Are there Miracles happening in this World ?

Most of us have a simple rule to believe what we see, not a bad idea at all! But some of us have a notion that there is a bigger force in the world which controls everything. For those of us who believe in such a superior being, it is not very difficult to perceive things in the spiritual manner and see miracles. But for those of us who don't believe in superior power, the miracles are damn co-incidences.

For some of us atleast there is always a moral dilemma to belong to both the sects. They are non-believers but don't want to accept that everything happens for a damn reason as well. They want to believe man as well as God so they just follow what their perception tells them to believe.

Now, I would like to just narrate an incident which happened in my life and want those of you who read just make your own conclusions about a superior being or God. 

One fine day, just like any other day, I started on bike (by bike I mean a 2 wheeled automobile) to go to the office. From when I started to ride on the bike I have always had the helmet along. I also had a bad habit, once I leave door, I don't return to get something I forgot in the first attempt. That day I had forgot the helmet, and didn't return to get it.

For those of you who know Velachery main road, Chennai, India - you would know that it has a by-pass road from Guru Nanak College to the Vijaya Nagar Bus Stand. This was the period when the by-pass road was not fully complete and didn't have a median to prevent opposing vehicles coming in your way. 
So as I was travelling, I was preoccupied with what I was going to do after reaching office and suddenly I felt like something hit my head, nothing solid actually hit me, but just felt like it. On that fraction of a second, when I came to my senses, I saw a Lorry coming opposite of me and at a very timely cut I made on my bike to survive not being hit by the Lorry. 

I just felt "What the Heck?", and just went on to the office as usual, but some thought was lingering through my mind about what just happened in the travel between my home and office. I realized that this was my third in the course of a few weeks, as I similarly survived those events as well. Once I was returning home at the wee hours and once as similar to coming towards office.

I blamed myself for the incident, blaming my careless and reckless driving and started to ride it slow. Being a little bit careful on the road certainly helped, as I didn't have any close calls for about a week.

I considered myself very lucky to survive such close shaves and began again to concentrate on my work. One day I left pretty late from office, hence I was very late when starting to work the next morning, it was around 11:15 to 11:30 AM when I started to work. I had left something hanging the previous night and wanted to close it down the next morning and I also had some fresh ideas during my shower to implement. 

Obviously, I prevented taking the by-pass road route after the previous close shave and took the road via Raja Kalyana Mandapam instead. It was around 11:30-11:45 AM so the road was practically empty, with my enthusiasm, I just hit 50-55 or 60 Kph on that road and was rushing towards office. 

Suddenly a parked vehicle near a Timber Mart (a small truck), carrying timber decided to do a U-turn on the stretch where the road was real narrow. I saw the vehicle at around 20 feet before, but couldn't move away either side of that vehicle which had almost covered almost all of the road in a few seconds. I started applying the brakes the second I saw the vehicle, but the momentum on my vehicle was not letting my bike stop. I just screamed, which actually made the matters worse as the driver of the truck was frozen seeing my vehicle.

I thought I had only two options, twist the handle and if the bike skids and falls, go and get stuck below the truck or go straight-ahead and hope the brakes stop the bike right on time. 

I chose the later, but to my horror the brakes just didn't work, I was carrying a lot of momentum. The next time I remember, is that was down on one side, the bike fell on the other side (glad it didn't fall on me). I just woke up, with help right beside me (people from surroundings had helped), I was trembling, asked someone to call home and inform my parents (giving them my mobile after dialing my father). 

Then on second thoughts (I didn't want to startle my parents from someone else talking on my behalf to not let them imagine anything wildly), got the mobile and talked to my father. The people nearby immediately admitted me to the nearby trauma care clinic (Jaya Hospital, I don't believe it is still around). After reaching the clinic, I again called my father to assure him that I am ok and asked him to reach there after being very calm. I called my buddies from work (most of them my college mates as well), to get to me for some help. 

It was a head-on collision with the side of the truck, which was carrying timber (only a few, it was not overloaded). But it was a high-speed (45-50Kph) collision nonetheless. How did I survive this and am writing this right-now is the miracle I believe.

When I started for work that day, just like the other day I forgot the helmet inside home. But, against my habit - I stopped returned and got my helmet and then started on the journey. And I survived this accident only because of my helmet. I didn't even have concussion in this accident and I was up on my feet immediately, I had a broken wrist on my left hand and some facial injuries (minor). 

If I hadn't worn the helmet, I would have definitely died on the spot, because of various reasons that you can imagine. Till today, and maybe towards eternity I will feel 3 things,

1. Why did I survive the 3 close shaves before?
2. Why did I return to get my helmet that day?
3. How after all those warnings I was still reckless in my driving?

But all those questions actually don't matter big when I see the changes this event has created in me. I will just list a few below,

1. I never drive without helmet anywhere now. Earlier I wasn't very strict on this, I believe? For example, I will travel without helmet to the movies.
2. I have gotten rid of the bad-habit of not stopping for important things even if I had forgotten them from home (or anywhere else)
3. I used to think that life is all about work and how much we produce to reach what we are aiming for. I still do that, but I don't sacrifice the life journey for work and cultivate time to enjoy the life's smaller moments.
4. I used to have a lot of worries, about my work, what I have to do and everything, now I just do what I am supposed to do and submit everything else to God.
5. I never do reckless driving, more so if I have someone riding with me. When I get the urge to speed, just speak to myself to get calm.

Miracles are not when big things happen to you, your family or your friends. Miracles are the small things that keep you ticking and lets you do what you are here for.

Journey or Destination ?

I have always believed Journey should be enjoyed rather than waiting for the Destination. In my belief, Journey is the Life and Destination is whatever is in store for us After Life. Lately I have been mulling each and every aspect of our life is a journey & a destination in itself. For example, take Education - for most of us Graduation is kind of the destination of the journey we call schooling. So it becomes inevitable that we have to enjoy schooling rather than just focus on graduation. Thus, we will be able to enjoy one of the most fruitful time in our lifetime, our childhood, adolescence and youth.

The same can be for just an year in school, the destination is to move on to the next grade. And the journey is the whole year in school itself. If you don't enjoy what you do in school everyday, even if we move on to the next grade, it doesn't matter. We will carry a little bit of void.

This also applies to finding Love. While finding an everlasting Love is the destiny of courting, if we don't enjoy courting and practice self-imposed rules while courting - you won't actually find the right Love. For example, if you mask what you think of yours as bad-habits to catch an attractive partner, the partnership might not end in a way that you expect. But if you act the way you are, there is more chance to get the right partner for the partnership you need. Thus the journey might also influence the destination and the fruits of it.

The Journey & the Destination both are important, but it is more important to enjoy the journey to have a great time in your Destiny.

Is Fasting Necessary to Fight Corruption

I was having a sick day following all these Fasting Protests by very educated & well-intentioned leaders of this great nation so I started a thread of Twitter posts which stated my anguish in these scenarios. The following is an extended version of that anguish.

Is Fasting truly necessary to fight corruption, won't refusal to pay bribe & discouraging corrupt practices in our day-to-day life be a more relevant revolution. I would certainly recommend those who are fasting to fight corruption to form a "People Vigilance Cell" and monitor all govt. & private organizations for bribing & corrupt practices & publish them in the media. Be a Corruption Watchdog instead of wasting our time being a cultural, moral, lame protest, silly PIL or sometimes watchdogs whose main aim is create publicity.

Fasting is inaction, we need action to reform this corrupt nation. In every nook & corner, we need people who would refuse to bribe, monitor if any sort of bribing is happening & protest such actions. We need to create a people revolution not sit somewhere waiting for someone else to act. We need to act ourselves. Starting with how often we bribe officials ourselves. I have heard of people bribing Traffic Policemen to get out of some small idiotic traffic snarl they committed. Just don't do that. Similarly for getting a Driving License to getting your vehicle registered in the RTO. Acquiring a Passport or changes in your existing Passport from the Passport Offices.

Some interactions with Government Offices such as Birth/Death/Community Certificates, Electricity Boards, Postal Offices, Government Hospitals, Metro Water officials, etc., Most of the people pay in these government establishments from small to larger amount of bribes to hasten any type of work that needs to be accomplished. This causes those with money to move past any small obstacles that may be, but it also makes poor people suffer with unnecessary demands for bribes.

Not only these, I would like to know of gentlemen or ladies paying the full sales & service taxes while purchasing jewels from their favorite jewellery shops. Pay by credit/debit cards, checks & if you pay cash get a proper receipt. If we start emphasizing on getting a proper receipts and perform our duties as Indian citizens across all private institutions as well, we can abolish black money being generated. If the black money generation gets reduced, they way they are laundered to foreign bank accounts will also get reduced. This will overall result in increase in revenue for the government which can result in development of the entire nation. Mainly it can result in lower taxation (both direct & indirect), lower interest rates, higher income.

You will face harassment when you act, that's the fact of life. But if you want to protest, please protest in a place where there will be result. When they harass you @ the RTO when you want a driving license, then protest then & there with your fasting lessons, don't budge until you are through. It is hundred times better than fasting in a piece of land which is not going to get you any type of results which are tangible.

As I already told Fasting is inaction, we need action. Let all of vow today that we would go out there and refuse to bribe and follow the law in aiding reduction and the ultimate ouster of black money. Jai Hind.