WHO WANTS TO GIVE BACK ...

         FROM WHAT WE GET 

        WE  CAN MAKE A LIVING..

       WHAT WE GIVE, HOWEVER 

        MAKES A LIFE 
                                                                      - ARTHUR ASHE 

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile “

                                                                - Albert Einstein
This quote might seem a bit hackneyed for today’s world  in which the only things which really sum up our lives are : I , Me ,Myself and My selfie . Wish I could be nearer to truth describing what has become of our lives .
Right since Day Zero  of Human civilisation ,we have learnt to just grab and use everything we could lay hands on without thinking even for a sec about giving back .
Back then resources were infinite , we were a bunch .We grabbed ,we used.
As time flew by, we exploded in number, resources remained the same,  we grabbed , we used .
Today we are a whopping burden of 7 billion heads, resources are  scarce ,
And to admit shamefully ,We still grab and We use. Consequently,    one in nine is trapped in deceit of chronic  hunger ,and one in six  lives on a paltry sum of less than 1.25 $ per day .

So the billion dollar question is, in spite of flourishing technology ,enhanced skills ,strengthening production capabilities ,world shrinking to  a size of a smartphone and what not ,why are we still missing the big picture ? When we are capable of sending people to Moon , Mars and God knows where , why can’t we just ensure to send every person to bed without pangs of hunger.
When a company can earn annual profit in billion dollars , why can’t  a  person even have the affordability of 2 $  per day ?
The answer lies in our attitude   “Grab ,Use and forget about it ”.Who gives a damn about Giving Back to society and people .
If all customers of a bank will start withdrawing money from a bank with none depositing ,there are no brownie points for guessing what will happen to the bank .It goes bankrupt …
Same is the case of our socio-economic scenario .It lies in shambles owing to apathy of people about giving back . we are so  fastidiously centred on our goals ,ambitions ,aspirations and so hell bent on making something out of our own lives , the moral obligation to pay back to society occupies the backstage .

ENACTUS MNNIT
 is one   such   genuine  and noble  Effort     to ask all these valid questions to apathetic money mongers .
It is a platform for those who  yearN to give back to society
A clarion call for people who have Abandoned their moral obligations  to society
An Opportunity for people   with   Courage  to change the lives of  others.
 An Org.   where compassion weds Technology  for a better tomorrow
A Promise to empower & enable    Underprivileged so that they grow unaided
With  an   aim     to     light    a tiny  Spark because  “A MIGHTY FLAME FOLLOWETH A TINY SPARK”.
  
STOP THINKING AND START GIVING BACK
COME JOINS HANDS WITH ENACTUS MNNIT
ALONE WE CAN DO SO LITTLE
TOGETHER WE WILL CREATE A REVOLUTION .


PLEASE VISIT https://www.facebook.com/enactusmnnit?fref=ts

A Lamentable Ban on "INDIA'S DAUGHTER"

When I read about Mr. Arun Jaitley , our  Finance Minister and an eminent scholar ,defending the ban on documentary “India’s Daughter “ ,I was shell-shocked because I am damn sure his  personal views on the aforesaid topic are entirely different from the one he has been endorsing and being evangelic about .The realisation also dawned upon me that being a political figure leads to loss of freedom of expression as  an individual  and anything you say is a direct manifestation of intent of your political party .but having said  that, does not absolve Mr. Jaitley because  a man of his stature and eminence should understand that his comments as an individual do have a bearing on public mindset. Also the way Government has reacted to this documentary , puts every Indian in ignominy and gloom .The ban on “India’s Daughter “ is a vociferous attack on freedom of expression in so called “largest democracy “   of the world. It  antagonises  me how can the government be so blunt and obtuse to not understand that documentary  was an eye opener showing the extent to which our values  have eroded .Views of Mukesh (one of the convicts ) shows the moral depravity , lack of humanity and sensitivity in our society .

The reasons for the ban raises some serious question on inadequacy of our system .As put forth by govt. the video will have a  bearing on the case which is  under trial and also it might provoke further protests as was witnessed  during Nirbhaya case . Sorry to say but the reasons are preposterous ,baseless  and in a way offending .The lack of remorse in Mukesh’s opinions and the way he was still defending his heinous act was outrageous and repugnant. I am of the strong opinion that this lack of remorse and guilt should  and must have a bearing on the case . and as for the protests ,it is within democratic discretion.
Had the government appreciated the efforts of BBC in general and Leslee Udwin (film maker ) ,it should have sent a strong message to perpetrators of such vicious atrocities . Instead what ensued was a kind of “witch hunt “ against Leslee Udwin which was appalling and unfortunate .
BBC planned to broadcast  this documentary to commemorate International Women’s Day in 7 different countries simultaneously to elucidate the plight of women and gender inequality prevalent in the countries across the globe .The documentary did not show a problem just limited to our country ,but it apprised the women safety issue with Nirbhaya case being a symbol  of all forms of abominable and horrendous  sexual crimes being committed worldwide And this particular case was chosen to laud the momentous courage of Indian masses who took to streets and to show the world an example of  what  civilians are capable of . but  alas ! thanks to efforts of our government ,this noble cause was deflated and defeated .

Reaction of government  borders on fringes of categorical and abject ‘Denial’ ,one of the psychological defence mechanisms where you simply choose to deny eye glaring fact or truth . It was case of violation of liberty,the basic tenet of any thriving democracy .It was perceived as if BBC had purposefully chosen India to taint its image as a liberal country and we Indians  have a habit of taking it too personally .How could someone “insult” us  and tell us  how pathetic our social plight was ? How could someone raise a finger on us and show us  the true picture of “deplorable and pitiful “ conditions of  ‘better half’
of our population ? how could a rank outsider (read BBC) dare to expose the inherent gender bias in our mentality ? and more especially how a woman (read Leslee Udwin ) dared to challenge the ubiquitous ‘patriarchal clout’ of our Indian society where we decide for our women “what to wear “ and when to go out “.? Indeed we are offended and our government took a “ righteous “ course of action by banning the film . Our Govt made a brave decision of “hiding “ our shame rather than ‘Saving Our Women ‘(as quoted by Ms. Udwin).
 Kudos to government !!!!

thanks to our govt every ‘thinking Indian head’  today hangs in shame .
why are not we offended by panopticon of sexual predacity  in which our women are grilled everyday ??
why does not it  gall us to see our women objectified by our patriarchal mindset ?
 more even why does this Patriarchy itself doesn’t offend us ?
Why are we so opaque to male domination in all walks of life ?
why  this insolence towards women ?
why for a woman today  ‘going out’ equals to risk of getting raped ?

I wish our government could channelised its energy in searching answer to such quandaries rather than to ‘abuse’ a noble gesture as put forth by BBC’s documentary. 

SILENCE : A MELODY

Right from inception of human  civilization  , through its tumultuous and vacillating amelioration ,and to very date as it stands today, silence has always  been as perpetual a companion to human kind as the sun and the firmament.Although undoubtedly ,to stand the acid test of time and substance ,"SILENCE" has often shifted roles notably from one extreme to  the other .At the very outset of human genesis it was silence which occupied all the empty spaces in  plane of time and  sound of any kind were thought to be turbulences and were often feared as interfering elements in  ongoing harmonious  orchestra of life .Contrarily today  silence exists in diminishing traces and crass cacophony prevails and has come to be seen as ways of life . Achingly sad but true .
Surely  silence has traversed a whole horizon and has seen better days .
So the mllion dollar question is : what is silence ?  Is it mere  absence of words ?
or is there a  “virgin” dimension to its meaning  waiting to be be explored and tapped ? Understanding silence is very critical to well being of a person in particular and world in general...

Silence has always been seen as “ absence  of audible sounds or lack of communication “ (ref.wikipedia).The words ‘absence’ , ‘lack’   lend a negative connotation to a serene thing as silence whereas the fact is it is the silence which lends meaning to words .Without the silence the words spoken would be an unending nonsensical banter .Words derive their legitimacy from silence which we underminigly dub as “absence of words “. It   is indeed  a paradox .
Like ,in calligraphy ,it is the spaces / voids between the words that bequeath sense to the words  or in a musical piece it is the spacing of the voids that bestow lyrical harmony  known to us as “music beats”.With nobler intention of understanding silence at a philosophical level ,silence can be viewed  as a conjugal unison  where  the inner peace weds the outer turbulences .Silence is the time which everyone owes to their inner conflicts .Silence is the moment of realisation ,the moment when your inner psyche comes to terms with world outside ,the moment when you can see everything crystal clear even with your eyes closed .Silence leads to channelization and propagation of energy in right direction. It is also the only non- violent  vehicle  to vent out your frustrations.
Personally speaking silence has always been a meditation to me . A meditation in which you need no posture, no external props ,no teacher .It is something which you can do even while carrying out your daily chores.And it showers you with celestial blessings be it immense self-control   ,serenity of soul and and overall beatitude .Sometimes a moment of silence can garner astonishing tranquility in times of distress .

Also I see "silence"  as the answer to predicaments and perplexities bogging down humanity
The unprecedented violence ,relentless bloodshed,conflicts in the name of religion ,colour ,creed ,
moral depravity  ,nosediving human ethics and more sacrilegious than ever attitude of mankind  are few of the quandries  that is going to throw world into a quagmire .To solve conflicts at various levels of  communities ,states or nations we first need to solve our inner conflicts and to achieve this we need to grasp the power of silence . understanding the boundless potential of silence can prove to be a panacea .

TEENAGE DREAMS -1

Well it feels so weird when I set about to define what a dream   actually is . I mean I never ever had thought that I will have to  define  what a dream actually is ?
let me attempt , a dream can be called a movie running in our mind during certain stages during our sleep ,a combination of sound and visual, and sometimes some inexplicable distortions of sound and visual. A dream can very   lucid just like 1080p high definition and u will feel like you are in your real life  or  on the contrary it might be completely nonsensical. The extent of distortion of sound and visuals in a dream depends upon various factors some of which are tractable like stress levels ,what u thought about last before hitting the pillow, etc  and also factors which are way beyond human control. Those factors are supposed to be mystifying interplay of psychology ,biology and what not .well I might set you thinking why I am taking pains to describe something as commonplace as a “Dream”. That is because what I am about to deliberate requires you to be at ease with a dream actually means and what it really affects   it .

Does the term “TEENAGE DREAMS “ rings any familiar bells for all of you ?  It is not just about silly stupid teenager dreams .what I mean by “Teenage Dreams” encompasses a whole set of emotions, aspirations   and   fears   that every single teenager lives with.
It could be fear of not being able to measure up to his peers, it could be his emotional needs of love   , care and nurture ,  it also could be his hormonal surges .It could be his  endeavor for a better life ahead or maybe his chagrin over his thwarted efforts to win his “girl”. His fretting over a failed “well hatched “ plans  or maybe his favorite cricketer hit another duck .you just name a thing and you can find a lot  of teenagers  fretting over  it .I guess people are right when they say teenage is the most problematic part of growing up .
teenage can be defined roughly as age between 13 to 19, which begins with onset of various physical and psychological changes .teenage is touted to be passing phase,
the metamorphosis of a child into an adult through a set of experiences which are unnerving as well as life changing at the same time .well I don’t intend to beat around about what teenage is all about   . I am just here to share what it meant for me to grow through those years
 .
As I was growing up  I faced a host of issues .one of the very first problems I faced was the identity issue .  you  always  wanted to be identified ,associated with ,spotted ,distinguished or tagged ,whatever way you put it. No matter what the subject was  you always wanted to be  distinguished from crowd rather than being a part of it .
Also this identity crisis becomes acute when you  go to  a new school or college .Then there is your adrenaline rush as you enter the threshold of puberty .you tend to indulge in delinquent activities just for the fun of it. It sometimes has very serious repercussions amounting to substance abuse, outbursts of violence and even criminal offence .
Also I observed a lot of my friends  did a lot of things they never ever wanted to ,  just to  ”remain in the league” or to be cool. A teen has this cancerous tendency to measure himself against his peers which eats him slowly .I have seen friends succumb to a lot of vices,  be it  alcohol  , maurijiana and various other addictions . I will bet my money on the fact that “An engineering college hostel is the best workshop to learn how a teenager caves in to such  tendencies .”
Another curious thing which I experienced   was   , whenever I screwed up something  I always felt like I was in the “public eye”  and my screwing up has  somehow halted the infinite rhythm of universe .Psychologists  call this “Spotlight Effect”. you feel like you are in limelight and everyone is watching you screw up .This leads  to diminishing confidence and further faltering . When the fact is nobody bothers whether you screw up or not .
 As soon as you enter college you start to become conscious of  enormous changes you are undergoing both psychologically and physically . This is the time when opposite sex captivates you . This is also the time you become conscious of terms like ego , self esteem ,career , success ,future  each of them a double edged sword . I ,sometimes wish  I never came across such terms and then ahh .. I also wish I never grew up .
(to be contd….)

OPPORTUNISM IN TODAY'S WORLD

Someone said “a good opportunity seldom knocks your door  And never  repeats itself “
aptly said …
life is all about cashing  in  on those opportunities ...everyone  can’t be very lucky to get numerous opportunities in life but it is within everyone’s personal capability to be brave and determined enough to jump upon on whatever opportunities he /she has got in life …in today’s world of cut- throat competition world needs knife edge sharpness and excellence …so in order to outshine u need to be aware of opportunities in and around u …in short u need to be OPPOPRTUNISTIC ..

we really need to understand what  this theory of OPPORTUNISM  actually  is ??
Wikipedia people define” Opportunism as  the conscious policy and practice of taking selfish advantage of circumstances. And when we talk about  human opportunism, it often has a strong negative  moral connotation.. “in short in relation with human behavior, opportunism has always been considered to have a connotation of lack of integrity and anti-social selfishness .But this is not what I am here to delve into .what intrigues me more is the positive sphere of opportunism as a whole ,meaning by opportunism in human psyche which translates itself to something like “ making most of the opportunities while they are there.”or I wud rather put it “MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES “

Opportunism in today’s real time  scenario has got two important aspects …
first primary element  is OPTIMISM.. it is the ability to sense the opportunity in different situations and the same time develop a strong conviction that yes here is my  chance …
an optimistic person sees opportunities in almost every situation  ,and here lies the root of chaos of life ..
too much of optimism means u find yourself entwined and entangled amongst opportunities making your head spin with numerous choices ..this leads to half matured decisions leading on to unsatisfied lives.. And this particular syndrome is ,as I have come to diagnose ,sole reason for unhappiness of our intelligentsia .I mean , wouldn’t it be expecting too much if we nurture  spurious  hopes of a solid structure on foundation of half- baked bricks of decisions ?
it is no surprise that sometimes it all just falls like a pack of cards ….
 and instead of understanding the fact that we saw too much of an opportunity and did too little to back ourselves  what we actually do is
we fret ourselves , curse our fate , indulge in blasphemy and entertain all kinds of objuration  and profanations as our articles of faith allow us .
That actually underlines the importance of the other side of the coin ,that is ,the other aspect of opportunism “REALIZATION “
well I prefer to call realization as the balancing factor for optimism  or rather say balancing excess of opportunism .Realization can be deemed as real time analysis of any situation ..an analysis that is not biased and weighted in assessing its pros and cons by virtue of  what we call too much of “HOPE”.
I undoubtedly give in  to the fact that hope has been an elemental constituent of motivation  since the haydays of human civilization but too much of hope just strangulates the power of reason and logic to think and act clearly as per given circumstances .so u see opportunism creates its own nemesis and that is over reliance  on hope and optimism.
SO what I propound is :life is just about finding the right balance between being opportunistic and being realistic.”NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE “ only looks good on paper .In life u need to have a stock of the situation and rather focus on what is possible with your given circumstances .And this balance can only be achieved with experience and training of the “self”.yes and this balance is unique for every person depending upon his/her innate abilities and also his/her inherent defects.
Don’t get me wrong.I m not discouraging you  to not  think out of the box or to reach out for. No absolutely not .
All I really mean to say is that if a spaceship has to reach mars it should have fuel enough to get there .
We can not just pray and hope that whatever fuel it has, it  will take it to mars .
I think this example brings home the point ..
#PENSEUR ROHIT