Books and Their Lovers, Stories and Their Holders

I have not talked about the state of the world, the virus that has held many of us hostage (no lockdown in Sweden and Norway though)--the changing systems, everything going digital and everything slowing down making us think and question where we have landed ourselves.

Much of it is connected to the whole idea of consumerism that the west started.  If anyone is interested, please listen to this talk on Western Democracy vs. Indian Dharmic State, that also focusses on Duties vs. Rights debate.  The audio is not very good, but it will give you an idea of how different it all is.  In addition, the place of Christianity in creating today's world, where God is both authoritative and a man. Christianity (and possibly Islam but I need to read more on that) is based on this "God Given Right' concept, a debate which has now gone on to abortion, gay-rights, minority rights etc.  What we have forgotten is, what is Humanity truly about. We have divided people into identities.  While Christianity might not have thought that far, it did divide the world into believers and non-believers.  The Church, lacking wisdom, did not realise where it was leading the world and the countries it converted our of force and manipulation.  Especially since so many nations were forced to abandon their nature friendly ways.

The above tweet is from a Greek pagan.  He told me that they had been hiding for centuries, holding their festivals during the Christian festivals so that no one would see that they were celebrating Pagan Gods.  Now slowly they are gathering momentum.  I have heard similar stories in Norway and some from African countries and a few in Latin America.  Christianity has the money, but it does not have people's support any longer.  

Here is another tweet from the same person who retweeted the picture of the street book shop.  We have a goddess of knowledge!!  I think pre-christian and pre-Islamic religions did too.  And Mother Mary held a high position in Europe for sometime, and still does in some Latin American countries.  But nothing can be compared to Hinduism where we had books, after books, commentaries and prayers and rituals and celebrations and that is why it was difficult to mess with this way of life and ultra hard to convert. We follow Dharma. A natural order of things, rather than a force to removing our connection with nature. A creator created this world, is a silly idea when rather than being created, it is an 'emanation' of energy. 

And since Hinduism is knowledge based, it emerges in the form of yoga and meditation and mindfulness and eco-friendly behaviours --because it is a system grounded in understanding man/woman in his/her context that is mother nature.  Nature is not for our enjoyment, though it can certainly provide us that.  We are it's extensions.  We hurt it, we hurt ourselves.

The word for 'rural'  in hindi is देहात-- 'Dehaat' --meaning our own extensions (or our body).  Here listen to one short lecture on what the rural means from a beautiful Indian filmmaker.  You may also subscribe to her channel, she is a great story teller, thought some of it is in hindi. 

Here she is again --her name just as beautiful as she--'Akanksha (aspiration)--she talks about the value of our own stories.  How important it is to own our own stories.  I started with that strength and lost it in the middle, just beginning to pick up the threads and hope to weave it in a tapestry that I was always meant to weave! 

Will write about the virus at some point. Have some interesting links to share. 

It been a few hectic months. Just had another publication.  

And now more on my future steps.  In the process, in this process of survival the person i forgot was myself. I never stopped writing, calling sending gifts to friends, family, relatives or colleagues ---everyone was celebrated but me.

The one thing I did do for the last decade was make travel my religion, and I wrote about different countries and gathered data there, I learnt about Sweden and Swedish --still learning.

But learning --when focussed on the outside, can be a way of running from the inside.

I need to return to myself. 

The above picture is from twitter.  Cut out the name of the person who posted it. That script, I cannot read, in transition it says, 'something great', its another Indian language.  You all can read the english part.

Look at this person, who obviously looks like he has very little (by the way, ten rupees is about 14-15 US cents). So absorbed is he--his mind in another world, may be learning, may be spinning tales....books are a way out.

But remember the biggest book we need to read, learn from, and master is our own body!1

Get out of your minds for a while---sit in gratitude of the vehicle that carries you!!