Monday, June 11, 2018

Krishna Karna Duel

कर्ण-कृष्ण का द्वन्द 

आज अकस्मात एक सवाल ने मन में खलबली मचा दी | प्रसंग महाभारत के युद्ध का ही है |  कृष्ण ने पार्थ को युद्ध के लिए हर तरीके से तैयार करने का काम किया | पार्थ सर्वश्रेष्ठ धनुर्धरों में से एक था फिर भी जिनके खिलाफ उसे लड़ना था, उन से लड़ना बहुत ही टेढ़ी खीर थी | इसलिए कृष्ण ने पार्थ को तपस्या और अलग अलग सिद्धियां भी अर्जित करने को कहा | इन तमाम रण कौशल से लैश होने के बावजूद भी कृष्ण को पता था की युद्ध में जीत सुनिश्चित नहीं है | इसलिए खुद को मजबूत करने के साथ दुश्मन को कमजोर करना भी जरुरी था | भीष्म ,द्रोण के समाने पांडवों को नहीं मारने की बाध्यता थी | पर कर्ण इस बाध्यता से नहीं बँधा था | कर्ण के पास अपने आप को सर्वश्रेष्ठ धनुर्धर सिद्ध करने और दुर्योधन के एहसान को उतारने का ये स्वर्णिम अवसर था | कर्ण का निश्चय , उसकी तैयारी और क्षमता कृष्ण के लिए चिंता का विषय था | उन्होंने कर्ण को पांडव पक्ष में लाने के लिए कुंती,इंद्र और स्वयं प्रयास किए पर कर्ण दुर्योधन के एहसान को झुठला नहीं सका | 
कर्ण - पार्थ युद्ध में कर्ण का पलरा इंद्र के वज्र के कारण अभी भी भारी था | कृष्ण को इस का एहसास था | वज्र के प्रभाव को ख़त्म करने के लिए घटोत्कक्ष को युद्ध में उतारा गया | कर्ण को बाध्य होकर वज्र घटोत्कच पर चलाना पड़ गया और घटोत्कक्ष वीरगति को प्राप्त हुआ | वज्र का इस्तेमाल बस एक बार हो सकता था और पार्थ के जीवन को सुरक्षित कर लिया गया | यही घटना जेहन में कुछ सवाल खड़े करते हैं | क्यों घटोत्कक्ष को अपने जीवन का बलिदान देना पड़ा ? उसके जीवित रहते हुए भी पांडवों की जीत सुनिश्चित थी , हाँ पार्थ का जीवन जरूर संकट में था | कृष्ण धर्म के पक्ष में थे और धर्म की जीत उन्हें सुनिश्चित करनी ही थी | पर कृष्ण को पार्थ का जीवन घटोत्कक्ष से जाएदा प्रिये क्यों था ? क्या कृष्ण को पांडवों की जीत के साथ पाँच पांडवों के जीवन को भी सुनिश्चित करना था ? पार्थ का जीवन शायद इसलिए की प्रत्यक्ष रूप से उसके साथ अन्याय हुआ था और जीत के बाद जीवित रहकर उसका स्वाद चखना ही असल न्याय था | पार्थ का जीवन शायद इसलिए भी की भगवन स्वंय जिसके रथ को हाँक रहे हो और उसकी पूरी आस्था भगवन में हो और उसके जीवन को ही न बचा सके तो ये बात भी सवाल खड़ा करता है | पार्थ का जीवन शायद इसलिए भी की की बलिदान देकर घटोत्कक्ष ने समस्त राक्षस जाति को गौरवन्वित किया जो शायद उसके जीवित रहने से संभव नहीं था |  इससे ये भी ज्ञात होता है की धर्म की जीत के साथ साथ किसके जीवन को सुनिश्चित करना हो ये भी धर्म परिभाषित करता है | महाभारत के युद्ध में पुत्र का बलिदान भी दिया गया | इसके तमाम उत्तर हो सकते हैं और धर्म और ज्ञान के स्वामी इसकी विवेचना अलग अलग ढंग से कर सकते हैं |  सोच , संशय और सवालों के बीच तैरता मानस !!

Saturday, August 5, 2017

No More Common

No More Common

One afternoon I was coming out of my apartment, I found two elderly men distributing pamphlets outside. They gave one to me also. I took it and started reading once boarded the bus for Leeds. It was related to the recent fire tragedy of Grenfell in London. A new socialist party wanted to garner public support against the May’s government for such ghastly fire accidents. It was a good write up. I was reading it with keen interest till my eyes stuck to a sentence which reads ‘Ex British Common wealth countries follow UK building regulation for fire’.



I could not continue reading anymore and got lost in thoughts. India is one of the fifty two ex-British Common wealth countries. Have we ever thought what does ‘common wealth’ mean? Does not it sound like British still assert natural right on these countries? Big Countries like Australia, Canada, and India are part of Common wealth countries umbrella. Though we gained independence seventy years back, why are we still being called common wealth country? We can see and feel British influence in all walks of life in India. From Horlicks to ring roads to red colored Post boxes, living in Britain gives some taste of India and vice versa also holds true. Before Ex PM P.V. Narshima Rao liberalized our economy in early nineties, it was solely dominated by British products. Cherry blossom boot polish, Colgate tooth paste, Nice biscuits to ranking system in army and management policies, all were ‘inspired’ by British. Thanks to our rigidness of using water in toilet, British could not ‘inspire’ tissue paper in Indian toilets. Post liberalization brought variety to customer choice and introduced competition to British companies which used to sell their products in India as their legitimate right to do so.
Though Britain is a small country, it ruled almost whole world at some time. USA was also one of them. Post-independence the most priority work they took was to overhaul the system introduced by British and they introduced their indigenous system and policies. It was a big pain initially. But it showed their tenacity and attitude to clear the dust of slavery from their present and paved way for a new future. Different metric system, different driver seating position in cars, having American English itself was a big leap from the past. They maintained their cultural affinity towards British as being white and Christian but they discarded the British colonial legacy. Great attitude not great wealth makes great nation. USA proved it.
USA was not part of common wealth countries though British ruled it well over a good period. What makes us so great to be called common wealth countries?  A British company ruled a great and vast nation for more than hundred years before Queen Victoria took control in 1857. What can be more ridiculous and shameful than this? The whole country was ruled by a foreign company. Who will believe it? But it had happened. There is a railway station near London called ‘East India’ station. British take pride in their legacy of ruling and exploiting which they called civilizing the other world countries. They were generous in their ways of colonizing and enriching their own wealth which they rightly called ‘common wealth’. There is a big statue of Sir Havelock at Trafalgar square in London central. Sir Havelock was honored for crushing India’s first Independence struggle. British never showed any remorse even for their cruelest acts at the Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar. Millions in Bengal died of famine in 1940’s due to mobilization of Bengal’s resources to British soldiers fighting in Second World War. Getting back ‘Kohinoor’ will remain a distant dream for us. It is part of ‘common wealth’, isn’t it?

 It may be ok for Canada to accept queen of England as their head of nation but we are a country where Chanakya, Maharana Pratap, Chandrashekhar Azad, S C Bose to be named few born whose vision of being sovereign and independent was exceptional. People die but their greatness and thoughts never die. India is resurrecting again on international diaspora. Our economy and growth projection cannot be ignored even by world’s most powerful countries. It is good and high time to give the country having more than sixty percent population below the age of thirty five, a new attitude and a new horizon to target for. We are no more common. We are a great civilization, an early guru of spiritualism and knowledge and a humble nation but not a ‘common’ country to be called anymore.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Boom Boom Bradford


Boom Boom Bradford

I don’t know how many readers of this article have ever heard of the city ’Bradford’ before. Frankly I had not heard of it seven months back when I came to this city of UK for my professional assignment. But I think most of Indians should have known this city very well. There is a close connection of the city with India. I don’t know the origin of the fashionable name of this city but I am sure it cannot be Brad of Brad Pitt plus Ford of Harrison Ford.
In last fifty years this city received a major influx of migrants from south Asia and majority from Mirpur, Azad Kashmir or Pakistan Kashmir. There is connection of the ‘K’ for Kashmiris from Bradford to Kashmir of India. Even the landscape and the weather of Bradford has close resemblance to Kashmir valley. One more reason for Mirpuri to love this place.The building of ‘Mangla’ dam on the Jhelum River in Mirpur district in second half of 1960s resulted in the displacement of large number of families. England was in dire need of hard working and cheap labourers for its textile mills and infrastructure projects during the same period. The displaced families of Mirpur appeared as golden goose to British government and businessmen. Contractors and architects of the ‘Mangla’ dam who were mainly British, helped them land in England.
The displaced Mirpuris had no choice but to catch that boat of opportunity to England. They worked hard, very hard and over time. Roads, factories and various infrastructure projects of UK were fuelled by the sweat and blood of Mirpuri. The trove of confused unskilled workers who came in 1960s in England now has their third generation thriving confidently and comfortably here. The new generation of British Mirpuri speaks English in typical British accent but has no hesitation to flaunt their long beards too. I have seen lots of Indian Muslims keeping long beard and skull caps but not much of younger generation of the community doing the same. You will be surprised to see the rigorous following of Muslim tradition in Bradford if you had imagined UK as an ultra-modern, a fashionable cosmopolitan country. Muslim women old or young, clad in full hijab and handling four to five kids is a common sight in Bradford. Children dressed in black or green dresses going to mosques on Friday is another common sight. If you don’t speak even Basic English and has somehow landed in Bradford, you need not to worry. You have landed in just a perfect place. You can easily survive in Bradford with your knowledge of Urdu or Hindi as every fourth person on the street knows that language. If you miss your ‘desi’ commodities outside Indian subcontinent, relax and visit any ‘desi’ general store mostly owned by British Mirpuri same like Gujrati Patel of US. You can easily get mustard oil, pressure cooker, haldiram bhujiya, ‘desi’ mango pickle and even Parle G biscuits.
Bollywood and British cinema owners are also aware of the sizeable presence of this community who like any south Asian loves Hindi movies. 
Cineworld, one of the multiplexes giant of UK keeps at least half of its screens for Bollywood movies in Bradford. Bollywood stars are also forced to do promotion of their movies in Bradford to have healthy earnings from overseas. Recently stars like Ranveer Singh, Vani Kapoor came to Bradford very near to my residential place for the promotion of their movie, ‘Befikre’. Restaurants with the name of Akbar, Mughal, Jinnah, Lahore etc. and general stores with the name Burhwani, Khana Peena, Apna Store etc. can be easily seen in Bradford. The community which came to Bradford due to flooding of their houses in Mirpur has left no stone unturned to flood it with their booming population. You visit any maternity ward of Bradford and can easily understand the meaning of ‘population explosion’. Educated or uneducated, rich or poor British Mirpuri is having all the fun having kids and lots of kids here. Most of them already have at least four to five kids and if not they are in pipeline to touch the target where target can be double digits too. Completely aware of this craze for having kids, lots of kids, the NHS (national healthcare services) of Britain has hired Urdu or Punjabi translators in their maternity wards to deal with British Mirpuri mothers and their relatives.
Due to soaring inflation, hectic lifestyles and many more other reasons in Indian subcontinent, people are scared to have more than two kids but things look completely different in Bradford. Somewhere Mirpuri feel it as their birth right to claim each and every British resource. There can be genetic reasons for this claim. British too had left nothing to exploit the rich and valuable material and human resources of Indian subcontinent during their colonial rule seventy years back. Mirpuris are just reminding them the seventy year old chapter. Having large brood of children is the new status symbol in UK especially in Bradford. The demography is changing rapidly in Bradford and so is the colour from more milk to more coffee. Oblivious of any stats, much discussed Brexit or future repercussions; Bradford is booming and bubbling with its new generation of British Mirpuri having British accent and long black beard.




Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Blue Tent Dwellers

Winter was at its zenith in Delhi on 31st Dec night. I was returning from Noida to Delhi in my office bus. I saw a few blue colored polyethylene tents on roadside and flames coming from cooking stoves. Soon I realized that those tents were occupied and the dwellers inside were cooking food for their last dinner of the year and of course, the decade. At that night, when most of the readers of this article were in celebration mood, those people were not sure whether they would brave chilly winter winds of Delhi and would be alive to welcome the new year.
Sensitive nerves of my brain were jolted. We feel the fiery winter bite even though we are well protected by cemented walls of our rooms and ensconced inside our ‘Cosy Korean Blankets’. But these people on pavements give an open challenge to the tingling winds of January. And in their armour, you can find just a few blue polythene sheets, a couple of dilapidated blankets and semi filled stomach with negligible nutrient contents.
Why this contrast of destiny to citizens of the same city? Why?

In another scenario, on the very next day, the auspicious 1st January 2010, I went to meet my sister who also lives in Delhi with her husband and their four years old daughter. I was touched by their concern to protect their child from cold though she was fully covered by woolen clothes from ‘Monkey Cap’ at head to ‘Woolen Socks’ on feet. It is natural for parents to take extra care of their babies in winter. So after spending two full days there, I was returning to my place by Blue Line bus, the famous ‘Killer on Delhi Roads’. The drizzle had added more woes to commuters who were already struggling with the densest fog of the season.

Oblivious of the plight of bus driver and unfazed of inhospitable weather conditions outside, I was making full use of my window seat. I was peeping into the modern beauty of Delhi. Then at a traffic signal, I saw a girl who was probably five years old. She was holding a circular ring to show her acrobatic skills. She was begging for money from a biker with two pillion riders in front of the Police though our Government has banned the act of begging. Begging scenes like this at traffic signals are not unusual in Delhi. But what jolted my sensitive nerves again, were her bare feet. The five year old was standing barefooted on the rain soaked road in such chilly winter evening. I was deeply shocked to see this pitiful condition. Many thoughts crossed my mind like if she was insulated from cold, if cold has different levels of impact on different people?
But the most contrasting and ironical were the two pairs of feet, one of which was of my niece whose feet were under constant caring eyes of her parents, who were not letting her step out of the blanket without her socks. And the other one was the girl on wet street whose feet were bare. Her parents were not at all concerned whether she was wearing anything on her feet,she was feeling cold or hot. Their only concern was to count the money she would beg after showing her acrobatic skills to commuters at traffic signals.
Why such an extreme contrast of destiny to kids of same age group? Is it just because one is born to a well-to-do family and the other to seasoned beggars?
Though these kids are born to destitute parents and are compelled to beg at such a tender age, our Government or We as human can not ensure a better childhood to them. Can’t the Police prevent these parents from forcing their kids into begging? Can’t we ensure them the minimal needs of their childhood? Though dwellers of blue tents are born with pitiful fates, can Government or we as fellow citizens of the same country bring some better viable accommodation to those people for whom winter is nothing but a curse and the New Year is nothing but just another day to survive.
I wish I won’t see such dismal and disheartening conditions of our kids at traffic signals on next new year.


Sunday, July 24, 2016

Unravelling Kejriwal the politician

Political Science is just a subject but politics is a different planet in itself. Political science is the science of politics, but when you enter into the arena of politics, all your literary knowledge evaporates and what comes handy is your adaptability. Adaptability is the key to survive in politics. In politics it does not matter how many degrees you hold or how many programming languages you know or how many journals you published. If you know the psyche of common mass that ‘really’ votes then you are fit for politics; rest is myth with an exception of dynasty.
In India we have seen many erudite and highly educated people to falter in politics. Whereas many school drop outs turned out to be king makers in politics. Dr. Manmohan Singh could not win a single Lok Sabha election. Mr. Arun


Jaitley could not debut his Lok Sabha even though Modi’s wave blowing in his favor. Mr. Mulayam Singh, a onetime wrestler still managed to win from two seats defeating Modi’s tsunami. All of us are aware of Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mr. Arun Jaitley educational qualification and vast experience in public life but winning elections remained a distant dream for them.  They are just examples. There are many such cases. We very often hear hues and cries that good and educated people are not joining politics and those who join it could not win elections. Have you thought why?
But there is an exception. When Mr. Kejriwal miraculously became chief minister of Delhi in 2013, many people were happy that a well-educated person had become the chief minister. At the same time there were many who raised pertinent questions on freebies announced in his election manifesto. People were surprised how a qualified person could bestow freebies to gain cheap popularity. His statements to appease minorities like Muslims, Sikhs also did not go well with the major section of educated middle class majority. He spewed venoms against major political and corporate personalities which took many people aback. At the same time it also sent signals to a major chunk of voters that there was an educated man who also dared to fight and that too vigorously. People love to adore such leaders. They always look for ‘messiah’, who can protect them, help them fulfil their dreams.
There is a major section of voters who don’t understand and give a damn to the nitty gritty of economics or politics or foreign diplomacy but want a little savings in their monthly budget. They are completely convinced that politicians fight elections to fulfill their dreams and fill their bank accounts nothing to do with the aspirations of voters. If any of the leaders help them make a small savings and give them discount on their basic necessities then that is more than enough for them. They are more than happy to see slashed water and electricity bills and get cheap rice and wheat. Many stalwarts were defeated due to rising prices of onions. In Tamilnadu, the political parties which announce more freebies get into power.
Mr. Kejriwal being a good and laborious student studied politics very closely over years. He keenly observed political dynamics from Bihar to Tamilnadu, from secular to communal, from victim to accused. His studies reflect in his attires, his maneuvers and his statements. The adoption of untucked half sleeve shirt and loose trousers was to resemble a commoner. He had no problem being called ‘muffler man’. I have not seen a well to do person or a high rank bureaucrat wrapping muffler in Delhi even in harsh winter. But we can see rickshaw pullers, laborers or auto drivers using mufflers in winter in Delhi. He had no hesitation wrapping muffler because politics is not a fashion world especially for beginners. You need to look, behave and talk like your voters. He had a clear objective to succeed in politics and he had no qualms even to sleep on road with muffler and quilt with the condition of shutterbugs of cameras keep on flashing.This is called thirst, the fire in belly to achieve something by hook or by crook. He did not only adopt a commoner attire, he started talking like delhites too with the use of ‘haan ji’ after every line, calling ‘America’ as ‘Amrica’ with a pinch of aggression towards the lethargic and corrupt system. He made all efforts to remain in everyday headlines and moot point of the news hour. He did not bother to challenge the mighty Ambani and SPG guarded Robert Vadra. It was true that not all his tricks went well. He had to apologies, rollback his own statements, make back room compromises like a shrewd politician. Despite all these U turns, his magic had overawed his supporters and they became his stout supporters online or offline. He made himself the amalgam of Laloo’s rustic politics, Karunanidhi’s freebies, Mulayam’s secular card and Mamta’s tantrums. He rightly judged the mood of people against the large scale corruption and policy paralyzed govt. of Dr. Manmohan Singh. His well-oiled network of lawyers, social workers, leuteny’s intellects, media and social media at large helped him pursuing his political ambition which is nothing less than the PM post. Within a short span of three years of establishment of his political party, he became twice the chief minister of a small but very important state of Delhi without being son of Gandhi’s or Yadav’s. His party got four Lok Sabha MPs too.
It’s a spectacular political progress for an educated person having no political background. He made people dreamt of a utopian system without the dirt of corruption or coterie. He made people believe ‘lokpal’ as panacea which turned out to be a placebo. He has not implemented ‘lokpal’ so far in Delhi which was his ‘chariot’ to power in Delhi. A good section of people specially educated middle class majority community got disenchanted from him due to his maverick and blame game politics. They found him just another politician in hurry, to get the highest powerful post in the country. But there are reasons behind his all tantrums. He has to dribble the ball of politics between set and regular players who are big enough to swallow any novice fish in the pond. His playing skills were innovative, aggressive and appealing to the audience which took big players by surprise. He made those players mend their ways and play according to new rules which were somehow set by him. His audacity to target ‘big bulls’ and show himself a victim was a well taught plan to survive and excel in politics. In war or politics if you challenge the mightiest warrior, no matter you win or lose, you become martyr. Anyone can now guess why his every second statement mentions Mr. Modi after 2014 general elections and Mrs. Sheila Dikshit before Delhi elections.
Whether you like him or like to hate him, you have to accept that an educated person has finally learnt the dynamics of politics and that too in a very political way.
He is on the prowl to nibble political bits.  



Saturday, June 25, 2016

इंसानियत की लाज रख



इंसानियत की भी कुछ लाज रख

एक नासमझ ने मंदिर पर पत्थर फेंका ,
और सारे समझदार लड़ पड़े ।
एक चिंगारी न सुलगी , यहाँ अँगारे भड़क उठे ॥














धर्म के कुछ ठेकेदार इधर थे तो कुछ उधर भी ,
मरने वाले कुछ तिलक वाले थे तो कुछ ताबीज़ वाले भी ।
झगड़े की नींव रखने वाला कोई शीश महल वाला था ,
पर घर जला उसका जिसका झोपड़ा बेहाल था ।।















मुश्किल है लबो पर शहद की जुम्बिश
पर  जहरीले तीर तो न रख ।
माना खुदा बड़ी चीज़ है बन्दे ,
पर इंसानियत की भी कुछ लाज रख ॥

नोट -- कृति धर्मपरायण ब्राह्मण द्वारा

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Don't Give Up

HOPE

There are many magical four letter words. Love, life, pain, gain, hope are few of the strongest words found in the English dictionary. Though all the above words are interdependent and very powerful but I will pick “Hope” in this article. As long as you have hope, you are living. If hope ceases to exist in your life then you may be breathing but you are not living in reality. God is nothing but hope. It’s such a kind of hope that exists even though you have gone hopeless. When there is no one to give you hope, there is this biggest source of hope and ironically you cannot even see this great source of hope, the god. When you are in deep mess or trapped in a pitch dark tunnel, you look for way out and you strive because there is a ray of hope in your eyes and your heart beats for a better tomorrow.

I ‘hope’ most of the readers of this article must have watched the movie ‘castaway’. The actor Tom Hank’s plane got crashed and he was swept away to an isolated island. There were no traces of existence of human race in the island. The life was almost an end for him but he had hoped to survive and had dreamt to meet his dear ones again. The soccer ball ‘Wilson’ became his companion and source of hope and it finally helped him to survive. Someone has rightly said” hope anchors the soul”. All the great achievements in the history came only when the achiever had hoped to accomplish it. In the last decade, all the major elections were won by political parties which were able to give hope to the common mass. The parties which kept on criticizing the ruling party or other rival parties without any vision for the mass were defeated massively. It’s innate psyche of public to look for a better future, look for hope. The general public always looks for ‘heroes’ who can give them hope and one of few such heroes will be revered as ‘god’.
Have you ever thought why the religious gurus have such a strong fan following? How come gurus or modern day ‘babas’ have so much hold on the common people? Why and how? There may be many factors but hope is the strongest one for such a mass following. Gurus may be clueless about the real problems of the disciple but they can recommend heavy dose of ‘hope’ which really does miracle. This heavy dose sometimes becomes more effective than medicinal doses of doctors. Even a simple but genuine statement like ‘you will get it’ brightens the hope inside the person. The hope infuses flow of positive energy in the body and thus inspires the “Karma”. Even person with high caliber sometimes fail to realize his true potential if he runs out of hope. We all know the famous story of lord Hanuman and astute Jaambandh. Lord Hanuman forgot his true potential and wondered how to cross the ocean to meet Sita. Jaambandh made a timely entry and realized the lord about his true potential and gave him much required quantum of hope to succeed. 
The recent case of martyred soldier Hanumanthapa in Kargil is a classic case of miraculous hope. The survival of the soldier buried under the deep layers of snow for ten days was nothing sort of miracle. There must be elements of hope inside the brave soldier which had kept him alive for ten days. Only those communities or civilization had progressed or taken great strides which had hoped for a better tomorrow. Indian freedom fighters had dreamt of a shackle free ‘Bharat Mata’ and their karma made the dream possible. Poet Iqbal had dreamt of a separate Islamic country, Pakistan and karma of his followers made his dream feasible.

A recent study revealed that candidates who appeared for interview and had even false hope of success had better chance of clearing the interview. Hope is not only a powerful word but a powerful theme of life which can challenge difficult obstacles and hardships in the pursuit of happiness and for a better tomorrow.