Due da Blog: OH MY GOD! Where have you been Atul? Its nice to have you back. I thought you forgot me.
Atul: Hey bloggy, I know I have let you down. But what to do! So, tell me how did you pass your time dude.
Blog: Ah, don't worry about me. I was busy enough. There is so much crap out there on youtube that I hardly have time to feel offended. I am always busy watching a funny add or some documentary. And you know what, my favorite videos are of pakistani cricket players, like this one of Mohammad Asif. I guess if I was not a blog of an Indian, pakistan will be my favorite cricket team (may be it still is).
Atul: Good man, good to know you have been keeping busy. But tell me something honestly. Don't you feel that YOUTUBE has killed the BLOG?
Blog: Hey dude, its in the nature of human beings like you to hate each other, not tools and concepts like us. I consider youtube as my cousin and I am very proud of it. And even youtube is in a nascent stage, I am sure it will become a better mode of self expression soon. And really, that has been the aim of all the Web 2.0 brothers, be it orkut, youtube, wikipedia or blogs. But well, never mind about me, you tell. Whats this EXPLOSION all about, the title you gave to this entry.
Atul: An explosion of thoughts. I am glad I have a friend like you to vent it out.
Blog: All right, so what are you gonna talk about?
Atul: Kashmir, India, Gujarat riots, Tehelka Sting, Osho, Bobby Jindal, Bollywood, Rahul Dravid, Pakistan, Musharraf, Ravi Shankar, Rajni Kant, Shahrukh Khan, American Desis, Stock Market, Currency Trade, Love, Betrayal, Life, Death, Truth .....
Blog: HOLD ON. One at a time please. All right, let me do it like what my grand father, News Paper would have done. Write about one political or socio thing, one entertainment or sport and I give you one space to write about anything surreal or spiritual stuff like your Osho. Man, how did you get into this spiritual crap? Don't you just like watching funny clips like those of Russel Peters?
Atul: Thanks bloggy. Since I have limited space, I am not going to talk about the most current development of Pakistan Emergency, or even the Tehelka Sting. I am going to talk about some basic issues with examples of Kashmir and Khalistan.
Blog: Khalistan? I thought it was a dead issue. Why even bother to talk about that?
Atul: You will understand. First let me tell you about some of my back ground. I belong to a Hindu family; My grand parents (mothers side) migrated from the Punjab now in Pakistan and my Nani used to tell me how some of the family members were lost (read killed) during that time. My Grand Parents (Dads side) also more or less belonged to the Punjab that is now in Pakistan. And now when I think of it, I of course feel sad of the human life loss but also because some one had to leave his home where they stayed for generations. Its true for a muslim too who went to Pakistan from India. And 30 years after partition, a movement called Khalistan rises that demands a separate state for Sikhs which would eventually mean that all the Hindus and that includes me leave their home again. Well, as a Punjabi I feel really sad and enraged about everything that went wrong but equally proud that we fought back, the terrorism was controlled and except some elements in Toronto, California, UK or ISI, no one really bothers about Khalistan.
Blog: Thanks for the history man, I would have read that on wikipedia. So will you please tell me whats the point?
Atul: Hey, thanks for not letting me go out of control. Well, the similarity I want to draw out of it is that there is something called 'HOME'. Punjab (Indian Punjab I mean) is not about a piece of land that is politically part of another piece of land bound by Himalayas in the North and the Indian Ocean in the South called India. Punjab is about the Punjabis and people that stay there. Similarly Kashmir has always been talked about as a piece of land that we have been taught over and over again is 'an Integral part of India'. But it is not, and neither its a land where Bollywood movies can be shot. Kashmir is about Kashmiris, the people who stay there. It doesn't matter if they are Muslim or pundits or Buddhists. It doesn't matter if they celebrate Pakistan's victory in an Indian cricket match. And the reason I am saying all this now is because I really feel guilty of cheering to those lines like 'Doodh maangoge to kheer denge, Kashmir maango ge to cheer denge'. Not only I was being arrogant, I was being ignorant. There is no doubt that Kashmir's annexion by India was not a smooth affair, and no doubt about Indian Army having committed human rights violations in Kashmir. And I have no right to say something like 'Kashmir is ours, if you want to go to pakistan, you can go'
Blog: Hey man, are you leading to a suggestion that Kashmir should be resolved with a plebiscite?
Atul: No, not at all. I can't make the same mistake twice. All my life I have been ignorant and said things I don't know about, I will not do that now. There are so many political, economic and god-knows-what concerns on all the sides that there is no ready solution for it. And neither I am a politician, or a scholar or most importantly a Kashmiri to even dare open my mouth on this issue. But yes, I have my sympathies with everyone who has suffered; be it an Indian jawan who lost his life in Kargil, or a Kashmiri Pundit staying in a camp in Delhi, people who have died in terrorist attacks, young kids whose favorite toys are AK-47s and in general towards all the residents of Kashmir whom I consider as the most gentle race in the Indian sub continent. I can only wish, that peace be there in the awe aspiring land of Kashmir.
Blog: hoof, that was really heavy stuff. You better not talk about anything related now.
Atul: Yeah sure. This is about OSHO. I have been reading his books and listening to his discourses for some time now. And nothing has ever been so convincing, moving and seems-to-be-truth-types, probably with the exception of The Prophet - Khalil Gibran. But then I also read about his history and the rise and downfall of the Osho commune, both in India and other countries particularly in USA. He was banished in USA as a tax evader and there was allegation on his commune of poisoning a whole town. He was touted in India as a sex Guru, which is really ironic because India is after all the land of Kamasutra (supposedly a scientific investigation), Khajurao Temple (mind you, a temple) and where one of the prominent Gods@ Lord Siva is depicted as the male reproductive organ as a symbol of creation.
Well, so some people condemn Osho for being cunning and manipulative and some even say that his discourses were not his own discourses, they were written by some of his employee and Osho just happened to be a good orator!
What I have to say about all this is that first, so many Osho critics have not even read some Osho ever and second (and its my theory), that even if in the later stages Osho lost control of the movement and got disillusioned by his success; does that make Truth a non-Truth? After all is it the person who matters or his words, is it the intention behind the spoken word that matters? Let me give you relevant and not so relevant examples.
Legend has that Valmiki was a dacoit who was transformed to a good guy by a chance encounter with Narad Muni and then he wrote the epic - Ramayana. Does it matter that Ramayana was written by a killer?
A guy likes a girl because she is very sexy, he courts her, they start seeing each other and in the process they fall in love. Does it matter what was the initial intention of the guy? After all isn't platonic love and amorous love both Love?
Salman Khan and the characters that he played in Hum Aapke hain kaun and Maine pyar kiya are like South Rim and North Rim of Grand Canyon. Does it bothers any one to appreciate his acting talent due to this?
So why do we have to challenge spiritual Gurus and condemn them for forming cults and say that their whole theory is False and that they always had a secret intention of gaining publicity so that they can have free sex and amass wealth. Even if the self styled Guru Gobind Singh of Dera Sacha Sauda is a scumbag, does it nullifies all the good that sect has done and the basis on which it gained its popularity@everone is equal?
Blog: I am sorry dude, but please don't ask me so many questions as if it was Bournvita Quiz contest. I can tell you what is the capital of Peru by looking at wikipedia and if you want; I can also try and find if Om Shanti Om will release in Portland. But I am at loss when you start asking esoteric questions like what is purpose of life and stuff. Unfortunately on Internet you can't find the answer. And by the way, I need to leave now and watch this final scene of Unforgiven, which according to me is the one of the best scene of all the movies I have seen.
Atul: Hey bloggy, I know I have let you down. But what to do! So, tell me how did you pass your time dude.
Blog: Ah, don't worry about me. I was busy enough. There is so much crap out there on youtube that I hardly have time to feel offended. I am always busy watching a funny add or some documentary. And you know what, my favorite videos are of pakistani cricket players, like this one of Mohammad Asif. I guess if I was not a blog of an Indian, pakistan will be my favorite cricket team (may be it still is).
Atul: Good man, good to know you have been keeping busy. But tell me something honestly. Don't you feel that YOUTUBE has killed the BLOG?
Blog: Hey dude, its in the nature of human beings like you to hate each other, not tools and concepts like us. I consider youtube as my cousin and I am very proud of it. And even youtube is in a nascent stage, I am sure it will become a better mode of self expression soon. And really, that has been the aim of all the Web 2.0 brothers, be it orkut, youtube, wikipedia or blogs. But well, never mind about me, you tell. Whats this EXPLOSION all about, the title you gave to this entry.
Atul: An explosion of thoughts. I am glad I have a friend like you to vent it out.
Blog: All right, so what are you gonna talk about?
Atul: Kashmir, India, Gujarat riots, Tehelka Sting, Osho, Bobby Jindal, Bollywood, Rahul Dravid, Pakistan, Musharraf, Ravi Shankar, Rajni Kant, Shahrukh Khan, American Desis, Stock Market, Currency Trade, Love, Betrayal, Life, Death, Truth .....
Blog: HOLD ON. One at a time please. All right, let me do it like what my grand father, News Paper would have done. Write about one political or socio thing, one entertainment or sport and I give you one space to write about anything surreal or spiritual stuff like your Osho. Man, how did you get into this spiritual crap? Don't you just like watching funny clips like those of Russel Peters?
Atul: Thanks bloggy. Since I have limited space, I am not going to talk about the most current development of Pakistan Emergency, or even the Tehelka Sting. I am going to talk about some basic issues with examples of Kashmir and Khalistan.
Blog: Khalistan? I thought it was a dead issue. Why even bother to talk about that?
Atul: You will understand. First let me tell you about some of my back ground. I belong to a Hindu family; My grand parents (mothers side) migrated from the Punjab now in Pakistan and my Nani used to tell me how some of the family members were lost (read killed) during that time. My Grand Parents (Dads side) also more or less belonged to the Punjab that is now in Pakistan. And now when I think of it, I of course feel sad of the human life loss but also because some one had to leave his home where they stayed for generations. Its true for a muslim too who went to Pakistan from India. And 30 years after partition, a movement called Khalistan rises that demands a separate state for Sikhs which would eventually mean that all the Hindus and that includes me leave their home again. Well, as a Punjabi I feel really sad and enraged about everything that went wrong but equally proud that we fought back, the terrorism was controlled and except some elements in Toronto, California, UK or ISI, no one really bothers about Khalistan.
Blog: Thanks for the history man, I would have read that on wikipedia. So will you please tell me whats the point?
Atul: Hey, thanks for not letting me go out of control. Well, the similarity I want to draw out of it is that there is something called 'HOME'. Punjab (Indian Punjab I mean) is not about a piece of land that is politically part of another piece of land bound by Himalayas in the North and the Indian Ocean in the South called India. Punjab is about the Punjabis and people that stay there. Similarly Kashmir has always been talked about as a piece of land that we have been taught over and over again is 'an Integral part of India'. But it is not, and neither its a land where Bollywood movies can be shot. Kashmir is about Kashmiris, the people who stay there. It doesn't matter if they are Muslim or pundits or Buddhists. It doesn't matter if they celebrate Pakistan's victory in an Indian cricket match. And the reason I am saying all this now is because I really feel guilty of cheering to those lines like 'Doodh maangoge to kheer denge, Kashmir maango ge to cheer denge'. Not only I was being arrogant, I was being ignorant. There is no doubt that Kashmir's annexion by India was not a smooth affair, and no doubt about Indian Army having committed human rights violations in Kashmir. And I have no right to say something like 'Kashmir is ours, if you want to go to pakistan, you can go'
Blog: Hey man, are you leading to a suggestion that Kashmir should be resolved with a plebiscite?
Atul: No, not at all. I can't make the same mistake twice. All my life I have been ignorant and said things I don't know about, I will not do that now. There are so many political, economic and god-knows-what concerns on all the sides that there is no ready solution for it. And neither I am a politician, or a scholar or most importantly a Kashmiri to even dare open my mouth on this issue. But yes, I have my sympathies with everyone who has suffered; be it an Indian jawan who lost his life in Kargil, or a Kashmiri Pundit staying in a camp in Delhi, people who have died in terrorist attacks, young kids whose favorite toys are AK-47s and in general towards all the residents of Kashmir whom I consider as the most gentle race in the Indian sub continent. I can only wish, that peace be there in the awe aspiring land of Kashmir.
Blog: hoof, that was really heavy stuff. You better not talk about anything related now.
Atul: Yeah sure. This is about OSHO. I have been reading his books and listening to his discourses for some time now. And nothing has ever been so convincing, moving and seems-to-be-truth-types, probably with the exception of The Prophet - Khalil Gibran. But then I also read about his history and the rise and downfall of the Osho commune, both in India and other countries particularly in USA. He was banished in USA as a tax evader and there was allegation on his commune of poisoning a whole town. He was touted in India as a sex Guru, which is really ironic because India is after all the land of Kamasutra (supposedly a scientific investigation), Khajurao Temple (mind you, a temple) and where one of the prominent Gods@ Lord Siva is depicted as the male reproductive organ as a symbol of creation.
Well, so some people condemn Osho for being cunning and manipulative and some even say that his discourses were not his own discourses, they were written by some of his employee and Osho just happened to be a good orator!
What I have to say about all this is that first, so many Osho critics have not even read some Osho ever and second (and its my theory), that even if in the later stages Osho lost control of the movement and got disillusioned by his success; does that make Truth a non-Truth? After all is it the person who matters or his words, is it the intention behind the spoken word that matters? Let me give you relevant and not so relevant examples.
Legend has that Valmiki was a dacoit who was transformed to a good guy by a chance encounter with Narad Muni and then he wrote the epic - Ramayana. Does it matter that Ramayana was written by a killer?
A guy likes a girl because she is very sexy, he courts her, they start seeing each other and in the process they fall in love. Does it matter what was the initial intention of the guy? After all isn't platonic love and amorous love both Love?
Salman Khan and the characters that he played in Hum Aapke hain kaun and Maine pyar kiya are like South Rim and North Rim of Grand Canyon. Does it bothers any one to appreciate his acting talent due to this?
So why do we have to challenge spiritual Gurus and condemn them for forming cults and say that their whole theory is False and that they always had a secret intention of gaining publicity so that they can have free sex and amass wealth. Even if the self styled Guru Gobind Singh of Dera Sacha Sauda is a scumbag, does it nullifies all the good that sect has done and the basis on which it gained its popularity@everone is equal?
Blog: I am sorry dude, but please don't ask me so many questions as if it was Bournvita Quiz contest. I can tell you what is the capital of Peru by looking at wikipedia and if you want; I can also try and find if Om Shanti Om will release in Portland. But I am at loss when you start asking esoteric questions like what is purpose of life and stuff. Unfortunately on Internet you can't find the answer. And by the way, I need to leave now and watch this final scene of Unforgiven, which according to me is the one of the best scene of all the movies I have seen.
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