oh! i feel likei have been here forever
i had an interesting path to here. i used to belong to another forum, and over there, i used to fight tooth and nail with a tambram (who else?) who took a dislike to me for many things, but above all, for being, what i would term a 'traitor' - 'you should be on our side' he used to say.
it has a happy ending. the guy is one of my very good friends now, and out of the blue i even got invited for his wedding. something that neither he nor i ever envisaged would happen. he taught me a lot.
he taught me how to express myself. if mr perry in my high school taught me english, this guy showed me the beauty of expressing myself hard yet so softly and kindly, that one may not like the medicine, and would spit out, but with regret. so, for this guy, i would ever be grateful. i liked him from the start, and wanted him to like me, without giving up my values. tough you say! piece of cake, i say, once you know how to do it
if you are like me, you would tend to get very upset, if you perceive someone is being nasty towards you. or vice versa. being 'nice' is our natural state of comfort. n'est pas?
i came here from a more eclectic forum. got bored one day, and could not get together myself to post any more. some day, that might happen here too, and i would have moved on, unannounced and silent. so till then, i hope to participate wherever and whenever interests permits. and time ofcourse.
when i came here, the forum definitely had a different flavour, much more a reflection of what i would call virulent rssbhajrang mouthpiece, with no tolerance for many a dimension, that we find now. just like now, the overwhelming number of threads, were queries for and received, for information, concerning rituals and slokas. just like now, nobody bothered those, as these incited very little interest.
what caused fluffs, were those posts, where anyone could post something a little out of the norms of brahmin practices of 50 years ago, including mindsets. anyone who thought differently, was literallly hounded out. we had some moderators, who were at constant loggerheads with these centeniarians in terms of mindsets, and eventually these were thrown out by the moderators. but not before exacting their ounce of flesh, in the form of membership of some of the more promising newcomers.
it is then that i remembered martin niemoeller,
First they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left, to speak out for me.
even though i am an ardent hindu, visit the temple, light the lamp, and above all, seek solace in my hanuman chalis, i feel uncomfortable here, when folks who do not think like me, are targeted person wise. it is seldom that their beliefs are attacked, for these are rock solid. so it comes to calling these names - 'self hating brahmins', 'brahmin bashers', and any inane phrase that may be creation of the day. to me these represent, not only a bankruptcy of knowledge, but more than that, a virus bent on annhiliating something that does not conform - a very dangerous trend in this mulitpolar world. we have enough terrorists of various brands, and we do not need more!
there is no need for that. i feel never threatened by folks like nara, yamaka, sangom and their beliefs. if is their path and they have come through a route, which is unique, and which they feel is right for them. i find it very interesting to hear their paths and many a times i disagree or plainly ignore.
if we are strong in what we believe, we have no reason to feel threatened. honestly, all these guys, only help us make us better. they are poking holes at our weakest links. to tell you a story, during world war 2, during analysis of the returning planes from a bombing raid, the chief of air staff, observed all the holes in the planes, and suggested that these parts were the most affected and should be made doubly strong. pat came answer from winston churchill, that it might be better to reinforce the other parts than these holes,
for those represented the planes that did not come back.
it is a solid line between disliking someone, and disliking his ideas. let us look around, outside of the forum, and at our best friends or our family. in my case, i can count with my fingers, the points of total agreement with mrs k, or with the children. even less with my best friends. there is no reason for the chemistry of friendship. let us invoke and maintain that, irrespective of our disagreements of views. this takes some effort and honesty. but i think most of us, will eventually get passing grades. eh!
same way, i think us folks who go to temples, should look at the baggage that has been handed down to us, and discern. to deny that there is no baggage, is to deny ourselves. for every tambram, has shed portions of his cultural and religious inheritance, in bits and pieces, out of conscience, convenience or for sheer comfort. why live through lies?
happy hindu, i feel is the future of hinduism. casteless, erudite and questioning. for our faith and way of life to have a future, we need folks, who look at the past critically. introspection is among the healthiest of exercises, and what comes out, will be definitely is philosophies, which are universal and egalitarian - a must for today's world. something cannot be 'right' for one, and be 'wrong' or 'unfair' for someone else. or even perceived such.
one great development is the young ladies who have come here over the time since i joined. i treasure the membership of amala, valli, renuka and i miss revathi, who probably is fighting customer fires in london, paris, singapore or timbuktoo. these are perfect examples of where quality swarms over quantity. atleast i think so.
fights. fights are a must. because that shows that we are involved and would like to put a stake on what we feel is right or truth of the moment. i have fought i think with most members here. right now, haridasa and kalabhairavan have reasons to be sore with me. but let me assure them, that this is not permanent, and as we move along, we will find many common grounds. such is life, for we cannot and should not hold grudges.
today, we have questions, as to whether this forum is named appropriately. oh well, let us look at all the famous brands of today: 3M stands for minnesota mining and minerals, PPP stands for pittsburgh paper and glass, LG stands for lucky goldstar (!). i think, name has nothing, or maybe everything to be what we want. does not a rose, by any name, smell as sweet?
what do we want to be? praveen has clearly stated, that and this is what i understand it to be: an information resource for brahminical (or even hindu) heritage, where ideas are welcome, and what is not welcome is the virulent hatred as preached by one jamadagneya, or an obfuscation provided by sapr333. both famous names in the annals of this forum.
i think, it is important to keep the windows of ideas open in all directions. a little while back, a senior singapore minster was explaining to some sore singaporians, who were overlooked for some really fancy government jobs, which the sarkar favoured foreigners. he said that he understood their feeling of lost entitlement, but choosing the best fit for the job, was good for the community overall. everyone profited in the end. my arguement for reservations is likewise. the right is not 'merit', but 'community good'. our monopoly of government jobs have now become diluted, to the extent, that our physical and moral safety is no longer at issue. elites, in the course of history, have always come to a bloody end. one only has to look at 18th century france, or 20th century russia or china. thankfully, we in india, escaped that slaughter, though we exchanged it, for a massacre of a different kind. in 1947!
it is to our pride, that we have not had a moderator here keeping tab of every post. it is only praveen, and the odd occassion when someone feels victimised or bruised, that he complains to praveen. otherwise, it is my gut feeling that we are left alone, by and large, to sort out our differences, ourselves. it is a trust, that we should, every one of us should cherish, and guard against charlatans and dupes. i think so.
where we might not find common ground in what brahminism is, the evils of the past, and how we should reinvent ourselves as a community for tomorrow, we find we dance together in the hindi or tamil hits of yesteryears.
or the odd ode to palghat recipe, which is my heart and soul.
the beauty of the forum is that while there are several threads, i do not bother with most - mostly lack of time and also out of interests. my prescription for those who find objections in the very nature of certain threads, is to skip it. i have found myself, some truth in that old adage, 'ignorance is bliss'
blissfully wishing you and yours !!!!!!!!!!! a good day!
God Bless!!
