tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41040296695528477792024-03-13T17:32:11.750+05:30Something Weird and ExistentialA stream of consciousness blog of random thoughtsSubrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-28900969578839713752009-12-01T12:47:00.003+05:302022-11-28T16:35:50.742+05:30Khuda Jane !If you believe in God you will agree that he (or <em>she</em> if you like ) is in contact with all sentient and non-sentient beings in the Universe. Like you and I are in touch through <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">facebook</span>. With a difference. God can check millions of profiles, see millions of updates and respond to thousands of prayers ( which find a way to penetrate his privacy settings) in the same instant. <div><br /></div><div>God must be quite comfortable in the knowledge that human beings can never match his privileges or powers. Either we will run out of finite resources or the operating system of our brains <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">must</span> be programmed not to exceed certain limits.</div><div><br /><div> I guess only God knows whether the course of individual lives is determined by the algorithm of Karma or is completely random and chaotic. In any case if you believe in God you have to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">believe</span> that the chaos can never go to the extent of disturbing God's position which is fixed and unshakable !</div><div><br /></div><div> There are some theological questions to which I have not found any clear answers despite ploughing through tomes about the revelations of God's many Prophets and the arcane formulations of theologists and theosophists :
Does God look at the drama of human life in a dispassionate and clinical manner as he knows the laws of karma are immutable ?
Or
Is he the original and ultimate reality show junkie - laughing and shedding tears and drooling on a giant scale ? Does he think like a kind of permanent CEO of the Universe intervening from time to time to change the course of things in accordance with his grand Vision ? <div>Does God respond only to the fervent prayers of the faithful or is he moved directly by suffering and injustice ?</div><div><br /></div><div> I could go on... I wonder if it possible to find satisfactory answers to such questions or even to the question whether God exists or is a mere delusion? I don't know the answer but I guess such questions are bound to trouble many seekers who have not been completely tranquilized for all times by believing in a particular set of answers. </div><div>These are the seekers in whose hearts the memory of pain or loss and the fear of death or loss are more powerful than feelings of compassion, love and trust, a sense of peace and grace, the passion to create something new or preserve something valuable, the urge to serve the needy and courage and optimism in the face of adversity.
This much I know. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">As for the rest </span></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error"></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">- Khuda</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Jane :) </span></div></div></div>Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-74500797241389416922009-10-29T13:24:00.002+05:302009-10-29T13:31:19.785+05:30Finding a cure for naxalismNaxalites are monster children engendered by the planting of radical- romantic Maoist ideology in the minds of the tribal youth, made fertile by the exploitation and alienation caused by the organs of the state in tribal areas of the country, acting as the handmaiden of miners, forest contractors and other economically dominant local interests. While the attempts of well meaning NGOs and officials posted in the tribal for short tenures areas have been feeble, the schemes of the State to deal with the problem through police action have been counter-productive just as the attempts to bring about ‘development’ have been irrelevant. The only just way is to win over the minds of the tribals by establishing the legitimacy of the State and exposing the naxalites as a group of extortionists even as they are pinned down. This requires teams of sensitive, committed and experienced people drawn from the government and civil society acting in tandem. Will the civil society or the State come up with such an initiative or will the State merely deploy the military and paramilitary forces with heavy hardware to wage battle while the media cheers the Generals ?!Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-76170749268236081732009-03-03T07:46:00.003+05:302009-03-03T07:58:37.816+05:30Slumdog Millionaire<span style="font-style: italic;">A review of the film emailed by an invisible visitor who insists on remaining anonymous :</span><br /><br />Finally got to see Slumdog Millionaire today. After its sweep at the Oscars, the movie is doing very well indeed with most theaters running multiple shows through the day.<br />It was an absorbing experience to say the least, and I did enjoy myself. The story at the heart of the film is very simple and appeals at the very basic level of boy meets girl and rags to riches sagas.<br /><br />In that the movie reminded me of why fairy tales are so successful with children. Populating a world in which love is uncomplicated, cynosure of all existence and pretty much the only purpose to live with.<br /><br />So even with its setting in a slum with its harsh realities and abject poverty, the story tugs at the child within us. Drawing heavily on how most of us would like to love and be loved. Whether or not we have the simplicity to admit to it is another story. The movie is then clearly not for the cynic.<br /><br />Coming to the larger question whether or not the film deserved a windfall at the Oscars, I don’t know, it is probably best left to the experts.<br /><br />I have to say that the rest of the movie works for me because it is a crafty piece of story telling, fast moving, slickly edited and engrossing. The performances, especially from the younger child artists are superlative, the music an undoubted winner. Camerawork brilliant and soundtrack very atmospheric.<br /><br />Finally a note of caution for those who cannot stomach the gritty harsh reality of a Mumbai slum, brace yourself. The camera lingers graphically and unerringly on the underbelly of Mumbai and beyond, it is after all a movie about the slum.<br />If the Indian viewers, who are particularly embarrassed about having to see the film sitting among a very international audience, be prepared. Just as the Slumdog Millionaire will not work for the hardened cynic as a love story, it will not work for the defensive as a movie about India.<br />--------------------Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-16623794092318513902009-01-05T11:34:00.000+05:302022-11-28T16:40:40.904+05:30Ghajini- temporary loss of intelligence ?After Lagaan and Tare Zameen Par, I had come to expect any filmwith which Amir Khan is associated to be special -if notpath-breaking. I am deeply disappointed with the film Ghajini.
Asin isrefreshing even though a bit loud and raw, Amir looks good and Rehman excels.However the plot is flimsy and contrived and the script poor. <div><br /></div><div> I wonder how someone as brilliant as Amir can go so wrong. I used to think the same about
Sanjay Leela Bhansali after watching Sawariya, but while Sawariya seemed to be a genuine experiment with form and content which went a bit wrong in terms of the pace and the colour scheme, Ghajini is trash.
There could be one explanation though. Amir was so obsessed with building his body and so
much in love with Asin that he was unable to think about anything else. It is perhaps a coincidence that everyone else associated with the film also suffered from " short term" loss of sense and sensibility.
The action? Well, I don't have the stomach for such heavy-metal skull bashing in slow motion! <div><br /></div><div> A love story ? Well, the woman is definitely pretty !
The title ? I was really mystified ! After watching the film I am still not sure what Ghajini means
but I think it means "a group of persons suffering from collective delusion" ! </div><div>PJs apart, I don't want to say anything more and spoil it for you in case you are a masochist and want to see the film yourself to discover who or what Ghajini is all about. </div><div>In case the suspense is too much to bear, I can't resist giving a small hint : it is the name of the most comical character in the film. There are several. Fortunately Amir is not one of them.</div><div><br /></div><div> P.S : The success of the film can perhaps be attributed to vicarious pleasures arising from the desire of a nation to find an identifiable enemy and lynch him.</div></div>Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-32305442589957919362008-12-01T22:53:00.000+05:302008-12-01T23:19:33.774+05:30DEALING WITH PAKISTAN<p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p><br /><br /></o:p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">For the first time I sense a <span style=""> </span>genuine desire on the part of <o:p></o:p><br />Pakistani political leaders and government to cooperate with India<o:p><br /></o:p>because of the perception of common threat from Islamic <o:p><br /></o:p>fundamentalist terrorists. The media fanned bashing of the Indian <o:p><br /></o:p>political class is not a bad thing in itself although mere anger will not <o:p><br /></o:p>achieve anything unless it is an inflection point for more serious<br />political<o:p></o:p> engagement by educated urban Indians. However, mindless <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region><o:p></o:p> bashing by the media<span style=""> </span>only seems to be serving to make right thinking Pakistanis defensive. <span style=""> </span><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It is important for us <span style=""> </span>to <o:p></o:p>rise above old clichés and stereotypes regarding <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region></st1:place> and <o:p></o:p>understand that there is a new opportunity which both countries need<o:p></o:p> to grab to act in unison against the common enemy, ending old <o:p></o:p>animosities and building new bridges of confidence.<br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">This is a historic opportunity fo<o:p></o:p>r theManmohan Singh government to ignore the jibes and taunts <o:p></o:p>of Hindutva demagogues or a jingoistic media to proceed with firmnes<o:p></o:p> and resolve to work together with the elected government of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region><o:p></o:p> to track down and fight terrorism. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p>The blood of innocent Pakistani people spilled by terrorists on their own<o:p></o:p> soil is no different from the blood of Indians spilled by them. The <o:p></o:p>civilized people of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region> are not the enemy. They can be our <o:p><br /></o:p>our allies against terrorists if we want. If we do not realize this and fall <o:p></o:p>prey to jingoism, the elements in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region></st1:place> who support or connive at the<o:p></o:p> activities of<span style=""> </span>terrorists on their soil will prevail and the terrorists will have the last laugh. <br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Hemant Karkare would have agreed. I hope <o:p></o:p>theHindu, Maharashtrian or Indian jingoists who seek to appropriate<o:p></o:p> the memory of this brave, civilized and honest man do not succeed in their<o:p></o:p> designs. Otherwise his supreme sacrifice would have been in vain. If we find the Pakistani government is dragging its feet we must go after the enemy and those who seek to protect them with all the diplomatic, political , economic and military strength at our command without further ado</span></b><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> even as we strengthen our own internal security</span>.</span></p>Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-71227179467313854632008-10-12T19:34:00.000+05:302008-10-12T20:19:03.460+05:30Truthful a!dults amd lying children<p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="font-size: 16pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">My mother has an unblemished record of never telling a lie.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p>When I was a child my mother would be very upset when she answered the phone and my father wanted her to tell the pest who had called that he was not at home. My father would be equally upset that she could not handle such a simple thing. For a long time I always supported my mother in my mind although no one ever asked me for my opinion.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">After my father retired and I got to spend more time with him at one stretch than I ever did as a child, since he was a workaholic, I realized how blunt and tactless he can be while stating facts the way he sees them. On the contrary I started noticing that my mother deftly avoids discussing inconvenient facts which may involve reassessment of a person she likes or a theory to which she subscribes. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">It brought home to me a fascinating fact about human psychology. A person who never lies may be too scared or rigid sometimes to face the truth !<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p>It also brought home to me the fact that the lessons in morality and ethics children are taught at home or school are so superficial and simplistic. I remember a cousin, who was visiting us with her children many years ago, giving a moral lesson to her six years old daughter who took something from our fridge without asking that God would be angry with her if she steals or lies. What a terrible God he must be, I had thought to myself then. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p>When my children were very young, I invented a game which I played with them often. I asked them questions like “If you are in a swimming pool and have a chance to either save your favourite toy from sinking or the child in your class whom you like the least from drowning what would you choose ? “<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">There were a lot of variations in the questions but the kids always gave the right answer. Who says children need to be taught values? On the contrary we just need to ensure that our own behaviour matches with their inherent sense of human values.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p><span style=""></span>People bother too much about childish lying and stealing which are signs of their creativity and the ingenuity in the face of pleasure denying adults ! How can we forget the endearing picture of the child <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place> stealing butter?<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p>Truthfulness is not about whether we speak the literal truth all the time. It is about how truthfully we make choices in life, how truthfully we keep our promises to ourselves and others and how truthfully we admit our mistakes, our failures and our limitations. Hypocrisy and false promises for personal gain are the only evils.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p>We do need to teach our children some manners though! I have seen elders in our extended family getting visibly upset that we did not teach our children to touch their feet in respectful greeting. My apologies to all such offended souls. It is entirely my fault. I spent so much time playing games with the kids that I forgot to teach them many such things which our considered so important in the adult word. Such as false and exaggerated reverence for elders and traditions.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-2369314142966083042008-10-09T17:32:00.000+05:302022-11-28T17:21:41.790+05:30MISSING MYSTICS<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The consciousness of the intelligent adult is largely taken up by desires, actions, reactions and thoughts which are a mixture of the ordinary human preoccupations with safety, security, physical vanity, power, wealth, popularity, status and victory. Even moments of pure pleasure are affected by thoughts about how to ensure a steady future supply of the same.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Literature, Music, Architecture and Art lift the mind beyond this state of consciousness to the extent they go beyond mere sensory and emotional stimulation. In doing so, they tend towards a state which comes close to mysticism without losing their moorings in ordinary human experience.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">However the state of consciousness of the mystic is difficult to describe in the language of ordinary experience. Analogies used by mystics to describe this state can create sensory illusions of mystical experience in the minds of many who are attracted to mystics because of the same hope or faith in miraculous rewards of health, wealth and power in this life or the next to be attained through grace of <span> </span>their God(s) or submission to his dictats as revealed by his Prophets and Saints. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Some mystics who have been ordained saints and prophets did manage to communicate the message of Love and Compassion which is a natural flowering of the mystical state to some of their followers - who in turn could rise above the ordinary state of fear and selfishness. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">However, many such mystical traditions have either become ossified, corrupted or they are mere caricatures of the original state of consciousness of the mystics. The head count of the followers of any such tradition is usually no indication of authentic reflection of the original vision to which it claims allegiance.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In a fast changing and globalizing world driven by consumerism, fear and greed, people tend to cling more tightly to the narrow religious traditions to which may belong. Other traditions seem more inimical than ever before and both evangelism and the call to defend faiths perceived to be under attack are becoming more and more aggressive among communities who do not perceive themselves as benefiting equitably from the ideologies associated with western capitalism or those originating from and philosophies of modern science and technology.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-4165091384116346662008-09-23T08:41:00.000+05:302022-11-28T16:48:33.049+05:30Religion as Science and Faith or Religion as Art and Spirituality ?Man is a rational animal who is able to think in terms of causes and effects and is armed with the mental tool of logical reasoning. That is the origin of Science.Man is also gifted with imagination. If a cause cannot be identified physically or proved experientially , its existence of one can be proved logically. The existence of God is a case in point. Myths and 'miracles' help to induce belief and faith- which are more powerful than the mere rational working of the mind. That is the origin of religion. <div><br /><div>The trouble with faiths and beliefs is that different traditions may have different forms and practices which can be made to look by the 'leaders' of faiths and politicians. Those who try to find common ground between different faiths are not popular - except in intellectual seminars. Adrenalin can be made to flow by warnings about faith under attack and blood can be made to flow by appealing to Man's ability to rise above his individual identity and merge himself in a larger one - family, tribe, nation, faith, language, land or football team and become a soldier, martyr, fascist supporter, assassin or terrorist. </div><div><br /></div><div>Man is also an artistic animal. A sunset, a rainbow or birdsong are not just causes of pleasant sensory experiences. Poetry, music and Art are not just the results of some special skills.They are associated from a sense of something unseen but larger, which is more than the sum of all such pleasant experiences, a source of inexhaustible love and beauty, of which we are a part and everyone and everything else is a part. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anything emanating from this artistic or spiritual part of Man's nature, will be be acts of love and compassion, the creative expression of the angst of separation or the celebration of oneness with all of creation as well as the great unknown. </div></div>Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-86819079933994610702008-09-16T07:20:00.001+05:302008-09-16T08:51:03.094+05:30Art and ReligionThe newfound patronage of Art in corporate and Page 3 circles on the one hand and the attempts of the saffron brigade to protect 'Indian Culture' from corruption and Indian Gods from insults and on the other makes me think about the nature of my exposure to Art and religion as a child.<br />The only real art I was exposed to as a boy was 'low art' in the form of film posters, pooja decorations, temples and handsome deities on calendars. Speaking of calendars, I remember getting calendar pictures of a number of deities framed and kept in my "study" along with a collection of other things when I was about seven years old. In that room, which I decorated with all kinds of thngs, I fantasized about all the mythological stories I had heard and made friends with a character called Hanuman who helped me to lose my fear of ghosts, demons and darkness. Not only did I become completely fearless , I felt no guilt when I slipped out of bed in the afternoon to taste forbidden pickles, climb forbidden trees and become privy to the exciting escapades of elder cousins, male and female, as no one taught me that the Gods and Godesses expected me to renounce pleasure, or acquire virtue for benefits in the after-life. They were simply supermen and superwomen who fought bullies, tyrants and other assorted demons who tortured the meek and dishonoured women.<br />To me the sacred was not something to be defended or protected but something to be celebrated in the present- with presiding deities, the sound of cymbals, conches and chants ; flowers, fruit, sweets; fragrances and festoons; pretty girls with painted feet and women in colourful clothes bathing early in the morning and making Rangolis and fasts followed by feasts.<br />The only things I did not like was the discrimination against widows, servants and other people who were considered 'unclean'. That was the beginning of my questioning and mental rebellion.<br />As I grew up I learnt to like christan hymns, church music and the interiors of cathedrals. I was inspired by historical figures like the Buddha, the Saints of the Bhakti marg and the Sufis, Christ, and Akbar, Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi whose struggle was not against demons but against ignorance, exploitation and orthodoxy. They were fearless under attack and struggled to build something new and better by winning the hearts and minds of people and not by attcking anyone or anything.<br />I don't know much about modern secular art although I like paintings that depict rural and tribal life. I like Jamini Roy and painters of the tagore school. I like Hussain's horses. I like artists because they are iconoclasts and I am a die-hard supporter of the freedom of expression. I like nudes too ! Having said that, I wonder if the cause of modern art in India is served by artists who acquire instant publicityby painting and exhibiting nudes, and getting attacked by the saffron brigade.<br />I will be grateful if anyone guides me to any work of any contemporary Indian artist which deals with any theme which is contemporary, relevant and truely disturbing or elevating.<br />My invisible friend, would you at least care to educate me?!Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-39040547082547521242008-08-23T09:11:00.000+05:302022-11-28T17:14:52.541+05:30Hospitals, Medicine, Healing, Faith, Spirituality !Whew !
I have taken on more than I can chew !
The genesis of my post on hospitals and healing were my thoughts after a visit to a public hospital, which made me think of my mental journey from the time I used to be fascinated with all manner of alternative medicines and traditional healing and healers to my close observation of large public and private hospitals and my thoughts on how best medicine can be harnessed for the benefit of the poor in India.
I digressed into the area of spiritual healers, faith, etc and my transgressions have provoked sharp comments which I am not able to respond to adequately. <div><br /></div><div>After many years spent on reading 'spiritual' books , dabbling in various types of alternative medicine and meditation, observing spiritual healers and spiritual teachers - and perhaps healing myself a bit in the process - my mind is now taken up largely by thoughts on the subject of public health and education. The subject of public health is what set out to write about in my blog about hospitals and healing. It is a vast subject and I was merely going to shard some observations about the functioning of public hospitals. </div><div><br /></div><div> Digressions, distractions and all the other pitfalls of a streaming consciousness notwithstanding, I am very grateful for all the comments. They have helped to restore my mental and spiritual health ! Now its time to move on from weird and existential stuff.
I will come back to this blog to grieve, to ask existential questions and to heal myself whenever I get lost. </div><div><br /></div><div> A humble plea to lost kindred souls who may have been reading my posts in this blog or may stumble upon it in future and are searching for spiritual anchors. Please drop all the books and the esotreric practices and open yourself to love. Whether it the love that made Pablo Neruda's pen move (thank you for sending the sonnet to me, my invisible guardian angel ) , or the love that makes the dervishes whirl.</div>Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-33941462513326621622008-08-19T19:30:00.000+05:302022-11-28T17:05:11.270+05:30Medicine and faith healingIs there any connection betweeen medicine and spirituality ? The answer is in the negative if medicine is defined as a system of healing based on empirical evidence of the effect of substances and procedures on diseases of the body or mind and theories governing the same, mainstream, modern, traditional, indigenous, alternative or esoteric. <div><br /></div><div>Spirituality is not about substances !
Let us step back a little and think of healing beyond the effects of medicine as defined above. I am sure all of us have some experience of the healing presence of a person when we were not feeling well . Haven't we experienced the healing presence and touch of a loving parent or grandparent and consumed whatever bitter medicine they administered with full faith in their wisdom ? <div><br /></div><div>My simple case is that our faith in a particular system of medicine depends to a very significant extent on what our parents or other figures of respect believed in, or administered to us with perceived benefits.
If you are a rational adult who believes due to personal experience or ideological orientation that there is some quality called spirituality which distinguishes some person from others and that person is also perceived as an effective healer, following some tradition of healing or otherwise , then seeing the connection between spirituality and healing should not be difficult. The connection cannot be proved in a lab but it exists in the mind of the believing patient. </div><div><br /></div><div>Can we reject every such connection which we perceive due to individual experience or cultural conditioning as unreal ? Maybe you can, if you believe that only that which can be explained in the language of science or proved through scientific method is real - but you still have to acknowledge the empirical fact that a very large numbers of people all over the world believe in things which are not supported by science. </div><div><br /></div><div>So how can dialogues be established between science and traditions which exist outside science without starting an intellectual debate or a quarrel? I digress again !</div></div>Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-12354121069178271952008-07-17T12:23:00.000+05:302022-11-28T17:10:29.841+05:30HOSPITALS AND HEALING -1Many years back I was interested in the subject of alternative medicine and spent a few years during my district postings reading books on homoeopathy and other types of alternative medicine and treating coughs colds and tummy upsets of the children. I had some kind of ideological aversion towards allopathy for reasons I have not really fathomed.<div><br /></div><div> I developed a lot of regard for a person who practices alternative medicine because of his spirituality and attitude.Over a period of time I started feeling that he is either bluffing or is deluding himself about his own powers of diagnosis and healing. While I know and accept the importance of placebos, I can also sniff out dishonesty easily. In think I can easily detect the dishonesty of a person about his or her own limitations and real motives . I certainly cannot tolerate it in a person who has built a following based on his or her 'spiritual' credentials... </div><div><br /></div><div>I have digressed and I will write about my encounters with 'Godmen' some other time. It is suffice to mention here that I believe that faith healing takes place because of the faith and not because of the healer. I was once impressed by a government doctor in a tribal area who told me how he administered modern medicine through an ojha so to ensure that patients would accept it but that is another story. </div><div><br /></div><div> Back to healing and hospitals.In the last few years I have been to hospitals several times to visit friends and relatives - young and old. I have seen ICCUs, OTs, OPDs, Labs. I have seen anxiety, anger, hope, prayer, tears, resignation, despair and death. I have seen, callousness and mercenary medicos. I have seen dedication, commitment and passion.</div><div><br /></div><div> I have visited thd KEM hospital in Mumbai a couple of times in the last one week. 1800 beds, 6000 outdoor patients. Creaking, crumbling, dirty, crowded, opaque, chaotic, corrupt. Most certainly a culture shock for genteel folk But as a hospital for the poor from all over the country it works ! I find it a fascinating microcosm of the larger macrocosm that is India. (to be continued)</div>Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-20631611075226739482008-07-05T15:58:00.000+05:302022-11-28T16:52:44.804+05:30Boundaries and BarriersHuman beings are prone to preserving and creating boundaries and barriers or creating new ones just as they are known to break barriers and cross boundaries. A boundary is a space which is not to entered without permission and a barrier is erected to prevent or discourage entry.
Boundaries are familiar elements in organizing social systems and conducting human affairs in a inter -personal or social context. Barriers are used to preserve the integrity of selves and social systems from external threats. They maybe physical, cultural or legal - and they are constantly changing depending on the events of history, material changes in the lives of human beings and cultural and ideological osmosis across boundaries.<div><br /></div><div> Someteimes one is in a state of mind where there is no consciousness about boundaries and barriers. In this state of "flow" everything seems possible and at the same time nothing else is required. A state of love.Not the love associated with feelings of attraction, attachment and possession but a feeling of boundlessness and abundance. </div><div><br /></div><div>As one tends towards this state more of it maybe difficult to carry on normal transactions, maintain relations or even conduct conversations on the basis of socially accepted boundaries and barriers. </div><div><br /></div><div>However the lonely hearts which long for soul-mates or utopias have to be wary of mirages, sirens and snake-oil salesmen...... </div>Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-78932483600503816722008-06-02T14:55:00.000+05:302008-06-02T15:31:50.794+05:30WaitingSome spiritual masters say conquering the fear of death is an important tool in the art of living. I have trained myself to do that, but what does one do after that. The Masters speak of finding life's purpose, of emptying the mind so that it can fill with love.<br /><br />I have trained myself to empty the mind but I find what takes over is a set of habits. Some good. Like the pleasure of working to make the world a better and happier place. The pleasures of the myriad shapes, colours, tastes, sounds, smells and words that abound in the world. The pleasures of seeing and listening to people and connecting with their minds through books, films and conversations.<br /><br />Some of the empty moments are taken up by conflict. The masters say we attract people and situations which give us pain because of the way we are. I accept that and I have tried and contemplated every possible solution I can think of. I have sifted through the wisdom of many masters.<br />The masters say the answer will come when you are ready, when you give up. I have given up hope. I have given up grieving. I am on the verge of giving up on getting an answer. Either I will get the answer now or <span style="font-style: italic;">giving up</span> will be the answer !Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-75856130316685785862008-04-23T16:16:00.000+05:302022-11-28T17:02:31.941+05:30Evolution and consciousnessHas the gene which makes man worship God been identified ? Is it the same gene which is responsible for hero worship ? What evolutionary function did it serve ?
What about the gene responsible for the lynching instinct ? Could it be the same gene ?
What about the genes responsible for mysticism and spirituality ?<div><br /></div><div> If it only a question of evolution and genes and evolution itself is not predetermined and consciousness itself is a stage in evolution can evolution become conscious of itself ? And if it can is that the end ? If that is the end why not just let go ? But then is it possible to let go unless consciousness evolves to the "letting- go "stage ?!<div><br /></div><div> Maybe one should not think about these things too seriously unless it is a professional requirement to do so ! Some years back during a visit to the newly established Amby Valley resort near Lonavala I exclaimed spontaneously, a can of beer in my hand, "Ah ! Nature ! What a wonderful creation of God !". My son Siddharth ( who still had many years to go before he tasted the vile stuff :)), seeing the beatific expression on my face, reacted spontaneously and instantaneously - "And beer ?! What a wonderful creation of man !" </div></div>Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-10164430333140236012008-02-24T15:31:00.000+05:302008-03-06T17:45:41.268+05:30ChildhoodI loved listening to the radio, listening to mythological stories , watching people and animals and thinking about what I saw , read and heard. I was pretty much on my own after I was about five years old. My father was always a but somewhat distant presence, always busy in his assignments as an officer of the Indian Police Service, and my mother was always struggling to manage the affairs of the house and my three younger siblings perfectly despite her frail <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">constitution</span>. I did well at school and I was well behaved, orderly and quiet at home.There weren't many books in the house but I devoured anything I could read, from comic books to film magazines.<br /><br />I wanted to join the Indian <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Administrative</span> Service as it was the premier civil service of the nation and I saw the government as an instrument meant to unite the nation, eradicate poverty and exploitation and to create and maintain conditions which will enable the people of the country to prosper and progress through education and hard work. The ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Jawaharlal</span></span> Nehru inspired me and the pride of the extended family was that my grandfather was a civil servant<br /><br />The traditions I rebelled against mentally were the time spent on religious <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">rituals</span>, discriminatory attitudes towards the lower strata of society and the secondary place women seemed to have in the traditional scheme of things. All these things were epitomized by my grandmother who was a strong woman who loved children and grandchildren fiercely and brooked no opposition from anyone in any matter. A benevolent dictator whom I loved and hated! Perhaps that explains my fierce and unrelenting love for democracy, despite its discontents, and abiding empathy for underdogs of all kinds.<br /><br />My rebellious thoughts remained with me as I grew more and more <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">independent</span> mentally . I got along well with people and I had plenty of play mates but no confidantes. Ironically, elder cousins and servants, confided in me about their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">adolescent</span> crushes, fantasies and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">escapades</span> and sometimes even sought my advice !Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4104029669552847779.post-51767078994746754222007-08-24T13:05:00.000+05:302008-04-23T16:39:00.023+05:30Suddenly somethingA friend, M, in the course of some e-mail banter about blogging and mid life crises, asked me to start something weird and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">existential</span>. I have been thinking about it. Trying to deconstruct her statement. The psychological origin of her statement. What the words existential and weird signify for her. What they signify for me. What they shall signify for other friends and complete strangers who may read this blog.<br />Considering certain <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">commonalities</span> in our intellectual development <span style="font-style: italic;">weird</span> may signify something <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kafkaesque</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">existential</span> something <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Sartresque</span> (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Sartrerian</span> ?! ). The world has moved on since we were in college in the early eighties. While our own concerns and discourses have changed and that of our children, who are in college now, are quite different. Some of us are still afloat but somewhat adrift. Some of us relate to our children. Many of us just worry about them.<br /><br />Since the stream of consciousness has led me to the subject of children, perhaps that should be the subject of my next blog. Must get back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Gibran's</span> Prophet and re-read what he said about children.Subrat Rathohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17488385555315331055noreply@blogger.com2