The injured bull

 

The real beauty of India. The faith, seva bhav, love. Sadhus and animal welfare volunteers come together to treat the injured horn of a bull. Coming from a farming family I have seen such scenes in my village. When pinced down like this by humans the poor cattle think they are getting slaughtered. I remember that fear in the rolled eyes. Those strong puffs of wind getting saliva and slime on the muzzle. But here the bull is somehow relaxed. Its eyes aren't popping out with fear of death. This I feel is due to the touch of sadhus. There is an assurance of safety, love and care. Their presence makes the bull behave well even in the face of such a painful, scary experience. Its eyes are normal. Its muzzle isn't oozing with slime which a cattle normally does with strong puffs of breathing under such circumstances. The bull seems assured of safety. The touch of caring sadhus. And the touch of caring animal lovers. It's in safe hands. The injured horn is dressed. And the volunteers move away slowly releasing the rope, leaving only the sadhus near it as it gets up. And the bull gets onto its feet with wonderful calm. The sadhus pat it lovingly. 'You are a good boy. Now don't fight too much over girlfriends,' says the young doctor. People laugh. The sadhus guide it to a relatively open space.

On the banks of Maa Ganga

 

Pre-script: Inspired by conversation with one of the best devotees of Maa Ganga 

Who wouldn't like to stay longer on the banks of Maa Ganga?! But She would like Her children to be active in the world as well. To me Her maternal touch is like prasada...even the little bit of it gives a feeling of getting satiated and fulfilled that buckets of normal food won't give. Frankly speaking dear friends I feel blessed and happy whatever time She allows me near Her for my learning and growth. Don't you see those who are born on Her banks and stay there since birth are even more common and worldly than those born in cities far away? I mean most of them are. Because to them Her presence is like food, not prasadam...they take it for granted. People like you, me and countless others who get Her presence like prasadam now and then are really blessed. She calls us now and then, gives lessons and new realisations, sends us away to find the meaning of life, come back, evolve a bit more by Her touch and go back again...a real prasadam...in small bits..and those who stay with Her all the time ...to them She is mere food...taken for granted. So bow down and be grateful for such beautiful prasadam She has given you. 

We go to temples...but not all of us stay in a temple to feel blessed...we can carry the spark of divinity that we get from the temple. To me She is a living temple. And whatever chance She gives to have Her darshan is prasadam..I know She would love me to do my worldly role...which I do with a very balanced approach...I just told my view dear friends... I'm not saying everyone should feel like that..

Maybe She sends us away when She feels that prasadam ought not become food... separation with an assured coming together: the loveliest subtle twine that binds the deity and the devotee. ...just like silence is the best language... 🙏👍✍️💛

Whose verdict is this?

The election results in Haryana don't represent the ground realities. There are very serious allegations of systematic manipulation and hijacking of process and machines. It's the election commission's verdict, not the people of Haryana.

It's very easy to make technology a weapon in pursuit of your goal. Israel used technology to put explosives in pager devices used by Hezbollah. Similarly, EVM machines are sitting ducks for manipulation. Save Indian democracy. Say no to EVMs.

Now sceptics and andhbhakts will mention J and K election results. There was no need to temper there. It's under lieutenant governor who has so many powers that the MLAs are mere symbol. Imagine the lieutenant governor of Delhi doesn't allow the Delhi government to function. The kashmir governor is at least ten times stronger. So they already have their government in effect there irrespective of who comes to power in the legislature. 

And if the EVM is so foolproof, why do the countries which are 50 years ahead of us in technology still use ballot paper? America landed a human on the moon almost 60 years back and we have recently landed an unmanned craft there. And America doesn't believe in EVMs right. Andhbhakts any arguments from your side please? The country that made EVMs for the first time - Germany - doesn't use them on the grounds that it isn't possible to trust its credibility.

Give Indians first a cheated fake result. Even the commonest of us have enough brains to discuss and chalk out the true success story of a fake result. We will then spin the success hypothesis to validate the false. You just need to cheat us and then leave it on us to prove with our shrewd acumen that it was no cheating, it was rather a masterstroke to achieve true, honest success. Well done Mr Kumar! You did your job, now we do ours😂

The Desert Dagger

There were killings, slaughter, genocide. Holocaust. From its fire a dagger was born. The Desert Dagger. Forged in the sandy, fiery furnace of killings, torture, annihilation. Enemies rasping at its edges from all sides to annihilate it. But that merely sharpens the edges. The Desert Dagger has a pointed tip, the pinnacle of all the sharp, serrated edges around it - survival. It has the soul of steel. It has one soul, one goal, one dream, one people - survival. It knows how to reshape its pain into hope and then turn hope into cutting edge technology - sharp, precise, surgical., unsparing. 

The Desert Dagger cuts and writes its destiny on the book of life having sandy pages. It's a mighty pen held in one hand. It knows what it has to write - the book of survival, the manual of survival at any cost. Where does the Desert Dagger's soul, spirit and matter come from? It comes from the memories of millions who perished in gas chambers. It comes from the teary, rosy dreams in hearts - the dreams of survival of a race. It comes from the razor sharp logic in the mind - the logic of fight when surrounded from all sides and kill before getting killed.

Happiness

Happiness is primarily an acceptance of one's situation in life. It might not come to you even in a palace if you don't really settle inside the walls and within your skin.  You are a cranky host, so it will avoid you. And it will definitely come to visit your slum hut if it finds you an unashamed, guilt free, kind host. As an old, poor charwoman, whom Somerset Maugham meets after many years in 1949, when there had been lots of developmental works in the meanwhile, says to him: "They have cleaned up the slums and the dirt, and all the happiness and joy has gone with it."