Last evening, the moon loomed large and yellow over my hometown. I hurried home and took some shots from my first floor terrace. The best of the lot is given below. But it is still no way close to what I seek. Will I ever get the moon shot I dream of?
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Fuji Finepix S6500fd (28-300mm lens), 1/2.5, F11, 66.7mm, manual focus, manual exposure, ISO100, pattern metering
I was wondering what it will take to create a paradise on Earth. The answers I got were that the notion of Paradise is nothing but peace in all its myriad forms. And here is what I truly believe can lay the foundation of everlasting peace on Earth:
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Total eradication of hunger
Safe drinking water for all
Education for all
Employment for all
Love and respect for fellow humans
Love and respect for our planet and all its inhabitants
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I have placed them in a logical order on what needs to be tackled first. To me, a man dying of hunger is, arguably, the greatest shame on humanity. Which is why I placed eradication of hunger at the top of the list.
Seeing the list, what strikes me most is that nothing on the list is beyond human reach. Infact, all of it is human creation. If we have the will, it will not take more than 10 years to establish the first four list item as ‘achieved’. That does not mean there will not be the occasional hiccup. But what it means is that the deviation will be rare and will be handled such that peace is not disturbed permanently.
So, the agenda will change from establishing temporary peace to maintaining permanent peace.
As we move down the list, I believe, we will see peace taking form. Conflicts arise when one of these core needs is disturbed. Wars are fought for one or more of the list points. Not all wars will be nullified by the list. The extremists will continue to find reason for war. But they will be so outnumbered that the only real choice will be to let go of their position and embrace peace.
Sounds Utopian, eh? But let me ask, is there a second choice?
Maybe I am just greedy. I don’t want a paradise after death. I want it while alive.
In India, beggars are more visible than honesty. And it seems I have come a full circle on how I view beggars. Long back I used to give generously, then I held back ferociously and now I give selectively.
It is not uncommon for people to see beggars as a nuisance. They are not to blame fully since we have this sea of beggars. They can be found at traffic lights, outside shopping malls and temples amongst other places. But surely we can do better than getting agitated at the very sight of a beggar? Not all of them deserve our anger. Remember, we see more beggars in India because we have created more beggars in India. Decades of government apathy, social boycott and lack of opportunities have led to their creation. Agreed, many beggars are cheats who chose to take the easy path of begging rather than toiling.
Some of us have been duped by beggars who extracted money by concocting lies about hardship, hunger, and even death of a relative who needs to be cremated. Once in a while the dirty beggar’s lie is exposed. Then we return from such incidents promising never to give alms. But how does that change anything for the old crippled beggar who has reached a point where only mercy can keep him breathing? When I see such a beggar I feel ashamed thinking of how little my country and I do to better their lives.
Yesterday, while coming out of a multiplex, I looked into the face of aged, wrinkled beggar. I saw exhaustion, sorrow, and despair in her face. With cars honking for way, I could not stop and ask if she needed anything. Maybe I could have parked somewhere ahead and walked back. But my little self chose to do otherwise. Her face remained with me for quite sometime. I failed to make the right decision.
And I now find myself begging for answers.
Let me ask you: When you are approached by a beggar who deserves your help and you chose to look the other way, who is the lesser beggar? The one who is begging or the one who is refusing? Because the only reason to refuse, IMHO, is when you are a greater beggar and need help more than the beggar in front of you.
Today, I sent a “I love you” sms to some of my closest friends and my family. The reaction did not surprise me. A few of them have called back and they all assumed it was a misfire. That I wanted to express my love to someone else (a damsel?) and erroneously sent an sms to them. They were all disappointed when I told them there has been no error!
I also recollect when some years ago (for the first time) I called my mom and told her “I love you”. She spent the next 10 minutes worrying what was wrong with me and whether I had landed into some trouble. Things have changed since then. My family is more tuned to my impromptu expressions of love.
Isn’t it tragic that we have forgotten to express our love to people we love – friends and family? We go about our lives as if love needs no expression and nothing can be further from the truth. The expression need not always be verbose or grand gestures. Peaceful silence, a caress, a smile, are all expressions of love.
How have we arrived at this juncture? What makes it so difficult to say “I love you”?
How about you calling someone and saying “I love you”?
—- Followup thoughts —-
A few friends came back wondering what I meant by the message. Really, how complex is a “I love you”?
Another friend called and said “I have some bad news for you. I think your cellphone has been infected by a virus. I got this message from you … .”I had to cut him short before he wasted another second worrying for me 
Is it that we are now seasoned to believe anything but that it is quite normal to say “I love you” to people you love?
Sometimes it happens,
When you are caught unaware.
The sweet pain cuts through your heart
And all your feelings are laid bare
In that state of nakedness you find
The thread of love is what binds
You yearn to keep the thought for eternity
To escape and yet realise reality
It is then that you want to grow
To rise above and leave yourself below
The depth of your thoughts drown your doubts;
You dream about the eternal spring
And the end of the perennial drought.
The clarity of your own dreams dazzles you.
You look above and admire the sky so blue.
With your eyes wide open and all senses alert,
You take a deep breath and say
“Life is beautiful….”,
Hoping the euphoria continues for
Every night and every day..
Before one emotion dies you re-kindle another
Your intensity makes me laugh and shudder
Like imagination enslaved by a falling star
You capture my thoughts from afar
With every blink and every sigh
You posses each moment lest it fly
As the waves rise and fall
Hear the ocean sing a song to you
Must you not return the call?
Or is it that you have no clue?
Perhaps, you chose to ignore the signs
Binding you with endless twines.
The nudity of your own feelings intimidate you,
The overwhelming emotions are daunting too
You look at the sky
And fathom the endless space you have to fly.
You appreciate the joy that it brings,
Yet you hesitate to go out and spread your wings
To get the sun a rose must unfurl
The same is with wings and souls
And like the rose, every joy has its price
The sun brings gale and dust
The flight is a potential drop
And yet the rose petals out
Unmindful of losing itself
That and only that is living
For the rest is but existing
—
This poem written as a collaborative effort between a friend and myself. It was fun writing a poem over the email with each person writing alternative stanzas. It remained unfinished for reasons I no longer remember. But it was a lot of fun nonetheless.
Interested in trying it out?
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