Friday, August 24, 2012

As clear as mud.....

In my earnest pursuit to find the meaning of religion and understanding religious dogmas & doctrines, I have lost all that I had and it has left me more confused.

And if you search the internet to seek the ultimate truth, it will leave you more confused.
Now, let me clarify right at the onset of this post that being born in a Hindu Kshatriya family, I still do my bit of religious norms. And
this post is not to demean my own religion.
But, I am hoping someone will enlighten me with accurate and believable facts that will clear the mud. Yes, at the moment, it is as clear as mud.
I will seek what it is to know the difference between "my" religion and what is said in "their" religion. Possibly, I might address
that in part 2 or 3 of blog.

Let me start by telling you a story, woven and fabricated to make it an easier read.

Long long ago, one man, a blogger like me, got up early in the morning and looked for the shiny object he had found in the deep
jungle. It was the talk of the whole village for weeks. Don't ask me what it was, but if it was there today,
it would have probably been the biggest diamond of the planet.
So, he searched everywhere and could not find it. Helpless and disturbed, he took the big stone and scribbled on a place everyone could see.
He drew "the diamond", a sky, a sun, a moon, himself with an axe and the thief. So, if you'd look at it, you would have understood that it meant he
would punish/scare/kill the thief with his axe, if he found out that person any day under the sun or any night under the moon.
It turned out that there indeed was a thief who stole the object and tried to disappear into the forest.
He was killed by the wild boars and the diamond was recovered by a hunter who gave it back to the rightful owner.
The news spread like a wild-fire on how the diamond was recovered. By the end of the week,
the diamond owner suddenly sensed an overwhelming feel of importance. It is human tendency that you tend to add a bit more to your pride/achievement.

And since the Sun and the moon were the most powerful objects that the ancient world knew, all he had to say was that he asked these objects
for help to seek his prized possesion.
With time, the person, by virtue of his co-incidences got richer and powerful. His empire spread and with it came a sense of insecurity.
By this time, his grandsons had taken over the reigns and one of which was probably the most thoughtful of all.
So, he wrote down everything needed to protect his empire.

In broad terms, there are four facets that worried him, viz:-

a) How to make others follow his decisions.
b) How to protect what he already had.
c) How to multiply what he already had.
d) How to keep running what he had.

To make others follow his decisions and largely be succcessful, one has to be disciplined or atleast be in a disciplined environment or society.
So, it was laid down as a rule that we must live a disciplined life, not steal, not kill(unless if it is for a virtuous clause- a mere escapade
had to be there) and so on. Thus, was laid the foundation of religion on the basis of an insecure man's thoughts.
It was obvious that incase of wrongdoings, there would be punishment for the guilty but the verdict had to come from a being which was a form of
OMNI - omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, thus became GOD. GOD had to be watching from the skies since the sky was everywhere and you couldnot
escape not being watched for your misdeeds. Now, a group of people started to work more on spreading the word of GOD and kept adding to the "Do-Dont's"
list.
After generations, these people came to be known as priests.

People who safegaurded the wealth of the rich grandson were praised for their valor and they became protectors. People who showed the elite family
how to increase the wealth became businessmen and the rest ran the daily operations for the family.
Generations later, this became the pillars for what we call the Caste system in Hinduism.

Ever wondered why a Kshatriya is not supposed to eat pork whereas he can take mutton? I dont see any reason except for the order of preference based
on the social standards(caste divide) that was set. Obviously, goats are more cleaner than pigs, isn't it?

So, as I listened to the Bhagwad Gita, for the unknown, in Ch.4, Verse 13:-
The Lord says:"The fourfold caste has been created by Me, according to the differentiation of Guna and Karma"
There are references to the caste system in other chapters as well and people might argue that the interpretation is wrong. However, it is known
that we humans can scheme anything to suit what we believe in. (For those who have already been acquainted with Dr. Zakir Naik).
And that is not the 'divine knowledge' I am seeking. Why is it that the most revered scripture for us Hindu's is so "HUMAN" ?

Heaven and Hell again, I feel, is a manifestation of what follows in running a disciplined society.
"Don't kill, you will rot in hell. We have been told. Give alms to the beggar and St. Peter aka Dharmaraj will write it down in the good books
which adds to ease your entry to heaven." But, wait a minute, where is Heaven? Most of you imagined of the clear blue sky with cotton clouds.
And hell, yes, deep down in the earths crust, hot magma oozing and people crying seeking out for help. Hollywood influenced, eh?
So, backtracking, hollywood got it from the scriptures which again, of what I have recently started to believe in, is an insecure man's security bond.

Now, it must be a tough job to write each one's task every second of their life, be it animals or humans or immovables like tree.
If we sensed and belived that there is birth after death and we continue to change forms, then why do we change just into animals and not to
living things like trees. If that was the case, how would you evaluate if the tree lived a virtuous life or an evil life?
As for good and evil deeds, let us take the example of giving alms to the beggar.
I feel the beggar is lazy and he can earn if he wants to so I shoo him away. But religions don't have that condition.
So, if I am not following the religion here, how is a decision made on whether my action was good or bad?

Why is it that we have to wait till the end(post death) to get the verdict on whether we are going to heaven or to hell?

Be it stories or movies or even the scriptures, God always prevails over the Devil. Why is it that God doesn't once and for all get rid of
Devil so that there is everlasting love, peace, happiness i.e. turn into the Kingdom of God, that we say will cometh?

I was blindly following my religion and when I started listening to the scriptures, I began feeling great. But, slowly that changed.

So, do remember again that I am seeking the truth and just about it.

..To be continued...









Thursday, May 03, 2012

Avoid "wardrobe malfunction" buying at FashionAndYou.com


"Things that I don't learn once and continue to falter".
Well, yes, it is the same story. First, it was the most fraudelent BagItToday also known as India Today Book Club(ITBC), then it was
MakeMyTrip. Now, inspite of my "gyaans", her highness's binge of online shopping with FashionAndYou.com continued and today it ended with much of bitterness.
Okay, lets me make it more simpler:-
Ever wondered why we post our best photos on Facebook & Orkut? If you know why, then you might very well understand why we should not be buying things online especially from sites like FashionAndYou.com
When girls spend a fortune of time to get ready for shopping and take a millennium to choose "a dress", I do not get the logic of why they would buy something online based on a set of photographs. If you trust me the way I trust my photographer friends- Rahul and Alvin can make even a rusty bicycle look great or a simple fisherman look like he has the best profession in the world.
So, the story is that her highness had ordered a set of garments worth INR 1300/ and when it arrived, she thought it was not even worth mopping the floor with. The advertised photograph portrayed it to be something else.
Then, we called the customer care who ofcourse refused to accept it. So, I am blogging here just to let you all know that we have to be wise, especially when shopping online.
FashionAndYou like any other online store strives for maximum profit and though you might get good order sometimes, there is an equal chance that you may not like the next stuff that you order. Also, I dont believe the prices are competitive. They always have an additional burden of shipping charges.
My simple advice , "Avoid FashionAndYou.com. Avoid going blind with the bling"

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

For Sale: iPod Touch 4th Generation India Bangalore

I am posting this advert on behalf of my dearest friend Rahul Pradhan, an avid blogger and a brilliant photographer.

My iPod Touch (4th Generation) is for sale. Please find details below:

new-ipod-touch-4th-generation

- Model: iPod Touch 4th Generation

- Condition: Excellent

- Some of the features:

o Latest iOS 5 operating system

o 3.5 inch touchscreen with crystal clear Retina™ display

o Color: Black (Front), Chrome (Back)

o Massive 32 GB of storage

o Wi-Fi

o Fully accessible with iTunes for songs and podcasts

o Fully accessible with Apple Store with over 5,00,000 apps

o Front and back camera with HD video recording

o iCloud service available

o FaceTime (over Wi-Fi) video conversation with iPod Touch4/iPhone/iPad

o Excellent music and video/movie playback quality

o Plus many more!

- Ownership details:

o Single and First owner

o Got as a gift, NEW, in October, 2010

- Standard accessories:

o Original iPod earphones (have normal wear)

o Original iPod data cable

o Original iPod case with user manual

- Freebies:

o Griffin silicone flexi-wrap case (worth about INR 1,250/-)

o Dell stereo earphones (Black) (worth about INR 500/-)

- Sale details:

o Selling price: INR 14,000/- 12,000 (Non negotiable)

o Selling location: Bangalore (Shipping to India OK but shipping charges extra)

o Selling reason: Too many devices so selling off phone and iPod to buy a good phone instead.

o Current Flipkart Rate for same item, NEW : INR 19,900/-

Contact details below:

- Rahul.Pradhn@Gmail.com

- 98808-33553

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Crazy Indian judiciary and a clown Congress Government

Instead of focusing on the core issues like deteriorating Indian currency, the economy, terrorism or even sports, the Government and the judiciary is now busy looking to prosecute “21 sites for offences of promoting enmity between classes & causing prejudice to national integration” and that includes biggies like Google.
What the heck?
Sibalism has now defined the new depth of political nadir.
I always believed that the Congress government would lose the next elections because of anti-incumbency factor but it appears there is more than just Anna and the factor.
In one of the comments written below one of the article that published this trending story, a pro-government individual has pointed out:-
The case relates to some of the objectionable/hate-promoting content dumped into these social media sites by our own folks (maybe the person living/working next to you) and the sites not acting to remove them despite complaints (flagging as you call it). If Google engineers are smart enough to design and develop Ad Sense (that peeks into your email for keywords and displays relevant ads), they are surely smart enough to create filters that auto-flag hate posts/groups.
So, you want Google to censor every flagged comment, first verifying that it promotes hate or enmity(Ho Ho! That’s a freaking programmers nightmare) and censor every post that someone proves promotes hate. That sounds like the death-knell to the freedom of media, speech and expression.
Do I need to say more?
The internet is mammoth and I don’t believe terrorists and hate groups are influenced more by the internet than their company of friends or upbringing or their social conditions. And what about the cases against these companies? That will go on for ages like as in the case of “Indian citizen” Kasab. Yeah, he can apply for permanent residency now.
The Government probably would not have got a huge backslash from me if they started with NROP( read backwards[rb]) censorship first if they said it promotes XES(rb) and could argue it was “the cause” for the blowing population. But, media censorship on social networking or forums or the internet? That’s absurd.
I wanted the Government to go the China way but not this way. But, what can I do but vent out my anger and blog here.
Saada Haq, Aithe Rakh and Govt FTW(rb)!!

Monday, January 02, 2012

India Today Book Club becomes BagItToday but still fraudulent?

So, it just came across my mind to check how India Today Book Club was doing and was it still doing what it did best?

My article was a thunderous hit on the web and featured on top of Google searches. And WOW! ITBC doesn’t exist now. Its been rechristened “BagItToday.com”. I’d be happy to find out if my blog was one of the reasons of why they had to remove the brand name. Serves them right!

But, they don’t seem to have learnt a lesson yet. Have they?

image

What are your views? Let me know of your experiences.

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Thus cometh 2012 at Royal Orchid Resort, Yelahanka!

The prospects of having a great new year celebration didn’t look high as I was having fever on Friday- yet again! But, as always, I take illness as a challenge following notes from the old and the wise. So, I asked a bucket full of hot water to have my legs soaked in and repeated this at least twice. So by afternoon on the 31st, I was busy making calls to the Pradhan’s and the Das’s to plan something and include the Tewari’s because I felt I could make it.

My friend’s circle(including my family) are notorious for making great plans in the 11th hour. So, we headed off to the Royal Orchid Resort Yelahanka to celebrate the transgression of 2011 into 2012.

Map picture

The first thing on my mind and I could hear Ritu mumbling behind me was SEE-ROK[ Transposed version of the word ‘Roksee’=liquor]. We had opted for VIP passes with unlimited IMFL(Indian Made Foreign Liquor) and unlimited food. So, we headed straightaway to the food and beverages section. The first impression wasn’t great at all and stayed like that till the end.

I am not sure if Royal Orchid was directly involved in the new year’s bash but unlike my previous experiences with the chain, it was pathetic and sad.

390004_10150460393868456_586398455_8855414_155620315_n

I am a bit sleepy now so, let me summarize the Royal Orchid event in five lines:

a) The event was disorganized.  Queue was too long in food stalls and there were less counters.

b) Liquor wasn’t unlimited. The bar closed way too early.

c) There was shortage of food.  The kitchen closed early.

d) Police lathi-charged on a few. Why and what the heck?

e) The entire show(including DJ Suketu’s performance) was not worth the money

- My advice to everyone is to avoid Royal Orchid events like this…Believe me, its not worth the money!

The only great thing was our dancing and enjoying quality time with my family and friends.

 

Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous new year 2012!

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