Community Pride

So there are many things I want to make right but starting from my native place and my own people seems to be the best point. This is surely close to my heart since it concerns the Pride of the Sikhs and against misunderstanding Sikhs.

Being agnostic, I have some different beliefs. Seeing people going towards spirituality through different mediums is getting the religions to another level and demanding more out of them. So many changes coming in lifestyle, people, global awareness, ample knowledge availability etc. leading to changes that are not acceptable to the religious bodies.

Looking back at Sikhism, it is a result of a change that the society required at that time. It is said to be the result of the simple teachings that Hinduism and Islam was teaching but people were not following. It is an awakening for the humans to let go off the immaterial and irrelevant stuff they follow and preach. Our Gurus have literally fought against the evils of the society and that is exactly why we are respected so much. Our Gurus were the most modern minds back then.

The simplicity in religion is without doubt going away. And so are many other things. There are many things to understand though. People have increased. Number of Sikhs overall have increased as well. Number of people giving up will eventually be higher. When people increase, managing them without doubt will become difficult. And there are eventually losses in terms of capital, people, values in a mob.

There are many things of which I am ashamed.  Sikhs are told to follow the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and consider the holy book as their Guru. People still go to all kinds of self made Gurus and Sants, who preach common sense, which, those people don’t even follow after coming from those places. They don’t change for the good things anyway. People are still unable to know that being born with a religion and what you follow when you grow up can be different. Many people, in the attire of a Sikh are actually following a separate religion all together. Ofcourse polytheism is acceptable, but then you don’t call yourself a Sikh if you are praying in front of stones and doing all those things for which our Gurus stood firm against. And then these people, sometimes, even in public will tell/ask you about turban, clothes you’re wearing, conduct etc.

All is in the Guru, the Guru being the Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

And it is high time people stopped taking it for granted that if you do wrong things and preach stupidity,you can survive if you are older to others around you.  I have had the experience of a person very calmly telling me and my brother to not cut/ trim beard in public, then talking about Khalistan, without omitting, “ As our Guru saw it”,   and then telling us that he had found a fraud man and then killed him there itself as the police couldn’t find him. Although I can see he punished a wrong doer, but one should respect the law of the land a bit. There are worse things one can do to someone than killing them. This account did make me furious. After all, a murderer telling me about the religion that tells us to bring others on the right track was ironical. Once Guru Nanak, while on his great tours, told people of one village to stay in their village itself and the others who attended him so well and took care of him to spread. It’s something similar required to be done even now.

The system consists of people, the society those people live in, the appointed religious heads and the Source (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, in this case).

The pictures/painting of the Gurus being worshipped is another step against Sikhism.

Though I can go on saying about the problems arising, I especially want two things in the system to connect which are people and Guru Granth Sahib Ji, which as of now happens through the religious heads. So there will be role redefining as per requirements of the new generation. People will be asked what they think about what they are following. If religion has to lead to spirituality and people have now started practicing and thinking at that level, then what can the religion do for them. Also, it will look into and highlight the problem with the turban these days and how it can be handled with new thoughts and Design!

Take this survey to be part of a small step that could lead to, hmmm, a lot of new ways.

http://goo.gl/VNrGW

Nik_ live It Up !!: The Bus

Nik_ live It Up !!: The Bus: Bus is one and for Pune, pretty much the only cheap option to travel. One day I get a bit late and I saw people relaxing in the bus. Yes, R...

Is There a Place

A collection of emotions from many different experiences of my life till now...


Is there a place,
Where I am born free,
Just being a human,
Just being seen for what I am,
Devoid of Judging?

Is there a place,
Where I can dream,
Where I can fly,
Like an Eagle,
Where Someone tells me I Can?

Is there a Place,
Where people are sane,
Free from ties,
Of money, wealth, power and religion,
Of hatred, jealousy and madness?

Is there a Place,
Where I can breathe,
Devoid of distress,
Full of hope,
And Full of Nothingness?

Is there a Place,
Where I can play,
Like a Child,
Full of energy,
Full of Excitement?

Is there a Place,
Where People still Love,
And that Love is Genuine,
That Love is Meaningful,
That Love is Free?

Is there a Place,
Where I can walk,
Just carefree and barefoot,
Just exploring,
As if its a new way everyday?

Is there a Place,
Where I don't have to think,
Before I help someone,
Before I say a 'Hi',
Before I fall in Love?

Is there a Place,
Where I can see Good People,
Being loved,
Being in care,
Being recognized?

Is there a Place,
Where I can take her,
Hands in hands,
Holding her close,
And kissing her now and then?

Is there a Place,
Thats called Heaven,
That has People believing,
In stupid and meaningless traditions,
In false hopes about life?

I wish there was a Place,
Be an Anti- Heaven,
Where only Humanity exists,
Where People are free to fall in Love,
Without religions, communities, colors,...



Please go ahead and make your own verse in the comments below.

The CCD affair

One of the places I love visiting is CCD. I love the coffee and to add to that I like the ambience it offers. And as far as coffee is concerned, I find it very much affordable. There are some good thing that can happen sitting there, like nice pictures and sometimes nice sketches as well.

I recently tried eating something there. Not a big fan of their food, though I liked those 'toasties' they gave this time. I can always say their food is over-priced and much better samosas can be had for a mere Rs.10 (even lesser at times). But those toasties reminded me of those small bread based mini pizzas at home that mom makes. I love those and I would eventually eat so many that I will sleep again after eating them.

But the experience at CCD is mostly good. This time it was the CCD in Loni, near my college. Its almost always never occupied!

So you have the whole space to yourself and talk with your friends. It pretty much feels like a private CCD you have to yourself. jump around, sing, do whatever you feel like!

Bhuwin felt like writing something. We were feeling out of Loni in there. Nicest place for us that day. I only clicked pictures that day. The other day I drew.

 

And now we finally have some place where we can give ourselves time and keep enjoying. The only thing is we need to manage money to spend that time :p but its worth it. So more CCD trips are in line as jury comes nearer.

live it up!

The Bus

Bus is one and for Pune, pretty much the only cheap option to travel. One day I get a bit late and I saw people relaxing in the bus. Yes, Relaxing!

It was past 9.30 pm that day when I board the bus. It was time for the late commuters. No rush. No attentiveness for empty seats but just sitting.

What else I saw was everyone is holding on to something. Do all of us need that? While sitting on a seat in the bus, a man is still holding on to a rod and when he felt tired, he just shifted to the other rod. Its hard to understand why its required though you can sit comfortably. Does he wants to be alert even while going back home? Tired from all day's work, he seems unable to relax. 

People in their lifetime hold on to a lot of things. Love, Hatred, Greed, Ego, Patience, Passion, Money and an unending list that can go on. 

What I could capture was the people holding on to various 'things'. The emotions and feeling I could only predict. What was so important in the polythene bag the guy was holding or that small rough looking rag..?
I can only wonder for now but that seemed to be the time when you could relax in a bus and hence, they wouldn't just hold on to anything.

______________________________________________________________

Rediscovering Craft

Design is an awakening. And considering how ruthless we are to our home products (made in India) tags, design intervention has to come in.

My latest experience was with a very unique product that I bought during my journey back to home in Punjab. The train was passing through Rajasthan when a guy comes and asks if I wanted tea in ‘Khullad’ (clay cups). I was amazed that they were using khullads, and also happy to see. Then a lady comes in with these products contained in a self made cloth sack hanging by her neck. 

The product was so charming that I couldn’t resist buying it. And then I asked for the price, “ 15 rupye ka h”, she replied. I paid her Rs.20 for it. Do I sound crazy? Well, have a look as to what I got for 20 bucks.

Feeling it and rattling!

The Beautiful Spiral

The Complete Form

And it was totally worth it. I started imagining how the craftsperson had made it!

And for quite some time, I had no idea as to how it had been done.

Later on when I reached home, I showed it to my parents and grandmother. They knew what it was. They had seen it before. How come I never saw it?

Then I realized what I was holding. I might as well call it antique art since its hardly known to the present generation, which is a big shame for this nation. The very unique craft of this very nation is not known, nor brought forward by the governments. Its time to look at those amazing forms of products. This product is ageless and doesn’t wary with age! I kept looking at it when I held it in my hands. The spiral is so eye catching. And the way it is made is great!

The material they've used it 'Sarkanda', a wild grass that grows in North. You will probably find many references of it with 'Muda/Mudda Craft'. But somehow there are no mentions of the small things that have been made using this material. I now wonder what all possibilities lie ahead with various materials. The grass is cheap and they've used thinner sections of the same to make this.

Great work. I hope to travel to those parts and see them making it live.