Eyes, Spies & Dhappa .....

The Title of Today's blog struck me reading an ebook on Saadat Hassan Manto . It actually means the "Hide and Seek" game kids played in India (I didn't say Play ...I am sure the reference to this game is only fair in past tense) . I did too as a Kid , Contrary to who I am now , I found it easy to hide myself and always relished being seen as undiscoverable . The solitude while hiding allowed me to see the angst of other kids trying to find me and the let me feel the sudden peace that existed outside the noise of the world around me . The hideout was a Holiday of a few moments . Today I talk about Eyes , which let us see the world however how misleading can they be . Spies , our antennae of perception , what our social paraphernalia tells us and and above all "Dhappa" , when you are caught in Hide and Seek, the knock of destiny which demolishes all arguments who may have in your favour or against yourself , in one shot . Just as a small angry kid , demolishes a toy arrangement , painstakingly put together by the swing of an arm. That swing of arm is Divinity . Divinity always does an Eyes Spies Dhappa ..Caught You !

So three things today;

First about "Eyes":  Two small stories , which interconnect. Both I heard in my teenage , as part of Jagraatas by Narendra Chanchal. First , A story of a Swan and a Frog. The Swan , being a migratory bird, lands at the bank of quiet small pond. he makes friends with a frog. The Frog asks him who he is and what he does . He explains that he flies long distances , over rivers and distant lands . The frog asks the Swan, how big is the world ? The Swan replies , very big . The frog asks him , please tell me in multiples of this pond. The Swan smiles and says, millions of ponds and even bigger . In disbelief the frog tells the Swan. Go, you are a lier. How can the world be so big ?

We are slaves of what we know , what we perceive , what we are able to gather. We are slaves of our limited knowledge and to explore and know more , takes courage . Courage is the most fundamental thing -- the first thing. Cowardice has lots of comfort . Some remained a sheep while they had the potentiality of being a lion. They remained a sheep because it is very cozy to be surrounded by a big crowd. One feels secure and safe. And one feels that "Everybody cannot go wrong, and I am going with everybody."

This is one of the greatest mysteries of life, that crowds always go wrong. They cannot go right. Have you ever heard of any crowd becoming enlightened, a crowd being a poet ? It is always the individual who attains to the highest peak of consciousness. The crowd remains at the lowest possible state of consciousness -- just a very small, thin layer of consciousness. And the bigger the crowd, the thinner becomes the layer of consciousness. Courage means to stand alone and to take a path without anybody to be your companion, without any guide, without any map... just finding out your way in the thick forests of life. 

Courage has Solitude as an accompanist. 

Second about "Spies"  , The governor visits a Jail on His Birthday and tells the Jailor to organise a personal Audience with each jailed convict . He also says that he will ask each Jail inmate a wish and will grant it . The inmates were queued and asked the wish. Some asked food, some asked for better pillow and some just a fresh air. The governor was shocked that No one asked to be freed . Thats reality of life , we are in jail of our thoughts and we seek no freedom , just better aesthetics.  Truth liberates, but... if it is somebody else’s, truth binds. fact is our Spies make a prison around us . These spies are our friends , our near ones . they make our conviction and we start to write a story in which we are the hero and the world around is all Villain .

मुहब्बतें जब शुमार करना, तो साजिशें भी शुमार करना, जो मेरे हिस्से में आई हैं वो, अज़ीयतें भी शुमार करना......

तुम अपनी मजबूरियों के किस्से, ज़रूर लिखना विज़ाहतों से, जो मेरी आंखों में जल-बुझी हैं, वो ख्वाहिशें भी शुमार करना......

Shumaar means to Count , azeeyatein are hardships , Vijaahaton  means in detail .

These amazing lines by a Pakistani Poetess settled in Sydney , Noshi Gilani describes how everyone builds their story of self convictions around them .

Third about "Dhappa" :   A friend recently asked me if I knew any Indian Restaurants in Hong Kong , I said there are plenty but nothing you could relish . This triggered a thought in me as to how we crave for holidays, which is escape from routine and a break from usual but still mentally stay confined to what we are comfortable in . We still stay attached to our prejudices , remain confined to the treaded path , keep posting pictures on Instagram or Facebook to connect with the world back home. Is that really a Holiday ? No . Our Biggest shackles is our own conviction "I know" we say million times  a day  which means I am convinced but then divinity always has a different play . Just when you think your line on earth is firm and prominent, it makes arrangement to draw a firmer , thicker , bigger line . Divinity makes you believe that a relationship is not creative force,  it is a multiplier force. It never creates anything in the first place. It is like a mirror: if there is something to be reflected, the mirror reflects. If there is nothing to reflect, the mirror cannot create anything; it is passive. So remain clean as a mirror in your conscience. 

Be Realistic: Plan for a Miracle, because they happen .

Stay ready for the Divinity to catch you unaware and say ...Caught you ...Dhappa .....

मैं किसे कहूँ मेरे साथ चल ? यहाँ सब के सर पे सलीब है.......
यहाँ किसका चेहरा पढ़ा करूँ, यहाँ कौन इतना करीब है ...........
तुझे देखकर मैं हूँ सोचता, तू हबीब है या रकीब है .............

Saleeb means a Cross , with reference to Jesus Christ . He had to carry his own Cross and hence reference to todays world ....

Today, an amazing English song from a movie released Last year called Begin again , amazing movie , regrettable company however.... 

See it with lyrics .....