Friday, June 15, 2012

Marathon Mind




Recently, I happened to read a very healthy (sic) discussion-turned-debate-turned-english essay on karma, dharma, fruit, cultural roots.

Empty mind, devil's stadium - my thoughts ran and ran till it could stand no longer, breathe no longer and think no longer. My mind and to top it empty! I made my thoughts run, wide and far. No tracks required. When I could not think of anything substantial, I went back to the drawing board; the same healthy and organic discussion on fruits and roots. And I was shocked! In my emptiness and overfilled thought trails, I had actually become a contributor to the script unfolding on the culture vulture page. I immediately withdrew myself from it. 

Just then, a new thought sprinted across my stadium. In withdrawing myself from a highly contextual topic, was I avoiding getting involved or was I ignoring the existence of a problem? Was I helping myself or actually alienating myself from reality to an extent that I am left alone laughing at myself? I was done and huffing under my nose. I had begun to react again to reality, when a new ray of thought shone on me. 

In any survey, debate and issue based discussion, why is it that the category of "I don't know", "may be", "I don't care", "it doesn't matter" and the likes always ridiculed? Why is it always necessary to take sides? Why do I have to be called a majority or a minority? 

What is so wrong about being ignorant? 

Marathon mind kept thinking. The new thought shouted, its not ignorance. Ignorance is when i knowingly do not show any interest to observe, learn, grow and contribute to the existence of a concept. With time, I loose sight. I fail to gain any knowledge, whatsoever. I have no clue about it. e.g. I am ignorant of golf. Or say, what do you call the car chase…. Yeah, F1. I just don’t get it. I did try to get a hang of these things. Just could not get it. So, left it at that. That is ignorance to me. 

But then, there is something which is different from ignorance. There are things which are highly relevant, very contextual. You are fully aware of the phenomenon and if need be, can actually be a part of the problem, if not the solution! But you choose to refrain. You decide to not participate. 

You avoid.

Most people mistake other people avoiding something as their ignorance. They assume silence as ignorance. And that’s where lies the juice of the matter. According to me, when people ignore, they ignore the topic. They are least bothered what’s good or bad in it. They are happy till the time it does not physically strain them. When people avoid, they do it on purpose. They take a judicious call not to get involved. They avoid the psychological strain. They don’t ignore the topic. 

They avoid the environment. They avoid the people involved. They avoid getting sucked into something which may make them react which is not their natural self. So, even in avoiding, they choose to be themselves. Anything wrong with that? I don’t think so. Till this point my mind was with me. I had successfully ignored the majority and avoided the minority. 

The race was still on. Now, I running behind my thoughts. My thoughts were running behind a cause. The stadium was still empty. I avoided the silent echo.


Cheers
K

16th June 2012

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Translation from Diptesh Ghosh




Start (by Diptesh Ghosh)

With the first light of dawn I awoke.
The dew-laden road lay empty.
It meandered through the mountains
And I heard it call out to me.
Old October was already here,
The cold Northern wind was blowing,
The first leaves were breaking free
And winter was already on its wing.

It was so lovely that my heart ached,
I wanted to hope, wanted to stay,
There were tasks I had yet to do,
And hundreds of things left to say.
But the roots were cut long ago,
And autumn winds will shake the leaf,
The wanderlust wind now stirred in me,
And it did not allow for any grief.

I kept aside all the faint regrets,
The dark thoughts in my weary heart,
And set out alone, companionless,
For the empty road and a brand new start.

मेरा कल

सुबह की पहली किरण ने सहलाया मुझे 
पहाड़ों की ओस-सिली पख्दंदियों ने बुलाया मुझे 
सर्दियां दस्तक दे कर दरवाज़े पे संभल रही थी 
सूर्ख ठंडी हवा मेरे साथ चल रही थी

कुदरत की इतनी ज़ीनत है के चुभता है दिल 
पर अब यहाँ रुकना है मुश्किल 
कुछ इकरार करने थे, कुछ काम थे बाकी 
पर सूख गयी सुराही, रूठ गया मेरा साकी 

कशमकश है आज सर्द हवा और माजी की बारिश मे 
इजाज़त नहीं मुझे रोने की भी इस दिल की साजिश मे

दिल के किसी कोने मे ही रहने दिये सारे ज़ख्म 
सूखने छोड़ दिये हैं पुराने आब-ए-चश्म 
निकल आया हूँ उस दर्द की दलदल से 
आज मुलाक़ात होगी मेरी मेरे नए कल से

ishQ

12th June 2012