Taslima in Kolkata

THere are parts of the city which suddenly seem to have gone up in arms ... while the rest of the city looks on ... in horror. Is this the Kolkata of yore? Is this the Kolkata that we love? I wouldnt like to believe that, but does one have an option except to believe? That maybe theres a method to the madness ... that somewhere, some kind of human expression will arise. But, we wait, and we wait ... in vain. Not for long, Hopefully?

Add to this the statement of Mr. Biman Bose ... simply put, he says ... if peace in the city is endangered, then Taslima Nasrin should leave. Does this mean the Left Front believes that anyone who is not liked by someone else should leave? Or, is this simply because there is a certain vote bank, and that vote bank needs to be pampered? Either way ... does this mean the Government shall abdicate its duty to maintain law and order? Or, shall the Government be dictated to by one section of society? Not to say that the section may not even be civil society.

Taslima and Nandigram

I was reading on the site of NDTV that the Army has been asked to come outin Kolkata. Sad enough state of affairs ... What is even more surprising is that the protestors, who were protesting against what happened at Nandigram, were demanding that the visa for Taslima Nasreen be revoked ...

Not sure what Taslima Nasreen has to do with Nandigram. Was she there? Nobody said so. Then, why are two things being confused? Some say she is un-Islamic ... Lets assume she is ... Is the issue here not Nandigram?

Nandigram ...

Sad state of affairs ... Why does it have to come to this? The dispute began with a simple disagreement ... Whether the Salim group should be allowed to set up operations at Nandigram. Why Nandigram? I dont know. But, whatever the reasons ... A simple question ... which an answer which ought to have been equally simple. But, it turns out, it wasnt so.

Today, it seems, the basic question of whether the Salim group should set up operations at Nandigram or not, has been forgotten. Today, Nandigram seems to have become a "war-zone" ... Or so they said on the media. Maybe the media is hyping it ... But then, maybe not. And, even if they are, does that mean the things that are happening at Nandigram should happen in any civilized society? It doesnt matter which political party is doing what ... does it? I dont think so ... What matters is the plight of the people. They have a life to live ... and, this life has been dispurted ... in a manner which does not befit any civilized society, much less India.

People being attacked with guns ... killed, maimed. Women being raped ... Are these things which we shall be proud of? I dont think any of us would be ... Never should have happened, and never should happen again. Can we sit down at a table, and talk things through? I am not here to blame any political party, and even if they are to blame, we must not lose sight of the issue ... People suffering. One way for people to display their angush ... Bandh! What purpose does a Bandh serve? Lots of people have written, and talked about the impact these have on people who make a living on a aily basis. Shall society not be answerable to each of us?

Simple question ... Can we talk about this?

Being Good ...

I am thinking about something. Something I am coming to realize ... It doesnt matter what others think about you ... Its what you think about yourself. I know ... this has been said by the wise for long, but it takes realization to find out the true meaning. That what we do, is what we choose, and this leads to us learning ... more at a Spiritual level, even if not at the physical level.

What this means ... Be Good! Two simple words ... But, to be honest, very difficult to understand. Being good is about doing to others as you would want them to do to you. Does this hold to the suicide bomber? No! So, what does being good mean? Maybe, each of us, depending on our Spiritual state, can define ourselves? Maybe ... I dont know! What I need to ask ... What if someone is being bad to you? Do you react in kind? There was a story I had read ...

There was once a snake. The people in the villages used to fear him, and used to try to kill him every time they saw him. One day, he met a Sage. The Sage told him that they fear his nature ... that, if he was nice to them, greeted them whenever he met them, they would lose their fear, and they wouldnt hurt him. The snake decided to follow the Sage's advice. The next time he came across people, he went to greet them, but they threw stones at him. He was hurt, both physically, and Spiritually. This continued. Time went by ... One day, the Sage was again passing through the jungle, and the snake met him. The Sage was surprised at his condition, all bruised ... The snake told him all that happened. The Sage told him ... Who asked you to not even show them your fangs? Show them your fangs, so they will run away, and you wont need to bite them.

Thing is, in real life, it becomes very difficult to find out when the fangs turn into bite. Being Good, you wouldnt want to bite ... but, when someone is not being nice to you, you have to protect yourself ... How to make sure you are only showing fangs, and not biting? This is the question ...

What to write about

I am in a scenario where I am trying to think ... what should I write about on this blog? Writer's block, you could say, but then, who said I am a writer. But then, this is how the new web is changing things. But no, the confusion is not there. The confusions tems from somewhere else ... I am trying to explore the world spiritually. Seems to be a calling ... Something which is attracting me. Something I want to do. Something I feel I need to do. At the same time, the state of affairs in Pakistan is disturbing. For two reasons ... one, its happening to common people ... they are the ones who will suffer. And two, in India, we cannot afford to overlook these developments, as everyone knows.

About Spirituality ... I guess this is about the part of life which probably everyone goes through sometime in life, asking questions ... these questions are nothing new ... where did I come from, and where am I going? What awaits me on the other side .... the other side of removing this garb? I am not the first guy to have asked these questions, and wont definitely be the last. And yet, something tells me that the answers are at hand ... Shall we have the courage to reach out, and touch them? To feel the answers, and understand ... and learn? Courage ... an interesting word ... it implies there is something to be feared there. No, I dont think there is anything to fear there, but the truth. And, the reason why we would fear the truth is not because it would hurt, but because we might not like what we see.

About Pakistan ... the Constitution has been revoked. And, the people are not sure where they are headed. Or so the media would tell us. And, it would be understandable, too. But, the fact is, stability is something that is crucial for the world, considering the way the stakes are laid out. What role must India play in this? Surely not the usual ... This may just be the opportunity the sub-continent may have been looking for ... To create a new pattern for the relationship between India and Pakistan, and take it into a direction which brings enduring peace, and trust.

Jehad ... Good for Whome?

Recently, Pakistan has declared Emergency. The reasons have been compelling ... And, the opinions have been predictable. Political parties in Pakistan have condemned it, the leadership in India is treading carefully, and the people in India think this should have happened considering the upsurge in Jehadi activities in Pakistan.

There has been a report in the newspapers, which tells that in this year, Pakistan has lost more lives in Jehadi activities, than India has. What kind of Jehadis are these? They dont even spare the people for whome they are supposedly fighting? And, are Jehadis actually fighting? And, what are they fighting? Are they fighting India, or Pakistan, Israel, or the USA? I dont think any of the lot. What they are fighting ... Humanity. Nobody is the gainer here, and I am repeating myself, and a lot of people who have said this before me, but isnt this repitition required?

What shall ever man gain by killing another human being? Who has given us the right to end a life? Life ... precious as it is, shall we not cherish it? Can we not learn that at the core, we are all the same? Human feelings, human emotions transcend all such barriers. Why can we not understand this? Why can we not go back to the Primal Source ... to learn ... learn a simple lesson ... that we have the essence of Spirit. That we are made to travel a road, which is taking us to perfection, to a state where we shall have learnt the difference between us as human beings, and us as spirit, to begin with. Can we not achieve this, simply ... Simply by looking insides? It has been said in The Holy Koran ... that there are two types of Jehad ... that the more important one is the one we shall fight within our hearts ... to conquer our own hearts, and bring ourselves onto a path which God cherishes for His children. What would it take to ask the Jehadis ... What would it take for them to realize this simple truth?

Rizwan, Mr. Todi, and Baangaalees.

The Rizwan murder eipsode is progressing, and Ashok Todi, and Snehashish Ganguly have been summoned by the CBI. While this may be as it ought to be, I am not writing about this aspect, but about an aspect which not many are even looking at, and even fewer would like to acknowledge. Actually, not one (the not many are looking at), but two (the not many would like to acknowledge).

Bachi Karkaria wrote this article ... and I know many people would have read it. Which is why I am surprised ... There has not been a single bandh call from West Bengal about this article.

Ms. Karkaria has raised two valid points. First, and most important point, I thought, was the sentiments of the girl. Priyanka would be torn, I would think ... between father and husband. She has told anyone who would care to listen that she loves Rizwan. But, what might the future hold for her? Should she take a stand against her Father, or should she stand by the memory of her late Husband? I dont think this is a simple issue to resolve for anyone.

Another thing, would the intelligentsia of Kolkata have been so indignant if Mr. Todi was a Baangaalee "Bhodrolok"? Would they have been so vehement in denouncing Ashok Todi if he was a respectable Baangaalee, instead of being a Marwari, a set of people, which even the Baangaalees admit, they detest. Though, I think, if that was the scene, the whole incident would have taken a communal angle.

What this shos is just one thing ... The issue is not the people involved in the episode, and least of all their feelings.