NOT ALL GODS ARE VEGETARIAN

                                              picture credits- Hari Menon Photography    

While many call it a 'ritual' , I call it a SLAUGHTER.

  India is God's own land, where people go to any extent to impress Him. We have been successful in showing some diversity here too, while some reach Him through poojas and idol worships or by Havans
many see self torture as a divine medium and some keep themselves in a safer position by constructing the path to God by using the corpse of animals.

  In India, from smaller animals like hens and goats to larger ones like buffaloes, all have got a 'divine' cause of death- for the Almighty.

Devotees who worship by burning, torturing and piercing themselves are any day better than those who shed blood of animals because they are doing it to themselves by their own will!
 The poor animals are killed to be presented as an offering or a tribute or an oblation to the God.

Some Hindus believe  sacrificing an animal can wash away their sins.
I would rather suggest them to 'wash away' their sins in the holy waters of Ganga than in the blood of animals.
 In the Phulpati festival, a goose is sacrificed.
 People gather in a temple where the priest first worships the goose, tilaks it and bathe it.
 The goose, would have been feeling good at the special treatment until its neck it chopped and the                         blood is offered to the idol of Goddess Durga.

Animals are usually killed using the 'Jhatka' method, where the animal is killed in a single blow.
This is because Hindus believe that it is a bad omen if the animal makes a sound before dying.
Some may sacrifice the animal  by piercing its heart with a a spike or by choking it!

'God lives in his own creatures' is a line much unknown by the devotees who sought to impress their Deity but end up killing His own creatures.

The worst instance of animal sacrifice, I could discover was the Gandhimai festival.
This slaughter is held in Nepal but witness a huge participation of Indians.

This cruel way of worship takes place once in five years where 250,000 animals are killed in a month!
It is not one of those where a single small animal is killed, it is a MASS SACRIFICE where buffaloes are killed. As the dawn breaks, the festival officially opened with the sacrifice of two rats, two pigeons, a pig and a rooster in the main temple, to cheers of "Long Live Gadhimai".
In the main event, 250 appointed residents with traditional kukri knives began their task of decapitating more than 10,000 buffaloes in a dusty enclosure guarded by high walls.

And to make things worse and more inhumane this blood is not offered to the goddess but is drunk by the priest directly from the body of the sacrificed animal.

 

   During, Ed-ul- Adha, Muslims of the country sacrifice a large mammal like a goat or a camel or sheep. Over 100 million are slaughtered during this 48 hour period

 It is sad to know that we are foolish enough to believe that taking the life of an animal who does not have the tongue to protest can fulfill our wishes, wipe away our sins, make us stronger and can impress the God.

While animal sacrifice, in many places is no longer a popular creed, it is widely practiced in several parts of our country because it is not easy to explain the conservatives that it is NOT  a ritual or culture it is murder and slaughter.


Maybe they would realize this only when God himself would descend and tell them -" I AM A VEGETARIAN !"

“Could a being create the fifty billion galaxies 

each with two hundred billion stars 

then rejoice in the smell of burning goat flesh?” 

― Ron Patterson

     

                         India is INDEED God's own land !

THE ACTUAL SIN

His eyes were dry
 and his face like a morning flower, which was yet to bloom
Like a snail he crawled
His entangled legs seemed be fooled
He didn’t want but could not stay
 His heart had a sea of words
 But not a word he could say

The bright sunshine could not compel him to blink,
The fluttering butterflies could not snatch his attention
 Even the color soaked kites in the sky could not for him to admire them.
The fragrance of fresh crêpes could not change the path he walked
His direction was determined and he walked along the tall trees that seemed to pluck balls of cotton from the sky.

Finally his feet came to rest and he raised his head to see a white church amidst the busy market
He stepped into the chapel and looked around. A tear dropped on his polished shoes. His heart melted like the candles that burned in the glory of Lord Jesus
He seeked the blessings from Jesus and turned towards the confession box.
 His heart had locked in a sin, a sin he could not forgive himself for. He dragged himself into the close both. It took him a great effort to unseal his lips that stuck together because they were too dry and in a shaky voice he spoke –

“ It is not a murder Nor a robbery, for which I am here to confess
It is worse. It is darker. It is unforgivable.
It is something that eats me inside. It is something that hollows the emotion of love.
I have committed a sin, for which no punishment is severe I have committed a sin for which no confession can cover up.”

 But son, what sin have you committed? -Echoed a fragile voice from the other side.

“The sin of BETRAYAL- the actual sin.
   I stood in the witness box, and in the witness box just in front of me stood the accused-my dear friend  The prosecutor questioned me while my friend’s yearning eyes dripped hope. I glanced at the public and other witnesses present in the court.  A man in the jet black suit signaled me. I crossed my heart and declared:

Yes my eyes saw my friend murder the victim at the party last night, who fell from the roof
A friend accusing a friend is more than any evidence or proof
 He is a devil. He is a murderer.
This is all I have got to say
 Punish him, so that justice may prevail."

  I lied! I lied oh Father! My friend is innocent but my job was at stake. My boss pushed that girl at the annual bank party But he stuffed my mouth with the fear of loosing of loosing my job and lured me by tempting me for money and promotion. Today my friend is behind the bars because I betrayed him Today he is considered guilty because I lied !  My tongue shivers when I call myself his friend because I am no friend of his.  I am a traitor, a betrayer, a deserter. I must be hanged, I shall not live

The next thing father could recollect was a loud shout. He rushed to the other side of the confession box to see a dead body He had killed himself. he could not live with the guilt of committing the actual sin – Betrayal.

SHE IS STRONG

"My Maariamma bays for blood.My Kali kills. My Draupadi strips. My Sita climbs on to a stranger’s lap. All my women militate. They brave bombs, they belittle kings…. Call me names if it comforts you. I no longer care. "


Writes Meena Kandasamy, celebrating the loud, slutty sensibility and the new discovered power in women.
She lashes out at a Toronto police officer’s remark – “Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised” – to York University  students during a campus-safety briefing.
Men need to understand- that a short dress is NOT a yes! But unfortunately, its nearly next to impossible to expect this from half of the male population in India. 

Kandasamy further quotes:  
It is flawed logic to expect Indian men to not indulge in leching, leering, groping, harassing, molesting and raping women on the streets when they are seasoned wife-beaters at home. According to UN statistics, more than two-thirds of married Indian women have experienced domestic violence; when our homes are unsafe, it is impossible to imagine our streets will turn safe unless we address the fundamental assumption that men have a right to control women’s bodies.

"Nazar teri buri, burkha main pehnu ?"- were the headlines in Delhi Times as hundreds of women took to streets to protest against explaining or excusing rape by referring any aspect of a woman's appearance.   

If a house is robbed because the window was open, who is to be held responsible for it? Obviously the robber and not the robbed. But alas, here many will accuse the robbed for keeping the window open as an 'invitation' to him. Same is the case with the women.

Eve teasing froze the nation. In the day-light, with hundred cowards as spectators, women are pushed into their graves of shame. Many watch with anguish in their eyes, while others with the desire to call for help, yet no one steps forward to save the innocent soul.
 

I am a dead woman,

 A victim who became a show for many

Yearning for a Krishna to save this Draupadi

now my heart stops me to step out

' you might become a prey again' it shouts out loud.

Life was squeezed out from many women souls returning form work at three in the morning. Yet hundreds of women work at call centers, BECAUSE SHE IS STRONG.

Drunk men harass girls at bars. Yet many women work there and serve them without any fear, BECAUSE SHE IS STRONG

Short dresses are a 'come and molest me' for millions. Yet women have the courage to dress the way they want to, BECAUSE SHE IS STRONG

Domestic violence and demand for dowry still surface. Yet every women wishes to marry and live peacefully. BECAUSE SHE IS STRONG

There  is light at the end of the tunnel and she will feel it one day

she will rise up, beyond harassment, worthlessness and slay

She has the right to live the way she wants, and she will

call her a slut or whore, her lips will stay still

If a man can go to bars and discos, so can she

time is changing , today she is equal to he

Let our tongues unite, not to call her names

but to give her respect and uncover her from shame

She has arrived to prove every man wrong

that She is not weak, she is STRONG!

  

TEENAGE LOVE

   poem credits- Suvidh Jain

Love can happen to anyone and anytime. It's something unpredictable and unplanned.

For Teenagers like us, love is like a hat. We feel warm in it. We know how it looks. But when it gets old, we eventually want to discard it or when we see a better one in the market we yearn for that one. Don't we? Maybe that's because we are NOT ready to settle our minds onto one thing. 

At this age, we are like those butterflies who want a sip of nectar from every flower in the garden! I know it's an amusing example, but it’s true!

Teenage is a confusing phase of life, where a lot of things are going on in our heads, but we ourselves are unaware of most of it!
At this age our 'love hormones' are quite much at work, 24*7. Be it the school canteen or the mall, getting attracted is not something unusual. We see our parents knitted in a beautiful relationship with each other, since years. Are we mature enough to understand the find of bond they share?

Are our minds developed enough to find true love? I feel that teen love is trail love. It's the stepping stone for what we may choose in future. But one thing I can be quite sure is that the purpose or motive of teenage love is PURE. It's completely on the bases of attraction and not for money, status or power! If we believe in love at this age then let me make it clear. It’s not love. Its attraction. We can't expect to marry our boyfriend or girlfriend of this age. Breakup is bound to happen and it depends upon us how we take it.
If we are in a relationship, we must be ready to face an end to it.

Depressed statuses of heartbroken people on face book are very common. We all read them. Don't we? Some say, “I feel alone and hollow" while others say “collecting shattered pieces of my broken heart is difficult” and what not !

If you can’t bare the pain of separation (which has to happen sooner or later), then without any doubt you are not ready for a relationship. We have to live with the fact that relationships of this age are not meant to be long term.

Being what we are today, if we look back to the kind of clothes we used to wear earlier, it’s not something we are fans of! Choices and decisions at this age do see-saw! Then how can our partner seem to be an eye candy till the time we decide to marry (which is not going to happen in the next 10 years!) if choices can change in a year, then clinging to your decision for a decade is impossible.

I am not against emotions we all experience. Being fascinated is not a crime. It’s something which is not in our hands. Getting into a relationship is also okay. But we shall be prepared to manage it. It’s important to make sure; we don’t get swayed away by emotions. If our studies are being affected or if we are not able to spare time for us, then we are being deprived of a lot because of this relationship. If we can manage its aftermaths or not is another important factor? If it ends on a bitter note, then surely a tint of immature behavior was involved.

A friend of mine (I won’t take names here) was in a relationship for long, but they met only twice. When it ended, she realized that he cheated her. 

And then, from somewhere she developed the desire to slap that guy! The girl who I thought was mature enough to be with someone for this long had suddenly turned into a crazy heartbroken girl! She created a fake account on face book to get in touch with him again. But thankfully she realized that it was a really kiddish thing to do! 

Attraction will happen, you will have crushes and maybe relationships
but teenage love is just a learning experience
 experience it, live it and  love it but don't construct dreams of glass!

My one is the best rest of them are worst

Is it true love or just our thirst 

Thirst to be with someone

To be commited and to have fun

Is it love or just an attraction

Is it love or just our satisfaction

How can someone bcom our need

Is it love or just a greed

May its want or our desire

May be it is true or our heart is a liar

Breakups, that's what happens at the last

Promises of staying together are now just the past

Its a small age to be together

Its a small age to promise to be forever

Is it love or just an attraction

Is it love or just our satisfaction

DO WE LACK IT

When ever I decide to take a book and sit down to study, somehow, even starring a wall seems to be more interesting. 

Showing a school circular to mom would be something I wont remember until I am asked to learn a chapter.

My irritating little cousin would suddenly become the most entertaining person ever when I am supposed to sit alone and prepare for my test next day!

helping my mother with the kitchen work becomes my 'must-to-do duty' during study time, even though it doesn't when I am updating my status on Facebook.

 Does studying brings with it a sense of immediate change and then obviously takes it back because after that when we are doing what we want to, we don't know anyone else around us!

And it is certainly not my counter with studies alone, it's the same story for every child of this generation. 

I have an explanation on why I said 'this generation'

let me narrate to you the story of my grandfather's life.

He never saw his father. His father died when he was in his mother's womb. She was a single parent with five children to look after. obviously it was not easy for them to meet their ends. They had no electricity, no good schools, no fancy uniforms, no tuition and yet an Excellent education!

My grandfather did not have enough money to buy books, he used to borrow them , make notes and study from them. For complete nights he used to study under street lights and work hard. Because he did not want his children to live like he did !

he worked hard and it paid off. He is a retired professor of economics at Sri Ram College, one of the most reputed collages of India.

On the other hand, we despite having all the resources on a silver platter won't like to waste our time on studying.  today, we have excellent books, tuition centers, we study in reputed schools, we have the luxury to sit in an air conditioned room and study, yet we fail to give our best!

We may blame to the distractions around us like the computer, guests at home, an ill relative and what not but what the fact is that we lack IT

 Do we lack time ? No ! Resources? No!

What we lack is DETERMINATION and DEDICATION.

THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT

        Man has shades of grey. It's soul has a greedy side, where desires are plenty and the eagerness to fulfill those aspirations is massive! The hungry inside of the human yearns for fascinating things, and this hunger is endless. 
no matter if the fruit is forbidden, the eagerness of engulfing never dies. even if we know that it should not be obtained by us, the appealing attraction is so huge that our desire pulls us to it.
 And this appetite is not new. This is a part of human nature, a part of our existence and has been in us since the time of Adam and Eve.


"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die"
It was a direct command by Him. 
He clearly forbidden-ed Adam form laying his hands on it.
They willfully committed the sin, it was a direct disrespect to God. but despite the fact they could not overcome their lust. their was no shortage of food. He gave them the consent to exploit all the trees of the garden except one. Yet, they could not content themselves. They disobeyed Him for a single fruit!


there is always an inquisitive side of us that asks us, " why? why out of everything, that thing is forbidden. it must be something better. find out!" 
and within no time we find ourselves strangely attracted towards it!


everybody knows smoking is injurious, but today many teenagers are exposed to it! why? they do it themselves. its their forbidden fruit! forbidden by parents but urged by desires. 
many married people have extra-marital affairs even though they know they are deceiving their spouse. they choose to do this sin because its their lust for the forbidden fruit.


Can we hold us back? is our will stronger than our desires ? NO. we easily get swayed in the moment.
I have still not been successful in penning down a solution....

"the forbidden fruit unleashes our greed and our lust 
compels us to willfully commit a sin
its paves the path to doom!"

AMIDST THE GLITZ

Today, the world around us work on the basics of POMP and SHOW. 

everybody wants to possess things that can awe anyone and everyone. Utility and price don't matter unless it is a boost to their status and gives them a reason to show-off.

the basic necessities of life- food, clothes and a roof have been upgraded to five course meal, branded clothes and a penthouse! quite simple marriage ceremonies are now great fat Indian weddings and telephone is now I-phone.

if you are not clad in expensive clothes, you will be bitched about. everyone wishes to own an Armani. Blackberry is a status symbol. If you organize a party it has to posh otherwise your guest attendance in the next one would be zero! 

even our idols believe in advertising their moolah.

 Mayawati spent seven hundred crore on a good for nothing green park just to immortalize herself.  No star ever repeats their clothes, worn once, thrown forever! 

Lalu Prasad Yadav, spent a hundred crore for his daughter's wedding.

  Even festivals have become a forum to brag about things. the one who has a larger Christmas tree is more respectable !

you can't change the world or the people in it but you can surely keep yourself grounded.

life has just become a rat race to attain a prestigious position in the society. but during this race, we fail to fill our pockets with love and mesmerizing experiences, afterall our mind and heart are busy putting up plans.

Simplicity can simplify things and make life easier. showing-off can earn you incredibly flattering praises but in the long run you will be accompanied by the same kind of self centered people!

  Being modest, in today's scenario is not easy and one eventually you develop feathers but we shall try to change ourselves.

bring back the true essence of festivals, get togethers, modesty and the real meaning of life!

"Yes i did chase the glitz, yes i did flaunt and brag about my riches

but what did i got in return?

a hollow soul ! "