Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Salvation

When one is alive we are taught that to attain salvation we need to be good and perform good deeds. This is the sure route for attaining Moksha.

So, when we feel certain that the person would attain nirvana from the cycle of rebirth as he has lead virtuous life, we have pundits telling us to perform various rites/ceremonies so that their soul attains peace.

I wonder as to how could one attain Moksha? What if that virtuous man has no one to perform the rights for him? Does he not get redeemed? What if a criminal’s son performs all rights and ceremonies year after year after his death? Would God take him to his abode satisfied because of his son’s performance?

Or is this all a gimmick by the pundits to earn money by playing with people’s sentiments….

Monday, April 07, 2008

Kite runner

I never understood as to why children despite the fact they possess numerous kites run behind kites that have been cut. When my son was 4 years, I used to run with him and catch the kite and could sense the excitement in his face. We would be thrilled if we could get hold of the kite. At that time, I thought it must be sheer fun to catch hold of flying objects from a kid’s perspective.

Now, when my son runs for the kite, I shout at him and tell him to give way for the less privileged boys who can not buy themselves a new kite.

As I was reading this novel, I realized the importance of kite runner.

Come this Independence Day, I might not stop him from running behind the kite and probably even encourage him much to his surprise….

Friday, April 04, 2008

Exam Pressure

These days, just before the exams and while waiting for the result, the news of children killing themselves is appearing almost daily.

During our time, there was more pressure and not many choices. Graduation was must. There was more pressure on our parents as only meritorious students got admitted. On top of it, there was no loan facility. And the income of our parents might be high but certainly not in the scale as of now. But still, it never occurred in our tiny little brain to end our life.

Now, with more options, the world becoming one global city giving us choices in terms of college/universities, loan facilities from banks and other private institution and private educational institutions for engineering and management, life should be less tensed. But on contrary, there is more pressure on children these days. And they are also not able to cope up with the stress? Who is to be blamed? Is it the fault of us parents who are not guiding the children properly and insisting on the results of the examinations?

It is the future of these children that I am forced to think when I read of stories of as small as 11 year old school student killing himself because he was not good in Sanskrit. Not all exams come prepared in our life. As such how do we define failure/success? Is success judged by marks secured in the school/university? Are these children prepared to cope with examinations that the life would pose to them?

Where is the future heading? Would the suicidal rates go higher as these children grow to adults and are and the reason much more flimsy?


Where is this actually leading? I feel all parents and teachers should realize this and deal with the situation so that we do not end up having adults who would not be in a position to run the country………….