The Hangman

The day has come, for another one,

To be sent across to the other side

And I am called, to do my part

To pull the lever, to end the ride

 

His eyes meet mine, as he is brought

Onto the pole of final redemption

And I am answering, through that glance

Those last doubts, that closing question

 

He is asked, to say his prayers,

Before the veil covers his face

And I am forced, to listen again

To an unknown God, he makes his case

 

They place the noose, around his neck,

As he says sorry for a life of crime

And I get ready, to clasp my hands

Another blood, on these hands of mine

 

They give the signal, to move the lever,

He moves a little a few more times

And I close my eyes, as those muscles flex

Some unfinished words, many unheard lines

 

His soul departs, and crosses mine

His last breath mingles with my sigh

And I am left, confused as ever,

The purpose of my life, is to make sure they die

 

Is there a retribution, for what I do?

Is there a place for me up there?

As I am still, struggling to find,

In this world of sin, my sinful share

Worthwhile?

Peaches, melons, and dark purple grapes,
Our life should be crystals, pearls and heavy drapes
Trapped in the pile of past, untamed desires
Burning through our million lives' funeral pyres

Writ by us, and un-writ by us as well,
Our destiny follows us, but we can't tell
For our beliefs, are turned upside down
Did our smile come first? Or was it the frown?

The tidal waves of multiple dreams so colorful
Wash us away, with overwhelming push and pull
And we allow ourselves to be dragged around
By random thoughts that are lost and found

It might hurt, but imagine this way,
Your Merc and BMW, if they take it all away
Would you still be defined by what you really are?
Or are you just the total, of a yacht, a house, and a hand-crafted car?

Strange it may seem, that you will leave it all behind,
All that you have fought for, this life full of grind
And then you return, to the same river with a different bend
A million uncertain dreams, and one certain end

So will this end be the actual final departure?
Or will I be searching again for a greener pasture?
I know the choice rests right here in me
But when the light shines, will I be there to see?

Secrets...

I am currently reading four somewhat inter-related books these days (though on the face of it, they may not necessarily appear to be linked) -- Bhagavad Gita, The Secret, The Science of getting rich, and Master-key-System. Our religions and probably our elders would not obviously allow us to associate the words "rich" and "Gita" very closely. But if we go a little deeper, we realize that no God has ever been against the concept of prosperity in a positive sense. Or abundance, which is actually what really being rich is all about.

And that is where these four texts seem to merge. A common theme running across all of them is the presence of an Omnipotent, Omnipresence power existing all across this universe. A power that is actually very favorable to us (if we believe it to be). A power that strongly advocates lavish abundance. Look at the way Mother Nature creates things -- the vast expanse of really lofty mountains, the unending Oceans, the extremely, over-the-top greenery of trees, and not to mention the millions of species present only on this Earth, which is but a very small component in the entire universe. And the Bhagavad Gita clearly articulates that the owner of this entire creation (Lord Krishna) is present everywhere and anywhere (Omnipotent, Omnipresent). The other three books have a very simple premise (and something which we keep hearing in various shapes and forms) -- "The answer lies within". Very simple, very powerful, yet something which we all keep forgetting.

This infact, takes me back to an earlier post where we were discussing choices, and that there are really no accidents. These books actually delve deeper into why there can actually be no accidents, and that every single thing or event that happens around us, has it's origin inside us. And this is precisely where they become contradictory to all that we have experienced and been taught. We are happy when something good happens to us, and we are not so happy otherwise. In short, our beliefs tell us that the cause is outside us, and the effect is what happens inside us. These books (including the Gita) clearly turn this illogical concept upside down and point at the final truth -- The cause is inside us, the effect is what happens outside. And if we are in tune with the Universe (or God, or Nature, or whatever it is that we believe runs all across), then this Omnipotent entity will definitely cause things to happen in accordance with whatever thoughts we harbor).

This simple thing is actually the only Secret we will ever need to know...

Crazy..

Some people are worried they might go crazy one day. What with all this recession (and yet a somewhat positive stock market) and all kinds of people turning into statistical percentages. Percentage of people who lost their homes, percentage of people who can't dream anymore about owning a home, percentage of people who played around with other people's homes... you get the drift.

And who would you trust around you? The about to be enthroned UPA? Ketan Parekh? Those analysts on NDTV who claimed in Jan 08 that "markets would have support at 20000 in the short term"? Who is really keeping the markets afloat? Or would you think that Obama is the saviour? Nasdaq and Dow are inching up rapidly. So is the worst for the world over? Even if GM files for bankruptcy, even if credit card defaults are supposed to increase? What exactly does "consumer confidence index" measure? How do you measure optimism?

And all this accompanied by increasing problems on the personal front. I mean, just how many marriages (and that's another interesting statistic by the way) were actually based on "love", and not on the expanse of your downtown Manhatten villa? How many friendships are actually not based on social status, and the ability (mainly financially) to be "cool"? Would you respect your uncles as much if they turned up at your doorstep without a wallet-loosening gift stashed away in their coat pockets? Would you?

This has got me worried. And what I am worried about is not whether I will go crazy. But that I will never know when exactly did I cross the line...

Price-tags

I have been house hunting (No, that's not the excuse for not writing anything in March of 09). And I have begun to realize that you can attach a price tag to almost anything and everything.

One of your rooms has a view to what looks like a huge drain (they call it a Lake), and the per sq. ft. price goes up.
You can watch fifty pigeons bathing and shitting in the common pool below, and it's called "pool-facing".
There's one rotten tread-mill in the basement, and you have to pay "Clubhouse" charges.
The vaguely audible sea-waves, lashing a few kilometers away, would come with a "sea-facing" tag.
The convenience of watching huge movie posters and clothing banners would easily lead to a "mall-facing" qualifier, which translates to an additional Rs. to the psf rate.
And if from your window you can watch the crowd pouring into Siddhivinayak, then you must have paid a real hefty premium (God ain't cheap, certainly not in Mumbai)

The only consolation is that they haven't (at least till now) asked me for any premiums if the window opens into the bedroom of my neighbor...

Immoral police

Ancient mammoths imposing their will
Myopic vultures scooping down upon all
Fictitious religions, governed by fictitious Gods
Dwarf-minded dinosaurs, standing tall

Fighting to win their own wars,
The army of wall-builders arrives
Each bearing a sign they don’t understand
Fed on one large truth, of cumulative lies

Carrying bird-cages in their creepy hands,
Finding faults with those walking free
Destroying all hints of progress,
Self-claimed visionaries, who were not made to see

Hallucinating on ego-strengthening trips,
The tyrants claim they are more learned
In a time when shadows rule the bodies,
Illiteracy becomes a virtue of the over-educated

These quacks are playing, with fiery medicines,
Turning guinea pigs out of the innocent
Forked tongues, unleashing venom
Until their preys are fully spent


And so they haunt the unsuspecting millions
Specters marching, waving scepters
Bones of contention left in every plate,
By scheming villains, and glorified rainmakers

Choices...

I have been told (and have read the same) that all that takes place in our life is our own choice. Even Master Oogway reiterates this so many times to Master Shifu - "There are... no accidents". Though Shifu of course has a tough time believing that. I can understand that feeling.


I guess we all can. It's so easy for us when all that takes place in our life is not really attributed to us, but to a larger scheme; called "fate" or "destiny" or "God" (that is infact usually the first resort). I mean, how can there be "no accidents"? Our whole life began with a (literally) fucking accident. And they don't really stop as we move on through life. Sometimes accidents come in our way, and then there are times when we come in their way.


Like we all obviously remember the last time we just got "lucky", or the time when we were consoled with "Better luck next time". Like the time when you darkened one extra right circle in your CAT exam, or the time when you "somehow" missed the 8:25 Churchgate local, and your client walked into a different meeting by the time you reached... "Luck by Chance", as they say in Mumbai (and they even made a movie out of it -- where would they get all that money if there was no subject such as luck). And the biggest example of them all, is of course Slumdog... (Remember the catchy line - "It is written"?). But what was really written? The fact that there would be thousands of people born into the slums of Bandra, or the fact that a movie about them would go on to win 8 Oscars...?


And to proclaim that all those are our own choices - there's some disbelief bound to happen. I know there's the concept of Super-consciousness, consciousness, and sub-consciousness. And all our choices are made at either of these, or at a combination of these levels. How much have I chosen consciously , is something I have never consciously thought of though. I only have one thing to say to my super-conscious -- "You better be making some good choices mate. We are in this together afterall, aren't we?"

Back to the past...

There is hope, yet again. As the most common emotion floating around between the late hours of 31st December and 1st January. And for 2009, people do need a lot of hope... to get back into a mindset of thinking in terms of futuristic figures...
...It is interesting to note that most stock market indices are back to 2005-2006 levels. So are the inflation and GDP growth figures for a large number of economies. The FRR is back to 50s level, and gasoline prices are US are at 2004 range. And of course, the root cause, the real estate prices are trying to achieve a meaningful bottom.
Which is good, in a way. 2006 and 2007 had seen an irrational exuberance fuelled by severe greed amongst almost all businesses. 2008 dealt a rather harsh, sobering financial blow. Reality has that habit of hurting. And all these shocks, coupled with the demonic terrorist attacks on Mumbai, further affected the general sentiment.
Which is again, the reason why the common populace needs more than a bushel full of hope to lead their way into this new year. But like always, we are a resilient race. The size of the fight doesn't reduce inside us. The future, though unknown, can still look good if viewed with the right lenses. And here's the best part -- the choice of that lens, lies with us.
Happy 2009.