'મન' - નિરાંતની પ્રાણપ્રતિષ્ઠા ....!!

ક્યાં કહું છું કે - દાવ છોડી દો ?

ખેલ ખેલો , તણાવ છોડી દો.

જીતની જીદ ના કદી રાખો -,

હારની બીક સાવ છોડી દો 

જ્યાં સુધી આ સ્વભાવ ના છુટે 

ભાવ રાખો , અભાવ છોડી દો.

જો કિનારા સુધી જવા માટે 

હો જરૂરી તો નાવ છોડી દો 

છે શરત એક માત્ર મંઝીલની 

બસ સમયસર પડાવ છોડી દો.

                - ડૉ. મનોજ જોશી 'મન'

તું ફક્ત ના હાર જો કે જીત જો !

યુદ્ધ કરવાની આ મારી રીત જો !!

The overview effect..!!

From last few weeks there was a lot of news on force transformation of religion change, and I happened to read a lot of stuff related to that. So I am just sharing some of my thoughts on that.

I was just wondering, if I asked someone who is enjoying his middle class lifestyle and very normal life, what is religion to him/her? And you expect answer is to offer prayer in the morning, worshiping God, going to the temple often, and do the rituals whenever required like on festivals and big occasions. But than If you ask them  “does he/she know exactly what religion is?” or “Is it really matter that you should know that deep about religion?” I think hardly anybody knows that much in detail or they have spent time doing detail study. So, It seems to me more like passing the parcel. One will tell to others and those others will tell to many others without knowing what’s exactly right or wrong? There is no listed 10 points agenda that for do's and don'ts for any religion from the origin of religion. But with time, individual's interpretation has created hundred’s of points for dos and don’ts.

 So if we don’t know that much details about religion, than why there is religion change and religion transformation? In doing so, what are we achieving with this? The person who has agreed to change, they don’t know any religion and don’t want to know. They just want to look after the immediate benefits they are getting from this transformation. Also, their sole purpose is trying to beat their biggest problem i.e. poverty using this. Also, those who are offering transformation, just trying to solve their selfish motive of increasing strength of their religion. It is more like selfish motive for both the parties, which got mutual agreement. Of course, this is just naïve argument to those who are busy doing transformation and for those who are accepting religion change.

        Just want to take conversation in different direction; there are some individuals whose minds are free from all of this. So the point is at what level or condition your mind that goes beyond all such limitation?  Earlier, I used to believe that education or money (which open many sources) can bring awareness, but it has proved me wrong, as I have seen many examples. May be than if the person’s basic necessity has been satisfied, it will avoid such religion related trap, but even that was turned out to be wrong. It was so hard to tell that any particular events/feelings, which can push your mind out of such thinking paradigm. 

      But when I watched this video (click here to watch video), I believe that this is something can help to open up individual’s mindset free from such religion oriented trap. This video about astronaut’s feelings while looking at earth from space, it was totally mesmerising and eye opener for everyone, when you listen to their feelings and experiences from the space. They called this feelings or effect as “the overview effect”. Also In ancient literature they described it as Savikalpa Samadhi – “That means that you see things as you see them with your eyes, but you experience them emotionally and viscerally, as with ecstasy, and a sense of total unity and oneness.” From the space, while looking at earth, there are no religion boundaries which differentiate people or earth based on religion. Those individuals who has reached to such feelings and mindset on earth, they are free from such religion trap.  I think if every individual can understand such feelings and experiences, they can come out of such unnecessary forcing dogmas of religions and be unite towards only one religion called humanity. Our life span is very limited and we all need to spend it after something that is more worthy.

PS: views are very much personal.!!

To be more un-common & unique

I was reading one article in magazine on our ancestor’s wisdom for spices. It was describing that India was known for this specialties in other countries. Each part of India has its own uniqueness in spices for its flavour, colour and aromatising food.  Many historians say that spices are one of the major reasons that Portuguese, Spanish and other foreigners come to India.

On the same topic, I got a chance to discuss with my Granny, who is currently octogenarian, and want to listen more facts from her life experience.  She said, “It’s very true that we are so unique in preparing this spices and different part of our country has its own expertise.” Every season each household blend and temper these spices according to their taste and store it for the whole year. Also, those who were travelling outside India, carry this spices with them as necessary companion and also as gifts for their relatives in foreign country. It has to be known as precious gift for their relatives. But, than she compared with today’s scenario and found it little upsetting to her, as she saw that how we all have become so used to with processed and package based spices and not even preparing for their unique taste. She was not happy of accepting that each one of us has become so common that everyone shares same taste.

That particular thought actually triggered me to write this post. I was asking myself, “Are we becoming so common?” If you see Indians are known for their diversity, different regional/religion culture and rituals, foods and festivities, and their unique lifestyle. With this rapidly spreading shopping mall culture, super-store, eating fast foods in dinner and having burger and pizzas, we are becoming more and more common with global traditions or lifestyles. We are losing our unique identity in every possible way. The way you eat food by sitting on surface/floor or the way you speak local/regional languages with unique dialects, the way you wear clothes, everything is just entering into commonness.  I was totally surprised, shocked and scared now with this inference which I got from my Granny’s one statement and overall thought process. It is not exaggerated but as after effect to this incident, I have spent my whole day thinking and contemplating on my or our family’s lifestyle in comparison with commonness between now and before. Though, I have described above message was exemplified on group or community, but it contains equal weight for applying to individual’s thinking and mindset as well. Being a common is spreading like virus in every society and community underneath our consciousness. Being victim of this, I am just sharing my observations and understanding to bring awareness.

            
            While writing this post, it is just a coincidence that today is the last day of this year - 2014 and tomorrow will be new beginning for another new year – 2015.  I would like to wish you all a prosperous and happening new year ahead, with the message that to be continue with your utter stubbornness of being unique and avoid acceptance of this spreading virus of commonness. At the same time, be more open to ideas and take conscious decision while accepting them, which are good for humanity and contribute in overall well-being. At last, be more sustainable and more humane..!.!

આપણા ઘડવૈયા બાંધવ આપણે

આપણા ઘડવૈયા બાંધવ આપણે 

આપણે આવળ બાવળ બોરડી,

કેસર ઘોળ્યા જી !

ઝાઝેરો ઝૂક્યો છે આંબો સાખથી ,

વેડે તેને આવે હાથ જી.

આપણા ઘડવૈયા બાંધવ આપણે. 

પંડની પેટમાં પારસ છે પડયો ,

ફૂટલાં ફૂટે છે કરંમ જી,

વાવરી જાણે તે બડભાગિયો ,

જળહળ એના રે જિવન જી

આપણા ઘડવૈયા બાંધવ આપણે.

                          - રાજેન્દ્ર શાહ    

Jaisalmer - desert Jeep Safari..!!

Desert Camp near jaisalmer

It was very early morning in coolest and silent desert camp which was located at 40 KM from Jaisalmer – known as golden city of Rajasthan. We were almost in half sleep ready for desert jeep safari settled in our jeep. I was on the front seat of one of the jeep. Jeepwala was totally covered in shawl and covered his face with muffler. I couldn't see his face at that time except her eyes with ‘kajal’, and our safari has started.

After almost half an hour of jerky and bumpy ride, we have reached near to sand dunes. It was all desert and you can hardly see a single tree in your sight in every direction. After climbing one of sand dunes, we were all waiting for sunrise to happen. 

Sunrise in Sand Dunes

Suddenly that Jeepwala was started greeting us in English and acting like guide by telling many facts about sand dunes. It was very surprising for all of us when he was speaking in English with fluency and not just greetings only. After seeing sunrise, we started towards one of last village near border for visit which was also part of safari and I was on the front seat started interacting with him. We got to know many things about village and difficulty they face in their daily life. Also we got to know that he didn't get any education in school or rather he has never been to school. He has learned all this by himself while traveling with tourists in desert and interacting with them. We were totally amaze when we saw him doing conversation in French as well. He learned all this out of his curiosity, interest and to serve his tourists well. For their living, they mostly depend on tourism and cattle business. It was really glad to know about him and some part of his pastoral life.

Meeting such people we realize that if there is interest and will to learn something, you will not see any obstacle in your way in terms of lack of resources…!!!

Below are some of the pictures taken during trip:

Rajasthani Folk dance

A villager at border village

Guard at our palace - mucche ho to nathulal jaise..!!

Jaisalmer Fort

About time..!!

We all have a limited time in life and  that sometime build a pressure on us to do our best what we can with this particular moment of life, because we only get single chance with that. Many times we can't make best out of a moment showcasing our best performance. That might generate resentful feeling in us because we know what went wrong and we are helpless to change it. Also, many times we have not lived that moment with our expectation. Usually most of the self-help books which I happened read and advises from our elders based on their conventional wisdom point us to change future rather regret on your past doing.

Few days back I saw a movie name "about time" - a very simple story line on person who holds some extra ordinary power to go back in time and improve his mistakes for the situations which he had messed up in past or the one which he has not lived up to the mark. After movie, I was contemplating about my life that even I get such powers than what will I change and I ended up making very big list (of course it is not inclusive of doing some extra-ordinary thing but just improving my livings in some situations). I guess it is true for me, i am sure many of us having willingness to seek such powers to change our past with big to do list. Many times even if we understood our mistakes and we don't want reiterate the same again, very unlikely that we get into such situations again because some events or situations occur only once in lifetime and they are very unique. Such regrets are always burning somewhere in corner of our heart even if we try to focus on future using our conventional wisdom.

Another aspect which this movie pointed was to live these old moments instead of just cherish - which can be time spent with your family or any other moments - by going back in time. Because these moments are precious and we can’t capture feelings associated with them in some photographic memory or some video clips. There is no way we can digitize such experiences of situations we have lived in past. They are so unique and not so easy for us to put them in words.

If possible, many such situations which i would like to live again - a wonderful walk with my dad holding his hand or playing cricket with him or saving a chocolate for my younger brother whenever I used to receive it from my school because of someone's birthday during our childhood days or spending wonderful summer holidays with all my cousins at grandpa's place...!!

Life is very precious gift given to us with very limited in time.We all should live carefully with showing out our extra ordinary performance in each life’s situations and at the same time enjoying them utmost.(until such time travelling machine invented and handed over to ordinary people like you and me..!!)

excerpt from An Ecological Approach to Sociology

Excerpts from essay entitled "An Ecological Approach to Sociology" published in American Journal of Sociology in 1930 explained very well about human and nature's relationship.

“This is a balance between the natural and the vegetable and the animal environment, including human, in which nature delights. It is maintained by chain of actions and interactions, which link man with the rest of his living realm, reaching up and down and all around as his invisible biological and social destiny. Such a balance assumes great significance in old countries like India and China. Here we can discern, especially in the mature, densely populated plains, every stage of the process by which the regional balance is kept stable and how it is upset both by natural fluctuations such as are caused by cycles of rainfall or changes of landscape and river, or by long continued human actions such as the destruction of forests, non-conservative agriculture, and artificial interference with natural drainage...

    Human, animal and plant communities are subject to similar rules, though shifting ones, which maintain a balance and rhythm of growth for all. Each community cannot appropriate more than its due place in the general ordering of life, from which nothing can be obtained without influencing everything else. Working symbiotically, they represent interwoven threads of a complex web of life. No one thread can be isolated. None can be snapped or removed without the whole garment of the life of nature and human society being disfigured. The warp and the woof of the garment have become increasingly coherent as organic evolution has advanced. The inter-linkages of a fig tree, an earthworm, a rat and a bird are many, but the threads make such more intricate patterns as we reach the social economy of man. Though man often tears asunder the fabric through ignorance or selfishness, social progress no doubt consists in consciously weaving the forces of nature and society into finer and finer patterns of correlation and solidarity. It is the knowledge of and respect for the intricacy of the web of life that will guide man to his highest destiny".