Do I believe in God?

Yesterday a friend asked me "Are you religious? Do you believe in God?" Since both the questions were asked in the same breath, I think "Religion" and "God" are synonymous for my dear friend....just like they are for most people.

I have thought about this a little in the past. I have had some discussions about it too. Here's what I think:

Illogical as it may be, I like to believe that there is a Higher Power, looking over the world. She/He is God. I will use He in the rest of the post for convenience. He loves His children, but that does not mean He will always grant our wishes. I think of God as a parent, who is always with me. I turn to Him in grief, asking for strength. And I thank Him for every little (and big) blessing.

Coming to Religion...I don't understand it well. Why do I have to go to a Mandir to talk to God, when He is everywhere? Why do I need to chant a prayer that I only half understand, when He understands my feelings even without my putting them into words? Why should I follow rituals, when He only wants me to be a good human being?

Since I don't understand so much about Religion, I am not religious at all. If I follow any rituals, it's only coz I find them sweet, cute or see a scientific logic to them. You won't catch me doing the rounds of Mandirs or begging for favours.

Someone once said, "Common people do not pray. They only beg."
I couldn't agree more. Have we invented the concept of God, only to ask for favours? Hard it is, but I try to refrain from doing this. It is instinctive to turn to God in times of distress. But how fair is it to measure your love for God, on the basis of your blessings?

The Moment of Truth is here...

The Desi version of popular Reality Show "Moment of Truth" has made its debut on the Indian Telly. Star Plus has regained some of the lost TRPs with "Sach Ka Saamna". Rajeev Khandelwal is hosting the show and everyone loves him anyway.

To be honest, I did not expect the show to be interesting at all. I did not expect that Indians have "scandalous" secrets that they'd be willing to share, for money. So far 2 actors, 1 cricketer and 1 nobody has appeared on the show. The celebs did not surprise us much with their confessions, but the "nobody" woman was a real surprise.

Anyway, is the Indian audience ready for such a show? YES, the audience is ready, but the MPs are not. The MPs think they have the right to decide what we can or cannot digest, what we should and should not watch! The latest news is that BJP MPs have demanded that the government should ban the show. They feel that this show is too scandalous and vulgar and it poses a threat to Indian culture, morality and values. Yeah, Right!

I am surprised that our MPs have all the time in the world to worry about a television show, when so many important issues are sitting unattended. We are fast turning into a powerless and waterless state, the foodgrain bowl is empty, the glaciers are melting, the infrastructure is buckling under the population pressure, pollution, crime...I can't stop naming the issues that need attention! But I suppose the moral issues are more important.

So, after much furore in Rajya Sabha, the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan agreed with the MPs. He said that the government should take note of this 'serious' issue. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has issued a show cause notice to the TV channel and has sought a reply by July 27.


The legal experts claim that the government can not ban any TV show. It can only issue notice to the TV channel to stop broadcasting the show. So the experts say that Such Ka Saamna can not be banned by government.

I can't understand how this show will pollute our culture? The contestants and their families know what to expect. Still they are there, Right? That means they can face the consequences of the truth. How does it affect others? Are we to think that such things do NOT exist in our society? Are we to forever pretend that scandal, promiscuity etc do not exist in our society? Will we ever be ready to face the truth as a society? When will we grow up?

Cosmo Calling

I am soooo excited! An editor from Cosmopolitan called me last week. She wanted my quotes for a new story they are doing. It will be published in their next edition, hopefully and I am sure to post a link in here. Cheers to that!