Over-rated

Hugs, kisses, tears, and smiles. Broken dreams, joy and light. Trusting bonds, deception and lies.

I wonder how much of "you" is over-rated. Would you ever change? Guess not. They seem to like you just the way you are. I guess, someone did say that it is difficult to improve on perfection. So, how very perfect are you? Doesn't matter, they think you are.

Dont know why

Ok! This aint no decent post. Not at all. They say "Behind every neat table, there is a cluttered drawer", well I have my own adaptation of this, "behind every neat desktop, there is a cluttered folder". In an attempt to clean up the various such cluttered folders on my laptop, I ran into this poem that I had written sometime back. It all started when I made an attempt at writing poems. Ahh, it is a failed attempt but I'm putting it up anywayz. My condolences to the readers :D

surrounded by darkness
my mind sleeps
dislocated memories
and wandering dreams

a world full of chaos
sorrow and grief
for what i see
makes my eyes bleed
inhumanity takes it's toll on me


live i must
to fullfil a dream
pain and suffering
have no place there to be!

Bant Singh can still sing!

First of all let me apologize to my non-punjabi reader, but hey! it has sub-titles. This video is for all those people who think that India is through with caste system. Let me assure, it still exists very much. But that is not the point here. It isn't just about casteism. It is about all the wrong things that are done by the rich and powerful.

What is the video about? Seen in the video is Bant Singh. He is a labourer from some where in Punjab. His a story of constant suppression by the higher castes of his village. Some where in year 2000 his minor daughter was raped by seven members of the higher caste including the village Sarpanch's son. This brave son of the soil revolted and all kinds of pressure was applied to silence him. The police refused to register his FIR, and the village panchayat dismissed his case. He was exiled from the community and refused to be given work. But he didn't give up. In year 2002 he was able to secure conviction for the people who raped his daughter including a woman (bloody bitch) who helped them in their act. However, the story was not yet done. The fact that a dalit had risen against them and managed to secure conviction constantly irked the members of higher caste. One day while returning from work, he was attacked by them. They had a gun and he tried to flee. But he couldn't out run them; they had a car. Soon enough they started beating him up. They constantly hit him on the hands and legs with sticks and broke his bones. After being left for dead, some people came to his help later. He was taken to the local government hospital. The son-of-a-bitch doctor had already been bribed and he refused to treat him without being paid 1000rs first. After 3 hours, the doctor was paid money but Bant Singh was still not treated. Later he was moved to a bigger hospital in Chandigarh by his relatives. It had been 36 hours since he was attacked. Having failed to receive treatment for so long, gangerine had set into all his limbs. His both arms and one leg had to be amputated. He now has one leg which the doctors are still trying to save. This case has received much spotlight, because this is the first case from the region in which a dalit has been able to secure conviction for members of a higher caste.

My beloved India, why are you like this? Where do you fit such things amongst all the religious righteousness? It is not about casteism. No it is not. This happens everywhere. our society is not a society of equals. It never will be. We enjoy it the way it is, because we are in a favoured position right now. It is something that we can't let go off. We as a society have constantly exploited our poor. British did whatever they did. But today we Indians are doing it to our own fellow Indians. Would we ever be able to look above and beyond our hollow traditions and culture. the culture that we are so proud of, and yet fails to qualify on grounds of humanity. Some where along the line, everything got so materialized that we have forgotten what being human means.

And as for my dear Punjab, I still remember how you revolted against Ram Rahim Singh, the fellow who disguised himself as Guru Gobind Singh Ji. You labeled it as a disgrace to our gurus and our beliefs. Let me tell you, no one has disgraced our gurus more than you. Punjab is one of the leading states for caste based crimes. The very caste system which our Gurus fought hard to abolish. It was the very basis of Sikhism. The surname "Singh" was adopted so that no one could be differentiated based on their caste. The "Langar" was established so that people of all caste and religion sat together at the same level and ate food. No mater if it was a king, soldier or an untouchable, they all had to sit together for the langar. But now we are nothing more than a society of hypocrites. To make matters worse, the perpetrators of the very crime are none other than our own very proud "Jatt Sikh" community. Wake up Khalsa. Wake up!

Holy Scriptures

Religion. I know how much it means to me. I have my own understanding of it all. And I love the way I understand it. So why the hell does someone think that I need to be told as to what I should or should not do. Today I ended up in a confrontation with my flatmate. Nasty one. I have never taken kindly to people trying to impose their way of life and principles upon me or others. I swear to god I hate such people.

Religion is not a set of rules. Please stop treating it like a Constitution. No one religion is complete in itself. None is. The thing breaks down into figuring out as to what is a religion? Isn't religion supposed to be a way of life that leads to attainment of god. How does one attain god? Isn't it all about doing good in life? What the hell does god have to do with anything else? If god does really exist, do you think he would be concerned about what you are wearing today? I don't think so. For me religion has always meant something which has brought peace within, especially at times when I needed it the most. At times when I could feel my self being consumed by my environment.

I have lived my life as a good man. Have done some bad things, but purely out of ignorance. Things I have apologized for. Never intentionally hurt someone, unless they deserved it. Have always come to the aid of those who needed it. Been an honest person and never cheated anyone. This is my religion. This and nothing more. I do not believe in anything more than doing good and being good. All the rest is crap to me. Beyond this, all religions are crap.

Masjid dha dey,
Mandir dha dey,
Dha dey jo kuch disda,
Par kisi da dil na dhavien,
Rabb dil vich vasda.

Destroy the Mosques,
Destroy the temples,
Destroy what ever you can see,
But do not break someones heart,
Coz that is where god lives.

So that is the truth of it all. God is in our heart. No pilgrimage, no rituals, no religious tantrums. I have lived a spiritual, religious life, if I am a good person. If I bring warmth to people around me. If I help the needy in whatever way I can. If my heart bleeds to the pain of others. And if don;t turn a deaf ear to someone else's grief. Is it still more important to do that pilgrimage, or read the holy scriptures everyday in the morning. Is it still necessary to go to the Gurdwara, Mandir or Mosque to be good in the eyes of the god?

Religious scriptures are no doubt extremely important. But the fact is, that each one of us understands them differently. The language of the saints is beyond what our normal minds can comprehend. Everything they say, can be interpreted in a way that suits what you seek. In the end, what you get, is what you had sought for. If you seek peace, they offer you peace. If you seek aggression, they offer you aggression. And if you seek god, they offer you the path to him. So, it is all about what you seek. The frame of mind with which you read them. I know what I seek, and without doubt it is different than what he sought. I got what I wanted and believe he did as well. What the fuck gives you the right to impose your beliefs on me. My religion is my personal property. I understand it in a way that is much different than you do. And I have every right to believe that I am right. At least god has given me the choice, and it is mine to make.

Thankfully, my vision has not been corrupted by blind faith. How can blind faith lead to enlightenment? No, it can't. I do not agree with rituals, customs or traditions. If you could attain god by shouting for him in the mosque, going to Vaishno Devi, or taking a dip in the sarovar at Golden Temple, then wouldn't we all have attained him.? Why do we still search for him? If it was so simple to attain him, then the world would have been rid of all the evil. Next time you are taking a pilgrimage, or a dip in holy water, look to your left and right. The person next to you, might be a serial killer, thug, or purely a son-of-a-bitch. And despite all the holy shit they do, still it doesn't seem to put an end to all the adultery in this world.

Haaji Lok Mecce Nu Jaande
Asaan Jaan Takht Hazaare
Jitt Vall Yaar Usse Vall Qaaba
Bhavein Phol Kitabaan Chare

People take pilgrimage to Mecca
But I desire to go to my lords court
My Qaaba is wherever my beloved (god) is
Even if all the religious scriptures tell me otherwise

---

Pi sharaab tey kha kabab, heth baal haddaan di ag,

Bulleha bhan ghar rab da, ais thuggan de thug noo thug.

Drench yourself in wine and feast on roasted flesh, roasting in the fires flaming out of the bones. O Bulleha, break into the house of God and swindle the cheat of cheats.

---

Mulla tay mashaalchi dohaan ikko chit
Loukan karday chananan, aap anhairae vich

The priest and the torch-bearer are both very similar
They give light to others, but are themselves in dark

---

Hum mailae, tu ujjwal karat
Hum nirgun, tu daata
Hum moorakh, tum chattar sayanae
Tu sarab kala da gyata

We are in the dark, you enlighten us
We are worthless, you are our lord
We are idiots, and you are clever
You are master of all tricks

I believe that this post might not go down well with all my readers. I know, that like me, even you don't like being imposed with someone else's beliefs. However, my sincere and unconditional apology to those who might have felt hurt. All of the above verses or others cited in this post are by my beloved Baba Bulleh Shah. Only the last one is from Guru Granth Sahib. Unfortunately Bulleh Shah mostly referred to things from Islam as he himself was once a Muslim. But in my post, I am not targeting any specific religion. For those who have been able to understand the post, it was targeted at those people, that try to impose their beliefs at others. Religion is for me to follow at my own terms. I need not confirm with someone else's take at things or how they understand it. It is none of their business as to how and what I follow. Religion is path for you to follow. It is not about making others follow it.

Topics such as these always incite aggressive responses. However, I shall not reply to any such aggressive or inappropriate comments made here. Those if any, that are hurt, I didn't intend it. Sorry! But I'm not targeting any religion at all.

Mirza Saihbaan

Why is it that India's most famous love stories, they all happened in one small region of Punjab? I mean, was rest of India sleeping or what? What kept love from happening? Heer Ranjha, Sohni Mahiwal, & Sassi Punnu. No, I haven't forgotten the most important one. But hey! Do you really know about it?

Mirza Sehban, is the most beloved of all the love fables from my dear land Punjab. The shear tragedy touches my heart. Every single time I come across a song with references to the story, I feel their pain as my own. However, I have discovered that most people still do not know of this most beautiful love lorn tale. The story goes as follows...

Mirza and Saihbaan were both in love with each other. Saihbaan was being forced by her parents to marry someone else. So she sends out a message through the kaazi to Mirza, "You must come and decorate Sahiban’s hand with the marriage henna". Mirza could not control his young blood, and set out to bring her home. He rode to her village and brought her back on his horse. On the way back, they decided to take rest under the a tree before continuing further. It was summers and they were both tired, and thus easily fell asleep under the tree. Somewhile later Saihbaan woke up and she spotted her brothers coming at a distance. Mirza was known for his archery and Saihbaan didn't want him to kill her brothers. So she breaks his arrows, and then wakes him up. She had thought that once her brothers were closer and they see the two of them together; they would cool down and hug her. However, they attacked Mirza upon reaching closer. Mirza fought with his sword but he was no match for 4 people and was eventually slayed. Saihbaan's brothers left her with his dead body, and in the end she kills herself with a sword. (Ref: Wikipedia)

Most Punjabi literature talks about what all Mirza's soul would have said to Saihbaan's soul in heaven. It all gets too touchy. Bellow is a song by Harbhajan Mann based on the same story,

(Ref: Youtube)

Jadd teer tod tae Saihbaan nae
Marda hoya mirza kee kainda
Vaidyaan ch rondeean manva nu
Tauleyaan chon pajiyaan banwaan nu
Saihbaan tain madee kitee nee

Saihbaan tain madee kitee nee
Jae pata hunda tain inj karnee
Nee main lyonda naal bhrawaan nu

Ek pasae todae teer kurae
Ek pasae tere veer kurae
Jatt kalam kalae Mirzae nu
Nee tokha dae gayee taqdeer kudae

Jae teer salamat hundae taan
Ni mien tinda bind hawawa nu
Marda hoya mirza bol peya

Jatt kalam kala reh geya nee
Kalae nu ghera pae geya ni
Jhall da reya vaar gandeseyan dae ni
Ni mere siron malasa lae geya ni
Ni mere gall vich paindi chanj kurae

Koi na mirza dae sang kudae
Jae hundae bhai bhand kudae
Ni mere laindae dukhade vand kurae

Koi Mirza jag tae ni jamna
Putt jamdae rain gae maanvaan nu
Marda hoya Mirza bol pyea
Saihbaan tae madee kitee ni
Jae pata hunda tain inj karnee
Ni main lyonda naal bharava nu

Mere bhen vastae paundi rayee
Mainu mintaan naal manundi rahee
Syalan dian nara buree yae na ni
Oh kunj waang kar laundi rahee
Naa pae Syalan dae raah vera
Khodi to kaathi la vera
Na ja vera na ja vera
Ni mera aaj di raat nikah vira
Kadd veer mera karr aayega
Mere bhain udaeke raawa nu
Saihbaan tain madee kitee ni

Jae pata hunda tain inj karnee
Ni mien lyonda naal bharawa nu

Well now a feeble attempt at trying to translate the above...

Upon finding his arrows broken by Saihbaan
What did the dying Mirza say
Of the mothers crying in the corridors
Of the arms that had run to hug him
Saihbaan you have deceived me

Saihbaan you have deceived me
Had I known that you would do this
I would have brought my brothers with me

On one side you have broken my arrows, girl
And on the other side are you brothers, girl
The lonely Jatt Mirza has
Been deceived by his destiny

Had my arrows been alright
I would have shattered the winds
The dying Mirza uttered

I have been left alone and abandoned
I'm alone and I have been surrounded
I kept on taking blows from their axes
My turban has fallen from my head
There is uneasiness in my throat

There is no one with Mirza, oh girl
Had my brothers been here
They would have distributed by grief amongst themselves

Another Mirza shall never take birth in this world
Though mothers will keep giving birth to sons
The dying Mirza uttered
Saihbaan you have deceived me
Had I known you would do this
I would have brought my brothers with me

My sister kept on insisting
She kept pleading me
The women of Sial are bad
She kept insisting
Don't go on the path to Sial

Please remove the saddle from the horse brother
Please dont go brother, please dont
It is my marriage tonite
When will my brother return
My sister awaits on my path
Saihbaan you have deceived me

Had I known you would do this
I would have brought my brother with me

Touchy touchy. Ya I know the translation sucked, but I'm a bit busy with things these days. Couldn't give it anymore time, but it did deserve more time. Anywayz, there is much reasoning behind what ever Saihbaan did. You have to read the whole story for that. Do read the story on the link provided in the references.

For the amazing part! In all such love stories from punjab, we always take the name of the girl first. Sassi Punnu, Heer Ranjha, Sohni Mahiwal. See, the name of the girl is always taken first. However, this is the only one in which the name of the male is taken first. Mirza Saihbaan. That is so, because what ever the reason might have been, she did deceive her lover. So we take Mirza's name first. Sad part is, Mirza is seen as the greatest lover of all times, while Saihbaan is looked down upon. Hope I have brought you people something new this time. Just see it as my tribute to the couple. What made me write it? Well I remembered this one party I had once. There was this guy who didn't understand a word of Punjabi. He was Chinki. I showed him this video and told him about the story. Damn, he got glued to this thing. For the rest of the party, he kept on listening to it again and again. In the end, he wept. Anywayz, my translation sucked, and at last I found some words in Punjabi that I might not have understood, or failed to translate into English. Kindly forgive me for such mistakes if any, and do let me know if so. And in the end, last but not the least, Dunia ch vasdae nae log batharae, Punjabian dee shaan vakhree, Buraaaaah

Bibliography:
1. Mirza Sahiba. (2007, October 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:00, November 2, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mirza_Sahiba&oldid=166023335

2. Mirza Sahiba (2006, June 11). In Youtube, Broadcast Yourself. Retrieved 14:00, November 2, 2007, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtn7BK7L7p4