Happy Birthday Krishna!

Today is Krishna's birthday and the atmosphere in Mumbai makes one realize that it is a special day. There is lot of energy in the air due to the Govindas who would be traveling the length and width of Mumbai and its suburbs for the Dahi Handi festival. Huge sum of money is waiting to be won by the Govindas for breaking the handis (clay pots) hung at great heights. Some as high as 9 or 10 tier high. It is exciting to watch the human pyramids being built and on few occasions you feel your heart popping out when you see the human pyramids fall like pack of cards.

Krishna's birthday may have been commercialized and politicized these days but his teachings has stood the test of time. He is the most practical God. Even a non-believer will not be able to counter the Law of Karma as it is something even science talks about. Cause and effect is a universal phenomenon. A believer talks about Law of Karma while a non-believer understands Newton's third law of motion. Krishna does not want one to denounce the world. He does not want to restrict anyone yet he wants everyone to understand that action will have to be taken and the effects of the action will have to be borne. There is no running away. The ultimate aim of action matters more than the means of achieving it.

Krishna does not impose rules to bind you. He in fact even encouraged Arjuna to break some rules and overcome limitations to fight a righteous war. When you are fighting an enemy who does not follow rules, sticking to rules will not help. As long as the ultimate goal is good, the means used to achieve it should not be fretted upon. Krishna is all about focusing the mind. Arjuna, the best archer of his times was in self-doubt and his hands were getting numb at the idea of fighting his own relatives. Krishna was able to give him clarity of purpose and that one pointed focus which was necessary to win. To know what you are here to achieve in life is the first step towards attaining it. Krishna was able to give that knowledge to Arjuna who did not look back after receiving words of wisdom.

Krishna taught us that meditation need not be done by sitting idle in one place. If action is taken without any emotional attachment for the outcome of the action, it is meditation. When you can handle both success and failure with equanimity, you are in a meditative state. Life becomes a journey in meditation.

Free Kashmir is a myth

Kashmir issue is getting renewed attention due to the recent conflicts between armed forces and the people of Kashmir. 24x7 media and Pakistan has been trying to cash in on it. However, does anyone understand what is it that Kashmiris are fighting for? Freedom for Kashmir? Will this ever be a reality? Let us imagine for some time that India decides to let go Kashmir and the people of Kashmir form an independent nation. How long will their independence last?

Pakistan is definitely not supporting the Kashmir struggle because of love for the people of Kashmir. The very reason Kashmir became part of India was that Pakistan tried to conquer it. If freedom of Kashmir would have been their aim, then there won't be talks of hoisting Pakistan flag in Srinagar. The masked men protesting on the streets are swaying either Pakistan or ISIS flags. The freedom coming out of efforts by these people will never ensure a free Kashmir. They will only cause greater pain and agony to the people of Kashmir.

Keeping the Kashmir issue burning is also a ploy of the Pakistani army and their government for deflecting the focus from issues like poverty and poor economic conditions. The youth of the country could be easily lured for money and fake propaganda that fellow Muslims are being killed. People of Kashmir just need to peek into Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to understand that “Azad Kashmir” is nothing but a myth. The people of Kashmir should understand that it is in their best interest to stay with India where they will get opportunities to prosper. A free Kashmir may be a reality for few days but in the long term, it will always be facing a threat of being controlled by Pakistan if India chose to ignore Kashmir. If both Pakistan and India are considered as evil by the Kashmiris, then they will have to choose the lesser evil which happens to be India. One just has to re-visit history to understand this.

There will always be so-called liberals trying to fight for freedom of Kashmir. Some will even defend terrorists just to ensure that they portray themselves as guys who keep a different opinion from that of the government. It does not matter whether they are stating the facts correctly or not. They will cry for freedom but at the expense of the nation’s integrity.

Let Kashmiris fight for better opportunities for education or jobs for the youth. They will get better support from fellow Indians than for a failed cause like freedom of Kashmir.