Ruminations of the Bizzare Mind

Post the development of Marxist ideas, and the evolution of Gandhian and Laissez-faire school of thoughts, the world has not yet seen the emergence of another sweeping thought process which is powerful enough to grab the attention of all and sundry. What does thought process have anything to do with change one might question? The answer is relatively simple, change - wherever it may happen or whatever be its social form, first originates in the precincts of the human mind. Change is not just an idea; it is the result of a social vacuum. Change can be both positive and negative and its undercurrents are strong enough to shake the bulwarks of existing institutions or beliefs. Change itself can’t manifest itself on the fabric of the society. It needs agents – change agents, people who can not only spread ideas but also implement the change. A bright young example that comes to mind is that of Joan of Arc. The Maid of Orleans not only motivated the French army but led them to several victo...

What constitutes a family? Often in the past few months time and again this question has haunted me. Those who know me from very close quarters know the genesis of this thought or rather the question. Sometimes life hits you with such a violent force that by the time you get up and realize what hit you, something very valuable from you has been taken for eternity!! But still you don't stop living and as the cliche goes 'Life goes on'....lets not digress.. So coming back to the question I started with.... What really constitutes a family? Are there any subtler connotations attached to it, beyond the literal definition which in my opinion is the physical count of members who belong to the same family tree!! Is it really something that goes beyond words and feelings or is it just a societal arrangement to ensure that there exists a certain system which prevents the society from going into chaos!! Cynical thoughts you may say...but I am myself surprised at my cynicism, because ...

Of late it has become a habit of mine.... I don't know when did I fall prey to it. But somehow it seems to have afflicted me with an inertia that is getting hard to shake off with every passing moment. Upon much thought (much of which was fraught with the follies to which the human mind, especially males are susceptible too!!) I have decided to call this phenomenon the "I Don't Know Syndrome " (IDKS). To tell you the truth, it felt like a harmless add on initially but with passage of time it has become like the poisoned ivy that clings to you and saps you off all the vital energy. Needless to say I am tremendously concerned by the problem and more importantly by my reaction towards it! The first symptom of IDKS is that there is a palpable loss of interest in all things material. This does not mean that there is suddenly a higher calling that you want to attend to or that you start treading the path of renunciation!! On the contrary it feels as if every cell that wa...