THE DIARY OF A HOUSEWIFE

Nirja dear, I see your concern for the downtrodden increase by the day, a good sign indicative of how you have grown in your compassion for the underprivileged and the oppressed. Which brings me to the question as to why do perfectly normal, educated and intelligent people indulge in female infanticide and other heinous acts? The Bhagwad Geeta explains it very well. In verse 36 of chapter 3, Arjuna asks Krishna “Impelled by what O Krishna, does man commit sin even against his own wishes, as though driven by a force?” Krishna replies “It is desire-lust: it is anger born of Rajas: it is insatiable and grossly wicked. Know this to be the enemy here in this world.” When the desire for acquiring anything grows out of proportion, it degenerates into “lust” to fulfil that yearning; then whatever stands between that longing and its realisation, becomes the target of anger. In anger, our ideals are overwhelmed and we pitilessly compromise them. Justice, truthfulness, honesty, uprig...

सत्यमेव जयते नानृतम् सत्येन पन्था विततो देवयानः । येनाक्रमत् मनुष्यो ह्यात्मकामो यत्र तत् सत्यस्य परं निधानं ॥ Truth alone triumphs; not falsehood. Through truth the divine path is spread out by which the sages, whose desires have been completely fulfilled, reach where that supreme treasure of Truth resides. (The above quoted Sanskrit verse is from the Mundaka Upanishad ) With tears in his eyes and truth in his words, Aamir, I feel, turns the key to viewers’ hearts – viewers whose humanity has remained firmly under lock - every Sunday. With his heartfelt rendition of what some may brand as just another “reality TV” show, he (Aamir) has begun something that should have never have needed such a big push to set in motion, in the first place! Nevertheless, I will go along with the saying, “ देर आए दुरुस्त आए ” (better late than never). Can the human race be actually given classes on being humane, civilised and benevolent, rising above the pettiness of it all? Seeing the...

T he other day my friends gave me a pleasant surprise when they called me up to chat with me from the US. They were taking some time out from their busy schedules to spend time together. Reliving old memories we had a very fun filled, giggly 40 minutes on the phone. If we could do that on the phone I can’t help but smile conjuring up the image of the three girls, now mothers and career women, spending the weekend together under one roof with nothing to worry about and think about but our school days. The smile stayed with me for a long time assuaging all my anxieties and tensions of the day. Long forgotten yet still vivid memories came rushing to the fore making me wish we were all together reminiscing those days. All of us were amazed at the instant and bewilderingly fresh recall of our silly escapades, the people we knew and the crushes we had. I now understand why most (not everyone) consider them the best days of their lives. Not that it means life is not good now ...