MANY RELIGIONS ONE INDIA

SECULAR INDIA

This Article is written for Sparking.Biz magazine originally

Unity in diversity, all for one & One for all, United we stand divided we fall. A country of the people, by the people, & for the people at the heart of nationality is yet to identify itself with the true meaning of freedom even after seventy years of independence.

Our motherland has never isolated her children as Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, etc...., & neither did she cut & offer herself as specific pieces of land to each of these religions. She has been there for all her children in the form of an entire stretch of land that has from time unlimited offered love, compassion & empathy barring all prejudices.

It is strange that all religions promote the FOUR PILLARS: Love, kindness, virtue, and peace, and follow the same doctrines & philosophies framed in different dialects and styles, and still find a reason to be annoyed with each other. India is rich in its cultural heritage & is the biggest democratic nation in the world. It is high time we united as INDIANS FIRST, setting aside all religious biases.

           

Apart from only Promoting brotherhood, there is a pressing necessity, to promote CHILDHOOD, SISTERHOOD, & AGRICULTUREHOOD in our nation today. The mental, physical, and mutual respect and understanding to save the innocence of a child and the faith of a woman in her countrymen along with BROTHERHOOD, and uplifting the AGRICULTURAL community which contributes considerably to the nation’s GDP, and supplements it with health through quality food, should be proclaimed as the true meaning of UNITY IN DIVERSITY.

The progress of a nation lies in its educational roots, in its power to think productively & express rightfully, in its economic upliftment, and in the way its citizens use each other’s strengths for a better living. 15^th of August 1947 was the day which offered these choices to us Indians.  

SLAVERY IS: ALLOWING OTHERS TO TREAT YOU INAPPROPRIATELY

India is a Rural nation which has produced noteworthy patches of liberal thinkers over a period of seventy years. It is not wrong to focus on self-progress, but it is wrong to be interested ONLY in self-progress. Every citizen must initiate an interest in the civic and social development of the country. Every feeble hand we hold and strengthen will contribute to India’s progress.

Let us as the citizens of the nation ensure to do the right things now, to leave a better tomorrow for our generations to come. It is now that we can change anything wrong with the INDIA TODAY, for the future generation to live in a beautiful INDIA TOMORROW.

LET OUR LIBERAL THOUGHTS SOAR AS LIBERAL ACTIONS            

The India today is in a controversial state of secularism as it accommodates various religion- centric laws practiced & spread unequally across the nation. The Human Rights is choking beneath the debris of Faulty Laws practiced by the people.

In this situation, India must look at abolishing religion-centric laws and constructing State Laws that administer equality of human rights of all religions.

IT IS NOW TIME WE MOVE INTO THE ZONE: MANY RELIGIONS ONE INDIA OR MANY RELIGIONS SECULAR INDIA!

JAI HIND

DEEPTHI MUSLEY

Begin with The End in Mind

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The most effective people walk backward to stay ahead in life. I once had read somewhere, that an artist never makes a random stroke with a brush, neither are houses built without a blueprint. It’s certain then. Everything a person wants in life is first visualized by the mind and later molded into reality.

Every time Diya closed her eyes, she could only imagine herself surrounded by happy faces not known to her, a beautiful home, with all her loved ones staying in it & leading an admirably healthy and a happy life. She visualized herself as someone doing her best for her family; whether it was cooking their favorite food, or buying them things they loved. She imagined herself as the best daughter, A loving & caring wife & mother, a wonderful friend, & above all an Independent woman in every sense. Her thoughts were her blessings in reality.

Success is a very vague term. It means differently to different people. Some measure success basis the assets they own, some by winning medals in sports, & there are a few who compare their social status with others to measure it. The list is inexhaustible. What did SUCCESS mean to Diya?

Individuals must have a clear vision of their life's ultimate big picture. Life doesn’t offer everything to everyone. The Big Picture paves the path with distinct milestones, which define the short-term achievements needed for individuals, who are on their journey to reach the final destination. Sometimes we experience a traffic that obstructs the smooth journey, and our schedules get delayed. The obstruction is an example of what someone may lack in life to achieve the Big Picture. Every hinderance opens a new way to reach the milestone. Oprah Winfrey once said: “Every situation in life is ultimately going to lead you to the planned destination, just make sure you don’t stop.”

No achievement ever excited Diya. She always knew in her mind through her observations about life, that no moment of excitement ever lasted. Success to her only meant a passing moment. Diya’s contentment kept growing with every passing day. She sensed a divine intervention in everything she had in her possession in life. Diya never complained about her life after she realized that universe had blessed her with everything she needed, even before she had asked for it. Diya spent most of her time introspecting, why lives of people in the world varied from each other, which made her realize the importance of gratitude.

Diya’s contemplation dawned upon her as enlightenment. She realized everyone in life sooner or later, meet themselves around life’s corner where based on their lifestyle, & life’s challenges seek guidance on how they can utilize their worth, their wealth, their knowledge and time. When she arrived at this stage, Diya was shouldering all the responsibilities of her family diligently. She ensured that all her efforts cushioned her family needs & their happiness.

                                                                                       

Planning and prioritizing, are the key elements that help people during life’s exigencies. While planning, one must first consider their life's Ultimate Big Picture/vision. Individuals must have the clarity of their possessions- this awareness eliminates confusion & directs them to focus on next steps. There should be a well-developed roadmap- which helps in prioritizing the milestones to achieve. Finally, analyzing all the challenges in the path- helps in identifying alternate route maps.

Diya’s gratitude towards life, her plans, priorities, & her desire for independence had helped her design her life well. She had until her old age, achieved a short-term career, a fruitful motherhood, & a Happy life overall. She made sure to use her knowledge, wealth, and time productively for self and society.

Diya had ensured to walk backward in her mind from the Big Picture and had assigned a plan for every milestone.

Maya Angelou once told Oprah Winfrey, & Diya’s life is an example of Maya’s quote: “Your legacy is every life you’ve touched.” 

The happy faces which Diya saw with closed eyes in the Big Picture were of strangers, orphans, and many others whose lives were touched by her humanity before she died. The rest in the Big Picture is very clear.

Diya made sure she defined LOVE & HAPPINESS as her SUCCESS…

I have made a thoughtful effort through this article to spread some of the best habits advocated by Stephen Covey, that makes lives better. The story of Diya is just a positive example of how to lead a Happy & Good Life.

Through this article, I intend to help anyone who may need a base to plan their future, especially young people. Life is a precious gift, it’s up to us to make it unique.

Stay Blessed

Deepthi Musley              

                                                                                                                    

A Promise on this Children’s Day

A day which is glorified should be known to one and all for its special reason and worth. Commemorating a day without virtue is like living a life without purpose.

In the last seven years of motherhood, I have witnessed children outgrowing their age at a rapid speed within the age group of 3-8 years. Sadly, the community of virtuous adults has had to pay the penalty of fear for educating children in this age group at a very embryonic stage of the social evils practiced by an appalling group in the society that we live in. It is very disheartening as these tiny minds are obligated to live so cautiously when they deserve a life which should be happy, carefree, and exuberant.

Emphasis should be laid on a legal binding upon the citizens of a country to learn and understand the civil, political, economic, social, health, and cultural rights of a child. Every family must ensure to diligently lead their children into adulthood for them to have a culturally enriched society to live.

           

The less fortunate population of India which is not exposed to literacy & lives in a conservative environment, and to those who demean humanity and have forgotten its prominence. We, the responsible population must initiate a process to educate this callous community, that a child in India deserves unlimited love, kindness, affection, a peaceful and protected environment during his or her growing years, irrespective of their race and status of all kinds.

It is now more than Sixty years since the idea to celebrate children’s day was proposed in the year 1954 to The UN General Assembly, by one of India’s most powerful diplomats, V.K. Krishna Menon, to commemorate the fundamental “Rights of the Child” universally. It is the time when we as a nation should make an effort to understand the articles listed in the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” which is a conceptualized version of Mr. Menon’s vision that was adopted as a Declaration by the UN Assembly in the year 1989 on November 20th.

THIS DECLARATION DEFINES THE PURPOSE OF CELEBRATING CHILDREN’ S DAY

As good citizens let's remind us that The UN Child Rights Declaration Condemns all social evils such as Child Prostitution/sexual exploitation, Child Trafficking, Child Labor, Child domestic violence, Girl child infanticide, and so on and so forth.

I thought I’d remind myself, and help the others to remember and spread the importance of Children’s day this November.

This year let us celebrate Children’s Day to accentuate A Child’s Freedom & Rights, which was also Chacha Nehru’s dream. Let the 14th of November primarily be remembered as The Rights of the Child Day, & secondly as Pandit Nehru’s birthday in remembrance of his true love for children.

Innocence is every child's fundamental right. Let us all join together & Promise on this Children’s Day to protect it.

  

Happy Children’s Day

Deepthi

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How I lost Nayaz

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Spark. Biz

Meeting someone is never a casual affair. Some who vanish into thin air without announcing, leave you with the best memories to cherish for life, and a mystery to solve.

On a usual day at college, I went to the parking lot to grab my scooter & hurry back home, when I heard a gruff but polite voice ask me from behind: "May I help you, please?" I turned back and was surprised to see the tiny figure which had produced that voice. I lit up with joy instantly.

No matter how coarse a hill is, it still looks beautiful. The little boy's face wore a nose that looked like a slide in the children’s park. He had beautiful bright eyes & a big forehead. His hair resembled a porcupine’s back. His attractive set of teeth had a twin canine which made him look adorable when he smiled with opened lips. His clothes looked shabby & his body was covered in black dust hiding his whitish complexion. Despite this, he seemed vibrant & refreshing.

It is a wonderful feeling when you know that kids admire you. After he had offered to help me with my scooter, his next question was: Aren’t you eating Tikki today? I was surprised he knew that I commonly grabbed a plate of Tikki from the Pani Puri (famous Indian snack) vendor who had his outlet next to the parking zone. The little boy pulled out Rupees Ten from his pocket and said: Shall I treat you today? I laughed heartily at what he said and wanted to give him a tight hug. On that day I had forgotten to carry my wallet and realized that the only Ten rupees note I had was missing when I searched my jeans pocket. I asked him the reason for his generosity, and he said: Your money slipped out from the pocket at the college gate, and I followed you to return it. I didn’t know how to react at that instance but accepted his treat on a condition that we both shared the plate of Tikki.

While the vendor was busy making Tikki for us, the little boy told me his name was Nayaz & he was nine years of age. He revealed that he begged around the college vicinity for a living.

Nayaz was from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, & was sold by his parents to a child trafficking agent in Bangalore. Nayaz disclosed that he had no complaints about life, as his parents could meet the family’s ends with the money they had received from the agent. He also expressed that the agent was kind to all the children, and took good care of their needs. Nayaz told me he regretted that he couldn’t study and that he always wanted to approach me and shake hands to say a Hello, but was shy. After listening to the heavy side of the story, I could only pat his back with a smile.

In the matter of few seconds, I sailed through the feeling of helplessness, that I could do nothing to help Nayaz. When I asked him if he was interested to get out of the situation he was in, he instantly denied. I did not bother to ask him why, as I had another question on my mind. Nayaz’s answer shook me on the inside when I asked him why he had returned my Ten rupees and let go of the opportunity. He said: “Didi, I am a beggar and not a thief.”

As I recovered from the state of embarrassment, I saw his fellow mate Qadir join him. There were five Tikkis in the plate, and I did not feel like eating even one. I left the plate for the two and rode back home lost in thoughts about life’s cruel ways.

Nayaz & I became best pals. Soon my friends grew fond of him too. Our association lasted for a year in the same fashion. I took Nayaz for short rides on my scooter, carried old clothes which were in good condition for him, & bought books to teach him the English alphabets. Nayaz was quick at learning but confessed that he couldn’t accept the clothes as it would annoy his agent if he ever knew about it. The difficulty was, Nayaz would not look like a beggar in those clothes.

A few days later, a friend of mine suggested, that we could speak to an NGO he was aware of for Nayaz. When we informed Nayaz about it, he looked a little disturbed to us. We asked him to think about it and get back to us the next day. Nayaz agreed, and we departed for the day.

The next day after college, my friend and I waited for Nayaz at the parking lot as usual. Nayaz did not turn up. We spotted his friend Qadir after a week near the college and learned upon inquiring that Nayaz was sent away to another place and no one knew where it was. When Nayaz tried to convince the agent about the NGO proposal which my friend and I had offered, his agent made sure he changed Nayaz’s operating area and strictly advised the other kids not to appear near our college for a few days.

It was the last time I heard about Nayaz. I still feel hopeless, that I could be of no avail to him. I am sure that there are many beings like me who’ve had to lose even before they battled.

His sweet memories are like the taunting mystery. I wish I find him one day.

Child Trafficking is a social evil that exists in our environment like microorganisms, for which we have wrongly developed the immunity. It's time we curbed the mounting appetite.

My only intent through this story is to request everyone to do their bit in helping any Nayaz they know. Together we can change this world into a better planet.

Thank you!

Deepthi Musley

The Unsung Diva

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An unexpected storm is either catastrophic or adventurous. At the end of it you are either a survivor who has tales to tell, or you become a tale yourself…

She walked the talk and had the charm to sweep anyone off their feet. She allowed nobody to prescribe a life for her. She was like a fragrant breeze with a friendly flavor, if only you walked beside her. She was a tempest if you probed into, there was no way you could get her.

I loved the way she prided herself. Every time she would sit in front of the mirror, her eyes would gleam with self-obsession. I thought nobody could love her better than herself. Anybody who knew her would want to flaunt their alliance with her.

She was a spinster with no regrets for opting to live the life on her set terms. Saying this would be partially incorrect, as she chose to dedicate a part of her life in bringing up her deceased sister’s son who was blessed with a rather slow mental growth.

She raised the child to the best of her capacities. It would sometimes seem like she used her nephew as a means or an excuse to lead the life of her choice, as she would revolt at the slightest curiosity expressed by her family with regards to her lifestyle and her. At other times it seemed like her life was meant only for the child, & her family members were just an extended support system. The difficulty was to make out, if it was destiny that chose the life for her, or if she had crafted her own destiny.

Every passing year brought new changes and dimensions to Sejal's life. The boy soon grew up into a fine young man, and despite his limited abilities, he was far more civilized than most mentally stable creations of his age. Sejal's diligence in his upbringing proved to be lucrative. It would not be too much to call, Sejal & Varun as the best aunt and nephew duo

In lesser time Sejal also lost her parents, and the void was irreplaceable for her. She had soon approached her Fifty mark, and age was just a number. She still looked stunning as ever and was free from parental nagging now.

It is nice to have your parents looking over you, no matter how old you get in life, or how much you’ve made. Sejal was slowly stepping into loneliness and depression after her parents had departed. She had begun to lose her confidence in the choices she had made in life. Varun at his pace could not grow a brain to understand her feelings, except for a heart he had that could sense Sejal was disturbed. 

Sejal dragged herself through her depressed life for 8 years, & later she contracted a couple of other chronicle ailments, which she had to fight all by herself. The decisions she took during a rush in adrenalin had cornered Sejal to seek help from her family. Sejal could, however, manage to hide her health condition from her family only until her physical appearance did not forsake her

Her nervous disorder gifted her a shaky jaw, and Parkinson had begun to shrink her stature. As though this wasn’t enough, she frequently began to complain of an unbearable stomach pain past midnight. Every time her medical reports suggested that the pain was imaginary and existed due to her depression. In her loneliness, she began to imitate the character of the insecure boy, who would scream every night complaining about a wolf in his hut, only to check if the villagers gathered to save him & cared for him. He was killed one day when a wolf really entered his hut and the villagers never turned up. All her life she wore a mask of boldness to defend her choices of unconventionality. She did not share her life with anybody fearing betrayal. She was a timid soul hiding inside a gorgeous skin all her life.

Her life barely lasted in this fashion for a couple of years from this stage. The Diva was on her journey of turning to dust. The face which could give any beauty pageant a run for her career and money was now in a pitiful state.

Kindness is always indebted to those who offer it generously to anyone in their lifetime. Varun at Forty had the opportunity to repay every act of kindness he had received from Sejal. Mentally Varun was now equipped with the capacities of a Twelve-year-old boy, and he quickly managed to learn many things in a short span of time. Varun never complained to take care of her. Sejal’s family helped in supplying food & this supported Varun to manage the other chores of the house with the help of a maid. He had learned how to operate the phone in case of an emergency, as Sejal’s mobility had slowed down. Sejal was unable to walk without support and lived on diapers to save her walk to the restroom.

It was an unusual morning when Varun called his cousin to inform her that Sejal was not responding to him. The day had arrived. The Diva bid adios. She had as usual prescribed her own end. Sejal’s family rushed into her house with a doctor who declared her dead. Finally, her family was exposed to her malignancy after they discovered a few reports which were lying next to her bed. Sejal had not disclosed this fact to her family as a matter of choice.

She had assigned her death mission to malignancy.

Some people in this world are vaguely sculpted by God. Sejal remains an unsolved puzzle.

Deepthi