Friday, June 27, 2008

U are a Slave

Before you start reading,I wish to tell you,I am not a radical.My thoughts, at times maybe radical,but I don't dream of changing the society......

'An idle mind is a devil's workshop'.I was expecting to churn out a topic from that 'workshop'.Much to my dismay, I found nothing worthwhile to blog on,until yesterday night.While 'channel surfing',I came across a verse from the Bhagavad Gita,which meant,Everyman is bounded by chains.I pondered on the intricacy of that verse.
"A dog is tied to a chain,while the dog ties us to our home,without a chain".Think about it for a while.I have heard many people saying,they can't leave their house owing to the fact that they can't leave their pet dog unattended.Maybe you too would have come across such situations.You may not like to skip your favourite TV show to attend some function,and many such circumstances.There are people who are slaves to money,alcohol etc.Knowingly or unknowingly we are slaves to something or somebody.We are slaves to societal laws.We tread a familiar path,and anyone going off beat is a pervert in our society.The only people who 'live free', are the ones who have lost their mind.They are not aware of the rising inflation,fuel costs,laws and norms in society etc.They are happy in their world.
There is a thin line between what can be said as a moral obligation,and slavery.In school we are made to sit in a class,with 60 odd students,and forced to take tests,and assignments.Is this slavery??.
We seek permission from parents to go for tours and the like...Is this slavery too??..
I can present a big list of similar situations.So what is slavery??.I don't have a precise answer,but I feel,as long as we believe that we are not bounded to 'chains',we are no slaves.A key point here is,it is subjective.Interference in personal issues by our parents can be disturbing to one,while not to another.
Humans are not instinctual creatures,and hence our actions are modified by the various norms in society.If we start acting out of instinct then there would be utter chaos,in this world.So being subjected to law,though to an extent is slavery,but is highly preferable.Too many arguments and counters can be given in this regard.I am rest assured that nothing will come up with an exact solution.
All i wish to say is,never be slave to things that are immaterial in our life.One should be able to set a threshold and be capable of demarcating between good and bad.After all we need to be slaves to our own mind,for surviving in this world.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The 'little' party

There were numerous suggestions on the date for our farewell party and a conclusion seemed elusive.Finally,after weeks of speculation and parleys we decided on a date,20th June,2008.
The venue was Sindhoor palace,Kowdiar,TVM.
Time:5.00pm-8.00pm
We invited all the teaching as well as the non teaching staff of the EC department and most of them had agreed to turn up..hmm...
A number counting session ensued and we were keeping our fingers crossed on maximum of 50 students.There were many who had not made up their mind.This really worried us.So we decided to collect a sum of Rs 210/- from each student,and we decided to hand over a souvenir to everyone who attended the function.A DVD that contained all the photos and videos that were taken during our entire stint in college.We made some frantic calls to some guys asking their confirmation for the event.When the number touched 40 we decided to go ahead;come whatever...
June 20,2008.
A sudden turn of events,reinvigorated our spirits.An educational bandh declared by the Kerala Students Union,was a blessing in disguise.The university exam slated for that day was postponed and as result many confirmed their participation.We were mighty relieved,and was looking forward to making this 'little' party,a memorable one.
By,5.30pm,almost all the students had gathered at the venue,and it was time for chit chats.A never ending photo session ensued,with some 'handsome' guys trying to 'muscle' their way into every photo that was clicked.
Everything seemed to be going according to script.But there was a problem.There was no sign of any teaching or non teaching staff we had invited for the function.We ringing up everyone and reminded them of the function.We were glad to know that many were on their way.Finally they arrived,and much to our dismay there were only five of them.Enough was enough and we moved into the hall.

It was time for speeches.The teachers spoke on the transformation that happened to our batch over the years in college.
Now,it was the turn of the students.The onus was on our 'class rep',who made a wonderful speech,and the good work was carried forward by my friend who spoke next.There were some guys who were suggesting,I should speak next.I was not prepared for any speech.My mind was full of numbers...How many??..How much??..I had to give in to the pressure,and i really don't remember what i blabbered.To quote my friend;"sandeepinte election pracharanam(campaign)".Perhaps the fact, that i was seen as the 'last samurai' of KSU,among my classmates coerced me into being a bit political.

It was time for food,and there was the routine chaos associated with any buffet,hosted for students.It was fun for us,but not for the guys who were serving food and desserts.The souvenir was distributed in haste and it was time for us to vacate the hall.I paid the bill(55 students attended) and it seemed a burden was off my shoulder,and heaved a sigh of relief.We bid goodbye to the teachers who attended the function,and all of us stayed on near the parking lot.I wondered;the people who had raised objections on hosting the party in the evening were staying,despite it being so late.Maybe i was missing a point.The 'numbers' perhaps made me 'numb'.There were many around me who were crying,many were at the verge of breaking down,and i realized a bit too late that it was the one last time we all would be together.There were many who were bidding farewell to the city,and i realized,college life had come to a culmination.'Stay in touch','all the best' ruled the roost during the latter phase of our 'little' party,and i returned home after ensuring that almost all of them had left for their homes.
I lay in my bed,with a heavy heart,pondering on how 'big',the 'little' party actually was.......

Back From Hibernation

Two months of exams has drained me out.I ve no topics to write on.Today marked the end of an illustrious four years in college.A well deserved break is in the offing,and perhaps i hope to blog more frequently than before.
If i start writing something now,all i would manage would be something on the exams,how tiring and disturbing they were..
So expect something new in few days time...
I ve lot of things to tell u...:-)