Night Club - the naked human psyche

I am not one given to parties in the night club, pub or a dance bar... There is definitely a case for me to uphold morality here (always an effective cloak for shyness, two left feet and all related shortcomings..but that's another story). My ideal party is to gather friends, have a sumptous dinner in a hotel like the one on the highway in Navi Mumbai, have live ghazals, people enjoying the atmosphere which due to the late hour of the night (and also the artificial springs' effect) is nicely, cosily cold (I must mention Indian cold here! 20 odd degrees and nothing less) ... just nice and calm, friends, laughter and ... ohh well I am straying here ...

So, all in all, I am not a pub-hopper of this yippie generation - quite a misfit for many my age and definitely for those younger than me!

But, I happened to go to a office party just yesterday - a general year-end Christmas party and that was in a NIGHTCLUB! With bar, smoking, dancing et al!! So you might expect that and truly the case was that I was bored. But, not really... it was quite an experience for me ...

It started with us getting to drink whatever we wanted - making some friendly talks with colleagues and seniors, normal dinner and cheering each other. The president taking time to thanking all the employees for their contribution and stuff. Then the enthusiastic few (but not indeed great dancers - or at least still shy of dancing with colleagues!) started going to the dance floor to shake a leg as they were no more able to resist it - what with some pretty young execs from a dutch bank were also letting their hair down in the next room! Lets say that was contagious... But, the real fun or enlightenment was not with my colleagues; but indeed; with the people who had come to the nightclub on what was a weekday(!!!!) and their behaviour while they were at 'it' .. i mean partying..

Sample two examples ... There was this pretty American gal who came to the club and stayed pretty late. She had actually arrived with some cool dude (seemed like a bf) and partied hard with a mid-eastern fella with her bewildered-only-for-a-moment-boyfriend getting over it in a matter of minutes and grooving his pelvis to another lass' ass!! (Pardon my language but this is an absolute ankhon dekha haal!) Then there was a very mid-aged woman who tried pretty hard to get an Italian colleague to dance with her and probably also have an after-party meet! She was actively wooing him and it was quite a sight especially that of our embarrassed colleague who had fewer answers to her wooing than questions ;) !!

But importantly, a lot of such incidences and previous small experiences (two, to be precise) of nightclubs have given me a whole new take on gender bias regarding sexual aggression, cigarette addictions and such. Now, before you guys think I am making a general statement, or am a MCP(!), let me make it clear these are only observations from night clubs and as such do not take into account the population (majority) which does not visit night clubs. I do not think anymore that only men make passes or lewd comments, light a cig, catch other gender's ass (literally!) or are prone to fight with our own gender to seek other gender's attention - Men, the women have arrived at this junction too!! They actively seek sexual pleasures and are ready to behave as badly and sometimes more nastily than you can think of... ouch!

I have observed these things in the nightclubs here in Europe or also probably the one at Purdue University in USA! Not been to an Indian one but I am sure it won't be much different.

Nightclubs! People get drunk. Ladies puff cigarettes like chimneys of Indian kitchen. But, importantly, the human nature - the human psyche - is absolutely naked and in its most basic instinct at these places. We are the animals which we many times are not outside those smoky rooms in the outer world. We are the animals whose only morality is about seeking bodily pleasure and multiplying. We want to survive and we want to rule. Remove the conditioning of the mind that culture did to you - which is exactly what these places afford to individuals - and we are truly what we are - the next evolutionary step from the apes! Women seek healthy and attractive males. Males attract lovely females and their testosterone does the rest. Its pure survivalistic violence and I guess, one that is at all levels much lesser in intensity than the mental, societal violence that we indulge in and be a part of as a consequence of being a society and culture. There are some things to be learnt by us as a race before we assume the cloak of culture. I am not saying nightclubs will teach us that. But clues do lie there!

Mumbai dreams pink..

I was once upon a time a fellow of the cult called Mumbai or Bombay ... whichever suits your taste - for I don't care as the city is just as great with/without that name change! I though must be politically correct here and say that I like Mumbai better ;) ... I am no more the same fellow as I am no more dreaming what Mumbai dreams or what an average young fella in Mumbai is dreaming ... I don't have any starry eyed illusions of life that you have when you are on the right side of the age of 25 ... or those lovely can-do moments where you discover a new you!

I am another 'mature' probably youngish man who has now experienced struggle in life, come out battered and bruised, yet alive ... drifted away from Mumbai (and nation) and instead of becoming even more selfish (which every careerist in Mumbai is!), grew (much to my astonishment) a hardline nationalist ... and in this transition, probably lost forever the innocence that the struggle instills in you while you are at it.

I miss myself sometimes... probably a lotta times when I am reflecting alone. I think and shudder to realise that my '18' was a decade ago! I miss the fact that no more can I just drop out of house careless of what I am wearing and jump the compound wall of my building (it almost looks like an olympic feat to me now!) and go to play cricket in the next gully or just run down a kilometer at break neck speed to the nearest friend's house or playground...no more can I just shout to my friend from below his 'balcony' and expect that he will shout back half eating his poha and obviously appear shirtless in his favourite part of the house to let me know that he is coming down ASAP... no more can I dart across from one part of the city in the local train in 2 hours to the other part completely alien to me ... just to get a glimpse of a friend leaving city or to a date away from the family's (and 'wellwisher's) prying eyes ...I am grown up now.. and pretty sad for that last detail ... a transition you look up to when you are young and a transition you hate to accept when you achieve it finally. You imagine the freedom that maturity and grownup-ness brings and pretty much hate that very thing when you are actually on your own in the end!

When I travel to Mumbai now, I hardly feel that I can relate to the mall-hopping culture or then the crazy train-cramming (even though I used to achieve this feat myself when I was there!). The average Mumbaikar's selfish dream actually looks selfish from this distant land and yet, you strive to achieve it religiously when you are there and doing that. What am I blabbering right? Just some rumblings that my mind is completely filled up with ... just clearing some conundrum ... nothing more ... better still and probably truly, boring those who care to read this blog..

But, I do think that Mumbai is dreaming on its own ... for better streets, better air, clean water, clear skies (by this I mean freedom from the towering concretes!) and yes, an important thing called respect for the life of an average and selfish Mumbaikar and his dreams and aspirations ... will we ever have 'human' elected members of state legislative assembly who will think about letting an average Mumbaikar lead a life that he/she wants without making him/her go through this circus of being a Mumbaikar and put his/her life on the line everyday for as simple a task as travelling from his place of residence to his work or whatever thing he/she wishes to do (even as trivial as dating someone!)? Mumbai is dreaming pink (I mean with rose-tinted glasses here before all those alternative meanings of pink are applied) for itself and its fellow dreamers ... I only wish that these pink dreams are fulfilled...amen!

Heart in right place?

Just read about the monsoon warning by the World Meterological Organisation and the almost double probability of the El Nino happening this year. We are, as a nation, staring at a possible drought - the probability of the said calamity happening being twice that of each year.

From the view point of our normal, regular and insane neglect, this is a 'natural' calamity if it so happens and one which we can do nothing about but to fold our hands and recognise it being invincible and just measure losses, lick wounds and carry the dead to the pyre ....

But, is this really a natural calamity that we will face, if at all?

Think about it. Our agriculture is still rain dependent. It needs water for it to do well. And, if we can arrange water through the year, we won't need to look skywards all the time. Not to say, we won't need rains. But, just that, with good water management, we will be in a position to not depend on 'good' or 'normal' monsoons for our subsistence! But, next 'yakshaprashna' is .. what is good water management?

Good water management will entail proper and planned development of concrete and 'green' structures, continuous monitoring and maintainence of ground water tables, efficient use of water as well as electricity, proper garbage recycling, so on and so forth. But, the real reason lies in the concretisation of any and every available space and complete neglect of sustained increase in forested areas.

What effort does our elected representative put in for aforestation? Plant and few saplings on world environment day, thats it? No one even glances at those strggling saplings next hour onwards and the soon barren land that it becomes is then made available for the use of some builder to raise some more glass and concrete's mindless structures of 'development'. The truth cannot be more farther than that. The fact of the matter is .... we are digging our own grave and lighting our own pyre!

Look at this wonderful post from a great blogger which details the growing concretisation and receding forest area ... http://20twentytwo.blogspot.com/2009/06/mumbai-concrete-jungle.html

Interestingly, this is only Mumbai which has lost almost 100% non-forest greenery and gained 200% more concrete!!!!! And this we are not measuring the height of the concrete yet ... only floor area .... think what will be the equation when we compare with the heights we have cut and heights we have raised ... I cannot even start to think the damage that Mumbai has sustained... and it ain't broke yet and so, we are still in the game and hence, continuing with this madness ...

Same is the story of all the 2-tier and 3-tier cities in the country. We are not even starting to look at the desertisation that is happening to the country side. Rains are attracted by the green cover on the land. This is a simple equation. As we plan concrete, we MUST plan greens too. Harsha Bhogle once said a very interesting thing that the Australian cricket board is all about cricket and hence, they are successful at it... Indian cricket board is all about money and hence, we have all the money! It shows what happens when we have our hearts in the right place... just when Indian administrators started putting all those well-earned dollars in the right places, we started getting a far superior crop of Indian cricketers...

Isn't the lesson too obvious? We talk of spirituality being our USP as a civilisation. Are we spiritual anymore? Or is greed guiding each and every action of ours? I consider western countries like Germany better and more spiritual as a society than ours who care so much about the entire environment that they are living in and not just their living quarters ... It is already past eleventh hour; yet this is a burning question which we as a nation must figure out ASAP ... because this will decide whether we let our next generations to live or we let them die ... we must ask for that particularly important reason to ourselves... Are our hearts in the right place???

What a thought!

One of my friends is in the habit of putting some sagely advice under her name in the google id. The recent one was so good that I thought its worth sharing with absolutely everyone! I don't know where she gets these pearls or if its by her own wit ... whatever it is (and you know I am referring to you!).....  just keep the pearls coming!

So folks, here it is the present one:

'Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want'

What a thought indeed ..... Cheers to you my dear!!!

Mood alterers!

Just listening to Chak De India's title song. I was almost in a stupor and now I am awake and full of life. Strange isn't it? Just a song ... that's all it took for me to come to life and feel like I want to do something.

Songs always had this quality. Especially Indian songs with meaningful lyrics. Unlike some mind numbing guitar laden '****-ful' songs of the west (if you know what I mean ;) ). But, come to think of it, I guess movies and songs have a tremendous capacity to enhance your moods, deepen it, make you playful, sad, thoughtful, at peace .... they can and effectively, you can, control your moods by what you watch/see!

A movie like Chak de India will make you full of josh. A song like Shabd Gurbani can descend a ton of calm on our psyche or then, a Rang de Basanti can arouse millions to action while a Swades can tug at the most sensitive heart strings of Indians abroad!

If you are listening to songs, its interesting that your mood can fluctuate wildly subconsciously. I was once listening to Behka from Ghajini and then, I listened to Masakali and then, Maula mere from Chak de India. I was so full of enthusiasm which changed to a need to go out and go wild and suddenly, with Maula, felt nostalgic of not being back home ... my home... India and felt the pain of being away in a foreign land. All this in a matter of minutes!

I consider these people in the entertainment industry to be great magicians. When I hear stories of Tansen singing and making rain, I think that today's musicians and singers are pretty much capable of doing that to the emotions of an individual. Ditto for movies. You are down, or simply bored and need a good outing? Watch any of comedy flicks having Paresh Rawal! You can rest assured that at the very least, you can be chuckling so much that you will have completely refreshed yourself by the time it ends. If you want to watch a touching story as you are feeling like watching something meaningful or you want to snuggle with your partner? Watch honest flicks like Dasvidaniya ... If you want to have some tapori and bindas attitude or simply want to arouse your wild side, watch any of the bindass movies from Company to Bhiku's act to Rangeela...or then, if you want to relieve all the pent up frustration? Watch a Bheja Fry!

As you can see from my last paragraph and the progressively degraded writing, my attitude has changed quite a bit, because I am listening to a very varied set of songs right now and its pretty difficult to keep in one mood to write! Did I not title this one mood alterers!??! The songs have already altered my mood for this one ... I can't go on any more...

What is our history?

There has been a lot of debates over the last two decades in my state and subsequently, in entire India about the re-writing of History text books. I recently read some chilling facts about our history. I am saying 'some facts' since they have been attributed to some notable historians and historians have in general been very honest in their recording of history - yeah, all right, history is written by the victors. But, there are also some historians who in spite of being official historians of an era bygone, have recorded accurate account (sometimes tastelessly boastful) of what was done by whom and how.

Our politicians have shown a tremendous aversion to denting the sentiments of Muslims and Christians over the entire post-independence era in India. And, sometimes with good reasoning. But, mostly, for votebanks! Sadly, this is the truth that we were, are and will remain, business people. We know only convenience. Recently, a great artist, Shri Prabhakar Kolte remarked in an interview with  a lot of anger that we are not a nation and that we were never a nation. I got terribly angry over his comments. But, I do think he has a point. And only a nation-loving person can come to such frustration.

Let's sample some historical facts. India is a land of civilisation for centuries. It was at some point of time influenced by teachings of Bhagwan Buddha and Jain tirthankars. We have had a rich tradition of people devoted to the service of mankind and to guide people on the righteous path. This was in stark contrast to what was happening to the west of our civilisation. We had Judaism coming out of Zorastrianism (which was a civilisation like Hinduism), then Christianity from it and then Islam from Christianity. Most of them, political in nature after the demise of their founders. Most of them, aggressively propagating their religions unlike Zorastrianism and Hinduism - which practise worshipping mother nature and harmonial coexistence. Also, Christianity and Islam have engaged in bloody conflicts for capture of newer people in their sects. Though, neither Prophet Muhammad nor Lord Jesus, the son of God, ever asked their followers to do so. These messengers of peace taught what was right. What was correct. Yet, the politicians who ascended the seats vacated by the end of the teachers of these small sects at those times, completely twisted their teachings on their head.

Now, the Hindu civilisation extending from Afghanistan to as far as South East Asia was a tremendously calm and wonderfully harmonious place to be. We had small kingdoms and people were in general 'business minded' and leading a life of serenity and at peace with their surroundings. At this point, entered the Muslim invaders, first from Turkey and then from Central Asia. The conquests of these so-called future rulers of India have been probably the bloodiest in entire history of mankind. Even Hitler cannot match them. They tried to ruin an entire civilisation. In fact, they succeeded to a certain extent. Today, entire Afghanistan is Muslim. Most of Malaysia and Indonesia are Muslims. So is Central Asia. Pakistan is. But, then, Pakistan is an unnatural country whose sole existence and reason for existence is it being an anti-India entity. Beyond it, the country really has no meaning being a country with all the ingredients pulling in different directions. The Muslim invaders went on such a massive killing spree that similar to Auschwitz, we also got Hindu Kush. A mountain range dedicated to the memory of massacre of Hindus in the valley and around. The name literally means the death of Hindu. This is truth across all the Muslim rulers, the Turks, the Afghans and the Central Asia rulers. The  way they tried to kill the civilisation is recorded by their own court historians as a matter of pride. And this includes, Jalaluddin Akbar - the only monarch in Delhi who is supposed to be a lover of people of all religions and all. I found from the readings that I did, that this is not so and that even he engaged in bloody propagation of Islam!

Also, the tortures of the Portugese in India and Goa, in particular are legendary. It was worse treatment a human can inflict on another human being. It would have been better had they simply killed the people like the Muslim invaders. But, to inflict such horrendous tortures would qualify them to be history's worst torturers. They also, similar to their Muslim counterparts, have tried their best to destroy the Hindu civilisation in all its facets. The temples, people, culture, music, everything! Again, we are well aware of the ways in which other Christian missionaries used tricks over gullibles and converted them...

This is also the history that we are never taught in school. I beg to know why. Why should we not know who inflicted pain on us? Why should we not know how our forefathers had to constantly live under the threat of being barbarically killed? Why do we not mention how well organised our earlier kingdoms were and the policies practised by them? Why are we not taught that the Maratha kingdom (the most righteous kingdom ever in the modern Indian history) which spanned from Afhganistan to Travancore in South, was the one which brought  every religion and caste and creed in the India under the real umbrella of being Indian! We are taught only sparingly from that. But, we are still taught 'British' Indian history in a lot more detail than we should learn - at least thats what I think.

History has an importance in the life of a nation. It has a knack of repeating itself. Unless, we are vigilant. Unless, we learn from it. History has been repeating itself now - at least starkly enough for last two decades - in all of India in the form of Muslim terror. Politicians allowed riots. Since that allows them to say minorities are threatened and then, by giving more concessions to them and more 'protection' from actually their own agents, they try to win their votes. We are still a nation of people who do "business" and are happy and at peace with that notion of calm which business of convenience brings. But, Shivaji Maharaj, Peshwa Bajirao, Maharana Ranjit Singh all showed, business is not the profession of those who want to lead a nation. Their profession is to walk a path of righteousness, of assuring protection to all those whose profession is business. Their profession is to quash - and this is the right word - any descent to the order of things or any threat  to the existence of their nation. And we have examples from our own history for the same too.

By not teaching the 'right' history, we are discarding the unilateral thread that binds us all - and I mean all the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, everyone! We are a nation today and an average Indian Muslim and Christian is equally proud of this heritage. Let's not allow these politicians to play dirty games with us. Let's learn our real history and let's pledge that now that we a nation, we develop this idea of India further. Let us not keep the room for grudging acceptance of what is facts. Fact is, our civilisation has faced a holocaust of its own and for centuries. Billions have lost lives in that. There is also, a Hindukush signifying the extent to which we have been persecuted. Let us learn from our history and behave like a nation... Let us learn our  REAL HISTORY!