Speaking with Gandhi

"Nationalism?", questioned Gandhi. "Do you mean to question the struggle, that are based on principles of human-freedom and man's basic rights and paint it with Nationalism?"
"If not nationalism, why are you silent on all the chaos?" enquired the reporter.
"I belong to this country, but that does not mean that I would accept oppression at the hands of my native ruler - be it Buddhist or Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Atheist. If it were to happen, I would struggle with same strength and intentions as I was against the English. Remember, questioning the rule does not necessarily mean being anti-national."

"So what would be your comments on the likes of 'Arundhati Roy', 'Noam Chomsky', and 'Rachel Corrie'?", came the question out of blue.

Gandhi was silent for a moment, he gazed into the saffron flames that were making a crakling noise the flames were as if dancing in a ritual ceremony around the dead wood and the wooden-stove was busy in the process of reducing the wood into ashes.Gandhi slowly proceeded to answer the last question.

" Although there are various things that I do not agree or approve of their methods, but I do understand that they are trying to be the change that they want to see in the world.

To be honest, who does not want to see a happy and peaceful valley of Kashmir?, but the question that needs to be answered is 'What is Kashmir?', Is it just a piece of land or Is it the living spirit of : a child, a tree, a breeze, a snow-flake, that adds value and meaning to that piece of land. What is the meaning of the word 'Kashmir' without considering its people - It is people that make Kashmir and not the other way round."

As Gandhi was in the end of this conversation, there came a shout, "Bapu, Bapu ... Nandhini has given birth". Gandhi got up with the most beautiful smile a toothless face could sport, and said, "Excuse me Mr.Karan Thapar, It was nice speaking to you, let's end it here. I am in need of someone for help, the cow in our farm has given birth."

- A good person will resist an evil system with his whole soul. Disobedience of the laws of an evil state is therefore a duty. ~ Gandhi

P.S:
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It has been almost a century since India, Pakistan and China have been locked into conflict for the land of Kashmir, but the essential thing that all these three countries failed to understand is that 'The land of Kashmir', with its riches and beauty is not the real prize - instead it is the living souls and hearts that make Kashmir.

2010 = 'Hibernation turned on'

Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate.

That is a dictionary definition of hibernation. How does it apply to me ? I was in a period of "Materialistic hibernation", 2010 was the year !

To be honest anyone reading this post would take me to be a nut-case or irresponsible & confused idiot, and (this might be going overboard :P ) for the girl who is looking for a possible partner-in-all mould in me, you're gonna hate this.

2010 was the final member on the 2000's decade-list, and a year worth remembering for me (when I grow really old) as one where I made impact-decisions and probably in your language 'executing stupidity'.

This is going to be a peek back into the past and contemplating(smiling) on the money and resource(time & effort) involved in carrying out a self-deception and jumping-platforms to avoid contact with myself !

December 2010 - Vagabond version 2.0: Backpacked to Kerala 2 weeks at : Ernakulam, Kochi, Kottayam, and Alappuza. This was more exciting as here I landed in a place where I do not understand the local language !

November 2010 - Drifted to Chennai, and got to meet this strikingly beautiful lady, a divorcee - a life changing experience. And an old-foe came back to haunt my thoughts of my career that were lingering at back of my mind and so, I decided to get dirty & experimented my career-track on SAP-ABAP and hence joined training at SIEMENS, Chennai - which cost me about 0.375 million INR. The result was pretty impressive, I am now a 'Certified SAP Associate', and got interview calls from SIEMENS, Mahindra-Satyam, Amazon, Cognizant & CSC and I didn't take them simply because I wanted some time to ease around & I was not ready to switch into a 'money-making-machine' overnight. Hence kept idea of getting back to my Career as a 2011 New-Year resolution!

October 2010 - Vagabond version 1.0 : Backpacked to Coastal Tamilnadu 3 weeks at: Tanjore, Nagapattinam fisherman villages, Nanillam, and Rural-Trichy - on foot, carts, bike, bus and train !

It was an experience of common-man (about 80% of people on this planet), you land somewhere in middle of night and have nowhere to go or like you are in urgent need to use toilet and all you can see are empty fields and water-canals !

*Darn Amazing*

My diary has been flooded with all the emotions (both ugly & beautiful) I could capture within self during this ride.

September 2010 - My life was at a fork (with four ends or more ..):

• Continue the efforts on taking the Post Graduation
• Shut-up thinking and get back to the industry using previous work experience, 3.5 years was a pretty good bet (but the idea as whole was not appealing to me)
• Look for alternate technologies and shift the previous work experience (Electronics, SAP, Java or whatever .. keep thinking)
• WTH else was there to do ? become a vagabond, kill the money & technology, lost from friends & parents (for that brief period !) - This was an idea that seem adventurous and I acknowledged this whisper that came from the back of my mind. I threw away my mobile, plastic-cards, and packed my bags for a series of hitch-hiking with Marx, Engels, Nietschze, Freud, Imran Hosein, Machiavelli & Muhammad Asad joined me on both the journeys.

August 2010 - Life is not all that you run behind for a rich-lavish and carry out the biddings of the society imposed on you: School-Education(which sucks by the way!), A Course for Big Career, A Career for Big-Money, Big money to fill your bones in golden coffin. This is self-deception, and Money sucks big !

I was in a difficult situation of making choce : either ignore my inner-voice to live this robotic-materialistic-life "or" break the stereotype and follow in the quest in soul-searching. I was undecided !

July 2010 - It was a strange feeling, usually this kind of situation would have left an impression of sadness on anyone else - It seems I was not among that 'anyone', It was like a deja-vu instead !

It seemed like an instant in present time-frame had happened to me again & again a million times in past. This month passed with marking my 26 years of life on this planet and an eye-opening & soul-awakening incident. My dearest uncle & aunt, both died in an accident.

June 2010 - By this time I had invested a lot (a lot really !) into the quest for Post-graduation: and if by any reason I were to back-out from this quest, that is 70000 INR going up in smoke literally & it happened :)

• My health failed me at most critical stage, I was diagnosed by digestion disorder and typhus. It was a "Pop" and everything vanished right before the eyes. (The atempts from my side to negotiate with the School for next-intake failed, my fee was paid-back with some cuts from the School).

May 2010 - Was offered scholarship on MBA from Kingston University (AMBA cluster) and was running high on plans and ideas; Would never have imagined that they could come to halt (but with a much-needed, intellectual & mature twist of circumstances)

April 2010 - I was offered a Dual-Masters from another top Singaporean University for June'10 admission- was surprised & eleated in these few weeks, and was in full swing of getting into check-lists, economics, visa application and stay etc.

March 2010 - My GRE & TOEFL mark-sheets reached home, Applied for MS in Logistics in Singapore(What was I thinking ! seriously ). I was Rejected!

February 2010 - I quit a job from one of the top most MNC that was paying me more than half-a-million per year. GMAT & MBA were on the menu.

January 2010 - That's when and where it all began ! :D

I was not impressed with the direction in which my life was shaping up, and decided to look for some change - a Post-Graduation ? or moving to a different Career/Industry. There was a surprise in waiting, and my life unfolded in front of me, and there was a whole new perception was installed on the quesion of self, world & social-responsibility.

If anyone do needs help on 'How to trash half-a-million?' - I am here for you :)

~ If I had a little less respect for money, I would not mind pissing on it.