The fight for truth

 In the recent times, people have become touchy about everything. I keep wondering, why have we become so fragile. A simple ad, a stray remark is enough to drive us crazy. And it's not just religious sentiments. Though all throughout the world, religion does remain the most sensitive issue, it's not the only one. We have become sensitive about history, geography, science, and everything else. Industries bond together to fight against a few rude remarks. We all hate any criticism directed at us. We have become arrogant. Any idea which is contrary to our own thinking must be wrong. Because of course, we are always right. We are the only intelligent people who can't be manipulated. The rest are all fools. This confidence in our ability hasn't made us stronger. Instead, it has turned us into a mass of insecurity.

Our sense of self worth is so unstable, that any contrary remark can trigger it. And not just that. We may not like people criticising us, but we reserve the right to criticize everyone. Instead of ideological debates, people hurl abuses. Twitter seems like a battle arena. We talk about stopping hatred, but we are not above hating others. Derogatory name-calling has become the norm. In fact, an argument is started with an insult, and ends with insults without both sides making any valid points in between the two insults.

It's not that people have become evil, it's the opposite. Everyone claims to be fighting for good. It's just that definition of good is different for everyone.

And I don't blame us, humans. I blame the truth. Truth has a wicked habit of showing its different aspects to different people.  So, everyone fighting believes they have truth on their side, so of course they feel the other side must be lying.

In this insane battle for the truth, will human race survive? Will we realize the folly of fighting for abstract ideas? That people matter more than anything else? Or will we all perish to preserve something which might be an illusion? A real philosopher might argue that, we, ourselves are a part of a big illusion, Maya. But what do I know? I'm not a real philosopher. Just someone, who scribbles her thoughts.

 

It's not about the message

Four boys read the following message:

"Be yourself, don't let the world decide how you behave. Remain true to yourself.”

They decided to make it their mantra.

The first boy painted his nails.

The second boy stole a pen.

Third danced in the pouring rain.

Fourth gave away his jacket to a homeless man.

The message was same, the interpretation changed with every boy. Just as every boy was different, their perceptions were unique too.

It doesn't matter if everyone is taught the same thing or the same book, what each learns will depend upon their perception.

© K.A. Acharya 2020

How does it feel not to support any political party?

The Good

You can criticize any policies of any party without feeling apologetic 😁 You can also support any policy you love without feeling guilty.

The Bad

The people who liked you yesterday might no longer like you today. But if you're lucky, they might like you again, the next week 😉

The Ugly

You learn that bigotry runs in every party. And you get to know the bigots supporting different parties 😪

The Best 

Just like the bigots, you also get to meet the good people supporting different parties.  They make you realise that, however extreme their ideas might be, the good people never turn bad😁😊

And that is the secret of my optimism. I know that regardless what social media keeps telling you, good people exist, and they outnumber the other types of people. 

© K.A. Acharya

The price of reputation

 Once upon a time, there lived a very reputed family. It was a big family full of cousins, and uncles, and aunts. Belonging to that family got you respect from the rest of the society. Everyone wanted to connect with that family.

Then, came a catastrophe. One woman from the family created a sensation. She claimed that a little girl from the family was abused by her own uncle. Now, everyone started gossiping about the family. They started to lose respect. Soon, many other illegal activities of the family started coming to light. One or two family members started speaking about it. 

The family matriarch was furious. She was angry that her own family members talked ill of the family. After all, most of them had gained respect using the family name. They had no right to malign the family, they owed it to the family.

Rightly, she said, not everyone in the family is bad. But, she forgot to support the woman, the little girl, and many others who suffered in her own family. After all, family is more important than individuals in the family.

What do you think? Do you think, that reputation of your field is more important than bringing injustice to light? Do you think it's ok to keep quiet about crime so as not to malign the people, whom you owe everything?

Who is right? The family matriarch, who stood high to protect her family, or the ungrateful whistleblower, who spoiled the reputation of the family by giving voice to an injustice.

I'm not going to judge you for your answers. Nor do I want you to answer in the comments. I want you to remember your answer. Every time, an injustice occurs anywhere, I want you to remember your answer, and hope you make the right call.

©K.A. Acharya 2020

Allegations and Agenda

There was a small organisation, and soon there was to be an election for the post of the treasurer. Both Rakesh, and Suresh were interested in that post. So, they began an aggressive campaign. 

Suresh was clearly in the lead, so Rakesh needed something concrete to gain favour with his voters. His friend, Nitin started digging into Suresh's life to find some unsavoury habit which would tilt the balance in Rakesh's favour. As luck could have it, Nitin found that Suresh had a history of fraud in other organisations.

He created a big sensation about it. A fraud could not be trusted to handle their money. Suresh was flabbergasted. He couldn't believe someone had found his secretly guarded past. But he wasn't ready to give up that easily. He persuaded everyone that, since Nitin was Rakesh's best friend, his allegations shouldn't be taken seriously. Nitin obviously had an agenda. People were furious that Nitin could use them to further his agenda.

P.S. Most often, we too get carried away in denouncing the agenda of people instead of verifying their allegations. Foiling an agenda can be a good thing, but not at the cost of protecting a crime. Just because, a person has an agenda doesn't make the allegations false.

© K.A. Acharya, 2020

Why people shouldn't follow a single ideology

Why does everyone believe you need to subscribe to some ideology to become relevant? The truth is when you choose an ideology, you lose a part of yourself. How? Let me explain.

Every ideology comes with some good points, and some evil. Just as the person forming the ideology, the ideas are also fallible. When we, the common people read the ideology, we're impressed with the great ideas it suggests. Then, we see the evil, and aren't sure what to do with it. Sometimes, we ignore that part. At times, we go in denial about it.  Or we decide to accept is as the lesser evil. After all, evil is part of everything. 

Then, there are parts of the ideology which are not good, or evil, but which we don't really agree. We treat them the same way we did evil. We compromise.

Almost no one completely accepts any ideology, they compromise, and choose the best fit. So, in reality you're changing yourself to fit in someone else's ideas.

Instead, why not choose nothing? Don't choose a side. Choose everything you like from different ideologies. Leave out what you don't agree. Then, add what is missing—the secret ingredient. Some idea, a thought close to your heart.

Stand for yourself, your ideas. Don't adjust for the ideology. Make ideologies accommodate your views. 

Remember, people are not for ideologies; ideologies are for people.

The question of labourers

Lockdown has brought into attention the problem of migrant workers. Why didn't we ever think of them? Will we stop reporting/supporting their problems as soon as we are over this lockdown? I hope not. Maybe it's time we fight for their dignity, their right to live in comfort, and for them in general.

These are the people, whom we owe our city, and we never even consider them. These are the people who have been suffering in silence since ages.
I think, it might be the free time we have on our hands, that we finally see them as humans. If that's the case, then I consider this a positive effect of lockdown.
 Starvation, and undernourishment has been a major problem for most of them since many years. They leave their homes in search of work, and are the most underpaid people when compared with the amount of work they do. They have no safety provisions, no insurance (if there is any govt. option, they're definitely not aware of it).
In a country where physical labour has always been treated as inferior to mental work, what hope do these people have? Their ability to do tremendous physical work is never appreciated. In fact, it's treated with derision. They have no education, so they have no idea about their rights.
Even now, I see people talking about charity. Let's clear that first. No, you're not doing them a favour by feeding them. All you're doing is repaying them what you owe them.  If their work would have been treated on a par with other works, they wouldn't need us to feed them. But, we as a society have taken advantage of their naivete, and desperate circumstances.
And don't tell me how your pay is related to the years you invested in studying. These people invested their years in labour. Probably from childhood. Don't their life years count?
The beautiful flat you live, that amazing office you work, the road you drive on, and many of these constructions—they built it. They sell us vegetables, fruits, they help our hotels and factories thrive. They're the backbone of our economy. They have given their blood, and sweat in the making of our city. Yes, blood too.
Just two months back, a worker died in a construction project (many of them do die even now). Do you know when his family will get the news? When another worker from the same village will go home for summer. Imagine the plight of the family. Not knowing anything, maybe worrying about why the money order stopped. Yes, there are many who have mobiles, but not all. And this is how they live (and die).
These people are never going to fight their battles, simply because they have no idea of their worth. And politicians will only use them for votes. The only people who can fight for them are we—the middle class— who understand how hard it's to care for our family. And also know that we are faring far better than these people only because we are educated. The question is: are we going to fight for them? Do we really care?

The problem with Pakoda theory of employment

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is an expert politician. He has yet again showed his expertise with his Pakoda theory. The Pakoda theory is nothing but a distraction strategy to drive away people’s attention from the main problem—unemployment. As soon as the Prime minister talked about Pakodas, the internet got flooded with jokes, and justification. The justification from his ardent followers, and jokes from opponents. So, while the supporters tried their best to explain the illogical theory, the people who actually recognized the absurdity of the theory indirectly helped the real purpose of the theory—distraction.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The jokes and satires are trying to expose the absurdity of the theory, no doubt. But we live in a world, where people take everything at face value. Sarcasm is lost on many people. So, if this trend continues half the people would end up believing the irrational Pakoda theory. I means it does sound right. Selling Pakoda is a job, and most of these sellers aren’t on record. So, the unemployment statistics have to be wrong when they quote unemployment rate, and employment generation by the government. Sounds logical, right? It’s not correct. It’s like one of the joke riddles, where people prove 1= 2 using equations. But, if we closely observe the maths is wrong; it’s just a trick.

So, let’s tackle the logical flaws in the Pakoda theory of employment.

“If someone opens a 'pakoda' shop in front of your office, does that not count at employment?”-Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

Yes, it is definitely an employment. It is called self-employment. And usually, it is refered as such in our employment statistics. It was never counted as unemployment, nor is it done now.

So, hasn’t the employment rate increased if people start their own small stalls? Again, it does.

But the government has not generated this employment, so they can’t take credit for increasing the employment rate if people start their own stalls.

There have been people selling Pakodas before the Modi government came to power. And there will be people selling Pakodas even after Modi government loses it power. This is not some new idea generated by this government. We Indians love Pakodas. People have been doing it for ages.

Now, let’s come to the next question.

Now, what if Modi government does have something to do with these Pakoda sellers? What if the Pakoda seller has availed a startup loan for his capital through one of new government’s schemes? Does this not give the government right to brag about creating employment opportunities?

Under the Kalpavruksha

The Kalpavruksha is a mythical wish-granting tree. Under that tree all your wishes are fulfilled. Everyone wishes for a Kalpavruksha. It would make them succesful. It would make them rich. It would make them happy. Not necessary to all the three. The Kalpavruksha, you see, comes with a catch. Haven’t you heard about the Man who found the Kalpavruksha?

Image Courtesy: Pixabay

The Man who found the Kalpavruksha

*An old friend (read eight year old) told me this story when I was four and a half. For years later I was worried that I might accidentally stumble upon a Kalpavruksha. I have no idea who is the original author of the story. I’m going to stick to her original narration in my retelling.

The story

Kalpavruksha is a tree that fulfills wishes. It looks like any other tree, so it’s difficult to spot it. One day, a man was returning home after a visit to the neighbouring town. He had to cross an area of wilderness. The sun was blazing that day. The weary man decided to rest under a tree for a while.
The cool shade made him feel a little better; he started thinking.
This tree has such big branches, I can’t even feel the heat. If only the tree could give me something to eat.
As soon as he thought the words, all sorts of different fruits appeared before him. The man was surprised, but hunger overruled his curiosity. He chose the fruits which he liked, and ate them. After eating his fill, he was thirsty.
He thought, would the tree give him water too? It did.
Now, that his hunger and thirst were satisfied, the man’s thoughts took a different turn. Had he stumbled upon a Kalpavruksha? Wow, that would be great. He would have everything he wanted. He should try asking for something. He was about to just that, when a sinister thought entered his head.
What if it was some ghost playing a trick on him? The ghost might appear right in front of him anytime now.
Lo and behold, the ghost appeared.
The man was terrified. He couldn’t think of anything except that the ghost might eat him.
And that was the end of the poor man.

The catch

Having a Kalpavruksha comes with a great risk. It cannot differentiate between positive and negative. Whatever you wish you get. One negative thought, and you are done.

Life is a lot like Kalpavruksha. It tries to fulfill your wishes to the best of its capacity. Optimism grants you happiness, while pessimism the reverse. Most of our life, we let the negative thoughts cloud our positivity. Result—the wrong wishes are fulfilled. And we go through life dreaming of a Kalpavruksha without realising we already have it.

Think positive. Let life help you realise all your dreams.

Image Source: Dan Fador at Pixabay
Image is CC0 Creative Commons

What do you think about life, and Kalpavruksha? Do share your views.

The Agony of The Ugly Duckling

I loved The Ugly Duckling story as a child. Today, I admire it on so many levels. Many people criticise it as the ugly duckling has no part to play in its transformation. After all, nature did everything; what did the poor bird do? Wait for the usual course of nature. But that’s the whole point of the story, isn’t it?

The ugly duckling never existed, not in the real sense of the word. It was never a duckling; it was always a swan. The only way a tiny swan would seem odd, clumsy, and ill-favoured was trying to fit it into attributes of a duck. All its variations made it unacceptable as a model duck. If the little bird had been brought up as a swan, no one would’ve termed it ugly. The little swans are supposed to look like that, act like that. The ugly duckling had a horrible time, because everyone perceived it a duck.

The irony is that though the ugly duckling doesn’t actually exist, it exists everywhere in the world around us. It exists in our mind, and outlook. In fact, it is so much imbibed in our DNA, that our society is full of ugly ducklings. But, instead of blossoming into magnificent swans, they mature into beautiful ducks.

The Nomads of Maharastra

Depiction of the performance of a Kadak Laksmi worshipping nomadic community of Maharashtra. The Potraj Community earns their livelihood with the dance of self-flagellation. The women carry the idol of “Kadak Lakshmi” on their heads, and play the dhol. The men twirl, dance, and flagellate themselves with knotted whips made from jute/woven coir. Though the self-flagellation is largely a demonstration of sonic boom (the whip-cracking sound is caused by the whip movement faster than the speed of sound), this community leads a hard existence. Their minuscule earnings, and constant travel forces them to lead a hand-to-mouth living, and harsh conditions. #KadakLakshmi #India #Maharashtra #indians #nomadsofindia #blogger #picoftheday #photography #photooftheday #folkart #incredibleindia #writersofig #thelegendofindia #indiatourism #pic #bharat #BharatBhagyaVidhata

A photo posted by Acharya K.A. (@the_legend_of_india) on Jan 28, 2017 at 12:30am PST

Slaying dragons

Most people think dragons don't exist. That is because they are relying on fairy-tale description of dragons―huge creatures with wings and numerous limbs, having serpentine traits, breathing fire and brimstone.

But dragons do exist. They don't live in far off mythical lands away from civilization; they reside closer to the real world. The dragons live inside us, mingle with our thoughts, and taint our actions. They arise in wee hours of night to disturb our sleep. They prey on your peace of mind, and can grow to a monstrous size if allowed.

These dragons are born of guilt, and fear. They are the ghosts of our past and present mistakes, the product of the negative words and actions of the society we live. These dragons sow the seeds of self-doubt, and hatred. They keep on pointing our faults, and insecurity. They over-shadow the light of hope, destroying our faith, confidence, and self-esteem.

This is where the fairytales save us. They teach us right from childhood that dragons can be destroyed, if only you are brave enough. Real courage doesn't involve fighting dragons in a far-off mythical land. Real courage is fighting the dragon within yourself. It comes with a great risk of getting hurt, and having scars which would last a lifetime. It is the courage to face all the perils of life, and survive. It is to persist despite of the fear. Then, finally you slay the dragon and win.

All you have to remember is that however powerful the dragon might be, it can still be defeated. Dragons exist so that you can be a hero too. Never give up on yourself.

Which dragon do you think is the most difficult to beat? 

Miracles ― quote

Related article: Faith & such 2 - Miracles

Breaking Boundaries―quote

Grow beyond your limits. Don't let illusions prevent you from reaching your full potential...

Towards destiny―quote

Every time, I took a wrong turn in life I panicked until I realised―I don't know where the path leads; He knows.

My every step, and turn is taking me closer to my destiny.

Happy Dhanteras

HAPPY DHANTERAS!

May Dhanwantari bless you with a long healthy life.

Quote of the month

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”—Maya Angelou#diversity
Posted by Shankhnaad-The sound of change on Thursday, 29 October 2015

The Value of Independence

There has been a recent trend in the country to belittle the leaders of Indian independence struggle, or compare them against each other to decide which was the better one. Indian freedom movement was not a competition. It was the struggle of a nation to assert its right to self-respect, and dignity.

It doesn’t matter who contributed how much. Every freedom fighter, whether it was the common man, or a great leader deserves equal respect. Indian Independence is a great milestone in the history of mankind. It demonstrated to the world the Indian maxim – truth always wins. Don’t ruin the value of the mighty struggle by glorifying one leader, and vilifying the other. Whatever their differences may be, they fought for the same goal – freedom against oppression.

It isn't right to judge the actions of freedom fighters when you yourself haven't fought for India's independence. Let me borrow a quote from the former Prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajapayee, “tum kya jano azadi kya hoti hai, tumhe muft me mili na kimat gayi chukai”. 

It's the duty of every Indian to maintain the independence instead of debating on who is responsible for getting independence. Independence is a responsibility to be nurtured. Thousands of Indians sacrificed their family, career, and life for freedom.

Indian Independence day is the day of pride of every Indian, and everyone else who is against oppression. Let our independence serve as a hope to every nation who dreams to win against tyranny.

Happy Independence Day India!

Image Courtesy: Charuhas Acharya @ A glimpse of Paradise

Ten Motivating quotes by Dr. Abdul Kalam

APJ Abdul Kalam will be etched in our hearts forever.  Dr. Abdul Kalam Sir, was our inspiration...our beloved inventor. His life served to prove a Sanskrit doctrine my parents taught me as a child, "विद्या विनयेन शोभते" (Vidya Vinayen Shobhate) which means that that the more knowledgeable are always humble. As a tribute to him, I'm sharing some of my favourite Dr. Abdul Kalam quotes.

Ten Motivating Quotes by APJ Abdul Kalam

•  Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident.

• We must think and act like a nation of a billion people and not like that of a million people. Dream, dream, dream.

•  Unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. In this world, fear has no place. Only strength respects strength.

•  Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow.

• Science is a beautiful gift to humanity; we should not distort it.

• Be more dedicated to making solid achievements than in running after swift but synthetic happiness.

•  It is very easy to defeat someone, but it is very hard to win someone

•  Those who cannot work with their hearts achieve but a hollow, half-hearted success that breeds bitterness all around.

•  You see, God helps only people who work hard. That principle is very clear.

•  If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.

The real hero of the nation, Dr. Abdul Kalam even after passing away remains in our thoughts, continues to motivate us.

Which of Dr. Kalam's quote is your favourite? Do let me know.

Friday Quote #25

Believe in yourself, then no one can stop you from winning.
Posted by Shankhnaad-The sound of change on Monday, 20 October 2014