The Melting Pot

Gandhi and his ‘Spiritual Wife’

Well I read this piece of article in The Tribune, dated Saturday, June 2, 2007 (Saturday Extra supplement).

The article goes something like this :

…There was a woman in Mahatma Gandhi’s life with whom he had contemplated ‘spiritual’ marriage. Rajmohan Gandhi’s recent book on the Mahatma more than hinted at this alliance. V.N. Datta, a historian who has been researching this relationship, talks to The Tribune and attempts to reconstruct the strong bond between Gandhi and Saraladevi, a niece of Rabindranath Tagore

Who was Saraladevi Chowdharani and how did she impact the life of one of India’s greatest sons, Mahatma Gandhi? She stares poignantly out of the early 20th century black and white pictures, clad in rich silk sarees and her black hair flowing loose…

Read More …

Is love for real?

Is it really a sacred word with a much deeper meaning of trust, feeling, emotion and passion? Or is it just a farce? Some people use it just for the heck of it, coz their girlfriends/boyfriends said it and it’s “polite” to reciprocate.. But I’m not talking about those people in this post at all so clear your mind of that notion please.. I’m talking about people who say it and think they mean it, but don’t really know for sure.. Do we really know what love is? Oh, there have been countless songs written about how it feels to be in love, but have you ever felt all that? Isn’t love nothing but a crush? A powerfull obsession/infatuation? Hah! Love at first sight! Without knowing a guy’s name, behavior, character, personality etc, how can someone fall in love? It takes months to fall in love, and maybe even years.. And even then we’re never sure. How many relationships end with ‘I thought I was in love with him but I was too young. I don’t know what love is.’ But does anyone trully know?
I’m looking for suggesions, I feel I’m in love with Vishesh, but quite honestly, even if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t really know. Coz I don’t know if what I’m feeling can be called love. What do you think love is? Do you even believe in it? People say, if you like every li’l thing about a person, it’s love. But no1s perfect. I think it’s impossible to like everything about one person. There have to be somethings you don’t like.. Otherwise it’s said, if you can see yourself growing old with that person, you’re in love. But marriages end too. So, does love come and then go away? Or is it just an illusion? I’m confused… What is love?

Is what is being done right ???

There is this friend of mine, in my class, very nicely known to me. She is from a very well-off rather elite family with almost all riches, her dad being a city-famous lawyer and what not!? Now the timing b/w her parents is not really the way it should be but they are just living under one roof because of their social status. There is gender discrimination also as my friend is discriminated from her very own brother. Except from the luxuries and the comforts, her parents provide her with little love or affection. All the frustration and tension in the house obviously leads to bad results. She is kinda dumb, which makes her the laughing stock of the class. Moreover whichever guy she tries to approach, that guy turns out to be a big-time bastard, according to her.! She isn’t good in studies, if has any talent—then never has she showcased it, and the present situation is that her life is in a complete mess and a disaster. Because of all these not-very-good things, she is not interested or determined to do anything in life. No career or anything.

Her parents want her to do law and carry the family tradition going. Now, 1st of all, she is not at all convincing to pursue law and more so, law holds no interest for her. Her apparent riches and Carmel-education has made her rebellious and it’s time she had a reality check. Now last night, she might have had a small talk with her parents about career which resulted in a massive beating of hers. Her mum beat her tight leaving visibly painful bruises, sprains and wounds. Almost all day her eyes were moist. The problem—she wants to go abroad but her parents have enrolled her into law tuition already—starting very soon.

She cannot talk to her parents about anything—her dad being the typical strict-stern fathers, her mother being busy in her diamonds and kitty-parties. Because of all this she has become the way she is—stubborn, dumb, kinda haughty and does not really contains good personality traits. This definitely shows at home also and according to me, her parents must be worried about her casual approach towards life. This is a chain reaction. The word is ADJUSTMENT and it is nowhere to be seen. I’ve told her to visit a councilor but she says that she can’t do so.

The problem is not of the physical wounds that this family gives to each other, but the spoiling of an institution which is so beautiful. They are spoiling her life.

Just a week before she told me,” Divi, I bought Tommy Hilfiger shoes worth Rs. 5000. Damn they look luxurious, rich!” I just thought to myself—- is this the real wealth, or she is just diverting herself from the real life.

Love don’t cost a thing??

…You think I’m gonna spend your cash
I won’t
Even if you were broke
My love don’t cost a thing
Think I wanna drive your benz
I don’t…

Those were the lines from JLo’s song. All she’s trying to say is that she’s in love with the guy and not his wallet.
But how true is it? Do girls or guys simply go out with each other ’cause they love each other?? I don’t think so.

I won’t name people here but I know plenty of people who go out just because their partner has a heavy wallet/purse. All they wanna do is go places with them, party, spend money, buy fancy gifts… That’s their sole motive of going out with a rich person. They don’t like him/her. They like the gifts that they buy for them.

Khanna told me about his friend who proposed to a girl by taking her out to Taj & then giving her an expensive piece of jewellery. The girl said yes. OK… he did not ask her to marry him. The guy is just 18. He simply asked her out and after giving her the gift he was now the proud owner…oops… I mean boyfriend of that girl.

So is it actually wise throwing away your dad’s or even your own hard-earned money on fake people who just look good??

Looks can be deceptive, trust me. I once saw a girl who looked stunning. But then, I turned around once again and I saw her digging her nose!!! So there you are, don’t judge a person by how he/she looks. Look inside!!

And spending cash can buy you a so-called “loyal” girlfriend/boyfriend who just stick to you for the luxuries. Such people can never be true soul-mates.