Radhe Maa or Radhe Paa

Radeh Ma or Radhe Paa

It’s decided, all the career counseling classes that I hold for my children are a waste of time. My cajoling and asking distinguished people to come to my pind and talk to my motley crew of children who need inspiration and need to break the mold of poverty and the vicious circle they are in .I have been inspiring them with stories and motivating them to better themselves.

And, guess what happens on the last parent teacher meeting one of the girl pipes up and says why can’t she become a Radhe ma.

She is fair, white as required by the obsessed nation, and has a fair knowledge of the scriptures. In fact, she lives close by to the mandir too. And, to like the color red is no problem for her.  The only thing for her is that she would wear different color for every day. The next generation is so much savvier and with it.

In fact, one of the older students also showed me how she was trending, and women had theme parties based on her. Also, she was so popular, there were some music CD’s in her name, dedicated to her.

Why would not the children look up to her?

A young girl married at an early age belonging to a normal village the kind that dotted Punjab who tried to supplement her income by stitching clothes overnight (well not literally overnight but over a period of time) became a multi millionaire.

She wears the best of jewelry, clothes, is made up to the T and has a bandwagon of people following her. What is the need for the children to   study sciences, or engineering or join the forces?

This was an easy way, they could just speak the saloks, or better still put shabad or the MP3 or CD on . The next step was to just dance, let your self loose in gay abandon and you forget your stress, tension and the worries of life.

I think I’ve been stupid all my life, I’ve lived more than half my life following a code instilled by my parents, where one needs to have a decent education accompanied by a basic moral code. And here, was a quick make it rich way to have it all in ones life!

How was I going to compete with this? To tell them, to study to make a life and be independent. Every week, one tries to motivate the children to rise above temptations of easy money especially in rural Punjab. This itself is a Pandora’s box that I don’t want to open today.

The society today is more vulnerable to the antics or the manipulation by politician, the Godman that preys upon the insecurities of the human mind and its psyche. We together have never been so divided and fraught with insecurities based upon class, color, caste, and religion and even look. The obsession of being white, to look fair and lovely has spiraled a billion dollar industry, furthermore to look pretty, handsome, thin, with it is the cause of stress and then the worst is to have what the neighbor has, bigger, better, brighter and more is the mantra.

My children now believe Ache Din , comes only if they become Radhe Ma or Radhe Paa.

On second thoughts , I am considering a career change , if only the stubborn grey hair take color .

Log Kya Kahenge

We go through our lives in this rat race, trying to live appearances so that we might impress others with our outwardly projections and manifestations of wealth, prestige, power. We all are driven by one motive or desire. That is the reason for waking up, the reason to get up and face the world and to make it through the day. No one, just lives, it’s this force that makes us do things, to achieve milestones, goals and to carry on. In the Sri Guru grant sahib, there is a particular line that says,” Lok Patiyaare kachoo Na paiyee (Page 736). Look =people, Patiyaare= please, Kachoo Na =nothing, Paiyae=obtained. 

Trying to please people, nothing is obtained.

We go through the motions of life trying to please and fit in to the expectations of others so we may be perfect in their eyes. Whatever, we might do, we will never ever be happy or make others happy as they will expect and want more. IT is, the very nature of humans to expect. A mother does so from our child, she rears him up so he may grow up and take care of her in the old age, and she rears the daughter to marry her off to another home. She lives, and expects from her husband to provide for her and the family. The husband keeps on working, trying to fit into his or her expectations trapped in the image that has been formed by someone!

These expectations are what trap us into not enjoying life. Man gets up, rushes to his office, trying to work with deadlines, meetings, budgets and office wrangles and trying to meet projected aims. At home, his wife nags, asks for a better car, a newer appliance, things for the children, the newer purse. It has been beautifully illustrated that today we will buy a new purse for an exorbitant amount but the bag would be empty and not have any money to spend! A very simple line that haunts people in India drives this false spending; log kya kahenge?

If someone asks them, who are these people, it’s the name less society who is of no help at all. A billionaire will buy a car worth millions. But if you earn in thousands and buy a car worth millions just to show other people and get empty accolades that are empty weightless words, it is an expensive lesson 

In the end we spiral ourselves into a debt situation and get sucked into EMI’s. Our lives that started out to be simple, just get more complicated leading to a serious ailment that is affecting everyone. Don’t think its cancer, aids or Ebola; it’s the ordinary, deadly stress, tension. Humans, more than ever are being affected, stress, tension and its repercussions. High blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, and other life style diseases are affecting more and more younger age group. I am also guilty; I just used the word so coined, life style diseases! But that’s the fancy schmancy term so prevalent. 

We all are guilty , of trying to fit in the outwardly projections so demanded of us. To say, we are not affected , or have risen above is wrong, its all encompassing and embracing us . To worry about what others say is the reason we all are in this state of affairs. 

On a lighter note, it is what is driving the nation to , we all are in search for the elusive, utopian Ache din , and trying to propel ourselves forward to tell the world we have arrived. 

Why don’t we just compete with our own values and standards to become better in the way our Gurus wanted rather than the modern , fast forward spiel sold as Yoga these days?

If you have an answer, do tell , as I am also guilty of Log kya kahenge.

Ravneet Sangha

        

Who Am I ?

I am a human being. Sadly enough, man made divisions that are not visible but are etched so deep and are so prominent that if I don’t confirm I don’t fit anywhere divide me. To start with I am a woman, that itself is such a drawback in this country. At least I survived all the turmoil and lived to reach this age. That itself is a boon, as the society makes sure to test us at all stages from the moment we are born and then at every step to keep on testing through the years, to being checked when we are at school, from evading boys at every step and also acid attacks, shooting by some loonies . During these years, a woman looses her for her family, putting herself at the back burner, rearing a family, nurturing children and being supportive to her husband.

However, this is not what I am. I was born a Sikh girl, who embraced her religion with complete ease, accepted the Gurus, their teachings, the path laid by them to be a true seeker and in the times I was born, it was just natural to embrace all festivals. We were never told distinctly that this was a Hindu festival or a Muslim Eid, or Christian X- mas, it was just a festival and the Gods were ours. The 14-day Ram Leela played out by the mohalla actors were watched with enthusiasm, love, excitement and the pitch and fervor of every day has made many a memory for me. The build up, to buying of small toys, baubles are unmatched to all the games of today. We enjoyed all the festivals, and no RSS bhakat or a Hindu Shiv Sena could stop me, as I was a Sikh and couldn’t participate.

No, hardline hardcore Muslim organization could stop us from enjoying the Eid, or listening to qalaams that all speak of universal love and brother hood. How can I explain to another that the spiritual uplifting sound of Nusrat moves me more these days to greater heights? It’s been four months and I’m still stuck in understanding Allah, Mohammad Char Yaar. A friend, across the border who is from the family of Sultan Hazrat Bahoo of Multan still sends me lines from the Koran that are on the same plateau as the SGGS. How did, we come to this where we mourn humanity who are killed just because they are Hindus, or Sikhs or Muslims?

Why can’t we all just be humans? Killing a lion, Cecil for sport by an American dentist has made more headlines than anything, where as kids, women, men, elderly are killed more than before by the relentless ruthless ISIS. That organization is a sorry excuse.

The last quarter century has seen more horror , more killings, divisions based upon religion. Why cant we just accept the beauty and the love that is there in universal brotherhood and not to feel segregated by these divisions that are not based on color , caste or by sex but by religion that no one has seen? The scriptures were written ,handed to us as teachings to live our lives dictated by a code so we may be humans, good humans with compassion and empathy to other human beings and nature.

Begin to live life as humans and not as rabid dogs ready to bite and kill anyone who comes in front of you .

 And , question yourself in the mirror , and see who you are? Not the person you project and present to the world. Look Hard.