Evil influences-Part I

Disclaimer: The inputs of the content given below is inspired from the book 'The unseen world of angels and demons.' May I add that the content means no offence on religious basis and contributes little for its implementation of any kind. The subject is purely a reading matter and should be considered nothing else but the same.

For many long years, our ancestors struggled to unveil the mystery of life put forth by the Supreme power. It called for a surpassed era of profound research on religious grounds and evoked religious beliefs encoded within the history of mankind. It was only in the recent years that Basilea Schlink, one of the ancient philosophers of the kind, inferred upon the very purpose of human existence and the cause of perpetuating battles of morality. ‘The unseen world of angels and demons’ grabbed my gaze for its fortifying concept and the enraged letters that threw fire in every sentence against the evil. It rightfully justifies the genuineness behind the good against the deceitful intentions of the treacherous. With the growing devilish influence in many million minds, we can now believe that the world thrives in semi darkness.
It is believed that the court of God makes way for thorough goodness and purity. Angels who serve God serve humanity for human beings are considered to be a superior creation of the Revered one and an immediate imitation of God himself. One of the first angels to be created in his court was Lucifer, a bright, angelic prince, also known as the ‘light-bearer’ in paradise. He was the epitome of might, honourably bejeweled with every precious stone that one can manage to retrieve. He had only one flaw that shattered all expectations of divinity and glory, the hunger to rule over heaven. Albeit being aptly punished for his wrongdoings, Lucifer roasted through negative emotions and spewed his anguish upon the inhabitants of planet Earth. The fallen angels who fell for his tyrannical motives were from that day onwards named ‘demons’ and the ruler ‘Satan’.
The book further plunges through the redness of guile and sinful practices that are making us hollow and bereft of true humaneness. The author claims that the blanket of crime surrounding us is nothing but scheming motives of the devil. It dives through the concept with varying instances of the present day world. How far you can go on to believe this is only a matter of choice, although it makes us think and rethink about the mysteries of life and the many victims of cruelty and deceit.

One life to love...

Disclaimer: Teen pregnancy is a highly sensitive issue hoarding a major bulk of social issues within. The content bears no intention of offence or of spreading obscene snippets through worldwide web; hope I have done justice, enough to prove my point.

While medieval issues of mankind, particularly the stringent superstitious practices of our ancestors have long gone occupied dog eared books, some of the real life events can be correlated with those terrifying episodes. Most of these occurrences can be termed as mere alterations of the past while some of them are tragedies straight out of historical references. Amongst the poignant practices of sati and child marriages (still evident in rural and urban India), the civilized society makes way for intricate problems such as premarital intercourse and teen pregnancy. Unfortunately, even the power-driven forces within the globally recognized NGOs are having a tough fight in this struggle.
Two years back, the reel world projected one of the most controversial movies which was, I must say a bold initiative towards highlighting such crucial affairs. Sixteen year old Juno becomes the spice of school gossips owing to her pregnancy. When abortion becomes a discarded option, she chooses to give the unborn for an adoption. What really amazes me is not the attitudes of people towards her pregnancy, but the calm ambiance that circumvents the motion picture throughout. The atmosphere at the girl’s house is not very tense and the girl’s parents are in for all her decisions. The entire issue fades away like a whiff of unwanted odour in the end, leaving behind a slightly tranquil impression on the concept.
This is how people are abroad, we are taught back home. In India, such issues are analyzed on the basis of the society we live in. Such concern on a broader basis in order to preserve respectability and self-esteem often makes way for insecurities and undue fears. Albeit only off-late, the modern sections of the society are well tutored about such problems, there is always a difference in opinion. For instance, teenage pregnancy, although disapproved of, can gather social support as well as disdainful comments from the same section of the society. On the other hand, a huge chunk of rural India still remains under the shadow of sheer ignorance and illiteracy. The stigma of blind faith that holds this section of the society is a backlash to the overall progress of our nation.
In the North Western regions, young teenagers are forced into relationships that they are not ready to handle. Practices of child marriage are very common and rampant as it calls for festive occasions and blessings. As a result, many young brides are subjected to early pregnancy consequently inviting a series of health hazards. Girls are barely exposed to youthfulness when they are bounded by responsibilities of the household and coping with pregnancy, not to forget the fateful events that follow the untimely death of a husband leaving her no room in the society. The economic and social desperation harnessed by the supposedly inferior members of the society, costs teeming young lives and mortality of the unborn.
The ironical background of this issue ultimately calls for one thing- no matter how you take it, exposure to such delicate matters need to be emphasized on the basis of the right time, maturity and the individuals will of acceptance. To conclude with, we do not need another thirteen year old with his arms filled with a diminishing future and an added responsibility to live with the rest of his life.

Yet another thought...

It hardly matters on which day of the week you choose to walk down the moderately filthy streets of Pink Corner to eavesdrop in budding gossips or informative conversations. Every evening you will find chain smokers and occasional drinkers coining their grief and happiness in effervescence. These are undeniably top notch executives or well-to do undergrads grinding cashew nuts and work pressure with utmost pleasure. While most of us tend to become passive smokers thanks to the continual transmission of soot, it helps us to get acquainted with first hand information (not the front page headlines of a major newspaper) of any workplace in particular. Most of the time, their topics are confined to jobs and job-related issues, otherwise, discussing gizmo's and entertainment and back to business. This is because working class heroes have hardly any space left for other thoughts; they can hardly afford to live multiple lives. Competition is sucking out soulful lives yearning for a slice of success, intoxicating many ambitious minds. As a result, money and money alone invades and rules the thinking factory, closing all doors of peace and happiness.
Look down from your window and you are sure to find the youth dominating your streets, either rushing for classes or suffering under the hammering heat on a quest for jobs. From a distance, they all look like ants marching to and fro your locality. Walk down the stairs and try being a part of them; their eyes reflect events waiting to confide themselves, elevating spirits swaying in merriment contradicting famished hopes withering in unpleasant memories. Each of them is taught to think big, materialize their visions and slog to procure a PhD in survival tactics. Naturally the youth is fenced with added responsibilities blinded by the colours of educational perks and prosperity. The aftermath of seeping through premature exposure to the world of diverse work culture and milking money is irreparable. The undying thirst of earning easy money fades away with time when consequently boredom creeps through hollowness and monotony. The lucky ones who employ themselves at the right time barely have a choice but to thoroughly imbibe their jobs and inject the resourceful nuances of work through their veins.
The very concept functions like a melting ice-cream; lick it before meltdown, eat it before the flavor fades and devour it whilst it bears unique essence and mellow. The world thrives on changing spheres and trends, gradually increasing rapidity and pace, making survival an uphill mission to accomplish. Echoing the words of an underground musician, that day is not very far when fellow humans will be left quarantined of all providence's of Mother nature, only to die in nestling hunger for more…

Realm of terror...

The recent rulers of the Swat valley unleashed yet another one of their visual recordings, disclosing their latest radio announcement. ‘India is next on the hit list’ said Maulana Fazalullah, leader of the Islamist militant who runs an infamous group under the ‘Shariat’ banner. The Talibs whose regime dates back to December 2008 have a steady control over the Swat operations in the valley, the supposedly ‘Switzerland of Pakistan’. The inhabitants of the admirable former princely state are now mere guinea pigs wriggling for a democratic life amidst continual attempts of the Pakistani Government to strike peaceful negotiations with the Talibs. The imposition of Islamic rule on the valley calls for a new set of implicated norms and stringent rules. People residing in the north- west region, especially women are already suffering from the undue restrictions imposed by the Sharia law. Thousands of girls have lost their right to educate themselves, let alone a better future for the desolated counterpart. This alone implies to forlorn right to liberty and fraternity. The Islamic law has constricted the economic progress to traditional Islamic activities on the other hand, precariously put a stop to DVD/VCD sales, usage of mobile phones, listening to music and public executions.
Many months of bloodshed and warfare have compelled one-third of the valley population to flee for their lives. Taliban and Al-Qaeda stand out to be clear winners in this lopsided battle where the Pakistani Government is making desperate measures to shun terrorism. If not for the formers abolishment, let us pray for all those innocent civilians suffering in the dark over the years.

The Grimm tales-king of fantasies!

With the Potter mania racing up the entertainment bulletins, fantasies have once again surfaced brilliantly raking oodles of fame and credit. The glamorous film world, as big as it gets has umpteen laurels attached to it thanks to the parallel universe of miracles studded with magnificent castles and majestic beasts. For this, we must offer a vote of thanks to the Grimm Brothers who created a whole new world of queer magical events, a base for the glorifying progress in every possible field of entertainment that would have been least possible without such marveling thoughts.

Ever thought of getting nostalgic with bedtime stories? How about walking through the miraculous woods where trees glide along your path, giant geese swoop down to drink water possessing magical powers to turn them back to four legged creatures of our creation, ancient rock designed to form enormous castles gravely embedded with creepy greens…? If that is what you grab for light reading, then brace yourself with many more Grimm’s tales of the fairyland, this time, stories that you have only heard of. Don’t be surprised if you are slightly gripped with curiosity and hunger to know more about the tale even after it ends, that is how Grimm brothers chose to curtain the climax. After having journeyed through the paradisaical territories of Royal Kings and gorgeous looking Queens, charming princes and distressed yet breathtakingly beautiful princesses, there is more to it before you can call it ‘stupidity’ and shut the book with that statement. The Grimm brothers depict the good taking over evil with god-like fairies battling with ugly looking witches. In the end, after a horrifying phase in the lives of good men, every living being is destined to live happily ever after…

If you are too tired to churn the wheels of your imagination, then the Brothers Grimm is an easy access to their stupendous ideas. The movie has a unique way of depicting miracles, clubbing tragedy and comedy with ‘Grimm’ plots. It is an interesting summation of almost all the fairy tales with every possible element of evil associated with it. The theme revolves around the Grimm brothers, fooling people with their tricks, little aware of the fact that they were only inviting social and political complications. The fictional fantasizing world of Jacob Grimm comes true and the siblings find themselves being carried past a jungle of haunting episodes, all the way to the sky scraping tower in which an arrogant princess sleeps her way through beauty and obsession of power. She uses fleeting strategies of the swallowing horse, the gingerbread man and the forest dwellers (i.e. birds and animals) to ransom a pretty looking girl in red, Gretha –a sister to Hansel; eleven such girls for a seasoning of their youth to nourish her parched physique with warm blood and glowing skin. The princess with her seductive instincts captivates men who come along her path to make them her slaves. Her pride that lied in the reflection of her own image (i.e. the mirror) is ruthlessly shattered to bring to an end her tyrannical motives. The movie of course ends on a happy note, the usual one of the Grimm’s with an ironical uncertainty: and they all lived happily ever after…maybe not!

I don’t mind people calling them children’s bedtime stories; they have deeper messages in between the lines. For example, the ravenous beasts serving the devilish enchantresses and witches depicts their evil mindedness and no matter how beautiful she is, her attire always reflects her wrongdoings, that every tale ends on a happy note is an assurance that it is good that prevails in the end etc. To me it is all of this that yet captivates my interests in fantasies. Now I would like you to tell me what interests you in fantasies and if it does, why and how…It’s high time I put my readers to work!

Just an emotional outburst...Part 1

Honestly if there is any room for global welfare, a tell-tale for fellow humans, it is just the way we have moulded it to be. We are so boisterously absorbed in our interpersonal dealings that nothing apart from an ideally normal life seems to have amused us. The holistic protests and outbursts, military bombardments and mass mortification are no big deal, just a part of life in this seemingly vast biological world. We seem to have busied ourselves into setting up fences around us, an illusive wired entourage shielding against such perilous events. Generation today believes in practicality and rational thinking, for it is equally important to live a commendable life. Look at the world around us, a mass victim of global recession, a scapegoat of constant man-made sabotage and a mere puppet dancing in the hands of fellow nations teaming up to make a peaceful planet Earth. The melody of harmonious and peaceful foundations that some of our ancient leaders have laid is undergoing a disdainful transformation. Soaring sea levels have inflation as one of the most loyal companions , which has only recently tumbled down in recent times. However, there has been a despairing slow down of global economic progress, that scarcely justifies hiking retail prices of goods and services.Why should vendors continue selling tomatoes for twenty bucks? Speaking of retail prices, why is it that dropping recession rates have little affected vegetable and oil prices?

Flamenco

On the busy streets of Malaga, a young Spaniard is found strutting round the fisherman’s corner to go about his business. He looks around and establishes himself next to a raised platform and begins with the strumming on his guitar. Very soon, he’s found to be encompassed with doubling tourists and localiites who stop by his side on the onset of a foot-tapping rhythm. The cheerful artist breaks into a traditional number and encourages people around him to join in with beats and claps. The crowd cheers on the appearance of an eccentric dancer dressed in blood red with frills coiled round her lower body. She wins many a heart by her intricate footwork and graceful movements. The young musician strums with great enthusiasm and adds flavours of other traditional styles to enhance the joyous ambiance. The dancer eloquently adapts to his changing styles and entertains the audience with her versatility. Her performance is effortless and adds to the celebratory moods of the evening.
The Espanol culture, widely known for its richness and savory, is all about bull-fights, the Tomatita festivities, wearisome paella preparations and jigging the flamenco way. On special occasions, people overtly participate in carnivals, play with red juicy tomatoes, shove mounds of vegetables, chicken and marisco’s (shellfish) on their platter and groove to the catchy rhythms of traditional Spanish music. The Flamenco is an art form originally belonging to the gypsies’ era in the 1500s that dominates Spanish lifestyle and culture. Undoubtedly a rich source of entertainment, it is packed with emotions, feelings and deeper social messages. It is sure to leave you intrigued with the complex sequencing of the guitar chords, a hint of drama and hysterics to the style of singing and the streaming delicacy in the actions of a dancer. Flamenco takes you through ruffling layers of thoughts and expressions with its impalpable spontaneity and variance.
Originally believed to be born in Andalucía, the indigenous song-dance form is a part of everyday life of the inhabitants. To them, flamenco is a spice of passion, ground with a hint of romance and pulped with stories of bravery and courage. The mountains and the rivers, the haunting past beneath the tropical paradise have each a story to tell which is materialized with women draped in colourful shawls and polka dots, castanets and a hand on the acoustic guitar. Apart from being known for its gypsy tradition, the culture of flamenco belongs to the Arabs, the Jews and also the Andalucians. The palo or the style of music is branched into melodic, rhythmic and harmonic structures, all of which are basic elements in every form of flamenco. The instrumentation in terms of tempo and pace has undergone revolutionary changes over the last few decades. Percussion instruments like the cajon (box-drum), bongo and the tinaja have added new elements to flamenco. Today, the acoustic guitar is accompanied by a series of foreign instruments to bring out new combinations in beat and melody.
The striking similarity in the flamenco and Indian music is hardly an element of surprise owing to its vast historical events; the records date back to the emigration of Indians to the west, the gypsy settlements from the European nations and the increasing Persian influence back home resulting in the inter-mingling of cultures amidst foreign invasion. The Persian culture carried a wealth of diverse musical inputs and scattered out bejeweled ornaments of regional melodies. Today, irrespective of the ‘Indalucian’ blend as a consequence of the past, maestros worldwide have adapted to fusion forms of music for the best possible results. Popular forms include flamenco bondage with South Indian music, flamenco feat Indian tabla and blends of Indian ragas with flamenco to name a few.
A more or less seductive invention of the Spanish, the authenticity of flamenco still remains to be an argumentative issue. Otherwise known as the tell-tale tragedies of the gypsies, the flamenco in its concocted form is far more popular than the original. Albeit infamous for its erotic essence, it is a benignant practice of rejoice, a reason for sentiments to captivate and inundate every Spanish mind.