PILGRIMAGE

I lived....tossed up and down .....
By the waves from the depth of my mind
Sometimes silent.....but mostly violent.....

I am fed up......of this slavery from within
In the net woven by my ancestors....
Swung by the wind of the times.

The inner yearning to script my destiny
Is pushing me ahead incessantly
Along the journey I am discovering happiness
Strangely simple......contrary to my phantasies.

Simplicity shuts the door to hell
And disillusioning makes life a pilgrimage
The door to paradise slowly opens
When moments enchants, nothing matters much.

mashoodkk

REFLECTIONS

They say:

To fathom the other
Look unto them.

I say:

To fathom the other
Look unto thyself.

Pity the poor chap
Who cannot endure a headache
Yet dreams to be a doctor !

Dreams are dreams
Only when it disturbs the sleep.

mashoodkk

EDUCATION - THE ELIXIR TO ALL OUR MALADIES

It is extremely difficult to talk about education without sounding repetitive or appearing imitative. Yet it seems that all the bygone efforts were insufficient and it is the need of the hour that we all mobilize our energies to create greater awareness about the importance of education. In fact it is not awareness that we need but solutions to our daunting problems in education. Considering the complexities of our maladies it is naive talking about 'an elixir'. But one can justifiably argue that however complex be the composition of that 'elixir to all our maladies', education would be its base ingredient. We can no longer afford illiteracy and poor education as its impacts are becoming direct and enormously wide in range. Issues that will get affected spans from political choices to class asymmetries to economy of the nation. In order to unleash the latent potential in our human resources we have no better key than education. If we have to realize the Indian dream we will have to destroy the darkness of ignorance with the lamp of education.

mashoodkk

If not OBAMA.......then who ?

I am from the very outset keeping away all the promises from Obama that are yet to be delivered and focusing only on what he has done so far. If we recall the international atmosphere when he was taking over the post from his predecessor, the situation was that the whole world believed in an 'inevitable clash of civilisations' between the Islamic world and the West. Even theories were crafted to vindicate the inevitability of the clash. Another war over Iran was looming around. The terror networks were capitalising on this for recruiting and strentghening their outfits. Legal and illegal terrorists were working hand in hand, supplementing each other through their actions, putting the peaceful existence of humanity at stake.

1) Obama exposed the hollowness of the dangerous myth of the clash of civilisations. By being willing for unconditional dialogues based on mutual respect, he rejuvenated the teachings of bygone masters by illustrating to us that dangerous myths can be shattered through meaningful talks. He did mitigate the tension and hostility to a very considerable extent.

2) It goes to the credit of Obama that he was able to push terror outfits into ideological bankruptcy by openly admitting mistakes and declaring his commitments to protect the dignity and worth of all nations and all people.

3) Let us not underestimate the power of sensibly crafted words in changing the attitudes and visions of the people. To those who says that words are empty, let me add that the words from a person of credibility are like seeds of virtuous ideas sown into a fertile ground.

Bringing the 'enemy' to the table for talks, there by converting them to friends is the essence of peace. Instilling hope in the minds of millions of the possibility of a better world is the best preparation for the future peace. Politicians committing oneself to ideologies of people like Gandhi is the need of the hour. Congrats Obama ! His accomplishments may be limited, true potentials may be yet to be unleashed, but I cannot think of a better name for the prize at the current moment. Can you ?

mashoodkk

Giving a rebirth to GANDHI

In an age empowered with technological advancements like cloning, if one interprets the title as suggesting to dig out the grave of Bappu, he cannot be blamed. But such a suggestion would surely reveal a subtle psychological characteristic of the youth of our period- the unwillingness to entertain anything slow, complex, demanding patience and sacrifice. Yet glimmers of hope that is spreading its influence instills a belief that things are moving towards betterment. Such a juncture is apt to invest one's thoughts on giving a rebirth to Gandhi- the thought structure distinguished by its counterintuitive nature.

An understanding of the essence of Gandhiji demands the capability

-- to appreciate the strength of non-violence
-- humility to acknowledge that we all are shades of black and white
-- willingness to consciously strive with perseverence for change from within etc

to say a few.

Rarely have I come across youngsters who considers Gandhi as worthy of being their role model, for many of them he is too weak for the post ! It is precisely here that we need to put our efforts in effectively presenting the essence and ingeniosity underlying Gandhian teachings. To appreciate violence is easy but non violence is a subtler concept. So is the nature of many of Gandhian ideas. They are decptively simple, seemingly weak and highly counter intuitive in nature.

Fortunately efforts are coming from around the corners of the world.The world's 'strongest man' expressing his desire to dine with 'weak' Gandhi, India's political youth icon trying to model himself around Gandian principles etc are welcome signs. Let us hope that the generation which holds the beacon of hope will open up their hearts and minds to one of the greatest teachers which our nation nurtured and gifted to the world.

mashoodkk

HOW CAN WE ? ..... AGAINST PAROCHIAL POLITICS

With all those inspiring episodes from history at our disposal which time and again reaffirmed the spirit of the slogan 'YES WE CAN', if we still doubt in the possibility of the 'impossible', that would be an insult to our intelligence and imagination. So let our starting point be not a discussion about whether we can or not but a question of greater sensibility - HOW CAN WE?
First step towards solving any problem is understanding it, in all its dimensions, in requisite detail and clarity. If the smallness and parochiality of our politics and politicians is our concern, we should begin our effort with understanding the dynamics of our political system and processes. We should be able to separate out the wheat from the trash, facts from wishes and illusions from reality.
The enormous complexity of Indian electoral politics may drive away many from the very beginning, but we should not forget that no challenge is too big for a group of talented, determined and organized youth. 'Experts' will warn us, 'wise' might ask for a reality check but it is for us to decide whether to keep the flame burning or not. Let us not forget that there will come a tomorrow when the accumulated evils of parochial politics may pose difficulties far greater than what is demanded for correcting it today.

mashoodkk

BEING THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE.....

We all are patches of black and white. It would be naive refusing to acknowledge this fact and subjecting ourselves to self deception. Our efforts should be, individually as well as collectively, to inject wisdom into our veins and brains so that darkness fades away in steps. This seems to me the first step in being the change we want to see. Perfection may not be a goal that we can accomplish but it can indeed be a sign post that guides us in our journey.

mashoodkk