LABYRINTH OF LOVE

LABYRINTH OF LOVE

Love, a man,

Known as he.

It's a woman,

Seen as she

By Mukesh Sharma 

Love, a mother's,

Heart-throb.

Felt by foetus,

In the womb.

Love, a mother's,

Lullaby.

Enjoyed by,

The baby.

Love, a father's,

Humming hug.

That gives child,

Needed smug.

Love, an unknown,

Obsession.

Often afflicts,

 The adolescence.

LABYRINTH OF LOVE

Love, a first,

Lip- kiss.

No lover,

Ever misses.

Love, a tight,

Embrace now and then.

That makes lovers,

Touch heaven.

Love, a biological,

Need and further.

Of one body,

For the other.

Love, a perception,

Of curves and contour.

Love bitten loves,

It ever and ever.

Love, a yoga of,

Deep breaths out and in.

Taken by lovers,

Together within.

Love, an orgasm,

Wished by a woman.

An ejaculation 

Desired by a man.

Love, a man,

Known as he.

It's a woman,

Seen as she.

Reading an English Newspaper

Reading an English Newspaper

A student-reader must learn how to separate wheat from chaff, how to distinguish between facts and fiction, and read between the lines

By Mukesh Sharma

Gone are days when newspapers used to be the surrogate of public opinion, and the main business was to collect and disseminate the information in the largest interest of the people. Now, the most of the newspapers are partisan; news are tweaked and twisted with vested interest; the ‘salad’ is made out of raw ‘vegetables’ and served to the synthetic mass of readers. Though the most of the readers succumb to ‘spices’ and ‘dressing’, only a few matured readers are able to distinguish between apple and orange, cucumber and carrot, tomato and turnip. But to student-readers who look at the world through the eyes of the newspapers, and read it to augment their vocabulary, brush up their English, increase their general awareness and keep themselves up- to-date from the point of view of various competition exams for government services, it (newspaper) remains rather as confusing as the grammar of English language. Student- readers read an English newspaper like the contents of a text book, and lots of precious time is wasted in the reading exercise. In fact, with the sheer knowledge of the standardized format and content which are followed by all the newspapers, one can understand and read it quickly and comfortably within 30-45 minutes maximum.

Reading an English Newspaper

The common contents of most of the newspaper are: News Story, Editorial, Column, Letter-to-Editor, News Article, Feature Article, Weekly Magazine Section, and Advertisements.

Each write-up in a newspaper is ‘crowned’ by an attractive and catchy  HEADLINE; it reflects the purpose and proclivity of a newspaper; it can be ‘offensive’ and ‘submissive’ depending on target audience; it can be informative or commentative.  What a human face is to emotions, headline is to a newspaper. In other words, true 'character' of a newspaper can better be ‘understood’ and ‘recognized’ by its headlines.

A headline of a story is always in present tense; it is anti-grammar and anti-syntax; it has timeliness, for, a news is news so long as it is new; over and above, it is complete story in nutshell. Just by reading a headline of a story, one can learn about the content of news. If one flips through the pages and just cast cursory glance on the headline of each story/news, one can have fair idea of all the important news of the day. Furthermore, if any headline catches the interest, and a reader wants to know more details, one can go further and read highlight which is usually written beneath the headlines. A highlight further elaborates the headline. Look at a news story published in a newspaper:

The very first PARA of a news story is usually described as INTRO in journalistic parlance that conforms to 5W and 1 H – who, what, when, why, where and how. In other words, an INTRO of news story also gives complete information about the news in question in nutshell. If one reads a story up to INTRO only, one can have good referable knowledge about an event/incident/happening unfolded in the news.

A news story is a collection of different but relevant facts. Each fact is couched in a separate PARA. And the facts are arranged in descending order of importance and follow a pattern of inverted pyramid; it means the most important fact goes to top and the least important one to bottom or tail. What is noteworthy, the PARAS that represent different facts are not inter-connected or linked. There is no flow of thoughts from one PARA to another; there is flow of different facts which are independent. If a reader misses any PARA , particularly, the tail-ender, one loses nothing except a few inconsequential facts. So, if a students-readers just concentrate on headline, highlights and intro of each story, it will suffice his/her knowledge of event/incident/happenings delineated in the story.

Editorial of a newspaper is always commentative; it reflects the stand or viewpoint of the newspaper on a particular development; it is usually carried at extreme left on the middle pages of the newspaper. A student reader must read the editorial thoroughly, for, it helps to develop the critical bent of mind in the matter of national or international importance. Editorials are also headed by headline and supported by one or two liner highlighter. Through an editorial, a newspaper seeks to delve deep into a subject matter, and dissects and discusses it ‘subjectively’ and concludes it ‘objectively’.

Though a newspaper derives its power of ‘persuasion’ from its circulation among supposedly faithful readers – exposure makes target vulnerable, letter-to-editor is the only small space provided to so called ‘valued’ readers on the editorial page itself where they register their duly ‘selected’ responses.

News Articles, usually carried on Editorial page, are written by an experienced ‘staffer’ or by the renowned ‘guest’ with immense social and political clout. A News article is an interesting amalgamation of news and comments with an objective. It acquaints a student-reader with diverse views on the subject-matter. News articles are published on an opportune time.

Feature articles are purely revelatory in nature, predominantly, written on a topic of social or geographical importance. Such articles have no timeliness e.g. an article on Himalayan venture can go to press on any day.

The most of the newspapers also bring out weekly magazine section on Sunday. It is full of gossip and scoops about the cine stars. It caters to the saucy needs of young readers, not the serious one.

Advertisements are the main source of revenue for a newspaper. But it is an open secret that the newspapers have other ‘sources’ also. How come a newspaper that costs Rs.80-90 per copy, is sold out just for Rs 5 per copy. Though as per PRB Act 1860, the ratio between news and ads should be 60:40 but it is just vice-versa.

Journalism is described as a literature in hurry. And of course, it can be read also hurriedly. A student reader must read at least two newspapers daily. A comparative study shall reveal how the newspapers play up or play down the news stories. The people allege that newspapers are no longer the watch dogs of democracy; they wag and turn tail purposefully; they bark and bite selectively.

A student-reader must learn how to separate wheat from chaff, how to distinguish between fact and fiction, and read between the lines.

English, Great, Great. . . . Grand Daughter of Sanskrit

English, a Great, Great. . . .

Grand Daughter of Sanskrit

We, Indians don’t treat English as a foreign language; it is our language; Hindi and English are two sisters who can’t part from each other.

By Mukesh Sharma

Once Hindi and English were sitting together in the waiting– lounge of Indra Gandhi International Airport, waiting for their flight to Frankfurt (Germany).This blogger was also sitting next to them. All of a sudden, a verbal ‘flight’ broke out between two hon’ble ladies. Here are the excerpts from that interesting and knowledgeable ‘spat’ for the valued readers:

English: Is wearing Sari  comfortable? Doesn't  it look savage in the modern world?

Hindi: Sari is not savage. Covering from head to toe, sari beautifies the woman body; it not only makes her attractive but also respectable in society.

English: what do you mean? Am I not respectable?

Hindi: I am sorry if my words have offended you. I didn’t mean that. Just think, you would realize Sari suits the female body not tight-fit jeans. You see there is scientific reason behind each custom/tradition in India. Ancient India was fully developed and civilized at a time when the rest of the world was rather non-existent or savage.The  Rig-Veda was composed 5000 years ago; Charak Sahimta’s tenets  are still valid; pandit would tell about solar or lunar eclipse just by sheer calculation in ancient India. There are scores of examples of pristine glory of India. Better, you read the book Discovery of India  by Jawahar Lal Nehru, our first PM, very well acknowledged and acclaimed by the  western world.

English:  That’s great! But self praise is no recommendation.

Hindi: These are hard facts authenticated by the research works and findings by Western scholars. Can you believe the most of the European language are genetically related to Sanskrit which is the parent language. In other words, you are also a great, great . . . . grand daughter of Sanskrit. And I am also a daughter of Sanskrit. In this way, you are my sister.

English: Oh my gosh! You Indian are second to none in making tall talks and tall claim. Do you know, we, the Britisher, ruled over India for 200 years; the sun wouldn’t set in, in our British empire as we had humbled the most part of the world from East to West.

Hindi: The Britisher were not a superior race. If you wish to know the truth, read the eye opener book entitled Bharat Me British Raj’ by Sunderlal which was banned when brought out during British regime.

English: You are talking nonsense. I can’t believe your cock and bull story.

Hindi: But truth is truth. You must accept the truth, my dear sister.

English: Ok, tell me the whole story today.

Hindi: It is historical fact that the Britisher were slaves of the Roman for 400 years. They used to speak Celtic. English was not their mother tongue.

English: I can’t believe! But go on, tell me entire story about myself.

Hindi: My darling sister, I don’t mean any disrespect to you. But one must respect the truth.

English: Ok, go ahead!

Hindi: Contrary to common perception, the original native speaker of English were Angles & Saxons; they were Germanic people; they were savage and they belonged to warrior class. In 450 A.D., when the great Roman empire had become weak, Angles & Saxons captured a part of land which was under the subjugation of the Roman; they named that part of land as ‘Anglaland’, just after their name, and their language was known as ‘Anglisc’ or ‘Englisc’; later ‘Anglaland’ became England and ‘Anglisc’ became English. In fact, English was the language of the savage or warrior class.  Angles & Saxons would have never thought even in their wildest dream that one day their mother tongue would become an International language.

Angles & Saxons

English: Unbelievable! But you continue.

Hindi: English is not a language but it is a cocktail of languages. It has borrowed words from almost all the languages of the world as the English were seafarer; they would visit many countries for business reasons and would also adopt the words from the native language of that country. That is why English is also called a  piratical language. With 18 variations of English across the world, it stands as the most corrupted language in the world today e.g. American English, British English, Canadian English, and so on.

English: Interesting!

Hindi: If you get back to 5000 years ago, you would discover that the most of European languages are genetically related to Sanskrit; it is respected as a parent language; even Britannica encyclopaedia endorses this fact depicting the tree of Indo-European family; even western scholars admit this fact. One of Indian scholars has also drawn a diagram showing the origin of different languages from one parent language Sanskrit. You will have fair idea about the origin or birth of English.

English: Grunts!

Hindi: You see, we all Indians get, genetically, attracted towards English; we love English; we respect English; even Art 348 of our Constitution says English shall be the official language in High Court and Supreme Court. To Indians, English is not simply a language but a cohesive force that keeps the multilingual Indian society together from Kanya Kumari to Kashmir. We, Indians don’t treat English as a foreign language; it is our language; Hindi and English are two sisters who can’t part from each other.

English: Thanks for showing me the mirror, my darling sister, Hindi.

Hindi: Come on give me a hug.Here is a  gift of Sari for you  -  from an elder sister to a younger sister. Please accept it.

English:  So nice of you my respected Didi. I have no words to say thanks to you. You also accept the gift of this jeans which I purchased for myself.

WOMAN

Of Woman

Woman, a vast sky,

That covers man and his all acts,

Above faith and belief,

She deserves respect

By Mukesh Sharma

Woman, a mystery,

No man can solve indeed.

Like a God She is,

Perceived, not easy to please.

Woman, a mother,

That procreates really.

Makes a child a man,

And a man a baby.

Woman, a desire,

An eternal spring.

Began with Adam,

Shall end with Eve.

Of Woman

Woman, a dream,

Every man delights.

Be it in dead of night,

Or a full daylight.

Woman, a touch,

Man can feel not.

With open eyes,

But in mind, eyes shut.

Woman, a smile,

Where silence treads.

Only a truth seeker,

Can understand and read.

Woman, a pleasure,

So serene and still.

Only a faithful can,

Experience and feel.

Woman, a namaaz

Offered with attitude all.

Niyat not broken,

Except on mother’s call.

Woman, a worship,

A matter of belief is.

Can be propitiated with,

Pure mind and sacrifice.

Woman, an azaan,

That turns one on.

And reminds,

God's not far off.

Woman, an Eid,

Believers wait and wish.

After holy ramzaan what,

Relation between man-God is.

Woman, a Diwali,

That dispels darkness.

Even in deep sorrow,

Can bring happiness.

Woman, a nature,

That nurtures all.

Like a universe,

Beyond man’s call.

Woman, a public,

That makes netas.

Bears all the brunt,

With no complaint.

Woman, an India,

Holding all together.

Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian,

Like a marigold flower.

Woman, a vast sky,

That covers man and his all acts,

Above faith and belief,

She deserves respect.

Is God Doing His Job?

Is God Doing His Job?

No religion is perfect. It won’t be wrong to say that the imperfect religions have done more harm than good to humanity. Man is killing man for sheer religious supremacy

By Mukesh Sharma

Anything which is beyond the comprehension of human mind, is considered as the work of God; an act of God. Where logic ends, God emerges. That is why the faithful of different faiths believe: God is omnipotent. God is omniscient. God is omnipresent. But the moron mind of this blogger doubts the veracity of such lofty statements, particularly, when one looks around and sees the mindless killings, massacres and the atrocities  committed by man on man across the world. No need to go beyond India. What eye doesn’t see, heart doesn’t grieve. Look at the recent brutal butchering of a happy family of three – Bondhu Gopal 35, his 8 month pregnant wife 30 and their 8 year old minor son, in Murshidabad, a muslim majority locality in West Bengal. The pics of hacked dead bodies which are doing rounds on social media, send chill down the spine, and are more macabre than the scene of Hollywood horror movie. It is not difficult to understand that the split of second before death each hapless victim must have thought of God; must have made last ditch effort; must have hoped for a miracle; must have squirmed like an unfortunate animal slaughtered by the butcher. But nobody turned up, no help arrived from any quarter. A pertinent question arises in the mind of poor common man: Is God doing his job?

Hapless Victim of Religion

The severed head with open lifeless eyes just hinging on torso, lying on the ground with blood splattered all over, and deep cuts on the body of the deceased are the tell-tale sign of ghastly battle for life more repulsive than the hunt by animals which kill their prey for food. The two legged animal so-called man is the most ferocious, for, he can kill another man just for his ego, jealousy, greed, libido or religion. Animals can be trusted but not a man. After axing the man of the family, the killer must have turned to the woman. Though she was 8 months pregnant and was in the bed, the killers opened her neck with no mercy  before she could move, and left her lying in the pool of blood on the bed itself. After that, the killers  must have turned to the innocent 8 year old child who had witnessed the killing of its parent with stupor, and the poor child was also done to death by slitting the throat. The cime scene shows that the killers  have  put to shame even the most heartless and horrific Mongol emperor Changez Khan.

What aches the heart of this blogger is  the selective attitude and response of so-called ‘intellectuals’ who raise hell at the drop of the hat; return awards; hold candal march; and write letters to PM only for a particular community. It is these self-styled custodians   of society who sow the seed of schism for their selfish ends.

It is said that the deceased Bondhu Gopal was an active member of RSS. It is alleged that he was an eyesore to a particular  community, which is in majority in Murshidabad. However, the local police denies any political or religious angle behind the gruesome killings. Whatever, may be the reason, the three innocent lives have been put to death in a country that has government, police, and judiciary by the fearless killers who are still at large. Barring the non entity, no ‘big’ netas has come forward to make strong statement. As always, netas are overbusy in their ‘political game'. To netas, people are just a scrap or trash after the date of election. A twitteriti rightly says:

“Congress makes government on the dead bodies of its leader, and BJP on the dead bodies of its workers.”

M.K. Gandhi says: “No religion is perfect.” It won’t be wrong to say that the imperfect religions have done more harm than good to humanity. Man is killing man for sheer religious supremacy. Self-styled religious leaders are misguiding the poor populace. The weak are easy target of their religious leaders. Hope is the staple diet of the weak. And the God is the best source of hope as propounded by fables, parables and mythological stories. Surprisingly enough, the brainwashed people want to die in the service of their God. All the religion believe God is the creator of this universe; God is the father of this world; all are equal in the sight of God; God takes care of his children. If it is so, is God doing his job?

Immortal Ravana

Immortal Ravana

Ravana is no longer the mythological rakchhsa; he is a  wily 'businessman' today; he is nobody’s fool when it comes to business. Ravana is a great peddler of promises; he is a hustler of hope

By Mukesh Sharma

From time immemorial, Dussehra is being celebrated as a victory of Good over Evil. The effigy of Ravana is set on fire amid huge cheering crowd watching the ‘act’ with all gusto and gaiety. While covering such a 'gala' day,  this blogger happened to have overheard an interesting conversation between a child and his father yesterday. “Was Ravana a bad guy?” asks a child surprisingly. “Yes beta,” the father answers caressingly. “All bad men must be burnt to death” the child murmurs with the mirth. When violence is legitimized, it becomes custom, and even a king follows the custom. It is known to all that Lord Rama killed Ravana. Did Rama really kill Ravana? Was it really a victory of good over evil? If my valued readers ask me, the answer is ‘no’. If Lord Rama had killed Ravana, there would not have been Ravanas in legion today. If it had been the victory of Good over Evil, it(evil) would not have been all pervasive today. Lord Rama might have killed the mortal body of Ravana; his spirit lives on. Ravana is immortal.

Immortal Ravana

Since the day of Lord Rama, Ravana has come of the age; he doesn’t have long mustaches; he doesn’t wear crown; he doesn’t dress himself as a king; he doesn’t laugh loudly.

On the contrary, Ravana doesn’t call himself a king but the people look upon him as king; he doesn’t use any arms but he uses his words as arms. Ravana’s bark is worse than his bite.

Ravana wears simple kurta-pyjama but his gesture are very complex; he never speaks truth but the people accept his words as truth; he never helps anybody but he never says no for help; he calls himself servant of people, but he lives like a king and his masters (the people) reel under poverty; he doesn’t do any work but his wealth continues to get multiplied every year; he looks like a mortal man with limited capacity but his words are heard all over the world where the voice of the common people can't be heard beyond a few steps;  he is not God but he has the power to write or change the destiny of the people.

Ravana is no longer the mythological rakchhsa; he is wily businessman today; he is nobody’s fool when it comes to business. Ravana is a great peddler of promises; he is a hustler of hope; he owns political parties for his political ambitions; he owns big business houses; he owns  newspapers and TV channels; he owns universities and colleges; he owns big coaching centres. It is an irony that the people have faith in Ravana. Faith knows no reason.

Ravana is above caste and creed; he knows no religion; he never fights himself but can get killed millions – Syria, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, etc. are the example of his 'benevolent' acts, and he says it is for the 'salvation' of the people.

Some religious minded people offer prayer as per their religious belief in  Temple, Mosque, Gurudwara and Church etc. They hope that once again Lord Rama would come to earth and kill Ravana,  and emancipate the humanity. But the possibility is remote.The people are not able to understand the simple fact that  one Lord Rama is not enough to eliminate millions of Ravana today.

Despite all the facts, the people organize Ramleelas with all religious fervor. Dussehra is celebrated with all fanfare. What is interesting to note that in all these so-called Ramleelas,  Ravana himself comes in the guise of Lord Rama in white clothes and shoots arrow to kill the Ravana. Strange are the ways of the world. Ravana burns the effigy of Ravana. Hope my valued reader can guess about the true identity of Ravana in today’s world.

The Awkward Age

The Awkward Age

A complex and complicated age of sexual attraction, obsession, insinuation, friendship, relationship, dream, hope, discoveries, realisation and confusion

By Mukesh Sharma

Life is a playground of different ages  – childhood, youth, middle age and old age. In other words, to a foetus, mother’s womb is the playground; to a baby, mother’s lap is the playground; to little kids, school is the playground; to youth, this world is the playground. When a boy enters into manhood, when a girl enters into womanhood, he or she has to face umpteen unforeseen and unexpected challenges. It is this age that lays the stepping stone of future life; it is this age that can make or mar the life. It won’t be wrong to call it the Awkward Age.

Though each age has its own pleasure and pains, the Awkward age is the most complicated and complex  –  it is the age of soapy sexual attraction; it is the age of obstructive obsession; it is the age of infiltrating insinuation; it is the age of fierce friendship; it is the age of relentless relationship; it is the age of harbouring hopes; it is the age of dashing discoveries; it is the age of retributive realisation; it is the age of chaotic confusion.

The Awkward Age

Sexual attraction

Be it male or female with the development of secondary sexual characteristics, one starts feeling one’s body sexually – all erogenous zones get activated. The rush of testosterone and progesterone make one feel the urge for sex. It is for pure physical needs that one gets attracted, unconsciously, towards the opposite sex. Hunger makes living beings to look for food. It is not easy to control or curb the instinctive desires. Further, opportunity gives rise to thoughts, thoughts to desires, and desires to action.

Since man is a slave of desires, very often unbridled desires land him in problems. The mind occupied by unsavory wants is a Satan; it prods body to fulfill desires. After food, sex becomes the priority; life goal is sidelined; self-esteem is set aside. A man becomes an animal, and animals can’t see beyond a few steps. When a life-giving river crosses its banks, it causes flood, death, and destruction. A sex-hungry man is a devil in darkness and a gentleman in daylight; he keeps up the appearance for the fear of society and law only.

The remedy for the disease lies in the mind itself which is epicentre of all the actions and reactions. Fulfilment of desires doesn’t control mind. In fact, mind can be controlled by the mind only; it can be both, the best friend and the worst enemy; it hates opposition; it hates suppression. However, mind loves compliance.  Deviation from the path of thoughts without fighting can be the best solution. Mind can be reined in with the breath and work only. A yogi controls mind with breath, and a worldly man with work. Keep mind occupied. If solitary, don’t sit idle; if idle don’t be solitary. An idle mind is the house of Satan. A preoccupied mind in the pursuit of goal keeps the rave thoughts away. Sex is not purpose of life but it is a means of life.

Obsession

Next enemy of budding men and women, is obstructive obsession; it enters unnoticed. When an adult male or female finds someone attractive, physically, psychologically, intellectually or spiritually, he or she develops obsession; it may be developed without any response from other ends. This unrequited love leads to obsession. Of course, good is best, if you have not seen the better. Comparison demeans. And here is the cure for the obsession. Look for the better one than the good one. Obsession shall be cured. Choice brings the cheers.

Insinuation

Yet another deadly enemy of youth is infiltrating insinuation. Easy victim is one who follows the auto-suggestion that a particular person is perfect to fill the void. Here a few exchanges of glances, eye contracts in silence and occasional touch-ups are misconstrued as love rather than physical needs. The gravity of a woman body is not less than gravity of earth. Even the best flyer must fall, if one is not into space beyond the gravitational pull. The best remedy for the insinuation is to take the eye off the object allure. Heart doesn’t grieve what eyes don’t see. Out of sight, out of mind is the buzz-world.

Friendship

Youth is an age of friendship. And it is here, the most youth fall prey to fierce friendship, and often end up paying heavy price. In this utilitarian world, a true friend who is beyond selfish ends, who is away from mathematical calculations of profit and loss, is an extinct species. However, far from home, one comes across many faces in his or her daylong struggle. Here, usually, nodding acquaintances are misconstrued as friendship. Says David Tyson, “true friendship comes when the silence between two friends is comfortable.”

No doubt, a true friend can be an asset; a comforting counsellor; he is always there when you need him most; he always stands by you through thick and thin; one can rest one’s head on his shoulder and can shed tears; he is your bedrock strength. Late Arun Jaitely who was college friend of Rajat Sharma, is said to have changed the life of today’s renowned anchor and owner of India TV ( Rajat Sharma). Late Rajiv Gandhi who was close friend of Amitabh Bachchan, changed his life by introducing him to then famous actor Mehmood, and that ushered him to film world. With the birth in a family, one is blessed with hordes of relatives; no choice if relatives are not good but God is kind enough to allow you to choose friends of your choice. While true friends make life, false friends mar the life. So beware of false or fake friends. Keep off callous and shallow friends. An open enemy is better than false friend. Listen to reasons and inner voice that will guide you to choose true friends.

Relationship

Unfulfilled desires make a young man or woman enter into a relationship. Indian society is not promiscuous; unlike west, it is still governed by social mores and strong belief; and beliefs are stronger than reasons. Any relationship against the social conventions is rated as illicit. Such relationship is casual and circumstantial; it is not based on love or trust. Someone has well said: a relationship without trust is like a car without a petrol, you can stay in but it won’t go anywhere.” A bad relationship will make you feel more alone than when you were single. Says Socrates, “The hottest love has coldest end.” Keep tab on wanton desires. Don’t enter into any illegitimate relationship. The best way to avoid it think of your beloved mom or dad dreaming to see you as a successful person in life. Fast food satisfies hunger instantly but spoils health for good.

Dream

A youth without dream shall be treated as dud. A well defined dream can be a driving force in one’s life. So it is not bad to have dream. But fulfilment of dream doesn’t come by mere having it. Dream comes true with perseverance and patience; it requires indefatigable industry and incessant efforts to take on failures. Mind you, success is just one step ahead of failure. Commenting on dream, APJ Abdul Kalam says:

“Dreams are not

what you see in

sleep, it is the thing

which doesn’t let

you sleep"

The desire for the fulfilment of dream must come from within; it must not be induced. If one loves one’s dream as a man loves the body of a woman during love encounters, no dream can go unfulfilled.

Hope

What breath is to body, hope is to life. What is noteworthy is hope often brings misery when one becomes more hope centric than karma.   Action ensures success not sheer hope. ‘Action’ is present and ‘hope’ is future. Present is in our control, not future. Hope without action is meaningless. Every action is preceded by a cause which leads to effect and finally the result. None can prevent the cause from producing its effect. Don’t hope, harness natural forces and resources and achieve the cherished goal of life. The poet Wordsworth puts the crux in his touching words:

“The eye can’t choose but see,

We can’t bid the ear be still,

Our bodies feel where’er they be

Against or with our will.”

Do your best, leave the rest to the free will of God.

Discoveries

Youth is also the age of dashing discoveries. Each youth is Christopher Columbus who has to discover his own ‘America.’ One acquires knowledge through exploration and discoveries. It gives one the first-hand experience related to different aspects of life. One learns to distinguish between right and wrong; one comes to know two wrongs don’t make it right in life. The empirical knowledge makes one enjoy the whiff of truth; it is this knowledge of truth that fulfills a man/woman at the end of the day.

Realisation

With the knowledge of truths, comes the realisation. However, lofty falsehood is, it is short lived. However, fragile the truth may appear, it lasts for ever. Truth can’t be created; it always exists in nature; it is to be discovered by the seeker. Youth must be a truth seeker.

Confusion

The Awkward age is characterised by the chaotic confusion. It is a state of mind when you are not able to reach any concrete conclusion: what to do, how to do, where to go, how to get there. Confusion eats away confidence. In fact, inexperience breeds confusion. Man is born as ‘inexperienced’ but dies as ‘experienced.’ So confusion is an inherent quality. Whenever, overcome by confusion, act like a child; it always gets its confusion cleared by asking questions after questions. Inquisitivity and inquiry clear the confusion. Put all the answers to your questions to test. Truth will come out. Follow truth religiously. Learn from confusion; learn from mistakes; learn from failure. You are the best teacher of yourself. Beware of false or fake teachers. Their end is not your success but your money. Commenting on confusion, Henry Miller rightly says: “confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not yet understood”