The Matter Of Death !!

No, it's not A Matter Of Life & Death, it neva was...
it's jst The Matter Of Death, as simpl as it is !!

u may b d strongest man on earth, or u may b d happiest, or u may hv been bestowed wid evrythin u hd evr wished 4, u myt b even God, bt no, don't turn ur face on sumthin as simple as the truth...
You Fear Death, n i can bet on dat !!

it's nt ur fault i ges, it's human by nature, or rathr a law of nature which none dared 2 talk 'bout...

u myt hv not witnessed ur Gods fightin 4 long lives, bt u mst hv heard of it 4 sure...
remember d Samudra Manthan scheme of things, n al, so called Gods, fightin der guts out 2 get dat bloody pot of longetivity out of d ocean jst 4 der sake...
dats jst bout hinduism, 'coz i hv no detailed idea of othr religions, bt i ges, u cn ask ur favors each 2 tel ya if dey had dun d same stupidity !!
(i do not intend 2 hurt ne religious sentiments, in case i jst did, my heartfelt apologies)

a few days bck, i questiond a frnd of myn,

"whts ur biggest wish ??
sumthin u think is tuf 2 get, or evn impossibl, but u stil want it...
whts dat ??"

2 ma query, wht she had 2 say is dis,

"i might sound selfish, bt...
LONG HEALTHY LIFE, hapiness n peace, whichever way by money or nythg fr my parents !!!
just a thot of nt havin parents arnd smtym in future leaves me shattered...
i dream of ma dad quite often, and smtyms i find myself in tears after i wake up missin my dad..."

n i ws so srry 4 askin her out, coz mayb i brought sum not-so-merry feelings on d surface.
bt dat reply of her's made me ponder a lot, dat probably, each n evry 1 of us fears death, d axe dat's bound 2 strike on one's own self, n on his beloveds...
al v cud do is mourn ovr whts left 2 cum, or face d heat, wid al d myt n joy our heart subsumes...
(uff, dat was too bookish, damn !!)

d other day, i was listenin 2 a speech by
Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple & Pixar Animation.
therein he mentioned sum beautiful wrds, thou i've alwaz been a bit leery of such auspiciouly idealistic stuff...

"If you live each day, as if it were your last, someday, you'll most certainly be right.
No one wants to die. Even people who wanna go to heaven don't wanna die to get there.
& yet, death is the destination we all share, no one has ever escaped it. & that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of life."

i ges it's ur tym 2 ponder ovr...
i'l leave u wid a quote...

Tomorrow we shall meet,
Death and I.
And he shall thrust his sword,
Into one who is wide awake.
-Dag Hammarskjold, Markings, p. 31

Train Saga !!!

ever travelled some thousand kilometers by train, with a WL marked on your travelling ticket ??

if you haven't had the luxury, kindly do not even dream of it.
well, i've been accustomed to it, since a couple of mishaps. what better can one expect when he opts out for the eleventh hour plans for a 22 hour journey !!

ever been on a reservation counter at blood thirsty summer noons ?? the queue seems to be waiting for a few drops of heavenly water. and mind you, there have been times when i joined the line at noon, fighting through the staff's lunch breaks & frequent chat sessions, to witness the ticket window shutter being slammed on my face at 8 P.M., when i was standing right in front of it, sweat & frustration dripping from each & every part of my body.

well, rules are rules, but man is what they are born for after all. since then, i've preferred am AGENT (an unofficial copy of an official post, have a look for yourself). His work doesn't fall into James Bond categorization, but his attitude is pretty synonymous. he gets the ticket done for you, for any train, at any time, for any destination station, even at the eleventh hour, by means that are termed as trade secrets of his, jst for a bargain of a gandhian note, with a figure 100 embarked on it. you call him a crook, may God's grace be with you, b'cause then your God is the one who's gonna get u a birth (needless to say, on a train). i prefer calling him an angel, b'cause he helps those in need & takes away none from anyone deserving.

neways, in a 2 year long money-service relationship, my angel for the first time failed to deliver his words & left me up with a waiting list 3. onboard a 20 hour bound train for my destination, i enquired a TTE whether by any chance, my ticket has been confirmed. & the answer was a no, even before i could complete my begging question. he turned his back on me & kept drifting. a couple of minutes passed, & the man returned & made his eyes move so artistically indicating me to follow him, which i did, with no understanding of the circumstances

we stopped, before an empty birth & he whispered "kharcha paani".
perplexed amidst the thankfulness & frustration, i queried, a bit hesitantly "how much, sir ??" (i'd prefer replacing the title i bestowed upon him with a four letter beautiful word, after all, India is just second to frenchmen in this field). i handed him his demand of Rs.150, without bargaining, but yes, with anger. probably realising, he uttered, "i haven't asked you much", & i surrendered with a pathetic smile.

while he was making some scribblings on the reservation chart, i tried to fetch his name plate, but found it missing. what again do you call him, a crook ??? i don't give a damn & i'd prefer calling him a saviour. he took nothing from a deserving, & helped a soul in need.

do you consider me selfish & self-centred, a part of the corrupt system. oh yes i'm, & if you claim you are not, probably you don't use Saint-Gobain mirrors to reflect your soul. i love my country as much as anyone else can. i could have slept on the train floor, making the TTE beg me not to complain for his demand. what would my country have gained then !! one corrupt man eradicated, probably temporarily from the system of endless loopholes., thats it !! by giving him the money, nation still gains nothing more, but 2 of it's citizens are content, for the time-being, and that is sufficient for a mother i guess !!!

i'm corrupt, if you may say so, i'm selfish, if you may say so, but you are no different, & i can bet on that. this is what makes corruption an exponentially aggravating disease, leaving behing no possible hopes of recovery. if you claim to remove corruption from the entire system, you are probably dreaming of a wonderland, or you are likely to be insane, 'cause it would take the effort of wiping out the entire rotten crop & growing up a fresh one, requiring a few centuries or milleniums i believe.

what i suggest is the incorporation of a few unavoidable & exemplary connotations, as a part of A VIABLE SYSTEM, not corruption-free, but corruption-sustainable.

but just when i pen down these words, some voice from heaven up above yells at me, telling me repeatedly that i have not the slightest idea of what maturity & intelligibility it takes to run a nation that was once called THE GOLDEN BIRD.

hello think tanks, though unworthy, do i succeed in ringing some bells out there in your kindergardens !!!