
---फ़ैज़ अहमद फ़ैज़

Today, I am too minority...

I have a passion for watching movies around the world. My friends ask me whats the reason of watching an Iranian or Japanese film (with subtitles) with fair amount of effort. They vouch films for entertainment and I bet films as experience to grow beyond mine roots. Are we mere product of the social circle bounded by geographical or religious strain ? My answer is No.

The above paragraph gives the background of this article. An individual living in any part of the world feels same anxiety, fear and love towards other based on the local belief system. But this notion of local is expanding into global day by day. And staunch believers want to impose their faith forcefully on others without even understanding others. This group of believers (mainly religious) are threatening our co existence together with false tradition of casteist, racial and cultural supremacy over others.

Let me give an example: The idea "The earth is the center of the universe" was not a rational view but belief centered around the self importance. The claim of oldest civilization in the world is made by Greece, India and Chinese even today shows the strong ego centric claim of the society. An individual growing in this society will face heavy resistance if while investigating result comes opposite to the belief system.

If all religions are free to criticize each other, why could not a secular person do the same. One will be charged with blasphemous assault but never an action is taken against use of such religious verses. When religion is in the hand of state, the blasphemy is punished by law. There remains no chance for minority to survive in that society. State enforcing blasphemy laws will protect ideas from criticism by individuals rather than individuals from oppressive dogmas.

Taslima Nasreem, Salmaan Rushdie, MF Hussain and many others have been barred to express themselves either by state or religion. The 'Revolution is in the danger' slogan has also killed many liberals by the shrewed for the sake of power. The whole adrenaline rushing sacrifice for Nation comes from the hate of the enemy rather than love of the country. The belief of perseverance of caste, creed, culture and civilization from mixing is absurd and against the human nature.

The only guide to man is his conscience; Showing respect for other people’s ideas and beliefs is indeed sign of tolerance in the individual. There is an unwillingness to listen and to understand the other and accept general form of discrimination as societal norms. There is constant clash between faith and Voice of reason. People take tolerance as acceptance of their faith with no questioning. Voice of reason asks for the justification of each a religious doctrine that is proclaimed as true without proof. This creates a conflict in the society as people wants to be in their comfort zones of tradition. Here, we divide the world between us and others on the basis of identities. That's why in this globalizing world, the others is an foreign element that pollutes the local culture. The rejection of others and not treating others as equal merely on the old belief system is self harming. Admiring excellence no matter where it is produced and general attitude of openness makes a person rise above one's surrounding belief system. We never learn : Whatever we understand and enjoy in human products instantly becomes ours, wherever they might have their origin.

The above line is my answer to mine friends asking about my expedition in the realm of foreign cinema. To be vowing for pure, self praising and self righteous kills the scope of the learning and intermingling of people. In my opinion, religion is never an answer to anything but is a dividing force. Believers are idealists who see no reasons only their end goal conquered through quantum of leap of hope. Beliefs are what divide people. Doubt unites them. I doubt the dogmas that's why today, I am too minority in the world of believers.

Disturbing Trend in Civilization - 4 (Last Part)

I had read about Nazism and holocaust in class 10th history book. The whole notion of racial supremacy appears highly irrational to my teenage mind. Hitler and Nazis rise on the wave of German Nationalism. Read in super short about history here :

" To secure their ability to create a totalitarian state, the Nazi party's paramilitary force, the Sturmabteilung (SA) or "Storm Detachment" used acts of violence against leftists, communist, democrats, Jews and other opposition or minority groups. Given the frustrations of the people (after World War I and during the Great Depression) it was easy for the SA to attract large numbers of alienated (and unemployed) youth and working class people for the party.he "logic" of keeping Germany small worked in the favor of its principal economic rivals, and had been a driving force in the recreation of a Polish state. The goal was to create numerous counterweights in order to "balance out Germany's power". The Nazis endorsed the concept of Großdeutschland, or Greater Germany, and believed that the incorporation of the Germanic people into one nation was a vital step towards their national success.

Racialism and racism were important aspects of society within the Third Reich. The Nazis combined anti-Semitism with anti-Communist ideology, regarding the leftist-internationalist movement—as well as international market capitalism—as the work of "Conspiratorial Jewry". They referred to this so-called movement with terminology such as the "Jewish-Bolshevistic revolution of subhumans".[49] This platform manifested itself in the displacement, internment, and systematic extermination of an estimated 11 million to 12 million people in the midst of World War II, roughly half of them being Jews targeted in what is historically remembered as the Holocaust (Shoah), 3 million ethnic Poles, and another 100,000–1,000,000 being Roma, who were murdered in the Porajmos. Other victims of Nazi persecution included communists, various political opponents, social outcasts, homosexuals, freethinkers, religious dissidents such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphians, the Confessing Church and Freemasons. "[Source: Wiki]



It was my first encounter with the monsters of the human civilization created on the name of belief. This homogeneous and state-sponsored strain of believe system will damage the whole civilization and Europe has taken lesson from it. I observe that when minority have much control on trade, education and jobs, This will provoke backlash of majority. Majority will rise either in the name of religious or ethnic nationalism. This has happened in Germany and it will happen in Africa soon.

A complete opposite matter in India that Muslims constitute highly uneducated, unskilled and poor part of population. Sachar Committee recommend for reservation that is opposed by majority of Hindus. They completely fail to see the concept of inclusive growth. A country can't develop with its one of the ethnic or religious group absent in the government jobs. Paramount position hold by few Muslims doesn't depict with honesty the position of backwardness of the Muslim.

If majority claims truth on the basis of their supposed superiority of the collective regime at the expense of minority, the society is on the path of decay and violence. Through the engineering of a single, wholesome notion of faith and nation as preached by RSS brand in India will put us more towards civil war than development and peace. And our habit of taking guidance with Islamic clergy for each decision in Muslim matters shows moral bankruptcy and tendency to ignore majority of Muslims for easy approach; The last person by merit whose opinion should be taken for progressive causes are given highest priority.

Muslim in minority voice for secular state while being in majority starts debating for sharia law. That is happening in Kashmir valley. Sometimes, I fear from the paranoid outrage against Muslims and immigrants by Shiv Sainiks and MNS. Long history of violence is overlooked by majority here in India to support their regional, ethnic and religious causes.

Why it becomes almost a matter greater than life and death to hide your faults? We stand proud for the positive qualities about our culture and religion but takes an irrational approach in its shortcomings. To be self centered and obsessed with greatness of own is the reason if fall of all men, societies and civilizations of the world. I want to end last part of the essay on optimistic note. But don't know what will happen to the world around us in the future. I want a change and a place where people understand value of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity...

Disturbing Trend in Civilization -3

I was trying to complete this series in the draft form long ago. Roshmi bombarded me with comments in 2nd part of the series and I became busy in reading history of Pakistan. While 3rd part of this trend comes to my notice during debate with my sister. There was talk about equality, merit and anti casteism without seeing the ground level discrimination's practised in the society. I recall only rough details of our conversation :

- She was clearly seeing the 'quota' as a toy given to each section of society who makes fuss about it. She was holding very strong points over implementation of the anti discriminatory laws and strict punishment to law breakers.

It is not about the implication of laws but raising of consciousness over these issue. Upper caste Hindus how much they shout will never take action against one of their own over dalit issues. It is that their conscience is not a public conscience but a caste conscience, imbued with values derived from caste.

- Quotacracy is indeed harming our Democratic model but this newly emerged middle class simply don't want to accept wrong doing of the past generations. She treat everyone without any caste and religion prejudice.

This is a nice ethical values emergence in our pro west oriented youths. But, simply you can't escape the right or wrong doings of the past. It is indeed endurance needed by the guys championing the merit case until everybody is bought to level field.

- The heavy argument against any reservation per se is that it compromises with the quality and merit. bring them at par with the privileged sections.

Those who enjoy subsidised public education catches the flight of private sector on first sight on high pay packages. Its right decision only. I am in support of it. But asking government to give them subsidized education and merit based job without reservation is wrong attitude. Such group never argues hard for the abolition of management quota in the private colleges despite of its non merit selection.

*-------------*

Don't take sides in this arguments. The aim of our argument is to understand and reach the root cause of caste based discrimination. What I observe today an emerging middle class, resistant to a democratization that might jeopardize the social and economic privileges they enjoy in an undemocratic system. Even to this day, upper and lower caste do not eat in the same plate or drink from the same glass. And blindly accepted as a matter-of-fact social norm by majority. A few youth with equality crusaders are indeed needed if they just maintain their view after coming out of their ivory towers. Have a brief Look on the India Untouched ---



It is not just become a matter a religion now. This whole society is more of Caste-obsessed in India. Check : Caste system in Sikhism , Caste system in Christianity & Caste system in Islam . While the readers interested in more academic dissection of the topic, go through the article of Namit Arora : The Blight of Hindustan.

The story of Dalit oppression is not just about the occasional horrific incidents of lynching, rape and mass murder, but also about the everyday slights, the subtle and not-so-subtle process by which human beings were systematically reduced to an under-class, a sub-species that did not merit full human consideration. This prejudice cannot get reversed by a stroke of the pen, or the success of a single generation- it runs deep and howls wild. When someone like Shashi Tharoor gets himself weighed in money, we shrug it off as a quaint electoral practice. When Mayawati does so, we are offended. But then, she does not tweet. [SOURCE]

Disturbing Trend in Civilization -2

While I write about 2nd phase of article inquiring about disturbing trend in the civilization, I will emphasis on the countries governed by Islamic law. Personally, I don't see liberty, equality and a place for minority in the Islamic Law. This article is more based on the study of Pakistan that resembles us most in culture and traditions.

People who are ignorant to history can perish easily. That's why false notion of history creates a generation believing in conspiracy theories than scientic inquiry about religion. That what is happening to the generation of Muslim countries. And this excessive religious education corrodes the youth minds making them unaware of the worldly affairs. The tendency to see every act through the eye of religion tarnishes the viewpoint and starts the pointless debate to determine ‘true Islam’.

Romanticised version of Islam’s early history is constructed purely on memorised accounts. 'Glorious age of religious faith' is the imaginative concept of extremist. It baffles all rationality and history. Land of pure and one provides no space to diversity. This catalyzes the elimination of minority by extremist element in majority.

Meanwhile, Muslim countries continue to lag behind the rest of the world in almost every measure of human rights, scientific achievement, economic vitality, and standard of living. Take oil out of Arab countries and they would be the most corrupt and failed states. We all know about the reports of human rights violation in the countries governed by Sharia laws.

Tendency of feudal violence and gun culture is more seen in Islamic countries. The chance of fair discussion and democracy seems less feasible. Courts are overburdened with cases, land reforms pending, an Army that doesn't care about civilians and democratic leader chosen are either highly corrupt or elite. So majority of uneducated population has been left with no choice over all.

Propaganda of any religious group of the single correct path is a totalitarian act and that leads to the violent suppression of opposition camp. The competition in opposite camps is no longer a consensus-building exercise, but rather a zero-sum game. There is so much insecurity and mistrust that anyone criticizing with reason is consider as Zionist agent or atheist. The pursuit of only one religious view fuelled with elimination of other views lead by small faction of self righteous religious parties catalyzes the downfall of peaceful Islamic countries into chaos. There is a need to end the violent, psychopathic and totalitarian version of the faith.

There is a difference between getting people to think for themselves and telling them what to think. you can’t force people to acquire an opinion, they have to form their own opinion about issues. As in most conflicts, solutions can only come from within. There is lack of rational education in all Islamic countries governed under Sharia. And there is no distinction between teachings of the Quran and the anachronistic 7th century Arabian tribal customs. The solution to the turmoil gripping Muslim society today may be found in reintroducing ijtihad.

Ijtihad is a technical term of Islamic law that describes the process of making a legal decision by independent interpretation of the legal sources, the Qur'an and the Sunnah. It is not practiced in Sunni Islam anymore and notion that the "gates of ijtihad" were "closed" in the 10th century.

The ultimate clash is between the politicised Islam of a radical element which has turned to violence as a means of expressing itself, and the mainstream majority which remains largely silent defending Islam as religion of peace. Muslims as humans and individuals are obviously capable of changing their minds but no the Islamic Mullahs. We need to educate people about human rights, rational thinking and secular society for peaceful co existence.

Let me end the topic with talks of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Dutch intellectual & feminist activist Must Read Interview : Unlike other religions that allowed for criticism, Islam brooks no questioning, Ali said. "In Islam you submit your will to a force outside yourself, to a collective will," she said. Describing the Koran as a book written within a certain cultural context in the 6th century, she said many values are outdated. For instance, she said, in Islam, men and women are not equal, homosexual relations are not tolerated, women found guilty of adultery are required to be stoned to death, and the list of obligations under Islam have led to an environment of bigotry where believers are obliged to distance themselves from non-Muslims...

Disturbing Trend in Civilization -1

I am disturbed by trends happened in past or happening presently around me in the name of religion, race and caste. The trend of one's religion based on faith and love while another on irrationality and superstition is growing abruptly. Before starting this discussion, remember the warning: Civilization is an intellectual pursuit of leisure class.

1- I was watching a movie 'Before the Rain'. The movie shows the unending cycle of love and violence in the Macedonian region. There is a bitter division of orthodox christian and Albanians and it gives the hint of civil war like situation. I started thinking about root causes of this hate. West stick to the theory of "Clash of civilization". This clash is bound to happen due to rapid globalization that brings people together. Prejudice of superiority and purity are shattered by scholars. Extremists taking in the refuge of nationalism return into cocoon with mythical glorious past theories of the region.European nation are taken aback Islamophobia. In Switzerland, it’s minarets. In France, it’s the veil, the burqa and the beard. As they fear that the population explosion of Muslims will disturb the social fabric of their society. What we are witnessing today is a shift from a Muslim to an Islamist identity. The religious self for individual Muslims is being shifted from the private to the public realm. Christopher Caldwell, a journalist who has been reporting on Muslims in Europe for over a decade goes on to voice a fundamental European concern: "It was not just that young Muslims were assimilating too slowly into European culture as the generations passed, it was that they were dis-assimilating."

Separation of religion from state is a distinct symbol of European enlightenment and culture, while Islam stands for joint duo politics and religion. Secularism is not the same as atheism. Secularism means respect for all faiths. While the fear is genuine due to history of Muslim population showing more loyalty to Islam than their nation in the secular state. At the same time, however, large numbers of Europeans even in the most secular countries still identify themselves as "Christian," pointing to an implicit, diffused, and submerged Christian cultural identity.

Islam is falling in the hands of pseudo theological mullahs who opposes any form of free speech as heresy. And, with Danish Cartoon controversy and Murder of Theodoor "Theo" van Gogh had given hardliners enough material to speak against Islam.

Oliver Ray examined in his essay about Islam in Europe: "It is a mistake to think that religious and political radicalism among European Muslims is a mere import from the cultures and conflicts of the Middle East. It is above all a consequence of the globalization and Westernization of Islam."

Free speech is a fundamental human right and a central tenet to any form of government. With the latest in a series of incidents in Europe, involving the clash of the idea of freedom of expression with the idea of blasphemy of Islam, I vouch for the expression 'Free speech' irrespective of religion and state principles.

Read a genuine line that impresses me: To Credit Islam with Algebra, Hinduism with Shoonya, Christianity with the Copernican revolution, is like crediting the Czar with the Bolshevik revolution.

Ab meri zindagi suru hue hai

Usually things improve after they touch a low point. The same is true for life. I was extreme optimistic till 19 years of my age. I was infatuated in an one sided love in the teenage life. Sad ending puts a break on it. Qualifying IIT was a goal and it was achieved after 2 years of preparation. Then, there was a big gap in the personal life. I stopped getting involved in the mainstream lifestyle of college and started wandering for unknown. Suddenly, a zeal to attain seriousness and scholastic pursuit captures me for a long time. It was like walking on wrong path for Self discovery...

I was obsessed in the love of cinema and then books. And, collection of knowledge was my only motto. I had completely forgotten that life is about emotions and ideas, not robotically taking the information that express them.

I had came to Hyderabad 15 months back with entrance to corporate life. There was flip flop of depression and moments of recovery frequently. I was utterly depressed and was feeling that sense of joy is vanishing from my life. Past was haunting and future appeared dark in this period. Whole idea of belief in 'purpose of life' was merely an escape from the monotonous, stupid and cruel present. Suddenly, a moment shines in my life. I realized that its not knowledge but love that is missing in the life.

Be – don't try to become. Then, I meet a person for whom I changed. I look on myself and find that there is nothing lovable in me. I am dead as a tombstone carrying dead weight of knowledge. Rather than enjoying the music of life, I am involved in search of its composer. What a pity of a sublime period of life !

I was afraid of change and didn't talk to others about my problems. Silence and philosophy were hiding the pains in the life and they were not providing any solution. I realized that all these theories of transition period are trash. Its self deceiving for escape into false memories and lethargy. You change in a moment and it happened for me. Life appears different and beautiful. I stopped complaining about world and its daily problem. Just become relaxed and started to love others...

Idea Sharing: I had an assumption, just want to share with you. Each culture is pushed by counter culture current in a moder nation. The nation which has foots deep sowed in the has reformation currents with loner timeline. This circular process of creation and annihilation goes in every part of world. This circular loop is unending and depends heavily on basic behaviour and nature of humans. I termed it as pendulum clock arrangement. That was buzzing in mind about perspective of changing times.

Reading is a good time pass and writing gives beautiful freedom of self expression. If you subscribed to Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection as I do, blogger with content will prevail over voyeurs and stylist eventually at least in exposing truth naked. In the end, juggling of words will fail over emotional outburst of heart...

FYI, Build a site you (and your readers) will love is a lovely article about writing and blogging. Have a look and enjoy life, it will end soon :)