Opinion Off The Cuff

A person’s spiritual quest is hardly ever satisfied. Many things remain unfulfilled in life. Someone may be from a village . He would possibly associate his God with a village environment and may    want to know His birthplace.   On the other hand, someone who has been traditionally taught Krishna Chanting at home may have an ultimate desire of going to Vrindaban.  But think, how rarely this happens. These holy places are not open to you anytime, rather you reach there when the call of the divine comes. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa    said every soul is potentially attached to God.  While staying in the world we are detached from that goal from time to time , because we have worldly thoughts and materialistic desires at the back of the mind. But this does not give the soul the required solace . It only gets the relief when it is constantly associated with God. In rare cases God comes at once to the caller if He finds the devotee earnest enough. The...

We are often inquisitive about how we can achieve the maximum impact from a work in which we have put sufficient effort. While hard work, focus, passion for work, etc are genuine terms to define how you should approach your project, these qualities varies in different human beings. In a world where we are constantly influenced by standards of achievement, lack of clarity gives a lack of confidence in the chances of getting the work done at all and a half-hearted effort is always counterproductive. It drains the energy and further lowers the success rate of your future endeavours. Chances of success is high if you focus on your contribution part first before you are going to make the effort. The level of motivation can be different for different people. A benchmark is that, if you feel satisfied and with it, then your motivation will produce results. Often it is difficult to understand if we are sufficiently motivated about a task. A clear view is difficult. Self-searching can create an...

Will the demand for a caste census have a long-term impact ? Indian politics is known for its fascination with the caste. Political parties in India have often played with the innate characteristics of caste to secure their vote banks. The zenith was reached in 1990 when the Vishwanath Pratap Singh government implemented the Mandal Commission report to extend a 27%. reservation for OBCs in government jobs, apart from the already existing 15% for SCs and 7% for STs. The adverse after-effects were catapulted to nationwide protest by the self-immolation of a student from Delhi that created much uproar. The entire episode tended towards a tectonic shift in Indian politics and threw up several leaders in national politics who played with caste. To ride over the tide of caste politics, and appease the upper caste vote bank among Hindus, BJP’s iconic leader, L.K. Advani embarked on his ‘Ram Rath Yatra’, calling for a resurgence of ‘Hindutva’ sentiments. His manoeuvre was instrumental in uplif...

The consecration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya brings the idea of cultural Hindutva to a full circle in India   As the name of Ram resonates in the streets of Ayodhya, it heralds a new era in Indian politics. While the proponents of ‘Hindutva’ feel invigorated, pundits remain divided over its implications. With the 2024 general elections looming, this event will undoubtedly solidify the core Hindu-centric vote bank of BJP. The party has spared no effort in capitalizing on people’s fervor for this grand ceremony. Critics and the opposition have labeled the event as a classic example of exploiting religion for political gain, but alternative views exist across the country. Comments from members of various opposition parties reflect the political reverberations of this occasion. Rahul Gandhi of Congress has stated that the BJP and RSS have made it exclusively about Narendra Modi, while the leftist Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, has expressed concern about the blurring of...

The INDIA alliance formed by the opposition parties seems out of place Indian politics today is a rich game of possibilities. The bipolar character is heavily influenced by regional parties that are poised to claim their share. When throwing up a challenge to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the opposition parties thought it worthwhile to come on a single platform and give it a catchy name. Notwithstanding the ambitious goal, the INDIA alliance is going through severe turmoil. In reality, the INDIA bloc is a slightly modified version of the erstwhile UPA. Possibly, this change has been done to shed the corruption baggage of the UPA bloc. The core of the new alliance, however, remains the same. The troubles started in West Bengal, where the understanding between Congress and TMC collapsed on seat-sharing terms. TMC was so self-confident in facing BJP’s challenge that they sought coalition on their terms, and it spoilt the prospect. On the other hand, the Congress high com...

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  My article "Music for the Soul" has been published in 'Outlook' magazine's Weekend Reads section on 27th January 2024. Here's the link..... https://www.outlookindia.com/culture-society/music-for-the-soul-exploring-meditative-and-healing-aspects-of-indian-classical-music