Aahatein

(The following post is a Hindi poem. First up is the poem typed in Devanagari script, and then the same is presented in English alphabet).

Photo courtesy Arjun Suri Photography

बैठे  हैं  नदिया  किनारे , सांझ  होने  को  है 

बढ़  रही  हैं  आहटें , आज  कुछ  होने  को  है 

ख्वाब  जो  कभी  देखे  थे , थोड़े  तो  पूरे  हो  गए 

कुछ  पूरे  होने  को  हैं , बाकी  कहीं  खो  गए 

तसव्वुर  भी  हमसे  पूछता  है , यह  क्या  हो  रहा  है 

दूसरों  को  उत्साह  देने  वाला , आज  खुद  लड़खड़ा  रहा  है 

बरसातें  तो  कई  आई  थी , आंधीयों  का  आना  हुआ 

लेकिन  उन्हें  झेलने  के  बाद  ही , सावन  भी  आया  था 

इससे  पहले  सावन  का  पूरा  आनंद  लेते , वह  चला  गया 

फिर  से  बरसातें  आई , संग  चली  आई  आंधीयां 

यही  तो  जीवन  का  सत्य  है , ओ  प्रिय  बंधु

बदलता  रहे  संसार , पर  ना बदले  तू

सारी  खुशियाँ  तेरी  हैं , लेकिन  ग़म  नहीं 

यह  ज़िन्दगी  तेरी  अमानत  है , किसी  और  की  नहीं 

जो  होगा  सो  होगा , ना  वक़्त  से  पहले  ना  वक़्त  के  बाद 

अब  मुस्कुरा , कर  अपने  व्यवहार  से  खुशियों  को  आबाद 

बैठे  हैं  नदिया  किनारे , सांझ  होने  को  है 

बढ़  रही  हैं  आहटें , आज  कुछ  होने  को  है 

Photo courtesy Arjun Suri Photography

baithe hain nadiya kinaare, saanjh hone ko hai

badh rahi hain aahatein, aaj kuch hone ko hai

khwaab jo kabhi dekhe the, thode to poore ho gaye

kuch poore hone ko hain, baki kahin kho gaye

tasavvur bhi humse poochta hai, yeh kya ho raha hai

duusro ko utsah dene waala, aaj khud ladkhada raha hai

barsaatein to kai aayi thi, aandhiyon ka aana hua

lekin unhe jhelne ke baad hi, saawan bhi aaya tha

isse pehle saawan ka poora anand lete, veh chala gaya

phir se barsaatein aayi, sang chali aayi aandhiyaan

yahi to jeevan ka satya hai, o priye bandhu

badalta rahe sansaar, par na badle tu

saari khushiyaan teri hain, lekin gham nahi

yeh zindagi teri amaanat hai, kisi aur ki nahi

jo hoga so hoga, na waqt se pehle na waqt ke baad

ab muskura, kar apne vyavhaar se khushiyon ko abaad

baithe hain nadiya kinaare, saanjh hone ko hai

badh rahi hain aahatein, aaj kuch hone ko hai

Photo courtesy Arjun Suri Photography

Need your support and assistance

Photo by Arjun Suri Photography

Fellow acquaintances, colleagues, relatives, brothers and their sisters,

I need you, yes YOU, to help me out.

For what? To start spreading stories about me.

What stories? Stories on the following lines.
1. This guy called Yaju Arya is an angel on earth.
2. Yaju Arya is the ideal role model for today's kids.
3. The most honest, genuine, and kind fellow alive.
4. He makes use of divine intervention and can connect with the one above.
5. Can provide solution to ANY problem of whatever nature.
6. To make the Earth a better place we should support him.
7. Anyone who disagrees with him is a bad human, who will never get 'success in life'.


For doing this I won't offer any money / gifts in return, but would make you stakeholders in my "NGO". That is you'd make money whenever I'd hit the jackpot. This way the number of 'positive' stories spread by you would be directly proportional to YOU raking in the moolah.

The effect of these stories would be that it'd arise curiosity among new sects of people. When I'd tour some city/village, they'd be aware of my arrival and hence they'd come to see me live, to witness the 'divine being' whose stories they had been hearing for long.

In order to make them appear 'real', we'd hold 'camps', where I'd preach 'spiritual stuff' and spend few minutes offering 'solutions' to people's 'problems'. It'd easy uttering spiritual stuff - I'd simply take works of Jiddu Krishnamurti / Swami Vivekanand / Lord Buddha / Bhagwat Geeta , put across in contemporary language, and present them as my own.
As for solving 'problems', I'd tell something random based on sixth sense in a way that it'd induce faith in their minds.

It is natural that there'd be people who'd donate money. So even if 1000 people come to attend one such camp, and we collect Rs. 100 from each of them, we'd earn Rs. 1 Lakh from one event. Holding 4 such events every week throughout the year, we'd earn more than 2 Crore Rupees. Even if you have 1% stake, you'd end up earning 20 Lakh rupess in a year. Much faster than your present job. Also better.

I'd manage my Social Media presence myself and also do my own PR. I'd make sure that my Facebook page will have a lot of 'likes' and there would a mobile app for Android (why only Android, you'll know the reason soon, keep reading this article).

Also, I am confident of my presentation abilities. No, not because I consider myself to be awesome, but because I know that most people are afraid of discovering life, they simply want to take the shortcut to 'success' (which inevitably means easy money). Along with Real Estate, this is the other profession in India which hasn't witnessed decline since Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi. It helps that major chunk of India's growing population is in need of earning quick money, thanks to factors such as inflation and depleting water level.

As is a norm set by people in my 'profession', I'd contemplate change of name, by which I'd be called. I've zeroed in on Sakht Aryaveer Androidanand (translates to Hard Brave Noble Person who gets joy out of Android).

To get started, here are 'solutions' to few heart-wrenching 'problems' (In Software terminology this is called Demo version. You, the reader, can do beta-testing and provide response).

Problem - Androidanand ji, I am not able to sleep early, always do that around 2 AM and hence wake up late. What to do?
Solution - My dear child, the problem is that you are living in India. Consider relocation to a place like Rwanda where time zone is 3.5 hours behind. Then you'd automatically sleep around 10:30 PM.

Problem - Oh Androidanand, this particular boy in my class, never looks at me. What should I do?
Solution - My dear fairy, the problem lies in your dress. Get yourself a crew cut, wear silver-coloured hair band, a necklace made of brass chain with lock, faded Purple T-Shirt of size 50 inches (if you don't find it anywhere then we'll make it for you, at very 'nominal' rates), Pink colour Patiala Salwar, and Florescent Green bedroom slippers. I assure you that you'd get second, third, fourth... googol look-backs by that particular boy, as well as his dad, grand dad, and a heavenly one from his great great grand dad.

Problem - Yo Androidanand! My Internet is too slow! What should I do?
Solution - My dear chic kid, the problem is that you want to access Internet. Why do you want to do that? Because it makes you happy. Why do you want to be happy? Because you are not currently happy. Happiness is a state of mind, some have it, many don't. And when you are not happy, you try to find solace in things like the Internet, end result of which is that you become addicted. You spend money on buying devices, Internet plans, etc. which otherwise could have been donated to my NGO and in effect we'd have helped needful kids. To start with getting rid of this addiction, sell off your device and whatever money you'd have invested in Internet plans in the next 12 months, donate that to 'us', this'd ensure that you'd stay off this evil till that time.


I sincerely hope that the above sample was enough to convince you of my 'selling' abilities.

So what are you waiting for? Go forward with elan and spread the word!


Hard & Noble Regards,
Sakht Aryaveer Androidanand.

(Disclaimer - My dear reader, the above article is a work of fiction. Any sane resemblance to someone living or dead would be nothing short of a miracle.)

Modern Punjab's Numero Uno Role Model

Whom am I talking about? Let me narrate some facets about him in various sections, before finally revealing his identity in the end.


Growing years and Academic achievements

• Though raised in a well respected family, he wasn't born with a silver spoon in mouth. Most of his childhood went eating dry Chapatis with Onions, as they were the cheapest food stuffs available.

• He remained a topper throughout, and recieved scholarship consistently. He avoided taking money from home, and his scholarship used to go in paying his school / college fees.

• An academically brilliant student, there were times when he cleared multiple classes in one year. He was destined to take up Engineering, however due to being underage he wasn't eligible to appear for IIT. So he shifted gears to Medical and in first attempt got MBBS in GMC, Amritsar, which was the leading college for that course back then. He passed from the college as a Gold Medalist.

• Post GMC Amritsar, he got admission in MD Medicine at PGI Chandigarh, which at that time had only a couple of seats in that course. He topped there as well.

Professional

• His colleagues went to North America / Europe. He got multiple offers to go abroad, but on insistence of his ailing parents to take care of them, stayed in India.

• He joined PGI Chandigarh while doing his masters and was working there when he got married.

• Soon after marriage, he relocated to Jalandhar, when compared to Amritsar there were lesser medical facilities for patients.

• Without borrowing a single penny from his parents, he opened up his own private clinic. After some time he got a Clinical Laboratory opened up for his wife as well.

• His clinic has stood the test of time for more than 30 years. Despite renowned multi-specialty hospitals opening up their branches in the city, his clinic continues attracting people.

• While some hospitals these days rely on fancy furniture, soft spoken female nurses, computerized systems, glitters in buildings, free check-up camps for increasing awareness ; his clinic emphasizes on having all the necessary facilities that a patient actually needs. Thus he doesn't charge his patients just for providing a "luxurious experience".

• He patiently listens to his patients and does not make them run away quickly in order to wind up for the day ASAP. He gives individual attention to all his patients equally.

• Remains up to date on the latest happenings in the field of Medicine and prescribes the better stuff to his patients.

Family

• His elder brother, who was extremely close to him, passed away when he was 16. Disturbed, he provided support to his ailing father and ensured he passed the exams securing top marks on scholarship, post which he got admission in Medical College on first attempt.

• His father passed away when he was 29. He became head of family and took charge of marrying his younger brother soon thereafter.

• After the death of his younger sister and her husband (he was 38 then), he took custody of their two children and educated as well as married them.

• His younger brother passed away two years ago, leaving behind a widow and two young daughters. He worked towards completing all government related work, got his sister-in-law along with daughters settle at a place closer to his own home. He has worked genuinely hard to ensure comforts for them and tried his best in whatever ways he could.

• Though he didn't have the best of facilities when growing up, he ensured his kids didn't remain deprived of it. He took them on foreign as well as national tours, made them stay in well constructed homes in the best localities, would come to home for lunch so as to meet them when they returned from school, would meet them every night before sleeping. He would never go on private vacations away from family, would take his kids along if he had to go out of town for a long duration.

• To inject values into his kids, he first emphasized them on the need of being a good human and then assured them about the stuff done by people with angelic qualities. He developed a friend circle of similar people and taught his kids to learn from the right role models in history. He made them feel they were following the right path by doing so, never made them feel inferior in any way.

• He acts as an unofficial guardian to some of his friend's children, giving advice on various matters such as personal, investments, job security, future planning, etc.

Serving the people of Punjab

• Didn't leave the state despite the terror of 80's. He continued doing his medical practice, treating patients in times of need.

• Treats few patients for free everyday who aren't financially well-off, and has never advertised about the same in news papers or pamphlets or web sites (the author got to know about this via various sources who themselves had been present at his clinic, the man never told self about this).

• His fees is very nominal. Not more, not less. Just what it should be.

• His referrals of patients to other hospitals is based on merit instead of commission.

• He doesn't have any corporate tie ups for providing medical facilities to employees.

• Everyone is treated equally in his clinic. There is no VIP area, and you have to wait along with other patients even if their background differs from you in various terms.

• Till date he never advertised about his achievements. Whatever his clinic has sustained for the past 30+ years, is solely on word of mouth.

• He has done more work for financially underprivileged people than a lot of NGO's. He does not put of photos of him treating such patients on web sites, magazines, posters, etc.

Love for the country

• Remained connected to roots by staying in India, and has devoted his life to helping people who come to him for assistance in various fields, be it Medicine, Psychology, Philosophy, Development, etc. He has gone out of the way to help establish several careers of those who weren't related to him by blood. He does that due to inborn interest.

• He raised his kids as Indians. Never in his house did he tell them that you are 'Punjabi'. He taught them the emphasis of respecting people from other states on the basis of character, knowledge, and virtues. He ensured their proficiency in Hindi due to it being the National Language.

• He is well aware of Indian tradition and values. He educates people about the same and has cleared several misconceptions of those around him on various topics.

• He knows the ground reality of the country, where it is going right and where it can do better. You have to talk to him to know what the actual picture is.

Lifestyle

• Gets up 5 in the morning, sometimes 4. Does regular exercise, prepares tea for wife, reads newspapers for remaining abreast with local developments. Leaves for clinic by 10, treats patients till 2 PM (often this extends), reaches home for lunch, does family related work if needed, leaves again by 5, stays till 7:30 PM (often extends), reaches home, does family related work if needed, reads books/magazines, watches TV, goes to sleep.

• Does not drink alcohol. Does not smoke tobacco. Is not into drugs. Consumes Lacto Vegetarian food, often eats 1 Chapati at a time. Avoids fried, fast food, excess sweets.

• With his friends, he does not discuss about where to party, the newly introduced luxurious entities in market, toys for rich, which top brass officials to please in order to gain favours, etc. He discusses about the issues in society and viable solutions.

• At times he walks to his clinic, other times he goes via his two wheeler. He rarely uses his car to commute to office.

• The clothes that he wears, aren't very different from what he used to wear when he was a kid. Simple and basic, no designer brands. He never shops for his apparels himself. Some people deliberately gift him fine stuff so that he'd wear them which otherwise he wouldn't have.

• When many of his contemporaries are thinking about where to have the next drink and how to remove the hangover thereafter, he is thinking about how to make life comfortable for those around him and shaping path of young individuals.

• He attends his phone calls himself. He hasn't kept a PA to look after his accounts or to take care of his financial matters. He has kept minimal dependencies on his employees. He talks to his juniors himself without asking anyone else to fix a meeting with them or to handover his card / phone number.

Personal

• He doesn't believe in birth based Caste system and his last name signifies the organization he belongs to. He did not accept any dowry at the time of his marriage, and had self belief that he'd be able to take care of his wife with his income.

• His often gifts books to his close associates. The books he presents are the ones he has purchased on his money and has himself gone through it. There is always a purpose behind him gifting a book to someone.

• Does not go to theater to watch movies. Does not go to Casino to do gambling. Does not invest in "easy money" schemes.

• Watches News, Science, Spiritual channels on TV.

• He does not change his behaviour with patients, after they get promoted to high government posts. Nor does he forget them after they are no longer in power.

• He spends very little on himself. But on family he spends generously, whatever is their need he fulfills it. When his son was in Kindergarten he used to buy one new toy for him everyday. He always insisted his kids on getting the best instead of inferior cheaper options, provided it was something they really needed for their education / development / health.

• Though some of his patients happen to be prominent industrialists / actors / politicians / MP's, he does not click photos with them to display at his clinic / house.

• He sends New Year greetings to his close associates every 12 months. He himself writes on the cards with pen, without making use of a Computer generated mechanism, to give more personal touch.

Revelation of identity

At a time when India is often accused for its unethical practices, he has laid down an example as to how one can lead a life of simplicity, honesty, ethics, first generation professional in his respected field, sacrifice for the nation, and putting family above personal leisure.

This line in my poem 'The purpose of life' was based on him.

'Some people live to compromise, so as to provide joy to their closed ones'


His name is Dr. Rishi Kumar Arya.

Happy Birthday, Papa ji.

Dr. Rishi Kumar Arya

The Purpose of Life

(The following post is a short poem, inspired by a phase that I'm presently going through. I request you, dear reader, to go through it in a serene and positive mood. )



Some people live to be a spendthrift , even if their financial condition isn't divine

Some people live to consume meals like a crowned head, even if it exceeds their desire

Some people live to loaf around, even if they have family dependencies

Some people live to mock others, even if they aren't soul conquerors

Some people live to wreck society, despite possessing plenitude of luxuriousness

Some people live to crib progressively, despite having no lack of basic necessities

Some people live to teach, even if they themselves had minimal formal education

Some people live to appreciate others, because they know how much it means to them

Some people live to make others happy, no matter how doomed they themselves are

Some people live to join humans, even if they forever remain single

Some people live to compromise, so as to provide joy to their closed ones

Some people live to inspire colleagues, though they happen to be also-rans

Some people live to write poems, even if their own life lacks rhyme

Some people live forever in hope, when all seems lost except life

The purpose of life isn't defined by any book or rule

The purpose of life, IMO, is what you make it to be



"You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing and dance, and write poems and suffer and understand, for all that is life."
- Jiddu Krishnamurti

Happy Birthday Siddhant!

Allow me to present some facts before you.

Facts regarding Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) and Cristiano Ronaldo (CR)

• CR believes in taking risks of working with new people. Result of which was him achieving the milestone of being the fastest to become #1 scorer for Real Madrid.
  
  SRK believes in working with the same set of people over and over again. Result of that was Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.

• CR knows how to replace legends. We all saw what happened to him first in Manchaster United and then Real Madrid, where he overshadowed the likes of David Beckham. Till date in Manchester United, no one has been able to replace CR, seems unlikely that his aura would be overshadowed in Real Madrid.
  
  In case of SRK, I need not tell what happened in Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 3 when he tried to "replace" Amitabh Bachchan.
  Not only that, SRK turned down Munnabhai MBBS, 3 Idiots, Enthiran, Lagaan, etc. for which marvelous humans like Aamir Khan and Rajinikanth replaced him, making them the biggest hits in history, as well as getting nominated for Oscars.

• Q. Why are Kal Ho Na Ho, Baazigar, Darr, DDLJ; considered SRK's best works?
  Ans. Because in all of them, he dies in the end. An exception to this is DDLJ, where he didn't die but got severely bashed up by the Youth of Punjab.

• Anyone who saw the recent Champions League T20 would tell that SRK needs Sports to promote his upcoming movies. But CR has never done that sort of thing with movies to promote his bread and butter.

• Q. What's the best way of watching a Real Madrid match?
  Ans. Watch YouTube vignette of duration for which CR was on the field.
  Q. What's the best way of watching a movie featuring SRK?
  Ans. Uska chehra morph kar do (Morph his face)! Mute volume and read the dialogues via subtitles.

• Q. Why did SRK cross the road?
  Ans. To dance at a wedding, in a bid to recover costs of making Ra.One .
  Q. Why did CR cross the road?
  Ans. To beat the hell out of SRK.

• Q. What's so good about the last 18 months?
  Ans. Not even a single movie released, featuring SRK as the leading actor.
  But alas, our happiness is short-lived, just a few days more.

• Q. What's the reality of CR?
  Ans. This.

• Q. What's the reality of SRK?
  Ans. This.

Now for some facts about Siddhant and Arjun.

• When Siddhant praises someone, it is a genuine one, he's aware of what he is saying and why he is doing that.
  When Arjun praises someone, it is for the following reasons.
  1. That guy shares a great rapport with SRK.
  2. At some level, that guy has a connection with SRK.
  3. That guy is SRK himself.

• Q. What was Arjun in his previous birth?
  Ans. An Astrologer.
  That's the reason why he predicts how a movie would be, even before watching it. These are his recent predictions.
  Dhoom 3 - 'Ghatiya, vaahiyaat, bakwaas... lekin Aamir Khan ki acting achchi hai'.
  Ra.One - 'Ultimate, best movie of all time! SRK ne to kammaal kar di'.
  Such is the case that doomsayers have already predicted Arjun's son to be named as SRS - Shah Rukh Suri.

• Q. Why does Siddhant remain more at peace, compared to Arjun?
  Ans. Because he doesn't have to face humiliation whenever Kolkata Knight Riders loses a match or SRK throws a legend like Saurav Ganguly out of the squad. All he has to do is celebrate every time CR wins awards like Footballer of the year.

• Q. What is the best thing about Siddhant?
  Ans. He is not a fan of SRK.
  Q. And what's even better?
  Ans. That he is not SRK.

• Q. Siddhant plays with a Cricket bat having the letters 'BAS' embedded on them. Why so?
  Ans. They stand for 'Billu Ashoka Shakti'.

• Q. What was CR doing when he turned 25?
  Ans. Basking in the glory of becoming the World's Highest Paid Footballer.
  Q. What was SRK doing when he turned 25?
  Ans. He hadn't even made his foray into Bollywood.
  Q. What would Arjun be doing when he turns 25?
  Ans. He'd be getting mentally roundhouse kicked, by his younger brother.
  Q. What would Siddhant be doing when he turns 25?
  Ans. No matter whatever his age, he'd always be giving a mental roundhouse kick to his elder brother.

• Q. What's the secret of Siddhant's excellent judgement ability?
  Ans. If SRK is associated with something, it is definitely not worth investing energy in.
  Q. And how does Arjun judge?
  Ans. Do I need to answer this question? By now you'd have already guessed that. *wink*

• Q. How do you define Arjun in less than 140 characters?
  Ans. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING about him is freaking awesome. Except for the fact that he is a huge fan of SRK.
  Q. How do you define Siddhant in less than 140 characters?
  Ans. A blessed soul, who deserves the best, may this be his best birthday ever. :-)

(Note- The above post is written without intention of hurting anyone. I have equal respect for everyone and nothing is meant to be taken seriously).

An attempt to precise Pakistan

If the country Pakistan was represented as a mutual friend on facebook, my relationship status with it would be set to "Its Complicated". For even if I wish to adore, I can't do that, and the converse hate feelings can't take place as well.



Why can't you adore?



If I write something in favour of Pakistan, I'd receive tonnes of messages from my Indian friends, labelling me as a traitor, who has forgotten the wounds we had to undergo in events such as the Kargil War or the more recent 26/11 Mumbai attacks. They'd go to the extent saying that had someone close to me passed away in those incidents, I wouldn't have said such a thing.



And why can't you hate hate?



If I totally diss Pakistan, calling it the worst country in the world (it actually doesn't fare too high in rankings of World's most stable states) and brand all its people as terrorists (like how most non-Pakistanis feel these days), my inner conscience would tell me that I'm being too harsh. For like every nation in the world, it does have its share of good as well as bad people, root-wise who happen to be us Indians only. There was a time when we used to be one, and now such is the divide that we look at each other as enemies.



Why don't you just ignore them?



Turning deaf wouldn't bring resolutions, for all of us are affected by Pakistan in some way or the other. Those living on Pakistan's border (Punjab, Kashmir, Rajasthan, Gujarat) always have the fear of being attacked (my mother lived in Amritsar when 1965 war happened, it wasn't easy surviving in those days). Then there is always Pakistan's name in terror attacks on safe areas like Mumbai. When we go outside India, we encounter several Pakistanis, we have to be careful in handling certain matters. And there is the most important aspect, naming which has become some sort of a taboo, but its true.



And what is that taboo?



That we are same people only. Both evolved from the same nation, that was divided by Britishers. Hatred was infused in the name of religion, thus ending harmony. The same people used to sit together in evenings, share meals from the same plate, encouraged their children towards inter-religion marriage, and there was high tolerance towards accepting those who were different from them (for reference you may go through the book 'Absolute Khushwant' by Mr. Khushwant Singh). Such is the condition now that Indians and Pakistanis are widely popular for being intense enemies, and if an Indian praises a Pakistani or honors their talent, s/he has to hear a lot of swear words from the society.



Why is that so?



The reason cited is that, Pakistan has been India's number 1 enemy in the world. They are responsible for Kashmir mess, have killed a lot of innocent people in incidents like 1999 Kargil war and 2008 Mumbai attacks. Had, god forbid, someone close to me perished in those attacks, then I wouldn't have thought the same about Pakistan.



So what's wrong in that, its true, isn't it?



On the matter of Pakistanis killing Indians, I suggest you to go to any Indian city, open up the newspaper, and go through local news.



If you calculate the number of deaths that occur due to our countrymen alone, like murders, rash driving, etc. then they are much more than those due to Pakistani terror attacks. Indians reading this sentence may get furious and openly condemn me. Pakistanis might be laughing thinking that I have given a reason to those who scoff at them. But I'd like to ask, have I said anything wrong? Is there any region besides Antarctica where humans don't kill other humans? Prove me wrong if you can, but the solution doesn't lie in stating who is wrong or right, it is in making both countries better by fighting the inner evils. We shouldn't ignore the inner psyche that makes someone a criminal.



I might be sounding controversial, but I am being realistic, what I have said isn't wrong but true. I'd appreciate if my fellow countrymen utilize their energies in making the nation even more better, rather than abusing an unheard-of guy like me.



But we can't forget the wounds they have infused on us, can we?



OK, then answer me this question - We were plundered by few European countries for around 200 years, weren't we?



Yes, but that happened long ago, we have moved on since they left us more than 50 years ago.



We Indians might have, but there are cases where they do regard us as land of snake-charmers. I started believing that after seeing response to Slumdog Millionaire, where my NRI colleagues abroad told me that this was what their adopted country people thought about us and some of them had to face racial discrimination because of the same.



We say that we have moved on in case of Europeans, and that all their people aren't bad. Yes, its true, I do know a lot of Europeans whom I immensely respect. But my question is, what can't we look at Pakistanis from the same view point? We Indians and Pakistanis belonged to one nation, we used to respect our differences very well before partition, what has happened now?



Don't compare Europe with Pakistan, they are more process oriented and their class can't be matched!



OK, then answer one more question - Suppose you were the head of your country. You invaded any "process oriented" European country, took control, dominated for 200 years, reducing their wealth to shambles, degraded their self-pride and morals, without having any opposition from any peace-prevailing world organization, and by the time you returned, do you think they'd be the same as before?



Was India really THAT good at one point of time?



I suggest you go talk to any scholar who has studied Indian History in depth. This'd clarify few doubts.



It appalls me that their media branded us as "thieves", before Common Wealth Games 2010 commenced, forgetting what they themselves had done. India never invaded any other country in its history, for more such facts refer here.



Are you saying that India is better than those European countries?



That's an altogether different debate. I'll just say that wherever you are living, be a good human and accept those who are different from you. I am against unnecessary + unrequired NRI bashing by resident Indians, who themselves aren't inventing some Nobel prize winning invention by staying in India or engaging in social work so as to "serve" the country. Hence don't assume that I am branding European NRI's in a negative light.



Now back to how we should look at Pakistan.

Oh yeah, go ahead.



In the human body, if there is pain in one area, it has effect on remaining parts too. Similarly we can't ignore one nation like this. India and Pakistan need to unite so as to eradicate the bad people, who are killing others in the name of religion. I have met some pretty honest Muslims who not only are good humans but also don't get into talks of proving their religion being the best. They do very well relate with the dialogue "My name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist".



In Western countries, Indians and Pakistanis live together, they find it easier to relate with each other, prime reason being common language. Things do get tense in case of a Cricket match or terror attacks, on the whole they remain united and care for each other. I myself remember one such experience, where we met a gentleman with his wife on Singapore airport, hailing from Lahore. Not only did we feel comfortable conversing with each other (for those who don't know, Urdu and Hindi are a lot similar), they gave us several food stuffs to eat/drink, we took photos with them, and it was such a memorable experience that I cherish it till today.



What's your take on Pakistan, the country?



Of course I do love Pakistan bashing when they lose in Cricket. It isn't as secular as India, for you don't find many non-Muslims occupying top positions, and unlike India many non-Muslims converted to Islam post partition (in India most Muslims stayed as Muslims without getting converted to Hindus). There have been too many terror attacks in the country, and the number of tourists are declining. Barring Nawaz Sharif and Parvez Musharraf, all their previous heads got assassinated, period. Their Industrial growth is much less than India and aren't home to any Fortune-500 company. Their media is renowned for writing fake articles regarding India, and going by their recent WikiLeaks report, seems that they aren't in mood of changing old habits. Not only have the terror-breeding camps increased, there is also speculation of Osama Bin Laden residing, who has been constantly topping the US Most Wanted List for more than 9 years.



As every Indo-Pak discussion invokes the K-word as a mandate, her I go on what I feel about it - Kashmir should go to India, simply because we are a better nation, progressing much more than Pakistan. We are also more secular, where non-Hindus have represented the country as President, Prime Minister, Chairman of the largest multi-disciplinary firms, Cricket captain, etc. People cheered for A R Rahman to win Oscars, even though he is a Muslim who was earlier a Hindu. In India, if you are a good human and have the tendency of bringing accolades to the country, people would always hoot for you.



On a positive note I admire that Pakistan is slightly more liberal compared to other Muslim dominated countries. They have let modelling industry thrive in their nation.



What's your take on the people of Pakistan?



If i think about visiting Pakistan, I fear that I may get attacked/killed in some bomb blast or the other (like what happened to Sri Lankan Cricket team or Daniel Pearl). But I also know that many of their people would be extremely hospitable and would ensure that I have a comfortable stay. Finding Vegetarian food in Pakistan isn't easy, but they'd take care of that for me. I went there with my family in 1987, though I don't remember anything about the visit, my folks told me that they received a warm welcome. In 2004, when relations appeared to be turning for the better between both countries, my parents visited Lahore and had a soothing experience.



I have talked to few young Pakistanis on the Internet. They are concerned about living a good life, and are worried over the direction their nation is going. The inner conscience of some of them is such that they do get hurt when they get branded as terrorists, for they know that these aren't the values they were brought up with.



At this point of time, Veena Malik has generated a lot of attention in Bigg Boss 4. Quite a few Pakistanis are upset about it, for they feel she is giving an impression among non-Pakistanis that all of them are like that only. This shows that they do have some good human qualities, that's why they are feeling that way.



As I mentioned early in this article, every country has its share of good as well as bad people. Unfortunately in case of Pakistan, the positive ones are suffering too much due to misdeeds of the negative ones.



(Not creating any regional divide by saying this - I feel the reason why India is faring better than Pakistan is due to South Indians. Based on my personal experience, I have observed them to be more sincere than others. The level of education in South India is quite high, the places are more serene, and there is increased connectivity of people with Indian values.)



Please conclude the article



Pakistan is nowhere compared to India, but that doesn't mean all their people are terrorists. Instead of wasting energy in abusing each other, we need to resolve critical issues to make the world a safer place. The better humans should be openly appreciated. What's the harm in loving few more people, when we already have so much of hate filled in us? They watch our movies and we listen to their music. We grew up watching their stage comedy and they watch our Saas-Bahu sitcoms. There are several common connections between both of us, whose realization is being stopped. If we can look at the countries who dominated us, in a positive sense, we can do the same with those having same roots as us.



Every now and then we hear about some sort of Intelligence Report saying that the country could be dismantled within few years, and if that happens it'd actually be a good thing for India. Not only would we fight better in removing terror from those parts, also we'd become home for many accomplished artists who have been winning the world over with their talent.



And yes, this way Kashmir issue would be resolved. Hopefully for ever.

The Real Indians

Tuesday, 6 PM. As I stepped out of the lift, the male security guard at the reception stopped me, requesting to get my bag checked, in case I was secretly carrying some office valuables with me.

Inspection isn't something that I am fond of, and I try to avoid it whenever possible, for I have self-belief in not being a guy who'd steal valuables. I am not even a kleptomaniac, so leave that aside as well. The values put in by my parents and teachers prevent me from doing quite a few things.

And as I wanted to tell that guard that I am not a thief, I just remembered a recent incident in which I had uttered what was on my mind.

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I was with a friend, who had become more uneasy with the repeated process of getting backs inspected, and when he was raising his concern with the guard I chipped in with a small sentence "You mean to say that we are thieves?". After some time, the guard's manager came, and my friend got into a discussion with him. In between, the guard told him what I had said, and though it didn't receive much importance, I sensed that he had been hurt because of me, despite me not having any such intentions.

While the guard was perfectly obeying his duties - performing security checks on individuals irrespective of the position held by them; somehow I could sense that he was an honest bloke, who'd never commit any sort of crime despite not being as financially rich as the ones holding stature similar to me.

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Coming back to life, I handed over my bag to the security guard. He handed me a register and asked me to fill in details like my name, ID, contact number, etc. He placed the register in such a way that I'd feel comfortable, and won't have to budge from my existing posture.

When I finished writing, the guard was still doing his job. So I walked few steps and looked out, to notice that it was raining heavily.

Yaju Arya - "Oh my god, quite a heavy rain, isn't it?"
Security Guard 1 - [smiles]
Security Guard 2 (she was a lady) - [laughing] "Didn't you know that?"
YA - "I had seen dark clouds from my cubicle's window, didn't know it was raining to this extent"
SG2 - [smiles]
SG1 - "Here you go sir"
YA - "Do I need to write anything else?"
SG1 - "No sir, that's it"
YA - "Thank you"
SG1, SG2 - "Welcome sir"

Off I went, carrying memories of those whose mother tongue wasn't Hindi, yet they used that language for communicating with me. They might be facing numerous issues at home, aren't big shots in professional sense, still they were carrying smiles on their faces.

India has often been branded as a Corrupt nation, the stereotyped image in most Western countries isn't something very positive (some people credit Slumdog Millionaire for denting that further). And when in India, you are branded more for the region / community you belong to, rather than a common nationality.

For some time, I wondered, who are the Real Indians.
* Are they Tamils, for they claim themselves to have originated from this country?
* Are they Gujaratis, for Vegetarianism and non-Alcoholism is prominent over there?
* Are they the ones from Uttar Pradesh, for it is the major hub of Ancient Indian sites such as River Ganga and Varanasi?
* Are they the ones from Punjab, for this is where Vedas were written?

And then I thought, no mate, we all are Indians now. Whatever be our source of origin, whatever be our belief, right now all of us are citizens of India.

And then I wondered even more - Who are the Real Indians?
* Are they the ones who take active interest in ancient Indian texts such as the Vedas? It incurred to me that even in that age, very few people took interest in intellectual stuff, similar to today's times, and I know some people who don't have interest in such things but that won't classify them as Non-Indians.

* Are they the ones who take interest in all things Indian? There are people who wear some specific coloured clothes in a particular pattern, preach spiritual stuff, explain verses with the use of few Sanskrit words, and eat only Indian cuisine. However, there are some who are exactly opposite, yet they go and stand on the national border in order to prevent enemy soldiers from creeping in.

* Are they the ones who highlight issues occurring in the country? I won't say that all those who openly criticized Delhi Common Wealth Games 2010 were patriotic. While some had genuine constructive criticism, this wasn't the case with all of them.

* Those who chose to remain in India? India is the only country I have seen, where people value their roots and think about its welfare, despite being born and brought up in some other country. A significant number of Non Residential Indians(NRI's) contribute more towards India's welfare compared to the ones residing in the nation. Though all aren't like that in behaviour, the better ones do have to face the wrath of getting stereotyped by those living in their adopted country as well as parent country.

* APJ Abdul Kalam is among the most patriotic humans I have seen, who happens to be well versed with Quran as well as Bhagwat Gita. One the best teachers under whom I studied was a Christian. So don't even get started on the topic of a religion not having its founders from India.

And so, after much thought, I have finally realized who the Real Indians are.

They are the ones, whose conscience doesn't let them commit any kind of robbery.
They are the ones, who don't forget to smile, despite facing numerous hurdles.
They are the ones, who make an effort to learn about items pertaining to National Interest, through mediums other than the school.
They are the ones, who would do anything to earn daily bread, except hurting someone.
They are the ones, who carry on in life, despite facing humiliations from the ones above them.
They are the ones, who remain connected to their roots, even if they are far away.
They are the ones, who keep faith despite knowing what happened in the past.
They are the ones, who accept reality and come to terms with it.
They are the ones, whose name may not go in History books, but are concerned about living for the moment.
They are the ones, having high levels of tolerance, for they accept those who are different from them.

(All Photographs courtesy Arjun Suri Photography)