Once upon a time ——this is how all stories used to start in the old times. Now the times move so fast with the advent of cyberage that time and space have assumed new dimensions and acquired new meanings. It is no more once upon   but it is always a continuum of happening ,one event leading onto another like episodes as in TV serials with the story unfoldinginto unpredictable turns and twists heightening the impact and allowing imagination to run wild. It is indeed an age where there is no limit to which the human mind can stretch itself for enquiry, for exploration and for the eternal quest which motivates and rules the human spirit.It is cause both for trying and making the journey towards the destination of achieving the unattainable but also for celebrating the unmatched opportunity afforded by the tremendous strides made by science,technology and the entire gamut of ideas and thoughts generated in the realm of human progress.The story that will henceforth evoke interest will be of that hue of fantasy which transgresses the limitations of what already exists and is known and will now move into the totally unthinkable, bizarre and even absurd world of the unbelievable and the impossible.


The present is certainly a transitional era of a massive movement from the mundane, trivial and uninspiring saga of human existence to that of a future which is full of thrill and excitement for reaching out to new peaks of discovery and findind answers to puzzles of life which have remained unresolved till now. And interestingly the tools that are available to perform this journey of discovery are so efficient and so powerful that the progress on this route is possible .Besides, the tools themselves get updated and sharpened into perfection at such an astounding pace that the path is getting smoothened as one goes along. The only input that is absolutely essential to sustain this task is the willingness and the determination of those  who undertake this assignment to forge ahead and enjoy the job. Fortunately ,for humankind at large, there is no dearth of such dedicated and devoted elements and they are bound to take this matter to its logical conclusion, though every ending in this process is really a new beginning, as the cycle of life itself is.


Let us salute the present and accept it as a gift for making the future of  humanity happier,mentally and emotionally healthier  and a joyous occasion for all.

The quest for freedom has been a supreme motivation for human endeavour.What exactly freedom connotes is a matter of opinion and has therefore been lent different versions and interpretations.However, it could primarily imply the elimination of exploitation of human-beings by others for economic reasons,dogma,ideology,religion,faith,belief ,social status etc.In the real world,the confrontation of the so-called haves and have-nots has been acknowledged as a running battle which at times gets murky and bloody.Most of the times, it leads to the subjugation of the poorer segments by the richer sections for creation of wealthwith lowest possible wages for the former and the highest possible profits for the latter.This division could be internal in the same socio-political group or at the level of countries (namely ,the first world and the third world syndrome). Essentially, it is the control of resources and their deployment for income and wealth generation by the haves utilising the manpower and labour provided by the wage-earners who for sheer survival have no alternative but to accept the relatively low remunerations to work for those who wield economic power and have control over capital and other resources. 

           Freedom also is a goal for political and sociological causes..The fast dwindling systems which promoted imperialism and political subjugation of countries led to the emergence of freedom movements  and now democratic and republican systems of governance by natives have increasingly come into place.Freedom struggles,violent as well as peaceful,by freedom fighters, civil rights activists,protaginists of human rights, and similar other groups have culminated in the achievement of political freedom for all the countries of the world.

      Within societal formations, there have been efforts to seek parity of status  to do away with the inequalities and social stigma caused by the division of society on grounds of caste. In India, the phenomenon of caste system has perpetrated untold misery and inflicted unbearable suffering on the so-called lower castes by the so-called upper castes. Such inhuman treatment has led to atrocities on the poor and down-trodden sections of the society thereby denying them their rights and opportunities to advance. Legislation to check and prevent such a state and to punish and penalise the perpetrators of such atrocious acts has only partially helped. What is needed is a conscious and constant vigil and a firm commitment to ensure that such discrimination is done away with and the historically deprived sections get their due place alongwith all others to prosper and live with honour and dignity. Elsewhere, racial discrimination has brought grief  to and heaped injustice on what were perceived as inferior races. Apartheid was practised as a State policy in South Africa for a long time which was highly insulting and a negation of human rights. Today,however, there is a global commitment to the concept of racial equality and discrimination is scoffed at everywhere. In actual practice, much remains to be done to remove these scourages for good.

              Then freedom also is not complete as long as people are held ransom and manipulated by the enforcement of dogma, in the name of beliefs,faith,religious precepts, ideology, tradition, customs, conduct codes and social mores by such sections and leaders of society who hold the reins of power and presume to control the destiny of people who whom they perceive to be their followers, on ground mainly of the accident of their birth.This tyrannical subjugation has assumed dangerous dimensions of late with the emergence of moral police who are happy to use forceand indulge without scruples in violence and blood-shed to threaten and punish non-conformists who fail to or refuse to give them recognition as the self-appointed defenders of their respective faiths.This phenomenon cuts at the very roots of an individual’s right to choose his own course in life.Freedom is at the highest peril due to such unruly elements and unless such bigoted conduct is curbed true freedom will be lost.

     Freedom may mean different things to different people but the essential feature of all interpretatios is the human-being’s inherent and innate urge to be his own master and not a tool in anyone’s hands.God creted man in His own image and left it to him to decide upon the way he would like to live his life.Of course, there is neither any need or occasion or scope for a normal prudent , rational human-being to impose his will or opinion or way of life on another just as he himself would not like another one to do likewise to him. Unfortunately, crafty and devious elements have all along been playing tricks to invoke religion and all trypes of theories and dogmas to try and control human lives and use them for nefarious motives.Intolerance and violence is abjured by all religious faiths yet in actual practice humankind has been plagued by all types of squabbles, blood-shed and tyranny in the name of faith. While religion should have sublimated and ennobled human-beings, the self-slyled heads have made no effort at all to prevent hatred and anger amongst communities.

         History is witness to the fact that truth has always prevailed in the end. Hindu mythology has thrown up Ravana, Kansa and Hiranyakashyap but they have met their doom like all fiends. It is Lord Budha, Guru Nanak,Jesus Christ,and the likes of them who have held sway and ruled peoples’ hearts. The world has rejected Hitler but acclaimed Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King.Good will always prevail over evil, come what may.True freedom of the human soul is comprised in this victory of truth and compassion over evil and this triumph is eternal and will always be so. Amen.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Dreams–like the unkempt hair of a rowdy imp

Dreams—Like unbridled horsesgalloping away to the horizon

Dreams—Like flooded streams gushing out to meet the sea

Dreams—Like torrential rain splitting the earth

Dreams—Like the aroma of colourful flowers

Dreams–Like the magical notes fom chirping birds

Dreams—bad dreams, day dreams, uncanny dreams, sweet dreams, dreams come true, dream sequences.

Dreams—scent of life, stench of the gutter, good n evil, thoughts nd ideas, feelings and emotions.

Dreams—power and glory, money and fam, love and respect.

Dreams— two square meals, a roof over the head, a wrap to cover the body.

Dreams—air travel, climbing a mountain, diving in deep waters, tenis and golf, chess and snooker, food and drink, happy times and happy endings.

Dreams—salt of life, quintessence of living, a hope, a desire, a fantasy, an escape, a reason to be, an objective, planets and foreign soil, stars and landing on the moon.

Dreams—an inspiration to exist, a catalyst for performance, infusion of current into the blood stream, the prime mover, the big push even for a push-over, an umbrella to leave out despair and despondency.

Dreams—catch them, hold on to them, don’t ridicule them, don’t shun them, for  if you have them,you have life.

G od has always enchanted man. He has thought of Him(capital H for believers), talked of Him, written about Him, worshipped Him and last but not the least, feared Him.Probably man is in continuous search of an icon, a hero, a role model, somebody to look up to, to emulate, to rely on, to trust and to refer to particularly when one is down, out, lonely, sad, dejected, rejected, scorned, unhappy, afraid, scared, uncertain, confused or generally out of sorts. And who but God,the invisible, the flawless, the ultimate,the all-powerful and all-pervading could be a better bet? It is generally said and believed that He knows all and pardons all,overlooks all faults and deficiencies and it is this feeling of being accepted unconditionally that goads and guides man towards Him.It is like love, undemanding, open,and spontaneous and transparentand unquestioning, even blind, mute and deaf, which ignores all failings,weaknesses and inadequacies and warmly hugs the loved one. Is it why they say that love is God and God is love? Are both the same? Love indeed is a power tonic with magical features. It elevates and ennobles even the frailest and the most worthless. It invests one with godliness and grace, gives one an identity and a purpose in life. So even if rationality and rationalists refuse to vouchsafe for the existence of an entity known as God, it is worthwhile to invent one.Dreams are precious. Hope is the oxygen of soul. A belief in the notion that things will be better sustains life.And good old God, like the ever present Sun,lurking in the sky,now clearly seen and now hidden by a cloud, lghts the path of the journey of life. So while you may or may not agree that God created man, God requires to be created by man for his own good.