Stay silent to survive

2005 was an important year for India. On August 25th, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and on October 13th, the Right to Information (RTI) Act were passed by the parliament of India. Both great events for the development of the Indian masses. But another great but itsy-bitsy event of the year to me, was the release of the chart-topper poem-song video called  "Bulla ki jana" by Rabbi Shergill.

"Bulla ki Jana" is the poem written by the Sufi Saint Bulleh Shah. An immense poem that tries to destroy the religious ideal-idols in the many ways possible. The poem tries to connect the reader to the truth.

"Secrets of religion, I have not known

from Adam and Eve, I am not born

I am not the name I assume

not in stillness, nor on the move

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

I am the first, I am the last

none other, have I ever known

I am the wisest of them all

Bulleh! do I stand alone?

Bulleh! to me, I am not known."

Must watch

This is a must watch video. Rabbi takes us on a trip to different parts of the country, he shows the diversity, in it's unison with the itsy-bitsy truth that he sings. He brings out his Punjabi persona all over the place, regal indeed. I found his strumming and quick head movements attractive and confident. It's also interesting how the video focuses on electric posts. Indeed the song was just electric, whatever machines you are, that noumenon called electricity is used to run you all.



An essence that I see in the song is the idea of "unity through diversity" and yet this unity is unknown. We know nothing of everything, as an individual or as a whole.



I remember an interview show of Rabbi Shergill just after this song made him famous, the interviewer lady asked him, his favorite rock song? And then he answered that the one song that changed the landscape of Rock music was the song "I still haven't found what I am looking for" by U2, where Bono and his mates wander and sing around in a Las Vegas street.



The lady then asked him to sing the song, so he started singing, but he forgot the words of some lines and he was honest enough to say that he did not know the words of the song totally. I liked that so much about him. Because it's not the words of the song thats so important, it's the idea behind them.



"I still haven't found what I am looking for" is already rated as one of the greatest songs of all time by Rolling Stones magazine, but I think this song, this gospel song is one of the greatest songs on Jesus Christ too, teaching us that Jesus was just a sign post, and that we have to move on in the path that he showed us and not to worship the signpost. We are here looking for that unfathomable one called God.

"I believe in the Kingdom Come

Then all the colors will bleed into one, bleed into one

but yes I'm still running

You broke the bonds

and you loosed the chains

carried the cross

of my shame

oh my shame

you know I believe it

but I still haven't found what I'm looking for"

I remember an incident on a bus journey from Shimla to Delhi, I was in the bus looking through the window, and I saw this pretty looking foreigner lady standing outside the bus, somehow I just had the feeling that she would come and sit right next to me. I saw her enter the bus and to my surprise, the lady comes towards my seat and sits right next to me...



We became friendly in no time, she was a mid-wife who used to work in many African countries including my country-of-upbringing, Uganda. She said she was from Ireland and as soon as she mentioned "Ireland", I started smiling so much... I said to her, "Oh I am a great fan of an Irish man, his name is Bono...of U2." Then she replied, "Oh yeah Bono, I know Bono, he comes to our club for a drink." Then I said to her, "Wow, this Bono writes great lyrics, the songs are so relevant...and and and his family and the band U2 are one good team". And then she went on to say, "Ah when he is at the bar, no one talks to him, always alone, I remember once my mom was laughing and feeling sorry for him, because after all that life gave him, he keeps singing that he still hasn't found what he is looking for! hahaha". 



I went on to say that Bono has done a lot for Africa's development, he has already achieved so much in life yet he keeps going. Then again she began saying negative this and negative that about him. So, then I just kept silent, kept humming my songs until I reached Delhi. When I was leaving the bus, I did not feel like asking for her contact details but then, I could feel it, she was sad about the way she had behaved with me and she said to me in a soft motherly voice "God bless you". And I left. Well, so that's the power of Silence. 

That brings me to bring you back to our Sufi Saint, Bulleh Shah. Here is a poem and some quotes by others, quotes that we could savour for many days to come. 

Stay silent to survive

Stay silent to survive. People cannot stand to hear the truth.

They are at your throat if you speak it. They keep away from those who speak it.

But truth is sweet to its lovers! Truth destroys shara (shariah).

Brings rapture to its lovers, and unexpected riches, which shara (shariah) obscures.

Those lovers cannot remain silent who have inhaled the fragrance of the truth.

Those who have woven love into their lives, leave this world of falsehood.

 Bulleh Shah speaks the truth. He uncovers the truth of shara (shariah).

 He opens the path to the fourth level which shara (shariah) obscures.

 ~ Bulleh Shah 

 “That which you cannot express is Love.

That which you cannot reject/renounce is Beauty.

That which you cannot avoid is the Truth.”

~ Sri Sri Ravishankar

"I have climbed the highest mountains, 

 I have run through the fields,

only to be with you, only to be with you

I have run, I have crawled

I have scaled these city walls, these city walls

only to be with you 

but I still haven't found what I'm looking for,

 but I still haven't found what I'm looking for."

~ Bono

Who Is A Knight?

Who Is A Knight?



Chivalrous knight is he who is exquisitely correct in his conduct towards perfect strangers who are in need of help but who can make no return to him and who are unable even to mutter a few words of thanks.

(This was written at Yeravda prison on May 6, 1932.)

 Indian thinker, statesman and nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi 

(Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, 1869 - 1948), as a law student. (Photo by Henry Guttmann/Getty Images) 

My greatest apologies to Getty Images, it is sure that this picture is subject to copyright, but being an admirer of Gandhi, a picture of young Gandhi is too valuable for that. I really got tired of seeing all these Old-Gandhi pictures with the stick and spectacles. I mean, for this young India, should he not be the same young man who got thrown out of a train for being an Indian? Many would just move on, but my Gandhi brother took it to heart, yeah personally... and did something about it, I know many lads who would go throw stones and burn trains, shower abuses or even kill someone etc. But this young man stood up to his brain, threw stones at his own brain, burned his brain to think, to be a statesman and to be a leader to remember. A knight of India.



The United Nations commemorated his birthday worldwide as "International Day for Non-Violence", Einstein said this and that praise about him, his contemporary and arch rival in politics Subhash Chandra Bose conferred him with the title "Father of the nation", Tagore his strongest critic and Noble poet called him the "Mahatma" meaning "Great Soul", his followers called him "Bapu" meaning "father". So well, being a poem-writer myself, what title shall I confer him with? I don't see Gandhi as a spiritual guru, I admire logical-spirituality so much but Gandhi was still off the mark, perfection was always better than him, so then what do I call him then, he was no Mahatma to me, but yes, he was indeed the greatest politician that the modern world has ever seen till date, the most spirited politician, and today the most misunderstood of them all, even charismatic President Obama seemed to me a little confused about Gandhi and MLK during his Noble speech. So now coming back to the title... yes, he was no spiritual guru, but yes a POLitical guru, a man who the country consisting of millions listened up to, I am sure the only other country with such millions was China, so that puts Gandhi in a class of his own, indeed a POLitical MAHATMA - my Mahapolatma Gandhi. hehehe. That would be more apt for my grand father.



One of the finest disciples of Krishna - although I see several errors in Gandhi's understanding of the Gita, then Mahavira - all that he learnt from his Jain mother of Gujurat and Jesus Christ - for teaching Gandhi to love his enemy, sadly it seems to me that Gandhi missed out on the essence of Mohammed and Buddha during his early years of personality development and as a corollary I wish to add that, as of recent times, Osho did his job to bring the ideas of Buddha back to the world's attention, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is doing his job to bring the ideas of the Vedic Saints back, but the ideas of Mohammed still remains to be out of reach for the masses.  I do regret the incident where Gandhi was not able to meet Swami Vivekananda when he visited Belur Math. To me, after Rumi and Sree Narayana Guru, I think Swami Vivekananda was one of the finest scholars of Islam till date.



Well so coming back to Gandhi, there is so much to understand and admire in this Mahapolatma. But myself being a strong admirer of God/Truth, I see there was still many errors in Gandhi's understanding and logic, he was no god, as usual, but yes on the whole, he was true enough for humanity to shine like the Sun yet with those unseen dark spots.



We have M.G. Roads all over the country, we have his spectacled face on our Rupee Currency notes and yet to me Gandhi was always praying towards being that zero in ego. We need to better him to understand him.

It's an educative Phd. degree to travel to all corners of my dear country India. And while traveling I used to take keen interest in all the Statues available in a given area. And out of all the hundreds of places with statues, there was just one and only one that showed a husband and wife standing shoulder to shoulder, the statues of Ba and Bapu (Kasturba Gandhi and Mohandas Gandhi) and thats at Aghakhan Palace, Pune. Here is the picture that I took.

Ba and Bapu

It was last year that I finally got the chance to see the movie "Gandhi" (1982), giving it the attention that it deserved. My favourite scene in that 8 Academy-award winning movie, was when both Ba and Bapu re-enact the Hindu Ceremony of Marriage for their friends Walker and Collins. Here I wish to share with you the screenplay of that particular scene, taken from sfy.ru.

PRANAMI TEMPLE. PROBANDER. INTERIOR. DAY.

Simple. Austere. Filtered light. Featuring Gandhi – close. He is looking straight ahead.



Reverse angle. Across the emptiness of the temple, Ba faces him.



Another angle featuring Walker and Collins, who are sitting alone, in the cool shadows of the temple, watching with fascination as Gandhi and Ba repeat their marriage ceremony for them, Walker jotting notes occasionally, but his eyes always glued to Gandhi and Ba, who are in part lost in memories and echoes of a significance only they can know.



GANDHI (a step): "Take a fourth step, that we may be ever full of joy."



Wide shot. Showing the two of them before the altar of the temple, moving closer to each other.



BA (a step): "I will ever live devoted to you, speaking words of love and praying for your happiness."



Close shot – Gandhi.



GANDHI: "Take a fifth step, that we may serve the people."



BA: "I will follow close behind you and help to serve the people."



Featuring Walker, now too entranced by the ceremony, by the depth of layered emotions in Gandhi and Ba's voices and eyes to take any notes . . .



GANDHI: "Take a sixth step, that we may follow our vows in life."



BA: "I will follow you in all our vows and duties."



Ba and Gandhi. Near to meeting now.



GANDHI (a last step): "Take the seventh step, that we may ever live as friends."



Ba takes the last step, so that they are face to face. A beat.



BA: "You are my best friend . . . my highest guru, and my sovereign lord."



For a moment their eyes hold – the many dreams, and hopes and pain – the love of many years.  Walker watches, his own face taut with emotion. Resume Gandhi and Ba. And Gandhi slowly lifts his hand.



GANDHI: Then I put a sweetened wheat cake in her mouth.



He touches Ba's lips with his extended fingers and she kisses them gently.



BA: And I put a sweetened wheat cake in his mouth.



She has lifted her fingers to his mouth and he kisses them gently. Featuring Walker and Collins both touched, the overtly cynical American obviously even more than the likeable Englishman.



Gandhi turns to them.



GANDHI: And with that we were pronounced man and wife. (Solemnly) We were both thirteen . .

----



Truly romantic for me. This scene brought me to tears, I don't know why, probably because a close one of mine was going through some marital turmoil or maybe because I was missing someone dearly.



Well, I shall have more on this man in my blog posts, not just to understand him but to use him as an example for you to understand my thoughts and conclusions.



To end this post... I have three quotes to share with you. They changed my outlook of life.

"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value."

- Albert Einstein

"You must be the change you want to see in the world."

 - Mahatma Gandhi

I wish to improve on the above quotes:

"You must be the valuable growth that you want to see in the world."