Gabbar One, Gaurakshak Zero ....

It is said that we human beings connect instantly with a revolutionary. We love a rebel - a brave entity taking a stand against a mighty unjust institution - the stuff what many movies are made of and we lap it up with aplomb and joy be it a Christian Bale as Dark Knight or Akshay Kumar as Gabbar. In short, we love our vigilantes and we love them from the bottom of our hearts because somewhere in a parallel universe, it is us who we see as reflections - a small timid boy who can't stand up against his bullies in school or a hapless servant who can't stop bearing the insult of his unruly masters because she has four kids to feed or an everyday young professional who can't quit on a job that sucks the very life out of him because he has a dream to build and bills to pay - all this oppression and injustice is what makes us worship our heroes who stand up against the 'capitalist glutton'. Funnily, rules change somewhere in between in an effective display of cognitive dissonance as the topic shifts to Gauraksha and a chance to sabotage a nationalistic government's work presents itself in an 'Intolerance Returns' screening when a car registered seven hundred kilometers away travels to the a constituency considered a stronghold of the breeder of the famed Lutyens ecosystem just to beat up few people!

Up, Up and Away !

Last November when I had published 'Bihar: Burnt and Bruised BJP', the level of disappointment I was experiencing then as part of 'the Parivar' was at the same level that satisfaction I am experiencing now with the results of Assam, Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. There is tremendous significance to what has transpired and I personally believe that 19th May 2016 is second only to 16th May 2014, if the events of the recent past are to be observed, for the future of Bhaarat.

Of Truth and Terror ....

I remember those days when I was "the angry young man" - picking fights on roads with errant drivers and pedestrians alike with immense satisfaction. I enjoy it still but a lot has toned down. Every time I get behind the wheel, I remind myself of my father's golden rule of driving - "I am always wrong. All others are always right". When I drive, I call it the 'Dravid' mode and it has helped me calm down a lot especially in the "wonderful" city of Pune where one invites immense audiovisual hostility if one unfortunately chooses to halt at a red signal. What it has done is to increase my perseverance and patience as well on the road and off it. This simple rule of my father's has put my entire existence into perspective that Truth alone is not sufficient to triumph - me being right and abiding by the rules is irrelevant when it comes to the road - that is my truth and I have a choice to stick by it or let it go; it is hardly something which will be valued in times of an accident. One of the greatest discoveries of mine in this spiritual quest called life is my firm belief that Truth is one of the most weakest forces ever on a standalone basis. Truth derives its strength from time. Truth has only tenacity and perseverance to count among it's allies. Everything else withers out with time but Truth grows stronger if persisted with and in the right direction. At the same time, strength commands weight - strength takes the shape of power with this weight; as Mohan-ji spoke, over this past Sunday at the 1.58 lac Swayamsevak Strong Shivashakti Sangam 2016, "Who speaks the truth is more important than the truth itself." A powerful nation can direct global affairs; a powerful truthful nation can lead the globe to peace and prosperity. Pathankot, as another episode, I see in the same light.