One Nation and Two Identities

We have the general elections behind us, a stable government with possibly the best mandate possible in our times and a budget that is 24 hours away and is expected to be a path breaking one. We all have our own wishlists spanning ourselves, our neighbourhod /society and our nation at large (in that order of priority). As I decided to ponder on what I expected from this budget, I found it difficult to fix a reference point. This is because I have been doing something in the last 4 months that I have not done before and it has set me thinking.
I have in some sense migrated out of India and am now residing in Bharat (not very difficult since I grew up in the time when there was just one Bharat). I decided to not just roll down the car windows but to completely leave the car behind and understand in a small way the contradictions that thrive in this country which is stretched between the same latitudes and longitudes but has 2 distinct personalities.
I wanted to begin from my immediate neighbourhood and then reachout to neighbouring towns followed by rural India. The purpose was not to chronicle observations as a research student but to act as and when I could by drawing on all the resources and energies that I have. It has been a shade over 100 days and I have not been able to move beyond the neighbourhood domain itself.

The reason for this is that like the character Horton of the movie 'Horton hears a Hu' I am finding an amazing and exhaustive world existing in this miniature block of land (my immediate neighbourhood) which does not span an area of even 2 sq km.

The sheer diversity of experiences, the plethora of complex challenges and the coexistence of hope and despair, of truimph and struggles, of meaning and madness that I have witnessed has left me exasperated and energised. Exasperated because I did not realise for so many years (37 to be precise) that so much is changing and at such a rapid pace. I would like to bet that if you have been rolling your car windows up or closing them for the AC to be effective in the strong summer heat and have lived your life the past few years either travelling by non public transport mode or your interactions and experiences are primarily created at offices,malls,multiplexes and airports then if you were to 'Roll down the car windows' and step out in the other world which is also existing at an arms length , you will feel exactly as 'Rip Van Winkle' did after he woke from his slumber of 20 years and looked at the world around him.

I am also feeling energised because I am realising that it is possible to actually do something about everything that is happening. Also in a small way when I have reached out and sought support, the number of people and the positivity with which they have responded has been extremely encouraging.

What I intend doing over the next few posts is to share those experiences which stand out in my journey so far. I am not going to be judgemental but I will seek to create a dialogue, to trigger some thoughts and if possible initiate some action that can make a difference. I invite you to be a co traveller on this journey and to express yourselves and suggest solutions where you can. Incase you know of someone who can be interested in anything that you read or is capable of changing something, do let me know and I will establish contact with the person / institution.

Watch this space for connecting with ' The Autodriver who wants a decent education for his son'
and whose struggle to achieve the same is still on.

A Prayer (For 2009 & Beyond)

A PRAYER

May we learn to lean less and to love more
May we learn to learn less and to be wise more
May we display impatience in our actions and patience in seeking results
May we imbibe the skills of speaking less and listening more

May we acquire the art of hoarding less and enjoying more
May we discover how to communicate less and to connect more
May we learn to live by judging less and by understanding more
May we in matters of growing externalize less and look within more

May we discover our purpose and choose our journeys well
May we design for a lifetime and create in the moment
May we learn to move on and move on to learn
May we exemplify happiness in the world and experience a world of happiness.

Atul Sethi

The Gateway Rally : Launch of a people's movement

I was at the 'Gateway of India' Rally organised by the people and for the people to let those who are in seats of power and those who attacked us know that 'Enough is Enough'. To me it was like living a page out of history. This rally was akin to one of the processions which possibly took place during our freedom struggle to protest against the overall state of affairs or a specific misplaced act of governance during those times. The fact that TV channels were reporting the detection of an IED at the CST railway station while the rally was on detered no one (indeed it only made our resolve stronger to be a part of this and to stand up and to be counted).

What made this rally unique was that people from all walks of life and from all corners of the city were there. Inspite of it being a regular weekday the crowds just did not seem to stop flowing in. We reached the Gateway close to 7 pm and the entire main street and adjoining lanes were jampacked. The tricolours were being held high, slogans of ' Vande Mataram' and 'BharatMata ki Jai' along with those which hit out at our visible and invisible 'enemies' rendered the air.

The most heartening sight was to see a 'Young India' take charge. For an nation with a median age of 23 we do not very often get to see the youth associating themselves with issues like this in a manner like this. One would often wonder that are we only creating a ‘I –Me –Myself’ generation which could maybe at best applaud a ‘Rang De Basanti’ but not be around when it really mattered. This rally proved the notion wrong and if the Indian youth can keep this going nothing can stop us from embracing the glorious future that we deserve.

Something about the involvement of the youth and the buzz told me that the old ‘Spirit of Mumbai’ was itself undergoing a metamorphosis. Yes the quintessential Mumbai character of picking oneself up when the chips are down and getting on with life is a part of our DNA and will continue to be so. What is added and which will be a definite bad news for the ‘powers that be’ and those who have ‘let the entire nation down’ is that when we now get up ,we will not just continue with our life as if nothing ever happened but will demand accountability and action. We will also take all possible steps to ensure that changes do occur in what is becoming an inefficient, archaic and ‘out of sync with the times’ system.

We walked silently through this rally , got to a point as close to ‘The Taj’ as possible and indeed felt as numb and grief stricken as when the terrorist siege and attack was on. While the monument was going through what was ‘the darkest’ moment in it’s lifetime, it had also given birth a few hundred feets away to the ‘brightest’ and possibly the most ‘refreshing’ moments of ‘Independent’ India.

We were witness to a nation that stood united and firm in it’s resolve to change the state of affairs. Here was a nation that woke up realizing it was actually ‘sleepwalking’ through life and was letting elected representatives and babus get away with complete ‘unaccountability’ and ‘self gratification’ of the worst kind. The message from each and every soul present there was that ‘We are not just going to be plonked in front of our TV sets, huddled with a few close friends and hope that things will change for the better, but will step out and do all that we can as individuals and as a society to ‘create the change’ that we deserve’.

Returning back from the rally, we felt motivated and recharged. The feeling of helplessness and sadness that had engulfed the city since last week was giving way to ‘togetherness’ and early signs of a ‘movement for refreshing change’. The chants of ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ accompanied us till Churchgate station where many of those who were at the rally had gathered to travel back home.
There were a few messages that I carried back for those who for obvious reasons could not be a part of this rally:
Mr Terrorist : The more you try to divide us and to create mayhem ,the more united and strong we will be. We might be a nation comprising of people from different castes and religion but when it really matters we are ‘Indians first and Indians Last’. A chart at the rally summed this up very well ‘Mr Terrorist : You wanted us in numbers. Here we are ’ .The terrorists are dead but the nation lives on
Mr Politician : The last one week has shown us how self centred, vile and inefficient you are. Frozen by the collective voices of discontent emerging from the nation, you have either stuck your head in the mud like a ostrich and distanced yourself from reality or have displayed a strong ‘foot in the mouth’ syndrome. Another chart at the rally tells you as it is ‘Mr Politician : Stop Acting as a Joker. You are our (the people’s) Naukar’. If you all were waiting for a wake up call, here it is, loud and clear. Either get up and get your act together or you will very soon find yourselves unemployed in these tough times.
I only pray that as we wake up today morning and step out to work and to begin another day, we will do enough to nurture this new ‘Spirit of India’ and will seek, act and create change that is good for the larger cause whenever the opportunity presents itself. We as citizens of India need to take accountability of this sorry state of affairs and also own up the ‘Creation’ of a ‘Strong ,Self Reliant and Stable’ India.

Hi :-)

4.00 am, IST on a wet early Sunday morning ( or a late saturday night for my seriously insomniac friends).

When I first created this blog many many months back and did nothing much but think about posting something sometime in the future,I did not know as to why did I name it 'Aspotofhappiness'.

In my altered consciousness and in resonance with the new love of my life (more of that later), I realised that 'A spot of Happiness' for me is this wonderful planet that we all inhabit. Looking at it in the context of the Milky Way which is one of the many galaxies that is a part of cluster holding thousands of galaxies and superclusters holding many such clusters, our planet is but just one tiny spot in this universe. What makes this spot special is that it is 'A living Planet' and hence has the ability to create and experience a variety of emotions.

To me living on this planet is an opportunity to create 'A spot of Happiness' here and now. I see the journey that our wonderful planet has made and while it is no longer as healthy a planet as it used to be, it is a place with the potential to transform and create. We human beings have been a species that is blessed in so many ways but is also equipped with the potential to self destruct if we so decide. And for some innately insane reason we seem to have set out to do so. In the last few centuries our viler and selfish motives have possessed us to such an extent that we have lost the art of living in balance and in resonance with the universe. We seem to have acquired this 'Superspecies' status mistakenly and are behaving as rotten as the most obnoxious page 3 celebrity would in his worst of moods.

I do not intend to make this blog a piece of despondency and disappointment but a spot of hope and happiness as our planet is. Our species is blessed in the sense that we have displayed the potential to transform and create miracles when we are faced with seemingly impossible challenges. Our living planet is going through a phase where it is depending on us to raise ourselves to the highest levels of our immense potential. It expects us to sense the limitless opportunities that exist every moment to make choices which are appropriate and transformational. And it expects us to act in integrity such that we can heal all that ails this wonderful 'Spot of Happiness' in the milky way.

Since the time I choose this particular name for my blog which was many many months ago and now when i am posting my first blog, I have had a million miraculous moments unravelling themselves. From meeting some of the most evolved souls who are doing a tremendous work of creating a million spots of freedom,hope and happiness in their own ways in various communities to experiencing the surge of life within oneself which has helped me experience what true freedom and happiness is all about, I feel I have been blessed.

I wish to create through this blog a community of doers and dreamers. I wish for this blog to be a space where people can express the best that exists and share all the experiences that they have had which makes one realise that we have it in us to make 'GAIA- our living planet' a spot of happiness. And finally I expect this space to nurture faith and friendships ,to worship love and life and to create a million miracles.

If you come here in despair, may you find peace.

If you come here in peace, I hope you share some of it and take back more than what you bought

In either case May this space help you refresh, rejuvenate and recharge yourself.

Cheers, (And to All Friends who visit this space a 'Happy Friendship Day')

Sunshine !!!