Sachin Tendulkar retires

Today is one of those days, when I just hate growing up
Where's that cricket crazy child and that unadulterated love
Where's that passion now? And where are those fantasies
Where's that tender heart? And where are those 4s and 6s
That was a wicket I used to bowl at, not just a log of wood
May be still lying on that rooftop, along with my child hood
I miss counting the days before the next one day series
And miss spending the whole night in front of that Onida TV
Oh the cruel memory, doesn't remember the world cup we won just an year ago
But that 1996 night, the semifinal loss in Calcutta, it just can't let go
Gone is the mind that used to crunch the required run rate as a calculator
That bond is now completely broken, the last thread was Sachin Tendulkar

The Lost World and The Blue Mug

My very first post on this blog was a book review of the book 'The Lost World' by Michael Crichton. And I thought I will review a lot of books on my blog going forward. But that never happened. As a matter of fact, I didn't blog that much. But that doesn't matter to me, what does matter is that I have lost appetite to read books altogether.

In last 3 years, I have left so many books unread including Shantaram ... Brothers Kamakazy ... War and Peace. It took me 1 year to complete 'Shalimar, The Clown'. The last book that I read completely.

I recently attended a play by BollyWood actors called 'The Blue Mug'. The structure of the play was that the actors were recounting some of their most fond memories of their life. And as was the intention, the audience was able to relate to most of them. But my favorite part was when Vinay Pathak said something like this:

"When I was young, I used to read books .. all types of books .. mystery, romance, thriller sci-fi .. and all the authors .. (and then he names some of his favorite authors). But now .. now I can't read any book .. I just read 5 pages and that's it .. I can't go beyond the fifth page. I don't know why .. but I miss reading books .. it is as if I have lost some important part of my life"

And that's the case with me. I don't know the reason why. But I know that it's just not me.
I don't miss all the music cassettes I owned, because I still listen to those songs on my ipod. I don't miss those daily newspaper either, I still follow the news online. I don't miss my cricket bat, I was never a good batsman any ways. But I do miss those nights .. when I will have to complete that novel to know who was the murderer .. or those days .. when I will miss classes to complete The Lord of the Rings .. so that I can study during Exams.

But alas, that is 'The Lost World' for me now :(

Nature sucks ..

When I look outside my window, I am full of hatred and I am full of jealousy
Because I am so insignificant and am so weak, one of the Nature's major fallacy

That tree I hate the most for being so tall and for being God's best invention
And because it is always close to his mother, with that umbilical root connection
It remains steadfast in all the seasons, where did it learn to be so gracious?
It Stands naked in that Autumn sun, does it never feel self conscious?

Even in it's death, that tree will get it's final victory
When it's wood will be used for burning up my useless dead body


and then I see that excited creek, looks like a girl that just reached puberty
Reminding me of the time when I was in love, why does it have to poke my history?
She know she will merge into the big river, but still no crisis of identity.
But the reason I envy her most is for she at least knows that what is her destiny.


And look at that blooming flower, where did it get such erotic fragrance?
Look at the colors and look at it's beauty and yet no trace of arrogance
I even envy that bird, because God gave her wings to fly
and for the songs it can sing without ever being shy

The view outside my window is so depressing, I feel I am eventually gonna crack.
Better to switch on my TV and follow the news of yet another suicide attack.

- Atul

Haiti earthquake ..

Some of the thoughts going on in my head right now ....


# Why did I kept on watching the news of the earthquake to see how many people died? I don't know if I have become a news freak or if I am a sadist ..

# Why does God have to cause such natural disasters? Is he trying to send me some message? As if he is trying to tell me "Dude, why do you worry so much? I can end all your worries in a jiffy with one tremble of a rock. And why do you plan so much when I have not even decided if you'll be alive tomorrow."
Hey God, was it worth killing thousands of people just to deliver this message?

# Gautam Buddha got enlightenment by looking at a single dead body, how many dead bodies do I have to see before I'll be enlightened?

# I just donated 100 $ for the relief fund. But now I am feeling guilty of not making that 200. I am sure I would have felt guilty even then.

# Even when I feel guilty of donating less, I feel this certain smugness of ACTUALLY donating something. I don't know how to get rid of it.

I wrote a poem for you ..

I wrote your name on the sandy beach
The high tide will wash you away, I was so certain


I wrote your name on the top of that haystack
And climbed down leaving you on the misty mountain


I wrote your name making holes in that autumn leaf
And saw it drift away towards that cascade

I wrote your name with the stars, making my own constellations
And watched you fade away at day break


But you are still here, in my head in my heart
inscribed all over me
The candle I wrote your name on did melt
But not your memory
In pin drop silence I can still hear you
And in darkness I still see
Don't stand there and stare at me like this
and don't laugh at my misery
I wrote your name in a poem as my final attempt
Even the words couldn't set me free.

- Atul

Lets Kill Buddha

Blog: NO dude. No killing on this blog. And even if you wanna kill then kill that twitter thing. It's the silliest thing to happen to the world wide web and yet it has gained so much publicity. Everyone is tweeting now. No one cares about a good old blog like me.

Atul: Don't be jealous of Twitter, it will either eventually die or will be bought by Facebook or something and get a total makeover. And anyways, I was not gonna kill anyone. It's just a koan.

Blog: What is a Koan? Well, never mind, let me check out here.

Atul: So the koan I am talking about is: If you meet the Buddha, kill him.

Blog: I love it. I love cheesy movies and I love cheesy koans. This is the cheesiest of all!! Gets your attention right away! So what do you think it means?

Atul: It means a lot of things. Each one of them is 'true' because anyways there is no 'true' meaning of a koan. To put it mathematically there are MxN solutions of a koan, where is the number of people and n is their personal versions of it.

Blog: Alright, so here we have your subset of it!! Cool. Go ahead.

First: Buddha here represents religion. Any religion, be it even Buddhism, hinders your path to enlightenment. Buddha never wanted to start a new religion, he instead wanted every one to find his own religion. He was not God, I made him God and I started following Buddhism. While all Buddha wanted was me to follow 'Atulism'. So yes, kill that Buddha and find your own personal religion.

Second: Our concept of Buddha is a borrowed concept. What ever we know about him, is through books and through people who claim they know him. But we don't know who he actually was, what motivated him and how he was enlightened. If he received 'Gyaana' sitting under the Bodhee tree, or when he saw a funeral, it's just him. You may 'get it' while dancing in a club on a Saturday night or while ..... well solving this Koan!

Third: Buddha stands for enlightenment itself. On your road to Nirvana, when ever you feel that you are enlightened, take a step back, and tell yourself that you are not! The search for truth is a never ending search. And it's not the destination that matters, but the path itself.

Fourth and my favorite solution: The Buddha stands for the solution of Koan itself. When ever you find one solution, well ...

Blog: I know I know, keep on looking for other answers!

Atul: Exactly. Each one will be personal and will make you realize something else!

Blog: You know what, even I have learned something from this Koan. The technology will get enlightenment the day Artificial intelligence can solve Koans. Until then, don't be satisfied with your technological advancements and keep on inventing new stuff!

What did you do last weekend?

Atul: Hey blog, what's up!

Blog: Huh? Why? What are you doing here?

Atul: What do you mean, what I am doing here? I just felt like talking to you.

Blog: But, today is Sunday. On Sunday, humans go out and do THINGS. I have heard they go for camping, kayaking, hiking and what not in summer and even in winters they at least go for skiing. And a party every Saturday night is bare minimum. But then you may be a lower breed homo sapien, who just sits on his ass on a Sunday morning and talks to his blog.

Atul: You are talking like my Office colleagues, whose last question on a Friday evening is 'what are you doing this weekend?' and first question on a Monday morning is 'what did you do you last weekend?' I feel so awkward saying 'Well, nothing planned', ' May go for a movie' or 'stayed at home, watched TV' etc. I have started feeling guilty if I actually don't do anything on a weekend now.

Blog: And you should feel guilty. Do you know my cousin 'facebook.com'? He did an unscientific survey, and said that more than 30% of feeds on him are in 'What I did last weekend' category. With people who had seen movies, posting movie reviews and others posting pics from that Rock concert that they attended.

Atul: I know. And that's why sometimes I even hate weekends.

Blog: Hushhhhhh .. It's just between you and me. Don't tell this to anyone, people will think you are crazy. Especially all those people, who have their status message on Monday saying 'Monday blues :(' and on Friday saying 'Yipeeee ... Finally weekend is here'. Even their weekdays are obsessed with weekends. But tell me why do you hate weekends?

Atul: One problem I have with a weekend is that, the guy who invented the concept of a week, who the hell gave him the right to make it for 7 days. Why do I need 2 days off after 5, Why can't I have 4 days off after 10, or 1 day off after 3. Why do I and everyone has to follow the idiosyncrasies of a single man. Because I don't see any scientific reasoning behind it a 7 day week. If I had invented week, my week will be 15 days, 10 days nonstop work, 5 day holiday.

Blog: You can't do anything about it, can you? So just suck it up! What else?

Atul: My main problem with a weekend is that earlier only on new year eve or my birth day, I will realize that 'Oh my God, one year has passed away and now I am one one year closer to death'.
But with this weekend thing, every Sunday night, I review my week and see the time passing away and realize that 'Oh my God, one more weekend gone from my life, and all I did on Saturday night was watched an episode of Rakhi Sawant ka Sawamwar'.

Blog: dude, really? This confirms everything, any one (if he is not deaf and blind) who has ever been able to sit through complete episode of that show is indeed a lower breed homo sapien.

Lovers are wrong about the Moon

Blog: Hey Atul, you there?

Atul: Yeah, what's up bloggy?

Blog: I just read something and wanted to share that with you. I hope you are not busy.

Atul: I am in the middle of fixing this bug on my project website that only happens on Internet Explorer 6. It is killing me. I just hate working on browser compatibility issues. Why the hell, all browsers can't follow a single protocol.

Blog: Oh, don't fret about that. That's how most of you clumsy developers maintain your jobs, fixing these issues. But nevermind, i wanted to talk about the Moon.

Atul: Go ahead mister.

Blog: So I was reading about the moon and the lunar phases. You know like, how there is a new moon, then a crescent, then half .. then full, this whole cycle. And then I just realized something. I have heard that many human lovers do this. The guy will tell the girl, 'at 10 P.M. go to the terrace and watch the moon, I'll be watching the same moon. And then I'll blow a kiss towards the moon and you also do the same. We will not be together but the moon will be our connection'

Atul: How romantic! I can tell you, girls just lap on this stuff. If you are trying to woo a girl, just play this trick. I never knew, you had such a mushy side to you bloggy.

Blog: But here's the mistake the lover made. Yes, if the guy lives in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi and the girl lives in Gandhi Nagar, Delhi. They will share the same moon. But think about it, if the guy lives in Delhi, and the girl lives in New York. This will NEVER work. Because when it's day in new york, it's night in delhi, so how will they see the same moon ? Aren't lovers crazy?

Atul: Oh my God. I think I am crazy that I am hearing all this bullshit. Is that why you called me while I was in the middle of my work.

Blog: What? You don't find this profound? Let me give you one more example. Let's say the guy lives in New York and the girl lives in Peru and let's say it's a half moon. They will have night at the same time because they are pretty much on the same longitude so yeah they will see the moon at the same time. But the moon that the new york guy will see will be different from the peru girl's moon. The half moon which is illuminated for the guy is not the half moon that is illuminated for the girl. Because they are in different hemispheres of the Earth, new york being in the north and peru in south. In fact at any time, roughly only 1/4th of the world can see the same moon. Isn't that amazing?

Atul: eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee .... that's the sound I make when I am frustrated. What you are doing, is what we used to call in college as 'bakchodi'. I have no time for it right now.

Blog: What a put off :( Damn you humans! You just don't have any scientific fervor. Keep on living in your insane poetic world. And I hope you keep on fixing browser issues on your website your whole life.

Atul: Amen, that's much better than being part of this stupid blog entry.

Rock n' Roll Marathon and Time Travel

Blog: Hey dude, what's up? Don't tell me you participated in that Marathon that took place in Seattle last weekend!

Atul: Yes sir. I did! But I just did half, not full.

Blog: Wow! I can't believe it. You were such a chair potato.

Atul: chair potato?

Blog: You know, couch potato ~ TV and chair potato ~ computer. Never mind my stupid jokes. What's up with Time Travel?

Atul: For last few months, two things that have occupied me are preparing for the marathon, and two of my favorite TV shows LOST and Doctor Who. And both these shows have a underlying theme of time travel. So I am gonna borrow the TARDIS for a while, and do some time travel to share with you how I prepared for the event.

Blog: That's so coooool.

CLICK

Atul: Allright, here we are. circa Nov 2008
I already run on treadmill in my Apartment's Gym. Some time back I managed to do 3 miles for the first time. And last week I read an email on a Microsoft employee alias on behalf of a NGO called 'Asha for Education'. So people volunteer and run for this NGO and raise funds as donations from their friends and family. These funds are used for many of Asha's programs across India.

Blog: What? You are the one who is running, and people give money to support your run? Why would they do that? Sounds so scoofy.

Atul: Sure it sounds scoofy, that's why yesterday I went to one of the NGO's meeting to find out more about it. And I was really impressed by these guys and their dedication towards their cause i.e. Education in India. I got a chance to speak to a few past runners. I think I may eventually run with them. May be just for the fun of it, and donation can be a side effect :)

Blog: All right. Hey, don't .. don't .. please don't press that button ...

CLICK

Atul: Here we are, March 2009.

Blog: oh, come on. Couldn't we have spent more time in November 2008? The Mumbai Attack was just going to happen. I wanted to follow that news again.

Atul: I always knew you had a sadistic side too. This blog entry is for my marathon and I don't want to talk about anything gory. And guess what, a few days ago, I came back from my India trip. Before I left India, I had already run 5 miles once on a tread mill. But now I am scared, after 3 weeks of no running and some 100 still undigested aloo ka paranthas that I had on my trip, I am not fit for any marathon sharathon. I am not sure if I am going to register for it, today morning I could barely run 3 miles.

CLICK

Atul: 16th April, 2009. yeaaaaahhhhhh .... I registered for the half marathon a minute ago. I was really double minded but then I realized that there's hardly anything I have done off late to make me proud of myself so I am not letting go of this opportunity. I ran 6 miles last Saturday. I have already come a long way from a time when running a mile made me feel like Milka Singh! Just over a couple of months to go but I'll make it.

Blog: Of course you will. This whole marathon thing is kind off dumb. You run on an average pace, stop in between to take rest, drink water and even eat energy bars while running. For sure, you will run the 13.1 miles. After all there is no time limit.

Atul: Don't underestimate it bloggy. I agree, that even tomorrow, given ample time I can run 13.1 miles. But the reason why we have to train are that 1) there is little chance of any injury. Even after 5 miles, my knees are crampy and feet sore. So we need to accustom our body for longer runs in phases. 2) You don't know how your body is going to react in a long run unless you have done it before. There are chances of people getting fatigued out. In every marathon, on an average 10 - 15 % runners quit in the event. 3) I DO have a target time in my mind. I want to complete it in 131 minutes. At an exact pace of 10 minutes for a mile.
And now I am going to press this button again.

CLICK

Atul: May end., 2009. I have started sending emails to my friends asking to donate and support my run. All the donation will go for the relief for victims of Cyclone Aila that ravaged the Bay of Bengal coast. I have not received a lot of feedback but a few friends have congratulated me on taking up this and said really kind words! I am pumped up. Last Saturday I ran 10 miles for the first time. Well actually, ran 9 miles and walked 1 mile. Last 1 mile, my feet simply refused to listen to me. As if they had a life of their own and were saying to me.
"You son of a gun. Why don't you use your f**king mouth to sing songs in charity shows or use your hands to write free source code software (or a decent blog), if you want to raise money for welfare of poor Indian kids. naaaah, you choose the easy route with us being the victim"

Blog: Poor feet. Now take me to the D day.

CLICK

Atul: Nope, a couple of days before it. 25th June, 2009.
I have received mixed response for the emails that I sent to my friends and conversations I had on phone. A few of my friends were really forthcoming and donated full hearted, and then there were others :-) But I am not judging anyone here. People are different, and what ticks them is different too. But overall I am glad with the amount that I have been able to raise.
But all is not well on running side. June has been an emotionally tumultuous month due to work and other few turn of events. I ran only on Saturdays as I couldn't run on weekdays. I am not getting enough sleep and my biggest worry is how do I wake up at 4:30 AM day after tomorrow. The only aluminium lining is that I did run 13 miles last Saturday. But it was way too slow than my target time.

Blog: I like that phrase though, 'aluminum lining'. Glass half full or half empty? Go figure.

CLICK

Blog: Back to present!! So how was the actual run and over all marathon experience?

Atul: It was good. The best part was that there were 25K runners participating in the event which was really overwhelming and encouraging. The bad part was that there were 25K runners and even while I wanted to run faster, it was difficult to make way through loads and loads of runners. I completed the 13.1 miles in 02:20:49 to be precise. Not what I hoped for, but none the less the best I had ever done. The course was really nice, but last few miles I could hardly notice anything around. I was almost running like a zombie.

Blog: Congratulations dude! hey, what the hell? what are you doing? why are you pressing that button again ??

Atul: Oh, my time machine takes me to future too. So here we are: 29th November, 2009. And guess what! Today I ran a FULL marathon at the Seattle Marathon. That's 26.2 miles!! I didn't raise funds this time and ran just for the heck of it. But yeah, it feels good, I completed in 262 minutes and ....

Blog: Your time machine sucks dude! No one knows the future, you even don't know if you will be alive by that time. Some crazy drunken driver may run you over making you a handicap for entire life. Your H1 extension may get rejected and you are sent back to India. Or you are suddenly diagnosed with Breast Cancer and told that you will live only for 3 more months making you a hermit and leave for Himalayas. Ah well, make it a lung cancer :)

Atul: Shut UP Blog.

Sri Sri David Dhawan

Blog: Hey man, what's up?

Me: What's up bloggy?

Blog: Now when did David Dhawan got the title of 'Sri Sri' !

Me: Oh, never mind about that. I wrote it because it sounded kind off funny. You know who I am talking about when I mention 'Sri Sri', right?

Blog: Oh yeah. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of Art of Living Foundation. A great guy I must say. There are a few nice videos on youtube of his discourses.

Me: Yeah. So I took a course recently. It's called Art of Living part 1.

Blog: Oh really?? Dude, you must be all enlightened now. What do they teach in that course, I mean what is it all about? And what did you learn there? In fact, first tell me why you even did this course?

Me: So, I have tried to meditate by reading various techniques in books and watching videos on youtube and other similar resources, but was never successful to meditate (or that is what I think). So I thought lets try if this can help me.

Blog: I see. What exactly do you mean by meditation?

Me: It's a state of mind when ... errr.. .actually it's a stat of 'no mind' .. .aaaaa .. when your mind is kindoff numb ... hmmm .. not numb .. but at peace .. like when you don't have any thoughts in your mind .. not even the thought that you don't have any thought .. you know when ....

Blog: I got it, i got it, don't try too hard. It's like when you switch off the computer server!!

Me: Dude, humans are not as lucky as you. Our brain can never be 'Shut Down'. I wish it was that easy.

Blog: I was kidding. So what about it? Were you able to do IT this time?

Me: If I have to answer in boolean, I would say NO.

Blog: Waste of time and money, eh?

Me: Did I say that? You don't have to extrapolate what ever I say dude.

Blog: So why don't you share your experience with me ?

Me: That's why I am here right now, for sharing if not my whole personal experience but the 'David Dhawan' part of it.

Blog: Okk, I am all ears. So what of this Dhawan thing?

Me: So David Dhawan is a fairly successful Bollywood movie director. And though almost 90% of Bollywood movies can be labeled with the same tag but he is the one who is the symbol of a genre of movies which come with a disclaimer - 'Keep your brains out of the movie theater'.

Blog: No Brain .. No mind .. I sense the connection now ... go on ...

Me: Good. So you can never enjoy a typical David Dhawan movie if you dare make the mistake of analyzing the movie. And mostly people don't do that including me. But then these are the same people who analyze that .. you know if there is God out there .. what is this life for .. what will Art of Living course do for you .. are these guys actually spiritual or they just have good marketing skills .. why do they charge money for the course when Truth doesn't sell .. how can a Breathing technique be spiritual, and other such doubts.
And by being so analytical .. they block their mind and don't let the True message reach you.

Blog: Hmm, but what you are saying is kind off scary. You can't possibly listen and accept everything, a lot of which could be crap. Isn't that how cults are formed?

Me: What I am saying is that you can have a true spiritual experience only if you have an open mind. To be context specific, Art of Living course will work for you only if you go out there without any prejudice. But mind you, spirituality is all about an individual evolution. Cults are formed when you are made to believe that society >> individual. And didn't I say that you will see Truth only if you first are open? It also means, that if indeed they are trying to form a cult, you will see through that too.

Blog: So your point is that life should be lived in a 'David Dhawan' mode or you will loose out on a whole lot of fun, right?

Me: You said it. There are times when your intellectual thinking has to take a backseat and you need to go with the flow. And my suggestion to any one who takes an AOL course or anything similar is that 'Keep your brains out of the show'.

Blog: I don't know about you. But I do believe in God. And i am so thankful to him that I am not a human. Saves me from a lot of philosophical babble!

Rape victims and Ramayana.

Atul: Hey bloggy, whats up?

Blog: Not bad. Why don't you install Google Chrome and run me on that?

Atul: Actually I did install Chrome but didn't like it. Well, or lets say that I still like Firefox better than Chrome.

Blog: Ok, never mind, so what's up with this Ramayana thing?

Atul: I watched this movie yesterday - Khaamosh Pani (Silent Waters). It's a Pakistani movie and actually, a pretty nice attempt. Btw, warn me if I start writing a review of the movie instead of what I intended to write. So this movie is based on the period when Pakistan was undergoing a political crisis.

Blog: Wait a minute, be specific. Because Pakistan has always been in a political crisis!

Atul: Allright, so it's on the backdrop of the events in late 1970s when Zia Ul Haq took over and Marshall law was enforced on Pakistan with ouster of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Blog: I know who you are talking about, that Haq guy had the weirdest moustache and hair style.

Atul: Yep. So the story is based on a mother and her son during that period, living in a village immune to the political turmoil in big cities. But as the story progresses, her son starts getting Islamicized and intolerant to other religions. And from the flashback we get to know her story that how she was a Sikh woman, forced to commit suicide during partition by her own family members, but she doesn't jump into that well and instead runs away. Eventually she is caught by some Muslim folks, repeatedly raped before some one shows pity on her and marries her. I am not giving away the story here, was just building up the context of what I have to say next.

Blog: Oh man, that is tragic. We can go on and on discussing the human tragedy of the partition, but keep it for another blog post. Now I know how does the rape comes in the title of this post but how about Ramayana? Isn't that a great epic of you Hindus?

Atul: You are right, it's probably the most revered of the Hindu epics with Rama, the lead hero being the Super God of sorts for Hindus. Now assuming that you already know the story and know that how Rama brings back Sita abducted by Demon Ravana I will fast forward to when Rama asks Sita to leave him because people start doubting Sita and her purity.

Blog: Hold on, what do you mean by purity? So people actually thought that Sita had sex with Ravana?

Atul: That was a bit raw, but yes, you are right. It was the main accusation against her.

Blog: I don't get it. May be I am just a dumb blog and not as intelligent as you humans, but one thing is for sure, and it is that Ravana could have raped Sita but no way they had consensual sex.

Atul: You are right again. You see ...

Blog: There is nothing to see in it. Even if she was raped, that should lead to sympathy of people towards her not their antipathy. That's preposterous.

Atul: Well I am not saying that the people were right in saying or thinking so.

Blog: And nor was your Lord Rama. By that logic, every rape victim should be ostracized from society and sent to those rehabilitation centers where they earn their livelihood by knitting carpets or making cane chairs. The other day I read about Sati system, the craziest thing I ever read. And then these honour killings, always with innocent women being the victim. Don't you have any respect for women?

Atul: Why are you blaming me? I didn't rape any one. Instead, what I am trying to say is that what Lord Rama did was ...

Blog: Bullshit ! That's what it was. And you say that he is your ideal God?

Atul: No, he is not. And you mind your language least you want me to get killed.
I don't think Rama was perfect and for that matter Ramayana is a perfect story. And that's what bamboozles me, what could be the reason that the authors of Ramayana added this Sita Vanvaas episode in what is other wise a perfect story.

Blog: I know, because those guys were assholes?

Atul: Shut up. There can be three reasons.
1. It's a known fact that Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana didn't write the Uttara Kanda in which these events take place. So either the story was not very well integrated or there's a conspiracy theory that some one else added this story to the original epic to kind off denegrate the character of Rama. I am not a buyer of that theory.

2. The authors wanted to show that how a man who could fight the deadliest of all the daemons could not fight the mores of the society. So by adding this episode, the authors made the story more relevant and humane. It didn't make Lord Rama an ideal but used him as a tool to tell us that what is indeed ideal.

3. Well, I hope it's not true but ...

Blog: Hahahaha, I know you can't say it, so let me do the honors. The only other justification of Rama not accepting a supposed rape victim who had passed the 'Agni Pariksha' and was her divine beloved and was won back after a deadly war killing thousands of monkeys and a million Rakshas is that ... the author of Ramayana was an ASSHOLE.

Atul: You said it!

And finally Gandhi died!

Blog: What? Really? You are not kidding me, right? I didn't get any RSS news alert. How? When? Accident? Homicide? Oh man, she was going to be the president of your country!

Atul: Who are you talking about?

Blog: Sonia Gandhi, who are YOU talking about?

Atul: oh man, you got me wrong. I was talking about Mahatma Gandhi.

Blog: oh, do you think I am a fool?

Atul: Actually, yes. Because Sonia Gandhi would have become the Prime Minster of India, not the President you bloody obsessed-american-presidential-campaign-follower.

Blog: Oops. I am sorry for that. But I just checked my facts on Gandhi on wiki, this guy - Mr. Mahatma died in 1948. And in fact he was murdered by another guy Mr. Godse. Ah, you humans are the most interesting species, like I never heard a monkey killing another monkey .. but let me not rant about it. So now tell me, who died and when?

Atul: I meant the same guy you read about - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. And he died yesterday on Oct 2, 2008.

Blog: Dude, you need a break. He was born on October 2, he didn't die on October 2.

Atul: Don't you still understand? I am talking allegorically. There are only three National Days in India. Independence Day, Republic Day and Gandhi's Birthday. I know that these days may have lost their relevance now, but I still watch the Republic day parade or at least its' clipping on TV, I still read / watch Prime Minister's address to nation on Independence day but Gandhi Jayanti? I do nothing. There was a time when I would watch that rerun of the Academy award winner movie made by a non Indian about the greatest of the Indians. But yesterday, I did nothing. I came to Office, fixed a few bugs, discussed the current financial crisis over lunch and talked about the Palin - Biden vice presidential debate but forgot that it was 2nd October. So I said, he has finally died.

Blog: Oh I see. But do you know what is the mistake that you guys made? You didn't associate his birthday with a festival. People still celebrate Jesus' birthday, Buddha's b'day and though mythical but Krishna's b'day. But then Gandhi is no God.

Atul: True, he is not God. And probably that's why its more important to remember him more than you remember Buddha. He is a proof that Buddha did exist. He is not called Mahatma for nothing. Yes he was spiritual, but he was not one of those Gurus having their Ashram on river side in Rishikesh (no offense intended) selling spirituality to the wealthy foreigners, none of those either who built their own sect (no offense again), instead he help built an entire Nation. And yes, he was a political leader but unlike those fodder eaters and saari hoarders (offense intended) whose definition of 'mine' is limited to family members, instead his definition of 'mine' was an entire country, that's why his own son became estranged to him. I know there are too many critics of him, blaming him for the partition of India, of being anti Revolutionaries like Netaji Bose / Bhagat Singh and basically what not. Just the fact that he was finally murdered by a guy who belonged to a party which still has a huge stake in the Indian socio-political landscape says it all. I don't care about these criticisms, because most of these critics are biased. All I hope is that History does justice to him, and he is talked about a mythical Mahatma a 500 years from now. But dude, for me he died yesterday.

Blog: Don't you ever blame me for not understanding allegories. Do you think I didn't get the inner message of this blog entry? The father of your nation may have died yesterday, but you just resurrected him today.

The Morbid TOP - 5

Blog: Hey Man, whats up? I was expecting you to do a review on Om Shanti Om but you did not!

Atul: Well, yeah. The blogosphere is already choking with the number of reviews on Om Shanti Om and Saawariya. And some of them are so interesting that they were more entertaining that the movies itself. But most of them are totally biased and since I am an obsessed Shahrukh Khan fan, my review would have been a waste too. Web 2.0 garbage is already a reality. So you should be glad because I saved you from a torture.

Blog: Thanks a lot! So whats this Morbid top - 5?

Atul: These are the top 5 reasons or ways that THIS WORLD WILL END, well according to me.

Blog: Oh, thats morbid! But do we need to know that?

Atul: Of course not! When you don't know how long you yourself are going to live how does it matter if you know that the human beings will be extinct in next 1000 years or so. But IT IS important to be reminded every now and then that ultimately every thing comes to an end. And IT IS important to constantly be aware of our innate powerlessness. This is the only way spirituality blossoms in you. Understanding of Death has the capacity to enlighten you to attain Buddha hood or Krishna consciousness. And only when you know that you might die another day, you feel silly living as a Hindu or a Sikh or a Muslim or living as an Indian or an American; only then you laugh at your prejudices and stop feeling sorry for yourself. By the way, when you are at it, why don't you check out the chapter on Death from the Prophet by Khalil Gibran; which I have told you so many times is my favorite book.

Blog: All right! Can we now please have the list? By the way this list contains the reasons why Human Population may get extinct or all the species on Earth or something. And whats the order?

Atul: Both. And its kind of same, isn't it? The order is based on the probability of occurring, ability to avert and the SCARE INDUCING index of that method.

Blog: Ok, got it. So whats the number 5.



Atul: On number 5 is WAR. Where War is a super set of any act of terrorism, genocide, a world war, a civil war or any accident involving a nuclear bomb intended for warfare.
I know I know, a cynic (read an optimist) will disagree and say 'We have been fighting since Stone Age and still the human race has grown' and stuff. But that's exactly why a WAR has the ability to completely annihilate us because we have never stopped fighting. And when we have nuclear bombs that have the capacity to totally wipe out nations in seconds, the fear seems more real.
And do you know that there is even a theory that Dinosaurs got extinct due to behavioral changes rather than climatic changes. According to this theory those dudes started killing and eating each other, eventually leading to their extinction. And hell, we are not smarter than Dinos; because they at least killed to satisfy their hunger, we kill to satisfy our ego!!
So that's number 5 for you, WAR; a suicide by an entire species.

Blog: hmm, I thought you were going to talk about Star wars aka aliens and stuff!! Ok, so whats number 4.



Atul: Number 4 is DISEASE. Yeah, we have made a considerable growth in medical sciences but still there are incurable diseases and still there are undiagnosed diseases and still there are new diseases coming up which have never been heard of. And more over we have a history of diseases like Plague or Cholera decimating entire civilizations. So a new disease may come from no where and if not instantaneously, gradually taking its toll. And if you add to it diseases to our food crops or our livestock leading to widespread famines; the fear factor really increases.

Blog: And yeah, if you add to it the prolificness of Indian doctors going on strikes and fubared Health Insurance systems around the world, even I would agree with you!



Atul: Number 3 is a Meteor strike. Is it possible? YES. Is it probable? Why Not! But the fear of a meteor striking the planet Earth is the 'Mother of all fears'. I don't even need to mention what can happen if a meteor strikes us. Just look at that expression on the face of people when you discuss this! I mean, its like Universe is playing a multi dimensional Billiards and it has already hit the ball towards Earth and just waiting for the HIT.

Blog: Well I agree, its really scary. More scary than Ram Gopal Varma making 'RGV ki Aag - part 2'! Anyways, check out this video.





Atul: Number 2 is Climate Change. Actually it should be Number 1, but I will tell you why it is not. In fact I believe that this is going to be THE only reason of extinction of mankind.
I don't know what will be the change, will the Earth get warmer, or the Ice Age will advent again. I even don't know will the climate change be caused due to natural reasons or human intervention, but I am convinced something will happen.
For example you must have heard about this cycle the Earth goes in while revolving around Sun, when for a considerable period its very near to Sun and then very far from Sun may be causing an Ice Age.
Global warming is a big threat too but it is really over hyped. Who would have thought that you can win a Nobel Peace prize just by making a Power Point presentation!! (On a side note, 'An inconvenient truth' by Al Gore is a must see movie, if not for the content; definitely to learn how to use power point :-). But let me not undermine it, with some scientist even claiming that in 30 years Glaciers will melt enough to increase the water level by 1 meter; effecting half of the entire human population and displacing millions especially in developing countries like India and China. Dude, I am shifting to Denver :)

Blog: You are right man, there was a deluge of videos on youtube when Al Gore won the Nobel Peace prize, and check out the trailer of the spoof by South Park on Al Gore. Ok, time for the Numero One!



Atul: Number one is the DEATH OF SUN. Our Sun is a star and every star has its life cycle. Yeah, I am talking about the White Dwarfs, Super Novas and Black Holes!
Its number one because its inevitable, it might happen after million of years or after million of species are already extinct. But that will be THE END of the planet Earth and the whole Solar System.
Its number one because its so awe inspiring and beautiful. I can't think of any other example where insignificance is manifested in such a majestic way. If you see a picture of Supernova you will think if God is playing Holi and Diwali on the same day, or turned into a painter and decided to do some modern Art.
Its number one because there are Black Holes involved in it and our Sun may end up into a Black Hole too. And whats more mysterious than a woman's heart and more pulling than a woman's eyes! (if not having an infinite capacity of a woman's shopping bag). It's a Black Hole, the best poetic expression of God.
And its number one because it has a spiritual message to it. God is trying to make us see the underlying unity in everything by making everything ONE in the end. And by Black Holes God is giving a message that even though there is no escape from death, and there is no escape from that void and emptiness, there is still something about that absolute nothingness.

The Explosion - Part 1

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.

Samjhauta Express bomb blast and the comet KL-13

When I read this news of Samjhauta Express Bomb Blasts, my first thoughts were again 'Fukk you Islamic fundamentalists, when are you gonna take a break'. I mourned the victims and cursed the bombers.

But then I read the details, that it was not Indians who were killed in the attack but Pakistanis who were visiting India and going back on that train. And suddenly I didn't feel the same remorse and was a bit relieved.

But right now, I only feel guilty, guilty of evaluating the number of tears that have to be shed if an Indian dies than when a Pakistani dies. And I am sure, it is not only me, because I know back in India there are people who will be saying 'Its OK man, Pakistanis deserve this' and in Pakistan plans will be made to blast the same train, this time carrying Indian pilgrims back home.

And about USA, I should not even venture to mention, because fifty percent of the American youth can't even locate Iraq on a blank world map where people are dying as if it was a poultry farm and all the birds were being killed due to this bird flu.

All in all, the whole Human Race is pathetic. Dinasores killed each other, even their own kind. But atleast they did it for food, not for the cross (read religion) or for a banner (read flags).

Its time the comet KL-13 strikes the planet Earth and destroys us. So that after million of years when some one finds the reason of the extinction of homo sapiens (who once ruled the planet), they don't find that the homo-sapien species was self destructive.

And then he spoke about Love ...

Continued ...

Question: Guruji, I want you to talk about love.

Guruji (smiling): Sure. Is something troubling you?

Question: I have read many spiritual authors. And one thing common to them is that theri favorite word is Love. Talking about relationships I understand but even if they are talking about God, they will speak about Love, if they are talking about Death, they will mention Love, while talking about Sex they will mention this word, the topic may be Peace, Nirvana, Marriage, Friendship, Workmanship and emotions like pain, suffering, joy, ecstacy, they will end up talking about Love. Why am I not able to relate everything to this four lettered word? What is that you see but I don't?

Guruji : Haha, all of us try to make our books best sellers and as no Bollywood movie is a hit without the love angle, our books will also flop without this!!
Kidding.
You have to understand that 'Love' is just a word. It has different meaning in different contexts and for different people. Most of you identify Love with the typical man-woman relationship. And the reason is that you have heard this word only in this context. And you find it difficult to relate everything else with it because you are trying to relate a phenomenon with a word. And words are powerless. They make sense only when some one interprets it or defines it. And how do you define something? Again with words? You end up tieng yourself in the freckles of words and language.
I use this word for everything because I feel this word is the most potent word in dictionary. This word is complete in itself. It doesn't need definitions. And I see the energy and beauty associated with it in everything. So you may even say that we are compelled to use this word because we have no other option. The only other word that comes close to it is Truth.

Question: Why is it said that 'Love Hurts'?

Guruji: Because it does!! Though it's not the only verb that the noun 'love' does.

Question: But why does it have to hurt?

Guruji: Ok, there are two ways to look at it. Both are all together different and both are true. But don't try to find a common thread between them, because you won't find one.
First way is to realize that what hurts is not Love, it can't be Love. You don’t understand love or rather you are not even in Love when you think love is hurting you. What hurts you is your ego when your girl friend ditches you. What hurts you is your possessiveness when you see your wife talking gaily to her colleague. Sometimes it’s your sexual urge that hurts you and sometimes it’s your wrong notions of 'Love is possible in close physical proximity' hurts you when you miss some one.

But there is another way to look at it. Joy or sorrow, happiness or miseries are all emotions that Love has the power to arise in you. As I claim that Love is the most powerful entity, the entire gamut of emotions dances to its tune. But the problem comes when you start labeling emotions as good emotion – bad emotion. Happy is good - Sad is bad, Calm is good – Anger is bad and so on. But I say that human mind tends to enjoy every emotion and revels in every state of mind. And that’s why you even try to extend these periods. You drink if you are really happy and even if you are in a gloom. Don’t you? You will listen to songs like ‘Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd’ when you feel helpless and songs like ‘Tere Bin – Bas ek Pal’ when you miss some one. Why do you do this? It is not going to uplift your mood, that’s for sure. There is only reason why you do it, because you like it. Don’t you see all type of movies? War movies, humor, tragic, drama, fantasy etc.? You will even spend your money to watch ‘Schindler List’ and cry the whole night. So why do you fret if Love provides you all the entertainment free of cost!!!!


Question: Guruji, since you were talking about movies, I have a question about one particular movie, Devdas. I am unable to make a judgment on the movie’s protagonist.

Guruji: Devdas is just a fictitious character. As fictitious as is ‘Gabbar Singh’. Why do you waste your energy dissecting a mere character? Every entity has a right to BE. Let him be. But I do understand your question. Your question is about what Devdas represents. Is he a true Lover, or is he a Loser! And since there is a Devdas in all of us, you are uncomfortable with his presence in you. Isn’t it?
So I say unto you that accept the Devdas in you. And know that he is just another name for all the Passion in you. And it’s good to be passionate. What you have to beware of is that does this passion manifest itself into an abusing drunkard who dies a miserable death or something like Taj Mahal! And it’s even more than just destructive passion and constructive passion. It’s about how you identify with Love.
Is your love bound to one person or one entity like when you say ‘I love you’ or is it unbound and you are in love with the whole cosmos.
Do you think that love is successful only when you get back love in return or just by being in love is the greatest success for you?
Do you go and ask for love, rather beg for love or you believe in only giving love?

No, I am not anti Devdas. I infact envy the Devdas who found a complete bliss in his Love and for whom nothing else mattered. But if your Devdas is a self pitying disillusioned Devdas, then its better if you kill that Son of a Bitch.

Student: Guruji, you have a very good capacity to write all the crap.

Guruji (winking): I know!

(Munna Bhai + Ravi Shankar) + Peace

Disclaimer: Any similarity with 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai' is purely coincidental. Only while writing this I saw the same format. But even if I was motivated by that I wouldn't have mind, because that concept is worth plagiarising. BTW for the people who have not seen Munna Bhai and are Indians (I really hope one day my blogs will be read internationly) either you go and watch this movie this weekend or .. well .. SUCK MY BALLS!!!

I was talking to my one of my friends who had recently gone to bangalore to attend lectures by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Of Art of Living fame). He told me about the kind of questions people ask him and his answers. I also unconsciously started framing questions which I would have asked him or for that matter any spiritual Guru. Questions on EVERYTHING. And back of my mind I was also framing answers: To this question he will definitely say something like this and to that question something like that. So the point is that I could actually conceive that what a Guru might answer to my questions. And the important thing is that I was actually convinced.

I have tried to frame answers on many of my questions since then. And the reason why this protocol makes sense is because all these questions are genuine and honest and all these answers though given by me myself are something that I KNOW but do not REALIZE, something I have EATEN but still not DIGESTED, something I will like to PREACH but don't FOLLOW myself. All these answers are by the way my interpretation of everything I have read / listened / talked about. Or let me put in a mathematical format. MyInterpration(('EveryThingRead' - 'ThingsIDontBeleive' - 'ThingsIDidNotUnderstand') + ThoughtsOfPeopleIHaveConversedWithOnTheseThings + MyLifeExperiences)

Topic for today is PEACE & HARMONY

Question 1. Guru Ji, I am very disturbed when I hear about Bombay Blasts or other acts of violence or terrorism. How can a Human kill a fellow Human? Where has all the Love gone? Will it ever stop?

Guru Ji. Hmmm ... there are a few things that you need to understand and contemplate on.
* When you say you get disturbed, do you mean 'afraid' too? Afraid of death which seems so inevitable when you see the falling twin towers? Do you think it may happen to you too? Don't you get disturbed when you see a car smashed up into a truck on a highway? Isn't it? So first of all you have to identify this fear and start viewing these incidents with out any personal fears.
* When you hear about a blast in Bombay it gets registered with you but what about daily killings in Iraq? Does that bother you too? I know it does but is it with the same intensity? Does a massacre in Darfur gives you the same chill? No, it doesn't because a blast in Delhi on Diwali is an attack on YOU. Its not the violence which is disturbing you its the violence against the ME in YOU. Try not to be selfish. It doesn't mean that if you are an Indian you go and solve the Middle East conflict, you have to solve Kashmir but you got to have a same sympathetic stand towards other such crisis too.
* Be hopeful and be practical too. The World has seen its biggest conflict of its entire history just a half century back. Terrorism is a direct out come of that War or an outcome of the Cold War which was again the outcome of the second world war. Be practical in realizing that the dust will take time to settle. But at the same time be hopeful that this violence will end for good some day. And by end I mean END, not that just its shape will change. Hope that the World will not find yet another reason to fight, a common enemy (It was for imperialist colonies first, then it was Socialism and now its Islam.)

* Gauge your first thoughts that come to your mind when you hear such news. Is it of Hate? Or of helplessness? Beware of this. You should be like Mahatma Gandhi, if you truly believe in Truth and Non Violence, these incidents should strengthen your convictions that is if you truly believe in these values. And never think its easy to do. If it was we would have had so many Jesus Christs, Buddhas and Gandhis.

Question 2. Guruji, can I personally do anything about it? Even though I am not a politician, not in Army or Police, and not even a religious guru who can sell love and non violence. Do I have any 'For your action' points?

Guru Ji Good question. First you have to realize the power of a single YOU, i.e. understand that even you can make a difference. And second I will tell you What to do.
* When you go to beach and buy a Pepsi bottle, don't you throw it in a bin? Or do you see so much waste lieing there, throw the bottle in the waves and say 'How does one more bottle matter'!! No, you don't do it because you feel responsible.
And when you go to your Living room from your Bed room, don't you switch off the Fan? You do it not because it will increase the electricity bill, but because you feel responsible. I can give you so many examples like these.
Similarly you have to believe that even a single person and his single act can change the entropy of the world by some delta. You don't have to be a Gandhi for this. Its a scientific fact that all the events are interrelated. And anything that a single person do does affect everything.

* Now coming to WHAT YOU CAN DO. All acts of violence occur due to lack of LOVE, and due to a FALSE EGO. Ego of being a Hindu or Muslim, of being an Indian or Pakistani, Higher Caste - Lower Caste, Ladke wale Ladki wale, and what not. So be in a state of Love and kill your ego.
If you are a Punjabi, then stop being arrogant about it. Be proud of it but not arrogant. Or for that matter, be proud of being an Indian but not jingoist. Now you will ask how do I differentiate between the two? You see so many egs. around you. The attitude of a cricketer towards a footballer. Of a classical singer towards a painter. A Linux developer towards a Windows User. Don't you see a mutual respect in these relations? (Well, I am not sure about the last example!!) Isn't such a relation possible between a Punjabi and a Tamilian?
When ever an auto wala in Chennai doesn't talk to you in Hindi, DON'T SAY: "Holy Crap, why don't these fuckers know their national language".
When ever a group of Northies get together in Chennai their favorite topic of discussion is "Chennai Sucks". Stop participating in these conversations.
You may like to eat what ever you want to, but DO NOT start cursing at the sight of Curd Rice or at the smell of Sambhar.
All these examples may sound very context specific, but they are the real life examples from your life where you are over whelmed by hatred towards an entity. All the Hate around you is the permutation and combination of manifestations of this same concept. And this very hatred turns into violence when taken to extreme. So, you got the point.

Question 3. Haha, Guru ji, what the crap are you talking about, do you think that if I go and celebrate Pongal, it will solve the Kashmir dispute?

Guru Ji (smiling a Krishnas-I-know-it-all kind off a smile): Yes.