Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansar

Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansar...now I don't know the exact translation of this but what I understand by this Punjabi saying is that everyone in this world is unhappy. Every single person in this world has some problem or the other....it could be money, health, love, children, work etc. And that is true universally....it's a common reality which encompasses everyone and doesn't spare anyone.

Even though its prevalent in everyone's life what is different is the way people deal with it. Some deal with it in a positive manner whereas others find it difficult to live with it.

I know lots of people who have lots of things wrong with their lives...we all do. And I see a lot of them cribbing and crying about their lot in life. As though they are the only ones with problems. Life's a bitch....for everyone, and frankly cribbing about it is not gonna make it better....it's not gonna solve anything. All it does is make u feel more overwhelmed and unhappy. So whats the point?

There are others who just go along with a smile on their face and wait for it to pass. They don't make a big hullabaloo about it and just carry on doing what is needed to be done.

Learn to live with the fact that this is just the way it is and smile along the way...if nothing else it'll be a more pleasant journey than if you had spent it cribbing. If being unhappy doesn't lessen the lot on your plate then believe you me trying to be cheerful as you deal with it will not make that same lot bigger.

PS : I get a lot of visitors on this post who are looking for the correct translation of "Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansar". If you are one of them, please check Mandeep Singh's commet in the comment section where he explains exactly what it means :)

A Random Thought

Saw My Name Is Khan earlier in the week. I liked it...cried throughout the movie. Loved Shahrukh....you can probably tell that I'm a fan. Since I am not an expert on movies, I can't say if it was good or bad....all I can say is that I liked it.

I'd just like to mention one particular scene which got stuck in my mind. When Jimmy Shergill says to his wife after she's been attacked by someone for being Muslim post 9/11...."take it (the hijab) off.....God will understand but these people will not". I think that is so telling of the ways of the world today.

We're now living in a world where we fear other humans more than we do God.....which is very different from what it used to be. In India especially, religion and faith in the Almighty is BIG. He's the one that we turn to, the one that we fear....but all of that seems to be changing now. We've reached a point where we do believe that God is our own and he will understand why we did what we did.

There is so much anger and hatred...we seem to have totally lost sight of the saying "live n let live". Now again I'm no one to judge if the anger is justified or not....but is there no other way? Agreed if someone hurts me or my family and friends then there's no question of my not seething with anger too. Then I too want an eye for an eye.....I'm not ashamed to say that.But is this the way we want to move forward?

Tells us something about the way we're going and what we're going to leave behind for our children.

Another blast........

Another blast....Pune this time. Heard the news in the evening. Shock n horror as usual...switched on the TV....started getting details. Same story on....channels asking the government how they let it happen...the officials not saying much. What can they say. What can the news channels say. No one can say anything. It is the same story all over again.

We the people...so outraged, so full of anger.....I saw it all and then went out to meet my friends. And I didn't really think about it. I just went on with my life. I only remembered it once I got back home. Did it affect me....yes....but not enough...I think its stopped affecting me, especially after Mumbai. We've seen so much of it. As long as its not happening here...my life will go on as before.

I remember when it happened it Delhi...I was scared. The first time I had to go to GK 1 market, which was one of the sites of the blast, I had to say to myself that it has to be done. And I didn't hang around. I think that trip was more to show that aal izz well than anything else.

Right now there's a lot of talk happening....how did it happen, why wasn't it stopped, is the government incapable of stopping these attacks. A friend of mine says its really not possible to police every single person in our country....and I tend to agree.

We don't really want the policing. We want to do whatever we want to. No one should stop us. Democracy after all.

On the other hand...they really don't do a good enough job in trying to protect us. For example....a couple of months ago i went to the New Delhi Railway Station. And I was scared. So many people walking in....the cops just sitting on the side and letting them come and go. What if someone has a bomb in their luggage.....I was freaked out.

My question....if they can check the airports why is the railway station not checked. Could it be too many people? I don't really have any answers....just a bunch of questions.

Many more blasts will happen coz that's the world we live in...the reality of our lives.

Suraj Kund Crafts Mela 2010

I always wait for February to come…..not because of Valentine's Day, am too old for that, but because its time for the Suraj Kund Crafts Mela. Now I can tell you that this is something I absolutely do not miss…..haven’t for as many years as I can remember.

It’s always on from the 1st-15th and is a big crowd puller. You get to see all the different crafts of India since it has people from all the states and a few from other countries participating in it. A playground for children with lots of swings, lots of food to eat, lots of artists performing live from all over India.

After making numerous plans….I finally went today….. middle of the week since weekends are really crowded. The theme state this year is Rajasthan….my most favourite state which means that this year the focus of the Mela was on it. That’s not to say that the Mela was only about Rajasthan….it’s just their way of promoting a different state each year.

So I went, looked, admired, ate and watched a few artists performing. Looked at all the handicrafts on show from furniture to stone to marble to brass to bangles to jute to leather to clothes....you name it and it is there.

Chokhi Dhani...a famous resort of Jaipur had a food joint which is where I had lunch.....a vegetable mix of potato onion with Missi and Bajra roti along with garlic chutney....it was spicy and delicious. The place was done up in typical village style and made you feel like you were actually in an eating joint in rural Rajasthan.

One stall in particular I'd like to mention is the one put up by Aadi (Spastic Society of India) where they sell things made of handmade paper block printed by the children. They have wrapping paper, cards, envelopes, diaries, bags etc. I always make sure I buy from them.....my little gesture of trying to help those kids.

It was a fun afternoon spent outdoors and also a reminder of how beautiful and diverse Incredible India is.

Politics…the best form of entertainment at times.

I am not someone who takes a lot of interest in politics. Don’t understand it, don’t want to either. But once in a while I do tune in, especially when some breaking news catches my eye. And frankly today am totally tuned in. Just saw the “breaking news” of Amar Singh and Jaya Prada getting expelled and caught part of Amar Singh's press conference and frankly it was ummm hilarious. The pain, trauma and dissolution that he portrayed was a sight to behold. Now don’t get me wrong……have nothing against Amar Singh. I neither like him nor do I dislike him. And this post is not about him. My point is simply that I find politics at times to be the best form of entertainment. Simply because there’s so much drama and emotion. Everyone knows whatever’s being said is all just to get the maximum effect but everyone pays close attention to it nevertheless. And it’s kind of fun to hear people say one thing today and then say the opposite the next day as though what was said earlier was never said at all. Politicians seem to have a very selective memory most of the time. Thankfully the media and public do not. The media digs out what was said earlier and plays it along with what is being said today and frankly it’s a good laugh. At times better than Bollywood.