My experiment with 'Truth" nope Lies

Recently, while driving back my almost five year son from school I asked him a question," Why do people lie?" Before writing his innocent answer, I would want to write the reason why after all I asked this silly question to him. Because I was struggling to find an answer and most importantly it was not just this 'why' which was boggling my mind rather I was more anxious to know as to how one should respond to a lie? Out of curiosity and also to inquire if my son has grown up enough to answer such abstract question I finally asked him. He replied," people lie so that they can watch TV." I got his answer, he was trying to say people lie to defend oneself. But  my mind does not stop thinking and the process continued. I am today going to write through my experiences with Lies.

Lies to defend oneself- commonest form of lie, nobody ever want to put in a calamity himself so till last moment one would like to get himself out of an unfavorable situation and the the best and most tested tool is to tell a lie and go ahead. A kid who does not want to eat his share of green vegetables would throw them in the trash and simply lie to his mom that he ate them all. Many of us do it more often then others. lieing about not receiveing the missed calll or a text msg, lieing about
types
our response
impact on relationship

Lies to defend others


Virtual Lies


Pathological Lies

What's our love

What's our love

An owl only comes out in dark

A camaleon camouflaging

A serpent who bit Adam and brought sin to this world

A firefly so insufficient with light

A rabbit with the cowards heart

Or

An avalanche white to be pure 

A water of the deepest ocean unadulterated 

A gush of wind unstoppable 

A polar star unchanged and fixed

 What's our love....

सत्यमेव जयते: एक उम्मीद???

 

इस कार्यक्रम के पहले एपिसोड के प्रसारण के बाद सोशल मीडिया खासकर ट्विट्टर और फेसबुक पर प्रशंसात्मक और आलोचनात्मक टिप्पणियों की बाढ़ सी आ गयी. दरअसल हमारे समय की सबसे बड़ी विडम्बना यही है कि हम हिन्दुस्तानी आदतन हमेशा एक  मसीहा की खोज में रहते हैं. वे जो इस कार्यक्रम की प्रशंसा करते नहीं अघा रहे हैं वो कहीं न कहीं ये उम्मीद भी लगा बैठे हैं कि आमिर खान ही वो मसीहा हैं जो हिंदुस्तान में होने वाली कन्या भ्रूण हत्यायों पर रोक लगा देंगे. वहीं आलोचना करने वाले इस बात को लेकर हल्ला मचा रहे हैं कि ऐसे कार्यकमो से सामाजिक कुरीतियां नहीं दूर होने वालीं.  दरअसल हमारे समाज में ऐसे ही extremist विचारधारा वाले लोगो की संख्या ज्यादा है, या तो हम अति आशावादी है या तो अति निराशावादी जबकि ये दोनो ही स्थितियां कोई दिशा नहीं देतीं. 

और इसी बात को आमिर ने अपने इस पूरे कार्यक्रम में सबसे खूबसूरती से कहा कि "उनके पास एक जादू की छड़ी है और वह जादू की छड़ी हम और आप है". आमिर के सारे प्रशंसक बजाय यह उम्मीद करने कि अब एक मसीहा आ गया है जो जो पूरे समाज से कन्या भ्रूण हत्या को मिटा देगा या फिर निराशावादी इस बात पर माथापच्ची करने कि इस कार्यक्रम से कुछ नहीं होने वाला, सिर्फ इस जादू की छड़ी वाली बात पर ध्यान दें कि कैसे वे खुद के स्तर पर, अपने परिवार में, अपने रिश्तेदारों में, और अगर हो सके तो अपने पड़ोस में लोगों की सोच बदल सकें तो यही एक बात बहुत बड़ा गुणात्मक परिवर्तन ला सकती है. याद करिए अभी पिछले ही साल इसी प्रकार के सामाजिक परिवर्तन की आशा हमने अन्ना के भ्रष्टाचार हटाओ आन्दोलन से की थी, अलग अलग शहरों में लोग मोमबत्तियां लेकर निकल पड़े और बहुतों ने अन्ना की  तुलना गाँधी से और उनके आन्दोलन की तुलना करनी आज़ादी के आन्दोलन से करनी शुरू कर दी और सोचा कि अब रातों रात देश से भ्रष्टाचार दूर हो जायेगा. और संदेहवादी/निराशावादी अपनी आदत के अनुरूप अन्ना और उसकी टीम के लोगों में मानवीय गलतियाँ ढूँढने लगे फिर धीरे-धीरे जो अन्ना को मसीहा समझ कर किसी चमत्कार की उम्मीद में थे उनका भी मोह जल्दी ही भंग हो गया.  दरअसल यहीं एक बड़ा ही सूक्ष्म परन्तु महत्त्वपूर्ण अंतर है जो सामाजिक आंदोलनों को अन्य आंदोलनों जैसे आज़ादी की लड़ाई से अलग करता है - जहाँ आज़ादी की लड़ाई में एक स्पष्ट और पूर्ण परिभाषित दुश्मन था जिससे लड़ाई लडनी थी, वहीं ऐसे सामाजिक आन्दोलन में दुश्मन कोई और नहीं बल्कि हम खुद होते होते हैं. खुद से लड़ाई लड़नी होती है, अगर भ्रष्टाचार मुद्दा है तो खुद को यह समझाना बड़ा मुश्किल होता है कि रिश्वत नहीं लेनी है, या फिर रिश्वत न देकर लाइन में लग कर कोई काम करवाना है. फिर जब लड़ाई खुद से है तो कोई मसीहा क्या कर सकता है? उससे आखिर सामाजिक परिवर्तन की भारी भरकम उम्मीद क्यों? जबकि परिवर्तन की कुंजी खुद हमारे पास है!     

कुछ लोग आमिर के इस कार्यक्रम की सार्थकता पर बहस न कर उनके छिपे हुए व्यावसायिक उद्देश्यों पर प्रश्न उठा रहे हैं. मुझे लगता है कि कहीं न कहीं समाजवाद के पुराने पड़ चुके चश्मे पहने तथाकथित भारतीय बुद्धिजीवी आज भी इस बात को स्वीकार नहीं कर पाते कि कोई पूजीवादी या धनी व्यक्ति भी सामाजिक हित में योगदान कर सकता है. साम्यवाद के प्रवर्तक, महान विचारक मार्क्स की विचारधारा को विश्व के सामने लाने में उनके अभिन्न मित्र Friedrich एंगेल्स  का आर्थिक योगदान किसी से छिपा नहीं है. अमेरिका जैसे पूंजी प्रधान समाज में सदियों से विश्व स्तरीय वैज्ञानिक और तकनीकी शोध कार्यक्रमों (जिससे न सिर्फ अमेरिका का बल्कि पूरे विश्व का भला होता है) के अलावा अनेक जन कल्याण (philanthropy) कार्यक्रमों को चलाने में  वहां के पूंजीपतियों और celebrities का योगदान हमेशा से बहुत महत्वपूर्ण रहा है. कुल मिलाकर यह एक अच्छी बात है कि किसी भारतीय सेलेब्रिटी ने पहली बार ऐसी सार्थक बहस छेड़ी है और अब जिम्मेदारी हमारे कन्धों पर है....

Happiness resides within you.

ये दावे छोड़ कर,

की मैं ये जानता हूँ,

मैं वो जानना चाहता हूँ,

मैंने ये किया है.

मुझे वो करना है ,

मैंने ये पाया है,

मुझे वो पाना है,

अगर,

ये सोच पाता,की 

तूं खुद क्या है,और 

क्या चाहता है,

तो जिंदगी की जिस छदम दौड़ का

हिस्सा बन तू  अव्वल आना चाहता हैं,

उसको हारने का  आनंद ले पाता.

Time

रात के २- ३ बज रहे है, नीद मनो आंख मिचोली खेल रही है . किसी की एक पंक्ति ही जो  दीमाग की  दीवारों  पे जोर जोर से प्रहार कर रही है , बहुत से सवाल पूछ  रही ही,और शायद इसलिए नींद आँख मिचोली खेल रही है. और ये पंक्ति क्या ही ये बताने की जिज्ञासा भी हो रही है. Time is the only perishable thing in this world so spend it wisely.मुझे लगता है मैं अपने समय  का सबसे सही उपयोग अभी कर रही हूँ. ऐसी एक नहीं हजारों पंक्तियों ने बचपन से लेकर आज तक नीदे उड़ाई है और जीवन के उन हजारों द्वारों को बंद किया ही जिनपे शायद गए होते तो जिंदगी खुच तो और होती मगर ये न होती जो आज है,अच्छे या बुरी से इतर.समय की बात हो रही है, हमने  तो गली के क्रिकेट मैच के समय पढाई पे समय लगाया, पारिवारिक और सामाजिक उत्सवों में भाग लेने के समय भी, पढाई में ही लगाया, अपनी भावनाओ को पूरा करने के समय, सामाजिकता और कर्त्तव्य पूरा करने में समय लगाया .दूसरो के हित में कार्य करने,दान करने और भलाई करने के समय, विलासिता में समय लगाया.आगे आने वाले जीवनकाल में भी इसी तरह  ही सदुपयोग करते रहेंगे समय का.मैथली शरण गुप्ता की एक पंक्ति याद आई है."यह जनम हुआ किस अर्थ अहो! समझो जिसमे यह व्यर्थ न हो.

Is Science a Curse or Boon?

Is Science a Curse or Boon?

I was in 7^th grade when I was asked in the English Language exam to write an essay on the topic. I was not sure what to write in it but somehow I managed it. The thing was over with the exams. I did not realize the significance of the topic and its effect on our lives. Life moves on and so do we with our daily toils. Recently the catastrophic, the epidemic and the biggest natural disaster on the earth, the tsunami in Japan and consequently the emission of radioactive rays from the nuclear reactors have made me think again on the almost forgotten topic of the 7^th grade English language exam, Is Science a Boon or Curse? My mind ponders and analyzes but still fails to come to a conclusion.

It was indeed the need for a country that is deprived of natural resources to have an alternative way to generate electric power. But when there is catastrophe like this destroys the humanity, then who will be held responsible for the holocaust. This is just an incident which has ignited this issue in my mind. When I look around, in every annals of life, we are trapped and if one brick slips the whole building will be demolished.

The world is changing so dramatically with the advancements of science and technology. Information Technology (IT) captures my mind the most, because it’s the technology we use the most in day to day life and affects the common man to the most. IT revolutionized the entire scenario. Mobile phones, BlackBerry’s, iPhones, iPads etc. are now the essential part of our lives. The invention was the need, the need to be connected, but, the economics involved with it, has made us addicted to it, to the extent that we don’t want to sleep alone. We are sleeping with the whole bunch of people in our contact list. This revolution has not only made us self occupied but also deleted every possibility of real social interaction. Now you will not be amazed and thrilled to meet a stranger at a book shop who is also looking for the same book you are ,with the advent of Kindle and Amazon.com.  Kindle is a machine, with which you can not only read thousands of e-books, but can click on a tab and get the information as how many people before you have highlighted a particular portion of that book. You will no longer enjoy the bond with you and your new book or the privilege to write a special feeling for your book on the first page.  You are just one amongst thousands of users of the book. Three out of five of us go to sleep with either iPhone, or some other kind of a Smartphone, TV, or Ipad. Are we really sleeping with our enemies? This revolution has undoubtedly bridged the gap between us, but also silently intruded our personal regime and has become the ruler or an arbitrator. It has always been difficult to discipline kids, to inculcate among them virtues like humility, compassion; and these days it’s the biggest task. On the one hand we tell our kids not to watch TV or any kind of screen for long, on the contrary kids see parents glued with one of these gadgets. Face book and twitter are our best friends and we confide on them. These social networking sites have enabled us to flaunt graciously. Good or bad I can’t comment.

 We are stuck in a situation where we can’t say no to the technologies and stop it completely; there are vested interests of people in it and to some extent partial good of everybody. Your attempt to limit and restrict its encroachment into your lives will leave you in an isolated island. And if you let it loose to spread his hand, it can create havoc. I believe this is destined for us who are born in the postmodern society, a world of simulated reality.

 With Best

Anupma

"नारी तुम केवल श्रद्धा हो"

नारी तुम केवल श्रद्धा हो!!!

In every era or historical period, in all languages, in all places women have always been tagged. Jaya Shankar Prasad, a famous hindi poet, describes women as "नारी तुम केवल श्रद्धा हो ” which means women are epitome of comapassion. The word ‘shraddha’ conveys several meanings compassion, grace, affection and humility. Shakespeare sees women frail {Frailty thy name is woman} and women are given the highest status by the Sanskrit writers,  यत्र नार्यस्तु पूज्यन्ते रमन्ते तत्र देवता: “ Gods reside there, where women are worshipped .Women have always been given different patterns by others as its rightly discussed by D.H Lawrence in his essay, “Give Her A Pattern” we always see in woman a perfect wife, a compassionate mother, giving sister, wild prostitute, a sophisticated secretarary but never  respected them as only woman. The condition is the same all over the world. In India specifically, Women have always been marginalized or in the word of Ania Loomba, “Doubly colonized”. In the Second Sex, Simon de Beauvoir writes that women are not born woman but they are made woman. The sentence is self explanatory. Women in India are raised in an environment where they are not made comfortable with their biological existence. There are several taboos related to different biological processes such as menstrual cycles. They feel ashamed of what is an indispensable and important part of their existence. As per a recent survey by world health organization, only 20% of women in India have access to clean sanitary napkins and 80% of women are using sand or ash in place. There is a taboo attached to the whole process, they live in isolation during this period. Girls don’t attend the schools because the administrators have never thought of providing closed toilets. The report is full of references of similar instances. What an irony! We bestow upon women the status of Goddess but subjugate them every now and then and ignore their presence. I would like to draw attention to all who are availing the luxuries of life, especially those who are placed in a position where they can influence the decision of policy makers to the plight of women in India. I consider any of the theories on women are unsubstantial before these core issues. Before placing women on high pedestal why can’t we simply accept and subsequently respect their existence.

On the contrary, I saw the representation of women as sex symbols or a commodity in the postmodern society. Movies are considered to be a lower form of literature when it comes to take references. But a movie like Social Network, which claims to be a real life story of Mike Zuckerberg can be taken as an example. This movie showcases women only as means to get earthly pleasures. The movie shows a detailed journey of a computer geek turning into a successful entrepreneur and several other young men like him getting engaged in meaningful endeavors, but never women. One of the scenes is good example of it, When Mike was hiring the interns for his ongoing project; the girl friends of Eduardo asked Mike, How can they be helpful in the process? Or can he hire them as intern? He with sarcasm says no, suggesting that they are not worth it. Also in the house of Shawn Parker, women are always shown either making sex or taking drugs. Males on the contrary busy in doing projects. All these male protagonists are real life characters and it’s a movie about their lives and if in a movie like this women are portrayed as pity brain less emotional fools what should we learn about the present situation. Is it a biased representation of women? Or that’s the reality.

There are women who are even not provided with basic necessities of life and there are women who are privileged but have been patronized as a commodity. The dichotomy of male and female still exists. Many among you would like to enumerate the names of women who have been successful in their lives but again the % is so low that it’s become negligible.

With Best

Anupma