Tribute to Irrfan Khan!

Bollywood has produced some terrific stalwarts over the years. The list is huge and for all practical purposes it's not possible to list them here, moreover it would be unfair to name just a few. But every time we lost one to cruel fate, we would always wonder if that person could ever be replaced.
 

Irrfan Khan stepped into the limelight, giving us renewed hope and cheer. His lanky swag, mesmerizing eyes and drawly voice created a new benchmark. 

His screen presence was imposing and even though he was pitted against established actors, he held his own. 

Undoubtedly, he was a late entrant when compared with many others, nevertheless he surpassed many when it came to performances and impressions. 

You will be sorely missed Irrfan Khan, not only by your fans and admirers, but also by filmmakers for whom you were the perfect option to the reigning superstars. 

With a heavy heart we add yet another name to the memorable and distinguished list, of which you are a notable part. 

Circumstances prevented us from giving you a fitting farewell. The turnout would have been stupendous, leaving no doubt about how much you were loved. 

Goodbye Sir, thanks for entertaining and leaving us with undying memories.

 

Death--End or A New Beginning!

Life has another dimension and that is death. Death is the second phase, transfer of the soul to the unknown, to a life beyond. 

 

Where the soul is supreme, unplagued by physical shortcomings. Death is free from life's perplexities and there is no sense of false security which we embrace during life. 

 

When death knocks on our door, it frowns upon the vicious cycle of our life, where we spend an eternity clamouring for riches, recognition, accumulation and violating tons of tenets of humanity. 

 

Death allows us to recap our life in those moments preceding the end, which could last a moment, hours or even days. 

 

Death is the revelation many of us fear and dread. It is unforgiving, brutally honest and focused in its approach. 

 

It doesn't procrastinate or succumb to pressures or relent in it's goal. It comes with a purpose, achieves and leaves. 

 

Death is glory for the victim, but grief for the loved ones. 

 

Death is emancipation for the soul from a sickened body. 

 

The soul is now free as a bird, invisible to the human eye and spends eternity as a memory for others, and bliss for itself. 

 

Love and Beyond !

What makes us fall in love with another person? Do we do so for fulfilling our desire or is it love for the other.

Let's go back to a basic fact. What is love? No point in looking up a dictionary, ask yourselves whether you love your partner or spouse for yourself or for them.

Is your love over powering to the extent that you are prepared to overlook your own needs prior to that of your partner? If so, then you are on the right track or else you need to assess yourself.

I would like to break-up love into three segments:
1. Physical
2. Spiritual
3. Emotional

Physical attraction is the first point of any relationship. It is the catalyst which induces the desire to culminate and bind a relationship. However the greatest drawback here is that the longevity of such an attraction comes with a rather rapid expiry period. In certain cases a few months and the more fortunate enjoy it for a few years. Many relationships cease to exist at this point and each tend to move on either amicably or bitterly.

Spiritual bonding is a factor most couples tend to disregard, either it is ritualistically performed or is non-existent. God should be the center point of any relationship. Merging of our spiritual being with a spouse could be the cornerstone of a successful relationship.

Emotional rapport is nothing but being sensitive to each other's feelings. Respect each other's space and allow each to have some 'Me' time. Trust me it does wonders for the relationship.

Now that we have examined certain aspects of love, let's get to the most important point which generally make or break a relationship.

How much do you love your partner? Do you put self before or after? Let me explain further.

We all love ourselves without any doubt, there is no person in existence who can claim that they hate themselves. Now that we have clarity on that, let us quickly move to the second part, do we love our partner less, on par or more than ourselves?

Truthfully ask yourself this question. Because if you love less, then your relationship is on shaky ground and may or may not withstand the test of time.

Loving on par is a better situation but the possibilities of it slipping a shade or two lower as time elapses is a strong possibility.

However loving more is a unique state, and ensures the relationship blooms and thrives irrespective of time or situations.

Of course some may argue that this could also lose its sheen over the years and a relationship ends up being ritualistic and pedestrian. I don't dispute this argument, but if we are focused on loving our partner more than ourselves, then no challenge or obstacles will be big enough to overcome.

This aspect of love fascinated me for a long time and I even wrote a novel 'Love without Boundaries' about two people deeply in love and the challenges they faced.

Ayesha and Vihaan the two protagonists display a love only reserved for a chosen few. Try to fall into that category as there is nothing more satisfying than a successful relationship.

I strongly advice young budding lovers to read this book, as it moots a theory which if applied, could change your lives forever.

Fearless Living !

We are slowly and steadily heading towards a period which will be dominated by evil forces. To achieve their sinister goals they will unleash fear in the minds of everyone with the sole purpose of ensuring that none will dare to challenge their motives. Living a life without fear could be something of the past.

Corruption in high places is the nemesis for all of us. Their overwhelming authority and access to muscle power can be unnerving for the peace loving and generally docile individual who rather bow in obeisance, than dare to challenge a group which operates in a clandestine manner.

Social media regularly displays videos of various crimes being committed in different parts of the country. Mind you, these videos are uploaded by citizens and exhibit violence against women, the elderly, police atrocities and other heart-wrenching incidents.

What is of upmost concern is the fearlessness exhibited by the perpetrators in broad daylight, without fear of reprisal from the not so long arm of the law.

Where do you think such criminals derive their courage from? No prizes for guessing, it's obvious for all to see. Political clout blesses them with nerves of steel and with influential persons watching their back, they feel a sense of invincibility.

Let's rewind to the pre-independence era and scrutinize the mindset of our freedom fighters. They possessed a single minded purpose and collectively fought selflessly and relentlessly to achieve a purpose for subsequent generations to live with freedom and dignity.

If at that moment, there was a fast forward mechanism for them to look into the future, it would have immensely grieved those valiant fighters of what future generations would do to their legacy. I consider it a mutilation of our heritage and culture. In harsher words, it is nothing but a gang rape of the legacy we inherited from our ancestors.

Another disheartening factor to be considered is that this mass mutilation and erosion of basic human values is the handiwork of a very minuscule percentage of people. It is their muscle power which invokes fear in the minds of the vast peace loving majority.

I declare this majority, myself included, to be a spineless, gutless species which needs to be plunged into a bottomless pit of doom, for allowing this hooliganism to pervade and corrupt society.

Are my words harsh? Well so be it, because if our ancestors had the same mindset of what we possess today, we would still be under British rule.

Wake up citizens of India and let's fight our second independence movement with the enemy living amongst us or else the fractured legacy we leave behind will spell doomsday for future generations.

I personally prefer fearless living and am willing to sacrifice my life to achieve this goal. How many of you are ready to do likewise? The time for procrastination is over, the time for discussions, debates and blogs is definitely over. In unsympathetic words, get off your lethargic behinds and move ahead.

Let’s emulate our forefathers who fought tooth and nail to allow us a life of dignity and freedom, we have no right to disrespect that legacy.