R. K. Laxman's "You Said It" in today's Times of India

What do they call this type of inflation these days? :)

Searching for GOD

I have a reputation (rather am infamous) for being an atheist, among my family members and relatives. I earned this reputation by expressing my disliking for temples and idol/photo worship. Not that I attempt to stop my family doing it, but I do not go to temples. Even if I go, it is like going to any other place rather than going to pray to GOD. On the other hand, my mom and brother goes to temple daily, and dad once every week. Initially, mom used to frequently ask me to go to temple and fear GOD, and I kept on insisting that I do not feel the presence of GOD in any temple. Now, both have stopped - mom's pleas and my arguments against it!

The latest temple has come up near my residence. I think it is a Balaji temple. More importantly, the temple is at a place where there used to be a waste dumpyard. But suddenly people are donating lot of money for the temple. I hear that they are converting the stone idol into gold. Of course it requires money. And it is being funded by "GOD-fearing" and "GOD-loving" people.

Apologies for being so sarcastic. To my mind, any search for GOD towards a particular place is so very futile. And when there are opportunities given to people to help genuine causes, most refuses or gives something to do away with the person asking. Why can't people be more considerate towards genuine causes rather than temples and such unproductive purposes? Why don't people realize that service to mankind is service to GOD? Why can't they be more generous in helping people? How do they justify their actions? Or is it simply that they do not think much about these things?

GOD is so much around us. Sit at a quite place and listen to a Jagjit Singh ghazal, you will feel GOD. See a baby smiling and playing with itself, you will see GOD. Meet a school teacher working selflessly for children in a small village, you will meet GOD. GOD does not want you to make a gold idol for HIM. Then why do we fool ourselves?

I approached many people over the last few days for a cause that needed to be complete. Some of the people, the way they responded both in terms of giving money and showing interest, really pleased and motivated me. There was surely a presence of GOD in them. I would always prefer spending time with them rather than going to a temple, everytime given a choice. I am cent percent sure that GOD will always be with such people having noble thoughts and great intentions. Though, not very sure about HE being with people who only visit temples and calls themselves lovers of GOD. May GOD bless them and give them sense! :) Again, the sarcastic me..

21st century sins

The Vatican has come out with a 'reformed' list of NEW sins for this new era. Not surprisingly, it includes "accumulating excessive wealth" also! Why is it not surprising to me? If you check history, the world has always stood against something that a majority of them desires but do not deserve. Creating wealth is an art and those who are devoid of it can only crib about it. Of course, wealth creation by dubious ways is a strict no-no. But if one does it through legal ways, logically it cannot be denied. Sins, by the way, are made up of moral fabric and is not about legality. Also, as with any other matter including relativity, who defines 'excess' wealth? Well, that is an absolutely different topic to blog on, perhaps later.

For now, likes of Ishant Sharma, Dhoni, Ambanis, K. P.Singh - they are committing a deadly sin! It does not matter whether they deserve it based on their skills (like the cricketers) or they create wealth for the stake holders too (like the industrialists). Let the world go eons backward by condemning visionaries and wealth creators.

That reminds me, someone thinks that the IPL's player auctions is akin to prostitution! Ahem.... B-school grads and CAs getting picked up from campus should also be in this then! Hey hey, I am not saying it..

Now is that a sin? The thought that is so radical, so against-the-normal? A thumping NO, to my mind. And that is precisely the point I am trying to drive home. The BIGGEST cardinal sin has to be doing things against your individuality to please someone else. If sin is a moral wrong that GOD condemns, then a person who denies the self what it deserves is the worst sin possible. An individual is complete the way GOD has created him. His thoughts, perceptions, views, perspectives should be respected and denying them is definitely a sin. The sinner is the one who forces a girl to marry against her wishes, with a justification that they know better. Better than the GOD who created the girl? Well, I am not a huge fan of GOD, but these sinners surely are and hence want to use the same modality to explain why they are sinners.

Let the individuality prosper, let people be a slave of only their own thoughts, let us not make someone else see this wonderful place called earth through our eyes.

I cringe to see people doing things that they believe are matured and correct, with eyes and hearts closed to see what they are doing to others in the process.