Why am I agnostic?

I grew up in a moderately conservative, god-fearing society. There are fewer chances of people being agnostic, in such a setting. So, how did I become agnostic? When did this process begin for me?

• When the believers visit Tirupathy/Shabarimalai, (Any temple): They bribe the temple personnel to see the Statue, bedecked with jewels, which they call “GOD”, quicker than any other, so they can get out of that madness as early as possible. Then put incredibly amount of money/wealth to the temple’s Hundi (Temple Donation), wherein they wouldn’t give a penny to the needy. Worst of all, them believing that, by doing so, their sin is washed away and they can start working on a fresh batch, which can be gotten rid off, in their next visit. (Yes guys,God is watching how much money you donate to the temple. The more you donate, the less full your pot of sin,is gonna be) “
• From my experience, “The most devout are the most presumptuous ” (Ring a bell!)
  

This put me on the road to atheism( I dont consider myself an atheist ,yet). I have explored many avenues since. During my exploration, I have met believers whose whole theory is just simply wrong. I don’t believe in God/Religion/Culture. I don’t celebrate any festivals or practice any rituals. It doesn’t make sense to me. What makes sense to me is to get involved in the community and work for the upliftment of the world we live in. What makes sense to me is to celebrate Diwali/Christmas/Ramdan by organizing a blood donation drive or cooking food for the homeless… What makes sense to me is to fight against, slavish obedience to a custom, culture or to the crowd” [Gora].

I believe in, as Douglas Adam says,” Justice and Fairplay”. (Read the interview, Link Via Arun). I have come to understand from my experience on this Earth so far, that I could lead a worthwhile life, without god/religion/caste/culture. Also read Madman's plight in dealing with these religious nuts.

Mukthar Mai : Pakistan's Gang Rape Victim

Mukthar Mai is an inspiration to women,who are physically abused,all over the world,to come forward and fight for their rights. It takes a lot of courage to do what she did. She deserves every ounce of respect by all individuals. She is "ABC's Person of the week" and was awarded "Glamour's, Bravest Women".

Earth Quake Safety

Earthquakes strike suddenly, violently and without warning. Identifying potential hazards ahead of time and advance planning can reduce the dangers of serious injury or loss of life from an earthquake.

At Home :

• Fasten shelves securely to walls.
• Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.
• Store breakable items such as bottled foods, glass, and china in a low, closed cabinets with latches.
• Hang heavy items such as pictures and mirrors away from beds, couches, and anywhere people sit.
• Brace overhead light fixtures.
• Repair defective electrical wiring and leaky gas connections. These are potential fire risks.
• Secure a water heater by strapping it to the wall studs and bolting it to the floor.
• Repair any deep cracks in ceilings or foundations. Get expert advice if there are signs of structural defects.
• Store weed killers, pesticides, and flammable products securely in closed cabinets with latches and on bottom shelves.
• Locate safe places outdoors.In the open, away from buildings, trees, telephone and electrical lines, overpasses, or elevated expressways.
• Make sure all family members know how to respond after an earthquake.Teach all family members how and when to turn off gas, electricity, and water. Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1, police, or fire department and which radio station to tune to for emergency information.
• Have disaster supplies on hand. Flashlight,portable battery-operated radio and extra batteries. First aid kit and manual Emergency food and water. Nonelectric can opener. Essential medicines Cash and credit cards. Sturdy shoes. Develop an emergency communication plan. In case family members are separated from one another during an earthquake (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school), develop a plan for reuniting after the disaster.
• Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the "family contact". After a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance. Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address, and phone number of the contact person.

During the quake:

• If indoors,take cover under a sturdy furniture such as a heavy desk or table. Against an inside wall. Away from where glass could shatter around windows, mirrors, pictures, or where heavy bookcases or other heavy furniture could fall over. Stay inside. The most dangerous thing to do during the shaking of an earthquake is to try to leave the building because objects can fall on you.
• If outdoors,move into the open, away from buildings, street lights, and utility wires. Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops.
• If in a moving vehicle,stop quickly and stay in the vehicle. Move to a clear area away from buildings, trees, overpasses, or utility wires. Once the shaking has stopped, proceed with caution. Avoid bridges or ramps that might have been damaged by the quake.

After the quake:

• Be prepared for aftershocks.Although smaller than the main shock, aftershocks cause additional damage and maybring weakened structures down. Aftershocks can occur in the first hours, days, weeks, or even months after the quake.
• Help injured or trapped persons.Give first aid where appropriate. Do not move seriously injured persons unless they are in immediate danger of further injury. Call for help.
• Listen to a battery-operated radio or television for the latest emergency information. Remember to help your neighbors who may require special assistance like,infants, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Stay out of damaged buildings. Return home only when authorities say it is safe.
• Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches or gasoline or other flammable liquids immediately.
• Open closet and cupboard doors cautiously.
• Inspect the entire length of chimneys carefully for damage. Unnoticed damage could lead to a fire. Check for gas leaks. If you smell gas or hear blowing or hissing noise, open a window and quickly leave the building. Turn off the gas at the outside main valve if you can and call the gas company from a neighbor's home. If you turn off the gas for any reason, it must be turned back on by a professional. Look for electrical system damage. If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or if you smell hot insulation, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box or circuit breaker. If you have to step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker, call an electrician first for advice. Check for sewage and water line damage. If you suspect sewage lines are damaged, avoid using the toilets and call a plumber. If water pipes are damaged, contact the water company and avoid using water from the tap. You can obtain safe water by melting ice cubes.

Pets after the quake

The behavior of pets may change dramatically after an earthquake. Normally quiet and friendly cats and dogs may become aggressive or defensive. Watch animals closely. Leash dogs and place them in a fenced yard. Pets may not be allowed into shelters for health and space reasons. Prepare an emergency pen for pets in the home that includes a 3-day supply of dry food and a large container of water.

MITIGATION :

Mitigation includes any activities that prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or lessen the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies. Investing in preventive mitigation steps now such as repairing deep plaster cracks in ceilings and foundations, anchoring overhead lighting fixtures to the ceiling and following local seismic building standards, will help reduce the impact of earthquakes in the future. For more information on mitigation, contact your local emergency management office.

Contact your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter for more information on earthquakes.

Funny Ambiguous English Signs Abroad

In a Tokyo Hotel:
"Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a person to do
such thing is please not to read notis."

In a Belgrade hotel elevator:
"To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should
enter more persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor.
Driving is then going alphabetically by national order".

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
"You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet
composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday"

In a Budapest zoo:
"Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to
the guard on duty"

In a Rhodes tailor shop:
"Order your summers suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in
strict rotation"

In a Bucharest hotel lobby:
"The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that
you will be unbearable"

In a Rome laundry:
"Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good
time"

Inspiration for the uninspired

Here is a posting from bharatUdayMission yahoo group. This has been published here with the author's permission.

No claim of 100% authenticity,somewhat tentative

India's population would continue to increase till 2025-2030 when it
would become constant and is not expected to decline before 2050, if the
current trend continues. By then the number itself would be staggering...
..around 1.8 billion or so. Just imagine how many people stuffed up in
1sqkm and the amount of resources for each individual.Even if India
follows 2 child norm from now onwards India would surpass China in the
near future where 1 child norm has been already achieved.

Indians breed worse than most animals of comparable size and decent
intelligence level(shameful) : the current fertility rate is alarming,
between 3 and 4. Talking about religious distribution , it is the
highest among Muslims ,well above 5.(Fertility rate is the average number
of children per couple).

One percent of India is becoming,on an average,desert every year. Already
,south Delhi has used up its share of water and is reeling under water
crisis along with Chennai and other cities. It is not surprising that
the third World War might be fought for water when in one country itself
states are fighting for river water.

By 2010 there would be about 1 HIV+ in every 60 or 70 of us. And it
is but obvious that this figure rises exponentially.One,because of an
obvious fact and the other, because of frustrated HIV+ who put infected
needles in Cinema Halls and Autos leading to a second level of
frustrated people.Besides AIDS, cancer and impotency are also spreading
in the country like an epidemic.

In the qualitative aspect, we are a shame: we comprise of more than
16% of the world population but we earn only 2% of what the world
earns. The average productivity of the Indian famer is 30 times lower than a
German one and 20 times lower than an American one.Our urban
population is around 28% as compared to more than 70% of US or UK.
38% of ourselves are below the poverty line.We live on an average for
61 years whereas Americans, English or Canadians live more than 75 years.

Around 65% of us only eat and ask for resources(unproductive consumers
in demographic terms). An average Indian eats only 2400 calories whereas
developed countries eat more than 3500 calories per day. Only 65% of us
are literate, that too, in the demographic definition, is the ability to
write your name in a particular language ; compared to a threshold of time
where we stand and where according to world definitions, soon people not
having computer knowledge shall come under the definition of illiteracy. 67
% of us work in the primary sector whereas more than this percentage
of people work in the tertiary sectors in developed countries and that
is why our p.c.i. is $89 compared to $2893 of US or $1400-1800 of
Australia, UK or Canada .

But all this must not lead to shame,rather,it should lead to inspiration
for the uninspired and that is why we people are here.

Adding to all this, we have in India communal tension, caste politics,
regionalism, linguism,pseudo-secularism, baseless and blind opposition to
change(esp.UP,Bihar and Bengal), extreme level of selfishness in the
citizens and blind following of the religious texts all paving the road
for the complete rotting up of the country.

Another thing which has kept me wondering , besides this ultimate quest for development, is that we should also aim for attainment of the great Indian culture, which I am afraid is moving to gutter, a special thanks to the
high-class and upper middle class youth, television,page-3 culture by few
of the socially 'responsible' newspapers who ridicule traditions and customs.

For India to prosper as the US,be devoid of tradition and ethically
starving citizens!? Certainly not. We should take inspiration from the US
only in terms of properity and quest for knowledge and watch China and
Japan who have preserved their age-old culture to some extent. In Swades
the panch says that we are the greatest nation in the world because we
have 'sanskar' and 'parampara' (culture and tradition).Even though it is
a lame excuse to escape,yet I am afraid that even then the culture
which he talks about is corrupted and infected.

Some people then become too orthodox to revert from their scriptures. Even
that is an adamant course to take.....when God has given us the ability to
understand what is right and what is wrong, then why do we not realise
what is detrimental to scientific approach and what not and what is
moral/ethical and what not.

Why are we so blinded by irrationale not to see what is good for the
humankind?Does it suit man who has such a superior brain to consult his
scriptures and blame God for each and every single thing? Why can't we
take inspiration towards science from the west though it might be
morally starved and why can't we reject a scriptural text though it might be
great, if it is harmful to rational thinking? Buddha himself said, " Do
not follow something just because it is written in your scriptures." He
was hinting towards an intelligent balance between science and religion
and that is what I personally dream of for my beloved India.

Lastly,another thing crops up in my mind is that of secularism. Today
perhaps in India all apparent secular gestures conceal hidden political motives.....just wonder:

Why a hajj-subsidy,when no such subsidy is there for Amarnath or
Kailash Yatras? Why aren't Ashok Singhal and Togadia asked to keep
their mouth shut when they utter extreme nonsense,leading to communal
tension,when on one hand SIMI was banned?. I remember lately Singhal
made the statement that Hindus should produce 10 kids per family
(apprehending high fertility rates among muslims)....how can he be allowed
to speak such crap? Shiv Sena rewards those Hindus who produce x no. of
children. Perhaps all these religious leaders shall carry on Hindu-Muslim
politics and lead the country towards ruins.

Why do we have something called the 'Muslim Personal Law'? Why do we
have something called the 'Hindu Marriage Act'? Why isn't there a
uniform civil code for the entire Indian community? If it is not so , then
how the hell do we call ourselves secular? In the truly secular countries, these kind of things do not exist, and if they do, a personal law is
subordinate to national, but in India it is perhaps the reverse.

These things clearly show how polarised our community is and we
call ourselves 'secular' on top of that.

In the end I would like to hint at a last point. We are here to preach
others about our noble ideas and mission. But as it is said," Be the change
you wish to see in others", we ourselves should strive for strength of
character and an epitome of rational thinking. If amongst ourselves, we
acquire biased views, have 5 children , litter around ourselves in public,
indulge in corruption and do things derogatory to our own culture, then
perhaps we do not fit to be for this cause. Hence I plead the fellow
members to strive for discipline and stern characters and ideals in their
own lives.

Perhaps that is all,


Vande Mataram,

President's Hyderabad address

I concede with our president’s argument when he addressed the crowd in Hyderabad. He says

“In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads..” “YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington..” “YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pile on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand “

When I get together with friends and family, we talk about corruption and everything else that's wrong with India. Of course, we know whom to blame at all times. THE GOVERNMENT. I hardly know a handful of people who would take responsibility and contribute to the society in his\her own individual ways.

Americans have no family bonding, but they have community emotions. In India, we have family values (which are deteriorating by the way),but lack the community feeling. Let me explain that a little bit

”You say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.”

Fine. It doesn’t. Does it mean we should live in filth?. Apparently we do. We only know, to clean our backyards. But we have no clue, whatsoever, on how to keep our surroundings litter-free. Oh, wait a minute! Why should we? That's municipality’s work. Weeeeeeee are not going to pick garbage. What are we scavengers now? But what we are going to do precisely is, contribute to the filth and make it more repulsive. Smoke and throw cigarette butts and the empty pack wherever you wish (We live in free country, you see). How about pan? What about water, noise pollution during festivals? I could go on.

What amazes me the most is, the highly educated people do it all the time. And it’s very hard to make them fathom. How many educated Indians realize the ramifications of sound and air pollution during Diwali? Even if they are aware, how many take action? How many impart it to their children? How many teachers inculcate this to our children at school?

I always thought we have to educate the uneducated. But time has come, to educate the educated. And it’s a tough job, mind you!

I truly believe that if every Indian is at his/her best international behavior in India, our journey towards progress would be a little less bumpy.

In addition to devising sophisticated plans to erase corruption at this juncture, we should work concertedly to create awareness among the masses.

Like our president said

"ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY"

His speech is really thought inductive. Don’t you think?

Prashant's Death

My mother-in-law called, early evening, on January 6th, to inform us about the death of one of my husband’s cousin. It turns out that, my husband’s cousin, Prashant, who was working in Bombay, went out to seek medicine for his headache in the early morning hours. He took an auto and on his way back home got into an argument with the driver over the fare. The argument was over Rs 50,the fare, the driver wanted. A inebriated constable, patrolling the area, saw this and came towards them. As the story goes, for no reason, he started kicking Prashant. Prashant managed to escape, but the constable wouldn’t give up. He cornered him and kicked him again and again and again. When prashant was taken to the hospital, he was pronounced dead. Apparently, Prashant was dead long before he was brought to the hospital.Full Story

I sometimes wonder, what killed Prashant? The inebriated constable or the Rs 50. Would he have been spared, if he had paid the driver the fare he asked? Was Rs 50 the cost of his life? Maybe. But, considering the fact that the constable was drunk, he may have done the same, for the deceased, was on the streets, when rest of the world was sleeping. Would he have acted any different,if he was not under the influence of alcohol? After reading through the 3 articles below,your answer would be "Probably Not".
1. Police Brutality in Khanpur
2. Police Assault in Surat
3. Police Assault in Thrissur

We have already, established that police on duty, intoxicated, are extremely dangerous. I’m sure there are laws for this. But the question is,” How strictly is it enforced?” Well, if it were enforced strictly, Prashant would be alive today.

So, one can come to a conclusion, that, drunk or not, police have been consistently showing violent behavior and as a result, harm the very people, they are suppose to protect. I’m not sure what action has been taken against these people, as they seem to grow in numbers.

It is quite hard, to get rid of a government employee like this constable, unless they kill somebody. Please do read this article, as to how much of a battle this is. The circumstances are totally different. But it does give an insight.

UPDATE :
Amit varma of mumbai has blogged about this issue,in the post Guardian of the law.

Petition: I have created a petition. Please sign the petition and show your support. Please forward this to all your friends and have them sign it.