Sarey jahaan say acha Hindustan hamara

The nation marked the 74th death anniversary of Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal across the country on April 22.It was a national holiday in Pakistan while here in India it went quite unnoticed.

In our national conscience, Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal occupies that controversial post of being the first person to have conceived the idea of Pakistan

Nobody has ever bothered to go beyond this simple fact to ascertain the reasons for this, and it is noteworthy that mostly we have only read about the part where he supports the idea of a separate homeland for Muslims.

The point of this post is not to glorify Sir Allama, but it is merely to assert that things are never as simple as they are presented and to understand the reasons behind the demand Iqbal so passionately made.

The fact is that Iqbal was in favour of a united India. He even wrote a poem extolling the virtues of that geographical region, the ‘Tarana-e-Hind,’ better known today as ‘saray jahaan say acha Hindustan hamara.’ (Our Hindustan is better than the rest of the world).

The official narrative has erased Iqbal’s advocacy of a unified India and presents only his later ideas.

Even in 1927, when the Islamic Pakistan had truly arrived, he had this to say:

“The talk of a united Pakistan is futile. In this country (Pakistan), one community is always aiming at the destruction of the other community.”

Just hoping in times to come not just Pakistan but we Indians also respect and understand this great philosopher, poet and true patriot.

Other Reads:

http://www.allamaiqbal.com/

http://www.thenewstribe.com/2012/04/21/nation-observes-allama-iqbals-74th-death-anniversary/#.T5kWjav9NMc

Umbrella Romance

Ashitosh was working in Chennai, some years ago. The devout movie buff that he is, Sunday mornings were reserved for a visit to the movie club at Mylapore, where the screened classic French films. On one such visit, the organiser drew him aside and invited him to join the movie discussion youth group. Ashitosh agreed, and on the same day was inducted into the group. The group members sat in a circle; Seated next to him was a pretty girl he’d noticed earlier in the club.

Thus began a friendship sustained by the phone and covert and not-so-covert glances at each other in club. She introduced her parents to him, and they liked the handsome, polite boy. Strangely though, Ashitosh never asked her out. Perhaps he felt the time was not ripe yet. But the relationship flowered. In the club group meetings, she invariably sat next to him. It was soon the talk of the club, if not of the town.

One day she insisted Ashitosh to come home for lunch. Her parents were eager to know him better, and a date was fixed. On the appointed day, Ashitosh took the bus to her house. On the way, the skies opened and it began to rain heavily. Ashitosh was not carrying an umbrella. So after getting down at his stop, he called her, asking her to come to the bus stop with an umbrella for him.

Soon she appeared — but with just one umbrella. Ashitosh frowned and asked: “Did I not ask you to bring an umbrella for me too?” She tossed her head, laughing, and shot back: “Sorry! I forgot!

And it was under one umbrella that they wended their way home, purring ecstatically (I like to think!) in the pouring rain. Yes, they did get a little wet, but it didn’t matter; in fact, so much the better, for they had to draw closer to each other to avoid getting wetter. And Ashitosh at first didn’t know what to do with his arms, which kept getting in the way as they walked together.

But soon he learned something that anyone who has ever shared an umbrella with another person will know: Under the umbrella, there’s just one place you can comfortably rest your arm.

In other news: - It rained yesterday in Bangalore, as Ashitosh watched the rain from his balcony and updated his blackberry status to “Feeling Nostalgic”.

Job V/S Career

Don’t ever let somebody tell you can’t do something…You got a dream, you gotta protect it…if you want something, go get it". This is something which I always fight hard to live by in my life. (Pursuit of happyness)

In the fast pace of today's practical life, we always limit our dreams. For today's executive generation, the maximum limit of dreams is a good job, marriage and children. In the middle of the war for survival, no one wants to be someone different in the crowd. No one dare to dream differently. Can we call that a dream...No it’s a job

We all had dreams in our childhood. We all had high opinions about ourselves, and somehow we knew and felt that we have a role in this world. We had a feeling that, "The whole world is for me". Nothing in this beautiful world felt denied.

That's what we call a Dream

A dream is something which you really want to execute from deep inside. So, there might be a musician asleep inside a Mathematics Professor, there may be a Novelist asleep inside a MBA mind.

This is what we call a dream or a career.

One should plan their career intelligently not hastily. Job is a need, Career is Indeed.

A job is essentially for a short period and satisfies the immediate needs, be it financial or social. Career is a long term goal and is equated with ones aspirations and ambitions. In today’s case it determines the future.

But interestingly it is you that should be deciding your future not the situation. Though many a times financial needs and moral support involves a career decision. Still one must never compromise in any given situation for a situational job.

Today i see my friends taking up jobs or appearing for placement process that has nothing to do with their dreams. And the explanation they have is I am being practical/Realistic...

I don’t say there’s any harm in being that career-oriented also. But you must have your preferences clear in your head. Why do you have to have a dream, if you are so concerned about your professional success?

Let me conclude, quoting from the famous book Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - "When you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it...”

The post is inspired from one of the best lecture that I had attended in my whole life.

(Captain ... Captain we bow down to you...Salute GR)

PEPSI----- Change the drink

I still remember Nov 2004....

The Andhra Pradesh High Court had issued an order banning the television commercial of Pepsi, which showed a boy taking Pepsi bottles to cricketers on the ground on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by child labour activists . 

The court had said no advertisement should be televised "depicting or glorifying child labour, until further orders".

The particular ad showed the Indian team in a huddle celebrating the fall of a wicket on the cricket ground when a child carrying a tray of Pepsi emerges from an underground tunnel to serve them drinks.

(The banned commercial)

And now 8 years down the line... What do I see in Anekal, Bangalore???

Pepsi Truck @Anekal

I could see a child may be just under 15 unloading a Pepsi delivery van  at one of its retail outlet, in the soaring sun.

15 yr boy unloading the truck

Like in Andra Pradesh High court case, Pepsi might wash of there hands this time again, saying these are maintained by third party arrangement and has nothing to do with Pepsi. 

But aren't they responsible...???

They say to change the game... I think it is high time to Change the drink....

Passion v/s Priority

Ashitosh was sitting in the veranda of his home, watching those raindrops percolate through the coconut leaves and shatter into a million minute droplets as it fell on the pebbles. Rains always carried a wide range of emotions with it. Rain always seemed to mystify him; he understood that rain had always remained a part of himself.

And there he was - after all those years of roaming around, back in that old chair watching that slight drizzle turning into a ferocious downpour. There he was - drinking a glass of black tea, with a book in his hand.

It’s been ages since he got some time in peace to himself, like this- with just books for his company. When he looked outside of the compound wall he felt that years had not moved at all, as he watched those different shades of umbrella move as if they had lives of their own – poor ones, elderly ones, indignant ones, bouncy ones and even colored ones. An old gray umbrella that walked quite slowly, took his mind to those old days.

He wanted to go back to those times; he wanted to become a child, sitting in that veranda hearing those heroic stories again. He wanted to see that wrinkled hand holding the gray umbrella, and the kind old face that told him inspiring stories with that constant wheezing of the raindrops in background. He wanted to gape his mouth in adoration, and dream about being a good man in the future. But…there he was.

Sweet music hit him…It took him sometime to realize that the music he was hearing was not that of nature, but of the mobile in his pocket. Ashitosh woke up from the trance and kept his glass down. The black tea had gone cold.  The usual mail from Usha Rani told him about the campus placement schedule for the next week.

He looked up into the pouring skies, shivering in the cold, wondering when the rain would stop, for he need to book tickets back to Bangalore…Priorities matter !!