Kaavish Post

                                       We were introduced to this leisure activity in our childhood and we learnt by listening, observing and indulging in the act of flying a kite. Slowly we understood the significance of this activity- the goal of flying a kite so high that no other kite flyer comes closer to us or the happiness of chasing another’s kite until it appears to fall down. It also taught us the art of loosening the string or getting the grip tight as per our convenience- the goal remains the same!    Didn’t we learn to develop the defence moves and secure our hands with cello tape so that our fingers don’t bear the brunt of cutting more kite strings? We also understood that many times the falling kite shall be ours, yet we never stopped buying bigger and more beautiful kites. We loved it because we enjoyed the possession of fallen kites or somehow it reinforced our sense of accomplishment or perhaps it established our superiority over other kite flyers in the neighborhoo

"The desire to live is a political decision ."  - Raoul Vaneigem (The revolution of everyday life)  The dichotomy between self and society has been keeping us all awake in the middle of night. Perhaps the question of this contradiction between self and society emerges only when we have been able to sustain or survive this self. Without physical existence is it possible to think beyond the hunger? Though both society and self goes hand in hand but is it possible to just bifurcate both these institutions. Can we self-survive without the society or vice-versa?  These are no new questions, ongoing debates always give rise to new interpretations to explain the existing facts. But to me these questions were again flashed while having a conversation with a mate from Poland on the Ganga Ghat. He states that being here on Ganga gives him peace the water flowing, the ghats the crowds, the whole atmosphere of the city has given him peace and it is a smoothening relief to be here. It has

  Sant Ravidas, known by various other names i.e., Guru Ravidas, Rohidasa, Ramadas, Rahdesa, Rab Das and Rav Das, was a contemporary to socio-religious reformer Sant Kabir. Founder of the Ravidasia sect, Ravidas was a highly intellectual thinker, a poet, philosopher, traveler, a pacifist, theosophist, a humanist, and above all a towering crusader of social justice. Like, Gautam Buddha, he adopted peaceful means to eliminate the oppressive and exploitative Brahminical caste hierarchy. Moreover, he was the most influential Bhakti saint in the northern India.  His strong dedication to the cause of upliftment of the downtrodden can be gauged from his visualization of an Ideal State called as Begumpura where all the citizens are entitled to social, political, cultural, and spiritual rights irrespective of their different identities. Some scholars have argued that rather than sticking to the notion of God and Aaradhana, his Bani (hymns) reflected the life and struggles of socially and econom

In our time, where the principles of a market economy govern everything, making a profit from things and their utility is society's core value. In this scenario, even romantic relationships are molded by market forces. People view themselves as products in the dating market, and the individual's possession drives the demand and supply dynamics. Additionally, this relationship market eroded people's value to nothing more than trading, up-selling, and sorting them as commodities in a sea of potential relationships. 'We are most alive when we're in love.' John Updike So, practicing unconditional and selfless love is a courageous act in a market-dominated society. Being someone's 'lover' during the course of love is, without doubt, a progressive epitome of our time; suspension of self in a self-centric world is a rare value. The practice of love is not an easy task; a person has to pay the cost of patience and a lot of sacrifices until mutuality is attai

Another imagined Messiah is gone, now our hope is on the next one, what he will do? Will justice be the basis of our society? Will the rule of law be followed? Will, there be an end to the hypocrisy? With all these questions we welcome the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. But with all these questions a constant expectation will remain, our search for a Messiah to strongly hold together the paralyzed administration of justice in our society. The tenure of CJI N.V. Ramana started with the statements and speeches which shook the world of our intellectuals. Finally, they had imagined their dreams of just society coming true but like always it all ended with a sad ending giving us reality checks. Finally, there is a CJI who dares to speak and criticize the contemporary situation of the country. We have got our messiah, who will save us from all this political turmoil, and now with the wind, he is gone stating that “Administration of justice is a challenge”, the farewell comes with mi

  “Freedom of mind is the real freedom. A person whose mind is not free though he may not be in chains, is a slave, not a free man. One whose mind is not free, though he may not be in prison, is a prisoner and not a free man. One whose mind is not free though alive, is no better than dead. Freedom of mind is the proof of one’s existence. ” --- Babasaheb Dr. BR Ambedkar After reading this long quote by a great Indian, one may wonder why Ambedkar is saying paradoxical things. To be clear, what Dr. Ambedkar has said might be paradoxical in the way the quote is structured, but it is the reality that one might witness in present India, i.e., India@75. In today’s India, we the people of India aren’t truly free in the sense that though we have constitutional guarantees, we are still discriminated against and our liberties are curtailed. This is the point at which the imagined/ideal India of our constitutional framers and various freedom fighters fails. There is no doubt that India has achieve

India is into its 75th year of independence. People are into a celebratory mood. Are they indeed celebrating or just appear to be celebrating?  The question arises as the very thing, i.e., ‘the Freedom', that they are celebrating or are 'supposed' to celebrate is quite difficult to find there. Because, their physical, mental, emotional, or financial freedom is getting curtailed each passing day on one pretext or the other. Their lives have become a kind of capital for the political and the business class which can be exploited at the whims and fancies of these groups. Their emotions, innermost feelings towards themselves, their families, society or country, caste, and religious affiliations or political leanings, for that matter, are on the display and are getting marketed by and for the benefit of such groups. They are not putting themselves on display voluntarily rather being forced to do so to avoid any name-calling or being judged. All sorts of media have become tools f