Understanding love

The whole world seems to be running behind love. But do we understand what actually is it ? Many times, we confuse it with infatuation or in some other cases, very strong attraction.

'I Love You'. These are some of the most overused words. And more often than not, they seem vague, unsubstantiated by the feelings. And even when there are feelings, they lack depth or concrete meaning. They seem to be borne of that one instant when emotions take control of the thinking brain.


So what is love? When can you say that you are in love? A simple test that I can think of is when you value the happiness of the other person more than yours, then you can say that you are in love. Thus, love is the perfect antonym of selfishness. Love is unselfishness.

Every relationship plays a different role in completing you as a person. The father provides you the comfort and security. The mother cares for you, teaches you the meaning of love. The sibling shares with you that joyful experience of growing up.

And then there is a lover, with whom you share things that you can't share with anyone else. She is the person who is privy to your most intimate secrets. She is the person whom you want to talk to when you don't want to talk to anyone else. She is the one who makes you feel empowered by giving you control over her life. She is the one to whom you want to surrender. She is the one to whom you make love, a moment as intimate or private as there can be. She is the one who completes you as a man.

Do I have a lover? No. But I do have love. I love my mother, my father and my sister beyond measures. And I can't think of any other person right now whom I can love as much as I love them. But I do hope to find the lover in my life. I need that lover in my life. And I would preserve those 3 words till the day I realize I have passed that test.

Victory of democracy

I am a happy man today. Indian voters have finally come of age. A man who talked only about development in his election rallies has been handsomely handed a second term of government. And all others have been routed out in style. The strongmen and their spouses and their relatives, near and distant,  have been shown the way out.

It is as much the victory of democracy as it is of Nitish Kumar. The poll results must have reinforced faith in democracy in the minds of many.At least in my case, it did. Suddenly, the idea of India becoming a super power is looking realistic. It is just a beginning and a lot more needs to be done. But the beginning has begun. Hopefully.

Side effects of job

The job has taken away my blogging. Its not that I don't have time at the end of the day to write a blog. Neither am I that tired to stroke some keys on the keypad. Its just that my mind goes blank. After doing the same mundane thing all day (and for many days in continuity), all that I am capable to do at the end is to absorb whatever is coming to me. The mental fatigue prevents any response.

I really think that I need to devote some time everyday just to myself. To think about things that I used to think. To think about where the life is heading. To retrospect the past actions and to plan about the future ones.

Two Extremes of Indian Life

I have seen the two extremes of the Indian life in 2 days. While going from Jamshedpur to Ranchi, I saw the poverty of the state of Jharkhand. And today in PVR Saket, I saw the opulence of Delhi. After the scenes of yesterday, today there was a slight guilt at the way money flows around. The latter India seemed unaware about the existence of the former one. The latter one gives the foundation for the illusion that India is shining, literally too with all the lightings in the mall against the absence of the electric poles in the former.

By the way, tomorrow is the first day of my job. A new phase of life starts now. At the end of the thesis, I took some resolutions regarding this phase. And I hope that this time, against the norm, I wont break them.

Who is God ?

Who is God ? Some energy. Or some spirit. Or some superhuman of distant past. No one knows. In fact the question that I would rather ask is what is God ?

God is the belief in the goodness of the world. He is the wish that comes true. He is the lucky escape from an accident. He is the last hope when everything else falls apart. He is that chance that comes unexpectedly. He is the closure that comforts us. He is the reason for the unexplainable.

One might say that in the end it is all a game of probability. Then he is the one rolling the dice.

Why do we need God ?

‎"Whatever may be the position of philosophy, whatever may be the position of metaphysics, so long as there is such a thing as death in the world, so long as there is such a thing as weakness in the human heart, so long as there is a cry going out of the heart of man in his very weakness, there shall be a faith in God." - Swami Vivekananda

Why do we need God ? The chance factor in life is mind boggling. To think of it, there are so many things which are beyond our control.  The uncertainties of life are beyond our grasp. So much so that we don't even think about them. And the biggest uncertainty of all is how it will all end? And what after that? It is for these very reasons that we need God. We need him not as an answer to the uncertainties but as an assurance that the answers will be sought. And we need him most when we became aware of these uncertainties. And when we feel helpless in the circumstances  around us, in our moments of weakness.

I myself remember God from exams to exams. And sometimes before an important presentation or a meeting. And sometimes when I am anxious. To think of it, its hypocritical. But I guess, hypocrisy is as inherent a trait of human beings as is selfishness.

I have observed an inequality. A strict inequality. The love that the parents have for their children is always greater than the love the children have for their parents. We might never be able to fully understand our parent's feelings, let alone feel them. But they can. They understand it. They feel it. They rejoice when we are happy. And they cry when we are in pain.