Hate Me

Hate me for what I am,

Hate me for what I do,

It’s completely your look-out,

I won’t complain, nor will I boo.

Opinions matter the most,

And so does a personal view,

It’s just a matter of perspective,

And it does not stand firm just for you.

Do not accept it,

But just give it a thought,

If you can’t even manage that,

Then may our democracies rot.

Make fun of my view,

I’m open to that as well,

But you make it personal,

Then you can go to hell.

Debates are best,

When enjoyed with ethics,

It’s thought provoking for others,

And enjoyable also for the critics.

Doing anything to prove the self right,

That’s not what it takes,

You shall end up being at war,

‘Cause angry is what that action makes.

Accept and know,

Before you raise your finger,

What is said is gone,

Words never do linger.

Hate me all you like,

Even for my mere existence,

I’m fine with that completely,

I’m as touchy as a non-living substance.

Don’t judge me,

On what you can alone see,

It will take you to my wrong side,

‘Cause you can never know me.

A feeling this was,

A thought in a short note,

I even made this abrupt end rhyme,

By mentioning a silly Billy goat!

PS: This is not written for anyone specifically, and has been written only for the purpose of being a good read.

Sex, Drive and Voting

“1 vote ki kimat tum kya jaano Ramesh Babu?”

Deepika waving her black marked finger into the air proudly while she says this. Well, that would have roused more voters than the ‘visa’ advert. In these on-going elections, the voting percentage has gone up due to 1 main reason: everyone wants voting selfies. But yes, it’s true that the voter turnout has risen and the main reason has been the increased awareness in people to vote and to exercise their fundamental duty.

The reasons don’t matter, unless it’s for the good of our nation. Seeing the largest democracy working hard to provide all the citizens their rights is a feeling of awesomeness. And even though I crib a lot about what goes on, I must say that I’m proud to be an Indian. (Nothing is perfect, is it?)

Not a dot of sarcasm, or even the build up for a story, or even a rhyming verse. Weird that, coming from me. Well, here I begin.

It’s voting day here in Mumbai, and all my family has gone to vote. And why am I not there with them? Yes, it’s sadly true that I’m not voting. Now there is that confusion in your minds- here I am lecturing you about voting, and I myself am not voting. PS: I can’t vote, and due to the fact that I’m not of age. God no!

But well, laws are laws. I’d say that our constitution has the best laws (this is said with a mixture of sarcasm and true patriotism). So let’s talk about some of the best laws of our constitution, and I guess you’ll get my tone as you read on.

Consent age law. This is going to be one of main laws which I shall talk about. Set at 16, this law is one of the best in our constitution, in the ones regarding a minimum age. When this law had declared there was lot of talk, and one of the best tag lines heard at that time was: “Istamal kare fir vishvas kare”.

Empowering the youth and giving them strength has been in all of the manifestos of the on-going elections. So let me ask you a question, and just use your common sense to answer it. Should kids be allowed to have sex before they can make a difference to the nation? Should kids be allowed to have sex before they are allowed to drive? Should kids be allowed to have sex before marriage? The least important, should kids be allowed to have sex before legal consumption of alcohol?

Statements like rape being mistakes of boys have been heard throughout these elections from parties who talk of secularism and divide the nation on the basis of religion. But, isn’t this a good question to ask?

The age of 16-18 is faced with a dilemma each and every time they move out of the house. Let me make this personal, and let me talk about myself. Every time I go out of the house alone, I need to traipse the asphalt or I need to use rickshaws, which would completely take my monthly budget out of hand (not that my parents don’t allow me that luxury). College and then classes together take away a lot of time, and combining that with traveling time just hikes it further. The hassle of traveling does not cease till 18, till when I can ride any bike illegally. Now, I ask why! Isn’t being allowed to drive a necessity in the current world?

Now let’s get down to voting. With shows like The Newshour and all the news channels openly talking about elections and the newspapers being filled with such news as well, shouldn’t the voting age be down to 16, or at least 17. Giving numerous entrance examinations does require the maturity and also the knowledge, and by 17, that is acquired.

I have ranted enough, and these two laws are the ones I stand against, merely because I have been affected by them. On a more practical note, wouldn’t minute changes in these two laws make life a lot easier, and wouldn’t it help to make the country better as well?

As I read this before I post, even I’m shocked that I’ve managed to do an opinionated piece, without any sarcasm. If you’re shocked as well, but I’ve set you thinking, then do post your thoughts at the bottom.

Do We Need Religion To Have Ethics?

Ethics, or the ethos, is something which talks about what is morally right and wrong for a person, or for society as a whole. On the other hand, religion talks about the god, or a supreme being, providing insights of right and wrong in life. If these two topics are mixed together and the question of the necessity of religion for ethics is asked, we do get varied answers. Some say that there is no need of religion for ethics, as our life must be based on the ultimate right and wrong, and not on the guidance of an entity which we can feel, but we cannot touch or meet. But, as we go on to talk about this topic, we realize that the presence of religion in a person’s life does give rise to ethics.

As I mentioned earlier, there are some people who state that there is no need for religion in the pursuit for ethics in society. Well, they are right in their own way, and I agree with them as well. We reside in an age which is plagued by the vermin of crime, rape, and corruption. These men who practice these criminal activities do perform services for the Lord as well. These men are religiously a part of society, yet they go on to do the gory acts which the ethics of a simple man defy.

There are also the organizations like the Boy Scouts, and other NGOs which work to help people. The Boy Scouts have their main aim to be polite, honest, and helpful, and yet their guide book does not include any statement regarding religion. There is also an argument that religion makes you a bit biased in your moral and ethical decisions and could work against the main aim of following ethics. Well, that is surely true.

Various parts of the religious books say that man has never ceased to be evil. It is just the presence of a higher identity and a force which prevents him from proceeding to perform the cruel and vindictive acts. Well, yes. That is true. Let us take the example of a teenager. Being disallowed by religion to smoke or drink, the teenager in a bar with his friends will not move towards the drinks, even if he is forced to do it.

This is the effect which religion has on man. It creates a self-imposed boundary on the acts and at some point; it does have its effects. These limits may seem a bit farfetched at times, like in the case of a young girl who is pregnant because of being raped. This poor girl should be allowed an abortion at least in order to avoid the stares. That would be the best option when considered ethically and with a basic common sense. But a certain religion does prevent this. So, is religion guiding us in the right way here? Is it helping us to regulate ourselves, or is it stealing our freedom?

The restrictions posed by religion on drinking do hold us back from alcoholism, but are we being deprived of a good thing? A small quantity of alcoholic drinks are said to act as stimulants, and have been scientifically proved to be helpful as well. Brandy and wine are prescribed by doctors as well to help. But some religions reject this allowance, and thus there can be a moment when an ill person may be faced with a dilemma regarding this.

Stringent rules and laws, being placed by religion in this topic here, have always worked to hurt and contain the freedom of people. Is the loss of freedom ethically correct? No it is not. Freedom is the most integral aspects of a person’s life, and it must not be snatched away, even in the name of ethics. Along with this, ethics are based on people’s morals, and these must not be influenced by any other factor, and this would lead to a biased decision.

To sum it all up, religion does make you inclined decisions regarding pressing matters in life, and it also works to steal the freedom of people, to act, and to think as well. This is completely against the principals of man, as freedom is birthright for each and every being on the planet. And according to all the above, I strongly believe that religion is not necessary for ethics, as it causes harm in the decision, and also to mankind.

An Immune India

India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Along with this, India is the spectacle of a great population of which promises a better future, which is supported by a large proportion of the youth. Well, the youth and the younger part of the populace must be strengthened in order to prosper and grow at the same rate for a long period of time. And, the strengthening must include not only the educational aspect, but it must cover an overall level of development for the child.

Well, what should we ask first of God in the list to strengthen our youth? Wealth, prosperity, education? No.. We must ask him, and we ourselves must work, on the health of the population. This will ensure that we can strive harder, for a longer time, and that would ascertain that we obtain the success we desire. Health is one of the most important issues we must consider and handle before we work on tackling the other issues at hand.

For this, there is a reason as well, and this was told to me by the pandit who had come to my home for the Ganapati Puja. While going through the chants, he explained to me with a smile that we must ask for a good health first, before the other boons like prosperity, wealth and growth. He went on to say that rather than earning a mountain of money, and then spending wasting it all on hospital bills, we must wish for a good health, which can take us a long way in life such that it makes sure that we live in perfect health to spend our earnings on our desires. So, from that day, I have always prayed for the world to be healthy and immune before anything else.

So, will God come down and offer us his somras so that we remain healthy? No He won’t, so we have to work to ensure that the youth remains healthy.

A couple of months ago, I had to do a lot of reading on the National Food Security Bill, and then I discovered that the main problem is not hunger, but it is malnutrition. UNICEF has stated in a survey that 48% of children below the age of 5 are stunted, and that the percentage of people who do not get 2 square meals a day is just 1% in rural India, and 0.4% in urban India.

Malnutrition is a concept related to the indigestion of nutrients in the human body, due to the factors of the absence of good sanitation and a clean water supply, and also to an unbalanced diet. Our concentration must be diverted to combat these and then we can ensure that the younger India will develop with sustenance.

There is also the scare of the diseases which continue to be born perennially. AIDS and cancer continue to have no definite cure, and that does worry me to a large extent. Fighting these ailments must also be a priority if we aim to have a healthy and immune India. So, how can we ensure that there are new developments in this field? Science is sure taking us at a fast pace through development, but is that the only necessity at hand?

In my opinion, that is the only thing necessary, but to continue the pace of development, we must make sure that the companies and the developers do not come up against a wall due to the absence or the lack of funds to continue their research and development. Along with this, the distribution of the drugs in the form of vaccines (for prevention) and tablets or injections (for the cure) must be developed such that no child in the country goes untreated and unvaccinated.

In all this, we cannot ignore the fact that the population does need the right proportion of nutrients as well, especially the ones needed in minute quantities like iron, which contributes to hemoglobin production. The provision of these methods must go on such that the body obtains a complete and sustained package of healthy food in each meal. And to ensure that the body obtains the optimum results from these perfectly nutritious meals, there must be the enforcement of correct amounts of exercise and also the rights amount of rest and sleep.

So, to sum it all up, I feel that the main necessities we need to enforce for an immune India are:

1. Proper sanitation
2. A clean water supply
3. A funding towards research and development of new drugs to battle emerging diseases
4. The development of a proper distribution system of drugs and vaccines
5. The provision of meals with exactly the right amount of nutrients
6. Daily exercise to remain fit and fine
7. Rest and sleep in adequate quantities for optimum benefits from the above points

This should have been the end of it, but there is a special mention which I must make at this point. There is one thing, a food item, which does contribute very much to the health and strength of a child. To be frank and precise, it contributes quite a lot to the growth of a child. My mother used to give it to me every day with a glass of milk, and I feel that each child must obtain it. I have felt its superb effects, and I’m sure it would surely provide wonderful results to all of its users.

Chyawanprash, which is made from a mixture of ayurvedic herbs mainly comprises of amla and it is known to provide Vitamin C, which works very well as an anti-oxidant and counters the aging process. It has also been known to counter cough, fever, emaciation, heart diseases, arthritis, urinary complaints and coarseness of speech. It gives strength to children, old people, and even to people who are weakened after accidents. It also increases digestive power, intelligence, memory, and it strengthens all the sense organs.

So, after adding Chyawanprash as the 8^th component of my list, I feel that this is all that is needed to ensure that our nation becomes stronger, healthier, and more immune.

This post was written for the Dabur’s Immune India Contest hosted by indiblogger.in. Dabur Chyawanprash was launched in 1949, and has since remained as one of the best contributors to a child’s growth. It is available in various flavors as well, and you can get more information about it by clicking here (www.daburchyawanprash.com).