Light in the Darkness..... (Gandhi)

I recall in one speech his Greatness Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the father of India had indeed pointed that within darkness will there be light, in untruths can we find truth.....and so on....his path of Satyagraha.
It conjures up an image of utter despair, a lacklustre existence in which we find a few little glimmers of hope which bring us through.

I touch on this topic today as it had been mulling over in my mind ever since I had seen the Gandhi series that the BBC had aired very recently. Our father of the nation himself had been in a despondent state once his beloved Hindustan had acheived her independence; it had happened neither in the way he had wished for nor was the actual result as favourable.
It was an insult to see rising to power, figures who later on would only go on to push India onto the road to ruin and have corrupt politicians like vermin, infect the ranks.

Admittedly, the plan Gandhi had for India for self-sufficiency was a powerful one, the simple style of life and dress that he adopted, his teachings and ideals had even brought people at the heart of the empire to its knees.
Yet was Gandhi looking at the long term picture - could he see the India he visioned, the India that he felt was not ready for independence, the India he saw torn apart by religious rivalry, could he see this India transforming into what she is today??
Could Gandhian philosophy have factored this in?

It came to my notice how divided our indians were back then, like they are now. Couldn't it be possible to stage a march, a fast or some protest at this ridiculous division???
Gandhi fasted for the untouchables and tried to ask for them to be integrated, but rather than taking his help and combining it with Dr. Ambedkar's or explaining they didn't want the special name of Harijan which would faciliate working together, instead they just rejected him.

Gandhi undertook a fast for the Muslims to stop fighting in Calcutta and Delhi. He read the Qu'ran at his daily prayer meetings. Muslims I feel could have worked with him rather than write him off, and have possibly prevented the partition.
These humanitarian acts, this fight for equality only became apparent upon his assassination - that too by a Hindu fanatic.

Only then the world fell silent for the man who was misunderstood and who had selflessly given his life to the fight for freeing his motherland.

The Fast and the Curious.....

I have no idea why I decided to give this post this particular title, but it was something I conjured up this morning, so this is as fresh as it gets on a Wednesday afternoon...
There are many of those moments in life that just cannot be explained, instances that appear to bend or reverse the perpetual laws of physics.
These same laws that enable us to fail or excel, win or lose, fight or surrender, the very same laws that create boundaries for the tides of time to rinse through, leaving the residual memories we find ourselves contemplating.

Karma weaves a cyclic web through the ages, rebirth after rebirth, the deeds accumulate.
There are often individuals who come into this life, approaching you with some design, some purpose - a premonition of your future involvement with them.
Albeit brief, whether you aided that person, gave lodging, food or just guided them, that period of time you presided over them, will be forever etched in your memory.
After this brief encounter, they disappear. That person vanishes and any acquaintances you previously shared have no recollection of their whereabouts.
There is no trace of this rendez-vous, not a shred of proof such an alliance or design ever existed, except for a select few that share an understanding of its necessity and the attached obligations with it.

The unknown soul took what was owed from a previous life from me and perhaps others and mysteriously fades away on its finite (yet seemingly infinite) journey through the spiritual-material world.....
Thus leaving us to ponder, the enigmas of life and its cycles over and over.....

Smile...you never know, you might even get one back! :o)

Smile.... you never know, you might even get one back! :-)

There’s this epidemic that’s seized the capital. It’s quite possibly reached pandemic proportions by this stage and it’s been haunting the corners of my mind for some time now.

There’s a mundane routine to which we are accustomed, this herding of cattle on train platforms, this army of clones that march to and fro from their caves, forests of papers litter the street corners and railways, an endless line of lights, metal corridors, humming escalators and marching feet broken up by the sound of a distant saxophone.....

The sky lights up and off they go, marching to their cubicles encased in yards of concrete, brick and glass filled with aromas of coffee and sweat mixed with fluid cleaners use and cologne.The rustling of broadsheets, tabloids filling every inch of space in the tightly packed carriages, steely eyed businessmen, balding lecturers with a furry forest on their chins, latecomers applying their morning war-paint, trend-setters, bristly builders, sleepyheads, ipod's ''with speakers'', people who don’t shower, expectant mothers and ones with pushchairs awkwardly protruding from a corner, tourists with cameras the size of a pinhead, and countless others all vying for a place.

The day comes to pass and before sundown, the chaos ensues. Headliners are projectiled at passers-by from all directions. The herd are going home to graze.

The big reds comb the capital in their big red lanes, people pouring out from every nook and cranny. The sheer volume of people, velocity and urgency with which migration recommences; they're chasing after a paradigm of life, they're chasing time....This behaviour is the manifestation of those infected with the stress virus.This highly infectious stress virus is primarily found in densely populated cities.
Not one of these infected individuals have the audacity to smile, its the most common symptom in addition to glaring at fellow travellers, and being unhelpful/unaccommodating to those needier than yourself.

However, fear not, the stress virus though highly infectious, is not completely invulnerable, there is a cure. You must arm yourself with...a smile...That’s right, a smile. You can disinfect yourself and countless others with this simple, effective and free therapy. Laughter is a catalyst but let’s not get ahead of ourselves people - smile!

I make an appeal to all Londoners out there to smile....it does wonders, just try it. :o)