INTROSPECTION - A SHORT STORY

A pair of white couple along with a baby hanging on back of her mother was passing through a muddy pass approaching a nearby village of ISCON Mayapur. Ms Hudson the young enthusiast accompanying the couple was talking on greatness of His Holiness the father of Vaishnaba community, Shri Chaitanya. All three Americans wearing rural primitive dresses as per Indian holy custom greeted me chanting with "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna". I bowed down my head with respect. 

It was post winter days in the last year. The merry-go-round pulled the visitors to flock over the intersection of two rivers known as Ganga and Jalanghee, over which the Chaitanya Temple existed. A million local residents living the adjacent area survived from the earning from small business enterprises connected to worshiping Gods and serving visitors. 

Good afternoon Ma'm. You looked so beautiful !

She reciprocated with a smile and cordially invited me to join the evening prayer in the temple. I accepted gladly.

Well! Why you all moving towards the remote village being foreigners and for what?

We don't consider ourselves foreigners and love this land as much as the locals and we live together the way poorest of the poor leads their lives, countered Hudson.

The lady informed, 'we buy 10 kgs of cow milk from the village folks for selling it to the local confectionery shops. The profit accrued would be ploughed back to our family needs. If that falls short, we move here and there with a begging bowl as per wishes of Krishna. We're not ashamed and don't have any regret.

I remained speechless for sometime. 

In anticipation of further query, she went on saying, 'I'm a doctor served in New Jersey Hospital but now renamed as Shanti. They are Arnold and Ema both worked in Boston as software engineers now married as per Vaishnaba custom and leading life in absolute freedom in this small but beautiful part of the globe devoid of any greed for modern way of life that was left aside in far west.'

I wondered but asked myself,'how was that possible'?

The western world perceived India a country of beggars and fakirs meant most backward people. What they slowly realized of a great civilization and an enlightened way of life hide in the conscious begging. The socalled beggars or vikshukhs in Buddhism leave all human passions, desires, greed, good and bad at the feet of the Almighty. They don't live for immediate gains of life but pray for absolute freedom of soul after permanent departure.

We were hand in hand dancing on the floor of the temple chanting singing songs in chorus following Ms. Hudson and her friends. The dancing disciples adorned with flowers devoted their heart for love of Krishna that made the visiting guests forget everything they left in homes for the time being. 

To everyones surprise Ms. Hudson suddenly fell on the floor. Everything stopped and the crowd flocked over the laying lady. The house physician rushed to check up the patient on the spot and diagnosed the lady suffered a cerebral stroke and lost her voice. Her painstaking eyes wanted to say something with tears that she couldn't. Yet I touched her forehead to reply not to leave her.

The priest had the ultimate say, 'the child was punished by God for sin committed by her father who was an atheist in America.'  

June Recalled

She was too hot to touch and too shiny to look at. Her extreme passion to kidnap me to a lost world was intoxicating and infectious too. She would never allow green to survive and would love to make her surrounding pale. If disapproved, she would bite with her sharp nail over my hand to force me to recall her passion. The love she tendered would push me to the ground and made be helpless to surrender and sweat profusely. She hardly allowed to keep my shirt and trouser tied with the body. The courses she would repeat to ensure rebirth of generation to symbolizing her love. She is my June who will be again visible after many months.

The Success

Its me my dear the defeated one who was not chosen to rule a small assembly of workforce called a trade union. The winner was no one but the guy who was baptized by me in union affairs. In the fag end of the service carrier, lot of experience I faced during election. The people who came in open support and those who opposed with dirty weapons of personification. Character assassination, filthy utterances stole the show. Interestingly, I was branded a militant like dangerous fellow who disliked by women, a rough and tough guy, a liar and what not. In fact, many of these words I heard about our office boss while I was their close associate in that union group. Suppose the adjectives were true, I should not regret considering the winners found the office boss like 'qualities' in me. What an irony! A personal friend of mine viewed me a stupid why I compromised my dignity with an union affair, why I left myself to be judged by a bunch of substandard elements in the name of election. I said I enjoyed it. Its my philosophy to put myself sometime to test in the society of human species with whom I live. In doing so no one dies. But you are able to count the percentage of liking and disliking. In the game, I found less than half of the colleagues chosen me to be their friend. So why should one regret? One must have the courage to face the life and the reality. There was a little taker of my anti corruption views, liability to pay back to the organisation that feeds us everyday, the working efficiency, the decency and decorum in work culture. I dont regret for my defeat in the hands of those who do not believe in these cardinal principles. Yet the fight must go on for progress of the human civilization without expecting for a favourable result.

Hinduism As I conceive

Hinduism is a philosophy derived from Brahman the eternal spirit which was born from supreme realization beyond the creative aspect of reality. Its not a mere religion to put in a same bracket with other religions. Hindu civilisation a product of Hinduism had not sprung up all on a sudden but it was a great river of human and historic experiences and reality having its own source available at the onset of indus civilisation. It had a vission to enlighten the whole human race with invaluable and indispensable ideals without discrimination amongst its believers and non believers. Its like ocean that no one was able to threaten its existence as of now.

The Patriot Zainul Abedin Ali Khan

Is it right to suspect patriotism of muslim people? Look at the spiritual head of ajmer sharif in Rajasthan who fearelessly boycotted Pakistan prime minister Ashraf for beheading an Indian soldier who happened to be a Hindu. But external minister Khurshid Sahab is scheduled to appease his Pakistani counterpart by a lunch at Jaipur on the day. Contrary to the gesture of our minister the dargah dewan remarked "Pakistan is killing our innocent people by carrying out terror activities and does not take any positive action despite the government of India's official protests." Please consider if darga Dewanji is a patriot then who is a traitor?

The half human

My kid is scheduled to appear higher secondary exam in March this year. All pressure is over him to succeed to step up to higher education.To acomplish the pressed commitments the boy has to undo many deeds that he liked most. Yet the parent's tention gripped the family with a little hope for a fabulous outcome for a careless kid. Oh! God save it with your supernatural force What else could be thought of.

Viva Sahbag square

My polite submission is what to search the enlightment or the abyss of darkness? The Canning communal attack over Hindu families by ultra Talibans or bangali secular fighters fighting against Bangladeshi Talibans at sahbag square ?