Freedom and we

Searching for the word ‘freedom’ in the dictionary offers us a literal meaning of the word. But seldom a person can grasp the real and the actual meaning of the word without turning over the countless pages of history and philosophy. Freedom is not just equal to not being chained or not being locked in a dungeon. It’s also not just equal to not be under foreign rule. It has countless definitions and types. The history is ravaged with innumerable counts of wars and conflicts for this one very word, freedom.

Freedom is my birth right and I shall have it”. We all know this was spoken by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. But 9 out of 10 would conceptualize that the ‘freedom’ being talked here as the independence of India. Which is not wrong, but not completely correct even. Freedom is that very thing an animal craves for when its basic needs of air, water and food has been taken care of. Same with humans too. While air, water and foods are tangible things which can be felt and touched, freedom is an idea. Still, we see that even animals keep it in their top priority just below the basic needs of survival. So, the question we need to ask ourselves, is an idea which is so much important to even the animals can by understood by just a textbook definition. So, what is freedom? I am sorry my literary skills are not that advanced to sum it up in a single sentence. But I produce before you a phrase by French philosopher Voltaire. It does not tell us what it means but tells us how it is. The phrase goes like this 

“I do not agree to you, but I shall defend to death your right to say it” 

In a sentence the author has so beautifully told us how to be free and also how not to curb freedom of others. Freedom means to stay wherever you want, do whatever you want, say whatever you want but with a basic condition that is without invading freedom of others. It means to be able to be say whatever you want against anyone or anything the criteria being it should be the truth or a well-informed opinion, not an intentional false defamation. It means to be free to criticize religion, free to wear your choice of clothes, free to go any place you want, free to watch any kind of movie, free to read any book you want, free to do anything without any person or government or an organization ordering you to stop it. Freedom is to not to be photographed in malls with you do your shopping. That’s the kind of freedom I am talking about. Unless you are hurting or curbing someone else’s rights, you should not be stopped by anyone or any entity.

Without freedom, life will be out of our lives. Freedom can be divided mainly into three categories. Political freedom, social freedom and economical freedom. Political freedom though very difficult to attain is still easier to realize as its something you and I can see directly. The other two, social and economic are the ones which are very difficult to attain. We got political freedom from British Raj 60 years ago but we are still lagging in the social front a lot as here there’s no clear cut entity from which we have to win it. We ourselves are the problem as well as the solution. Our reluctance to accept others freedom is what curbs our freedom as well. When we demand reservations based on castes, when we want quotas, when we discriminate based on religion, when we get married after matching religion, caste, and the gotras we are never realizing social freedom.  One essential tenet of freedom is equality. In a way, freedom and equality can be one and the same. Equality meaning all humans are treated equal with no regard to their colour, religion, race, sex, caste or any god damn criteria that is used to divide people. Needless to say, this kind of equality is still not realized. Without such equality, the democracy is not realized. Please understand that democracy does not simply mean having a right to cast votes. It means freedom and equality to each one of the citizens. Freedom and equality as described above.

Lastly, coming to economic freedom, we can try to understand it as a freedom where the citizenry earn as much so as to not become economic slaves. It can mean to have at least that much of finances to be free able to enjoy and grant the other two freedoms, ie. The political and the social. Its not a rule but a well observed phenomenon that financially sound people are able to demand more for themselves. Thus in a way, economic freedom becomes a facilitator of the realization of political and social freedom. You may always seem to notice that those places which are inhabited by relatively good earning group have considerable fewer rates of corruption and crime. All corruption and crimes are mostly the battle for resources i.e. the battle for money i.e. the competition for prosperity. So, when people are financially well off, the other freedoms are very soon attained.

Freedom is the very platform on which every other aspect of a democracy stands and therefore, it’s the single most aspect of society which must be protected at all costs.

Hara Hara Mahadev

It is much more secure to be feared, than to be loved” or “it is much safer for a prince to be feared than loved, if he is to fail in one of the two” – Machieavelli

Ages since i write something. Audacious and completely busy life-style (unlike s/w engg :-) ) sopts me from writing, even thinking. My trip to Rishikesh and Rudraprayag this weekend offers something to write.

After the snap decision to go out of the weekend, i bought one way tickets to Haridwar and board into the bus. Morning 5.30, amidst in the fog and in bone-ratling cold, catch a cycle-rikshaw to the bus terminus where i can get the bus to Rudra Prayag.

Before proceeding further, i have a duty to tell why Rudraprayag. My last winter travel in Uttarakhand had one nice and surprise inclusion of RP(RudraPrayag), where two tributries of Ganges merges. I travel from the Alakananda river and reaches RP around 1 PM. My usual GMVN guest house dormitory (cost 80 rupees per bed) was waiting for me. Since it is off-season i very well knows that nobody will come and occupy the other beds in dorm.

After finishing that, had a long walk (almost 10 KMs) in and around the temple where Madakini meets with Alakananda. Just sat in my favourite rock for an hour and then move again. Visit the nearest village and had a chat with the tailor and come back to the room. Sleep like a child for more than 11 hours and wake up next day morning and immediately move towards Rishikesh.

Rishikesh is special to me. Yep. Though i’m an athiest i like the characterisation of Mahadev. So there is no wonder decide to see Mahadev in the banks of Ganges. I was not in a good mood and not behaving myself quite couple of days. So this awakening trip is must for me. I never talk to anyone while travel. I never smile. I never care about anybody in the travel (i dont guide anyone who ask me address) and completely live for me this 2 days. Tears are coming down to my cheeks once i see the statue of Mahadev. I feel superior again. Thanks to Mahadev. Aham Brahmamsmi.

Just a few lines

Ninad Dhanorkar works with Energy & Utilities wing of Mahindra Satyam as a Senior Consultant. The lesser known fact about him is that he is also an artist, expressing his thoughts through just a few lines.

In this post I am sharing some of his creations with his permission…

Ninad Dhanorkar

3 idiots

Cat 2009

Check his blog, just a few lines for more such cartoons

Aircel + Save Our Tigers

How many of us have watched this ad?

How many of us know that ‘Tiger’ is our ‘National Animal’?

How many of us are bothered about the population of tigers?

How is an ad going to help us in being able to save the feline?

How is Dhoni, Surya, and Bhaichung Bhutia (Football Player)  just by asking us to join the ‘Save Our Tigers’ Initiative help in saving the animal?

Did they not get paid for their time Or the ad makers just did it to save the national animal Or did the television not charge for the air time?

What of the above has happened?

Now, you might ask me what are you doing about the animal writing in it your blog?

I am not doing anything but I am worried about some aspects of the advertisement and the way things are portrayed to us.

I did not notice an introduction to Dhoni or to his profession same as for Surya, but when Bhaichung Bhutia was seen on the screen, he required an introduction to his profession as Bhaichung Bhutia (footballer player) in brackets exactly….that is the condition of ourselves…I am no exclusive.

I belong to this land and have comfortably forgotten the Indian National Animal, Flower, Anthem, Bird, and many a things that represent a nation…!

I am wondering such is the people…and people!!

I am moved by the sight of the kitten that waits for its mother afraid to get lost into the wilderness and it sits there hidden in the cave …but can I bring it home and give it a home?

No, nature teaches it to survive against all odds….!

What is this advertisement doing then? Is it driving at the awareness and what is this awareness about?

Just to be written, discussed, talked about and then comfortably forgotten when there is a ‘Great Match’ happening every Saturday for the coming days….?!

Do people watch ads as they used to or they flip through the channels when an ad appears?

I am not sure, what can be done to increase the numbers from “Just 1411 Left.” ?

What should I do?

Go, sit in the forest and take all the tigers into custody, number them and mark them against danger and become a ‘Tiger Herd Owner?!’

Is this the moral responsibility that I should take up seeing the ad?

What is the ad deriving at? What is the intention of noted personalities saying, ‘I joined an initiative you too join or send an SMS to this mobile number( though in this ad it does not say this exactly)?’

Who is getting benefited… the actor or the personality or the sports person or the service provider?

Should I take the law into my hands and see that all poachers are destroyed or killed by me personally or what I am supposed to do…? Build a forest next to my room and lock all the tigers to safety?

Joining an initiative, what am I supposed to do tell me that instead of a celebrity talking me, make a common man talk to me about it…. are there no common man to support such a cause…can’t we have a animal photographer talk to us or a natural activist talk to us?

What is the law doing? What is the enforcements doing? What is happening in the government that is supposed to protect the national bounty? Can’t they represent the ad?

Why do we need a celebrity who lives on our mercy talk about aspects that does not bother to them?

I know the clothes that I am going wear require models and celebrities but do social awareness also sprung from them?

I am not against an individual or an individual entity. I am just reflecting the things that I saw and noticed and disturbed me.

Yes, I am certainly moved by the number that is being displayed and the kitten that has lost its mother….but what am I to do about it? How do I go about doing things?

I stop buying things that does not relate to tiger fur, skin, teeth, hair, or bones….and I make people amongst me also do the same…beyond that?

I know not what made me write this but ‘yes’ certainly there is something more disturbing than the fact that there are only “Just 1411 Left.”

The system, the administration, the officials, the people, the nation, the moral responsibility, the ethic of life, the reasoning, the righteousness, the love for nature, the love for another living thing, the love for all things that can’t be recreated by a mortal being….!

There are many and then many more to come….I hope, I am pardoned from this hopeless writing!

If you have the time and the mind, please do visit : http://www.saveourtigers.com/

Photo Courtesy: Aircel Initiative – Website!

Nobody Listen…

One day an old lady with her sister traveling in a bus. So it happened that i asked a boy who was sitting by my side to give sit to the lady. And he offered without creating a scene. My observation says local buses are the most crowded in Pune and the system which follow for boarding bus quite disappointing. I said to the lady that you can ask other fellow who is sitting other side of bus to give sit to other old lady who was her sister. She refused to do that and said to me that ‘there is no point of saying anything to Pune public, police and bus conductor, they will not listen’. She was too old to argue with her or express my thoughts and top of that I was not in a mood to do so. But I asked that fellow to give her sit and he provided.

I was wondering people keep quite because they assume that nobody will listen to them. But I wonder before that did we speak out loudly so that responsible person will listen to us. How can we keep quite? When we are not responsible to express then we can’t make others responsible for the action.

Horton Hears a Who – An Animated Movie

We watch movies, we react, cry, laugh, praise, criticize and then forget it…!

But this is one movie that reminds you of doing things in the right way and for the righteous sake.

Though this movie is a CGI-animated feature film…it has its own sweetness and its righteousness it tells us a tale about few tiny people who live along with us who have a world of their own and we seem to be crushing them…!!

The story is about an elephant, in the jungle of Nool, happens to hear the cry of some tiny people who live in Who-ville, which is a city that survives as a tiny speck.

The elephant is called Horton (Jim Carrey, has done voice over) who seems to be kindhearted and has a joyful life…but one day he happens to hear a cry of help close to his ears and he sticks the speck that is blown away by the wind to a clover that is different from others due to the green circular bands on it!

Only he hears it and he opens this little secret to the people who are friends to him…they don’t believe it.

The Kangaroo who is the self -proclaimed leader of the jungle hushes Horton about this weird little secret and says, “That this recent discovery of his might frighten the children and should be kept a secret”

Horton is surprised at her response but keeps knocking at the doors of Who-ville hopeful of finding a response to his fears and belief.

The mayor of Who-ville who notices the changes in the environment hears the yelps of Horton and cross examines the fact about what has been discovered by Horton.

He believes that Horton will take their community and village to a safer place and that is a promise Horton makes and till the end of the movie we know he keeps the promise…Horton keeps repeating the verse – “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant.An elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent.”

Thus, he goes through great heights, jumps off the cliff and searches through 2,999,999 clovers to save the tiny speck of people on it…believing in his motto -”A person’s a person, no matter how small”

This movie is worth enough for the show that elephant puts forth to save some tiny little people who don’t know anything apart from there world and believes that there is nothing beyond them….!

We can see the camera zooming out, revealing that along with other worlds in our universe, the jungle of Nool, where the elephant lived is just one speck among numerous others like our planet…!

A worth movie for kids and for all the people who have forgotten the basics of living humbly…!

Go watch it…I am sure if not for the technicalities in the movie you will certainly love the movie for the ‘KID’ that’s still alive in some part of your heart and mind!!

Crowing Crow!

Well, it has been really a long time since I sat back in a relaxed manner and listened to the sounds of the surrounding…!

Don’t know when was the last time it happened…must be when I was going to school and those lazy sunday afternoons when you don’t have much to do after a long and delicious lunch of your mom’s….you feel that the television is boring, the songs played on the radio is boring, your walk man is too much of a pain….and then you just sit or lie on the bed that is at few inches away from the window with the curtains playing a shadowy show on the walls and the breeze from the neem tree, is even and the sunlight hitting you hard….you just wish why the school does not work on sundays too……………..!

If this wasn’t enough you just try to think of something nice and doze off into dreams when this crow do not know from where it just appears at the tree and starts singing a lullaby for you….!

You can hear its distinct crowing and adding to this you hear a distant crowing….that is so distinctly very haunting.

Yes, the crowing of the crow is really painful and your heart stirs each time it crows…!

Have you heard those distant crowing of the crow…?

I heard it today again…I heard it very close to my ears but it was somewhere on a tree further from my window and the blocks….

I was reminded of these lazy afternoons…on a summer holiday is a distant village where the sunlight is so much that you can’t play in the sun with your friends and your grand mom and grand dad calling you indoors, you lie on the mat looking at the ceiling and listening to the mythological tales, tales about godliness and devils…and how the gods fought over the evil…and how you should always be doing good deeds to keep the momentum going and how god punishes people who do the evil…!!!

The crows being the incarnation of our ancestors…they bring us the news from the other world…and all we do is shoo it away…and wait for it devour the food we offer it on every thought of an ancestor….!

I am reminded of the lazy summer afternoons and the sun seeping in all its light on to the grounds…whenever it crows!!

Old man

Today Old man was distributing pamphlet to people and it happened that he gave it to me. I was not curious to read it but I was wondering around 80 year old man why is need to do this work. And he reminded me of a person whom I met in Pune 4 years back. I don’t remember his name but I do remember what he wanted to do at that age. I was surprised to see his enthusiasm at that age. He was Editor of a local magazine “Sampada” which was his daughter’s name who died in accident at early age. He asked me to help him to edit the few columns and pages. I was willing helped him. After a week when we finished the work he came to my Hostel (I used to be in Hostel with my youngest sister in Pune) and offered me 2 dairy milk chocolate. I was surprised to see him with chocolates. It was the moment where my eyes filled with tears with smile I thanked him. After that I never saw him but I still remember his enthusiasm and excitement which was on top after losing everything in life.

Cultured Shock!

A Cartoon to Represent the Writing!

Conversation 1:

Hey, I love you.
I love you too, dear
……………. (Hmmm)
What do you mean?
I mean what I said………….I love you, truly, madly, deeply.

Conversation 2:

Just a minute hold on, honey……… I have another call.
Yeah, baby. I love you, you please take care. Ok.
I too love you………………dear.

Conversation 1: (After a gap of that looks like an eternity)

Sorry, dear have kept you waiting so long. That dude did not hang-up at all. Ah! You tell me, you were saying something to me, honey.
Who’s that…?
Hmmm…….just a minute I have another call…. (The guy hangs-up frustrated)

You must be wondering what is all this about?

Even I wonder what is this all about. This is heard so much nowadays, that you wonder whether there is any truth in the words that are spoken at length.

The mobile phones have seemed to have taken control of the lives of the younger generation that almost 90% of the population is ready to swear by it.

The conversations and held-up phone lines sum upto the unlimited offers that flood the markets and corporate at a cheaper price for an understanding and ever-lasting relationship with the service provider (Of course, you fool………..do you think relationships last, nah…a. My foot……….)

The above conversation is what I happen to hear every now and then.

Do  you think I go eavesdropping on the younger generation!?

Sorry, no the generation are loud enough for the coming generations to hear them…was so aloud that I think, people forget where they are…….or was it just an expression of love.

For god sake, I don’t happen to be eves dropping on anybody especially the young and out of college guys and girls.

All they talk about is dating and the beautiful girl gets to go with the coolest dude …………….etc.

No time to understand all these and the terminologies among them. But certainly visible trait among them is – “How many you have, the more the merrier….the more fun it is?”

Everyone is so dear to everyone that there is no one dearer than a lost friend.

The term dearest friend has changed to special friend; a special friend has become a dear friend and more than a friend.

PS: A re-post from my personal blog! Was wondering what to write and then re-posted this here…! :-)

I’m back!!!

Hi MoTAites,

Yesterday when I arrived in Hyderabad, I took a sigh of relief. You might be thinking that how come a person feel relieved after coming from his home town, but believe me, its true! I missed you all guys, my friends over here, the unlimitted fun and masti I had here and what not?? I missed out on saying good bye to Savita. Also I am going to miss the wonderful first outing of MoTA because of my health.

Let me give you my updates. I got operated upon on 8th and was hospitalized for 10 days. Then I took rest at home till 25th and caught a flight yesterday to hyderabad. I was operated for the cleft palate problem for which a bone-grafting had to be performed on my palate.  A small piece of bone was taken from my hip and transplanted to my palate. Also there was a small hole between my nostrill and palate which was filled in the operation. Still I am not allowed to take food and surviving only on liquid diet. This will go on for 3 weeks and then only I can take my favourite Roti Sabzi.

I  had to delete almost all of the mails from our group to make some space in my mailbox. So please let me know if I missed out on any updates from any of us. I hope all of you are doing fine and enjoyed new year/sankranti. I didnt send a mail since I also didnt want to be another reason to fill your mailboxes as well as this I guess will be the most appropriate way to be back on the platform.

Do give me your updates.. waiting eagerly to hear from you.. take care guys.. Happy Blogging!!!!!