~ Reflections ~

Faith/Belief, to me, has a very different meaning, which I don't mix with religion. By an average standard, most would call me an atheist, which I strongly disagree with. Faith is sacrosanct, simple. and in one. It doesn't need any beautification. grandiose or marketing/selling to make anyone believe or prove its worth. This understanding hit me even harder when I was recently invited to a Bhagwath Gita paath (पाठ) by Jaya Kishoriji  . This was my first to such an event, and oh. what an eye opener it was. I was later made to understand that this was the norm across venues, which further made me question what we are all moving towards. As against my assumption that such an event would be organized in a temple or a similar simplistic venue, the event was organized in a huge banquet hall which was grander than any of the wedding halls I've been too. The grandeur of the hall, the importance to the food served before and after the daily session (which I believe should have been ...

What happens when we fail once..  Do we just give up or try again...  Do we start building walls and fences around us...   And if we are one of the courageous ones top finally tries again, is it ok to make the criterias more stringent, or would you just stick to your belief and trudge ahead...  Don't think there is any right or wrong in this...  No one should judge...  It should finally be each to their own... 

Travelling in public transport makes you realize lots of things... Our faith hangs in balance of thin threads, tempting you to tug at them and then face the repercussion.... We seem observe everything around us, but accept only what suits us... We make a big deal about our privacy, but seem to be okay with attending our personal phone calls loudly in public... Even hard core feminists and so called we-are-all-equal type ladies are the first ones to jump at empty seats, despite lots of people (aged and young) having waited for the same for ages... There seems to be another side as well... like DTC bus drivers applying brakes to wait for a pregnant lady to cross a crowded road... of DMRC employees properly assisting foreigners on which places they shouldn't miss... It appears to be a shallow two faced world, which likes to be taunted and teased... bullied and berated...

Some would call me selfish...   But somehow, I associate great value to the blessings we get... At the end of the day, it isn't the food we eat or the air we breathe that keeps us going, it is the good wishes and blessings we get... earn... deserve that take us through the day, and life in general. So if I see my grandmother waving her hand, I ensure it firmly lands on my head :)

All of us like to keep faith... in something... in anything... Infact, if there is a single defining phenomenon in the country, it is that we all are patient about almost everything (from putting up to with the antics of corrupt politicians to keeping up with the delay in the repair of roads), and keep faith... As Aamir Khan says in the famous movie, we'd like to believe that All izzz Well ! But I've noticed that we try to obejectify ( I don't think there is any such word, but I can't seem to find an appropriate word which shares the same intent !) our Faith.... As of result of this, a small twig of Tulsi to a Banyan tree end up becoming a place of worship. What starts out with someone keeping flowers, leads on to someone lighting a lamp... and one fine day, the pavement gets cemented, and the area becomes a place of worship, with an idol installed. Ultimately what was actually a pavement/walkway and effectively public property, gets obstructed, with no possible...

Fear is an important component in life.. The fear of loss... the fear of gain... The fear of being left alone... the fear of being lost in a crowd.. And all it takes is some self-confidence... and your loved ones.... To feel secure again :)

It seems to be easiest to make decisions/judgements based on faith for a 3rd person... slightly easy to make for oneself... but when it comes to a loved one... somehow the faith in the bigger power reduces...  Suddenly taking that leap of faith is not all that easy...