Sunday, March 23, 2008

What to expect while travelling through Bihar on indian rail?

Well i am a person who loves travelling,has been born in Bihar and is not in a condition to afford an air ticket .So i have had certain experiences while travelling to and out of my home state which are very characteristics of the region and unforgettable in many ways.Now while if you are going to your home for a vacation and have been able to get a reservation in the second class(which you will ,thanks to all the rail ministers from Bihar..there are many trains) you are sure to find somebody already occupying your seat when you reach it after wading your way through the crowd.Now who is this somebody usually???He either is a student like you who was too busy with other things to get his reservation done..or he is this bhaiya from a rural place who feels it an insult to pay for a reservation...or he is a child who has been planted by his father so that he can be adjusted according to the constraints met....In any of the cases somebody is going to ask you top produce your ticket(that princely possession) with such authority as if he were the TT General....Now once he has shamefully inspected the ticket (as if a CA was reading an annual report) he will tell you in a proud voice"Bhai sahab reservation nahin mila,thoda adjust kar liya jaye".Now if you are a compassionate human being (and a fool also) you will accept his proposal....Now you will put down your luggage according to his comfort and start with magazine or newspaper that you brought for the journey....After he sights the generosity in you ,he will ask for a page of the newspaper and then will leave you only with the page that you were reading...This won't annoy you much till you see him using the paper for a putting his food,wiping his hand and using it as a hand fan .He will go ahead and tell you that he is use to travelling in first class and its his bad luck today.Now after he has had his food,its time to take a nap.... but where??? Off course ON YOUR SHOULDER...If your lucky and quick(or can pretend), it could be the other way round...
Some people are more lucky to find a companion who has (or pretends to have) extraordinary knowledge about the current political scenario of India .Such people will make you travel(willingly or unwillingly) through the period of 1947 -2008 with his own interpretations.Now in between his sleep he might wake up occasionally to ask you about the past station or the time...Now towards the end of the journey he might develop some sympathy for you(if he is not inhuman) and ask you about your family and all..Just before getting down he will say"Phir milenge,shayad isi train mein"....And you wish the roles are reversed the next time....
Now thats is the reason why i prefer travelling in second class even if time again my father advices me not to do so....ITS because i have had many boring journeys in the first class with no challenges....BUT you know, sometimes you find people who are so good and cheerful..People who will share everything of their life with you...This is because they know you will never be able to cause any difference in their life...People who are filled with warmth and carry lots of good food along with them SOMETHING THATS VERY COMMON. WITH THE PEOPLE OF MY HOME STATE .....

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Is Happiness something that can only be pursued?

When Will smith uttered these lines in Pursuit of Happiness he actually was questioning a truth that we all have faced at some point in our lives. Most of us have really felt happiness around us during the moments when we have achieved things/p that we were pursuing for a long time,things and emotions that we crave for.But once they are ours and the desire has ended , they loose their meaning and slowly and steadily become a part of your achievements, rather than things that can give you happiness.Probably its the fantasy ,the excitement just before getting IT that what we actually enjoy.
If asked a question "WHAT ARE WE ALL LOOKING FOR?",my answer would be "Self Satisfaction".It is this feeling that we term as happiness or may be happiness is the name that we give to the expression of this feeling.
"Man can never be satisfied" is a universal truth and perhaps the only reason why things keep on changing(whether for better or worse).
Different people in this world have different reasons for happiness.Perhaps Hitler was more than happy after the mass killing of Jews across Europe.May be Bhagat Singh shared the same feeling just before he was hanged .Who knows????

May be we have set so many goals for future that we are cannot afford to enjoy the few moments of happiness that we get as a gifts from something called life.May be we are so concerned with larger than life things and bigger achievements that we tend forget all the smaller things and achievements that can bring happiness to us.Things that are small but are closer to us.
I have observed that in most of the cases long lasting happiness comes from feelings that are associated with others.After all ,you need people to share your happiness with and if there are none, it vanishes very quickly(or you might never experience it).
Somebody has rightly said"When you try to hold happiness in your hands it looks so small but its only when you allow it spread around that you realise the true size and value of it"
I know that if everybody gets satisfied and complacent ,everything in this world will seize to move but we can at least"Enjoy what we have while desiring what we don't" as said by a famous writer.Probably thats the only option in order to Stay Alive.


Sunday, February 24, 2008

Where is GOD?


Thats not a question meant for atheists.Its a question which everyone of us has asked himself when we have found ourselves in trouble even after having the best of intentions .It also comes to our mind if we are selfless and observant enough to look the unexplained suffering around us.Different religion have described God in different ways but the basic definition tells us that he is the creator of all,the master of all powers and is responsible for everything that happens.As a matter of fact i have always believed that if there is any God ,he is too powerful and complete in himself to exist in different forms as explained by different religions.If he is so powerful and just ,why does he allow a child who is born in a remote village in Africa die of hunger while at the same time somewhere in America, food worthy enough to feed ten such children is being washed down by another child. In the same context I remember this Christmas incidence...
I had gone to a shopping mall just to catch on the Christmas sales going on there.It was then that i saw a man dressed as Santa Claus distributing gifts to the children around him.It was then that i perhaps saw a clear image of discrimination that even God does.While the person was throwing gifts to the children from affluent families,a guard stood by whose job was to keep away the children from slums who had arrived with a bleak hope of getting something from Santa Claus.I think when believers in God says" money can't buy everything" and"its all due to previous births",they are just trying to ignore the injustice done.Why does a man who has spent his entire life helping people gets run over by a truck while a murderer turned politician spends his days in comfort inside the government quarters?
Perhaps there are no answers to all the whys that i have put here but to be frank ,even i have felt the existence of a positive energy around in this world and its not when i have been to a famous temple or shrine.It is when I see and read about people like Mother Teresa,Mahatma Gandhi,Martin Luther who brought justice ,freedom and smiles to all around them.Its when i see hope in the eyes of people for whom there is no use of hoping.God probably exists as the good part in us because its that part that is capable of saving that child in Africa from dying,that part which can play a good Santa Claus when given the chance and that part which can support the good and fight the bad.We all in a way have the capacity of becoming the God .

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Why am i blogging???


Well from quite some time i have been hearing of celebrities and business honchos promoting their products/films/companies through their so called space on the web"Blog".But i was not able to find anything to promote(except myself which is in great need of promotion) and i felt that even if i did, it won't have the slightest of effect on anyone's opinion.So this was what kept me away from this space for long.But thanks to some of my friends(Rahul,Ashish) and Amit(my future senior colleague) ,i found some reasons to start with it.
Well i have seen many movies(English,Hindi,1French,2 Japanese,a dozen of Bengali) and given many speeches(mostly boring ones)as the Prez of the Tech club of my college.But somehow i am still waiting for the best movie and the still have not been able to deliver my best speech.The reason for this is only that while u read or write u expect things to happen and in some manner or the other ur thoughts come in alignment with that of the Author/Director.Perhaps this is a necessary condition to enjoy the writing/film.And while u speak u do so according to the expectation of the audience and on the relevant areas.In all of the the things that we do to keep ourselves busy...writing seems to be most expressive to me.That is why i have decided to pen down certain thoughts and views that i have assumed while thinking uselessly(my fav passtime).
Keeping in harmony with the name of the Blog every post will start with a simple question and end with an Intriguing answer.i hope u put in ur reactions(even if they are negative)