RIFLE RANGE BOY

Miniature boats on Karthika Purnima to commemorate  the  rich maritime glory of ancient Odisha. It marks the  change  of  monsoon tides. Sail is set for Java from Odisha . We like to convince ourselves that a particular ritual will help us in our life ahead. Perhaps paying tithe or giving alms will ease our path to salvation. They say that a cleansing bath in a specific lake on a particular day will symbolically wash away one's previous sins, even of previous births. With the conviction that we had of our past lives and have more future births to sail  through to attain Moksha, the breakaway from the curse of repeated birth and attainment of eternal bliss, we religiously indulge in this activity and that. Karthik Bath in Odisha The recurrent thought that has been going on throughout my life is this. Am I so lucky to have been told these secrets of life by virtue of my birth as a Hindu? My other good friends who, through no fault of theirs, had not been expo...

In the heat of the midday sun and  the congestion of late morning  midtown Lucknow traffic, two  bosom buddies apparently of  different faiths as evidenced by  their choices of garments, tread  the cracks between vehicles to  reach their destination on the  back of a motorcycle. T he thing about Lucknow that fascinates me is how the Lucknowites keeps alive their past history despite the pressures from external forces, namely the political leaders, who are hellbent on re-writing the nation's history to fit into their political agenda. With the heightened inclusiveness and fear of domination around the world, it is indeed enlightening to learn that people here relish upon their past. They must be thinking that to go forward in life, one should not forget where one has come from. Our future is determined by our history. If we do not remember where we came from, how are we going to know where are we heading to? History teache...