Telegrahph, Travell to Thoughts…..

In India State owned BSNL discontinued on 15th July 2013, all Telegraph services; while On Monday, 12 July 1999, a final telegram was sent from the National Liberty Ship Memorial, in San Francisco Bay to President Bill Clinton. the sign-off message was a repeat of Samuel F. B. Morse's message 155 years earlier, "What hath God wrought?



The long-distance transmission of textual (as opposed to verbal or audio) messages without the physical exchange of an object bearing the message; started in 1792 by way of semaphore lines; and the electrical recording telegraph came into being in 1846. This then lead to telegram, cablegram and fax. In the mid 1960s Email came into existance; first only between different account of the same user.

Prior to the electrical telegraph, nearly all information was limited to traveling at the speed of a human or animal. The telegraph freed communication from the constraints of space and time and truly affected how people lived their lives.



Telegraphy facilitated the growth of organizations "in the railroads, consolidated financial and commodity markets, and reduced information costs within and between firms." This immense growth in the business sectors influenced society to embrace the use of telegrams.


More numerous than grass is the thought that raise in the minds of men.


The part of the world that we dwell in, America meant the US and that was somewhere on the other side of the world, Artic and Antartcia was the top and bottom of a globe in the geography class, Australia was a the biggest continent and country, Africa was dark and scary, but now travell across the globe is possible for comman men here, and we know and can be to all these place not in eighty days but in eighty hours.

And what more, whereever we go, we can communicate to who-ever we want, not knowing the receipent of the information, where we are communicating from...

Telephone, Trains, Airoplanes, Jets, Internet, Computer, Mobile, Washing machines,OMG...

Hats off too the time......for all the magic with the Technology....It is upto us on how we use it. Indeed the world is at our finger tips today, is it 'Kalikalam' or 'Kaliyugam'!

When time has made our life easy, it has also increased tension, terrorism and lack of time! What an irony!

If ethical principles deny our right from doing evil that good may come; are we justified in doing good that the forseeable consequence is evil?

OMG

Oh My God: for ‘God’s sake’ you can’t miss this film!



OMG is a moral science lesson that doesn't sound preachy. This is a film that not only entertains and inspires but also enlightens.

A film like OMG Oh My God, that fearlessly and unwaveringly raises fingers at the commonplace commercialization of religious customs, is certainly an audacious attempt. Oh My God shouldn't be mistaken to be a film that endorses atheism. Rather it questions blind faith.


OMG is a 2012 Bollywood courtroom film. It is directed by Umesh Shukla. It is a remake of the 2001 Australian Film "The Man Who Sued God" and adapted from a highly acclaimed Gujrati play named Kanji Virrudh Kanji, 'OMG Oh My God!' is An Entertaining, Well-Intentioned & Superbly Acted Film!

Kanji Lalji Mehta (Paresh Rawal), a middle-class atheist-Hindu owns a shop of Hindu idols and antiques in Chor Bazaar, Mumbai. He is cursed by Siddheshwar Maharaj, while his son was playing dahi handi. One day, a low-frequency earthquake hits the city, and Kanji's shop is the only shop that is destroyed.

Next day at the insurance office, Kanji and his neighbor Mahadev learn that the disaster claim does not cover any damage caused by natural calamities classified under "Act of God". Running out of options, Kanji decides to file a lawsuit against God but fails to find a lawyer for such a lawsuit. Finally, he meets Hanif Qureshi (Om Puri), a poor Muslim lawyer. Qureshi, a disabled man, helps filing the case as Kanji decides to fight on his own. Legal notices are sent to the insurance company, as well as to religious priests, Siddheshwar Maharaj (Govind Namdeo), Gopi Maiyya (Poonam Jhawer) and their group's founder, Leeladhar Swamy (Mithun Chakraborthy) summoning them to the court as representatives of God on earth.

The Judge agrees and the court accepts the case. However, Kanji soon finds himself trapped amongst armed fundamentalists, his mortgage bank occupying the house, and his wife leaving him. In all instances, Kanji is rescued by Krishna Vasudev Yadav (Akshay Kumar), a real estate agent who rides a hot-shot motorbike and is seen flicking a slick key chain around. Krishna buys Kanji's house from the bank; but allows Kanji to stay with him.

The lawsuit causes a public outcry. As Kanji and Krishna watch this on TV, Krishna advises him to go to the media and put his view in public. Kanji's interview receives wide coverage and public opinion swings in his favour. Meanwhile, hundreds of people, whose insurance claims were rejected due to "Act Of God" show up at Hanif Qureshi's house and join lawsuit. Kanji agrees to fight on behalf of them. In the next court session, Catholic priests and Muslim Mullahs are also summoned to the court as defendants. However, lawyer Sardesai (Mahesh Manjrekar) points that Kanji has no document that can prove the disaster was "Act of God". The judge orders Kanji to present a written proof that will stand by his claim.

Kanji loses hope, when Krishna rescues the day by telling Kanji to read the Bhagavad Gita, and all holy books, such as The Quran and The Bible to find answer of all his questions. Kanji studies the books intensively for a month. In the next session, Kanji points out a passage in the holy books which says that "This world is a creation of god, and it is his will to allow it to grow or destroy", which strengthens his case. Suddenly, he loses consciousness. He is rushed to the hospital, where doctors unsuccessfully try to revive him, leaving him comatose, and announcing to the media that Kanji has been paralyzed, and only God can now save him. The next day, Kanji suddenly opens his eyes to find Krishna in front of him. Krishna wipes his key chain over Kanji's body curing Kanji.

As confused Kanji is, Krishna reveals that he himself is Lord Krishna, and he has purposely saved Kanji to show him that God does exist. Kanji, then learns he has been in coma for a month and things happened during the period. The lawsuit's verdict was in his favor and religious organizations were ordered by court to pay the compensation to all the plaintiffs; people have started calling Kanji a "God". Meanwhile, Leeladhar, Gopi Maiyya, and Siddheshwar have opened temple dedicated to Kanji & accumulated millions in donations. And today, as per Kanji's "will", he is about to be removed from the ventilator, and thousands have gathered for his funeral procession. On Krishna's hot-shot motorbike, he takes Kanji to stop the procession. Kanji arrives at the right time, and addresses the crowd, destroys his own statue and tells them to tear down the temple.

After successfully completing the job, he goes back to Krishna to thank him, however Krishna & his motorcycle have disappeared. Kanji's family arrive and they are reunited. On their way home, Kanji sees Krishna's key chain on the floor. When he is about to secure it inside his jacket, he hears Krishna's voice, telling him to get rid of the key chain as idol worship was what he fought against all this time. Kanji smiles and throws it away.

OMG; don’t be blind, but know your signs….

Mahabharata Revisited.....Jaya & The palace of Illusion

Thanks to Greeshma for provoking me to revisit Mahabharata.



The Mahabharata is an ancient Hindu epic where:

A son renounces sex so that his old father can remarrry
A daughter is a prize in an archery contest
A teacher demands half a kingdom as his tuition fee
A student is turned away because of his caste
A mother asks her sons to share a wife
A father curses his son-in-law to be old and impotent
A husband lets another man make his wife pregnant
A wife blindfolds herself to share her husband’s blindness
A forest is destroyed for a new city
A family is divided over inheritance
A king gambles away his kingdon
A queen is forced to serve as a maid
A man is stripped of his manhood for a year
A woman is publicly disrobed
A war is fought where all rules are broken
A shift in sexuality secures victory
The vanquished go to paradise
The victors lose their children
The earth is bathed in blood
God is cursed
Until wisdom prevails.

Devdutt Pattanaik have beautifullly retoled Mahabharata in a simple and lucid style; for all to understand in his 'Jaya'.

It is said that Vyasa knew it, before it happened chanted it to Ganesha, who penned it down. The longest epic poems in the world; and lucky enough to watch BR Chopra's version on TV in between 1988-1990; was engrossed in reading both the versions of the book back to back.


At the same time, happen to read 'The Palace of Illusions'; Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni gives us Panchaali's Mahabharata.

Both Interesting; Divakaruni says, Vysa had foretold that there would be three dangerous moments and at that time you need to hold back;
1. Just before wedding hold back your question.
2. When husbands are at the height off their power, hold back your laughter.
3. When you are ashamed; hold back your curse.

The thought of 'mine' and 'theirs' is the cause of trouble, if the King could see all as his, and love all alike, the war would never have occurred.

“Your childhood hunger is the one that never leaves you. No matter how famous or powerful they became, my husbands would always long to be cherished. They would always yearn to feel worthy. If a person could make them feel that way, they’d bind themselves to him—or her—forever.” 

The art of kingship is: A ruler should know how to conceal his own weaknesses. He should choose his servants carefully. He must cause dissensions among the noblemen in his enemy's kingdom. He should be forgiving, but not excessively so, for the men of evil heart would take advantage of him. His innermost thoughts must be concealed even from his nearest ones.

But what had to happen; had to and Panchali could not hold back.

The power of a man is like a bulls charge, while the power of a women moves aslant, like a serpant seeking its prey. Know the particular properties of your power and use it wisely.

Aren't we all Pawns in the hands of time, the greatest player of all? But even a Pawn has a choice.

Father is equal to heaven, but mother is even greater and so Pandavas decide to share their wife.

Expectations are like hidden rocks in your path - all they do is trip you up. For one person to gain desire, others have to give up theirs. Distance is a great promoter of harmony. God gives you what you want with one hand and takes away something more valuable with the other.

A situation in itself is neither happy nor unhappy. It's only your response to it that causes your sorrow. Be Calm. The life we live today is only a bubble in the cosmic stream, sharpened by the karma of other lifetimes (of the same life or another); one whom you hate may have been your beloved and vice versa. Why weep for any of them then?

Then there are two great teachings:

1. Yudhisthirs answer to Yaksha's questions:

-More numerous than grass is: Thoughts that rise in the mind of man.
-Truely wealthy is: That man to whom the agreeable and disagreeable, wealth and woe, past and future are the same.
-Most wonderous thing on earth is: Each day countless humans enter the Temple of Death, yet the ones left behind continue to live as though they were immortal.

2. The Song or the Geeta: Krishna's word motivating Arjuna:

The pleasure that arise from sense objects are bound to end, and thus they are only sources of pain. Don't get attached to them. When a man reaches a state where honour and dishonor are alike to him, then he is considered supreme. Strive to gain such a state. Weapons cannot harm it, fire cannot burn it; it is eternal, still and blissful. Man drives to wrongdoing in spite of good intention because of anger and desire, our two direst enemies and their offspring revenge...

Important to have victory against the six inner enemies that plague us all: lust, anger, greed, ignorance, arrogance and envy.

After the war, who was the real winner and who the loser?

Karna......The ..(failing to get words): Thought of giving him a special mention as it is friendship day today, and was there and will there ever be such a great friend?

A friend, stays a friend untill the end
Though Forgiveness eluded; forgives,
And gives away what could have saved his life,
A life paralyzed because of a promise kept?

Moreover (t)his is the main difference in both the books.

At the moment when Karna died, the sun plunged behind a cloud so dark that people feared it would not return. Despite the brutality of his death, his face held an enigmatic smile. A divine glow left his body and circled the battlefield as though searching for something before discarding this world.

Forgiveness: It is a virtue that eludes even the great! Is the desire for vengence stronger than the longing to be loved?

The purpose of life is to love, how well you live comes down to how much you love. The heart is wiser than the head. Honor it. Turst it. Follow it.

We cannot force ourselves to love - or to withhold it. At best we can curb our actions. The heart itself is beyond control. That is its power and its weakness.

Krishna's love was a balm, moonlight over a parched landscape. We came out of fire, and return to it; we are all instruments in his hands and he is the doer...

“Your childhood hunger is the one that never leaves you. No matter how famous or powerful they became, my husbands would always long to be cherished. They would always yearn to feel worthy. If a person could make them feel that way, they’d bind themselves to him—or her—forever.”