Hmm... Looks like I've got the hang of it now. I have resolved not to leave those wide open chasms between my blog post periods.

The reason for this particular post is that today, much against my wishes, I was sucked into a rather lively argument on the case of the "Holy Books". Normally I am the kind of person who does not give a damn about any of the "religions" that the people in this universe, or any other universes follow. But I did feel strongly that I had to contribute my share to the meaningless trash that passes today for discussion on "religion".

Well, the discussion was about the role of the "Holy Books" that the different religions and cultures follow. As you might have expected, any discussion about anything on religion is a livewire topic, and rightfully so, the atmosphere became really heated. People had a wide range of opinions on the "Holy Books", right from the ones who said that we should follow what it says, then only our lives would be meaningful, to the ones who were of the view that , especially in this time and place, the "Holy Books" are of little consequence. Then there were the people who leaned toward their "Book" of choice. All in all, I had a different opinion as to the relevance of the "Books" in daily life.

I personally feel that the Holy Books, of whatever faith it may be, hold a good deal of value, especially in this day and age. All the Books advocate healthy living, adherence to holding good values and morality, and living a full, satisfying life. That being said, I must say that, for all the value and power that the "Books" hold, they are only that. They are books, that is all they are. And what should we do with books ? We read them, try to understand what is written, and in some cases, relevantly apply what was explained. That is all there is to them. Nothing more, nothing less.

For all the regard/importance/power/fear that people hold them in,

THEY ARE NOT THE WORDS OF GOD.

Everything that was ever written in every one of those books, was not written or passed down by GOD. Whatever was written, was written by the HANDS OF MAN. Men wrote them, and they wrote what they believed in. Man alone wrote them, and Man alone is responsible for the consequences arising as a result of actions carried out on that information. They are not "RULES" that we should strictly follow, rather they are a set of guidelines that we should relevantly apply to lead a life that holds meaning.

Relating to the Heading of this post, do you think that the "Holy Books" should be Banned ? Given that the vast majority of the world's populace does not have the capacity to correctly decipher their meaning, given that the general populace blindly follow their supposedly "Religious Leaders", and given the fact that, throughout the history of mankind, religion has done more harm than any sort of good, do you think that the "Holy Books" of all faiths should be subject to a universal ban. I know it is not possible, and I am not sure whether it is wholly advisable, but still, what do you think ?

yours truly,
Ar'Nath

Long time huh ?

Well, this week has turned up some rather very interesting turn of events, for me at least. You see, I have not come in close contact with something like this in person, I have only seen it in movies, read about them in magazines, newspapers etc. But to come in personal contact with something like this is...............heartening.

There is this woman named as Lavanya* with whom I have had the pleasure of being a friend. I have known her for only some time now, but my respect for her has grown by leaps and bounds. And that is something that the people who know me will say "You're kidding". Because I give my respect to those who deserve it, and it doesn't come with money, power or age or anything like that. The only factor is the measure of their actions.

Alrite, let us get back to the story.
This woman Lavanya, is someone that one would call as "A rising star". I mean, she has everything going for her, she is beautiful, sexy, smart, funny and a complete roit to be around with. She belongs to a respectable "Brahmin" family, loads of money, a big joint family that absolutely dotes on her. Now, as expected, her parents started to look for suitable alliances for their "Darling Princess", and as expected she had quite a lot of them. You know, the usual, the Handsome, Good mannered NRI who is swimming in money and also the Successful Iyer boys back here. Yada yada yada, the usual story.

But therein lies the twist. This girl, Lavanya rejected every one of them and declared to her parents that she was not interested in marriage. Now, her parents are a bit liberal-minded and said they would accept anyone that she probably was in love with. But, she relayed that she wasn't in love, she just was not interested in being somebody's wife. They kept pressing her for the reason that she didn't want to get married. And the reason that she said literally gave them heart attacks.

Lavanya, is Homosexual. Yes, she is a lesbian. Her family, naturally, was in denial. They thought she was out of her mind, and tried to change her mind, saying that it's not true, that she's just thinking that she is. Then they started to bully her into marriage, telling her that it is wrong, that homosexuals are perverts, and all that stuff. Come on people, grow up. They even blackmailed her that the family honor would be shattered, that they would commit suicide, that they wouldn't give her any property etc, if she did not acede to marriage. But, for once, a woman stood her ground and was strong enough to stay true to herself. She was a mature woman who was confident about herself and her own sexuality. And you know what she did ?

She walked out on her family. She is now living in with her girlfriend, they rented out a separate apartment. The thing is, the other woman, Aparna* is also from a conservative Brahmin family, and she too experienced the same animosity from her family and her community. As far as I know them, the two of them wouldn't give a damn about what anyone thinks of them. As far as they are concerned, they have good jobs, a good home.......and each other. They are now living happily together, and also thinking of adopting a child in the future.

Now, I don't know about you, but I don't know many people who would do what they did. That too, both hailing from conservative Brahmin families. If this is not courage, then what is. I dont understand why people make such a big deal, why such animosity against Homosexuals. I mean, one's sexuality is one's own business, but still people feel that they have the goddamed right to butt into it, comment on, and dictate terms. I feel disgusted by these so called "normal people" and would gladly tell them where they can go. Well, Lavanya & Aparna, I have the greatest respect and admiration for you guys and I wish you a wonderful life together.

GODSPEED........and good luck

yours truly, The RA

* Names have been changes to protect identities. Not that they need it, but still.