Tag: faith

Holy How?!

Holy How?!

Does god exist?

I personally do believe in faith, and in a higher power, but one without a name or face. Culture and upbringing however, do tend to influence that faith with names and appearances. 

Unlike popular belief, India does not have 330 million gods. But of the comparatively fewer we do, festivals are celebrated in the grandest ways imaginable. The next few months marks some major religious festivals, including Janmasthami (just went by), Ganesh Chaturthi and Dussehra. The days on which these festivals are celebrated each year are determined by the Hindu calendar, and not the Gregorian calendar which is followed for all other purposes. And each year, in reference to the dates on the Gregorian calendar, festival dates can vary from a few days to a few weeks (Dussehra, for instance, fell on Oct. 24th last year as per the Gregorian calendar, and it is on Oct 14 this year).

Now we have all come across sensational news stories, of deities drinking water and milk, of others crying blood, and of some appearing in the sky. And yet, more often than not, Science has had a fairly sorted out explanation for most, if not all these ‘miracles’. So, apart from Science, do other gods exist too? 😉

Believe it or not, but when it comes some festivals here in India, every single year, it always rains around midnight on Janmashtami (barring a few exceptions like this year) and during Ganesh Chaturthi. And it’s not just light random drizzles. It often pours on those days. And till a day before, you could have sworn the monsoons had passed. Holy chow, aye?

Interesting? So, the question of whether god exists or not, wasn’t to spark a debate, but to see if you have a logical explanation for this one?

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Not So Strong

I have never worn a Livestrong wristband, but I could well understand the degree of inspiration, faith and belief that people felt while sporting one of those bands, anywhere around the world. It came from not just any foundation doing work towards a noble cause, but from a foundation that was inspired by a cancer survivor, and by a winner. And what a winner too.! Seven consecutive Tour de France wins.!

After Lance Armstrong’s lifetime ban for alleged doping, the LiveStrong wristband does not have quite the punch. And Lance Armstrong Foundation could have been named Livestrong Foundation, and he could have resigned from its Board of Directors, but I don’t think the inspiration, faith and belief that was, can ever be re-built in the minds of the common man again.

In the words of Patrick Ness, “we are the choices we make.”

LIvESTRONG

Cartoons Against Cartoons

A 27-year-old Amit Katarnaware does not seem to have a problem with corrupt politicians and bureaucrats eating the nation alive, drinking the nation dry. But he does have a problem with a few cartoons that just attempt to depict the sorry state those corrupt people in power have brought this nation to.

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How convenient is that? Amit, if you have so much love for your nation and so much enthusiasm and energy to oppose anyone who attempts to compromise on the respect due to it, why don’t you just go and take the corrupt bloodsuckers in power to task instead? In case it did not strike you, the characters in those cartoons are the ones to blame, not the one who created the awareness messages, genius.!

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And of course the guilty would react the way they do, allowing Aseem Trivedi to face the heat. It’s a natural reaction to guilt.

But seriously, if an educated man cannot differentiate between the real culprits and someone expressing the sad but true state of affairs, India still has a long way to go before corruption will cease to exist.

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To put it simply so that you (Amit) can understand, once corruption ends in our country, everything from the Constitution to the  Ashoka Pillar to national pride to even our faith and belief in our elected “public servants”, everything will automatically be restored to original glory.

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Click here for more Cartoons Against Corruption.

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