Possession or Multiple Personality Disorder

Recently I watched the Hindi movie 1920. The storyline of the movie is about possession and exorcism. I have seen a number of movies on exorcism. Possessed person is somebody in whose body an evil spirit or spirits reside. Exorcism is the method in which evil spirits are forced out from a possessed person.
I do not believe in God. I do not believe in spirits or ghosts. When I was younger I often wondered how people got possessed if there were no ghosts and spirits. Now I know that the "possessed person" suffers from a psychological condition called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) describes Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) as "a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a condition in which a single person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities, each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. The diagnosis requires that at least two personalities routinely take control of the individual behavior with an associated memory loss that goes beyond normal forgetfulness; in addition, symptoms cannot be due to substance abuse or medical condition". Earlier versions of the DSM named the condition multiple personality disorder (MPD).

The symptoms, causes and treatment mentioned below are what I got from the Internet when I searched for DID.

Symptoms

• Multiple mannerisms, attitudes and beliefs that are dissimilar to each other
• Headaches and other body pains
• Distortion or loss of subjective time
• Depersonalization
• Amnesia
• Depression

Patients may experience an extremely broad array of other symptoms that resemble epilepsy, schizophrenia, anxiety, Mood disorders, post traumatic stress, personality, and eating disorders.

Causes

The causes of dissociative identity disorder have not been rightly identified.
The causes are linked with the following:

• Overwhelming stress,
• Traumatic antecedents,
• Insufficient childhood nurturing,
• An innate ability to dissociate memories or experiences from consciousness.
• Prolonged childhood abuse

Treatment

Treatment of DID may attempt to "reconnect" the identities of the disparate alters into a single functioning identity. Treatment methods may include psychotherapy and medications.

But there is an important question that is bothering me. If there is nothing called possession then how come people with DID has been cured by exorcism? I am waiting to get hold of a psychiatrist or psychologist to get the answer.

Sexual Liberation

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

INDIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM - The BEST National Anthem in the World?

"UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) announces INDIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM as the BEST National Anthem in the World" was the subject of a mail that was recently circulated. There is also information on the Internet that it is a hoax email. Check the link http://teck.in/indian-national-anthem-is-the-best-national-anthem.html

The following are the wordings of the national anthem:

Jaana Gaana Maana Adhinayaka Jayehe
Bharata bhagya vidhata;
Punjaba Sindhu Gujarata Maratha,
Dravida Utkala Banga,
Vindhya, Himachala, Jamuna, Ganga,
Ucchhala Jaladhitaranga;
Taba Shubha Naame Jaage
Taba Shubha Ashish Maage
Gaye taba jaya gaatha.
Jana gana mangala dayaka jaya he
Bharata bhagya vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he,
Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!

The following is the english translation of the National Anathem:

O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, the Maratha country,
in the Dravida country, Utkala and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
it mingles in the rhapsodies of the pure waters of Yamuna and the Ganges.
They chant only thy name.
They seek only thy auspicious blessings.
They sing only the glory of thy victory.
The salvation of all people waits in thy hands,
O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people
Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee,
Victory, Victory, Victory, Victory to thee!

There was controversy regarding making "Jana Gana Mana" as the national anthem of India. Tagore wrote the poem in December 1911 at the time of coronation of George v. Some people considered the poem written in praise of the king. They argued Tagore was calling the king, "the overlord of India's destiny".

Tagore said he wrote the poem in honour of God. In a letter to Pulin Behari Sen,Tagore wrote:
"A certain high official in His Majesty's service, who was also my friend, had requested that I write a song of felicitation towards the Emperor. The request simply amazed me. It caused a great stir in my heart. In response to that great mental turmoil, I pronounced the victory in Jana Gana Mana of that Bhagya Vidhata [God of Destiny] of India who has from age after age held steadfast the reins of India's chariot through rise and fall, through the straight path and the curved. That Lord of Destiny, that Reader of the Collective Mind of India, that Perennial Guide, could never be George V, George VI, or any other George. Even my official friend understood this about the song. After all, even if his admiration for the crown was excessive, he was not lacking in simple common sense."

Vande Mataram was rejected as national anthem of India on the grounds that Muslims felt offended by the song's depiction of the nation as "Mother Durga", a Hindu goddess.

If I was in a position of power when "Jana Gana Mana" was considered for the national anthem, being a rationalist, I would have protested and tried my best to choose a poem with a theme that was not religious but patriotic.

Kerala - God's Own Country

This weekend I am planning to go to Kerala, my native place. Kerala is also known as God's Own Country. The state is also known as God's own country with devil's own people.
If you are a first time visitor to Kerala, you will be amazed by its beauty. There are hill stations, beaches, backwaters, wild life, historic places, palaces, islands and trekking spots. As a tourist you will find the keralites a friendly lot too. They will blow you over by their wisdom and experience. I am proud to be a keralite and the moment I touch the boundary, I enter a mental state of contentment.
But, beneath all this superficial beauty and wisdom, there are some realities that I have noticed. Keralites are very hypocritical. When they are outside Kerala, Keralites are very adjusting people. But once inside kerala something in the wind changes them. They become very opinionated, stubborn, with strong political views, and without dignity of labour.
Long back I read somewhere that the country's highest number of suicides and mental derangement are reported from kerala. A kerala boy living outside kerala might have many girlfriends but once he reaches Kerala, he will not talk to any unknown girls. He will be the ideal son and brother.
I agree there are many negative points in other states of India too. Might be a lot more, but none of the states are marketed as God's own country by the tourist department. When your state has got that tag, you wish God's own people also live there.

My Book

The book I always dream of writing will be called “I am, so am I”. Through my book, I want to give back to society in terms of projecting some issues, creating awareness, and questioning traditions and superstitions. I want to inspire and move millions, both with the plot and the words.

The center character will be a counselor. There will be seven plots in the form of six people coming to the psychiatrist (female) for counseling and one plot is the story of the psychiatrist herself. The six people are 1) an ambitious person (female) in the corporate world. 2) A person (female) with a relationship problem. 3) A gay student coming to terms with his sexuality 4) An Internet addict (male), 5) A person with multiple personality disorder (female) 6) A God man (male).

The book will take give a glimpse into the human psychology to understand why people behave the way they do. The book will also be a motivational book, celebrating the indomitable human spirit.

The central character will closely hold all the seven plots. The book will be both controversial and engaging.

Perception is not Reality

Many a time the truth is not what we already know or what we like to hear. There are many traditions that we follow blindly. Unless we look at some issues of life without any bias for what they are we cannot under the issue as a whole. We evaluate a person or a circumstance according to our perception.
There is a story that shows how changing our perception can give a completely different picture of the situation: -
A young woman was sitting in the airport waiting for her delayed flight. She went and bought a box of cookies to eat and kept it in her cabin bag. She took her seat in the waiting area. Next to her seat was middle-aged man. After reading her magazine for some time, she reached to her bag and took out the box of cookies and opened it. As soon as she took a cookie from the box, the man next to her also took one.
She was stunned. “What an ill mannered man”, she thought. But because she did not want to create a scene over some cookies, she did not say anything and behaved as if she did not mind.
For every cookie she took from the box, the man also took one. At last they came to the last cookie. Then the man did a very strange thing, he took the cookie, broke the cookie into half and gave her half. “This is the height of inappropriateness”, the woman thought. “Wait till I get back to my friends and tell about this strange man”.
The woman’s flight arrived and she left the man still sitting there. In the flight, when she reached to take a tissue from the bag, she found her box of cookies intact. All the while, she was eating from the man’s box of cookies. All on a sudden all the bad impression she had formed about the man changed into good ones. She was able to see the man with a new light. A change in perception led to a change in opinion.

Reservation

The Reservation Bill for professional courses and private jobs has created quite a stir in the Indian sub continent. A large number of students, especially medical students protested against the bill. There were instances of violence too. Political parties twist the issue to their benefits.
The students argue that admissions to higher education and private jobs should be on the basis of merit.
Government is providing free school and subsidized college education to poor students. But a student who is educated from a government school is never at par with a student who gets private education. The quality of government education is very poor. The government should take steps to address this issue of gap in quality of government and private education.
Students who appear for competitive exams for professional courses take tuition. These tuition are very expensive and unaffordable by poor students. The rich kids could take the tuition and pass the competitive exams not because they are superior but just because their parents had money. Reservation for poor students is a way to address this issue unless the government conducts tuition for the poor students or agrees to pay for their tuition costs.
Until the government addresses the issue of quality gap in government and private education and bearing of tuition costs for competitive exams, reservation should be given to poor students. Reservation shouldn't be caste based but all poor students irrespective of caste and creed should get the benefit.
There are people who are of the view that people from lower caste should get reservation because even today it is the lower caste people who do menial jobs like toilet cleaning and sweeping.
What the government can do is go for conditional reservations. In areas where even today there are untouchables, reservation should be caste based. In areas where the caste system has stabilized reservation should be for poor people irrespective of caste. There are even places in India where minority groups like Muslims and Christians bear the burnt. In such places reservation should be given to the minority groups.
It is high time people in India understood the Dignity of labor and came forward to take up any job.

Future

The past is gone there is no use being haunted by your past. If you think you are a no one at present. Don’t worry work on you future. It is yours. Start working for it. Write down what you want to be in the future. Don’t set unrealistic goals. I quote a poem I wrote on "Future".

“FUTURE” – An ode

Hail to thee, my beloved

Forever by me bothered

My sole hope, thou knowest

Life to thee, l, owest

The worried of hidden past

The sorrows of half-hid present

Wiped out and made humorous

When thy apparition in mind’s eye credulous

Thy presence makes me feel wonderful

Promises to thee my head full

Night after night tossing in bed

Sleep for me alone dead

Thought after thought mincing heart small

I, for means striving, to make it whole

Oft secure only in thy encircling hands

Oh! What ecstasy! Ere dawn, flying over lands.

Thou art my life, hope, my creation

Otherwise serene my sole recreation

When asked about my inspiration

Thy propelling power, I mention

To them, I say, who call me crazy

“Thou art in thy opinion racy”

Care not about the hidden past

Your struggle canst wipe it least

Little bother about half-hid present

That’s soon to become parcel of past

Yonder the future; grasp it, make it thy creation

There by a protector too, that’s my notion

Welcome to thee my prosperous future

Pine I for thee, than any other creature.

Rules for Sucess

A few basic rules to become a success are:-

1) Failures are the stepping stones to success. If you fail don’t give up hope. Learn from your failures what went wrong and try again.
2) Everything in this world started as an idea so action should follow plans. Knowing what to do and taking the right steps lead to success.
3) Develop your potential.
4) Do not procrastinate.
5) Always have an optimistic attitude.
6) Put in lots of hard work.
7) Pride goes before a fall. Always be humble but be stern whenever necessary.
8) What you think you are, you become. So think of yourself as a success.

Last Words

I would like to quote the last words of a few famous people who were not prepared for their death, who didn’t know what real achievement was:-

1. Caesare Borgia the statesman said “During the course of my life I have made provisions for everything, but I forgot about death, now I must die completely unprepared”.

2. Voltaire the famous cynic had a terrible end. His nurse said “For all the money in Europe I would not want to relieve that evening. He cried for forgiveness the whole night.”

3. David Hume, the atheist desperately shouted his last words “I am in flames!”

4. King Charles IX, said as he died, “My soul, my soul, what will become of you?”

5. Sir Winston Churchill whispered “what a fool I have been.”

6. Lenin died in mental derangement, imploring chairs and tables for forgiveness.

Achievement

Let us look at a poem which talks about real achievement.

Achievement

“That man is a success who has lived well,
laughed often and loved much,
who has gained the respect of intelligent men,
and the love of children,
who has filled his niche and accomplished his tasks,
who leaves the world better than he found it,
whether by an improved poppy,
a perfect poem, a rescued soul,
who never lacked appreciation of earth’s
beauty or failed to express it,
who looked for the best in others
and gave the best he had."

Anonymous

Religious Practices: Rich Lady and Chicken

Let us look at a story which helps us to understand now many of the religious traditions came into practice.

Once a rich lady called some friends together for dinner. She bought chicken and just before cooking, she cut half the chicken and threw it into the dustbin. Her friends were very curious by he act. “Why did you do that”? they asked “My mother used to do it but I am not sure whey she did it.” the rich lady replied. So one day her friends went to her mother to get an explanation.
“Well, my mother used to do it so I copied her” the mother replied. The friends were all the more curious. One day all of them went to the rich lady’s grandmother’s house. The old lady was very old and weak and they thanked their stars that they could meet her before she said farewell to this world. “Well”, she began feebly when the question was put to her, “ at that time we just had a small cooker and we didn’t have a refrigerator, so there was no option but to throw away what didn’t fit in the cooker. At that time chicken wasn’t as costly as today.”

This is how most of our religious practices are. We just don’t question why we do it.

Jumping to conclusions: Blind Men and Elephant

The four blind men had never seen an elephant as they were blind from birth. All of them had heard a lot about elephants. One day someone brought an elephant to them and said “Touch and feel how an elephant is”. The first blind man touched the trunk and said “The elephant might look like a snake because it feels like a snake”. The second blind man touched the ear and said “ you are wrong the elephant might look like a fan”. The third blind man touched the tip of the tail and said “Both of you are wrong the elephant might look like a broom”. The fourth blind man touched the foot of the elephant and said “The three of you are wrong the elephant might look like the trunk of tree”.
Can we say each of them were correct? No can we say each of them were wrong? No, each of their version plus a lot more is the truth. Do we jump to conclusions just hearing one part of the whole?

Gandhiji

When in college I wrote an article “Gandhiji – will he got promotion to the state of a divine being” for the college magazine, which shows how gods are created. The article is written here for your reference.

“Gandhiji – I love him, admire him, respect him – words just can’t express my feelings for that great man, who sacrificed his life for a great cause. But why I have often wondered. This enabled me to develop my “Theory of respect of Admiration” according to my theory, “A person respects or admires or adores another because the better has some qualities which the former wishes to have or are capable of deeds which the former never can”. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi had many qualities which I wish to have especially his simplicity, I also think it is very difficult for me to do even a fragment of what he did for this beloved country of ours.

Even though Gandhiji, addressed so by the people respectfully, has been dead only for five decades or so he seems to be a legend to the present young generation. “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one walked on this earth in flesh and blood”.This was the tribute paid by Albert Einstein to Gandhi.

I agree that its difficult to grasp the fact that a man with such a gentle and soft voice,with such a frail and diminutive figure , clad in a loin cloth attained freedom for a vast nation like ours with his simple but very noble doctrines of non-violence and non co-operation. Nations all over the world are proud of one leader or other. But no nation has ever had or will have a great leader like Gandhi. His only weapon was his strong will power. He provoked awe and respect even in the British against whom he fought. They addressed him as the half naked hero. When he died the whole world was shocked as if another Christ had been nailed to the cross. Such was the impact of Gandhi on the times in which he lived.

My love for the great national hero forces me to take a few precautions. I have to take measure to prevent my children from being influenced by my admiration for Gandhi . The trouble is that when I respect him as a great leader they will start respecting him as a guru and their children will start respecting him as a guru and their children( my grandchildren) will in turn respect him as God. This is because as the generation gap increases the original qualities of the person are exaggerated, more and more enabling an ordinary man to evolve into a divine being.

This tendency was present more during the times when people didn’t have as much scientific knowledge as today or when people didn’t have scientific temper. This must be reason why not many religions are created today; there are only variations of present ones. After a century or two the attainment of our freedom from the British will be considered as a miracle performed by Gandhi.

This view in itself gives enough material for the brainy ones to argue against its probability by saying that if it were so then equally great national leaders like Lenin, Napoleon, Hitler, Julius Caesar, Alexander and the like would have experienced it. The above mentioned men were to a large extent admired for their physical strength or courage. Their love for service, patriotism etc didn’t extent to the people beyond a certain margin. In a way it is not wrong to say that they were selfish. But Gandhiji’s word’s served as a soothing balm to every aching heart, irrespective of nationality, caste, creed and sex. Even without me mentioning all of you my co-citizens must know his greatness.

I can prove my view by referring to Sree Narayana Guru of Kerala. He was completely against idol worship. He wanted his followers to believe that one’s God was inside oneself. He advised them not to use liquor as it was poisonous. But what are his so called followers doing now. They have fixed his idols in glass cases all over Kerala so that people can ask for his blessings also put money in the attached money box on the pretext of attaining some wish or the other. (giving bribe to gods is common practice now?). The walls of some toddy shops in Kerala are adorned with his framed photograph with an electric candle burning in front of it. The drinkers have their quota of smalls, large or double large sitting below it. What a paradox!!!

Gandhiji’s greatness can be appreciated only if he is considered one among us – a man of the century. He not only preached but translated into practice the ideas of non – possession and voluntary poverty. He came down to the level of the poorest of the poor whom he wanted to serve. I am even ready to give up my life, to prevent our blind people from converting him into a divine being. But the trouble is that then I will got promotion to a great disciple or daughter or whatever the people fancy me to be of Gandhi to whom he appeared in a vision and asked to give up my life for the well being of his followers”.

Easily Gullible People

Most of the people in India are illiterate, the questioning spirit is not developed in youngsters, as a result the people take in anything told to them. For example let us take the issue of Globalization.
Some argue that due to globalization India will be reduced to a consumer state as all the Indian Companies will become extinct because of the cheap goods supplied by the foreign companies. If the MNCs can make profit, why can’t our Indian companies?
Some others argue that MNCs are exploiting the Indian people by not paying them as much as they pay to the American people. MNCs have brought employment to the impoverished regions, improved health care and educational levels, and increased the purchasing power of Indian people. Again there are people who argue that in MNCs people have to do night shifts which will affect the body clock. What about the lakhs of doctors and nurses who do night shifts? Like these many people put forward flimsy arguments on various topics to mislead the easily gullible people.

Lack of Patriotism

In America the world’s most developed country, every American is proud of their country. Even when they are wearing their flag as an under garment it is to show how much they love their country. Indians who are American citizens are proud of America.
We Indians just wait for a chance to get out of the country and live elsewhere. We do not respect our national heritage or take care of public property. In our country some politicians don’t mind sitting down when the National Anthem is sung.

Lack of Hygiene

Indian people especially men, who chew pan tend to spit anywhere. Children should be taught the habit of spitting only in wash basins. If they have a cold they should be taught to spit into a tissue paper which should be thrown in a dustbin. In urban areas people defecate in the open. They can’t be blamed for this. The government should take steps to give them the facility.
"Cleanliness is next to godliness"

Superstition & Tradition

India is a country where lots of superstitions prevail and outdated traditions are followed. People here have great belief in astrology and star signs. Superstitions and traditions are major hurdles in the way of India’s growth.

Female Infanticide

Due to the inequality between the sexes, the birth of a daughter is considered a burden by many families in India. The female fetus is destroyed in the uterus most of the time, the initiative being taken by the mother due to family pressure.
A woman who gives birth to a daughter is looked down by her in-laws. What determines the sex of a child?
The x or y chromosome from the husband’s gene which fuses with the x chromosome from the wife’s genes what determines the sex of a child. So the husband is entirely responsible for the birth of a son or daughter.
In this 21st century where brain is preferred over brawn, the females are marching way ahead of the males. 15 – 25 years from now females will evolve as the superior sex, so mothers should be proud of having daughters now.

Child Labor

Children who should be having their basic education can be seen working. The tomorrow of our country is in the hands of today’s children. If we don’t equip them properly, what tomorrow are we going to have?
Here is a poem which shows children learn what they live with:
"If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world. "

Basic education should be made compulsory for children, parents failing to send their wards to school must be punished. Children above 10 should be encouraged to take part time jobs 3-4 hours a day, so that they will get into the habit of earning a living.

Corruption

India is a very corrupt country. Most of the government employees want to earn money without working. Any one who gets a government job is considered to have won a lottery. They just have to join a union and go on a strike to get things going their way. Most of the police employed to keep law and order are corrupt. Criminals are created not born. When the whole system is corrupt, when most of our politicians have a criminal record, the youngsters are easily drawn towards crime.

Words of Wisdom from Abraham Lincoln

“You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift,
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong,
You cannot enrich the poor by impoverishing the rich.
You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they should do for themselves.”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

Population explosion in India

India is world’s second most populous nation in the world, while it is only the seventh largest in area. Human resource is the most importance resource of a nation. Illiterate people, people who do not possess adequate training for development, are not resources but liabilities to a nation. Thus development of human resource is essential. General education as well as technical education should be imparted.
Developed nations developed their natural resources only after development of human skills and technology. The development of human resources encourages development of natural resources not only to meet the local demand but also for export.
In order to develop the human resource we have to check the rapid human growth rate. In India the poor have children and the rich have money. As a result a large no of Indian people are below the poverty line.
A country’s prosperity can be calculated by taking the number of people below the poverty line. Every country aims to lower the poverty line. China is on its way to become a developed country by lowering its poverty line. This was mainly possible because China was able to check the rapid population growth rate. One reason behind the poor having these many children is that the women are illiterate, they don’t have a say in their reproductive matters, they are not aware about the contraceptives available.
What do so many children do? The parents compel them to earn for the family at a very young age by doing odd jobs. They don’t get proper education, they are deprived of their childhood, they become an easy toy in the hands of corrupt politicians and terrorists thus becoming anti-social elements.
They in turn corrupt other youngsters thus each day the crime graph will go up and the government has to spend a lot of money keeping a large police force. Crime committed for self existence also will increase. Unless India takes some stern steps like those taken by China to check this population growth, she will be marching towards becoming the most populous country in the world and becoming a developed country will be a far off dream.
No government is willing to take compulsory family planning measure in India due to the fear of hurting religious sentiments which will in turn affect their votes. Only the late Sanjay Gandhi had the guts. Hats off to him! But he died or was he murdered?
India is the world’s so called largest democracy. But a democracy will work in the way it should, only in a country where there is at least 90% literacy ( literacy doesn’t mean the ability to read and write but also the ability to think for oneself). In a true democracy people won’t vote for criminals. The vote bank won’t show a rise if you take film stars for campaign, people won’t be taken in by hollow promises, and last but not the least people cannot be bought with money. If we check the rapid population growth many evils like corruption, unemployment, increasing poverty line, begging, crimes etc. can be checked.

Exploitation

Right against exploitation is a Fundamental Right of every Indian citizen. What is the actual fact? The rich exploit the poor, the strong exploit the weak, the males exploit the females, the big exploit the small, the employers exploit the employees etc. Unless you know your rights, somebody is going to exploit you. Unless you know your duties you are going to exploit someone.

Red Tapism

It is a common complaint that files don’t move very fast in government offices unless some bribe is paid. What is the origin of such a practice? Some people had the money, they were not disciplined enough to stand in the queue. They lured the government employees with money to get their work completed before the work of the people who were in front of the queue. Thus the practice of paying bribes came into scene. Stern steps should be taken by the government. Both the bribe payers and the bribe takers should be severely punished. The common man should not pay a penny extra than the amount required.

Fundamental Rights and Duties

Given below are the fundamental Rights and Duties of every Indian citizen.
Fundamental Rights
1 Right to Equality.
2 Right to Freedom
a) Freedom of speech and expression
b) Freedom to assemble peacefully and without arms.
c) Freedom to form associations or unions.
d) Freedom of movement throughout India
e) Freedom to reside and settle in any part of the country
f) Freedom to practice any profession or to carry on any occupation, trade or business.
3 Right to freedom of religion.
4 Right against exploitation.
5 Cultural and Educational Rights.
6 Right to Constitutional remedies.
Fundamental Duties
1) To abide by the constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National anthem
2) To cherish and follow the noble ideas which inspired our national struggle for freedom.
3) To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
4) To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so.
5) To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people.
6) To value and and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture.
7) To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and have compassion for living creatures.
8) To develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of enquiry and reform.
9) To safeguard public property and to adjure violence.
10)To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity, so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of achievement.

Do you have a clear conscience?

There is a story which goes like this:

Once upon a time there was a very powerful and wealthy king. He had four wives.
The forth wife he loved very much, he loved her the most. He looked after her well, gave her delicious things to eat, spend a lot of time with her.
The third wife also he loved, he showed her off to the neighboring Kings. They envied him because of her. He always feared that one day she would run away with one of the neighboring Kings.
The second wife was also loved by the king. She was very wise. The King would always go to her for advice. She was very loyal to him.
The first wife loved him very much. He did not take much care of her. He did not feed her or clothe her well.
One day the king was badly wounded in a battle. He was on his deathbed. He knew his time had come to say farewell to the world. He thought of his four wives.
He called his fourth wife to him and asked her “I loved you the most, if I die now will you come with me?”. “Of course I won’t”, answered the fourth wife and walked away.
He called the third wife, “My time has come to say farewell to this world, will you come with me”, he asked her.
“No I won’t I have a lovely life ahead of me I will marry some one else and live happily”. She answered and walked away.
The King called the Second wife “I have always come to you for advice and you have never failed me, if I die today will you come with me”?
The second wife answered slowly “That would be impossible, At the most what I can do is, see to that all your last rites are done properly”.
“I will come with you” said a feeble voice from the corner of the room. The king turned to look at his first wife who was rarely noticed and taken care of by him. He was filled with remorse “If only I had taken care of you and loved you when I was capable, what a fool I have been, please forgive me” he said crying.
If we look at our lives we can notice that each of us has four wives in life.
The fourth wife is our body, to which we pay a lot of attention, to make ourselves attractive, the body becomes mud after we die.
The third wife is our wealth, which we like showing off, but which goes to someone else when we die.
The second wife, are our friends and relatives who will forget us after our death.
The first wife is our soul, according to many religions it is our soul which will remain with us after our death. To those who are not very religious, your fourth wife is your conscience, many a time we don’t have a clear conscience we have a prick of conscience.
When we are young we think, we are immortal or we have many more years to live and that we will sober down when we become as old as our grandparents, thus we indulge in the pleasures of life, each according to their means with a desire for more. For many men the three W’s in life are “wealth”, “women” and “wine”.
Buddha has said “Desire is the cause of all misery”.

Night Humors

This is one of my poems which show the changing attitudes of a person in childhood, adulthood and old age.

Night Humors

There was a time I with aching heart watched,
The sun hides behind the curtain,
The cows and crows homeward bound
The darkness swallows the earth
Confusion and fear filled my heart,
With passion great, I cried………..
“oh! Why is it so? Why is it so?”

This is the time I with bubbling youth watch
Moon and stars through gloom smile
Happy glow worms here and there glide,
All woes temporarily removed
Vague happiness fills my heart
With passion great, I screech……………
“Wow! It’s great to be so; it’s great to be so”.

There will be a time I with open eyes watch,
Murder and violence behind night protected,
Mask of preachers readily removed
Meaninglessness of life will painfully be felt
Understandable numbness will fill my heart
With passion great I‘ll muse ………………
“Yeah! Life is to be so, life is to be so”

What makes you impure?

Once upon a time a lion catches a young man who had just got married.
“Please leave me, I have just got married I want to enjoy life a little more”, pleaded the young man.
“No, I can’t do that, but I will give you two options:-
1) I will eat you only after killing you.
2) I will eat you alive part by part, so that when I eat each part of your body, eg: your legs, hands etc. you will feel the pain” replied the lion.
If you were in the young man’s place which option would you have chosen? Of course, 90 percent of us would select the the first option.
Suppose you kill a hen and put it to the ground after a few days you will find only the skeleton.
Cut a potato in half and put it on the ground after a few days it will grow up into a potato plant.
So you exercise the first option of the lion when you are eating non vegetarian, food and the second option when you are eating vegetarian food.
When you are chopping the potato or any vegetables for your dish it is crying loudly in a voice you can’t hear, till it goes inside the frying pan. Do you have any idea how much pain and stress the potato undergoes? Because you cannot hear the potato scream you think your act is justifiable?
How will you justify this if you are vegetarian just because you are against killing and you look down on the non vegetarians?
It is not what goes into your mouth and then your stomach that makes you impure, but what comes out of your mouth as rude words and your evil thoughts and your evil actions that make you impure.

Genre of my Blog

I was divulging deep into myself to find out why there are long absence in between posts. The reason dawned on me after much thinking. It was not because i was not comfortable putting my thoughts to black and white, it was not because I did not have topics to write about, and it was not also because i did know to write.
It was because I had not decided upon the nature of topics I would write on my blog. Till now, I suppose I have written about controversial topics from a rationalist perspective. I did not want the blog to be biographical or I did not want people reading my blog to quench their urge to peep into somebody else life.
I have decided that whatever I write on this blog will be to question the reader's normal thought process. To look at everything from a different perspective.

Communal Violence

I recently read in papers about the communal violence against Christians in Some parts of Karnataka, especially Mangalore. The attackers, I wish to call them terrorists, claimed the attack was because the Christians were trying to convert the poor Hindus to Christianity by luring them with money and other gifts.
Right to Religion and Right of expression are fundamental rights of every Indian citizen. People have the right to follow any religion they want and people also have right to tell about their views and religion to others and make them accept those views and religion as long as it is not forced or done at gun point.
Many of my colleagues, although they were against the act of violence by the terrorists were of the opinion that Christian missionaries were at wrong as they were trying to buy the people with money. Their argument was these people are illiterate and cannot think for themselves.
Me being a rationalist, my question is, what is wrong in buying people if they are willing to be bought? What good is a religion to a person that he is willing to change for money? Is violence the solution? Can't the terrorists buy them back if they can be easily bought?
Every election we see politicians buying poor people and getting elected. What do they do after coming to power? How come all of us are quiet about the politicians? At least, the christian missionaries have left lucrative opportunities and are trying to serve not make themselves richer.