Front Cover

Sculpture of Hippocrates, great Greek physician born in 460 BC.

Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers,

Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest the divinity within by controlling nature external and internal. ----
Swami Vivekananda

In kath upnishad there is story of a brilliant boy Natchiketa who wanted to meet Yamraj and asked him about the mystery of death. Initially Yamraj declined but Natchiketa was not an ordinary boy he stood firmly on his stand and he succeeded in getting Yamraj bent down. Yamraj disclosed the mystery of death in this word. He said --- Our body is like a chariot. This chariot has five horses which are our sense organs; eyes, ear, tongue, nose, and skin. The horses are controlled by our intelligence. If the horses are broken and if the charioteer is asleep then chariot can not reach its destination or the horses are not disciplined and the intelligence cannot discriminate between good and bad one cannot reach the goal of human life. This answer satisfied Natchiketa

This mystery became truth of life for Natchiketa and after thousand of years this knowledge is still a basic truth for today’s youth who are trying to develop healthy life.

This small but esteemed group called Study circle is trying to develop strong and beautiful character among youth through knowledge sharing as Natchiketa did. Same beautiful glimpses you will find in this issue of SAMAR.



Yours truly,
Editor

Your Voice

I am really impressed with your research work about Ghalib, you said his poetry is sad and about suffering, but in my opinion the art of poetry flourishes when the poet is not well off, there are a lot of example including Ghalib, Mir and a lot. one more thing whish was missing you did not mentioned anything about Ghalib's skill in prose, if u have studied Urdu as a subject then you must have read letters written by Ghalib, its a part of urdu syllabus in most of the education board, u must read his letter, its amazing, and last I found a few mistakes in a few couplet, at places u have not quoted complete couplet, which can leave readers a bit confused. Over all I am pretty impressed with the effort at least this will create some awareness about Urdu literature, at last I would like to suggest do a series on Urdu poet the scope is immense.

~Ammar Nasir, Pune

Shelter the second most important factor for anyone's life, after food. Lots of people are struggling for a roof on their head. I personally think that the problem is neither the huge mass nor the scarcity of a place; actually the problems are lack of interest and lack of plans. I have seen lots of old buildings which are in the form of khandhar and presently they are useless. But they can be a hope of thousand people if govt. or we will invest little money and little interest.

For this we would also need an approval from govt. and I think that would be easier if any NGO will take interest in it.

~Avinash Mishra,
Greater Noida

It is really shameful that after 55 years of independence we are still struggling for social justice and equality in society .Giving reservation is the most easiest way to tackle the problem but this the artificial way of tackling the problem we should go to the root cause and try to solve the problem . Poverty and inequality is a vicious cycle riser could help to break the cycle but this is not the solution because we have millions of people who needs help and we are helping thousands of people and patting our back.

We have a limited infrastructure that means we can produce the fixed number of graduates and majority of graduates are from FC we need to equalize the things. We need to give strength to the infrastructure. I am afraid that we will hear more suicide cases after class 12th exams when a student will not get admission. If the food is limited then there are two ways to solve the problem. Eat less or grow more.
The choice is yours. I strongly believe that first improve the infrastructure then offer reservation, this is the only way.

~Ujjwal Shukla

Lecture Series

Democracy

The word democracy is derived from two Greek words – demos (meaning people) & kratia (meaning rule). It means rule of people. In politics, definition of democracy is given by Abraham Lincoln (16th president of USA) – it is a government which is of the people, for the people, by the people.

If we delve in history and find from where the idea has come out, it becomes very difficult because the history of human civilization is running alongside history of democracy. But still there are some bold markings & clear indications of when civilized humans started thinking about democratic ideas. The NCERT text book on political science says that, first glances of democratic ideas were exchanged at the time of Vedas itself. For example recall the famous line – Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam (the whole world’s a family). The concept of family makes a sense of equality & fraternity because in a family a talented and an ordinary are treated equally.

The Holy Quran says – kan naas o, ummatun wahidun (indeed humanity is one nation). The concept of nation is defined in aura of humanity and all of us know that humanity is boundless,it doesn’t know about the difference between creed, caste and boundaries. These are only two examples from history, but there are innumerous ones and no doubt examples given here are very much related to India.

Now, come back again to the politics. Ride on a time machine with reverse gear and come to Greece. The great Greek philosopher Aristotle who was champion in political science & science of government said that there are six forms of government—

1. Tyranny
2. Aristocracy
3. Oligarchy
4. Polity
5. Monarchy
6. Democracy

According to him – Polity is the best kind of government and democracy is worst form of polity. Polity reconciles all the good values of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. Tyranny is the worst kind of government where the king becomes oppressor and cruel above par. He does everything for self satisfaction. There are several examples of tyranny in history. Thus monarchy is the best form of tyranny. In other words, monarchy is pure from all the evils of tyranny because king is not an oppressor.

Oligarchy is the rule of few people. This is limited version of democracy, when only few affluent people rule over the nation.

Aristocracy is the government of the best. The best people like noble men rule the country. So it is also same as oligarchy.
Any how the debate of various forms of government ends at democracy because it is the rule of people and people here means each and every citizen of nation. Plato has said that democracy is rule of mob. The system of anarchy can be created from democracy. He advocated monarchy but he made one qualification, i.e. the monarch of the country must be the greatest philosopher of the nation but question raises here that who’ll decide on the verdict of the best philosopher of nation. Only the citizens of nation can answer the questions like who is the best philosopher, who is the best choice. And this they will tell by giving their opinion. And mode of giving opinion is voting. Hence, we return to democracy. It means anyhow till yet the democracy is accepted as the best form of government.

With monarchy a positive point is that if the king is a good human being then people of his state would be happy & prosperous. Examples in history are – Vikramaditya of India, Haroon Rashid & Hatim Tai of Baghdad. But serious drawback monarchy is that countrymen can’t catch him if he does wrong. He is unaccountable. It’s only up to him whether he does good or bad. Nobody can punish him.

In democracy people can punish the ruler for his corruption. Ruler has to be disciplined & honest otherwise he’ll be dethroned by people.

According to NCERT text book there are four incidents in modem history of world that gave great philip to the idea democracy they broadband & enriched it which is still getting richer day by day.

1. The first incident is the independence of America in 1776 & Philadelphia convention which held just after the independence. This convention showed the world what a democratic country is. It was first republic, its head was elected directly by government, it has got a written constitution which talked abut justice & equality

2. Second incident was French revolution in 1989. The public was in revolutionary mood; it killed the king & set the rule of public. This revolution has coined three basic concept of democracy called – liberty, fraternity, equality.

3. Russian revolution – in 1917 the proletariat revolution in Russia established the idea that labourers, farmers too have equal right in governance. They have equal right in each & every property of nation.

4. The independence of India in 1947 – It initiated a series of independence & self determination among third world nation. The biggest part of the world got the taste of democracy. Idea of right to development, right to practice one’s own culture, religion, and economic right was included in democracy. So, slowly & slowly democracy became broader & broader.
Now we’ll talk about sociological aspect of democracy. Till yet we’re talking about politics & governance in democracy.

Sociologically democracy means giving space to everybody. There are various kinds of men & women in the society & each of them has right to develop & pursue his desires. You can’t compress anybody’s space of creativity in a democratic society. Since world is changing everyday, new kind of ideas in field of science & technology, art & culture, politics governance are being developed. A democratic society will surely give each idea required space for its development.

Rule of road – there is a theory in democracy called rule of road. Imagine you are walking in the middle of the road, and other vehicles are being disturbed due to you. You are asked to walk on footpath or on left side of road but you say that you have right to walk on road anywhere because road is public property. Here the rule applies, you have right to walk on the road anywhere but you can’t snatch anybody else’s space to walk on the road. As you have right others too have. While enjoying or exercising your right you can’t encroach in anybody’s right. But alas nobody cares for that. Everyday we crowd out some part of other’s space.

Similarly, you are allowed to speak but you can’t defame anyone. But in India, we find that political leaders of various parties do not hesitate in defaming their rivals. The series of spitting on each once starts then goes on & on. They can say anything to anybody. Even they attack modesty of women with their words in public but no law prevents them. Extremist leaders with their speeches instigate people to kill somebody or set ablaze any religious shrine as it happened in Gujarat in 2002, and recently a Muslim leader in U.P. encouraged people to kill the person who made cartoon of Mohammed (PBUH). The failure of law is the reason behind these acts.

The marginalized groups like SC/ST, women, children often become victim of encroachment of rights. Among these biggest section is of women. Each & every woman feels compression of her space in her daily life. Men encroach in women’s rights everywhere like in work places, in homes, in market, even in vehicles though which they commute to other places. A man would enjoy in acquiring bigger part of seat when there is a women sitting beside her in a public carriage. He would try touching her hair or hand.

There is a example of famous case of Rupan Bejaj (IAS) vs K.P.S. gill (former DGP of Punjab) in which Mr. Gill was accused of pinching Ms. Bajaj in a party without her permission some fifteen years ago. She had fought case for fifteen years now she got judgment in her favour. Two points can be drawn from this case; first even high society intellectuals do not respect women’s position & her reservation. Even a woman IAS officer is vulnerable among men. She had to protect her rights at every single moment. Second, the justice is got after a long space of time and it loses its importance because memory of public is very short.

Similarly, children are also made victim of many violations of their democratic rights. Perhaps we don’t know that taking a child to a place where he or she doesn’t want to go is against his democratic rights . There are innumerous jargons and lessons of democracy which we have to learn to make a healthy and beautiful society. We have to test whether we are democratic or not. For example some of your friends are frank and show very light attitude towards you, you can pat him on his back or share any kind of joke with him or her. But there are some friends who have some reservation s about their public relations you can’t force them to share a joke (it doesn’t matter how much hilarious your joke is). And some time you have to tolerate other’s antics and nuisances (it doesn’t matter that you like them or not), this is part of a democratic society.

Politics in our country is not democratic in full measure but we can make it by our gallant efforts. First we have to become democratic in our personal and social behaviour. We have to rise from the level of petty values and feeling of self importance and think towards one better and bigger goal.

Prepared by:
Asim &Shahbaz

Social Impact Of Rock n Roll

“Rock music can change things. I know that it changed our lives.”
~ Bono

I don’t remember where I have read it or heard it but I am certain that in few occasion I have seen the existence of Rock mania in the Society. This may not have been the most perceptive analysis but it draws attention to an important point. The music of a country - a culture, an era - can tell us a great deal about that country - that culture, that era. Musical production and consumption are not accidental. They do not exist bracketed off and isolated from the country - the culture, the era - as a whole. Music is integral.

I have spent my precious two and a half years in a famous University of India though I was not a legal student of that University. There I got chance to meet real Rockers. Like other Teens I was also addicted to rock music. I had accepted Rock as a fashion and followed Punk style uncombed hair, cigarette and torn out jeans. There were few rock bands in the university. Many of them use to smoke marijuana, grass, and tobacco in joints and then they start feeling very happy and it stimulates their mind. Even I believed that someone who is “high” has a positive view on the world and on life.

Rock music is one of the world's most popular and adaptable musical forms. When it originated in the United States in the early 1950's, rock music was known as rock 'n' roll. From the start, it was party music, dance music, and music that appealed to young listeners. It often celebrated the joys of being young, and it occasionally expressed the frustrations of the youth.

Many adults dismissed rock 'n' roll as a passing fad or condemned it as a threat to society. By the mid-1960's, however, rock 'n' roll had earned wide respect as a legitimate art form. The music's popularity spread internationally and among older listeners as well. By the end of the 1960's, the music had moved far from its roots in blues and country music, and it became known simply as rock.

In the 1970's, rock became a bigger business than ever. It not only dominated the music industry, but also influenced everything from film to fashion to politics. As rock music became increasingly accepted, it lost much of the rebelliousness that had originally given it its power.

Since the early 1980's, rock music has continued to defy musical barriers and has drawn much of its strength from international musical influences. Today, rock music is no longer only the music of young Americans. It is music of the world.

The massive popularity and worldwide scope of rock and roll resulted in an unprecedented level of social impact. Far beyond simply a musical style, rock and roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language in a way few other social developments have equalled. The social impact is so large that rock stars are worshipped worldwide and often performances of several artists in diverse arts and cultures are scaled to and appreciated as being close to that of a "rock star".

Rock as a culture has some darker aspects. Rock is often linked with sex, drugs, suicide, and violence. Today, at almost any "heavy-metal'' rock concert one can hear the audience being exhorted to rape and murder in the name of Satan. Lyrics such as the following are typical:

"We come bursting through your bodies
Rape your helpless soul
Transform you into a creature
Merciless and cold
We force you to kill your brother
Eat his blood and brain
Shredding flesh and sucking bone
Till everyone's insane
We are pestilent and contaminate
The world Demonic legions prevail"
"DEMONS" by Rigor Mortis

Any loving parent today would be horrified and shocked to learn that their sons and daughters are eagerly listening to such evil.

Long hair, torn out jeans, long T shirts, satanic necklace, Tattoo, Leather jackets, pierced body and all accessories that normally parents call it indecent are all rock style. Basically rock is all about being rebellious. Rockers want to look tough both physically and mentally. Listeners want to look like their favourite rock star. A cultural war broke out in the mid-1960s in the UK over the rivalry between the "Mods" (who favoured high-fashion, expensive styles) and the "Rockers" (who wore T-shirts and leather); the songs were composed to praise one style and abuse another. Today we can see among teens that majority of them have long hair and wear printed T-shirts of their favourite rock star. Like in India t-shirts of Kurt Coben, Bob Marley, Linkin Park, Eminem etc are very popular among urban teens.

Drugs were often a huge part of the rock music lifestyle. Rock music also espoused the use of marijuana. Reggae singer of 70’s Bob Marley popularised the use of marijuana in his famous song “smoke two joints”. Even in many colleges and universities in India one can find students taking joints, marijuana is mostly smoked in a joint. This experiment is now internationally recognised and practised everywhere in the world. Marijuana is very common among youth because they believe taking marijuana affects and stimulates thinking and leads to a philosophic, positive life attitude. It causes an euphoric feeling. The use of marijuana was not the worst; the mass distribution of LSD came next.


(Teen smoking marijuana)


In the 1960s psychedelic music arose; some musicians encouraged and intended listeners of psychedelic music to be under the influence of LSD or other drugs. In 1967 The Beatles had released their first album dedicated to the promotion of psychedelic drugs, Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album contained a fantasized version of an LSD trip, called "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", or L.S.D. for short. It became a top seller.

One month after the album's release, the Beatles shocked the world by announcing, publicly, that they were regularly taking LSD. Beatle member Paul McCartney, in an interview with Life magazine said, "LSD opened my eyes. We only use one-tenth of our brain." They also publicly called for the legalization of marijuana. It is common for rocker stars to experiment with different kinds of drugs. The popularity and promotion of experimentation with drugs by rock stars may have influenced use of drugs among youth of the period. One can say that the consumption of drugs is increasing with the popularity of rock music.

During the past four decades, rock music lyrics have become increasingly expressed -- particularly with reference to drugs, sex, and violence and even of greater concern, sexual violence. Heavy metal and rap lyrics have elicited the greatest concern, as they compound the environment in which some teenagers increasingly are confronted with pregnancy, drug use, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and other sexually transmitted diseases, injuries, homicide and suicide.

Suicide is a prominent theme in music as a generation cries out having no hope. Today death and suicide are a consistent part of the Rock music lyrics as the artists voice their own despair in living in a fallen world. This prompts people to take others lives as well as their own. Ozzie Osborne became famous many years ago called the “Suicide Solution”:

“Suicide is the only way out ... why don't you kill yourself cause you can't escape the Master Reaper...”

Eric Anderson, a 14-year -old fan committed suicide in response to the song. He told his father that he couldn't cope with the pressure. He then went into his room and took a .22 rifle and killed himself.

( Ozzy Osborne’s “Suicide Solution” )

For decades, Rock music has been blamed for antisocial or inappropriate behaviour in teens. Ozzy Osborne’s “Suicide Solution,” AC/DC’s “Shoot to Thrill,” and Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, these are few examples that provokes depressed teens to commit suicide.

Sometimes rock music encourages violence too. Just read the lyrics of a song by Dead Kennedy and judge yourself –

"I kill children, I love to see them die.
I kill children to make their mothers cry.
I crush them under my car and I love to hear them scream.
I feed them poison candy and spoil their Halloween.
I kill children, I bang their heads in doors.
I kill children, I can hardly wait for yours.”


Some people believe that rock music stimulates casual indiscipline. Contemporary rock music is saturated with elements of cohabitation outside of marriage, infidelity, sadism and masochism, homosexuality, rape and necrophilia. According to Christian point of view rock music often encourages sex with anyone you like. From the late Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" to Queen's "Body Language" to George Michael's "I Want Your Sex" to Madonna's "Chemical Reaction" to White Snake's "Still of the Night" and to the lyrics of Prince and endless others the theme is the same: promotion of sexual licentiousness.

If I went long just talking about sex, drugs and rock n roll then it doesn’t mean rock music has only darker side. Rock musicians have sometimes attempted to address social issues directly as commentary or as calls to action. In 70’s Reggae singer Bob Marley revolted against American imperialism like his famous song “Buffalo soldiers in the heart of America” .

During the Vietnam War the first rock protest songs were heard, inspired by the songs of folk musicians such as Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, which ranged from abstract evocations of peace Peter, Paul, and Mary's "If I Had a Hammer" to blunt anti-establishment diatribes Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young's "Ohio". Other musicians, notably John Lennon and Yoko Ono, were vocal in their anti-war sentiment both in their music and in public statements.

Famous rock musicians have adopted causes ranging from the environment (Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (the Ecology)" and the anti-apartheid movement (Peter Gabriel's "Biko"), to violence in Northern Ireland (U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday") and worldwide economic policy (The Dead Kennedys' "Kill the Poor"). On occasion this involvement would go beyond simple songwriting and take the form of sometimes-spectacular concerts or televised events, often raising money for charity. Recently in 2004 a concert was organised by Linkin Park to raise fund for the victims of Tsunami.


AZMI

Poets Of The World

Kabir


Whenever I read and recite the poems of Kabir I feel a sensational effect on my mind & soul. He reveals innermost beauty of the creation and creator which is hidden under seven beautiful curtains. When he says –

Laali mere laal ki jit dekho tit laal
Laali dekhan main gayee main bhi ho gayi laal

(Colour of my beloved is spread all over the sight, when I tried to observe it, too get coloured in the same colour)

Listening to this, you will sink in the place where you are sitting, and you will flow to some unknown destination where you will find inexplicable and unexplored beauties. And no doubt when you’ll return back, you too have become a beautiful soul.
Kabir as some historian say was born in 1398 & some say 1440 is the actual year of his birth. The same confusions are about the day on which he left for his final abode.
Some people say it was in 1495 and some say 1518 and etceteras. He was borne in a small place called Maghar near Banaras. The legend had it that he was found in among water lilies in a small stream the person called Neeru took the child with himself . He became Kabir’s father and his wife nima became her mother. Neeru and Nima was poor weaver belonging to a modest sub caste of Muslim. They took the child to nearby mosque where a maulana gave the name – Kabir to the child which meant “the great”. Some overenthusiastic people tell other stories about the circumstances related to his birth & death but we as simple human (and nothing else) can discard all the fanatic stories about Kabir because Kabir himself discarded anything fantasy about his life, his upbringing his education, his death. He says –

Masi kagad, chhuo kalam gahi nahin haath

(I’ve never touched pen & paper)

Main kahta hoon aankhon dekhi
tu kahta hai kagad ki lekhi

(I say what I feel and observe & you say what you read in books.)

Simple, he was a purist. He was illiterate but observed, meditated got everything what other big scholars could not get.
But still people make stories about him which are not compatible with his teachings. Some people say that Kabir was a son of an unwedded brahman woman. She left him in a pond due to fear of society. Some say he was incarnation of Prahlad or any other god living in the heaven. Sadly Kabir never boasted anything divine about himself because he practiced the unity & harmony among humans which he professed too. He was a simple human being who developed himself into a beautiful soul.

Slowly and slowly he grew older with the teachings he got from his parent and guardians. He started helping in family business of weaving clothes. He was industrious person so he would get lost in his work too. In later years, he exchanged glances with his vocation too. He created verses which are reminiscent of his love with his occupation & so he says –

Jheeni jheeni beeni chadariya
So chdar nar muni odhin
Odh ke maili keeni chadariya
Das Kabir jatan se odhin
Jyon ke tyon dhar dini chadariya

(The blanket has been woven with ultra delicacy & softness. This blanket was used by sage & priest but they made it dirty. The poor Kabir also used the same blanket he kept it as it was given to him.)

One can imagine how an illiterate weaver was getting lessons of spiritualism through the threads of blanket. Kabir was reckless, insincere young man. He would roam here & there to search nothing. One day he met a sage called Ramanand. He was master of ancient Indian philosophy. He was said to be one who prophesied about vishisht adwaitwad – an off shoot of adwaitwad. He gave all his knowledge to Kabir. Kabir was a village folk brought up in an environment of traditions & cultures of north Indian village. What he leant from Rarnanad and from his environment was mixed up with spices brought by Muslim Sufis who had already spread all over north India. The delicacy Kabir prepared was not only delicious but rare too. It was easily digestible for all the men & women folks living in his vicinity. He used Sufi concept & words like – khaliq, dozakh, bahisht, Muhammad, peer, qalander, mast, sharab as well as local traditional concepts like – bhahiya, dulha, barat, shehnai, birahni, maya, sawan, barat, kailash, brahma, and gave his first and foremost message that love is the most important work & goal of life for all the human beings –

Pothi padhi padhi jab mue pandit bhaya na koi
Dhai akhar prem ka padhe so pandit hoyee

(The whole world is reading heavy books but even a single person could not become a sage. But the one who earns the small word of love become the master instantaneously.)

He professed that you acquire all the knowledge of this world or you learn the lesson of love, both the things are equal. He must have written this magnificent couplet after pondering & contemplating over the beauties of this world for many long years.

Ramanand taught him about brahman, alaukik prem, the relation between god & his creator. Kabir learnt tasawwuf & ideas of ishq from Sufis, the only difference was that in Sufism the god the beloved is a beautiful woman who attract humans with her various naaz – adea while in kabir’s philosophy of love – god is lover and human soul is the woman who is weeping and writhing in agony of separation.

Sawani chot birah ki sab tan jar jar hoi
Maranhara janihai ki jinhi laagi soi

(The ofseperation is so severe that whole body gets dilapidated two persons only can understand the intensity of the agony the one who has got the pain and the one who has delivered the pain)

The day when she will meet with her beloved, all the impurity of soul will be wiped out in the freshness of meeting—

Daag sab chhutihai jab saaheb milihi jayen.

(All the blots will be removed when my beloved will meet me)

This sounds something which has a sense of finality also. When you have suffered a lot in your life as you suffer in love, you will be honoured to get peace while all of your sufferings are exchanged with supreme happiness as it happens when you meet with your beloved. This is the final stage after that nothing is needed even sense of need disappears. The demarcation between life & death, sleep & awakening, sorrow and merry fades out.

He believed in no shape &description of god. He felt sensitivity and asked others to sense it. He did not prophecies about god’s immense power and criticized all the rites & rituals which dilute the relation between god & his creation. His remarkable criticisms were like hammers on the religious bigotry of his time and are still haunting and reminding us with full measure in our time. He says—

Sadhu dekho jag baurana
Sanchi kaho to maran dhawe
Jhoote jag patiyana
Bahute dekhi nemi dharmi
Praat kare asnana
Atam chari pashan puje
Thotha unka gyana.
Bahute dekhe peer auliya
Parhe kitab kurana.
Kare mureed batlawe kabar
Unhun khuda na jaana.
Kahe Kabir sun bhai sadhu,
Dono mein kou na dewana.

(O gentleman, see the world has got mad, I say truth but they run to beat me and believe the fake. I have seen a lot of religious people who follow the strict routine, bath early in the morning but leaving their soul worship a stone.
I have seen a lot of Muslim leaders who read Quran & preach to worship the grave.
O gentleman none of them is true lover of god)

This kind of poetry drew downtrodden people in masses towards Kabir. But he also invited problems for himself from the side of rulers of the time. He was beaten, defamed, thrown out of sight but he remained calm & cool. By the passing of time his teaching spread all over the north India and it became virtually impossible for the establishment to stop people to visit Kabir. He raised serious philosophical questions among his people.

Kabira khara bazaar mein, liye lakuti haath
Jo ghar jaare aapne chale mere saath

(Kabir is ready to start his journey and calls people to come with him but only those people will come who have already burnt their houses)

He asked truth seekers to come and fellow the path of truth. But before that you have to burn all the knowledge you have acquired, become truth will be very ruthless in piercing your knowledge bank.

The basic idea is that you have to reform yourself; you have to pick & throw out your inner sins like ego, sexual aberrations, greed, emotional weakness etc. then only a pure love erupts & resides inside you. He says –

Prem na kheto upje, prem na haat bikay
Raja parja jehi ruche, sir ko de so le jaye

(Love is not produced in field, nor is it sold in market whether he is king or common, one who gives his head can take love with him)
Or,

Tera jaan, ek Aandh hai koi
kaam krodh aru lobh vivarjit, haripad chinhai soi.

(The person who sheds down, anger, greed, lust, will walk on the path of god)

And Kabir became more & more popular became his poetry do not asked people to practice hard & fast rules of religion but to make yourself pure and simple thus achieve the goal of life. The cleansing of inner impurity is more important than offering prayers in mosque & pilgrimage to kailash or ka’ba. He says—

Mala pherat jag bhega phira na manka pher
Karka manka dari de manka manka pher

(Counting the beads of rosary do not wipes impurity in mind, leave the rosary of hand and take the rosary of mind)
On other occasion, he says -

Na main dewal na main Masjid
na main ka’be kailas mein
dhoondhi hauin to turthi mili haun
palbhar ki talas mein

(I do not reside in temples nor in mosque, neither I live in ka’aba nor in kailash. if you have will to search will you get me in seconds)

His popularity was not only wide but deep too. The parameter of depth is that even today village folks in north India sing his couplets with sweet voice. You’ll ask them what you are singing they will say its nirgun or chaupai. They know what are sabad sakhi, ramaini but perhaps they do not know who had composed them because these poems are travelling for seven hundred years only through heart to heart communication. Kabir’s poetry has become poetry of masses. Another parameter can be sighted that Kabir is the poet whose poem you’ll find in the Hindi syllabi of Std One to M.A.; he has said something which is understandable to everybody. A child can learn & recite –

Aisi bani boliye man ka appa khoye
Auron ko seetal kare aaphoon seetal hoye

(Talk such language which wipes disappointment from heart. Others get peace & you too get peace)
Scholars can read & discuss –

Kheh bhaya to kya bhaaya, udi udi lago ang
Harijan aisa chahiye jyun pani sabrang

(Even if you become so modest like dirt of a road, it files & makes people’s cloth dirty so a noble man should become like water which has no colour of its own)

Kabir died in 1495 (no definite) in Maghar. He lived whole of his life in Banaras but when his last time came he migrated again to his birth place – maghar; only to show his people that dying in kashi is no divine. If you have done good in life you’ll get moksha anyhow whether you die on bed of roses or on bed of spears. Even after his death people started quarreling with each other for the last rituals of Kabir.

His life is also a teaching which at the same time talks about melancholy tone and merry carols both. He for whole of his life by setting examples taught people about noble life. It pained him when he saw society is not listening to his words and therefore he says –

Sukhiya sab sansar hai khaye aur soye
Dhukhiya das Kabir hai jaage aur roye

It seemed to me that he is asking the God to give him all the pains which are due to those ignorant people whom he was showing light. Anybody like me can’t forget Kabir once he meet him in a moonlit night.



MILIND

The Truth behind Doctors

Here I’ am going to share some of my experiences about doctors - the one who save our lives. Sometime I think they are lifebuoys and some time I think they are only money makers and opportunist. Well! There may be different opinions of different people about doctors.

All of us have gone through experiences of pains and agonies and all of us have visited doctors at least for once. Yours truly, too have some experiences of visiting doctors. In my life there are many occasions which have revealed darker side of doctors to me. I narrate them one by one.

Once when I was a child, I was playing on a fine soothing evening in Sharif colony of Patna. While enjoying the game of hide and seek with my friends I saw a lady crying bitterly. I asked her the reason. She told me that her husband had been thrown out of the hospital because she had no money to pay the prescribed fees of the doctors. The patient needed an urgent operation. I asked my parents and neighbours to help. They helped but the amount wasn’t enough. The doctors and the hospital didn’t show any mercy. Due to lack of proper medical attention he died. The lady (his wife) committed suicide. She jumped from the top of the same hospital. On questioning the doctor, he said “I can’t go on helping every person, if I do that soon I’ll be one of them who beg for medical attention”. He walked away.

Another incident I remember is of a famous dental hospital of Patna. This is a place where people are supposed to be treated free of cost. I had to visit it once. After waiting for four hours, my sister and me were attended finally. But there was an old man with his young son, I was told, that he was waiting since morning. They were poor villagers and even didn’t know to speak proper Hindi. The boy had some severe problem. He was crying bitterly but no body cared to attend them. Once or twice, when the father dared to go towards the cabin of dentist, they treated him as if he were a dog. We were done in few minutes and had to leave but I still don’t know if he was ever attended.

Third instance related to a famous orthopaedic hospital. This is one of the best hospitals in Bihar. I was admitted in this hospital for the treatment of my old disease. It was indeed very costly affair. But as phrase goes - No money No care…… I saw patients lying outside the hospital in the rainy season. They weren’t even allowed to take drinking water from the hospital. I remembered, one day when we, by mistake ordered an extra plate of lunch. My mother called one Akka (one who cleans floors etc.) to take it but suddenly a nurse came. She scolded Akka and told us that we couldn’t give food to them. Akka ran away and the food was ultimately thrown to dust bin.
These are few incidents where good doctors never cared for the poor but there is another is set of doctors – they are the ones who obtain fake degrees and then due to these quakes both rich and poor suffer for no fault of their own. The status of patients is not a qualification in sufferings. Not only that there is a nexus created by doctors and medical care homes, they will ask you to run from one place to another for innumerous kind of tests ad treatment. Even if you have a very simple disease like nausea you will get affected to big disease which has big and horrifying names. Since you know nothing about medical science you will bent on your knees and beg to the doctors; please cure me. This is the big drama they are playing to make money.

Yes, people suffer….they do…. I can say that because I am one of the victims. I met an accident at the age of six, in which I got multiple fractures and I fell in the trap of a quake and things went horribly wrong. But I thank Allah…because it was my hand. Had it been my leg…; then the story would have been different.
I call on doctors and I pray them to remember their Hippocratic Oath; to listen their calls for duty because duty to suffering is work of god.

An admirer of Samar

Vote Of Thanks

We are proud to present the 7th edition of ‘SAMAR’. We hope you must have enjoyed the magazine. You can also read the magazine online at www.mysamar.blogspot.com. You can also give your feedback through e-mail or post.

Last but not the least; again we would like to thank the readers, writers and sponsor of ‘SAMAR’.

EDITOR

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Hippocratic Oath