My Homage to The 'Tiger'.

Prologue.

I'd like to enunciate the fact that I repudiate links with any political party/established school of thought. I consider myself a free Indian and hence I write this with all due to respect to the greatness of Late Mr. Balasaheb Thackeray. Notwithstanding, if anything about this article irks you, I would request you to discuss it with me; peacefully. Today, it has become really easy to indubitably track down a person, especially if you are someone of repute. If you are that person, or are directly/distantly related to any political party and happen to read this (I'd like to thank you first for your time), I would really appreciate it, if you avoid any such whims, right at the onset. A free Indian that I am, I also am a common man with no imposing "contacts" to flaunt, no conspicuous physical strength and to think of it, not an intrepid heart either. In fact, if on the verge of being vandalized, I may even faint with the pressure. In other words, I'm an easy target, if you mind my writing, do remember to forgive me and display magnanimity, God will bless you.(1/2) I cannot demur two ideas:- 1) I know not much about Late Mr. Bal Thackeray, apart from what was broadcast and/or published. 2) Despite this, I was troubled to see him go. His final speech moved me and caused an unquenchable, insatiable thirst to know more about him. A Vandal! Anti-National! Chauvinist! Iconoclast! Fascist! These and many more are being used to describe the personality of Late Mr. Thackeray, the sheer vehemence could cause a lot of us to believe in these, a part of me may have too. But a silver beam illuminates through this dark tumultuous maelstrom. An endearing voice that says, "Saheb". He was also known as the "Hindu Hriday Samrat", now whether it was self-declared or conferred by someone else is a redundant discussion at the moment. Apart from the controversial events caused under the aegis of Hindutva, the Late Mr. Thackeray did win over a lot of hearts, and this one was definitely not forced. You can never force anyone to love you or weep for you after you die. I believe he never felt the need to answer Robin Sharma, for if anyone had to ask him the question posed by title of the book, the answer would have been an uncomplicated and apparent one- Maharashtra. The Hindu Hriday Samrat did win a lot of hearts, Maharashtra is too advanced a state to grant state honours at the funeral rites of an individual who according to the naiveté was nothing more than a leader of Vandals. He deserved the honour, in a democratic state, since people believed, he deserved every bit of it, maybe even more, but that's a subjective opinion. I was born in 1993, so intelligibly I have not much information on the state of Maharashtra back in 1960s, books can only take you to a certain level, but if people of the 1960s were so moved by this phenomenal political innovator so as to join him directly in his mission (which has been elaborately discussed in the media) to liberate the entrapped minds of the Marathi Manoos, there must have been one truth, a genuine reason, why they did so! Allow me to delve into my academics; technically I am an Economics' student. The amount of Economics I actually know is something that baffles me every day. My marks suggest a fairly average IQ at my end and so in this article, I preferred to directly quote an Economist's definition of Micro Economics (I think it was AP Lerner), "Micro Economics is the science that deals with the optimum utilization of the given limited resources." It seems appropriate with this that maximum competition would yield maximum attainable optimization. Thankfully for us, Article 19 (1) (e) of the Indian Constitution states: "All citizens shall have the right — to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India." This sounds good, but what if, the local (let's call him a domicile citizen) is not adequately trained in any/many particular aspect/s as the non-domiciled citizen may be? What if this difference in skill level may be a bit too much? I am not just talking about Maharashtra here; this could happen in any state, in any country even for that matter. As an example, we cannot all simply adopt (though it seems like we have) Adidas, Nike, Puma for footwear and rebuff the 'Bata' and the 'Liberty' (I do hope you remember these fellas).

As a 'true Hindu' one could say, he simply followed the Bhagwad Geeta and reaffirmed one of its verses, "means do not matter only ends do." Maybe he was just following his Dharma, the righteous duty, the consequences of which seemed the best to him, or maybe it was just his method to consolidate his presence in Maharashtra. According to an article in 'The Hindu', Respected Justice Markandey Katju vituperates the Late Mr. Thackeray, and I quote (it's easier to quote than to write about it), "What is Bal Thackeray’s legacy? It is the anti-national ‘sons of the soil’ (bhumiputra) theory." How would we comprehend the bhumiputra theory after reading the aforementioned paragraph regarding the Holy Geeta. Let me proclaim myself to be destitute of spiritual knowledge and in absolute penury when it comes to my understanding of the law, but as I said in the very beginning, I am just trying to talk here. Whether this makes sense to you depends on your idiosyncrasy. I am not credulous to the statement that Justice Katju is the first one to quote him as anti-national. I thoroughly ridicule such a statement. I scoff at this thinking. A student at every School in India periodically takes a pledge, "India is my country", “I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage", "To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion. In their well-being and prosperity alone, lies my happiness". Every Indian says this, most Indians know this, and many still giggle when they say "all Indians are my brothers and sisters"(C'mon man! Don't be so harsh on us!) I believe every Indian understands the importance, need and the pride in being one. No amount of "Bhumiputras" can ever repudiate this from their minds. Yes! We do get gauche at times, we may get carried away owing to personal needs, but at the back of our minds, there's no prouder feeling, than yelling "Chak de India" whenever India wins accolades worldwide. No Mr Katju! Late Mr. Bal Thackeray cannot be an anti-national, he is too small an entity when compared to the greatness of and patriotism towards this nation. No person, not of Indian origin can ever be that trifle to contravene the great nationality that is India. Yes, I would have deeply venerated Late Mr. Bal Thackeray had he come up with and publicized innovative schemes to train and equip the local youth. Provide Maharashtrian entrepreneurs with the required start-up capitals comparatively easily, given them enough motivation to feel competitive rather than feeling hate or detest for the 'outsiders', but again, that was his subjective view. (I'll be more than happy to know if Shiv Sena would have innovated anything towards the Economy rather than 'Shiv Vada Pav', but then Shiv Sena is not the topic here. Though I read it in the Economic Times that Late Mr. Thackeray also encouraged Maharashtrian youth to learn required English skills, even though his prime focus was on Marathi.) About our national integrity, it is up to us Indians to understand the value of it ourselves than be guided by any leader about it. (I am not pointing any fingers here! Just made a simple statement!) As regards Late Mr. Thackeray, he was a man of conviction, something most of our politicians lack. He may have used Sam, daam, dand, bhed whenever needed, but he did it for the party's aims which were also his, such a union dear reader according to me, is beyond divine. Epilogue I do not possess any of the qualities that can make me withstand the heat, if any part of my writing was found undesirable to some. To that reader, I'd like to say that I may be devoid of every quality that Late Mr. Thackeray epitomized (or allegedly did) but I do know that I want to write when I feel like it. These are the reflections of my ruminative mind. Now whether people attended Late Mr. Bal Thackeray's funeral due to fear or respect has not much to do with me, for I believe in what Steve Jobs said, "The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who actually do", and Late Mr. Thackeray did change a lot of minds, a lot of lives, and maybe as people suggest, one state. Jai Maharashtra! = Jai Hind!

If only you hadn't died

If only you hadn't died,
well my heart would've never cried,
that feeling of grief would've,
never touched my pride,
and my heart would've remained a better place for me to hide.!

The moment i lost you,
i felt really pathetic,
sad,lost and confused that i was,
my life had a change,
which was drastic!
Minutes turned to hours,
and hours to days,
but no one realized,
that my life was now trapped, in a deep blue maze!
However hard i try,
it seems impossible to get out,
filled with abhorrence and anger,
all that i now hear,
is a frustrated shout!

My life would've been so better,
if only you had remained,
and now when it dawns on me that i lost you,
I really feel very pained!

It pains me, when i realize,
that the beast took you away,
and that was when i recognized,
the deep slumber in which i lay!

I wish I'd been of some help,
to make you fully fit,
which alas I was unable to! SHIT!

The moment you left,
I felt my life ended too,
because it isn't worth living,
without a friend like you!

You stood by me,
all my life,
and the guilt now pangs me,
that i couldn't help,
in your fatal strife.
I just stood there helpless,
watching you die,
and when my numb senses came back to life,
I knew there was nothing that,
I could do, but cry!

I caterwauled a lot,
but up to no avail,
I wish to bring you back to life,
but I'll have to admit,
that I ain't worthy of it,
and will always remain this frail!

RULES! Meant to be broken?

It was "Navratra sthapana"the first day of Navratri, and my mum had dragged me to a temple. After finishing with all the rituals out there, I slipped out and sat on the stairs of the temple for a while, as that was the only place free from the oceanic crowds, the temple trust had made a "path", guided by chains, to organize the crowds. Luckily for me, the temple stairs were left vacant due to all these "precautions to maintain discipline". I waited as my mum finished with the rest of her Pooja. I had begun to feel uncomfortable in the suffocating crowds surrounding me, when my gaze fell on a little cute kid, he couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years of age, the fact that pulled my attention towards him was the argument going on between him and his father. His father had apparently sneaked up and managed to get in the line, in its final stage, the kid however adamantly stood where they were actually supposed to be, which was a long distance from where his dad now stood, almost nearing the temple doorstep. The line had a curve to fit in more people and so the father and son were standing very near to each other however the father was ahead of him in terms of the people standing in the line. The father, a smart looking guy, first gestured, and when it didn't yield anything told, rather ordered his kid to come to him, the kid refused the "offer", and replied in a smart voice which made him look very cute, "Daddy! This is where we're supposed to stand, please don't break the rules!". I was amused at this reaction of the kid. My lips curved into a smile, which the father noticed, and suddenly got conscious. He quickly gestured his son to come to him, threatening of "dire consequences" ("I won't give you any pocket money when you grow up!", "I won't get you that computer game you wanted to buy", "I won't let you join Facebook",  "I won't take you to the Ice-cream parlour today"). Until now the kid, who stood firm as a rock, suddenly began to rust his iron will, especially the restriction from joining Facebook, and the fact won't get Ice-cream that night convinced him to join his father. The onlookers, were equally amused as me, tried to hide their smiles by chanting the Goddesses' name louder, however their twisted lips and frequently visible teeth suggested pretty evidently that they were enjoying the situation, an Old woman standing behind the kid, pulled his cheek and offered him a candy, the kid, still looking serious held a hand towards the woman and replied,"It was my duty to follow the rules, unfortunately I couldn't, but the next time, I certainly will." His father smiled in embarrassment, and said with a forced attempt to look proud,"Hehehehe! Baccha hai!"


I was amazed by the little kid's determination to follow the rules, and equally annoyed by his father's persistent attempt to force him to break them. Though the kid finally yielded to the demands, he reminded me of a quote I had read in 10th standard, by Jean Jacques Rousseau, "L'homme est né libre, et partout il est dans les fers." (Translation: Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains), though many of these "chains", the rules for men are "necessary for the proper functioning of the society", the problem starts when we need to follow those rules. I've heard many of my friends and relatives, some even occupying important positions in the society, boasting about how they broke the rules. The conclusion here was- "Rules are meant to be broken." Whenever you see any rule, make sure you do just the opposite, that make you look much more "cool", and who the hell doesn't want to be cool? Especially when in school ! It all starts from breaking simple rules like plucking flowers from a garden, to trespassing others' lands, from bunking classes in school to bunking the whole college and turning up only for exams. When we're young, our world is restricted to schools, later the boundaries increase to colleges and then comes life. In schools, the rules are small in magnitude and so are their consequences, but as face the world head on, we realise that the rules grow, and so do their consequences. If today, you didn't mind bunking a class, tomorrow you may not mind taking a hefty bribe, the relation, though very little, exists.
A few weeks back the whole nation was swept of its feet by a puny looking old man with an iron-will, the Gandhian, the non-violent Anna Hazare! Every Indian, capable of some intellect, supported him in his mission to pass the Jan-Lokpal bill. Many netizens praised his endeavour on Facebook, and other such sites. Countless "Anti-corruption" and "support Anna Hazare" groups were formed all over the net. People, it seemed were united after all, a good thing for the national unity, not so good for the nation after all. We all know that bribes are still taken in Anna's own country, his state, maybe even in his own village. Countless Indians supported the Jan- Lokpal bill, but how do you know if a government official/politician, joined Anna in his rally one day, and took a bribe the very next day, maybe the next minute? There's no statistical data to prove my idea, but I reckon that after reading this line, many of the seen or unknown faces must have formed in your mind's eye, of the people who might have done this injustice to their own conscience. Today, even after the Jan-Lokpal bill has passed, we aren't sure if much will change, after all this bill is again among the many infinite "rules" in our lives!
Rules need not necessarily be the official ones, there are certain unofficial rules too, which we name courtesy, or decency, but the matter of fact is that those are still rules, meant to be broken? I don't know, you are the better judge!

Darkness doesn't lead us anywhere, so why be in it?