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god is not Great - Random Thoughts # 4

Happy Independence Day - today its the 63rd anniversary of the independence of the country. Felt this thought provoking article is suitable for this day...


god is not Great

This is also the title of the book by Christopher Hitchens that I have read recently. I would like to say that the book has influenced me – not to really change my thinking but making my thoughts clearer with the logic, arguments and historical evidence. There is definitely a possibility that some of the thoughts expressed in this writing have been influenced by the great book.

I have been an atheist and my religious views have been well known to my family and near ones ever since I can remember.

I belong to a deeply religious Hindu family and both my parents were firm believers. I was the youngest in my family. I had five sisters – now three – and all of them are still very religious.

It was probably on my sixth birthday that an incident happened that has forever been etched in my memory. For the first ten years of my life, on every birthday of mine – my parents would organise a havan. A havan is a religious ceremony performed in temples and in homes that involves worship through the use of a sacred fire. The use of fire as a means of worship is the most ancient of all rites, going back to the earliest Vedic times. It was meant to dispel evil spirits and protect me, or something similar. We had a family pundit cum astrologer who would be summoned for the occasion. 

Havan

I was made to sit near the fire. The pundit painted my left hand thumbnail with a black coloured polish or paint. I was then asked to peer into the nail and confirm that I can see some specific forms or images in it eg., a female sweeper, or a trident, or some other image. If I respondeded in the negative – the pundit would jab me with something sharp (maybe his fingernail) on the back of my neck. He would continue to increase the pressure until I replied that I could see whatever he was commanding me to see. Being a child of six, I understood that the earlier I accepted what he was saying, earlier I could get over from the painful jabbing. [As an after thought – maybe he was trying to hypnotise me and not succeeding]. This is my first memory of exposure to 'god-men'; and certainly not a pleasant one.

In our house we always had a puja room or a small corner of a room or even the shelf of a cupboard reserved for puja. There was a daily aarti and bhajan in our house till I was about 10 years age, when we moved from Delhi to Calcutta. The daily prayer got restricted to personal morning prayer by mataji and pitaji – my parents. We, children, were left to decide for ourselves if anyone wanted to partake in the puja.

Christian Church

I had formed my opinion about the non-existence of god, by the time I reached school final. I did not know of any other atheist at the time. It was my own rationality that made me believe that god was only created by man for his own selfish interests. Maybe in some ancient times when literacy was very low, its creation was essential to maintain some sort of order/law in society. I had done scanty reading on religion. The only religions that were read (in abridged versions) were Christianity, Islam and Hinduism; also read about the lives of certain philosophers like Vivekanand, Buddha, Kabir, Nanak, Jainism, Sikhism, and reading about our epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana – from my school text books or pictorial children's books. The more I read, the more I was convinced of my belief regarding the non-existence of god.

Islamic Mosque

In our family there was a tradition of offering prasad in a nearby temple on every Tuesday, it was done without fail. If a Tuesday was missed, the prasad had to be doubled on the next one. I did accompany my sister(s) or parents at times – more so because I had a sweet tooth and all people emerging from the temple would offer the prasad sweets to all those standing near the gate. You guessed it – I stood outside on the pretext of avoiding the crowded interior.

During my days at the engineering college in Mesra (Ranchi) – all my friends went to the temples in the neighbouring Vikas Vidyalaya or some pubic temple in Ranchi – to pray and bribe the gods with prasad, before the examinations. Our college did not have a temple. I did accompany them most of the times – more for company's sake or merely for an outing but I never prayed, never folded my hands and stood in front of the idols. I did fairly well in all my exams in spite of not bribing the gods.

Hindu Temple

My belief in atheism is not the end of the story. I firmly believe that all religions have only been created to amass power and wealth from the gullible masses for personal and selfish reasons. All the so called god-men and religious leaders have preyed upon the ignorance of the masses. They have always shown the path to god in a threatening manner as their own power is at stake OR with promises of worldly riches and comforts. If you follow the path specified by them, you will reap the benefits, else you will perish. It is often promised in the heaven or in the after life. In doing so they have always amassed wealth and power for themselves. It is obvious that these so called spiritual and religious leaders are actually non-believers who know that the existence of god is only due to their creation and nothing more. They are a dangerous breed of people who are doing more harm to the society than the simpletons (the atheists) who openly say that 'god does not exist' or 'god has been created by man' – just by logic and reasoning. They are a cancer for the whole society – gnawing away at its vitals for their personal gains.

Religious wars have killed more humans over the ages than any natural calamities. The powerful have always “punished” those who opposed them or dared to think differently or provide any sort of enlightenment to the masses. Philosophers and scientists have paid with their lives. People have been burned alive in public on stakes. There have been innumerable crusades in the name of religion or god where persons of other faiths have been killed mercilessly, their women raped or carried away. The religions sanction all this – as the spoils of victory. Be it Christianity, Islam or any other religion. The Bible, the Koran have sanctioned these plunders and massacres. No religion – till date – has done good for the society in general. It only fortifies and protects only its own fold (to maintain the mass following) and fills the coffers of those in power. I only talk of the Bible and the Koran here – as these two have been predominant and responsible for most killings and barbaric actions the world over. It does not exonerate the other religions – they have had similar histories but on a smaller scale as compared to these two mammoths.

Have you ever pondered and thought about the basis of how the beliefs were created; how were the masses convinced about the leaders of their faiths being true? At the time of creation or birth of any new religion, miracles have happened to build credibility for the same. All along in history you would come across miracles being created by god-men to influence the masses.

What exactly is a “miracle”? Its nothing but a phenomenon or an event that cannot be easily explained by the masses with their limited knowledge as to how it could have happened. In ancient times – the miracles were often created to hype divine intervention; the types which required a little or basic scientific knowledge of say science, astronomy, chemistry and the like.

In casual usage, "miracle" may also refer to any statistically unlikely but beneficial event, (such as surviving a natural disaster), or simply a "wonderful" occurrence, such as a birth. Other miracles might be: survival of a terminal illness, escaping a life threatening situation or 'beating the odds.' Some coincidences can also be perceived as miracles.

Sikh Gurudwara

At the time of the dawn of civilization, the level of literacy was low. The knowledge of tides, eclipses, chemical reactions producing flames, colour change in liquids or producing smoke or explosions, protecting feet while treading on hot embers, producing 'ash' or other material objects by the sleigh of the hand, claiming to cure illnesses which were either not there or were cured by medical science, the burning bush behind Moses, changing water into wine, statues shedding tears etc. All these were often perceived as miracles and to divine intervention. It is very rarely you have actual unexplained phenomenon documented by the person who has witnessed it. It is mostly passed down – often through generations by the word of mouth. There have been instances in history where a miracle has said to have taken place – complete with all details and description and has actually turned out to be a hoax created by those interested in exploitation of the people.

As a matter of fact most of the miracles of the present day god-men have been easily duplicated in the laboratory or can be performed by the two bit magicians. Sai Baba – a miracle man of India, was openly challenged by scientists and magicians that all his feats could be explained and performed. He refused to accept the challenge. God-men like Sai Baba are just selfish individuals who are only amassing wealth and power. They are not religions at all – just conmen and cults. They do not massacre people – but they do a lot of harm by fleecing people and indoctrinating or brain washing them into believing whatever the leader professes. Bhagwan Rajneesh (also known as Osho) was another big fraud – who worked for personal gains and comforts. He had a very wide following specially of Westerners, for many years. He had managed to acquire a fleet of Rolls Royce cars in his ashram. His Pune and Oregon ashrams did take a lot of people for a ride for a fairly long time, ultimately his time was up. How he violated and exploited people – especially women and children is well known now.

These cults could also turn into equally ugly movements involving violence if they remain unchecked. There have been innumerable cases in history where such cult leaders have been responsible for mass murder of it own members (in the garb of suicides at times) or of others. A small tip of the iceberg is visible by clicking here, you can find tonnes of material on the internet regarding various cults, if it interests you.

Mostly these cults and religions have preyed upon young children. They are more pliable and easier to mould. In fact children who have been abused, violated or exposed to cruelty are always more cruel with mankind in general and specially towards women and children. They make excellent candidates for suicide squads and terrorism. All this in the name of religion and god.

Buddhist Temple

Apart from violence – religion moulds the nature of the population. Coming back to India – which is predominantly a Hindu nation – we can observe many undesirable traits and characters due the religious philosophy. The history of the country has shown that we always had traitors within. Our deities are Ram, Krishna, Hanuman, Shiva. Our epics Ramayana, Mahabharat. Our teachings come from Bhagvad Gita. Krishna is considered a god, he is shown having a very opportunist character and resorts to deceit for advantage. Ram is shown as a spineless person who does not stand by his wife when it was most needed. Hanuman is just an immense power house with no brains of his own but a devout follower of Ram and will heed to any command from his lord. Our epics have treated our women like chattel. Gita tells us to work without expecting any fruits for your labour. Foul means have been justified. All the characters of our leaders as well as our citizenry are evolved from the religion. Rampant corruption, fatalistic attitude, indifference and lack of concern for fellow beings - are all a result of our religious philosophies.

Hinduism and Buddhism have also shown their violent and inhuman streak in history – in Sri Lanka – in comparatively recent times.

Our Hindi scriptures (Vedas) have openly supported the caste system and believe that women and untouchables are not equal to the superior castes. One can compare this to the directives of the church sanctioning and permitting slavery, declaring the colour of the skin as the criterion for being a higher human being.

I would like all my readers to think with an open mind and not subscribe to blind faith, superstition and irrational thinking. We are a fairly well educated society now – but what use is the education if we still maintain a sheep mentality and feel afraid to be different from the flock.

(Suggested reading - god is not Great by Christopher Hitchens)

Rivers - Random Thoughts # 3

History says that all civilisations developed and grew on river banks. All the prominent cities in the world are still the ones that have a river flowing through it.

If you have ever spent a few hours on the bank of a river, you would know the soothing and healing effects of a river, with its soft music and cool breeze. Rivers have sweet water and thus they support a variety of marine life. The rivers provide a means of transportation, of humans as well as goods, they also provide recreation in the form of row boats, sailing and other water sports are also becoming more popular by the day, they also provide hydro electric power. The beauty of water falls when they traverse the hilly terrain is always a thing to cherish. The Niagara falls are world famous, there are other innumerable other falls all over the world which are very also very beautiful.

I was born in Delhi and I lived the first ten years of my life in Kashmiri Gate in Delhi. We were very close to the present Nigambodh Ghat. The river Yamuna used to flow where we have the Ring Road today. In the monsoon or during a flood, the river used to literally reach our door step. Our government bungalow was on a slightly elevated area so we never had the flooding problem, but I did manage to see the river and see its various hues and moods from close quarters. I was always fascinated by the river and seeing the boats I would wonder and imagine as to what lay on the other bank of the river. At that age I could never have imagined that this river would reach Agra and the merge into the famous Ganga (Ganges) at Allahabad, and end its journey in Bengal to merge into the sea..

After that we had moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) and there we had the Hooghly snaking through the city. Hooghly is the longest distributary of the Ganga – the most sacred river in India for the Hindus. I had a few occasions for a boat ride in the river. We had the old fashioned covered boats – lantern and all that – in the vicinity of the Howrah Bridge. These were mainly used for fishing and crossing the river as the township of Howrah was on the other side. These boats could also be used or hired for pleasure. The type you see in the historic Amar Prem (Rajesh Khanna & Sharmila Tagore). The famous temples of Dakshineshwar & the Belur Math on either side of the river are not only historic landmarks and have also become important tourist destinations.

We moved back to Delhi when I was 14, but we stayed fairly far from the river, we were living in Reading Road (now known as Mandir Marg) near the famous Birla temple. At that time there were a few row boats (could seat maximum five) available for hire near the India Gate, that was not too far from Reading Road and boating became quite a passion with me.

After passing my school I went for Engineering in the well known Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi. The college was situated on the bank of the river Subarnrekha and one its tributaries called Jhumar having their confluence just near the campus. These two surrounded our campus on 3 sides. You can see the photos of the campus and the confluence of the rivers by a click here. Such was the attraction of the river – that a classmate of mine, one Siddharth Shah, and I would at times just go and sit on the bank of the river and listen to its soft gurgling as it flowed along lazily.

II joined the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd in Bangalore. There was no river in Bangalore, though there was a huge natural lake, a lake where one could hire a row boat – the Ulsoor Lake. The call and the lure of the water and boats led me to it. Once we experienced a storm while Varsha and I were in a boat in Ulsoor. The boat did not capsize but it etched a permanent fear of water in my wife's mind.

We moved to Lucknow and on to the banks or Gomti river. There was an area near the Imambada, where the fishermen would give us a joy ride in a boat. Our son Anurag was about 2 years old and still remembers his boat ride as ek batti and do pachach (meaning a lantern and two spoons – chamach) which meant the oars.

Apart from supplying a city or civilization with drinking water, marine life and fertile areas rivers were also used as a dumping ground for the waste of the city. The rivers have been historically a necessity for the cremation grounds for the Hindus. After the death and cremation, the ashes of the dead were disposed off in the rivers. The rivers, thus, also assumed a religious tint and were worshipped as goddesses. The Ganga being a sure passage to heaven. Thus on the banks of the rivers emerged all the religious and pilgrimage places. For those of northern India situated on the bank of the holiest river Ganga – Haridwar (meaning 'gateway to the lord' ) was the most holy place and traditionally the families would immerse the ashes of their dead in the Ganga at this place. Thus in Haridwar, developed a tradition or families of pandas – Hindu priests – who would record your dead and also the births. All you need to tell them is the original town and your surname and they have evolved a manual system of maintaining your Family Tree. Mine was traceable for about 250 years quite easily.

The rivers have also been romanticised by poets in all the ages. In fact a beautiful romantic poem of Rabindranath Tagore comes to my mind, I just cannot help but to reproduce one verse of the same:

“We both live in the same village and that is our one piece of joy.

The yellow bird sings in their tree and makes my heart dance with gladness.

Her pair of pet lambs come to graze near the shade of our garden.

If they stray into our barley field I take them up in my arms.         

The name of our village is Khanjuna, and Anjana they call our river;

My name is known to all the village and her name is Ranjana.”

(Read the full poem here)

London has the the famous Thames. The river is the life line of the city and since London is not too far from the ocean, the river is a major highway to the port of London for international trade. On date it is a major source of tourism, water sports, a large variety of wild life. It is also used for Hydro-electric power. It is being used for boat cruises, fishing and even the HMS Belfast is permanently stationed in the river and has been converted into the Imperial War Museum.

Paris has its Seine and its famous bridges. There are 37 bridges spanning the river in Paris itself and about a dozen more elsewhere on the river. The river is also used for trade and ships come into the river up to about 100 km from the English Channel till port at Rouen. AND can you forget the beautiful song of Dean Martin “Under the Bridges of Paris”? Click the link if you wish to listen, and watch the scenes of Paris at the same time.

The Rhine river is the most important in Europe. It starts in Switzerland, goes along the border of Austria and becomes the most important river in Germany. Ultimately flowing through Holland – it enters the sea. Being on a cruise in Germany at Boppart is a real treat. We went upstream for about a couple of hours – with villages and castles dotting the banks on either side. A very scenic journey. There is really no end, one can fill a complete blog with just one river.

The Amazon, the Mississippi, the Nile, the Danube, Congo, Yantze, Brahmaputra, Lena, Tiber etc. etc., the list is never ending. Each has its history, civilizations and special features.

One just needs to think of a town/city/civilization and you will find it on the bank of a river. However, it is saddening to note that most of the rivers are gradually turning into sewers or drying up. The toxic wastes of the so called civilised world is destroying its own life giving source. Let us ponder and think a while as to what we can contribute to reverse this change and not destroy ourselves.

World's Easiest Quiz - Forwards # 3

(Thanks to Jairaj Mehta)

WORLD'S EASIEST QUIZ!


(Passing requires only 3 correct answers out of 10!)
1) How long did the Hundred Years' War last?
2) Which country makes Panama hats?

3) From which animal do we get cat gut?
4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?
6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?

7) What was King George VI's first name?
8) What color is a purple finch?
9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?
Remember, you need 3 correct answers to pass.

Check your answers below.







ANSWERS


1) How long did the Hundred Years War last? 116 years
2) Which country makes Panama hats? Ecuador
3) From which animal do we get cat gut? Sheep and Horses
4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?November
5) What is a camel's hair brush made of? Squirrel fur
6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal? Dogs
7) What was King George VI's first name? Albert
8) What color is a purple finch? Crimson
9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from? New Zealand
10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane? Orange
(of course!)

What do you mean, you failed?!!

Me, too...!!!

Kuchh Nai - Forwards # 2

KUCHH NAI

(Meaning "Nothing" - for the benefit of my International friends)

(Courtesy Rohit Kumar)

How often have you asked a friend, who is visiting you in the evening,
"What will you have?"
and been told " Kuchh nai"-- Kuchh nai ? ---  Especially --- from the friend's wife?
  And now, this Sikh gentleman from England has come up with the appropriate response:
He promptly pulls out THIS bottle!!
Please note the name he has given his distillery!
True 'Punjab da puttar' (son of the soil) - the land of five rivers, where more Scotch flows every night
than is produced in Scotland!!!

More details for Kuchh Nai at http://www.kuchhnai.com/

No borders - Random Thoughts # 1

No Borders
I had the occasion of travelling through Europe in this month. All the journeys – traversing seven countries viz, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy & France – were done by road. I was amazed to notice that when we crossed a border and entered another country we literally had to be on the lookout to be aware that we are crossing into into another country.

The typical sign post you see on the right is noticed when you enter any country. There is no check post, no custom or immigration check, there is no restriction of any kind. Cars, coaches are not stopped for searching or checking, that is supposed to have been taken care at the time you entered the EU (European Union). This is the magic of Schengen. You can move from country to country at your free will. Their agreements dissuade criminals from fleeing one country just to get sanctuary in another country. They can not only be pursued by the Police into another country but can even be arrested when requested by the authorities of the country from which they could be fleeing. Yet they are independent. Most of the countries covered in the Schengen list also use the same currency, making it yet easier for the citizens, for the tourists and for their own administrators. Many of these countries used to remain at war with each other and their borders were no better than those between India & Pakistan, Nepal or Bangladesh. They not only realized and admitted their short sightedness but also rectified the situation. The original  Schengen 1 agreement was signed by only 5 European States (France, West Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg & Netherlands) on the 14th of June 1985. Gradually it kept extending and now the list includes 25 countries that are fully covered.
Look at the immense advantages:
1. No border control manning or defence expenditure for the same.
2. International trade gets benfit and citizens reap the benefits.
3. Tourisn gets a boost.
4. Crime reduces.
Disadvantage - appears to be only one, ie., the political parties/politicians are unable to get personal gains by controls and by heavy defence expenditure.

Before the implementation of the Schengen Agreement, most borders in Western Europe were patrolled and a vast network of border posts existed around the continent, to check the identity and entitlement of people wishing to travel from one country to another. Visa requirements also varied and the possessors of visas to visit one European country would not necessarily be entitled to visit others without separate visas.
Since the implementation of the Schengen rules, border posts have been closed (and often entirely removed) between participating countries. The Schengen Borders Code requires participating states to remove all obstacles to free traffic flow at internal borders. Thus, road, rail and air passengers no longer have their identity checked by border guards when crossing borders (however, security controls by carriers are still permissible). Visitors to Schengen countries can receive a Schengen visa that entitles them to travel freely throughout the Schengen area.

The famous Berlin Wall, Border check posts, Visa controls, Troops and tanks invading the countries etc. all have become history.

I wish that our Politicians can think for the country and not just for themselves and also drill some sense into our neighbouring politician, the future generations will be ever so grateful to them. India & Pakistan can again become one and a real super power, and the Indian Empire can be at least brought close to its former glory.

Puzzle - Forwards # 1

PUZZLE
(Courtesy Subhash Tahilramani)


This puzzle is called Lateral Thinking.
Scroll down slowly and be honest to yourself.

Think like a wizard . . .












     man
Q1.    ---------
     board
















Ans. = man overboard










Okay, let's see if you've got the hang of it.
















   stand
Q2.    ------------
 i


























Ans. = I understand


















OK .. . .






Got the drift ?














Let's try a few now and see


how you fare ?












Q3.    /r/e/a/d/i/n/g/




















Ans. = reading between the lines






















Q4.      r  
         road  
          a    
      d




















Ans. = cross road -->
















Not having a good day now, are you ?




Redeem yourself.




















Q5.      cycle  
       cycle  
     cycle


























Ans. = tricycle
















Not easy to figure out ha!
























    0
Q6.      ---------  
     M.D.
     Ph.D.




























Ans... = two degrees below zero


















C'mon give it a little thought! !




















       knee
Q7..      ------------
     light




























Ans.. = neon light






( knee - on - light )


















U can prove u r smart by getting this one.














                       ground  
Q8.                      ------------ ---
                  feet feet feet feet feet feet


































Ans. = six feet underground












-->




Oh no, not again ! !
























Q9.    he's X  himself


























Ans. = he's by himself


















Now u messing up big time.




















Q10.      ecnalg


























Ans. = backward glance
















Not even close! !




















Q11.      death ..... life




























Ans. = life after death
















Okay last chance ............ . ......






Q12.     THINK




























Ans.. = think big ! !




















And the last one is real fundoo - - -


Q13.  


ababaaabbbbaaaabbbb ababaabbaaabbbb. ..




















Ans. =  long time no 'C' -->