It's All Gibberish

Gibberish, when done with absolute intensity, takes us out of our logical mind and into the realms of the mysterious and spiritual. Here are some guidelines for Gibberish meditation; it will take you no more than 10 minutes to practise each stage respectively.

First Stage: Throw thoughts out; get rid of gibberish

1. While sitting, close your eyes and begin to utter nonsense sounds - any sounds or words, so long as they make no sense.
2. Just speak any language that you don't know!
3. Allow yourself to express whatever needs to be expressed within you. Throw everything out.
4. The mind thinks, always, in terms of words. Gibberish helps to break up this pattern of continual verbalisation. Without suppressing your thoughts, you can throw them out.
5. Let your body likewise be expressive.

Second Stage: Moving into a great silence

1. Just sit in a space of deep silence, stillness and relaxation.
2. Go inwards, deeper and deeper, just like an arrow.
3. Penetrate all the layers and hit the centre of your existence.

The Gibberish technique is a wonderful tool to get rid of anger and frustration. However, it is not only about removing negativity. It also helps the practitioner express and enjoy positive emotions such as joy or excitement. It gives you an opportunity to feel free and uninhibited.

When the troubles first erupted in the predominantly tribal village of Naxalbari and began spreading to other areas in West Bengal, a popular slogan then was "China's Chairman is our Chairman". It may not have fired the minds of the rural masses, but it caught on in the university campuses all over the country. Many students of Delhi's elite St. Stephens College even went underground to fight for the revolution. But they soon, like their compatriots from Kolkata's elite Presidency College, discovered that revolution was not a dinner party, or even a seminar.

But the Indian Adivasi regions have been troubled much before the advent of Naxalism or Maoism, as some prefer it. The Naxalite leadership, which is mostly non-Adivasi, has however managed to superimpose its ideological orientation on the long prevalent disaffection of the tribal people. While the Maoists have managed to exploit the tribal unrest over their exploitation and the destruction of their traditional homelands, it would be wrong of the Indian State to tar the Adivasi unrest as naxalism.

China's present Chairman no longer inspires the Naxalites, as the first Chairman did

From the Naxalite groups who held that China was the center of the world revolution, a substantial number now have gone over to the position that the CPC has betrayed world revolution. The CPC's authoritative documents produced in the sixth plenum of the CC, the eleventh and twelfth congresses, have become for them the bedrock of revisionism and betrayal of Mao Zedong thought. The blind and dogmatic adherence to Mao Zedong thought as the essence of Marxism-Leninism of the epoch- a position that the CPC itself does not maintain now-is the key to the ideological disarray these groups have reached. The Marxist; Volume: 3, No. 1; January- March 1985.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the biggest liar of them all?

Often white-collar workers in cities make it to work late, thanks to traffic gridlocks and the late running of suburban trains and buses. But there are compulsive latecomers who lie their way out of trouble and their superiors' censure, citing these very travel hazards as excuses for lateness. Occasionally the lies are seen through, though. Author Charles Lamb, who once worked as a clerk in the East India Company office, was not as fortunate as modern-day officegoers. A chronic latecomer at work, Lamb had no excuses to account for his tardiness. And he was truthful. When his boss sought an explanation for his unpunctuality, Lamb replied coolly, "Sir, though I always arrive late, I make up for it by leaving the office early."

Adivasi

Although terms such as atavika (Sanskrit for forest dwellers), vanvasi or girijan (hill people) are also used for the tribes of India, Adivasi carries the specific meaning of being the original and autochthonous inhabitants of a given region, and was specifically coined for that purpose in the 1930s. Over a period of time, unlike the terms "aborigines" or "tribes", the word "adivasi" has also developed a connotation of past autonomy, which was disrupted during the colonial period in India and has not been restored. Opposition to usage of the term is varied, and it has been argued that the "original inhabitant" contention is based on dubious claims and that the adivasi - non-adivasi divide that is created is artificial. It should also be noted that in Northeast India, the term Adivasi applies only to the Tea tribes imported from Central India during colonial times, while all tribal groups refer collectively to themselves by using the English word "tribes". Thus, generally speaking the term Adivasi is used to refer to the tribal communities in Hindu dominant areas.

Waking up to Naxalism.

The killing of 74 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers on the wee hours of April 6, 2010 at Chintalnar near Dantewara in the Bastar area of Chattisgarh state seems to have finally woken up the Indian establishment to the fact that while they have been obsessing with economic growth and India's place in the world, the country's hinterland is witnessing an awakening of another kind. A raging insurgency, with its epicenter in the Adivasi homelands of central India, is threatening to engulf at least a quarter of India's 590 districts. It would not be very far off the mark to state that over 200 million people now live in areas where insurgents of some kind or the other are in armed conflict with the Indian State. It's not by coincidence that in much of this area, there is a sizable tribal population. Much of the insurgency can now be attributed to Naxalism, probably making it the last communist ideology inspired insurgency in the world. But now the geographical scale dwarfs every such conflict the world has known save the Chinese civil war that finally ended with Mao Zedong's victory. China has moved on a long way since then, and almost certainly China's present Chairman no longer inspires the Naxalites, as the first Chairman did.

Biorhythm Is Gonna Get You

Timing is everything. You knew that. A study now suggests you can use that. On condition you ride mood swings, the biorhythmically regulated emotional highs and lows we go through everyday. So, all ye married men, avoid a fight with the missus at 3 p.m. That's when your better half becomes the smarter half, pulverising you in any argument. Which means hubbies out to shirk housework or to stag-party had better not rebel mid-afternoon. Else, with due apologies to singer Gloria Estefan, the wife's biorhythm is gonna get you.

As for all ye gals out there, wait till evening for your partners to grant your wishes. Want your guy to potty-train your mean mastiff or fund your overpriced tattoo? Hit a sixer after 6 p.m., when he-men become more manipulable. Clearly, the virtue of timing is no clock-and-bull-story. Why, this study even tells you when to ask for a promotion. Accost the boss around 1 p.m. to drop the (time) bomb. An explosive 'finding', that.

Rediscovering Emperor Ashoka

Writes Sen, in a foreword to Rich's volume, that an "underlying concept of fairness is based on Ashoka's basic belief, influenced by his conversion to Buddhism, in the fundamental value of all life. It is a shared reverence for life that can, according to this approach, make everyone behave spontaneously in a responsible and considerate way, without the compulsion of forced good behaviour."

Yours Faithfully, With Grace

When we do not face reality, especially when we consider it 'unpleasant', we may tend to push our own suffering - by unconscious but active denial - on to other people and out into the world, seeing them as 'bad' or 'wrong'. Parents who cannot tolerate their own imperfections, will criticise and alienate their children for their imperfections; one partner, blind to his own faults will notice, criticise and condemn the very same imperfections in the other.

This is not about being satisfied with the mediocre or about condoning 'evil' or inhumanity; it is about facing reality and working with it rather than against it.

The Option Is Yours

We can maximise our happiness by minimising two habits - expectations and comparisons. When we have high expectations of others, especially our near and dear ones, we invariably end up getting hurt. Similarly, making comparisons can cause negative emotions like discontentment, jealousy and an unhealthy competitive spirit.

Life, however, may not always be rewarding. During troubled times, we need to maintain an unwavering faith in Divine functioning. A trusting, non-resistant attitude will help us embrace reality gracefully. Accept the world the way it is rather than brood over its imperfections. A negative attitude will certainly not alter reality - the option is in our own hands!

For true, undiluted happiness, it is imperative to live in the present. Past is a grave and the future is unknown. Living in the present moment is what can yield positive results. Again, the choice is ours. Simply pondering over past miseries and not learning lessons will make us cling to the past in sadness. It is only when we wisely embrace the lessons that we let go of the past and move on in life to brighten our present.