A Sincere Request.....

Sometimes I wonder, does my writing make any difference? Does it make anyone think? Does it disturb anyone? I wonder what people think when they read what I write. Do they just take it to be the ravings of a madcap? Read, laugh and move on? Sometimes I feel like I am shouting at walls that won't open up to me. But I can’t give up hope now, can I? I have to keep hoping. I have to keep writing. I have to keep fighting. I have to keep my promise.

Today’s log is about the placement season. College-going junta must have already understood what I am driving at. People get placed; they give treats to their friends and juniors, and almost all these ‘treats’ are ‘daru-treats’. Unlimited alcohol. Booze till you cannot stand on your two feet, and then booze some more. Ask your juniors to drink, saying,” C’mon, I have got a job! Won’t you drink for me?” So many seniors, so many get placed, and so many treats. Your poor juniors don’t have a chance. By the end of their second or third year, many of them wouldn’t be able to say ‘no’ even if they wanted to or needed to. A still smaller fraction would take this addiction with them into their future life. A few of them may fall prey to health problems caused due to their inability to say ‘no’. But this shouldn’t bother you. None of this is happening now, is it?

Please think about it. Please think before you send someone on the road to self-destruction. Do not let this small treat haunt you for the rest of your life.

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Today...

How many people does it take to make a difference? Just one. Just you. You have the power, the potential. But do you have the will? If you do, then start today. Don't wait for tomorrow. It may never come. Something you say, something you do, today, may change someone's life forever. So go ahead, and do it.

How do I know that I am gonna have a tomorrow? How do I know that I am gonna get another chance? I may not be there tomorrow, or, God forbid, someone I care about might not be there tomorrow. So I am asking you today- please don't drink, don't smoke. Think about all the people who love you. You might not even realize how much anxiety you are causing them, but you are. If I get another chance, I'll ask you again. But if I don't, I won't regret it, because I asked you today.

Here, once again, is a link to the Alcoholics Anonymous web page:
http://www.aagsoindia.org/aaforme.htm

and a Nicotine Anonymous page:
https://www.nicotine-anonymous.org/index.php

If you smoke or drink, or have anyone among your family, friends, etc. who does so, please ask them to visit these sites. They will find these helpful.

And, if you can, please give your time to some or all of these sites. It will make you feel good.
www.bhookh.com

UN World Food Program

www.freerice.com

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Thinking of boozing tonight? Think again......please

How much does a bottle of whiskey cost? 400 bucks. Vodka? 400 bucks. Beer? 70 bucks. How much does a kilo of best quality basmati rice cost? 44 bucks. Lesser quality costs even less. So with the money you spend on a bottle of whiskey or vodka you could actually feed a starving family of four for 6-7 days. Considering the poverty and hunger that we see around us every day, is that such a bad option? When two friends get together, there’s really so much more that we can do than just drink alcohol. C’mon, it’s gonna wear off tomorrow and leave you with a terrible headache. Whereas one act of kindness and self-restraint on your part can actually save a child from malnutrition, a family from breaking up, a 12-year old girl from being sold off for prostitution, a mother from having to give up her newborn child for fear of not being able to feed it. Tell me then, is it not worth it?

To read more about hunger, visit here:
www.bhookh.com

UN World Food Program

www.freerice.com

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Brother Bear

I watched this movie recently, Brother Bear, in which the hero, Kinai's, brother dies and becomes a bird, an eagle, and as the eagle-spirit, guides his two younger brothers to realize the meaning of their totems and to become men. I like the philosophy of the Native Americans- the concept of the Great Spirit, of the equality of all living beings, of becoming part of the great spirit after death, of being able to hope for some contact with your loved ones even when they are no longer there. Kinai's brother was always there for him, always around, watching over him, teaching him, guiding him.

I found this great prayer on the net. It is a Native American prayer, simple and free from any pretensions, rituals, or such like.

"Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the wind,

Whose breath gives life to all the world.

Hear me; I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.

Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice

Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people.

Help me to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards me.

Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.

Help me seek pure thoughts and act with the intention of helping others.

Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me.

I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy

Myself.

Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.

So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame."

Sometimes praying helps. When you have had too much of life, try a prayer, not necessarily this one. I just included it because it kinda lightened me.

I will repeat here what I always say in my logs, because I myself need to hear it today. Life hurts. It gives you so much sorrow that it feels like a real, physical pain. Sometimes it hurts so much that you just want to escape somewhere into oblivion. But that is not the solution. There are better ways to lessen your pain than by escaping. Try a prayer today instead of the bottle. The effect may not be instantaneous but it definitely lasts.

The Forbidden Fruit

God made the biggest mistake of His/Her (Well, what can I do? The gender of God is still a very much debatable issue!) life when He/She forbade Adam and Eve from eating the fruit from a particular tree. She should have known, of all people, that She was only tempting them further. Had She made no mention of the fruit to them, they might not even have discovered it. Or, considering that She was God, She could as simply have made the fruit look unappealing. Her mistake is proof to us that the status of being forbidden adds very much to the appeal of an otherwise ordinary-looking fruit.

Same goes for liquor. At home, our parents forbid us from drinking alcohol, smoking, or taking drugs. In college, the college authorities ban us from consuming alcohol (or as in the case of my college, they ban us from being found in an inebriated state), so that, by our first introduction to the boozing society, the attraction has become huge, and we succumb to the desire very easily. Instead, if alcohol is treated as something of no consequence, something very bitter in taste and with very disgusting after-effects, which in fact it is, its hold on the minds of young people would become extremely weak.

But therein lies the problem- our parents and other people who are supposed to have an influence over us, themselves do not refrain from enjoying a peg or two when they get company, as in with friends or at weddings. Or, on the other extreme, they expressly ban the bottle. Both these circumstances increase the allure of drinking. But then, I suppose that is to be expected. After all, if God could make such a gross mistake, our parents are still mere humans!

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On Life, Love and Liquor

Many people tell themselves,"There's no one who cares about me. No one who's affected if I drink. And that's why I have no reason to quit drinking.". Somewhat like Devdas, isn't it? Now, anyone might guess, I am no fan of the fellow. True, he lost the woman he loved, but he also acted like a loser. He just wasn't ready to accept his losses and move on. He sat right there in the mud and sang out to the whole world how much he loved the girl and how he was willing to destroy his whole life, now that she was no longer there. No one else existed, not even his own mother. He never thought how much pain he was causing her, or for that matter, to Paro. Chandramukhi, of course, was non-existent. He would never fight to live for someone who loved him so much as to worship him. He would only pine for the one who had left him. It is a totally different matter that it was he who drove her away.

So, contrary to the author's portrayal, I am inclined to view the bloke as the villain of the story. And it hurts me to see men and women around me who follow his example. Girlfriend left you, you take to the bottle. Had a fight with your best friend, you go and drink. Or, something much more serious happens, like the death of a loved one (God forbid!), and you find an outlet for your grief in the bottle. Pardon me, but don't you think that's a loser attitude? You are drinking in self pity, and thinking yourself to be the hero of a tragedy! Don't you think your loved one would be extremely pained to see you like this? Even in God's abode? Are you so heartless as to cause him/her such a pain?

Life tests us, causes us much pain, so much that sometimes we want to die- to sleep and never wake up, that sounds like such a relief. But we must move on. Because only when we conquer our grief does life consider us eligible for some happiness. Look around and see. You'll find examples yourselves. It is true what they say- only when you have experienced extreme sorrow, can you appreciate true happiness.

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Excuses Are Good.........Sometimes!!

Who said excuses are for losers? Here are some really cool excuses for those who have the b**ls to stay sober!

· I promised my girlfriend that I won’t drink.

· I promised my mother that I won’t drink one day every week, and today’s the day.

· It is a special prayer day at my home so I can’t drink today.

· I have a bet with someone that I won’t drink for one whole month, and I don’t lose my bets.

· If you have a friend who also wants to stop/avoid drinking, then you can make a bet with each other about who breaks down and drinks first.

· I only drink on alternate days, and today’s my day off.

· It’s my turn at the wheel today

· I don’t drink when I am happy; I dance(and then hit the dance floor!).

· My girl doesn’t like liquor-breath when I kiss her ;)

· I don’t drink around ladies (if there are any present) / elders (this will definitely work in India!). Many a pretty lady will swoon at such a gentleman :)

· My religion forbids me to drink.

· No, thank you, I am already having too much fun. I don’t need the liquor.

· I like to have a clear head while discussing business.

It’s really not that difficult to say ‘No’, and after a while people accept you as you are and even respect you for being different. You can have much more fun at your parties if you are sober enough to enjoy the moment. And yeah, girls really don’t like liquor-breath and smoke-breath :)

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