To The Man with Wings of Fire

It has been a while since I decided to type words into a blank computer screen in order to upload on my blog; but tonight, sitting here in this crammed up room with a false ceiling to hide the asbestos sheet above, I cannot help but do this. It has only been a couple of hours since the demise of the former Indian president. While the world is, at this very moment, posting their condolences on the various social networking sites, I want to pay my own homage, how much ever short it is, to this man that I know and knew nothing about.

Dear Sir

You never knew me. I missed several chances to attend your functions in my life (not that if I attended you would know me). But I want you to know that I always deeply admired you.

Why? I don’t know. Maybe your life story, a portion of which I had to study as a school student actually inspired me. Maybe it is the fact that you had humble origins but raised yourself to the highest position of the land much like the story of Christ. Or perhaps it is the fact that when I see your face, I feel happy for reasons I cannot fathom at this moment. As a young scout, I named my patrol and group after you. I wanted to finish my scouting career with the Rashtrapati Award which I dreamt of receiving from you.

When you did not become the president for a second term, I was disappointed. But then again, I thought that it was time you took a break from such ‘worldly’ matters and focused on your own life and travelling, especially on what you loved to do most – meeting ‘young minds’.

I am not quite sure why I feel my chest is heavy at this moment, but I know this one thing sir – somewhere deep inside, though I know and knew nothing about you, though I have not yet read any of your many books completely, though I have not followed up on your life in the last few years, I could connect to you. Your farewell is much like that of one of my own loved ones. People may term this to be the ‘dark hour’ of India or perhaps ‘a great loss’ for the country, but I believe, you have only gone to a better abode having left this world for us to complete your Vision. May you find peace.

With love and respect

A Fellow Indian 

Call Taxi 50 15 – 91 15 – 2 21

The bible claims Jesus turned water into wine, he healed the sick, he gave sight to the blind, he walked on water and he brought back dead people to life. But nearly two thousand years down the line, many claim that such miracles do not happen anymore. In fact, miracles in themselves have stopped occurring. Or at least that is what they wish to believe. And the reason for all this- they see nothing that looks like a miracle to them. But is this not what Jesus himself had prophesied about our generation? When St. Thomas insisted that he had to touch and feel the crucifixion wounds of Jesus if he were to believe in the resurrection, his wish was granted. However, Jesus then said, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe”. (John 20:29). Wasn't Jesus talking about us? We, his children who believe in his name yet have not seen him! In spite of that, miracles happen in our lives every day. We are either too busy to acknowledge them or we are too ignorant to accept them to be miracles.

It was a cool breezy morning in Muscat sometime in December 2009. I was preparing for my class 10 mathematics exam which was scheduled for the following day. This exam was very important to me since it would be one of the deciding factors for my admissions to class 11. Hence, for one final revision, I was on my way to the tuitions in a hired vehicle. I had known the driver for a while. He was a soft spoken gentleman who was always careful with the roads. We had to take a full 270 degrees turn around a roundabout to reach our highway. We were halfway making this turn with careful acceleration when suddenly I felt the car moving freely as if over ice. My driver had lost control of the steering. It was as if the car turned exactly where he did not intend it to. I knew something bad was going to happen. There was a lot of noise outside and I sensed chaos. Then I heard the sound of the tires skidding and the brakes being hit hard. From the rear view mirror I saw the cars behind me coming to sudden halts. Before I knew it, our car had crashed into the grass-patched roundabout. And then it was silence.

 It took me a while to realize that it was an accident or at least what had to be a really bad incident. My driver was pale. Of course he would be. He had to worry about not just his life, but about the car and yes, about me too since I was apparently his responsibility. I told him I was fine. We got out of the car.  A couple of by standers came up to us and asked us if we were alright. It did not take long for the cops to arrive. I knew that my driver may get into trouble for the accident. I saw him say something to the police and the by standers were nodding their heads. After a while my driver came to me and gave me some money. He told me that I would have to take a taxi and go for tuition since he cannot, for obvious reasons, drop me. Moreover, he had to be present while the police investigated the cause of the accident and proceeded with the other formalities. But Taxi??? Now my heart began throbbing for real.

In all my life in Muscat I had never traveled in a taxi. I had heard horrible stories about horrible taxi drivers who did really horrible things to innocent people. Moreover, my parents always made arrangements for my traveling purposes, and there was never a need to take a cab for any reason whatsoever. There would either be my dad, or some driver that he sent from the company, or a next door neighbor, or a friend or some other human to drop me at places I had to go. But taxi- never! 

It was also due to the fact that the taxi vans always had at least 4 people inside (if not more) and I was sure I would get too conscious and begin to stutter if I were to tell the driver where I had to go. To make my situation worse, the place I had to go that day was ‘Azaiba’. It looks like an innocent name. But it began with a syllable that was difficult for me to utter at times, especially when I was conscious. But I could not just stand there. The next day was my exam and I had already wasted precious time on the road. My other friends would have already covered several lessons while I was in this situation.

All these thoughts were being brewed in my mind while I crossed the road and waited at the spot where taxis would stop. I was scared, worried, tensed and breathless. I closed my eyes and made a simple prayer “God, if only you could send an empty taxi for me, I could muster up the courage to utter the place and get there on time. I don’t want to be stuttering in front of the other passengers. Jesus, please help me”.  Though I had never stepped into a taxi in the 13 years I lived there, I was not dumb enough to miss the fact that it was the busy time of the day when taxis would be full. But before I could complete that thought inside my head I saw it.

An empty Toyota taxi van was approaching me from around the corner. Wait a minute. Am I seeing another empty one behind that? And there was one more behind that, and it was empty except for a single passenger. It doesn't end there. Two empty taxi sedans were also making their way towards me. All in all, two empty taxi vans, one nearly empty taxi van and two empty taxi sedans all waiting for me to choose. I chose the first one. But here was the best part. I had been concerned about what language would I have to use with the driver. Would he know enough English to understand phrases like “stop here”? I opened the front passenger door and the driver greeted me with the warmest smile of the day. And he spoke in deep accented Arabic, “Where to man?”. I told him ‘Azaiba’ without stuttering. I got in beside him. The place was about 6 kilometers away. On the way there were several spots from where potential passengers would board this shared taxi. But none boarded mine. It was like a private vehicle just for me. I felt comfortable and relieved. I would not have to embarrass myself if I stutter while I ask him to stop. During the journey he spoke to me in fluent English. I was shocked. He spoke too well for a local Arabic taxi driver. He dropped me off and went on his way.

As I walked to my tutor’s house, I just realized what God had done for me. Some may call it coincidence, but I knew it was not one. God knew how scared I was. He knew I was tensed about my exams, not to mention the accident. And then if I were to board a taxi for the first time in my life while I was conscious of my stuttering, God knew it would all be too much for me in a single day. I just couldn't explain what else could have timed the arrival of those taxis as well as the fluent English of the driver that day. God works in mysterious ways. At times it is in plain sight. We just don’t see it.

Thinking over it again, there was no need for me to be surprised if God answered me that day, for scripture tells that God would always answer. 
We just need to make the call, 50 15 – 91 15 – 2 21:

1.   “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalms 50:15).

2.   “When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them” (Psalms 91:15).

3.   “Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).

The scripture has so many more verses assuring us of God’s saving hand.

For the remaining three years that I lived in Muscat, I used countless taxis, at any time of the day. Of course, not all of them were empty, but I was comfortable all the same. By the way, my driver was let off the hook. Apparently there was some oil spill on the road and that caused the vehicle to get out of control. He had come back to pick me up from tuition that very day.

Miracles are happening all the time. We just don’t have the time to acknowledge them. 

Bible and Alcohol

Time and again a Christian is subjected to the dilemma of alcohol consumption and whether or not it is prohibited by the Bible. Recently I came across a very influential non-Christian speaker who claimed that he was a better Christian ‘than most Christians’ because he did not consume alcohol. According to him, and many other people, the Bible prohibits the consumption of alcohol. And therefore, the people who drink them, be it wine or any other ‘strong drink’ (as referred to in the Bible) are breaking a direct command of the Lord almighty. This would mean that several Christians are now at a spot of extreme discomfort because they have been drinking wine and other alcoholic substances. However, would it be a consolation if one were to think about how Jesus himself drank wine, or at least aided in supplying ‘good wine’ to the guests at the wedding feast in Cana? Here then lies another conflict that certain non-Christians would point to in order to demoralize Christianity, that Jesus himself broke the commandment of the Bible by consuming wine.

What if the Bible never prohibited alcohol consumption in the first place? What if many people had the faulty assumption that the Bible prohibited alcohol? What if many Christians themselves were unaware of what the Bible actually told about wine or alcohol?

Let it be clear that the Bible DOES NOT prohibit wine or alcohol consumption, nor is it mentioned in any book (of the Bible) that wine is not to be consumed (context to be noted if said otherwise).

It is important at this juncture to acknowledge the fact that wine was a very important part of the Jewish tradition and culture (Jesus was a Jew, just in case you were not aware of it). It was served at all important functions like weddings, circumcisions and the like. It also formed an integral part of the daily meals on the table. Quite incidentally the first miracle performed by Jesus involved turning water into wine. Moving on, let us now look into what the Bible says about drinking. Most people who claim that the Bible prohibits wine quote the following verses: 

1. ‘Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.’ (Proverbs 20:1) 
2. ‘Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit…’ (Ephesians 5:18) 
3. ‘It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble.’ (Romans 14:21)

The Bible provides so many more verses in this regard and it would only take a mouse click for one to browse through the biblical verses about alcohol.

A very basic knowledge of the language would make it clear that the Bible is not prohibiting alcohol in anyway in the above verses; rather, it is a warning against being ‘led astray’, or getting ‘drunk’. Since it was obvious that too much of wine would get us drunk, God was merely warning us that wine was dangerous when consumed to such an extent that one cannot differentiate between what is right and what is wrong. This brings us to the third verse mentioned above, that it would be better not to drink wine if we would be led astray by it and pose a threat to our brother or sister. There is absolutely no problem in drinking wine or alcohol however, one should pay heed to the fact that when we consume wine we need to be aware of our own selves and ensure that we do not lose consciousness of who we are and where we are, thereby, we should be able to differentiate between what is good and what is wrong (by biblical standards of course).

Moreover, the Bible clearly states that ‘If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.’ (1 Corinthians 3:17). This would very simply mean that, one who indulges in wine or anything that is a threat to the body and mind, the gift of God, are committing a grave sin and will face the penalty, in this case, destruction.

Also, when any substance/person becomes more important to us than God, then we break the first commandment of the Lord ‘I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before me’.

In several cases, drinking wine becomes an addiction and this addiction, many claim, is a means of recreation or space to cope with one’s problems and the like. However, God is the help that we need to seek at such times and replacing God with alcohol or any other such object would be synonymous to worshiping a different god. Meanwhile, it could pose serious biological and psychological problems that would lead to the defilement of the temple of God, our self.

Consuming wine does not guarantee that we are walking towards addiction and breaking God’s commandments, however, one should drink wine with caution and ensure that we have complete control over what we are engaging with.

Very interestingly the Bible goes on to say that ‘No longer drink only water, but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.’ (1 Timothy 5:23). That would mean that the Bible does recommend wine in case of ailments. This should lead us to the fact that Bible has never prohibited wine; instead it has recommended wine (of course for a specific purpose).

Hence, the simple point that I would like to make is that the Bible has not prohibited consumption of alcohol but only given restrictions and warnings so that one may not get addicted to this substance. Anyone who claims that Christians are not supposed to drink alcohol, have wrongly interpreted the Bible. One is always free to choose to drink alcohol or not, as long as it does not affect one’s body and mind or replace God in anyway. However, if drinking alcohol or spending time amidst those who indulge in alcohol would invite trouble or cause one to sin, it is always better to stay away from it. After all Jesus said, ‘And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.’ (Matthew 5:30). In the context of this discussion, if alcohol or people who drink alcohol ‘causes you to sin’, it is better to avoid it altogether. No harm will come out of it. Prevention is always better than cure. 

Farewell is it?

People are saying that there are hardly few more weeks to go before we are done with our under-grads in this college. Its funny, but this statement is disturbing me nonetheless. I believe that this is not something to be sad about (since most people talk about it like its the end of the world). This is life! We are never in one place for our whole life, are we? People who have been living in different cities throughout their lives would understand what I am trying to say. 

According to me, we are all nomads (correct me if otherwise). We can never belong to one particular region, unless we are fortunate to be there from our birth to our death. When I was doing my schooling, I had shifted six times, six different cities. My mom and I, helped to pack and unpack more than 9 houses and in my 3 years of hostel life, I have shifted twice already. Please do not misunderstand that I cannot stick myself to one particular place, for I am a very adaptable person. However, it is the situations that force me to change my locations; my dad's job and so on. And so is it for life. 

You are never fixed to one particular place. Lets see...

What if your town was facing the crisis of being submerged under the rising ocean, or the volcano was about to destroy the whole land; or your entire hometown is being attacked by some random group of people and staying there would be a threat to your family? Would you still continue to live in the same place? Of course not! It may be hard to leave behind all that you acquired during your stay there, but situations make you do things you wished you never had to do. 

And the same theory holds good when it comes to matters of life and death. You are never truly from this Earth. One day we need to leave this life we live and return to our heavenly abode. If so be the case with human beings, why should the last few weeks of college bother someone? Relax... this is life :) 

Music Today

The present state of music, according to me is one that elicits discomfort to a music lover like me. What we have these days is only an imitation of  popular culture and not of purposeful talent. Everyone believes that the youth is the future of this world. Well things are not very different when it comes to music. Most of the movies made today try to focus on the large proportion of the youth. At least in this country we live in, things are youth oriented or beginning to be so. And these days, music means movies. Therefore, what is reflected in movies today is what seems to be the youth of this country. This holds good for the music they produce too. Yes, i am talking about the kind of music they produce in movies these days which is seemingly 'the new generation genre'. Nonsense! is what i would call that. Agreed, movies are made for a large audience. but what makes the music producers believe that 'rock' is the only genre of music that the youth prefer today. A majority of people I know, despise such movie songs. I am not well versed in bollywood, however, i can talk for the Malayalam movies produced (yeah, thats right, I am from Kerala). One of the latest additions to this list of hilarious songs, according to me is from the Movie 'Ustad Hotel'.

Set initially in Dubai and then in Kerala, the movies tells a simple and wonderful story of an uneducated grandfather and his well educated and ambitious grandson, both linked by their common love for food. I loved this movie and I would happily rated it as one of the best movies I had watched in recent past, had that 'rock song' not been added. The music and tune of the song is addictive and beautiful, but the lyrics of the song just don't make sense.

Have songs in our country gone to these extreme levels where nonsense verse actually becomes songs that are played every where you go?... I was actually in a disbelief and wouldn't accept that this was a song of a real movie. rather i thought this was just some funny lyrics composed to make people laugh. Perhaps such songs would be re-sung at occasions but they would never compete with the all time favorites 'QAYAMAT SE QAYAMAT TAK' songs like 'papa Kahte hain bada naam' and the like.

Well, let me make this clear. The youth of this country and even this world are not just obsessed with 'rock'. There exists other genres of music like folk songs, country side songs that we still enjoy. I would personally enjoy John Denver's Country Roads than listen to Lamb of God screaming their throats out.