What if God was one of us?

For Rachelle

What if, God is someone who is 'One of Us'? He’s perhaps just someone anonymous, with a simple identity and a common face. He is neither a superhuman nor a magician, neither charming nor a dumb. He is neither sensitive nor emotionless. He is just someone. He is one of us. What if he has really got no difference, one can not recognize him as the apex. He has also got a vocation like us, he who also wakes up everyday and retires every night after a tiring day. He had been just one of us, meeting us daily or occasionally and moved along...

God, living with a common name and a common face, must have smiled when we have walked down the streets of a town and had an eye contact with him in a flash. He must have read the silly things we have done in life, something bad knowingly and unknowingly, also knew if any random act of kindness* done by us someday; and he must have blessed us with a smile as an acknowledgement to us for being ‘the entity of our own attributes’. Perhaps, he would have been a cab driver when we returned home after a busy day. Unbothered by his presence, spoke nothing with him and lost all alone in wandering thoughts, which included something(s) and someone(s) of an individualist’s life. After returning the change amount, he must have blessed, “Good Night”

He must have been a helping hand to a kid, who fell on street from bicycle or skates, or he just sold stuffs in a department store. He who is the father of the whole world must have got parents of his own.

He must have felt bad when someone close to him suffered the game of destiny. Then he thought of giving a fair chance with better times ahead. He must have wept on the issues of terrorism. God must have been influenced to panelized sinners. God once dressed like a disabled but with a divine smile on face, must have given a demoralized to stand tall and face the world with honor and pride**.

He never helped anyone moving mountains of difficulties in one’s life; rather he gave strength to climb over it. He must have been moving all along, must have served a refreshing cup of tea somewhere in between, when the pilgrim of climbing difficulties designed by destiny had been in progress. ***

God is someone one of us and always with us!

RaZZevZ.com/ memories

References in this Blog:-

Title: “What if God was one of us?” is a song 'One of Us' sung by Joan Osbrowne.

* Act of Random Kindness (ARK)–An unconditional help/kindness to someone unknown. Taken from movie “Evan Almighty”

** Inspired by Gandhiji’s Talisman, from NCERT textbooks.

*** “Lord Don’t move that mountain, give me enough strength to climb it” – a prayer song from movie The Pursuit of Happyness

Archive :- Topsia Fire

Note: Blog initially written 35 months back in November 2006 on my yahoo360 profile। I was in Kolkata during my graduation days. This blog is about the lack of social responsibility in maintaining minimum compliance for small scale leather goods manufacturing units. This negligence resulted in loss of lives for some bonded labors who were locked in the factory.

Blog is old, but the issue is still burning

Myself Blogged in November 2006 : -
It won't smell only the tanned leather while driving along the E.M.Bypass; it would now smell the burnt sweat and flesh of those labors living in Topsia-Tiljala industrial belt. The Topsia incident was appalling, the extent of money-mind ness that labors are locked at their workplace. They are no more than bonded labors. According to the telegraph these labors arebought from rural areas of Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. Most of them are child labors. A week before CITU(Trade Union of CPM) launched a trade union for IT sector, cause they believed they should protect rights of non-technical labors involved. That was a good thing to hear, but why they can't witness the non-conformity of simple compliances like potable water, cleanliness, fire safety and child labor. The topsia region is known for its illegal/unregistered business. Tenex Exports was one of them. Simple compliance conformity doesn't require ISO certification, but goodwill of an entrepreneur towards those hands which yield him dollars of profit.
Bags manufactured in that unit were exported to distant parts of world, as you can imagine the working condition as seen in picture(source: The Telegraph). I happened to visit a leather tannery in a Field Study visit during my first semester at NIFT. Ten of us vomited on the spot. There was only smell of fermented cow and buffalo skin, which entered our food pipe; reached stomach to take things out of it. By the way we reached fresh air after some time; but imagine some of our fellow citizens don't have that liberty to go away from their workplace for a while, and nine of them ended up dead, who leaved the fresh air of their village to earn somemoney for their family.
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said: “Most of the buildings and the factories in that area are illegal… We have ordered an administrative inquiry.”
I hope the administrative enquiry would yield something good; at stake of loosing some foreign exchange, for prohibiting the proliferating of such illegal business. however, they don't yield any contribution to revenue of the state. Votes are perhaps something which government can loose, but a blogger like me will always appreciate such moves।

Rajeev Srivastava

Mr. Rajesh comments on the blog:-
The incidences like this one at Topsia Leather Export Body do keep happening in India .The answers we are looking for have to come from our own thoughts what i mean here is a question that whether we are in position to change the system or not ?
Bcz,I havent seen any step so far on behalf our governments that has stopped these kind of unfortunate accidents.But here I do see a light at the end of the tunnel and that light is people like you who stand up and raise there voice against the laid back attitude of the monitors of our system towards there responsibilities which they are supposed to discharge & these people and no one else have to stand responsible for these kind of things that happen around them and make us feel pity for those innocent souls.

My suggestions are .. do what you can do from your own level and keep your head raised with the feeling that I have done all that I can ..from my end and rest will be taken care of by the almighty which is another name of Laws of Nature and Wisdom which trancends the religon ,caste and creed ..

RaZZevZ.com/ Archive /

Initial Yards: Joy of Disbelief

After so many cuts and injuries, once we thought riding cycle is impossible, and then we saw others riding it; re-collected all emotions and strengths, struggled with determination, learnt from mistakes, adopted a better approach, understood hidden tricks, and then one day the balance on two wheels was established and I shouted, “I am riding cycle on my own.”

The nervous joy of disbelief on attaining a cherished dream was evident in our initial yards of solely self balanced ride of cycle. Trembling feet, shaking hands, widen eyes, strained forehead temples, faster heart beats and some sensation in solar plexus; that unforgettable joy of childhood, got recovered from my memories in another similar instance below.

Earlier this year; relation between MITTRA (a Movex table) and OPS270MI (a Movex API) was a mystery to me. I struggled too much, but I was not able to have the right configuration to attain stock transactions update in MITTRA for the strings pushed to Movex through OPS270MI. I, My Team Lead and our Big Boss were concerned about it, to strike the right chord to make it happen. But, it was not happening at all. It was a challenge for us, as we knew it happens in other environments and we had to discover what had been the key to make that function happen in our environment. Just like the cycle; we had knowledge that two wheeled cycle doesn’t falls either way if the person knows how to ride it. All we didn’t knew how to balance the cycle.

Then I went through a phase of in-numerous cuts and injuries. Had a thorough browse of companion tool on every associated fields and functionalities in relation with OPS270MI. We had meetings to know about the alternates of OPS270MI. In the span of successive failures of every new strategy to solve it, I felt myself understanding the soul of the API and Movex. I started understanding, how it functions in Movex, which tables it influences, the internal programs which are called and how it is expected to behave once MITTRA is updated. All I slogged was how to update MITTRA.

Now we were all set to contact technical team for SOS. We got a belief that this bicycle had a problem, MITTRA will be updated only whatsoever puncture in it is spotted and corrected by technical consultant. Now my work was to make a detailed description of the problem area, highlight the issues, co-ordinate with technical consultant to make them understand the issue and solve the puncture. Our review meetings were centered on this issue all the time and now we were desperately seeking to outsource help in solving this.

One full day invested, in documenting the issues and concerns. Although all the time I discovered the soul of this functionality telling me, there is just something missing to make it happen. I was not happy to forward the issue to technical team. But, gradually the failures made me belief that it’s not profitable to run directionless, if there is really a technical fault in environment.

After enough of failed attempts of riding the bicycle; one evening I sat casually on the issue again. This time I used Tellus. I got some out of context details, followed by some new keywords which struck my mind. It was another dive in a new set of knowledge. I followed the flow of thoughts and information which were driving me. I said to myself, “I can see it!” Suddenly, DJ called me for a review meet. I dared and said, “As I can see it happening, give me 30 minutes. Might be we will have our issue solved”. With just introduced with new strangers named ‘Partner’ and ‘Internal Messages’ for ‘warehouse integration’; I discovered a whole set of new functionality which was vital to support the MITTRA update. Those were my initial yards of self balanced bicycle. I was riding in a belief of disbelief. As I can see it but feared I may fall again. But eventually few more steps of configurations, another test transaction, pressed the return key on keyboard and MITTRA was updated.

I ran to my Boss, after 10 to 15 minutes of his call, I felt some Archimedes in me, ‘EUREKA’ I said in my words, behaved fully childish, full of joy in that belief of disbelief. Something which haunted me for such a long time was cracked and I was proud of not getting any external help for that issue anymore.

RaZZevZ.com/Joy

Who am I?

Rene Descartes, a French philosopher once said: 'I think, therefore I am'. I am thinking so my existence is established. The next question which bothers me is “I”. What is “I”? Whom we refer as “I” when we say “I am”? If I try to put my doubt simply the question is slightly different than “who am I?” Surprisingly a lot of work has been done to find out answer of the question “who am I”. The most difficult looking question has some ready made answer in various books and articles. Then there is a devil in me who asks a question, why are ...more

Children Of heaven

Movie making has got difficult prepositions in Iran. There are lots of censorship, guidelines and restrictions in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Movie making almost died through the phase of historic Islamic revolution in Iran. Gradually, movie making in Iran is allowed but with innumerous restrictions and watch. The unfriendly restrictions for movie making have actually worked in favor of movie makers to attain heights of creativity on simpler subjects. This is evident through the fact that Iranian movies have highest number of awards won in International Film festivals all around the world.

Bashehaye Aseman (Children of Heaven) by Majid Majidi is one such landmark movie in Iranian Cinema. “Children of Heaven” was awarded Oscar for Best Foreign Language movie in 1998.

Ali and Zahra are brothers and sisters of a poor Iranian family. Their father works in a mosque by serving tea to people and their mother had some surgery which made her ill. Both Ali and Zahra help their mother in household activities and both goes to school. Movie begins with Ali getting shoes repaired for younger sister Zahra. But, eventually he lost those repaired shoes at a vegetable shop. It was taken by a sweeper unknowingly along with other garbage of the store. Ali did his best to find them, but failed. Zahra was disappointed to know her shoes are lost. Ali pleaded him not to tell this incident to their father. He was not afraid of being beaten up; rather he was concerned about the misery their family is already into because of their mother’s illness, unpaid house rent and low income of their father to support them.

Ali worked out a solution to this problem. Zahra had morning school and Ali had Afternoon school. Ali offered Zahra, to wear his sneakers for school and handover it to him soon after her school to Ali so that he can go school with those pair of sneakers. So the movie is all about the series of beautiful instances revolving around their relay race life of handing over sneakers in afternoon somewhere on the way, which was at the epicenter of their house and their respective schools. In the climax, there was a 4 Km race in town among students of Ali’s age group from various schools in the town. Ali wanted to participate so that he can win third prize of the race. Third prize was a pair of sneakers. Ali’s relay race life made him qualify for the race. Ali appeared in the race. He ran fast enough to secure a marginal lead. Gradually he slowed down to allow two others overtake him. But eventually, many other kids also came in close proximity. Now Ali had 4-5 kids with him in close, and end line was also approaching near. Ali pulled with all his energy and emerged winner of a fiercely competitive race. The win led to a disappointment to Ali, as he wanted to be third in the race not first. A fabulous prize for the winner was not attractive as those pair of sneakers. The movie ends with those available pair of sneakers badly torn and Ali and Zahra’s problem unresolved. Some versions of this movie have got an epilogue, mentioning Ali in his later life achieved heights of success as a sprinter.

Expressions of Ali and Zahra in the movie indeed come from heaven. Ali a 9 year intelligent boy has shy, thoughtful and fearsome expressions. Zahra is a cute 8 years old girl with ‘lovely frowns of anger’ and ‘cute smiles of happiness in disgust’.

‘Children of Heaven’ has got many beautiful instances. Like in presence of their father in room, they had a chat through writings on notebook, in which Ali convinced Zahra not to tell their parents about her lost shoes. And Ali gave Zahra his new pencil to make her pleased. Defining moments of the movie are the relay race of shoe handover, where Zahra runs after her school to meet Ali for shoe handover; so that Ali can reach his school in time with sneakers on. However, one reason or other never allowed Ali to reach school on time and he was always in trouble because of that. Once Zahra got sneakers fell in the fast moving drain stream, because shoes were one size big for her and usually came off her feet. Zahra ran along the stream to catch off the fallen shoe.

One her first day with Ali’s sneakers on Zahra felt very shy and awkward. Because those sneakers were big, dirty as well as not at all girly. But, in a sports class she felt proud of wearing sneakers, as it was then advised by sports teacher that sneakers are good for jumping. A beautiful smile of Zahra described above description. That’s what a thoughtful direction compliments the delight of story telling. Ali and Zahra had an emotional divinity with pleasure and delight in one scene when they together washed those pair of sneakers.

In the course of movie, Zahra discovered her lost shoe was used by another girl Zoya in her school. She followed Zoya one day to find where she lived. Another day Ali and Zahra went together to her place. They discovered Zoya’s life was more in misery than theirs. They returned without asking for her shoes. That is why Ali and Zahra are children of heaven. Zoya, without knowing that she had Zahra’s shoes, got a good friendship with Zahra. She was also an honest girl, as she returned an expensive pen of Zahra to her, which she saw fallen once Zahra as usual was rushing to Ali after school. Ali got that expensive pen as a prize from his teacher for doing well in studies, which he presented to Zahra to let her pleased and not let their parents know about the lost shoes.

RaZZevZ.com/ Movies

“Children of heaven” is a treat to watch. Movie is available on Google videos at below links.

Part 1: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2085360636693346701

Part 2: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1568263933309969077

official website of movie: http://www.cinemajidi.com/children/

RaZZevZ.com is now 3

" Either write Something worth reading or do something worth writing"
Benjamin Franklin

3 years before; RaZZevZ.com appeared on net. The span of three years have produced 34 blog posts. We are committed to enrich our readers' blog experience in coming years also.

RaZZevZ.com has produced many blogs which we have felt on diversified subjects spanning from Cricket, Hockey, Movies, TV Shows, Blast experience, pilgrims, urban transport, flight experience, love, unconditional love, travelogues, rain, clouds, nature, electronic media, Hindu mythology, music, poems, national integrity, book reviews, current affairs, etc. We will continue to produce readers' delight forever years and years onwards.

RaZZevZ.com is powered by the "feel phenomenon" to write on the subjects over which writer gets a strong insight or feel. Based on the day to day experiences, our blogs appeared with emotional touch after a span of 3 years are now diversified under different areas. And we are proud of that, there is no any such constraint for that; we can feel anything under the Sun and beyond. Summing it up all RaZZevZ.com represents an autonomous autobiography which touches some portion of every others' life.

Happy Birthday RaZZevZ.com

RaZZevZ.com / Editorial

Jupiter: Symbol of Unconditional Love

The untold fable of Jupiter

Perhaps Venus is a symbol of Love, no deny to it; but Jupiter is someone who made the existence of Solar system possible. It’s all due to his unconditional love towards earth. Love of Jupiter is all above the category of spouse, friend or a sibling. It is just a phenomenon of true love and inspiration to mankind. This true unconditional love made him to loose what it could have been just another mighty star of the galaxy, but he choose to be regarded only as someone anonymous.

Jupiter had got enough hydrogen to start as a sun, when our solar system was developing. Might be Jupiter (humanized) loved Earth's beauty and realized being a mass of heat will destroy the anticipated livelihood of the cutest planet. The green and blues of earth’s surface with a tint dusky browns, reflected by the shine of Sun; must have made him crazy. He went ahead all to see how life and eventually mankind was going to prosper on this planet. Contradictory, we took more romantic Venus as a symbol of love. The dignity of Jupiter is unbothered to it; because Jupiter carries vision and wisdom. Jupiter must have seen oceans of love and beauty of emotions will be prospering in the planet of life. He must have felt emotional when he was all set to be promoted as a star. Possibly, his emotions made mankind.

He defined his objective to God that to divert all asteroids and comets approaching earth. The belt of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter would have been bombarded on us if Jupiter wasn't there. The 'Frisbee Phenomenon of Jupiter' by attracting and throwing asteroids away protects us. For Earth (humanized), might be Jupiter is just a dignified stranger or a failed star; but indeed Jupiter is a symbol of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

Jupiter is an inspiration to live and love without conditions! Jupiter followed his duties from ages and will continue for another age of ages, unconditionally for his beloved. When you feel intensely disappointed with emotions, just remember Jupiter.

RaZZevZ.com / Unconditional Love