Tried my hand at sketching after a long long time... guess I still didn't forget that one. :)

Top 5 Biggest Moments of 2011 that will show an impact on India in 2012

5 - Jasmine Revolution: Its this name given to the revolution that happened in Tunisia which lead to a string of revolutions now collectively called 'Arab Spring'

Keep an eye, this string of revolutions are bound to have an increased NATO/US interference in the Middle East and it will create a much more dangerous world though it will weed out a lot of dictators at the end of it. It will show an effect on the oil prices but more importantly, with Indian Foreign/External Affairs babu's and ministers what they are - incompetent, will show an impact on India's stature as a world power and its relation with some of the oldest countries of the world

4 - Inflation/Price Rise: No one has a clue where this is headed and if it would halt and when it would slow down, if at all. If there is a hike continuously for a couple of weeks, a prompt mandarins from the Govt., either the Planning Commission SPOC Montek or the FM himself comes out and says 'we expect it to come down in the next couple of months' and we wait like a Godot

3 - Change of guard: Be it NRN calling it a day and handling the mantle to KV Kamath or one Premji passing the baton to the other Premji, or Ratan hanging his boots and getting the highest taxpayer of Ireland and a foreign national to head what is now a true 'Indian Multinational' and sit in the hot seat at Bombay House, it is a real change of guard and it will give a different direction to corporate India

2 - Money Money: Euro collapsing thanks to Greece, Italy and the 'weak block' and creating a 'class within a class' by making Euros of Germany more favorable than the rest, or our own Indian Rupee tumbling not just because of any recessionary pressure but because of political reasons and under performing stock exchange leading to flight of capital out of the country, it has been a very strong negativism that is seen all around. FDI fiasco added to it in Indian context

1 - Corruption: The 10 letter word that made a government to goof up big time, an 'aspiring father of nation' and his courtiers to hold a country and its parliament to ransom, an opposition to get a point to play dirty as they got an issue after a long long time, some senseless dharnas and mobs and ill-informed crowds come out in hundreds without knowing what they are supporting for, but, just displaying a khadi cap or a caption 'I am Anna' a fad even in fashion circles, culminating in taking the Rajya Sabha into the darkest moments it might have ever seen on the last working day of the year at the stroke of midnight hour. There were the Kalmadi's, Raja's, Kanni's, Gali's who shined like 'crazy diamonds' in 'Corruption's Hall of Shame'

Liberation - Making Sure Nothing Else Matters!

yam hi na vyathayanty ete purusam purusarsabha
sama-duhkha-sukham dhiram so 'mrtatvaya kalpate

O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation

Liberation - One word, powerful, deep and is thought provoking. If one is trying to liberate a person, a country, a thing or an animal, then it is very simple. You free the person, country, thing, animal, bird, whatever. But how about liberating one-self? How can you liberate your own self? How can I liberate me? What do I liberate me from? How do I do that? Is it possible? One can easily liberate anything else but one’s own self. In order to do that, one needs to recognize the fact that we are not liberated. But are we really not liberated? Let us put this question the other way round. Are we bound by anything? If one says no, then they are bluffing, nothing else. Are we not bound by our own self? Yes we are. We are bound by many material things, relations, thoughts, and above all we are bound by our greed and our fears and ambitions. If we go and wish and pray, what do we wish for? Almost all the time we wish for comforts, money, relations, success, promotions, material things, what not? We also go to the extent of ‘bribing’ Him. What a joke! How can you even think of asking for material things and sundry when He has made you for a purpose? And to top it, we go to the extent of bribing Him so that he gives us what we want! Wow! How narrow can we get in our mindset?

The day we bid adieu to this material world, we do not take any money, any materialistic things no matter how big or small and also no relation. All we take with us is us, our soul. Not anything more, and not anything less. Annamacharya, a Telugu composer and musician, in one of his songs slaps it in our face when he says ‘it’s the same sleep that even a King or a pauper sleeps. It’s the same place where all of us end up – no matter what our birth and life has been’. All you need is at the most that 7x3 piece of land. That is all you need, or to put it better, that is all your body needs.

But for our soul, it’s a different story all together. It can be liberated, in its true sense. A person with a liberated soul will be totally unattached. Nothing can shake him. Nothing can affect him.  Happiness, sorrow, ups and downs, wealth, poverty, relations, all of them has the same influence on him – none of them matter. None of them can shake him to either side. He is always elated. Constantly. For him, sorrows and distress does not depress him or even shake him; and at the same time he would not fly in air, to cloud # 9. His feet are firmly set on the ground, to reality as it exists. Mind you it is reality as it exists and not as is perceived.

To quote Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on this verse ‘… remains the same in pain and pleasure, who is wise makes himself fit for eternal life. Eternal life is different from survival of death which is given to every embodied being. It is the transcendence of life and death. To be subject to grief and sorrow, to be disturbed by the material happenings, to be deflected by them from the path of duty that has to be traversed, ‘nityam karma’, shows that we are still victims of ‘avidya’ or ignorance’.

It is the simplest thing not to be influenced by things around. But, it is the toughest thing to stay immune. Take it as you like. The day everything is equal and does not affect you is the day when you have opened for yourself the doors of eternity. And eternity need not be heaven after you are gone. It also can be sheer bliss. That is the ultimate truth and ultimate knowledge. Everything else is your perception.

This is my take on Verse 15, chapter 2 of the Gita :)

STOP TACTICS, THEATRICS AND BLACKMAILS! PLEASE! GOVERMENT & ALSO HAZARE TEAM! INDIAN CONSTITUION & DEMOCRACY ARE AT STAKE!

STOP TACTICS, THEATRICS AND BLACKMAILS! PLEASE! GOVERMENT & ALSO HAZARE TEAM! INDIAN CONSTITUION & DEMOCRACY ARE AT STAKE! by Sridhar Patel on Friday, August 26, 2011 at 3:10pm Mr Hazare: What next? Want to 'gherao' parliament? If your condition is to pass a bill that ONLY YOUR bill be passed, NEED NOT NECESSARILY THE BEST OMBUDSMEN BILL, then why do we need a parliament? Why do we need to discuss? Why do we need any other pillar of democracy? We will make life simpler... If we need a solution for anything, we will go on an 'indefinite fast' (Mind you: It is not a 'fast unto death'. Not sure of the choice of words by the team B of jokers). We will get a law without a discussion, and get santri to CJI under its ambit, blackmail, instigate, provoke people at the same time say 'I am peace loving'. If a 'Gandhian' says 'gherao parliament, MP's, 7 RCR, then poor old Gandhi must be turning in his grave now that his last name hijacked and mistaken for another family and now if his idealism too is hijacked. Did anyone who blidnly get carried away by this wave know the meaning of an 'Ombudsman' (English for 'Lok pal') mean? Merriam Webster defines an Ombudsman as: 1: a government official (as in Sweden or New Zealand) appointed to receive and investigate complaints made by individuals against abuses or capricious acts of public officials 2: one that investigates, reports on, and helps settle complaints It DOES NOT say get Judiciary. It is not a way to get judiciary under a Lok pal. If say one doctor was reported a quack in a newspaper, does that mean that the next time you visit a doctor, you ask him to prove he is a doctor? Yes, judges too can be corrupt. But you cannot get them under an ombudsman. Get judicial reforms for that. Nothing else. Even if you drop this, it still does not give you a right to subvert the Constitution of India and Democratic System of India. Those are supreme. Politicians have let the country down and do not forget, We, Indians have let the country down (by making corruption a way of life and 'chaltaa hai', 'jugaad' as part of our life). It is not the other way round. If you say ALL politicians are corrupt, then why on earth did you elect them? Or is it that you didn't even vote? Do not even attempt to hijack the parliament. A lady tried doing it in the mid 70's and left an indelible mark on the face of India called Emergency. Next thing is to get this Lokpal to cover all the states. Remember Indian constitution says that (and I quote the preamble) India is a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic. It is a an amalgamation of Federal and Union structure. How can Centre force states to go for Lokayuktas? That is a state subject for God's sake! Go to the states and fight it over there. Please start it with the North East. That is the most alienated part of the country. Can you? Would you? And Mr. Kejriwal, stop your arrogance and SHUT UP. It is not as much that the governments inaction that is hurting the health of Hazare but your arrogant ways. Whenever I see you talking, I am reminded of the climax scene of a Hindi movie 'Guide' where Raju is forced to go on a fast for rains without his will and wish and then, not let to eat until it rains. By the time it starts raining, people forget that there is someone fasting until death and he is forgotten, and the poor guy dies in a bid to become immortal. Please do not let this old guy die like that for your aspirations. Indian rural society needs more and more of people like Hazare to improve their standard of living - irrigation, grain banks, strengthening grass roots democracy and much more. Lastly, surprise from the most unlikeliest of quarters. Yes, why not make the ombudsman a constitutional body? Prince Gandhi might have had a great media manager and a political advisor who have planted this thought, or he himself might have gotten a 'Eureka' moment, but, I care the least where it came from. But, if the Election Commission is spotless, if the Lokayukata has been spotless, if the CAT (Central Administrative Tribunal) is spotless, if CVC is spotless (Thomas had to quit, and that is because of the checks and balances in the Law and not because he wanted to quit or not because the government wanted him to go), why not have a constitutional body of Lok pal? Think! Act sensibly! Please! India deserves nothing but the best. Let it get it out of discussions, and brainstorming, but not with blackmails.

I SUPPORT ANTI-CORRUPTION, BUT I DO NOT SUPPORT ANNA HAZARE

Extracts from my Facebook notes and discussions: I SUPPORT ANTI-CORRUPTION, BUT I DO NOT SUPPORT ANNA HAZARE by Sridhar Patel on Friday, August 19, 2011 at 2:54pm At the cost of being unpopular, let me be clear: I am a 100% supporter of any anti-corruption movement but, I DO NOT SUPPORT Kisan Baburao - Anna Hazare. Corruption is the biggest leach of Indian society, polity and economy. Agreed. But people who are naming this as the second Independence movement, do you know the difference between Independence movement and a social cleansing mechanism? There is a need for better anti corruption law, but, I DO NOT support Anna, his ways and his theatrics. You have done your part, woke the urban society. Thank you for that. But that is it. Agreed that the entire political spectrum in the country is corrupt, but, you and your team should not cross the line and try to be law makers. If you want to be a law maker, get elected and get into the House. DO NOT try to do it using the blackmail tactics. You do not even represent the entire civil society. Do not forget the Aruna Roy's version of Lokpal is far better than yours but did not get as much air time and remains largely unheard of. Do not try to take the place of the new Father of the Nation. There have been better contenders for that (JP) who could not fit in those shoes.You wont too. History will remember you as the one who got the urban masses educated on the need for anti-corruption bill. Be happy with it. YOU DO NOT DESERVE BEYOND THAT. In response to a friend's comment on this post where he said that I seem to be a Congress supporter, I wrote: I am equally irritated with both the family run businesses (one of Gandhi's and the other one being Sangh). I do not like the 'Rahul Bhajan Mandali' along with the guy himself who lacks experience and is no different from any other person if that family tag is removed nor do I like the octogenrain who ideally should have retired by now along with his senior but who is still sitting in the Lok Sabha with the single wish of doing a 'house warming ceremony' at 7RCR. But I have always liked certain individuals and I do not have any qualms about it. I do not even think twice when I say that AB Vajpayee and PV Narasimha Rao were the best PM's that India ever had. Both of them have had cases of inaction against them (one where the Centre was sleeping when a centuries old structure was being demolished with 'ek dhakka aur do, babri masjid tod do!' slogans running high and the other where the External Affairs minister of the country escorts a dreaded terrorist and a bus over the Gangetic plains and Punjab lead to the hills of Kashmir). They made history in more than one way. Yes, Man was the best FM our country had in the recent times but his self confessed helplessness and coalition compulsions have deprived him of being a good PM. There is no ways about the black money, 3G, CWG, Air India, and all the other scams and the rampant corruption that is running the show. I also mentioned in my note that I do not subscribe to the rampant corruption of this government and nor do I support the ways they are using to handle situations. Especially the way jokers like Ambica Soni, Kapil Sibal, Singhvi, and the gang are handling the government. I guess they never heard of the saying 'It is better to shut you mouth and let people wonder if you are a fool, rather than opening your mouth and confirming that'. As I said, I do support the anti corruption awareness of the day and thank Anna Hazare for that. But, nothing more. That does not mean that I want an anti corruption bill which is not the best around and which can jeopardize the working of any government. I want a government that works on its own and looks after its people any day vis-a-vis a government that would not act and cannot act on anything because even the judiciary comes under a 'super power' called Lokpal. If that is the case then why would you need a parliament, a judiciary or an executive? Lets do away with all of them and create one Lokpal. But what after that? Who will monitor them? If you want judiciary to monitor the executive and a parliament to monitor the judiciary and a Lokpal to monitor the parliamentarians (including the PMO) then that is fine. But if you want to do away with all the existing structure and bodies and get even the judiciary under its perview, then I am sorry. I wont subscribe to it. There should be checks and balances. Correct. But, there should not be any Frankenstine monsters around. We are better without them. I was sharing this with one of my other friends the other day, and I say that here again - corruption has become a part and parcel of our lives. The same people (including you and I) who brag about corruption do not mind bribing a constable for a 'petty traffic offense'. We find it absolutely fine when we say 'do this bit of work and I will give you an extra chocolate' to a kid. We do not even spare God when we say 'I will break a 100 coconuts if you do xyz to me'. We do not realize that all that is ALSO bribing. If you want to fight corruption, start it with a 'No' at home. I said that I thank that guy (Anna Hazare) for the awareness that he generated with the urban folks. But he does not deserve beyond it. If he wants to be a law maker. Let him be one. It is easy to sit in Ramlila Maidan and give a speach. It is a totally different story to sit in Parliament and discuss a bill. If you are saying that MP's are corrupt, I ask who got them there and who made them corrupt in the first place? If putting the bill for discussion in the parliament is the aim, then, why can't an MP (Agnivesh is a strong supporter of his and an MP too) put the so called 'Jan Lokpal' as a private member bill? Then the parliament will have to discuss it. But no, that will take the fizz out, the TRP's will fall for these news channels, and Anna will have to go back to his crusade of agricultural reforms, creating water banks, fighting for the rural issues in the Maharashtra heartland and he is good at that. But, the only problem being he won't get this publicity and attention to do theatrics. Think! :)

Random Pursuits Of Self

Started reading The book that I always wanted to. Always intrigued by the fact when people used to say that this (as the other two major works of other religions) were the means with which He is trying to talk to lesser mortals. But, when I started to read it, now I know why people say that. Now I know why people regard this sort of book as the epitome of everything that one needs to know. Yes, the things are told in a totally simplistic way, but, life is not as simple as it looks. Rather what things look like need not necessarily be what they actually are. That is what makes us what we are... creatures who complicate life when He gave everything simple. We choose not to look at things as He gave, but, we try to look at things through our own prism, the prism called our 'perspective'. How stupid of us!

The book itself says:

na tu mam sakyase drastum
anenaiva sva-caksusa
divyam dadami te caksuh
pasya me yogam aishvaram

Though this is purport to have been told by one person to another one as a one-to-one, I, however, feel (so do many people) that this is a way of He talking to each one of us. He says, that with these 'human vision' of yours, you cannot see Me, with all my splendor and opulence. You need 'miraculous vision' in order to be able to see Me, as I am all encompassed.

Look at it in a simple way, as a simple verse, it might mean something. But, I look at it like this...

We are so blinded by our own prisms of perspectives, of thoughts, of limited knowledge that we fail to see the obvious. We need to look 'beyond the obvious' to know what things are, as they exist in reality. That will give us a totally different and unique way of looking at things and progressing and at the same time, regressing. What might have seemed to be a simple pebble or a stone rolling would have been that had the human of that day not looked at it beyond what his predecessors have always seen it. But, he looked at it in a totally different way and we got something called as a 'wheel'. A wheel that drove us to where we are right now. No one can deny the importance of this invention. At the same time, till that fateful day, no one, not even its inventor might have thought that a filled in plane, if hits a skyscraper at the right position will have the fuel to be combusted, melt the iron skeleton that beholds the structure and bring down not just the structure, but also a symbol, a symbol of a thought process that we know as a free world, a capitalist world in what we know as the land of opportunities come crumbling down.

Look... look beyond the human vision, and you can look everything in Him, as He has created, both living and the non-living, past, present and future, and in the truest sense. At that point, everything will be peaceful, no attachment... only serene.

Well, why am I talking about this verse and this interpretation one may ask. I just opened The book, took a random page and read it and I think that this one coming up is not a coincidence. Or is it? May be I need some divine vision to make it out!

Nero And Robin

I hate politicians.

I say I hate politicians not because they have come to epitomize the corruption, got the culture of courtiers, chamchas and goons into the mainstream, split the entire country deep down on lines of caste, religion, creed, what not! I say I hate politicians not because the only thing they know is to ‘save their a##’, and behave as if they are God sent and forget that they are in their political seats of power because of the silent voters who vote them in (and out of power if things go way out of control) and try snub them at every given opportunity. They behave as if the common man is a cockroach, and once in 5 years as a ‘vote bank’. They, for their own personal ends and means, just because they have to get their opponents from within his own party and because they have to end those people’s political careers can go to whatever extent. Here, let me talk about our ‘Robin hood’ who gathers goons, thugs, and people beyond law; pack them into lorries, vans, jeeps, and get them into a city a good 250 odd km away, and orchestrate riots, the worst riots and thankfully the last big ones till date that this city has seen. He threw those opponents out of power and in doing so, threw his own political party out of power. Then, he got into the drivers seat of power of his party, and take on a ‘Nero’. While our ‘Nero’ was busy wooing the white skinned people creating a ‘cyber land’, this ‘Robin hood’ sat calmly, with a smile on his face which at times was really provoking a fight when his opponents had objections on his way of work. This Robin Hood is truly of a feudal mould. Born in a rich feudal and most importantly a factionist family, from an agrarian background, never had to think about money. He, after all, was born with not just a golden spoon but with a golden spoon studded with diamonds. The amount of land his family owned was counted as only ‘as far as your eye can see’ and could not, and still cannot be measured in acres. It still is so. Some of it own and earned property, some of it encroached government land, some of it handed down by his ancestors, and some just ‘gifted’ by people you know who. This Robin Hood was one of the youngest taxpayers from that part of the land. Being from a feudal background, was also well educated, a professional doctor at that. Feudal and factionism took the better and also, probably a thought that an extension to the power is politics. At that time, ages ago, Robin Hood met Nero, both as comrades, as partners, as friends started their careers. Nero, due to factors beyond anything, and initially by virtue of sentiments associated with his wedlock, has moved on to the tent of the best theatric and by far the most enigmatic leaders of the place. Robin Hood stuck to the roots, quite literally, not just to the political affiliations but also to the rustic rural background. Cut the picture to over a decade, Robin Hood, as mentioned, has become the head of his unit (with a little help with the goons, thugs, sprinkled with a few riots, faction feuds, and all) and Nero, after cutting from the ‘umbilical chord’ of his charismatic pap-in-law (and what a way he cut that chord… it was so bloody, that Nero’s thrown was washed with blood) has become the ‘king’ of the land. But, Nero being Nero was not satisfied with the Rome he had at his disposal, but, wanted to build his own Rome in cyber land, totally forgetting that his kingdom remains intact by virtue of the real votes of the real Romans, and not by the virtual Romans of his virtual land. But, Robin Hood being Robin Hood, though had every wealth, with all the power in his backyard ‘estate’ was aspiring for more. Aspiring is one thing, but walking for 1500 km directly onto the thrown of the land was a thing of awe. Being a doctor by profession, Robin Hood knew the ‘pulse’ of Romans and much better than Nero himself. To try and give a panacea for these Romans, he tried giving things, essentials and at times non-essentials too. But, at the same time, he gave things to his courtiers too and also ended up creating a mini ‘Sanjay’ in his own family. He also tried selling parts of Rome to serve people and also his people. But, at the end of the day, Romans never ceased to be in awe of this Robin Hood. But that is not just why I hate politicians of the day, or do I have to say, of the recent past (though it is not still that very believable to talk in the past tense in this story).

Both Robin Hood and Nero loved to hate each other and hated to love each other. That is the most simplistic way to put things across. But, that is the fact. They never left an opportunity to swear at each other. Robin Hood was on record in saying that Nero would feel ashamed of being born to his mother if all the truth comes out about the past. Nero was not far behind when he accused Robin Hood of being a cold-blooded murderer. Both of them stooped downed to newer lows by the day. But at the end of the day they were still friends and it is the best-kept secret. I get reminded of the lines that transpire between King Priam and Achillies, which go something, like this… ‘If I let you walk out of here, if I let you take him, it doesn’t change anything. You are still my enemy in the morning’ to which King Priam retorts ‘you are still my enemy tonight. But even enemies can show respect’. And here, the issue is between opponents, and not enemies when I talk about Robin Hood and Nero. They lived in Rome, which, thankfully, was still a democracy. Two small anecdotes based on which I can vouch for the fact that both were good friends, though opponents in the public eye. Nero had made enemies while trying to build his cyber land and those were called the ‘red shirts’ and these ‘red shirts’ plotted to kill Nero but thankfully, he survived the attempt on his life. It is said that among the first one to call Nero was Robin Hood to enquire about his well-being. Also, the other incident was when Robin Hood went walking to know the pulse of Romans, as it was long strenuous walk in mid summer, he had sunstroke and at that time, it was Nero who sent his personal set of doctors and good facilities to the doorsteps of Robin Hood. Enemies don’t do that. Opponents also cannot do that. It is only friends who can do that kind of a thing.

I hate politicians precisely because of this. To take a leaf from a very colorful and most eloquent ruler of another country, ‘Politicians also have personal lives’. But not for public consumption I guess. Never could the friends meet. Now, they never can. I hate politicians because of not the other reasons, but because of the sheer absence of humanity, a personal touch for their own, just because they are compelled to act to the gallery. And the gallery does not approve of friendship between Nero and Robin Hood.

This is for the Robin Hood, who lost his life because of bad weather, because of rains. The same rains about which he joked a while back that the rain God has joined his fold and that is the reason that there never was a drought in the land from the time he took to the realm. And he Robin Hood vanished in the forests, close to the rural folks that he claimed to be his. And he had to be brought back to the city after taking help from an ambulance network service, which he has been instrumental in getting wider and to serve the common man. He died while on his way to take a walk, this time only to take a walk for a place in history.

I hate all politicians equally, but, at the same time, I have no objection to admitting and approving the small ‘blips’ of good work that they do… few and far between.

I guess you, the reader would know who the Nero, Robin Hood and the other characters are in this story.

Be compassionate, be humane, be a politician later... you never know if there is a tomorrow ever!