Kattyavarchya Gappa (Leisure Chit-Chat)

The other day I was having a nice time with a handful of good friends at Bal Gandharv (our regular katta). We had met after a while, and as usual SS was late (I believe she always follows the right time, but misses the right time zone..). HK, OK and I were having the regular boyish talk when BA joined. The regular “Kasa Ahes”, “Kuthe Ahes”, “Persistent kadhi join kelis??” , “Me job sodla, kantalle” etc. followed suit.

It was BA who actually started the topic, unknowingly when she mentioned she had cleared her second paper of “Jyotish Shastra”. Then began the discussion, we now had a fodder to feed us at least for a couple of hours. We had BA, who is into Astrology, and we had HK, who is into Astronomy. OK and I were pretty excited to get our kundalis read by BA; thanks to HK’s mobile astronomy software, we immediately had the positions of stars, planets, zodiac and what not on a small piece of paper.

“Shani chi dasha vakra aahe”, “Mangal varchya gharat aahe”..BA began…”Aga samjel asha bhashet bol…paisa kiti aahe???”- OK said, making his interests clear :-). “Ahe bharpur, pan baki pan aik na..sarkha kay paise..” BA was quick to reply.
While OK was having fun knowing his future, HK was getting the celestial positions during my birth time on a rough chit of paper. “Are tuzi patrika mast aahe…Shani ani Mangal doghehi varchya gharat aahet…Shanichi krupa aahe..” I felt excited :), still wanted our astrologer to comment. It was then that my right hand started itching when she said- “Near future madhe bharpur paise milnaar ahet..” ;). “Aga pan Rashit Mangal aahe...mhantat na changla nasto” I said getting things clearer about these matters which may be of help in near future for obvious reasons :). “Aahe pan varchya gharat, so don’t worry- Kalyankari asto”- BA’s reply.

Meanwhile SS arrived, although my watch said 8 pm, she was at the right time- 6:30 pm (No matter if it was 6:30 in Dubai then..who cares??). SS has something to discuss on everything, and that means- everything. Do you really believe in astrology, how far can it be true, is it reliable, what is the basis? OK had begun “discussing” the matter. HK, as always, was playing safe- “Whatever I say is based on astronomy- I only speak of the celestial positions at the birth time…its interpretation may differ from astrologer to astrologer, and astronomy has a scientific base.”, I agreed. “Whatever normal astrologers say is based on ‘Statistical data’”, and then we had to hear HK say “Statistical data” at least 10 times in the next 30 minutes :-). “But science itself to an extent is based on hypothesis”- aamchya SS was quick in posting a comment that required no moderation.

This discussion was getting juicier with additions from everyone. From regular hear-say to genuine experience, from Nostradamus to Narendra Dabholkar (Andhashradhha Nirmulan Samiti)- we had a comment on everything. OK went on- “There’s nothing called Luck- the harder we work, the luckier we get”..this time it was me to reply “Agreed, but why were you and I not born to some Bachhans or Kapoors, what hard work did Abhishek Bachchan do to be born with a silver spoon?” unlike the trend, we had a question for every answer :).

“Abhishek was born under the influence of certain heavenly bodies who had some silver spoons ready, this is as per ‘Statistical Data’”- SS cha Puneri chimta.

It was sheer fun and some info as well. But on a serious note- do you believe in Astrology? Do you think positions of heavenly bodies can influence our lives? Do you think good deeds of present life act as good investments to reap benefits in the next life?

For me personally, it is a thing I do not believe, maybe I never will, but a recent experience was shocking (whatever experience I had was not something one can ignore or deny). More so now- I want to believe on the correct interpretation of these celestial positions (if at all astrology is purely based on it) but I don’t want to make it a base to my future decisions in the farthest way. I do believe in reincarnation, and maybe my good deeds in past life have resulted in a good life for me this time…where I have such great friends ;).

Patriotism – What is it?

Patriotism is commonly defined as love for / devotion towards one’s country. Being specific makes me think- what exactly is a person supposed to love or be devoted to to be called a patriot? Is it the love for landscapes, rivers, natural beauty found in the country, which may very much be similar to what is found in other nations?
Or should a person love his country for the mere fact that s/he was born here (appreciate a coincidence?). Is it loving the fellow countrymen and supporting administrative / cultural decisions taken by the country governors?

I believe patriotism is a broad term which covers everything a person does (consciously or unconsciously) to preserve his / her nation’s integrity, and carries his / her share of responsibilities towards building a better society. Patriotism doesn’t require futile rhetoric or criticizing other nations, but should be more constructive and reflect through everyday activities.


PATRIOTISM IN INDIA

Patriotism in India is a relative term, and the notion differs with differing social groups, politicial entities and social sectors. While a politician may display a surge in (mostly pseudo) patriotism during an election rally, youngsters tend to get patriotic with every other win in cricket.
We start speaking of patriotism only when there is something to instigate it, a win in a sport, a gold medal at the Olympics, an award at the Oscars, or release of a patriotic movie.


Indian Hypocrisy:

We Indians stand up for our National Anthem, but fail to respect our national heritages that are a witness to great national sacrifices. We feel proud of one of the fastest growing economies, but also contribute to the growing filth in the cities. We represent the oldest and the best civilisation, but fail to remain civilised in public.


India lives in history:

Come 15th August, and emails start pouring in our inboxes. Email from people who feel proud of a prosperous nation India was, a wealth of culture and heritage that our ancestors enjoyed, and off course of the scientific and mathematic contributions Indians made in the past. But how long are we going to live in a properous history when present facts speak loud and clear- More than 30% of Indian populace lives below poverty, India represents one of the worst literacy rates in the world, one of the most corrupt countries on earth.

Lets be proud of yesteryears, but instead of wasting time boasting it, lets work today to build a better tomorrow, so that generations to come shall feel proud of their present, as much as we feel for our past.