Shabarimala issue - Hypocrisy of secularism

Shabarimala has become a hot topic where a tradition of the temple, unique to this place is being questioned. Before I go any further let me tell the readers that my personal belief is that menstruation being a natural process experienced by females should not be a reason to restrict women from visiting any temple. Maybe traditionally women were restricted as there was no provision in those days to maintain proper hygiene during periods. Today the situation is different. At the same time, I do not agree that a decision regarding this should get enforced by Supreme Court as the tradition does not amount to cruelty to women. A change has to happen for sure but definitely not by enforcement but by arriving at a consensus. If a place of worship is turning into a conflict zone then status quo should be maintained.

The communists who claim to be non believers should not be playing politics in matters of faith. If they are hell bent on playing politics with matters of faith then show consistency by doing this with every other religion. By the way coming from Kannur in Kerala, I have observed that these very communists are the greatest idol worshippers. They have created statues of their party symbol in every nook and corner.  Hindus have always been open to reform. We have evolved and changed. A true Hindu like Arjuna will not hesitate to debate with God. In Hinduism we do not live by one book and the beauty of this religion is that even an atheist can be a Hindu. There are thousands of God and not believing in one won't stop you from being a Hindu. In fact, this is one religion that teaches us to see God not only within us but in every living being. This is what Lord Ayyapa is basically all about. Tatvamasi means 'You are God'. If an atheist believes that there is no God and we are the ruler of our own destiny then can he not believe in Tatvamasi?

Hinduism has been an all inclusive religion. In Hinduism there are so many Gods that if one God closes the door on you, you can go to another or simply create your own God and worship him or her (for the sake of gender neutrality :-) ) If idol worship is not acceptable you may sit and meditate. Such flexibility is unique to this religion.

To conclude, I would say that everything about religion is beyond logic. Matters of faith in every religion has been that way. However, when it comes to questioning, one should first ask whether it is really a cruel thing that is happening and if not let it be.

Autobiography of a Road

I am the Pipeline Road at Balkum, Thane. I know I am not dressed to perfection today but I cannot do much about it. My mother BMC has disowned me and does not bother anymore about my upkeep. TMC too doesn't care much because it has got nothing to do with me. The only people who care for me are residents of a nearby society who too worry about me because I am of use to them. Else, I am sure no one would have bothered about me and I would have died long back. In fact, it would have been better to die in a dignified manner long back in comparison to the life that I am leading right now. 

The pipeline nearby gets the needed attention from BMC but I get a step motherly treatment. I really do not know what caused BMC to behave like this with me. If I would have known I would have taken every step in my capacity to address it. Come election time and somehow I get special attention. I wish everyday could be election day because my wounded body gets bandaged. Even though the happiness is short lived, it does give me few moments to smile about. Post elections when the sun and rain Gods play their part,I am back to the same situation as before. I hope that someday BMC will own me up and embrace me the way it did on day one of my existence. I still long for it. It may be a futile effort but still as long as I am alive, I will keep aspiring for it.

People from nearby society, out of their need, sometimes contact TMC to see whether they can do something for me. However, they get rebuked by them stating that they have no obligation to take care of me. Bureaucracy is not just your problem, roads like me also have to face the red tape. I know nutrition meant for me and accounted for me is being enjoyed by someone else. Maybe an aadhar card linked account for me could have helped prevent this. However, I do not have a retina or a thumb impression to identify myself. Birth marks if any have been wiped out as well. I really do not know how to create a distinct identity for myself because most roads more or less look the same during monsoon time. 

Humans who are in a hopeless situation like me desire for an incarnation of God to arrive and lead them to true happiness. Maybe, in my case it would have to be a human who comes to birth to lead me to salvation. Until then I will keep waiting.....................

I want my birthday changed to 1st January

No, it is not me but my daughter who wants her birthday changed to 1^st of January. I thought I will make it clear upfront.

Couple of days back, late evening my daughter came up with this weird request to get her birthday changed to 1^st of January. Upon probing as to why she would want to get it done, she answered that her birthday being in December, comes last. She wants to celebrate her birthday before everyone else does. I told her that if she wants her name changed, I can do something about it but cannot help her with getting her birth date changed. However, she was adamant and started crying.

I was sure that this must have been an outcome of some discussion that happened in her school with her classmates. My wife ultimately did figure out from her that one of her classmates did comment about her birthday being last and it was the reason for this weird request. I was left wondering how a seemingly innocent comment of a classmate could have such an impact.

On one hand, I found it very amusing. I was initially laughing at her weird demand. However, the very next moment I thought that the whole reason was to come first or be ahead of others. We as adults are no different. Most of us, if not all are fighting to be ahead in the rat race. In fact, we may be doing things more harmful than changing birth date in order to be ahead of everyone else. 

On the last day of our life if we are conscious enough to reflect on our life, I think each one of us would realize that it didn't matter how many times we were first but the kind of impact we had with our presence on people around us.