My wanderings - 2

In young age every person has a rebellion tendency. I had also a little share of rebellion in me when I was young. I was trying to be rationale and therefore, never believed in superstitions which were interwoven in the fabric of our society in general. In the course of my wanderings my close neighbor and friend Sh.P.K.Mattoo gave me a book entitled ' Be Gone God Men' written by Dr.Abrahim Kavoor, of Sri Lanka, who was the only doctorate in parapsychology and has devoted his life in erasing the menance of  superstitions in the society. He had written  about  fifty case histories of  patients suffering from psychological disorders and treated them successfully.  By reading these case histories, prima facie, it appears from the behavior of  persons mentioned therein, that they had been haunted by some supernatural powers or ghosts.  Later on reader understands the rationale of their disease which had been  basically psychological in nature.
In one of the cases a housewife found that all the clothes in her wardrobe were cut into pieces,  a pair of shoes lying in her rice cooker and some one had written on the walls of her bedroom that this is a haunted house. She visited many quacks and Charlton's  to free her house from the shadow of ghosts but without any use. Latter on she visited Dr.kavoor on the recommendations of her friend. Dr. Kavoor brought her into subconscious state of mind and she agreed that she was doing it herself  and  she will not do it again. When she came to her conscious state of mind. she was unaware of any thing but she was cured of  the disease. which Doctor Kavoor had diagnosed purely as psychological.
Some God men  do miracles stop their pulse, produce holy ash or watches for their disciples which are simple  tricks manipulated by them.  Dr. Kavoor was knowing all these tricks himself and he challenged to all Godmen  that whosoever does a  miracle in his presence  will be rewarded with rupees one lakh. It was a huge amount in early seventies. No God men accepted his challenge. He once said that I am not a rich man ,if I ever loose the challenge,  I will be reduced to destitutes but I am sure that I will  never loose the challenge. It is necessary to mention here that one eminent  scientist  who was scientific advisor to Govt. of India and disciple of some Guru accepted his challenge but lost the same. Dr.Kavoor had spent many nights in graveyards, crematory grounds and many haunted houses to find the ghosts but he could never locate one. According to him ghosts are created by the weak will of person in the form of hallucinations.
By reading this book I became more confident and  it also strengthened my belief to fight against superstitions. In the mean time I had also the chance of encountering  my pack of superstitions which I want to share with you.
It was when I joined my first job after graduation  at newly built watch factory in Srinagar. It was a tough time and very odd working hours that I  had to face. I used to have weakly night and day shifts which changed alternately. Once while  attending the night shift, I came to know that  one of my colleagues who was on duty last week,  got possessed by  a ghost as he had created a scene when he was working lonely in a big hall. He had rolled on the ground and yelled nonsense dialogs   and in a fit of rage he fell unconscious and was taken to hospital, where he was  recovering then. My boss called  me and  advised   that  we should not believe in superstitions and the scene created by our colleague may lead  even to closure of factory . You should take care while working on his seat and  try to  falsify his drama.   However, we are keeping another person with you in  the hall.I was eagerly looking for such an opportunity and I readily agreed to his proposal with a thrill of adventure.
I started my work on that very allegedly  haunted seat and my colleague was working about thirty feet ahead of me. With the passage of time pitch  darkness of night  engulfed exteriors and the sullen  atmosphere of  hall appeared more gloomy and melancholic despite of enough illumination inside.   My colleague working in the same hall would come to me after a gap of every half an hour,  with fear writ large on his face, to seek my encouragement. Sometimes he would leave the hall to while away the time. Once he left me alone in the hall for two hours and when I tried to look for him, I found him chatting with  security guards in lower floor near the gate which was far away from the hall. Then after completing our shift and with out witnessing any untoward incident, we left for our residences.  Later on as expected, this event did not fetch me any laurels but only strengthened  my belief against superstitions.
Another incident happened after my marriage. I was newly married and invited  by my in-laws to attend the 'Hawan  ceremony'  which they were performing at Mata Khir Bhawani,  temple at Tulamulla. They had also invited a Saintly person who was believed to be predicting everything rightly. I was also seated next to him but some of his unworthy  and cheap actions persuaded me to think otherwise of him . He would place some unknown objects in the hands of people and  tell them to close their fists and eyes. Then these persons would tell that after closing their eyes they have seen heavenly objects. I told him plainly that it is sort of hypnotism that   he was  doing and it has nothing to do with divinity. My statement made him angry and he  began to address me as  an atheist. Then he practiced the same trick  on me. He kept some small object on my right hand and  immediately clenching my fist  advised  me to close my eyes,  to which I meticulously obeyed.  Then after chanting some mantra he asked me to narrate what I was observing.  I could not see anything. He tried very hard but could not get any response from me. Then he threatened me that  as you are going to sleep next to me in the hall, I will show you the consequences of your arrogance in the midnight. As so many people were sleeping in the hall, I had to sleep next to him, but I slept nicely throughout the night without any obstruction.
Then by and by  many persons including my in-laws lost faith on him because of his actions unworthy of saints.

My Wanderings

In  my adolescent age like all other teenagers I developed a deep  sense of inquisitiveness for various aspects of life which persuaded me  to read books on subjects like philosophy, psychology, literature and many others.  I  was seeking answer to the queries which usually haunted my mind and books were the only source to satisfy my curiosity. In this process I lagged behind in my studies and could not achieve any outstanding performance in this field. I remained tagged with a mediocre brand.
One of the books that influenced me very much was personal psychology of Alfered Adler. I got answers to most of my teenage queries which usually perturbed me.
The full description of complexes of a person  viz.Inferiority complex and superiority complex was well explained. It was really a discovery for me at that age to know that superiority complex does not exist at all and  it is only a form of inferiority complex. A person suffering from inferiority complex only makes show  of his superiority to hide his inferiority. The inferiority can be mental or physical. A person suffering from some physical disorder will be having his other faculties sharp in order to overcome his shortcomings.
A person usually in habit of saying that he is suffering from inferiority complex is actually suffering from superiority complex (again  a form of inferiority complex) because he wants to tell others that at least he knows what he is suffering from.
Daile carnige , the writer of best seller book 'How to influence people and win friends 'usually gives reference of personal psychology of Alfered Adler.
While explaining influencing the people, he writes... I like myself cream and strawberry but when I go for fishing I usually hook my fishing rod with a worm in order to catch the fishes. The worm is the favorite of fishes.  When we have to deal with a  certain person we should be aware of his liking. Some times people prepare themselves in others subject of interest if they have to deal with them.
It is easy to become an orator but very difficult to become a good listener. Once upon a time I was invited by a friend to a party and he introduced to me to a very important client. The client gave me good lectures on his Various favorite subjects to which I listened very patiently. I had hardly spoken a word but while leaving, the client told to my friend that I was a very good speaker.
Sometimes it is better to suggest your subordinates than ordering them and it is better to win the will of person you are dealing with rather than to win his argument. By winning a argument your ego is satisfied but consequently  you loose a friend or client.
I was myself living with a guilt that I could not do much justice with my studies, but when I see my life in retrospect, I can  visualize  that at the start of my career ,although , I  was not well equipped to earn my living but I was well equipped with the art of living. I was not professionally intelligent but I had gained some worldly wisdom. I was well equipped to face the  problems  of life with patience and calmness. It was my strength, which I recognized in latter part of my career but it helped me a lot. I could stand the official as well as domestic pressures with ease.
The criterion of intelligence must  not be related only with cramming of books and passing of competitive exams but considered  with initiative, planning and quick decision making of a person.
Although I agree that wisdom comes to a  person with experiences and age  but I feel that our education system should have provision to inculcate qualities of patience, perseverance and etiquette in students  along with academic knowledge. Because some persons never grow up in life they only grow old. Moreover, I have rarely seen a fair mix of  intelligence and wisdom in a person. Both these qualities blended together can make a person perfect to great extent.

Hangama hain kyonv barpa thodi see jo pee hai

Akbar Allahbadi a great  urdu poet was born in 1846 and died in 1921 in Allahabad. His small couplets in urdu  written  more than a century ago are very fascinating and have amazing resemblances with the political, ethical and cultural values of present times.

1.Quom ke  GAM me dinner khate hain hukkaam ke saath
    Ranj  leader KO bohut hain magar aaraam ke saath.
   (They cry over the community's woes with rulers over fine dinners.
   The leader talks of sorrows but in comfort.)

This couplet has  similarity with present political set up in our country. Our Prime Minister Mr.Modhi emerged recently as a national leader representing the ethos of common man with chaiwala image, which helped him to win the elections and form Government.  But within a span of nine months only he was seen shaking hands and discussing investments in india with Obama ,draped in rupees ten lakh worth made in england suit,  probably to impress common man in India who voted for him and who himself  is below poverty line and  still lives in dearth of basic necessities of life I.e.food,clothing and shelter. His outfit was betraying his disposition and image in public life. Pt.Nehru first P.M. of India, whose image is being maligned these days,  abandoned foreign clothes for handwoven khadi  inspite of his rich ancestry.

2.Beparda nazar aaye Jo kal chend bibyan
   Akbar zameen mai  gayrate qomi se garh gaya
   Poocha Jo Maine apka purda tha kya hua
   Kahney lage ki aqal pe mardoon ke pad gaya
( yesterday when I saw a few women without  a veil, I was stunned for lack of morals in community. When I enquired about their veil. They told me that it has covered the intellect of men.)

It is true in present scenario also.  All types of morals and ethics are  imposed upon the women only. In Islamic countries women are advised to remain in veils and are  deprived of all rights. In our secular country also newspapers are full of news items of rape  and exploitation against women. Whenever such incidents happen some of our moralists start lecturing on the dress etiquette and make up of women. They say women should not enjoy full liberty in society as they are prone to high risk. Therefore, they are advised not to use cellphone or not to celebrate velentaine day which is direct attack on their fundamental rights. But it is not actually attire of women or liberty enjoyed by women but mindset of  some men that needs to be transformed, which is covered with the veil of lust and male ego. Men and women are inseparable parts of our society. Men should not perceive woman as an object of entertainment . Woman should always be respected as  she represents the image of our mother, sister and daughter. Such type of mindset in men will definitely ensure safety of woman. Ramakrishna paramhansa   regarded every woman as the incarnation of Maa Kali. However we can not expect all men  to be having such high morals but at least mindset of some men needs to be changed so that they can respect woman.

3.Sidharenge Sheikh Kaba to hum  Englistan jayenge
   Woh Khuda ka ghar dekhenge, Hum  Khuda ki Shaan dekhenge
   (When Sheikh will go to Kaba we shall visit  England
   He will see the home of Lord and we shall see the grace of Lord).

With spiritual pursuits and renunciation , development and pursuit of  nature is also necessary because lord manifests in its creation as described by our religions. What is  characteristic  feature of   Kashmiri Shivism that it says all things are manifestations of this consciousness but the phenomenal world (Shakti)  is real ,having its being in consciousness (chit).
Moreover, Development is the sign of life and disaster signifies death.   A person  can not escape from development. It is the reward for persons continuous hard  work for years together in pursuit of achieving excellence.

4. Huye is kadar mohzib kabi ghar ka na muh dekha
     Kati umar hotloo me, mare haspataal me jakar.
     ( we have become so much civilized that we have never visited home
       We spent our life in hotels and died in hospitals)

These days In blind pursuit of materialistic objects,  a person is getting detached with his roots. He is forgetting his language  and culture, which is otherwise necessary for the balanced growth and development of an indudual. A person should not be taken away by the winds of development and prosperity. He should keep his cool and maintain his induduality.