Letter in Earnest Part II

This is a letter to me from my 80-year-old future self.

Dear Taz,

It is amazing to look back at you from a different space and time. I will keep this short because I know that time is a precious commodity for you. You are straining every limb and leaving no corners unturned to squeeze the best out of those 24 hours.

As I shift my gaze from the azure skies and turquoise sea that adorn my landscape, I cannot help but wonder how amazed you would be to know that I am currently on a vacation to Kepler’s planet. It lies in the Cygnus-Lyra region of the Milky Way and was discovered in your year.

You would be thrilled to know that grey hairs are no longer an issue as scientists have found a way to stop the build up of hydrogen peroxide which is the real cause behind the blocking of melanin synthesis (now you know why unwashed hair stinks!).

As you had accurately predicted, several species have died out in my time, the most devastating and unpredictable of course was the mass extinction of the corporate breed called risk-assessment managers. They were outsmarted by the scientists who discovered how to turn on the “bright side gene” and now all human beings are hopeless optimists and forever happy.

In my time, world is no longer throttled by the narrow notion of nationhood. We have a form of decentralized democracy uniting the whole world as Gandhiji had envisioned. Nonviolence as championed by Gandhi and Martin Luther King has truly entered our lives.

This I know will doubtlessly quell the unease in your heart for you have over time woken up to the inconsistencies and injustices of the world and the biases of the media. You agonize over the fact that the electronic media especially has been reduced to a propaganda machine for war and capitalism at the cost of truth. You know that its divisive agenda is aimed at keeping ordinary people in the dark and distracting them from the more immediate concerns of global warming and poverty but you wonder how many can actually afford to care amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life. You understand the real issues behind terrorism and worry about how many are being duped by the false rhetoric of ‘Islamic terrorism’ while the real reasons for terror are much more complex and deliberately hidden from the purview of the masses.

In spite of these worries, I know you still endeavor to do your part in clearing the smog of untruth and persist in the cause of Ahimsa (nonviolence).

Hold on to your catch phrase “Let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice.” (Chapter 5 Verse 2 Al Quran.)

Be the change that you want to see. Let your life be a reflection of Islam-peaceful surrender to the will of God. Let the light of love permeate your thoughts, words, and deeds. Everything else will follow.

Grab hold of every opportunity that comes your way. Stay diligent for the return of the master.

Love,

T

A letter in earnest

The following is a psychological exercise suggested by a friend. It entails two tasks-writing two letters, one to a younger version of you and the other from an older version. Here is the first one…

This is a letter addressed to 6-year-old Thehseen.

Dearest Chippu,

I see that you are up at 6.00 am and out in the courtyard with mom, taking in the freshness of the morning air and enchanted by the fog that envelops the fields far beyond. My memory of you is already clouded like that mist but I have not forgotten your wisdom, innocence, and tremendous faith in God. You cannot see the faults of others. You accept and love everyone unconditionally. You instinctively know much about life, death, and God that I am still seeking consciously to learn.

There are some things that I want you to keep in mind while growing up:

1. Keep reading as you always do. It will be of great help to you. As soon as you can, start reading the English translation of Al Quran by Abdullah Yusuf Ali daily. It will be a wise guide. You must also read the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Dharmapada, and all other scriptures. They will strengthen you.

2. No calamity can happen except by the leave of God. There is no power but Him so there is nothing else to be afraid of.

3. Anger is an enemy so keep away from it even though it may seem justified.

4. You cannot please everyone all the time. Just be yourself and learn to say ‘no’ to things that can overburden you.

5. You do not have to obey anyone who is not following the straight path even if it may be your closest kin but express your unwillingness in kind and loving terms.

6. You are not responsible for the sins of others. Keep your slate clean and forgive those who trespass. Repay hatred with love and it will be fruitful in the end.

7. Hold firmly to God’s loving hands and never forget Him for momentary pleasures. Enjoy life. Love, trust, and give as you do without fear by leaving all burdens, worries, and apprehensions to God. Keep your goal in sight always and do not be distracted. Remember body is the temple of the soul so take good care of all that you have been given, enrich it, and be a worthy vicegerent.

God gives us what we need, not what we want, so do not be surprised by the things that you get. There is much to learn from it. Keep your eyes and heart open for a lifetime of education.

You are good, I am good, the world is good. Peace.

Love,

Taz

Kashmir-Illusion and reality

Try as they might, Kashmiris have little power when it comes to deciding their own fate. They are mere pawns in the hands of India and Pakistan who are destined to play the death dance forever.

Kashmir was always intended to be a festering open wound which would keep India bleeding and at loggerheads with Pakistan thus leaving us with little time or energy for any other meaningful pursuits of true growth or development into a major world power. This parting self-gift of the British was soon taken over by the Americans at the end of the Second World War when British colonialism waned and American imperialism sought new gains. Since then, America has supplied the ammunition and technology to Pakistan that has killed and maimed our jawans and created much domestic unrest.

Now thanks to the disobedience of the Frankenstein monster of terrorism it created and utilized quite effectively until now by proxy, America wants to bring Pakistan to heel. Like Iraq, Pakistani terrorism could have been tolerated and abetted until it got out of American hands and became unpredictable and self-destructive.

To our detriment, India is now being groomed to step into this privileged position of America’s lieutenant in South Asia due to the increasing probability of Pakistan failing completely. Consequently the Hindu right has been wooed to rush into Uncle Sam’s welcoming embrace.

I am not an America basher. In fact, I have utmost respect for Americans. I have many American friends and many Indian friends and relatives who reside in America. I am just stating the truth about the direction that American foreign policy has taken and I feel strongly that India should not forfeit the unique position of nonalignment that our forefathers had so painstakingly carved. I urge more people-to-people contact but think that prudence is the best course while treading the path of political, military, and strategic alliances.

The sounds of Christmas

Shalu’s journey into the realm of fantasy was cut short by a loud crash. Her husband was already awake and inching towards the bedroom door. She struggled to gauge the time as her eyes adjusted slowly to the lit room.

“It could be a thief!” she muttered dubiously. “Don’t go Ram. It does not matter if he takes something. Don’t be a fool and hurt yourself,” she pleaded with him now.

She gathered the pink overcoat of her mauve negligée and was well on her way to the door herself. As Ram turned around in alarm, she caught hold of his right arm and sought safety in the sanctity of his embrace.

With a well-toned body that betrayed no fear, Ram was in no mood to listen. He pushed her away gently back into the bed reassuring her with an affectionate peck and thundered out into the hall. There in the middle of the spacious lounge lay a silver bauble that glittered invitingly.

Ram switched on the lights hurriedly. As his eyes swept the length and breadth of the room for signs of an incursion, a cold draft rumbled past him. It seemed to emanate from the trinket on the floor.

He picked it up and as if by instinct held it to his ears. He remembered the Christmas decorations that Janet, his neighbour’s 4-year-old, had brought to show him. There were tiny bells on its periphery that chimed softly.

“But that was last year and this Christmas they cannot afford anything,” he thought somberly. “How did this get here? And what was that sound?”

Suddenly the room grew dark. “Oh the blasted fuse has tripped again!” he grumbled furiously.

The trinket now illuminated the beige walls and cast exquisite patterns on the black leather sofa. He smiled when he remembered the pure happiness on Janet’s face as she had displayed the ornaments and laughed with abandon. Then sadness crept into his heart as he remembered that this Christmas Janet would know no such joy.

He could still hear her prattle and as the knick-knack chimed on, a warm feeling enveloped his soul. The fetters that had held his heart hostage fell away one by one and it dawned on him, “These are the sounds of Christmas!”

The next day a box of Christmas decorations was delivered to Janet’s front porch.

Who is right?

The dignity of a preacher hung in balance. An entire village traumatised by two decades of animosity and heartache.

What possessed these otherwise sensible and generous people to sink to such depths of possessiveness and insanity?

What great riches were they fighting over that brotherly ties were forsaken and decency forgotten?

Two of the richest families in the village pitted against one poor man. That is how it all started.

The dirt road winded up seamlessly past the overarching bridge until it was elbowed out mercilessly by a tiny triangular piece of land jutting out from the corners of a dilapidated hut.

This contentious plot of land was the lone stumbling block to an important road in the village. Two prosperous businessmen (cousins) who owned most of the land through which the pathway was being made were spearheading the road construction. They had obtained government sanction. However, the hut owner alone refused to sell his land to them thus inadvertently becoming a hindrance to the progress of the road.

Was this man being a spoilsport to the greater progress of the village? Should we blame him for not moving with the times and not sacrificing for greater good? Should we pity his poverty and be aghast at the fact that the little he owned should be snatched away? Did he have the right to hold on to his ancestral land which he loved and felt connected to, his only possession in the whole world?

He put forward a counter proposal. He would give up this triangular plot if he were to be compensated by an equal amount of land that lay behind his hut. As fate had it, this land was owned conjointly by the two businessmen. They unanimously opposed this proposal saying that they had already sacrificed enough for the construction of the road. Besides, the controversial land in itself had once been owned by the forefathers of the two businessmen and had been bought at a later date by the hut owner’s grandfather who was a distant cousin of their grandfather. They felt that this entitled them to dispose it off as they pleased. They even thought that they were being overly generous by offering money to buy his land.

Did they not have greater responsibility as they had greater power? Why did they not use their wealth to alleviate the misery of the hut owner? Why did they not remember their common heritage? Is it appropriate to invoke ancient rights? Is it correct to think that if the hut owner had conceded, much strife could have been averted and put the blame solely at his door? Would justice have been served then?

Negotiations and counter arguments went on for a little over a decade and managed to polarise the entire village into two factions. It was then that a new preacher came to the village. As innocent as he was of the situation at hand, the two businessmen took him into confidence and poisoned his mind against the hut owner. They took him through their land and the wonderful progress they had made and their elegant homes and polished youth and contrasted it with the shabby penury of the hut owner and his uncivilised manner and uneducated offspring.

Why did the preacher not keep an open mind? Why was he blind to the suffering of the hut owner? Why did he not advise charity and build ties instead of being partisan in his views?

For the next couple of years the preacher, unmindful of the truth of the situation started giving lengthy sermons with conspicuous hints about the ungratefulness and selfishness of the hut owner. The preacher was a man of God, a person of great integrity and honesty but he erred in the fact that he did not independently check his facts and became an ignorant pawn in the hands of the two businessmen. Thus even though his intentions were pure, he became a cause for mischief. Soon the villagers who had initially looked up to him to solve the impasse grew tired of his incendiary remarks and lost trust in his sense of fair play and justice. His followers dwindled and he was expelled.

Even people with great power will lose respect if they do not act justly.

To this day, the triangular piece of land hinders the road and stands as a grim reminder of the stubbornness of man.
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"No two historians ever agree on what happened, and the damn thing is they both think they're telling the truth." Harry S. Truman.
“History is a myth agreed upon.” Napoleon Bonaparte.

If history has taught us anything, it should have been that the use of violence as a means to protest against injustice never pays. It paints the victim and the aggressor in the same bloody hue that makes them indistinguishable.

Standing at the brink of an endless spiral of violence where human beings are pitted against each other, let us come to our senses. Peaceful resolution of issues is the only way ahead. Forgiveness, basic decency, and tolerance might sound wishy-washy but it is more pragmatic than hate politics, which leaves none the victor in the end.

And Spidey was right, great power does bring in its wake the burden of great responsibility!

Indo-Pak conundrum

Simple logic and the doctrine of Karma tells us that it is in India’s interest to forge ties with Pakistan and refrain from actions that drive it to the brink of failure. Merely aping US or Israel is not an antidote to our problems. We need indigenous solutions. US has only become an object of hate with its aggressive actions around the world. The sheer location of America is such that it is protected from further terror attacks. India on the other hand is surrounded by volatile neighbours. This situation is further aggravated by our porous borders. We have not occupied any land illegally and thus it is an insult to our nation to be compared with Israel. The unholy alliance of certain NRIs, Hindutva exponents, and capitalist interests is responsible for our country veering to the US and Israel for guidance. This has only added to our woes.

As a people, Americans and Israelis are very ingenious and deserve our respect but the policies of their governments leave much to be desired. We must forge solutions that are in accordance with our heritage of Ahimsa and declare peace on terrorism, not war. Violence can never overcome hate or correct the errant. There might be a price to pay for nonviolence as well but in the end only a sensible approach rooted in diplomatic maneuvering can bring long-lasting peace to the subcontinent and leave India in a position of strength.

Thoughts

O fleeting visitors from the unknown,

Whizzing past at the speed of light,

Illuminating dark recesses of the mind,

Fruits of deeds that hands have sown.

Is not thought the parent of action?

Mother of words, stepfather of reaction?

Caught in the torrent of thoughts,

Men sway like helpless paper boats,

Set upon the sea of life,

Full of anguish and inner strife.

This eternal temptress of the heavens,

Springs upon us to prod and pry,

Like an enchanting butterfly,

She flutters from mind to mind,

Sometimes cruel, sometimes kind.

Men of wisdom from days of yore,

“We will tame her too,” they swore.

In a thousand years of endless travel,

Yet dawns a night of peace:

In that elusive moment of silence,

When The Truth chooses to grace,

Secret treasures of the soul unravel.