Happiness.

I was talking to someone this morning. Ashwini is a competent person working with one my clients of past. She is not qulified in any one functional area but handles virtually everything in the factory from accounts/Administration to HR Production. She is capably handling her responsibilities. But then there are certain times when she feels she must talk with me. Today was one such day. "Sir, I am tired. I feel dejected. The monotonus work becomes boring and I feel I am underutilized. On the top of all that when I am made to feel that I don't count. I feel, I am taken for granted. I want to do something different!"

This was today's special. But that did set me up thinking. I am sure, every employed person must be going through such thoughts. I used to feel so myself. In my case it led to me quit employment and become a professional. I am doing reasonably well in my profession but the happiness/satisfaction quotient has certainly improved substantially. It is true that we all want the life to be fun, thrilling, adventureous, exciting and in no case mundane, drab, frustrating. For myself, I have realized that it will never be an ideal configuration. The ups and downs, the turns and twists, the compliments and criticisms, rewards and punishments will all be there and there is never any escape from these. May be I am making some obvious statements. We are never trained by others or by ourselves to take the rough with the smooth and march ahead to achieved goals. We do this all the time but I suspect, under some compulsion. May be we also find some tentative solutions and move on. We somehow continue to feel and experience inadequate, helpless at times. This is where our moods dip too low and we start to look for sympathy, cosufferers and tend to rationalize and even find solace in wallowing in self pity!

This state of affairs may be normal. It is certainly not healthy.

One of the may factors that cause these mood swings affecting adversely our performance and the quality of life for ourselves and for those around us.

As living beings, we tend to put our happiness in people, things, places and events. We expect each of these factors to conform to our preferences and choices. This simply can't be. Our happiness resides deep within us. We have explore it all the time. If we are successful we are have earned it and if we are not sucessful in seeking this happiness, still we are responsible anyway!

If we ever learn to choose to be happy or sad or angry or hurt, we will always remain in our own control. This is a state when nothing-neither things, people, places nor events will ever decide our happiness or sorrow. One is not expected to be a super humanbeing to achieve this state of existence. A little effort and a little commintment and a little patience will help one to gain control at least this aspect of life.

If I have tried it and succeeded in this journey, I am sure anyone can! Try!!

Creator, Creativity and the Creation.

The society has become so intolerent that it cannot enjoy harmless things like humor in life. Like many other manifestations, humor is also a creation that requires skills of special kind. It also is rooted inside potent minds. Humor is comment of the humorist on the reality of life as he see it! Mimicry artists, Cartoonists, Authors, Actors, are all accepted to be creators. People who enjoy the creation applaud the creation and the creator. Humor has nothing to do with politics but it can not help if the politicians keep feeding creators with a constant stream of subjects and ALWAYS the politicians of all hues that attack any creation that they perceive to be a personal commentry on some aspects of their personalities or their work. Just why can't they let humor be? If you don't like a book, you simply keep it aside. If you don't like an author, you avoid him/her in future. You don't like a painting, you simply turn away. But when it comes to film making or writing history, especially in Pune, the battle lines are drawn. Authors faces are blackened, he is threatened and his denounced by every conceivable way! Take for example Bangla Deshi author-Taslima Nasrin. They made her life impossible. M. F. Hussain had to run away from the country allegedly due to the protests and ire of Hindu community because he made indecnt carricatures of Hindu goddeses and hurt feelings of Hindus at large. Every creator who is under attack claims attack on freedom to create. There are no absolute rights and wrongs but the artist should not do anything that could hurt sensibilities of the society and the society on its part must demonstrte restraint in good measure!

I am talking about the fiasco concerning a Marathi film "Zenda" by Avadhoot Gupte. Purportedly the film is a satire on Shiv Sena politics. Apparently Shiv Sena has no objection, MNS has not liked it but it says that it is not going to prohibit screening the same. Suddenly one Mr. Nitesh Rane (son of Mr. Narayanrao Rane-erstwhile Big Gun of Shiv Sena now under patronage of Congress) comes up with his band of followers and says that in some parts the film has protrays (his father) Mr. Narayan Rane in bad light and unless these parts are shown to their satidfaction, his organization (Swabhiman Sanghatana) will not permit the film to be released. When asked on TV Channel if the filmmaker has agreed to comply with demands made, Mr. Nitesh Rane announces belligerently that Mr. Avadhoot Gupte has no choice or alternative but to agree! Uncultured, intolerent response to the creativity of the filmmaker. Why can't he let the people decide what to do with the film. Is he God, Dada or a Bhai that all must be subservient to his whims and fancies? But someone who has earned no money by the sweat of his labour will never know the pains of "earning money"! Surprisingly, his father, Mr. Narayan Rane has, to the best of my knowledge, made no comment on the episode!!

But even this not the point. The main issue here for all of us is who gives an individual a right to decide the rights and wrongs for the society at large. And if you are a public figure, you ought to be more restrained in your appearances, speech and actions-especially in public. For that matter even Mr. Deepak Mankar showed greater restraint when he was arrested. May be Ranes have something to learn from him(!)

My appeal to thinking members of the society is to express themselves on this and such issues. We have a major task to save the society from these self proclaimed "care takers" of the society.

One last issue. Is the Congress high command aware of the valueless and anti-people conduct of its own members or they are a party to it? The State party chief and the Chief Minister are always at their evasive best when cornered. But that won't do. All politicians have to learn to take positions on issues and and be proactive. Dodging material issues is the game of cowards. If they do not indeed know about a particular matter, they must make it their business to know and respond knowledgeably rather keep skirting around the issues.

People, think! We need not object to Biharis and UPites invading Maharashtra and sabotaging our culture. Our present day politicians are capable enough to destroy Maharashtra in no time. The time to act against this brand of politics has come. To start with at least start expressing yourselves fearless and educated manner. Your society needs to be saved from such politicians that we can do without!

Political Party that completes 125 years.

I am not politically inclined at all. But the events around these days, compel one to think and to comment. This is just one incidence. Congress is projected by its own hirelings to be the ONLY party that earned freedom for India. It claims to be the only nationalist, secular party that can do the country proud and help the poor improve their lot. Is this true?

Since a couple of day the debate in the press is about the reinduction of an alleged thug-Deepak Mankar in the party.

People in Pune KNOW Mr. Mankar too well to be misled by the unconvincing explanations being offered as justifications for induction. One is NOT interested if the decision to reinduct Mr. mankar was unanimous by the District Congress Committee or not! And even assuming it was a unanimous decision, it cannot change the character of a grossly WRONG decision. Mr. Mankar is the main accused in the land grabbing case. He is facing a few other criminal cases too. His arrest was bad news for Congress, especially as the Assembly elections were round the corner. He was promptly suspended from the party to get mileage in elections as a "clean" party-and it did get that mileage!! He had to contest the Assembly elections as an independent and he lost. He has been refused bail a few times and it seems now he has managed to be out on bail. Coincidentally, the elections to the Pune Municiple Corporation is now round the corner and Congress has reinducted in the party. The only justification being that it was a unanimous decision of the party. What rubbish!

This evening the State President of the Congress Party pleads complete ignorence of this development!! Is this possible at all? Either he is knowingly making a false statement or he thinks that the common man is a fool. He may be right about the common man. In the press conference the Chief Minister "educates" us on the difference between an "accused" and a "convict". He then goes on to say that there is no place for criminals in Congress party. What kind of a joke he thinks he is playing on us poor members of the "common man" fraternity? Did this knowledge happen to this modern day Goutam Buddha overnight? When the party suspended Mr. Deepak Mankar, he was an accused and even today he remains an accused. So what has spurred the new thinking, Mr. Chief Minister?

Its utter shame for the Congress Party to reinduct Mr. Mankar in the party. It needs to cause deep scrutiny to the role, if at all played by MP Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, who happens to be the Boss of Congress interests in far as Pune Municiple Corporation. And why are other parties, especially the NCP quiet on this matter? They share power with Congress in the state, the centre and the Pune Municiple Corporation too? Its a shame on the people of Pune who must demonstrate their anger in the imminent elections of the Pune Municiple Corporation.

I suppose the only action option open to the Natu family and the likes of them unfortunate members of the society, is to commit suicide since this criminalized government and/or the Congress party and/or Nationalist Congress party of Mr. Sharad Pawar and his supporters, will not protect the innocent.