World Of Words

An Artist's Night

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 15:03:00 +0000

An Artist’s Night

Something inside me burns furiously.
Does it reside in my heart or my soul, I wonder.
If it is in my heart, they tell me,
To let it devour my heart of all hope
For, that will help me seek the ultimate truth.
If it is in my soul, they tell me,
To let it burn my soul to the ashes
For that is the price of being an artist.

At night, during the full moon,
I weep.
My cries get lost in the silence of the night
And,
My tears dry out in the heat of the night's cold breeze
Is it fear, I wonder.
Why does this fear make no sense to me?
Why does this fear hold great power over me?
Why does this fear feel so strangely known?
Why do I have sleepless nights?
Pondering over these questions,
In darkness of the night,
I weep.

Give up, my heart says.
But my soul is determined to fight.
My heart is my friend
And,
My soul is my lover
Whom do I listen to?

Hope.
Hope streams down my eyes,
Breaking the unknown shackles,
Giving my heart and soul relief,
And,
As the dawn appears,
Hope glistens in the rays of our creator,
Soothing my soul off fear,
Revealing the universal truth,
Giving me the ultimate salvation,
Hope gives up to the creator of this world,
And,
Turns an atheist into a believer.

~Rishikesh Pande (RP)

A Farmer's Sin

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 04:21:00 +0000

*Note: Dedicated to all the farmers from India who lost their battle with life.*

Under the eyes of gods in the heaven,
Under the merciless clouds which mock me,
I, a farmer with no education & debt I can't afford to pay back,
Stand here, pleading, begging, the government…

While the government, of the people, by the people and for the people, and supposedly elected by me, do nothing for me, I stand here, with tearful & hopeless eyes, look up one last time, to find hope in disguise of the rain drops…

While my wife & children, with no education whatsoever, rob with me all day, every day,
Sleep with empty stomach, every night, I wonder
What is it that I have sinned?
What did I do to deserve this?

While the government enjoys their 'honeymoon' period, I stand here, having lost all hope, to educate my children, to give them a better life, a better tomorrow…

I stand here today, under the very tree my forefathers planted, on the land which is no longer mine, with a bleeding heart & chest filled with pride, to take my own life & end the misery, the very government I elected, subjected to me...

God bless you, my dear Government!

Update: And the moment the farmer lost his battle to life, it rained cats & dogs!

By Rishikesh Pande

Bleeding Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 04:16:00 +0000

I rob everyday at home to please my master,
I cook whenever you order,
And while you eat, I serve you at your command,
I eat alone whichever is left over like a slave,
I look after our children, even when they disrespect me,
I wet your bed whenever you wish,
I look away when you enjoy pleasures with other women,
I get beaten up everyday for no reason,
I work all day in pain so as not to give you any reason to demean me,
I fuck, cook, take care of you even when you try to kill me,

Lord, oh my lord, what I did to deserve this?
Lord, oh my lord, answer me, for what I have sinned?

God: you were born a woman,
It is your 'man-defined duty' to do so
It's written in the 'old books'…

By Rishikesh Pande

The Glare Of Patriarchy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 04:03:00 +0000

I walk all alone, looking down with an expressionless face, towards my school, while suspicious stare of my creator follows me…

Suffocating in this world since 12 years, I always knew something was off about me, I was born a girl…

As I walk towards my school, a drunkard stares at my body from top to bottom while another, a family man, my father's age, deflower me with his stares,

And as I reach close to my school, a bunch of others bump into me, touch me in private areas while those who couldn't get a chance today regretted…

I reach school, still all alone in the crowd of many dressed just like me, and men, my grandfather's age, follow me with their stares until I disappear inside classrooms…

My teacher, who I admire the most, stares at my face & boobs, with lustful eyes, constantly, without any hesitation or guilt, hoping to catch a glimpse of my skin…

At the recess, boys my age pass lewd comments about me, try to pull down my skirt hoping to catch a glimpse in between my thighs…

I walk back home, still all alone, while the stare of many, again, my father's age, follow me until I reach home…

As soon as I enter, my mother asks me, "how was your day honey?"

With disgust & tears in the eyes, with a fist formed to control the anger within, and a little part of heart, which dies inside everyday, I answer, "It was a good mother, how was yours?"

By Rishikesh Pande

Red Rose

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 03:57:00 +0000

I want you, oh my dear, I do,
As you are the most beautiful creation of our lord,

I want to see you often, oh my dear, I do,
As my poor eyes have not seen anything like you,

I want to kiss you, oh my dear, I do,
As your lips are the most delicate thing I have ever seen,

I want to smell you, oh my dear, I do,
As your smell is the most seductive in the world,

I want to touch you, oh my dear, I do,
As you are the most electrifying thing I have seen,

But what just happened?

Oh my dear, I hurt myself
Blood coming out of my fingers,
For I'm not allowed to touch you,
For I am "untouchable" for you…

By Rishikesh Pande

Love At First Sight

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 03:49:00 +0000

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, while silence was aloud, while the wind was playing with my hair, I saw her...

She was sitting on a bench, lonely, quietly, restlessly, with eyes as red as ruby & with hands as soft as feathers…

She was beautiful, like an angel in disguise, descended from the heavens, to woo the innocent souls into her magical world…

Her voice touched my soul, her eyes hypnotized me, her movements puzzled me: am I in a dreamland or is it a reality?

It was a love at first sight!

I was lost in my thoughts, while my soul looking for answers, with a sudden movement, she looked straight at me…

With my heart beating out of my chest, with my soul on fire, in an attempt to deceive the angel, I graciously looked away…

She kept staring at me, while I pretended to look away, while her eyes saying everything she has to say, we were both frozen in an unknown space-time continuum…

With an expressionless face, with her heartbeat beating in sync with mine, she fluttered her wings and flew away…

With a heart turned to steel, with blood coming out my eyes, with my soul weighing more than the rest of me, I was left with a broken heart...

And that's when I realized something: two things will always be forbidden to me - a selfless lover and me & my love at first sight, a Pidgeon, coming together...

By Rishikesh Pande

Loving You Was Easy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 03:41:00 +0000

Loving you was like rain in the summer,
Loving you was like making a baby smile,
Loving you was like sunshine at night,
Loving you was like watching the sun at night,
Loving you was like forgetting myself,
Loving you was like trying to know a stranger,
Loving you was like discovering myself,
Loving you was like losing heart to an angel,
Loving you was like listening to a whisper in the crowded noise,
Loving you was like seeing the entire universe
your eyes,
Loving you was like dying for your smile,
Loving you was like falling in love with you everytime I see you,

Oh, angel, Loving you was so easy

By Rishikesh Pande

Pyar (Love)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 03:34:00 +0000

Ankhen khuli ho ya ho baand,
Humari nazaren aap hi ki ankhon pe marti hain,

Dil dhadke ya na dhadke,
Dil ki dhadkane awaaz aap hi ko deti hain,

Sansen chale ya na chale,
Anhen aap hi ko dekhke bharti hain,

Hum kal ho na hoo,
Yaad aaj aap hi ko karte hain,

Hoth kuch bole ya na bole,
Dua aap hi ke liye mangtey hain,

Dil, ankhen, sansen, hoth kuch kaam karen ya na karen,
Is janam me Pyar aap hi se kartey hain,

By Rishikesh Pande

I wonder...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 May 2014 16:51:00 +0000

I wonder what you're doing...

I wonder if you're gonna write another one of your poetry,
I wonder if you're thinking about the same thing as me,
I wonder if you're breathing the same air as me,
I wonder if you're laughing at the same jokes as I,
I wonder if you're reading the same book as me,

I wonder if you're ever gonna be my friend,
I wonder if you're ever gonna miss me,
I wonder if you're feeling the same the same tingling sensation as me,
I wonder if you're ever gonna hold my hands,

I write this small poetry just to let you know that I'm waiting, for you...

I wonder what you're doing…

Written by Rishikesh Pande for "You"

Dead Poet's Society: My Verse Contribution

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 May 2014 16:47:00 +0000

Note: I recently watched an amazing movie on recommendations from my friends, named, "Dead Poet's Society". It's one of the most inspiring movies, I have watched in 2014 so far.
As Mr. John Keating recites Whitman in the movie, "that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse."

Here, I contribute two verses I wrote during the movie.

1) This verse is about how I felt during a scene where a son, Neil, commits suicide. This is the most horrifying moment from the movie. This scene somehow reminds us of the scene from 3 Idiots where a student commits suicide and Mr. Amir Khan asks this question, "Who killed him?"

As I watched him die, a shivering sensation gripped me…
As I watched him bury, an empty feeling baffled me…
It's a mystery, who killed him really?
Society, friends or enemies?
I watch in disbelief, as his own creator had killed him…

2) This verse is about how a father forces his son to walk on the same path as he has. Although, from father's point of view, he wants his son to have a safe career. But on the other hand, it goes against the will of the son. In this movie, a similar situation is shown where son, Neil, wants to play the character of "pluck" in a play but his father forces him, or at least wants to, quit.

Don't look left, right or backwards
As you are to go Harward, Oxford or MIT…
Don't play "pluck", or sing or write (poetry)
As you are to follow me…
Don't love, feel or experience
As you are a "dead poet" without me…
Don't follow your heart, soul or wisdom
As you are nothing but a "Dead Poet's Society"...

Written By Rishikesh G. Pande.

An Artist In Making

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 14:39:00 +0000

Today, on 24 Feb 2014, a great thing happened to me. An incident which gave me a memory of a lifetime. Excited? You need a hint?

This incident reminded me of a quote by Ted Mosby from How I Met Your Mother, which is,

"Great things are not necessarily the things which you do, they'll also be the things which happen to you."

Got it? No? Well, read on.

Today's incident was one of such "Great" things which happened to me.

My friends & I, went to see off our old friend to the Bus Stand on Shivajinagar In Pune. It was very quiet out there at the time. Well it was supposed to be as it was freaking 12 am in the morning. When we entered into the bus station we came across a group of people sleeping on the floor. Many homeless people and those who had buses late at night, had decided to lay on the floors for a while. For all those, who are familiar with bus/railway stations in India, this is not new. When we entered into the bus stand it was the first thing we all noticed. I felt bad; many people don't have a home to go to & many don't have anywhere to travel to either. Homeless people choose to live/rest on the streets, or the bus stands or the railway stations. But this is not why I'm writing…

I'm writing because I spotted a guy with a red shirt, sitting right inside one of the groups of people sleeping on the floor. Many great painters (artists) - artists like Leonardo Da Vinci - found an inspiration in women, beauty etc. But our artist in the red shirt found an inspiration on the bus stand. Do you know what he was doing? Yes, you guessed it right. He was drawing people sleeping on the floor!

My first reaction was, what's he doing?

What caught my attention was that he was good; great actually. I couldn't help but click some pics of our artist in red shirt without his permission from a distance. He was so engrossed in his drawing that he hardly cared for what people might think. He didn't lose his focus. He was very careful with every stroke of his pencil. The way his strokes ran in his drawing book made me even more curious. I had to know whether he knew what he was doing. Now I had to go over & see for myself what he was drawing. I went close to him & had a peak. I was facing his back so he couldn't see me peeking in. (I always preferred to approach strangers stealthily. Especially women; because that way they won't get any chance to run away as soon as they see me.)

I had to take a look at his work. I was starting to wonder whether he was another homeless mad fellow

When I saw what he did, I was speechless.

I have seen many artists draw, but this guy had something; something which told me that he could be the next Leonardo or Picasso; something which told me that you can't achieve anything in life without determination & hard work. Many people of his age might do something unproductive at 12 am in the morning but our artist was different. He decided to spend his time wisely doing something he loves.

Now that I have seen his beautiful sketch, I had to talk to him. (Yes I'm creepy! I do that a lot; especially with girls. No, I'm definitely not creepy.) I had so many questions for him. I had to ask who he was & what he was doing & why he choose this place for his passion. I went to talk to him; barrage him with questions like - What's your name? What do you study? What he was doing on a bus stand in the middle of a night?

He told me that his name was Viky (name changed) and that he was a student of **** college from Pune. (I acted as if I know that college which was followed by a surprising expression of his face. I reckoned that he figured that I'm not from around here because as it turns out, there is no such college with that name anywhere in Pune. Now, I'm convinced his name was fake too) He told me, that he choose this place & time because it was peaceful at night on the bus stand. I asked his permission to click some pictures of his work. He was very shy & introvert. (Or ashamed of something he was doing?) After taking a few pictures of his drawing book, he left. He left in a jiffy. I figured, he was probably getting late (for something or someone?). He was out my sight in a few seconds but I felt like I could see him leave in a slow motion.

First Sketch

Second Sketch

Even though he had left, I couldn't focus on anything else but him. I tried but couldn't; may be because I thinking about how even though our country has so many great artists, they don't choose their passion as a career. Instead they go for something which their family wants them to do. Could he be one of those who'll go on to become an engineer just because he is a boy? Or perhaps a doctor? I wondered whether there are only these two professions left in the entire world. But let's hope he's different; his parents are different. Let's hope he gets really good with his drawing & holds an exhibition somewhere; somewhere in this huge world. Keep looking for him people, he might be our next Picasso or Leonardo or just another engineer or a BPO employee. I'm hopeful that one day he'll be a great artist.

"But it's not what we want "them" to do, but it's what they "love" to do…"

Written by Rishikesh G. Pande

Originally written on 24 Feb, 2014

What’s wrong about our Environment?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 15:11:00 +0000

Recently I read a gloomy news about India’s environment & I had to write about it. I came across 2014 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), a report by Yale University of United States, which says India ranks 155th out of 176 countries, in its efforts to address environmental challenges. India performs the worst among other emerging economies including, China, which ranks 118th, Brazil, at 77th, Russia, at 73rd, and South Africa at 72nd. A bottom performer on nearly every policy issue included in the 2014 EPI, with the exception of forests, fisheries, and water resources, India’s performance lags most notably in the protection of human health from environmental harm. In particular, India’s air quality is among the worst in the world, tying China in terms of the proportion of the population exposed to average air pollution levels exceeding World Health Organization thresholds.

India's Performance in 2014 EPI

This is disturbing not only because we did worst in EPI but also because the government, Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), doesn’t seem to care much about our Environment. It seems like Environment is the last thing on their mind.

The Bad:

Environmental Clearances:

Recently Speaking to Frontline, a magazine by The Hindu, Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Rural Development, pointed out that, he does not “buy this argument that delayed environmental clearances of mega projects are responsible for the economic slowdown.”

But Mr. Jairam Ramesh is not the minister of Environment & Forest anymore, Mr. M. Veerappa Moily is and he recently cleared 73 projects worth Rs.1.8 lakh crore within three weeks of assuming charge at the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). Some major projects which Mr. Moily recently cleared include POSCO steel plant in Odisha, 520 megawatt Teesta project in Sikkim and Stage I in-principle forest clearance to the 800 MW Tawang II project in Arunachal Pradesh. Also, according to a note issued by the MoEF on January 22, 2014, the final clearance for the Lakhwar multipurpose hydroelectric power project on the Yamuna in Uttarakhand is also on the anvil.

And you know what, all this is to make a point to the corporate sector that UPA is “investor-friendly”, possibly more than Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Air Quality:

Recently released Global Burden of Disease 2013, which tracks deaths and illnesses from all causes every 10 years, says outdoor air pollution caused 6.2 premature deaths in India in 2010, which is a six-fold jump from the 1 lakh deaths in 2000. This makes polluted outdoor air the largest killer in India after high blood pressure, indoor air pollution (mainly from smoking chullahs), tobacco use, and poor nutrition. What is even more disturbing is that of the 180 cities monitored by India’s Central Pollution Control Board in 2012, only two -- Malapuram and Pathanamthitta in Kerala -- meet the criteria of low air pollution (50% below the standard).

Courtesy of Hindustantimes.com

According to 2014 EPI, India has the worst quality of Air in the world. Delhi, the heart and soul of India, has the highest particulate matter 2.5 pollution levels followed by Beijing. Take pride my fellow Indians, we have finally beaten the Chinese!

Iron Ore Mining clearances:

According to report given by Shah Commission, 94 of the 192 iron ore in mining leases in Odisha do not have the mandatory environmental clearances and of the 96 that have them, 75 have mined far beyond their permitted levels over the past several years. The Shah Commission also held that both the Central government authorities and the Odisha government is responsible for the wide-ranging illegal mining that has continued unchecked for years.

The Good:

The Supreme Court recently issued notices to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and 19 other state governments on the situation of critical conditions of polluted clusters which continue to remain polluted despite pollution control norms.

What we can do about it?

To be very honest, nothing. No, seriously, you can't do anything. It’s the GOI which is supposed to take care of our environment right? It’s their job not ours right? It’s the policy makers’ job right? And even if we had anything to say, the government won't listen to us right?

WRONG.

In an article on Nature, An international weekly journal on science, Qiang Wang says,

“Solutions must come from ordinary citizens, who can take responsibility for their environment and express it daily in choices such as riding bicycles or taking public transportation instead of driving.”

I couldn't agree more. The fundamental truth is, we, as citizens of India, are as much responsible for pollution of our environment as the GOI and industries. We Indians can't point fingers at our government for not doing anything until we stop -- throwing trash in the rivers, the streets, public parks, out of the windows ourselves. We need to stop defecating on the sidewalks, the railroads. Our environment is not gonna get any better if we choose to ignore our duties as citizens. It’s time we take responsibility as citizens of India. It's time we start building toilets if we don't have any. It's time we throw trash in trash cans. When we ourselves, are fighting to protect our environment, only then we can expect our government to do the same. Ok, now suppose we have done our part, what's next? Should we start asking questions to our government? I say, yes. Should we start protesting on the streets? I say, why the hell not.

But what if our government doesn't listen to our concerns?

Don't forget what Abraham Lincoln had to say about Democracy,

“This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it.”

We, as citizens of a Democracy, have the right to amend government policies or to overthrow the government and establish the one which fights for our environment. Remember that the government works for us and not the other way around.

Finally, I have a photo to share with you all which tells a different story if we change the bigger fish -- the government or its citizens. The bigger fish can be our government or it can be normal citizens. The choice is yours.

The individually small citizens can combine to fight back the big repressive government!

Further reading:

This topic is wide and I had to read for an entire day to gather the data mentioned in the above article. But since it’s a major issue, I decided to post some of the quality readings for readers who want to know more about the concerned issue.

Written By Rishikesh Pande

The name's 'Pande' not 'Pandey'

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 10:35:00 +0000

Recently a student named Nido Tania (19 years old) from Arunachal Pradesh died in the heart & soul of India, at Lajpat Nagar in south Delhi. And why? - because he had different hair colour than everybody else did. And I'm just getting started.

Nido Tania, 19

It's shame that India and its citizens, even after 65 years of independence, have not accepted Northeastern people as a part of this country. Those same Northeasterners who have fought the mighty China & Pakistan shrugging shoulders along with the rest of the Indians. It's a shame that India and its citizens call Northeasterners a 'Chinese'. Let me make it clear here that there is nothing wrong with being a 'Chinese'. But calling our very own people 'Chinese' -- meaning not Indians, hurts. It hurts to all those who live in Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh & other Northeastern states. And it hurts me. I know I'm not Northeasterner & I can't possibly imagine what it must feel like being discriminated against.

But wait a minute -- I do know how does it feels to be discriminated against in your own country.

I was in Mumbai or so called the 'city of dreams' for a while. And let me be honest, it was best time & the worst time of my life. Best because I was enjoying the freedom that was bestowed upon me by this great city. And worst because at every step, I felt discriminated. Now you must be wondering why? Read the title again. Yes, I think you got it. At every step, I was being asked whether I was 'Pandey' as in 'Chulbul Pandey' and whether i'm from Bihar or UP. Every time I replied with these questions -- why? Why does it matter if it's Pandey or Pande? What's going to happen to me if I say 'Yes', I'm from Bihar or UP? What's going to happen if I say 'No'? How does my being Pandey or Pande change our relationship? Am I going to get any special treatment if I am from Bihar or UP?

Hate crimes, xenophobia or racism - you can give any name to it you want, but the basic fact is people are being discriminated against only because they belong from different part of the country. But the real question is why?

There are many reasons for people being discriminated against because of their - looks, gender, origin, language, but the basic reason behind it is -- fear of 'Unknown'. By 'Unknown' I mean -- lack of knowledge of something or someone. People are discriminated against just because society does not know them or simply not aware about them. May be because many people migrate from other parts of the country we never have been to. Now here, it's important to understand why people migrate in the first place.

People migrate for two reasons. Firstly, they may wish to get away from the things that they do not like. These are called push factors and include:-

not enough and poorly paid jobs
old and poor quality houses
natural disasters - earthquakes, volcanoes, wars
few opportunities - shopping centers, cinema, food, schools, hospitals
poor transport

Secondly, people are attracted to the things that they do like. These are called pull factors and include:-

more and better paid jobs
new and good quality houses
better education - more opportunities
improved medical care
better transport

Now here, it's important to note that in the constitution of India, India is referred to as 'Union of states' rather than 'federation of states'. This is because Indian constitution is a mixture of both -- Federal and Unitary government. The reason why I'm mentioning this is that the Indian constitution follows the principle of 'Single citizenship'. It means India doesn't have a separate constitution for center and state governments. In other words, It means our constitution is supreme and every Indian has a right to move around the entire country without any problem.

Now the same benign migration, which by the way is nothing new, but you know that by now, has been given a heinous turn. Over the past few years, some politicians including -- the one who was too cool to stay in 'Sena' & went on to form his own 'Sena' -- have been vocally against such migration. It's such a shame that a fellow Indian has turned against another fellow Indian because of such politicians. Remember when we were all kids and we used to pledge something like this,

“India is my country. All Indians are my brothers and sisters. I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage. I shall strive to be worthy of it. I shall respect my parents, teachers and all elders and treat everyone with courtesy. To my country and all my people, I pledge my devotion. In their well being and prosperity alone lies my happiness.”

Remember we used to call our fellow Indians as 'brothers' and 'sisters' and not 'Bhaiya'?
Look at us. What happened? What's changed?

What happened was some politicians turned us against our very own just because they were 'different' for their own purposes. It's such a shame that we couldn't even realize when it happened. It's such a shame that not a single person walked out on these demagogues & greedy politicians. Not a single person stood for what was the right thing to do. And because of what we didn't do we have lost a young boy,Nindo, who could have done a great service to our country. As I always say,

"We are responsible for happening or not happening of something and everything."

Just because we failed to understand these 'Unknown' people, today, we have lost Nido. And it's such a shame that a bright student had to die to make us realize our mistake. What mistake you ask? Let’s look it up in our Constitution.

In our constitution, we have a preamble, 448 articles in 25 parts and 12 schedules. Our preamble contains brief summary of our entire written constitution. Preamble reads,

"WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:JUSTICE, social, economic and political;LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;and to promote among them allFRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION."

See? Our very own preamble clearly says that 'We' have a right to equality of opportunity (articles 14-18). It says that we are supposed to treat each other as brothers & sisters & assure the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation. So what if Nindo went to Delhi for further education. So what if I went to Mumbai for employment opportunities. So what if 'Bhaiyas' of Bihar or UP came to Mumbai or Delhi for employment or education. Where did I go wrong? Where did 'Bhaiyas' went wrong? And where did Nindo went wrong? What was Nido's fault that he had to be beaten up so bad that he died?

It's times like these that we have to step back & see what we have given to our society. It's times like these that we have to look in the mirror & identify the 'devil'. It's times like these that we end the fear of 'Unknown' by simply educating the masses about our culture. It's times like these we should arrange cross-cultural programs throughout the country on a larger scale. It’s times like these we have to come to terms that India’s political and constitutional structure is pluralistic. Its citizens must internalise the idea that we are a nation of diverse groups of people who need not necessarily resemble one another. Come on, we can do this. It's India we are talking about. The Same country which was supposed to fail because of religious and cultural diversity. But we didn't fail. We succeeded. We succeeded against Polio which killed my 15 year old sister. And we can do it one more time. We can end Racism if we want to. But it's true what they say,

"First step in solving any problem, is recognizing there is one."

Let's accept that we have a problem and start working on solving it. We can & we will end Racism.

Jai Hind
Jai Bharat

Written by Rishikesh Pande

Why I write -- My Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 14:28:00 +0000

George Orwell, a name every bibliophile, literature fanatic would know about. He's considered as one of the best essayist of all time. I don't disagree. I don't consider myself an expert on Orwell but for me he is indeed one of the best essayist of all time. George Orwell, in his essay 'why I write', writes what are the motives behind writing. Is it fame, money that writers want? Or is it revolution that they want to bring about? Social reformists have written in pamphlets, newspapers about social reforms in history. In 'why I write', Orwell along with the four motives also tells us his reason for writing.

But before we get to that, imagine this -- imagine a world where Charles darwin didn't write 'On The Origin of Species (1859) ' or Albert Einstein didn't write 'Relativity - The Special and General Theory (1916)' or George Washington didn't write ' constitution of the USA ' or Isaac Newton didn't write 'The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy (1687)'. What would have happened if any one of these great men wouldn't have written their discoveries or ideas on a piece of paper? Would the wisdom of great people like Newton have survived? Would the memory of a girl named 'Anne Frank' have survived had she not written? Would we have come to know the most dangerous man of Germany -- 'Hitler' from his perspective? Get this -- people didn't live but their ideas lived for centuries. And how & what made that possible you ask -- writing.

They wrote down ideas, words of wisdom on a piece of paper. Little did they knew that those words would change the world for centuries to come.

George Orwell's essay, 'Why I write'

Now let’s get back to George Orwell’s essay ‘Why I write’. According to Orwell in his words,

“.. there are four great motives for writing, at any rate for writing prose. They exist in different degrees in every writer, and in any one writer the proportions will vary from time to time, according to the atmosphere in which he is living.”

According to Orwell, the four motives for writing are:

Sheer egoism,
Aesthetic enthusiasm,
Historical impulse and
Political purpose

Sheer egoism:

To put it in Orwell’s words,

“Desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death, to get your own back on the grownups who snubbed you in childhood, etc., etc.”

Orwell argues that this characteristic applies to writers to “the whole top crust of humanity” such as scientists, artists, politicians, lawyers, soldiers, successful businessmen.

In my last couple of years I have encountered many people, who are writers. These writers are indeed clever and want themselves to be remembered. But as Orwell argues not all of them are selfish. He writes, after the age of about thirty, “the great mass of human beings”, abandon everything and live for others.

Aesthetic enthusiasm:

To put it In Orwell’s words,

“Perception of beauty in the external world, or, on the other hand, in words and their right arrangement. Pleasure in the impact of one sound on another, in the firmness of good prose or the rhythm of a good story. Desire to share an experience which one feels is valuable and ought not to be missed.”

Historical impulse:

To put in Orwell’s words,

“Desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity.”

We can easily conclude that people with historical impulse are historians. Historians like Ramachandra Guha, Romila Thapar, Bipan Chandra or William Dalrymple must have historian impulse behind their writing.

Political purpose:

To put in Orwell’s words,

“Using the word ‘political’ in the widest possible sense. Desire to pushthe world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples’ idea of the kind of society that they should strive after.”

Orwell also argues that no book is genuinely free from political bias as the opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude.

George Orwell

Now, I want to talk about why I write? What is the motive behind my writing? To answer that question I too, like Orwell, have to go into my past. When I was in 4th, I used to write about key issues like women empowerment & poverty. Although I was too young to truly understand these issues my mind just couldn't stop thinking about them. May be it was a side effect of watching people beat their wives on the streets or watch people beg on the streets. But I knew someday, one day, i'm going to do something about it. As Hitler once said:

“If you don’t like the Rule, just follow it, reach at the top and then change the Rule.”

Although I had not thought about changing the rules or dogmas of the society back then, my mind was always filled with these superhero fantasies -- superheroes who would save suppressed women & end poverty. After all these years I know there are no superheroes but I do know that there are super human beings, people who with the help of action can and are doing exactly what I wanted to do.

Anyways, today, I have a better understanding of the world. Today, I can connect the dots. But most importantly, today, I can provide possible solutions to the issues which matter to me. I write or will write from now on to address key issues & provide solutions for them whenever possible. And if for some reason, I can't provide any solutions for the problems, I would love to hear some of your solutions. I want to, to quote Orwell,

“push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples’ idea of the kind of society that they should strive after.”

I want to write about politics, social reforms etc. and of course I would be politically biased. As Orwell argues,

“..No book is genuinely free from political bias. The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude.”

My writing would be politically biased and it is supposed to be. Only time will tell where this journey leads me.

Written by Rishikesh Pande

Why I don't attend functions held on 15 August & 26 January

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 23:06:00 +0000

15 August & 26 January have a very special place in the hearts of Indians (and Pakistanis). On 15 August 1947, India became independent. Before that, the British ruled our nation for over 150 years. I don't have to get into detailed account of how we won our freedom, but it's important to note that we did.

Now the point of discussion here is, why I don't attend functions held on the two most important days in India's history. Am I anti-nationalist? Am I any lesser patriotic than any other Indian if I don't attend them? I have simple answers for them, but before I tell you what they are, I have to discuss some issues associated with these important dates.

The first problem is, many Indians, after 66 years of independence, have forgotten what freedom means and to love one's motherland. Instead of celebrating independence with each & every day of our calendar year, we have started to celebrate it for two days. Many Indians, for some reason, believe that they are patriots & love their country if they celebrate independence for two days; it is nothing less than a delusion as love for their motherland is soon forgotten in a few days time. It is stupid to love your own country for merely two days instead of loving her for 365 days of the calendar year. I don't really blame them. When we all were in school, colleges or in similar educational institutions, we all did the same. Probably that's the reason we continue to do so in our adult life. But that is no excuse for this grave mistake. When we were kids, various functions were held for only two days not because they couldn't but because they didn't think it was necessary. Now in our adult life, if we choose not to love our independence throughout the the year, that is our fault and not school’s.

Before we continue, I want to point out that, there is nothing wrong in celebrating independence on these two dates. I'm not saying you shouldn't celebrate our independence. I'm saying the feeling you have when you celebrate independence day on two occasions, should be same throughout the calendar year. And NO, i'm not anti-nationalist either. I do love my country and I do celebrate independence day and republic day but I do so in a different way than you people.

Now secondly, many Indians have started to give independence day a glamorous look. By glamorous I mean, people dress up in Khadi or white clothes, go out & have fun. While I'm not against the glamorization of Indians, I am, however, against the fashion business industry which uses these important days for promotion of their company's clothes. I am also against people who think that they are more patriotic than the rest of the people just because they wore special clothes. It is wrong of people to send a message that, you are patriotic just because you own/bought/wore white clothes or Khadi & wore it for two days. If you really love your country, why don't you start wearing similar clothes throughout the year?

Thirdly, many Indians have started to look at these two important dates as 'Holidays'. I'm deeply hurt when people refer to these dates as a holidays instead of an anniversary of something remarkable. It is very shallow and stupid, to refer to these dates as 'Holidays'.

Fourthly, suddenly when these two dates are near, people, mostly children, start buying national flags. How idiotic that is. If you think you are patriotic by buying these flags, think again; they should be given respect and should be with you throughout the year & not only on two occasions. By buying national flags, and attending functions held, you are not going to be a patriot. Instead of paying respects to these flags that they deserve, they are later found in the garbage or on the streets. How pathetic is that.

India's flag and emblem

So far we have seen the problems related to these dates in short. Now I would like to tell you the reason for my absences from functions held on concerned dates. The reason is, for me, love for India or motherland is not bound by time or date. I love my India every day & my love for her never deteriorate like the rest of the Indians. I don't feel any less patriotic on any other day than I do on these days. I love my national flag & anthem (and song) on all days of a year. It is as simple as that. Secondly, no show off is needed. If you really love your country, you should not just talk about it, but you should act on it. In other words -

"action speaks louder than words."

Thirdly, the most important thing that I do is respect my constitution. We have, in our constitution, some fundamental rights & duties. Just as one knows and uses his/her own fundamental rights, one should also perform his/her fundamental duties. I not only use my fundamental rights prescribed in the constitution but also abide by fundamental duties prescribed in the same constitution. We forget the fact that we have some moral or ethical obligations towards our country.

And finally, My love for India is not a one night stand, it is a lifelong commitment to my motherland.

So this year, when you go out to buy white/Khadi clothes, remember that you are not supposed to. Remember to respect our national flag and national anthem - be careful with the national flags. Remember, it’s not a ‘Holiday’ but celebration of anniversary of something remarkable.

Jai Hind, Jai Bharat.

Written by Rishikesh Pande

The Comet

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 13:31:00 +0000

Comets are flirty, they come into ur life for a short period of time. Its all great for a while. You're on cloud 9. And suddenly they leave keeping you stranded in blink of an eye.

This separation doesn't affect comets. They are same as before they met you. But you, on the other hand, are left with broken pieces of your heart.

Comet ISON

And then starts the unending recovery process. First you feel anger. You're very angry because the comet has left you. Then comes the part when you're really sad. Now you start to pick up pieces of your heart & try to fit them together to be 'whole' again. But you now realize, the pieces you picked up, are stranger to you. You can't even recognize 'em let alone fit them together.

In short, you can't be & will never be, 'whole' again. There will be heart in your body, but it would be foreign to you & vice versa.

And then you come across a quote, which will make you feel a little better for time being.
Quotes like :

"Every person has some reason to be there in your life. When that reason is over, they leave."

But get this, not these quotes, no person, nothing, can make you feel better or whole again.

You gotta live with a broken heart, a heart which is stranger to you & vice versa. And now you do something, one thing, which changes everything for you & the world you live in;

You start flirting with another comet…

Written by Rishikesh Pande
Originally written on 21 November 2013

India -- a nation, an idea or just a dream

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 13:22:00 +0000

India as a nation :

India is a country with population of more than 1.2bn people according to 2011 census. India's economy is growing at the rate of 4.5 (GDP). India has a unique mixture of people from different religions but according to preamble of constitution, india is a secular nation. India's 60% (acc. to 2011 census) population still lives in villages. more than 900 mn indians own mobile phones. More than 137 mn (not enough) indians are using internet & 59% of them access internet via mobile phones. India is largest the democracy in the world & is known for preserving the human rights of it's citizens.

India as an idea :

India as an idea could be traced back to a time when it was ruled by the british empire. That was the time when people were patriotic. These patriots had an idea of a great nation -- which will be run by a government of the people, by the people & for the people -- a democracy. A democracy which will be secular in nature, which will have freedom of expression, freedom of speech etc. They struggled for a long time(more than 150 yrs) & victory was theirs. On 15th august 1947, india became an independent country -- a democracy. The then PM of india, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first PM of independent country.
Our constitution was a masterpiece drafted by Dr. Ambedkar. It contained everything that our freedom fighters ever thought of; but most importantly -- freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom of expression etc are one of the most recently used or publicized fundamental rights.

India as a dream:

After 65 years of independence, we can't really say that the dreams our founding fathers saw, came true. Under the UPA 2 government, there have been too many scams. Not just scams but freedom of speech, freedom of expression have come into question. Recently Mr. Trivedi a cartoonist, was arrested for drawing a cartoon mocking the UPA 2 government. Just after the sad demise of Mr. Balasaheb thackrey, 2 girls from mumbai were arrested. What for? For updating a facebook status which merely in polite words said -- when was the last time we paid homage to our freedom fighters like this? Is this the kind of government our founding fathers wanted?
Now what's the purpose behind writing all this. 2014 elections are coming & we can probably see BJP candidate Mr. Modi vs congress candidate Mr. Rahul gandhi faceoff. This is high time that we vote. And while voting, vote for the ideology of a candidate & not that of a person or a party.

Ideology of Mr. Gandhi led to freedom from the british empire. So if we again vote or support the ideology of a person, we might get freedom from corruption, scams etc. We might as well get our freedom back. For all this to happen, casting a vote is important. Not voting is definitely not the solution to the problem. Voting for a person's ideology might change the situation in india. Many people ask -- why vote? Nothing's gonna change. Well solution for that is again not abstaining from voting but voting for change.

Vote so that the dream our founding fathers had would come true. Vote so that you can see the change.

Mr. Gandhi once said -

"Be the Change you wish to see in the World."

Vote for change. Vote to bring back freedom.
Written By Rishikesh Pande

Edited By Manjushree Iyer

Originally written on 13 May 2013