Sufism | Bridging religions

 

This is something extremely relevant is the current ecosystem. It is a story that has various aspects. It involves the beautiful relation between a master and his disciple; it involves two friends belonging to two different faiths and people belonging to different strata of the society. How rare it is these days to find people who keep humanity above religion and don’t let their ego come in the way of interacting with people! The competition, envy is getting deep rooted in us and apparently we are forgetting the fact that after all we are all humans. It gets my goat when I read online, people killing people in the name of religion. I am not an erudite but I’m pretty sure no religion teaches us to kill. I usually come across balderdash that people post against each other on social media as if trying to prove that one religion is better than the other. When will this ‘my religion is better than yours’ thing end!

 

In this blog post trying to mention an example that demonstrates the communion across religions and status. Sufism has many such examples that can help us mitigate the existential tension among religions. Mian Mir a sufi saint and his life is a brilliant example that blazes a trail for all of us. Mian Mir a Muslim sufi was invited to lay the foundation of the Harmandir Sahib popularly known as ‘The Golden Temple’. Mian Mir, a quintessential Sufi loved simplicity and had a huge disdain for gloating and arrogance. The Mughal emperor Jahangir wanted to meet Mian Mir but Mian Mir never really entertained him. Mian Mir didn’t like his greed and insatiable desire for power.

 

Mian Mir liked Dara Shikoh, a Mughal emperor with Sufi inclination. Dara Shikoh was a learned man who believed in humanity and had not even an iota of arrogance in him. Dara Shikoh was a highly devoted disciple of the Saint Mian Mir and the saint liked him as well. Mian Mir was also friends with Guru Arjan Dev Ji the fifth Sikh guru. It was Guru Arjan Dev Ji who invited Mian Mir to lay the foundation stone of the golden temple. The shrine of the saint Mian Mir is visited and believed by Sikhs and people of other religions as well!

 

When our genesis is so eclectic in nature, what then instigates us to draw blood in the name of religion! This is a beautiful example and teaches us that religion and stature shouldn’t stop us from befriending people and loving them. We are all humans after all. Even if someone doesn’t treat you well, reciprocate with utmost generosity.

“What forgiveness is?

Sufi replied: It’s the fragrance that flowers give when they are crushed.”

Indian Trucks!

The street is full of moments, you just need to have the curiosity to pick them up! Travelling as they say, is not just about covering distances. When you travel, you cover cultures, traditions, lives et al. There is an old Indian belief that says that with every definite number of miles (or kilometres), the language changes, the custom changes, the tradition changes and even the physical characteristics of people vary with the changing distances. Thus, travelling is by all means a extremely dynamic process or mechanism.

Trucks are apparently the most common sort of vehicles that are used to deliver goods to far places. That makes it extremely obvious that these trucks cover a lot of distance on a daily basis. Furthermore, most of the distance that these trucks cover are during the nights. We tried observing these trucks and their truck drivers to know more about them and their perceptions about life and the world. We found five points that are apparently common in most of the Indian trucks and their truck drivers.

Please read the rest of the article at Half Baked Voices. Leave your valuable comments at Half Baked Voices. Thanks!

Explore Rajasthan- The Royal State of Colors!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, when you talk about travelling places in India you better not miss the royal state of Rajasthan. The place that has immense history and culture associated with it. The place that gives you a chance to enjoy variety of foods and cultures. Most of the cities is Rajasthan have a rich history behind them. The palaces speak out loud about the royal history associated. The people are simple and have always been hospitable. The main geographic features of Rajasthan are the Thar Desert and the Aravalli Range, which runs through the state from southwest to northeast. Rajasthan is not just about historical places and monuments. Rajasthan is also noted for National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. So, when you travel this royal state you get a chance to cover a lot of things in a single hit!

Please read the rest of the article at Half Baked Voices. Leave your valuable comments at Half Baked Voices. Thanks!

Winning is a state of mind!

Winning is definitely a state of mind! It takes a lot of mental effort, dedication, devotion and of course determination. It is a lot more than mere defeating someone. You must know how to win, it’s an art. You don’t need guns to win; sometimes even a smile will suffice! Winning inundates you with confidence, brings you tranquility and gives you that adrenalin rush. You feel that in your nerves, the thrill and the excitement. Winning is not just about brains, it’s about hearts as well! When you win, others should also win with you. A win that benefits all is for sure more valuable. So, win to make others win along with you. It is not just about being winners, it’s about making winners as well!

Winning means bringing a smile on someone’s face-

Win to make people smile. A win for a smile is an excellent trade. If about connecting people with you that makes you winner. The more people you connect with you, the more powerful you become. Nothing can be as good as human company or empathy!

Winning means making the nation better-

If your nation improves and is moving forward on the path of development and progress, that is always a victory and a decent milestone for you. If you succeed in making your nation better, you are without even an iota of doubt, a winner. People have given their lives for this great nation and they are true winners, always! Learn to serve nation, winning shouldn’t be confined to personal interests.

Winning means making things better for future-

Win to make a better tomorrow. When I say a better tomorrow, I mean a better tomorrow for everyone around. Keep winning and keep improving things. If winning helps you move towards a better future, than definitely its worth a try. Keep trying, keep fighting.

Winning means staying young-

Yes, the enthusiasm and zeal of a winner never dies with age. Like wine, a winner gets better with age and keeps improving himself. So, stay young and keep the winning spirit and the fire burning!

 Winning is being modern yet traditional-

Often people tend to forget their traditions and culture in the pursuit of modernity. Winning is being modern and at the same time not shunning our traditions and cultures. A winner values traditions and tries to carry the legacy forward.

 Winning is making a better society-

Winning is trying to make this world a better place and contributing in this benevolent mission in one way or the other. We all belong to the society we live and we all are responsible for the good or the bad things that prevail in the society. We should not criticize the evils that prevail in the society, if we have never tried to eliminate them. People who have contributed to the mission of eliminating evils from the society are true winners.

 

Winning is spreading peace and harmony-

Let us try to win hearts. Let us try to spread peace and harmony in this beautiful world. We all are humans, let us all try to live in harmony. It is the mental strength that plays a huge role in the pursuit of a true victory. To win with a gun is easy, to win with a flower in hand is difficult and requires tremendous mental strength. To win a piece of land may be easy but to win hearts demands true devotion. Again, winning is a state of mind. Races are won in the minds, much before they actually begin on the tracks.

This blog post is written to win passes to meet the winners at the INDIA TODAY CONCLAVE 2014