Significance of the Roots

Not many people understand and appreciate the significance of small nuances which went into making all things Indian. Now the engagements in festivals is going so much down, even if there is some interest, mostly superficial one remaining in the festivals, it is more of a market driven exercise, which unfortunately is taking away the character of those festivals and converting them all into a look alike occasion to party. All festivities now resembling more and more New year celebration. Earlier, holi was not something to be celebrated in the plush hotel interiors. I still remember the days of reckless freedom, making groups of friends, so much laughs and fun and back slapping, going to each friends' house, having a lot of bhang and thandai and sweets and finally getting tired and lying on the street, lazing out in the sun. Where is the fun any more? Surprise is on the streets, there are more foreigners buying colors on the street than Indian. To think some one chose death over life, when life was lying in wait with all its promises, singing.. Mera Rang de Basanti Chola...

Looking inside the Leadership DNA-I

Leadership is something that man has aspired for across the generations, or is it really a humane thing or a very basic animal aspiration? Any animal wants to head the group that he lives in be it the herd, a pride or a society for human beings, and entire life it the struggle to accomodate this all-engulfing feeling and still staying alive. The question is why we want to be leader, or may be in some instance why some holy men whose stories we love to talk of, despise of leadership, if leadership is such a basic instinct. Looking deeply, what I believe is that leadership in intself is not intent or the purpose. The purpose is to be free, free from the deprivation, free from the need to fit in, free to be. We want to revert to the blissful days in the embryo, we sleep and wake at the time when we want to, we live the way we want to, all our needs taken care of. It is our own small world, no one rubs you the wrong way, in fact, no one rubs you at all. Once in existence, you are inevitably thrown into chaos, in a congested life space where you struggle for toehold with people who all have same aspiration. The rules have to be there, with so many actors around, to bring a semblence of order into chaos. And entire struggle is to ensure that while the entire mass around you is tamed by putting to rules, and thus creating a better view for your existence, everyone's life is struggle is to evolve above the chain of rules. The holy men denouncing leadership, do so because they are away from the masses and therefore do not need to escape. Others, have no choice and have to aspire to rise and escape. How they do it, we look in following posts..