I think that moment is here & it is the last moment...

“Surprise… Surprise…” that is what I thought when I saw a sparrow drinking water in my lawn on Sunday morning. I kept on seeing it for a while and then thought when I saw it last time happening. It took me a while to realize that it is more than two years. I wondered and asked my mother if I am true and she replied negatively by saying it would have been more than that.

I remember my daily routine from childhood days when I used to pour water with some raw rice in a bowl meant to feed sparrows or crows. This small bird always fascinated me from childhood. I tried catching it many a times though in vain. Coming back, I wonder where these small and beautiful creatures of our food chain have gone. Are they on the verge of extinction? I am not sure of this but I think they are. I have neither seen them in Chandigarh nor in Delhi. I hope situation in other urban cities is not different. I don’t have to state the reasons as they all are more of cliché now. Similar to weather changes to melting glaciers. It’s us, Humans.

By the way, how many times we, humans, give a thought about nature during a day? I am sure umpteen numbers of times, some of us discuss about the issues and few of them like me try putting it into words too. But then what? Few days back, I was watching a movie “12.12.08 Is The Last Day When Earth Stood Still” where someone from space comes to save the mother earth from us, humans, by huge destruction of concrete jungles we have made and by killing the most selfish mammal on earth. That supernatural power leaves leaving everything untouched by seeing that we check things when we are in a crisis or at the last moment. I think that moment is here, it is the last moment...

…Religion is the reason

“Aaj kal logon ka bhagwan change ho gaya hai. Sab Mata yaan Shivji ko chhod kar Sai Baba ko maanane lage hain” (Now a days, people have changed their preference for God. They have shifted their faith from Goddess or God Shiva to Sai Baba). Those were the words from an auto-rickshaw driver which kept my mind busy whole night after I reached my apartment at 0230hrs.

I am used to visit my hometown, Chandigarh, regularly (specifically every fortnight). As I have been changed to a nocturnal mammal around three and a half year ago at Manipal (that’s where I finished my post graduation i.e. PGDM), I generally take a bus for Delhi from Chandigarh at around 2100hrs so that I can reach my apartment late night which is somewhere in western part of the capital.

It was the cold night, as weather has already shifted its gears after Deepawali. I can say that because the breeze from the open ends of auto made me shiver a bit, while I was relaxing at the rear seat during my trip from ISBT to Tilak Nagar. I just made myself comfortable in the auto when I heard auto driver cribbing about traffic police of Delhi and especially about prepaid auto system where attendant at the booth charges him Rs.10 per prepaid slip from the profit. Uff this corruption, its maximum in the system made to minimize it. Anyways steadily it changed to shifting faith and belief.

What caught me was Sai Baba and it made me think, “his belief and followers.” Do followers of Sai Baba actually believe in his belief “Sabka Malik Ek Hai?” Reply seems to be very obvious ‘NO.’ I can say that by seeing things happening everywhere, for that matter even in my home. It’s same with Lord Rama and his followers (saffron leaders). So, is it that people believe in their respective God but then they do not believe in his belief? If yes, then what kind of faith is it? Isn’t it just another illusion? Taking an example of ‘Sai Baba’ from this incidence, isn’t it that God who actually came to earth to unite people has actually divided them by creating another religion. Its similar for Lord Budha, Lord Mahavira, Jesus, Allah, Lord Krishna or Lord Rama. It confuses me but it reminds me of some lines from song ‘Krishna Nee Bega Baro’ by ‘Colonial Cousins’ and I think those are very well true but then a question arise, Should God come back if that means giving birth to another religion?

“…Religion is the reason, The world is breaking up into pieces…”

“…Jesus! Come back and save the world,
That's all the future,
Of every boy and girl,
Come back as Rama,
Forgive us for what we've done,
Come back as Allah,
Come back for everyone…”