Why shun something?

There is a lot of grey area when it comes to “beliefs”. It’s not all black and white. Then let’s add some color. Let’s make it a Bollywood pot boiler with some violence (all animals used in the making were stuffed animals), make it more interesting by giving it a twist of religion (BJP and Shiv Sena can breathe easy as there is no conversion involved) and give it a touch of reality to appeal to the classes (Mention of celebrities and bragged version of author’s life ala Mahesh Bhatt is entirely intentional)

The beliefs could be a part of your psyche or you could be following it very blindly without questioning. Some superstitions work at a very personal level and others at the level of society. Nobody sits you down to give a run down on the beliefs but somehow it becomes a part of your life!

When it comes to color, Brand Gurus have written reams of papers on significance of color and the characteristics attached to each color. Red stands for passion as well as danger. Green stands for prosperity as well as envy. Thus why reject or shun or be indifferent to a color?

I was not allowed to wear a black belt inside a temple. Wonder why??

Black is the color of the wheel which takes us around? Civilization without movement—forget it!

Black is the color of the hair—crown of a human being! It’s the ultimate symbol of the human ego!

Black is the color of the eye ball! The eye is the beginning of the perceptive world!

Just to offer that proverbial twist in the tale, the color white in some part of the world is used as a mark of celebration and in some parts as a mark of loss!! Black as a color absorbs every other color! Why can’t I be the color BLACK!


When it comes to meat, one consumes it as it comes with the mores and customs or one consumes it by choice.

The stone age nomads, that’s virtually our ancestors survived on eating shrubs, leaves, fruits – a delight- and anything that moved – a complete feast. Let me continue after paying obeisance to few people.

First in the list is Jane (do not get into phonetics) who kept falling ill after consuming meat. She could not afford to risk her life by consuming more and just stuck to plants, fruits and vegetables.

Now, it was the turn of Dunlop who invented wheels. He was so influential in his community that most of them followed him to the country side from the deep jungle to escape the menace of man-eating animals and only make an occasional trip to jungle for home-needs.

Dunlop had two estranged sons by name Good Chikan and Palhar, followed his father to the country side and respectively opened a Poultry farm and a Nursery to cater to their fellow beings. It was all business and money for them and they started instilling fear among the fellow beings not to venture into forest for any of their needs. Please do not think about Ambanis now!

Now killing animals for eating became deplorable but making plants grow in farms and nursery and animals bred in an enclosure for consumption was perfect business venture. This was the earliest lobbying instance in the history.

In midst of all this, Jane wanted to profess the positive side of being a strict vegetarian AND STARTED a Religious sect and gave it a tinge of GOD! Or she would not have had that many followers. Jane was the first rich-god-woman.

From all eating ancestors to nothing-to-eat-anorexic models we all believe in our own fads. These fads sadly have no hierarchy and are a matter of personal choice. We all need to respect it, be accommodative which should be followed in one’s private space and not enforced anywhere. Mind you, after all this validated theory (Do refer Neanderthal Man- What he ate?-for more references) we are on top of food chain and consume all living beings-plants & animals. Yes! Plant is a living being and it breathes, sheds, blooms and has mood swings as well!!

People say we are what we eat but believe me you; I have seen a plethora of blood-sucking pure vegetarians!

When it comes to days, there seems to be bad Tuesdays and good Fridays. But I have never heard of an instance of a sports person not taking the filed or not making the debut because of a Tuesday or a pregnant Mom not willing to deliver the baby on Tuesday or in that case never heard of a business house postponing plans to Good Friday.

We are so blinded by our beliefs that we aren’t even aware why we are following it.

On one hand we have animal sacrifices to appease God and on the other we have people not offering Pooja to the God on the day they consume meat.

They say human body is an embodiment of God and still we abuse our body in more ways than one. One being a strange routine of touching someone and apologizing to them, after an inadvertent kick.

Why shouldn’t we stand on the Threshold of a home?-when god is everywhere? God Knows! But does he know the dichotomy!

When it comes to religion, forget it –its half way to hell. It was so much part of me, that I could not see myself marrying a girl outside my community. It was a GIVEN! That was me. Nobody asked me to think so. Nobody forced me to believe so.

The belief was so entrenched and what do I end up doing? I forced myself to develop a liking to a girl who belongs not only to the same community but also to the same sub-caste. It’s a different story altogether that she fell in love with another guy who belonged to the same community and married him.

She calls me Bhaiyya, but I always thought that was the treatment meted out to the lecherous villains in the movies:):(

It’s a typical case of not defying the belief and falling for the structure. Since when did love come with a tag of community??

Its time I wind up, need to meet a prospect in the community hall. I’m wearing my lucky charm just like Steve Waugh carrying a red hanky in his pocket. Hopefully the girl likes me.

If she doesn’t, I’m looking forward to my next UK (Uppit –Kesaribath) innings to score a century. Come on Steve, even you don’t succeed in every innings though you carry the lucky charm!!

Where do all these GUYS come from?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Every Hero becomes a bore at last” and Every Super hero is bored at last:)Talking of Super heroes, my take-off (not pun intended) on Spiderman 3:


Nobody ever erected a statue in honor of a critic.’” And I can’t take a chance and bad-critique a movie as I like being made into a statue!, being washed once in a year on my birthday and taking shit (literally) from the flying companions…Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Postman…milkman:)


Guy #1: Harry-the thorn:

Spidey is so strung with his power, so overawed with his new found web that he ends up having a thorn in the flesh after annihilating his first enemy, dad of his close pal Harry. Harry is so damn sure about Spidey’s pivotal role in his dad’s death that he vows to avenge the death. Harry is in no mood to lend an ear to Spidey.

The situation is so akin to a misunderstanding that has cropped up or a friend hurling an accusation and not letting you explain the same! Stupefying example and I find examples galore like above around me, though not for a grave reason. If a friend cannot negotiate the bumps and is not willing to talk out of awkward situations, the relationship takes a dent.

Hey all you Harrys’ out there, spare a thought to your friend who is caught in the web and bummed out! Just hear out.

Guy # 2: Photographer – Light in the Eye (LIE)

As personal life is trudging along for Spidey, he has a new comer back in his office who is snapping at his heels for a job of a permanent staff. The LIE resorts to foul way of getting things done, the focus is just to outdo Spiderman and integrity to work takes a backseat. He joins forces with the Sandman, to script the destruction of Spiderman.

The situation above can be so likened to any professional, who focuses on individuals – more often than not; it’s the boss- and completely forgets the work. The energy is only spent to out-think the colleagues, outwit them and making a devil out of them. Even the feedback on work is invited to grate on the nerves.

It’s not the effort, mind you. It’s the application, following procedures, sticking to basics, taking the job to its logical conclusion and detaching work from self that does the trick.

Hey all you Light in the Eyes’(I’s) out there, go ahead and turn that light- which- blinds to that special glint in the eye.

Guy # 3: The Spidey: the greatest enemy lies within

Spiderman learns that Sandman is behind his Uncle’s killing. What Spiderman now wants to do is -blast the particles of Sandman to every corner of the world; he is at the end of his tether and wants to tear the Sandman apart. He fails to look through the situation and acts upon the speculation.

At this point in time, the Sandman becomes the most misunderstood species on the face of the earth just like all our relatives who have wronged our parents and closed ones in one way or the other. Being at the end of ones’ ire for reason known or sometimes no reason at all or the emotional baggage carried forward from a sore episode creates a stifling ambience for everyone involved.

For all you Spideys’ out there, you can still live with the thorn in the flesh, you can also survive the occasional flash in the eye but not the ill-feelings towards your purported enemy. It’s just like you consuming poison and wanting your enemy to die! You need to Gong yourself (to drown all the irrelevant voices around and within-that’s why we ring the bell in a temple as well) out of the black-suite. It's an Herculean task to shut the deafening voices and only a Super-Hero can…

If you think, I’m talking about Spiderman, so be it! I am the hero of my life and I am BORE (D)!

PS: Please keep your eyes open for a statue of mine anywhere between Kumble Circle to trinity junction!

The Bermuda triangle!!!

Let’s travel back to the times of Rama. He is in the forest with wife Sita and brother Lakshmana. He is serving Vanavasa and all things are hunky dory and they are in the pink of health. Their life style had been documented and now it’s the bible of health at all major fitness centres around the world!

During one of those fitness regimens, Surpanaka, on an aerial survey (ala Donald Trump) gets to see the hunk Rama with the rippling muscle. She can’t afford to fly high any more, manages to land and plays the role of peeping Jane to the hilt. She didn’t have to muster courage to proposition Rama as she was Courage-Personified. The offer is there to take.

Now Rama is in a fix; he retorts, “Hey lady, I’m a one-lady man and she is right here. However, I have equally good-looking brother and why don’t you try him”.

Roles essayed: Surpanaka- perpetrator; Rama – victim; Lakshmana - savior

Surpanaka now moves to Lakshmana and the offer is made without any hesitation. As is Lakshmana, the angry young man of those years, who always wears anger on his sleeves, draws out the knife and wipes the nose off her face!! Surpanaka flies off in a jiff and updates Ravana. He plots to avenge the humiliation.

Roles essayed: Surpanaka- victim, Ravana-savior and Lakshmana – perpetrator

The plot thickens. Maareecha, disguised as Golden Deer, sashays in front of Sita. She wants it at any cost. She requests Rama to get the Deer for her. She pleads, begs and Rama yields. Rama leaves Lakshmana to guard Sita and goes on the hunt.

Roles essayed: Maareecha – perpetrator, Sita – victim and Rama – savior

While the wild goose chase is on, Maareecha mimics Rama’s cry and sends Sita into a tizzy. She orders Lakshmana to look out for Rama but he never budges and says that he is following the orders. Sita succumbs and throws a taunt saying that he was looking for such a situation to be with her…

Roles essayed: Sita – perpetrator, Lakshmana – victim

The circumstances change but the same beings change the role they play according to the dictates of the situation. It’s a Bermuda triangle and you get sucked anyways!

Rama, Sita, Surpanaka were all sucked into the triangle and playing the role that’s thrown to you becomes almost a necessary evil. However it takes a real effort to sit outside the triangle and analyze your emotions and feelings. Getting carried away without rhyme or reason is the natural but the first reaction.

Now, could we operate out of the triangle? The answer is a yes and a no. Let’s consider two people who are fighting for their lives. One ends up killing the other. What punishment could be meted out to the killer?

Opinion flows without even asking-Jail, gallows, shoot, torture him to death and so on. If the space they are operating is normal societal environs, the above punishment could/may be justified. If the environ is a war-field, the victim is revered as a patriot and the killer rewarded. Thus the space in which one operates is attributed highest significance-- both the physical environs and the space between the ears..

All the manifestation of anger (Lakshmana), desire to be accepted (Surpanaka), being adamant for no reason and emotionally black-mailing (Sita) , getting carried away or being elusive (Rama) and being protective or avenging humiliation (Ravana) is all within us…Its not the interplay of characters as in the story above. More often than not it’s the conflict of emotions /the flux of emotions within you! Every emotion of yours could be laid on the operation table, cut open and understood!

You are the perpetrator, you are the victim and you are the savior!!! Thus be happy as YOU are the reason for your misery and nobody else!!

PS: Thanks to a Doc whom I met in Agra and movie Upendra

The trapped soul!

Kahlil Gibran says, ‘I love you for your truth derived from your knowledge; that truth which I cannot see because of my ignorance. But I respect it as a divine thing, for it is the deed of the spirit’..

They say God is formless. And I am sure he sees his creation without any distinction. But unfortunately we slot and pigeon-hole not only everything we see, hear, smell, touch, sense but everything that we are not quite sure of. One such thing is trans-gender

The nature plays a very cruel role with them at birth. To begin with, they are not anatomically complete Men or Women and even if they are their DNA construct plays trickery with their choices in life…Though claims are made to have understood what they go through in life, empathized with and support offered, there is a chasm-a million light years, I guess- between sympathizer and the sympathized. It’s just like knowing what the pain is and experiencing the same. All our understanding can hardly scratch the surface but their emotional upheavals can least be tormenting.

It’s completely an unchartered territory and just by over-simplifying the things, I can afford to say it’s COMPLEX. There are homosexuals, hermaphrodites, Eunuchs, transvestites and whole lot of them who are fighting to fit into the mainstream by going under the knife.

Why not? The body is not aligned to the psyche. There are men trapped in women bodies and women in men. If one completely wants to transform, say from a man to a Woman (Which is much easier and less painful than a Woman to a man), even then the nature delivers the knock-out punch as they will not be able to conceive.

Oh till now it’s been a sob story of the ultimate kind. But wait, where is the villain? Should not somebody make it more difficult for them to survive?

How about ‘The society’? Is it not very clichéd? Yes, it’s me! I am the wicked one here. I have been making them butt of jokes for last few years and all of this is done in a good humor, to evoke some laughter, to brighten few faces and to create some shock value. Hmmm just one of those attention seeking behavior I guess.

It’s never been mockery for the sake of mockery. However my psyche, the social construct, the caricatured behavior and the stereotypical responses has made me sick. If as an outsider I can shed tears for Tista Das (A complete woman after being operated), Mahira (Who is on her way to being a Complete Woman) and Bobby Darling (Formerly Pankaj), I can also make an earnest effort to come out of my trappings and my thoughts.

They have been ill-treated, shown indifference, completely ignored and have been abandoned by family and friends. I am sure all of us belong to one or more of the categories above. It’s a trapping---we need to come out of.

Kahlil Gibran also says, “A strange form of self-indulgence! There are times when I would be wronged and cheated, that I may laugh at the expense of those who think I do not know that I am being wronged and cheated.”