It’s a story about a guy named Ted ( The Architect) who stays in NY and its about him telling his kids how he met their mother!
From episode 1 , this has been the most entertaining and hilarious series I’ve ever watched! Everybody spoke about Friends ….. but man! When you watch HIMYM you know, friends is exaggerated and after all not so funny! ( well! I never enjoyed the series!)
There are 5 main characters here- Ted who shares his apartment with his college best friend Marshall ( a law student) and Marshall’s college time girl friend- Lily( a kindergarten teacher)! Then there’s a new friend they make at a local bar named Barney ( He is legen – wait for it –dary) . (They always ask him “What do you do for a living Barney?” Barney answers (always) “Oh Please” - In short he never tells what his occupation is!) Now this character is what makes the show so cool! Barney always has different theories about life which are outrageous! And then there is this very pretty female called Robin who’s a journalist.
The story is inspired by the true life of Carter Bay and Craig Thomas who are the writers of this series- played by Ted and Marshall!
I am making a recommendation here- watch it!
Every Friday 8.30 pm on star world!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
About Sexuality
I don’t understand why the west makes so much noise about sexuality! They love to make it into a major issue!
Now that they are bored of (over) sleeping with the opposite sex, they want to try out something new! So what do they do?.......They invent the story of a man born with an urge to love another man and vice versa.
I wonder from when these gay- lesbian issues started? And while a part of me thinks I don’t want to interfere into people’s sexuality problems, the other part says , “ well! These gays and lesbians are messing up our lives!”
Today they say same gender sex is ok! Tomorrow some other class of people will claim to enjoy an adult and child sex, some third class will claim human being to animal sex as perfectly normal!
These un-natural relationships are not ok! And they will never be! Gosh I hope India at least will never legalize same sex marriages!
What kind of a “trend” are we setting for our kids here? Tomorrow when my girl grows up she will have a choice to make- whether she wants to marry a boy or a girl? This is ridiculous! We are confusing our species here!
Now that they are bored of (over) sleeping with the opposite sex, they want to try out something new! So what do they do?.......They invent the story of a man born with an urge to love another man and vice versa.
I wonder from when these gay- lesbian issues started? And while a part of me thinks I don’t want to interfere into people’s sexuality problems, the other part says , “ well! These gays and lesbians are messing up our lives!”
Today they say same gender sex is ok! Tomorrow some other class of people will claim to enjoy an adult and child sex, some third class will claim human being to animal sex as perfectly normal!
These un-natural relationships are not ok! And they will never be! Gosh I hope India at least will never legalize same sex marriages!
What kind of a “trend” are we setting for our kids here? Tomorrow when my girl grows up she will have a choice to make- whether she wants to marry a boy or a girl? This is ridiculous! We are confusing our species here!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Wacko Jacko
Today morning I read about Michael Jackson in TOI that he was planning his next shows in great style!
I put on the TV and I read the ticker saying he's dead!
I know he's called the king of POP, and he was- he really was! At a time when I didnt understand or talk in English, everytime his songs would play on MTV, I would run to my TV just to watch him sing and dance to some of the most amazing tunes!
Ofcourse in recent times he's been a part of all the bad news, and the multiple plastic surgeries made him look like a ghost even before his death! ( I've heard he had some skin disease which caused his skin to change its colour and in ordet to correct it, he went through many surgeries!)
I've mixed feelings about this eccentric man, who's a Legend! He's called a "Wacko Jacko" for his maverick living habits- once he slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow the aging process, had a cleft put in his chin coz he wanted masculine features! There were various news about him involved in a child sexual abuse!
How much of what is reported in the news is to be believed is a question always unanswered! But its true that he had to let a Strip search done on him for the case!
Well! Let me keep the bad side of this man apart! When I heard of his death, (he was only 50)all I could think of was his amazing music and the great dance moves! He definately was my 1st experience of western pop music...... and till date I love it- Thanks to Michael Jackson! The world is going to surely miss him! and so will I!
I put on the TV and I read the ticker saying he's dead!
I know he's called the king of POP, and he was- he really was! At a time when I didnt understand or talk in English, everytime his songs would play on MTV, I would run to my TV just to watch him sing and dance to some of the most amazing tunes!
Ofcourse in recent times he's been a part of all the bad news, and the multiple plastic surgeries made him look like a ghost even before his death! ( I've heard he had some skin disease which caused his skin to change its colour and in ordet to correct it, he went through many surgeries!)
I've mixed feelings about this eccentric man, who's a Legend! He's called a "Wacko Jacko" for his maverick living habits- once he slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow the aging process, had a cleft put in his chin coz he wanted masculine features! There were various news about him involved in a child sexual abuse!
How much of what is reported in the news is to be believed is a question always unanswered! But its true that he had to let a Strip search done on him for the case!
Well! Let me keep the bad side of this man apart! When I heard of his death, (he was only 50)all I could think of was his amazing music and the great dance moves! He definately was my 1st experience of western pop music...... and till date I love it- Thanks to Michael Jackson! The world is going to surely miss him! and so will I!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The New English
For all of you English teachers. Hear is something for laughs
or shall we say lafs.
European English:
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".
In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where! more komplikated changes are possible.
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil
sensibl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey
vunted in ze forst plas.
If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl .
or shall we say lafs.
European English:
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".
In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where! more komplikated changes are possible.
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil
sensibl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey
vunted in ze forst plas.
If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl .
Impact of job change
A taxi passenger tapped the driver on the shoulder to ask him a question.
The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on
the footpath, and stopped centimeters from a shop window.
For a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said:
"Look mate, don't ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me!".
The passenger apologized and said, "I didn't realize that a little tap
would scare you so much."
The driver replied, "Sorry, it's not really your fault. Today is my first
day as a cab driver - I've been driving a van carrying dead Bodies for the
last 25 years.......u can imagine what went into my mind when u touched my
back!!
The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on
the footpath, and stopped centimeters from a shop window.
For a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said:
"Look mate, don't ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me!".
The passenger apologized and said, "I didn't realize that a little tap
would scare you so much."
The driver replied, "Sorry, it's not really your fault. Today is my first
day as a cab driver - I've been driving a van carrying dead Bodies for the
last 25 years.......u can imagine what went into my mind when u touched my
back!!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Life Is A CELEBRATION
It took me all this time to realize what this means, to really feel that way about life! And now when I have started enjoying life……I know it is true!
Throughout my life I’ve been a big fan of motivational books and speakers. Most of them say this statement repeatedly and I never understood it!
With stress, exam tensions, the thought of making a successful career, handling my personal expectations and at the same time the expectations of so many others……..and other 1000 things on my mind……. How can I treat life to be a celebration? How could I enjoy the small things as well as the big events….. I couldn’t!
Life stops to be a celebration the moment you get tensed about the different things you have to do to keep it moving! Worries about the past, the present and the future, self doubt, low self esteem and lack of confidence makes things worse!
Amongst the many experiments that I keep doing with my life……this 1 has been the most productive of all! And all I had to do was to get off the track, the bus, the race… whatever you call it…… the pace of life that keeps moving us upside down!
Just get off it!
Slow down!
Take a deep breath!
Think about no-one but yourself!
And suddenly after a few months, the roller coaster came to a complete stop! Ohh I was so uncomfortable with the slow speed and then a complete stop? It was insane!
As hard as I was trying to close in on my core, the world was trying to push in to know the why’s, the what’s and the how’s!
This was the 1st time I gave so much of thought to what my soul was saying, what was my heart beating for? As I shun the outside world , the noises reduced and suddenly I could hear myself clearly.
I realized that my soul has always been guiding me, telling me, stopping me…..but I never cared to listen to it attentively! There were too many things too many people were telling me! Backing their theories with stories of success, of making great money, of having a lot of material things in life.
Our head works so much , so cruelly……that we forget to listen to our heart!
Now I realize that all I need to be happy is myself! As long as I can hear my inner voice , there’s nothing to confuse me, nothing to doubt about myself.
Within me I’ve the music that my soul dances to….and that’s what I need to make my life into a celebration!
Ingredients that I added in my life:
Exercises: keeps the body fit and utilizes the energy well!
1. Yoga – it relaxes, takes off all the tensions from the body, mind and soul! Especially saying “ OM ” ..The sound vibrates in the body to give inner peace. Or listen to the sound of a shankha ( just close your eyes and let the vibrations touch your heart…. Its an amazing feeling).
2. A walk- ( preferably with music) : enhances my imagination, helps me think.
3. Dance: the ultimate way to celebrate life is to swing to the beats and let your body do the talking!
4. Music: a mood enhancer , provides me all the food for thought!
5. Drama, films: it’s a food for thought, there is a joy in enacting a character…in being someone else on stage and being appreciated by a live audience!
6. Travel: my choice is to go to forested areas where there is no much tourism. Just sit , close your eyes and listen to the sounds of the birds, the rustling of the leaves and different calls of the animal kingdom!
7. Swim: not in a swimming pool but a fresh water stream.
8. Keep the company of the right people , subtract those who comment and hurt .
9. Consciously try to make the atmosphere around you positive.
10. If there’s anger, frustration inside which you just cannot deal with…. Take your friend, go to a lonely beach/place and shout at the top of your voice. (Its not as easy as it sounds!)
11. Write a blog. Write about how you feel, let people know.
12. Fight for your right!
Ingredients to take off from life:
1. stop the activity that’s most giving tension, stress etc. ( in my case this meant an immediate career change)
2. If being with certain people or going to certain functions bothers you or gives you stress- stop it! Stop going until you are strong enough to deal with it.
3. Don’t listen to what your parents, friends and others have to say the whole time about what you are. Know what you are, and stand for what you believe in.
Throughout my life I’ve been a big fan of motivational books and speakers. Most of them say this statement repeatedly and I never understood it!
With stress, exam tensions, the thought of making a successful career, handling my personal expectations and at the same time the expectations of so many others……..and other 1000 things on my mind……. How can I treat life to be a celebration? How could I enjoy the small things as well as the big events….. I couldn’t!
Life stops to be a celebration the moment you get tensed about the different things you have to do to keep it moving! Worries about the past, the present and the future, self doubt, low self esteem and lack of confidence makes things worse!
Amongst the many experiments that I keep doing with my life……this 1 has been the most productive of all! And all I had to do was to get off the track, the bus, the race… whatever you call it…… the pace of life that keeps moving us upside down!
Just get off it!
Slow down!
Take a deep breath!
Think about no-one but yourself!
And suddenly after a few months, the roller coaster came to a complete stop! Ohh I was so uncomfortable with the slow speed and then a complete stop? It was insane!
As hard as I was trying to close in on my core, the world was trying to push in to know the why’s, the what’s and the how’s!
This was the 1st time I gave so much of thought to what my soul was saying, what was my heart beating for? As I shun the outside world , the noises reduced and suddenly I could hear myself clearly.
I realized that my soul has always been guiding me, telling me, stopping me…..but I never cared to listen to it attentively! There were too many things too many people were telling me! Backing their theories with stories of success, of making great money, of having a lot of material things in life.
Our head works so much , so cruelly……that we forget to listen to our heart!
Now I realize that all I need to be happy is myself! As long as I can hear my inner voice , there’s nothing to confuse me, nothing to doubt about myself.
Within me I’ve the music that my soul dances to….and that’s what I need to make my life into a celebration!
Ingredients that I added in my life:
Exercises: keeps the body fit and utilizes the energy well!
1. Yoga – it relaxes, takes off all the tensions from the body, mind and soul! Especially saying “ OM ” ..The sound vibrates in the body to give inner peace. Or listen to the sound of a shankha ( just close your eyes and let the vibrations touch your heart…. Its an amazing feeling).
2. A walk- ( preferably with music) : enhances my imagination, helps me think.
3. Dance: the ultimate way to celebrate life is to swing to the beats and let your body do the talking!
4. Music: a mood enhancer , provides me all the food for thought!
5. Drama, films: it’s a food for thought, there is a joy in enacting a character…in being someone else on stage and being appreciated by a live audience!
6. Travel: my choice is to go to forested areas where there is no much tourism. Just sit , close your eyes and listen to the sounds of the birds, the rustling of the leaves and different calls of the animal kingdom!
7. Swim: not in a swimming pool but a fresh water stream.
8. Keep the company of the right people , subtract those who comment and hurt .
9. Consciously try to make the atmosphere around you positive.
10. If there’s anger, frustration inside which you just cannot deal with…. Take your friend, go to a lonely beach/place and shout at the top of your voice. (Its not as easy as it sounds!)
11. Write a blog. Write about how you feel, let people know.
12. Fight for your right!
Ingredients to take off from life:
1. stop the activity that’s most giving tension, stress etc. ( in my case this meant an immediate career change)
2. If being with certain people or going to certain functions bothers you or gives you stress- stop it! Stop going until you are strong enough to deal with it.
3. Don’t listen to what your parents, friends and others have to say the whole time about what you are. Know what you are, and stand for what you believe in.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
WHY I AM A HINDU
(This is the most interesting mail I got about my religion! Its a must read. This mail says it all!)
Four years ago, I was flying from JFK NY Airport to SFO to attend a
meeting at Monterey , CA. An American girl was sitting on the right side,
near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly
seven hours.
I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible unusual of young
Americans. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances
talk. I told her that I am from India. Then suddenly the girl asked:
'What's your faith?' 'What?' I didn't understand the question.
'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?'
'No!' I replied, 'I am neither Christian nor Muslim'.
Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that. 'Then who are you?'
'I am a Hindu', I said.
She looked at me as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not
understand what I was talking about.
A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they
are the leading religions of the world today. But a Hindu, what?
I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother.
Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
'Who is your prophet?' she asked.
'We don't have a prophet,' I replied.
'What's your Holy Book?'
'We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of
philosophical and sacred scriptures,' I replied.
'Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'
'What do you mean by that?'
'Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'
I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male
God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who
inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.
According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a
religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind
is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that
anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and
concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present
leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of god.
I tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one god and he can be a
Hindu.. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a
Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can be
a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu.'
This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so
unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after
onslaught from foreign forces.
'I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?'
What can I tell to this American girl? I said: 'I do not go to temple
regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of
the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes..'
'Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?'
'God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any
compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.'
She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of
converting to any other religion?'
'Why should I? Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in
Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu
allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning.
I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.' I told her that
Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is
not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by
any one person or does not have an organized controlling body like the
Church or the Order, I added. There is no institution or authority..
'So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and
white.
'I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture,
or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God
might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme
abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.'
'Why can't you believe in one personal God?'
'We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or
notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling
us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers,
demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't
think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to
respect him or fear him.' I told her that such notions are just fancies
of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally
ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods.
The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The
philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions..
'Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is
your prayer then?'
'Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,'
'Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?'
'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.'
'Hmm ..very interesting.. I want to learn more about this religion. It
is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.
'The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the
individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the
Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God
in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution -
it is as simple as that.'
'How does anybody convert to Hinduism?'
'Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but a
set of beliefs and practices. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism
because there is no single authority or organization either to accept it
or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism.'
For a real seeker, I told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it
says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's
teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you
can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real.
'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here
everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is
present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as
God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is
based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important
aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no
monopoly on ideas.- It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a
personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless
and formless entity.
Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws
and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them But there is a
section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make
this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word
'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.
I said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level-marketing) industry
that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The
biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no
exception'
I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa
Paramo Dharma' - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because
it doesn't conditions my mind with any faith system. A man/woman who
change's his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does
not value his/her morals, culture and values in life. Hinduism was the
first religion originated. Be proud of your religion and be proud of
who you are.
Four years ago, I was flying from JFK NY Airport to SFO to attend a
meeting at Monterey , CA. An American girl was sitting on the right side,
near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly
seven hours.
I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible unusual of young
Americans. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances
talk. I told her that I am from India. Then suddenly the girl asked:
'What's your faith?' 'What?' I didn't understand the question.
'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?'
'No!' I replied, 'I am neither Christian nor Muslim'.
Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that. 'Then who are you?'
'I am a Hindu', I said.
She looked at me as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not
understand what I was talking about.
A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they
are the leading religions of the world today. But a Hindu, what?
I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother.
Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
'Who is your prophet?' she asked.
'We don't have a prophet,' I replied.
'What's your Holy Book?'
'We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of
philosophical and sacred scriptures,' I replied.
'Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'
'What do you mean by that?'
'Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'
I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male
God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who
inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.
According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a
religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind
is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that
anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and
concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present
leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of god.
I tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one god and he can be a
Hindu.. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a
Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can be
a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu.'
This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so
unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after
onslaught from foreign forces.
'I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?'
What can I tell to this American girl? I said: 'I do not go to temple
regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of
the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes..'
'Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?'
'God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any
compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.'
She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of
converting to any other religion?'
'Why should I? Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in
Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu
allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning.
I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.' I told her that
Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is
not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by
any one person or does not have an organized controlling body like the
Church or the Order, I added. There is no institution or authority..
'So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and
white.
'I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture,
or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God
might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme
abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.'
'Why can't you believe in one personal God?'
'We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or
notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling
us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers,
demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't
think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to
respect him or fear him.' I told her that such notions are just fancies
of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally
ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods.
The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The
philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions..
'Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is
your prayer then?'
'Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,'
'Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?'
'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.'
'Hmm ..very interesting.. I want to learn more about this religion. It
is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.
'The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the
individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the
Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God
in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution -
it is as simple as that.'
'How does anybody convert to Hinduism?'
'Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but a
set of beliefs and practices. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism
because there is no single authority or organization either to accept it
or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism.'
For a real seeker, I told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it
says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's
teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you
can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real.
'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here
everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is
present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as
God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is
based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important
aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no
monopoly on ideas.- It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a
personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless
and formless entity.
Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws
and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them But there is a
section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make
this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word
'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.
I said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level-marketing) industry
that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The
biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no
exception'
I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa
Paramo Dharma' - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because
it doesn't conditions my mind with any faith system. A man/woman who
change's his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does
not value his/her morals, culture and values in life. Hinduism was the
first religion originated. Be proud of your religion and be proud of
who you are.
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