Fall is eminent

Innocence is losing its place
In these lights and chaos

Today everyone wants to touch the sky,
Achieve the impossible.
Weren't some lines, meant to be not crossed?

What was the top some time ago
Now acts as the base camp

Agree, progress is essential
But balance needs to be maintained
Why wait for a 26th July, to wake us up

With the rising heights, our egos are inflating too
Once neighborhood was considered an asset
Today we treat it as an obligation

A simple law of nature, we all choose to ignore
When the pace gets higher, the fall has already begun

-SR.

PS: May The Force Be With You !!!

Regret - A Cross Forever

Regret is one of the worst feeling
For it hits you from the inside

Heart cries out loud and no one can listen
While the one you may have hurt
Sometimes pinches more hard
Adding further fuel to the fire

Regret, no matter how much brutal it is
Mostly comes, only after you did something intentionally

Among all the nails that pierce you in the inside
The worst one that hits is the feeling
That things cannot be undone now

For at some moment in the past
While trying to prove your point
You crossed the line, either by action or words

That being said, in some cases
You yourself are the victim of your own actions

For you don't regret coz you hurt someone
But some action or words that weren't suppose to happen
Were spoken in the heat of a moment

So the only thing that remains to be done now
Is learn to Move On, as the timeline can't be changed
And it's a cross you will have to bear, forever

-SR.

PS: May The Force Be With You !!!

George - The Man who Brought Country To Standstill

The moment I heard the news of George Fernandes passing away, two incidents immediately came in front of eyes as a flashback. Though none of family members are into politics but somehow it is an inseparable part of my life. And history being my favorite subject, which unfortunately I realised very late in life, so reading through the lives of people who left a mark on this subject books' pages always gives me a feeling to read as much as I can, till I am able to shape my own opinion about that chapter.

First incident was somewhere in the 90s, when there was a political rally organised near our building. I was just walking with few of my friends towards home after school. Seeing the political parties flags flying around near the grounds, I too joined in to check who was the guest. After hearing the roar and excitement I came to know it was the then Defence Minister of our country, George Fernandes, himself in Bhandup, Mumbai. From far away where I was standing, I could see a lean man with big spectacles wearing a khadi type formal shirt and trouser walking towards the stage with some people around him (who were his security). Being a school kid, reaching home on time was fixed and any fluctuation in the same might result in wrath of the parents. So I left the ground even before his speech had started. And those weren't the days when you had the luxury of YouTube wherein you can reach home and check in to the Live Streaming or watch an uploaded speech later. 

Second incident must be a decade or more back from today, when the Railway Unions had given an ultimatum to the then establishment about their intention to go on a nationwide strike. Being a normal college going student, commuting by train was daily affair. At the end of each day of college when we use to bid each other the traditional good byes, the final line used to be, "Kal Miltey Hai, 7:12 Main". That was the local trains time which each of us would board at their home destination ensuring we reach college in the same train. So watching all the banners of the Labour Unions at all stations was a regular affair. Though we weren't that concerned about the strike as that would lead us to more holidays. But I remember over hearing conversation among the working class as to how this strike will impact the day-to-day lives of the entire population. If the Railways come to a halt then it means, technically, the country will come to a halt. Also people had started drawing parallels to the famous 1974 Railway strike which had halted the Indian Railways for a total of 20 Days. This is where the Man of this Blogpost comes into picture.

Born in a Mangalorean family during the time of the great depression, George Fernandes as his parents wanted him to be, was on his path to become a priest. However the basics that any political leader should have in his/her blood is not allowing injustice prevail, was there in the case of George. Due to some unfair food habits in the seminary where he was being trained to become a priest, he had tried to raise his voice against such practices. But when his voices fell in deaf ears, he finally carved his own path by leaving the seminary and also giving up on his priesthood. I couldn't help but draw parallels with another person, few decades before George gave up on becoming a priest, who also had given up on this path of becoming a priest and later on turned into one of the most powerful person of the 20th Century and who also altered the geographical history of the world forever. He was none other than, Adolf Hitler. Thankfully, George didn't turn up as the Fuhrer.

Georges first hand into social activism was when he tried to unite the workers in the local restaurants in his home town before turning his eyes towards Bombay. The country had just become independent and power centres were now being shifted from Mountbatten to Nehru. Apparently, the entire political career of George was such that he never adopted or supported any 'isms. But the only 'ism to which he was always opposed to since the start till the sunset of his political life was Nehruism-Gandhism. From Jawaharlal Nehru till Rahul Gandhi, all the four generations. As the new country was taking shape so were its new problems. George initially started with his stints as Union Leader for labours in restaurants, small scale industries etc. Back then Mumbai was the Land of mills. With over 60 Mills in Central and South Mumbai, huge chunk of labour force was employed in these industries. Spending his first decade in these mill lands, George tried to unite all the unions under one banner to ensure the labours got their rights and there will be no divided opinion amongst them which will, indirectly, serve their masters.

After this came the era of 60s. There was huge shift in geopolitics within the country as the Bombay Presidency was split into two and resulted in the formation of two states Gujarat and Maharashtra. With this new opportunity, George finally took the plunge in to active politics. He was offered a party ticket by Samyukta Socialist Party from the South Bombay Constituency against the mighty S.K. Patil from the Congress. George, nevertheless, won this election thus getting the name tag of Giantkiller. The aftermath of the election result was a new sun had risen in the labour movement in Mumbai, Whereas for S.K. Patil, this election ended his political career. The Mangalorean boy had noe become the essence of labour activism in Bombay textile mills in the area of Lalbaugh and Parel. However with the rise of private companies in the 70s, George failed to make in roads.

Then came the big year, 1974. By now Indira Gandhi had tightened her hold on party as well as country. And that when the Railway strike happened which went on shake the entire establishment. The 1974 strike forced political parties across the spectrum to spell out their stand clearly. Labour unions are mainly the intermediaries between the labours and employers.In this case the Indian Government turned out to be the employer whereas All India Railway mens Federation was the union who under the leadership of George Fernandes was leading the strike. Now many people then didn't knew the fact that though the Railway Board was supposed to work under the Government, but they had more autonomy in carrying out the day to day affairs. Hence most of the labour reforms in Railways even if genuine remained in the back burner on account of the bureaucracy. After all the unsuccessful meetings with the establishment the labour unions under the leadership of George Fernandes announced a nationwide strike on 8th May, 1974. 

Over 17 lakhs employees participated in the strike pan India, thus bringing the entire nation to a standstill. The strike which went on for 20 days finally culminated on 27th May 1974 and is one of the largest recorded industrial action in the world. Many current employees in the Railways who today enjoy good working conditions, more than decent pay scale and a comfortable life. Much of the credit goes to the 1974 Railway Strike. I am not not going to write any details of the strike as there is already lot of facts and readable content on the internet. The intention to write here is just to share my perspective. 

It takes more than something for one person to achieve the peak which George Fernandes achieved in his life time. When we look at the things happening around today, such strikes for demanding the rights of labour can never happen. Because each politically affiliated union is formed with vested interest. There main intention, today, is to cater the needs of the employer and make the employees slog for them. In today's corporate world where labour unions are banned, the people appointed to do this task for the employer are branded as Human Resource Department. Leaving apart the BEST buses strike which happened in Mumbai in February 2019, rarely will you find the labours also united for a cause. The fighting spirit in each of us has turned into a surviving spirit. It is difficult to survive in the cut throat competitive world. Who is going to waste the energy in fighting for the rights against the employer and end up being a collateral damage in such wars. 

Those times will never return back now. There cannot be another George Fernandes in the 21st Century who can rally the labour class against the establishment. He had earned the tag of "Bandh Samrat" for this stint. Later on he had also become the Railway Minister for a year during the V.P. Singh Government where he played a crucial role in providing finance for the most crucial project of Kokan Railways. He also was the Defence Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayees government during the Kargil War. 

There is one incident that deserves a mention as an endnote which gives a complete opposite view of this mans life. Maragaret Alwa from the Indian National Congress had mentioned this incident when she had visited George when he was diagnosed to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. What she had seen had shook her completely and inspite of being a political opponent she couldn't hold back her tears. As she went inside the ashram where he was undergoing the treatment she saw the firebrand politician playing with toy building blocks which was meant to improve his eye-hand coordination. 

-SR.

PS: Late post due to some unavoidable circumstances

PPS: May The Force Be With You !!!

Fire Within

Difficult it is to explain each of the thing
Silence is a better way

Not easy to zero down what troubles you
Or who troubled you
Silence is a better option

Answers are not always served on your plate
Whilst cracking the nut you may hurt someone
Or self inflict an injury in the bargain
Here, silence is a better path

No one is here to solve your problems
People are either curious or may care as per their conditions
Hence silence is a necessary act

Never give other person the control of your life
Future is uncertain,
And the weight of regret is always heavy
Hence sometimes, silence is the only way

So keep digging till you reach the core
Channelise the fire within where it is needed more
For being silent, doesn't mean just being idle On the shore

-SR.

PS: May The Force Be With You !!!

Walk On

Not all can understand your reality
Let it be

Not all will be comfortable with your actions
Don't try to please everybody

Like you, everyone is fighting a battle of their own
Always be aware of it

Some days may just pass, while sometimes
Even few moments may feel they'll everlast
Live through it

Hope might not be a right thing to suggest
For someone who is hanging above a deep valley
Still, hold on to it

Sometimes, one battle decides the fate of the war
This may be it

No one will understand your struggle
So wear a smile and keep walking on

-SR.

PS: May The Force Be With You !!

Heartbreak

Just when I thought it was my time
Fate turned the tide

Ship was about the reach the shore
And suddenly the wind swept it aside

Heart was about to glide in the sky
When someone burst the balloon

At least hoped the landing will be safe
But the fire of the parachute went cold and dry

Love was ringing the bells in front of my eyes
24 by 7
But when the defining moment came
It got pierced in the middle, never to heal again

Just when things were feeling like falling in place
The entire castle came down in the blink of an eye

PS: May The Force Be With You !!

-SR

House of Cards

Such is life these days
Like a house of cards
One blow of wind
And everything falls apart

So much we feel
We are in control of things
When actually we are just
Moving with the wind

Such is our view
That we feel we are on the right path
One blow of darkness
Even our shadows leaves us, lonely in the dark

Even a small victory
We celebrate with great pomp
But that noise is actually for that victory
Or to suppress those voices, that we choose to keep unheard of
Not that I can be sure about

I don't know in what I am doing
Whether I am right or wrong.
Taking one moment at a time
But sometimes just that one prick
And the entire balloon bursts apart

Every step is taken with caution
To not spoil or ruin of what is still left
But such is life these days
Like a house of cards
One blow of wind
And everything falls apart

-SR.

The Paradoxical Climb

Lot many questions play in my mind
But I wasn't sure how to zero it down
To explain them in one line

I have been in search of it for quite sometime
But in vain, with each new find

Maybe to an extent, I may have found
A night before I am going to burn my ass off
I feel I can explain it in One Line now

What is Marriage?

When you read it, it appears
A mere question for the crowd
But, truly, a nightmare for the sane lot

Though if you ask me today, I will say
Marriage: A Paradoxical Climb

For what you may perceive as End
Will actually be a new Beginning

Coz the beginning is initiated after yesterday's end
And todays end will be tomorrow's beginning

Every step you take to reach a destination
Turns out to be just the next step
For a new journey

Every day is a new day, a new climb
Which you have to make

And when you retire at the EOD, beneath the starry skies
It's actually a warm-up, for the next climb

So if someone is promising you a rosy future
Trust me, it's a white lie

For they haven't thought it through, of the micro pebbles
That later may turn into a landslide

None can be sure what the end will look like
But the exploring part, that's where the beauty lies

Intentions is all that matters to stick together
When things will be dry
Coz in the highs, even an unknown will come
And give you a high-five

A parallel support is all you need, to walk hand in hand
And not a pole, to hold upon and support your clan

Respecting your No's by allowing that space
To ensure your own identity thrives
And not someone who'll want to subsume your "I"

For the story isn't nice coz the end is going to be happy
It is nice, coz the characters in it had the ability
To make you smile

-SR

PS: Though the rail tracks (Above metaphor) are parallel always. But there does come an intersection point, if you know what I mean 😉

May The Force Be With You !!!

Getting Lost, To Be Found

Sometimes I wish to runaway
From all this chaos

Sometimes I wish to runaway
From this life of merely
Breathing In and Breathing Out

Sometimes I wish to runaway
From all the unnecessary questions
I am forced to talk on

Sometimes I wish to runaway
From people, who I can't hurt
But sometimes, I cant take them along

Sometimes I wish to runaway
From happening of predictable events
Where we are forced to act surprised in and out

Sometimes I wish to runaway
From these masked people
Who act as if they care a lot

Sometimes I wish to runaway
To see who will try and track me down

Or sometimes I wish to runaway
To ensure no one ever finds the path
I treaded upon

Difficult it is, actually, to zero it down
For the list of reasons to run away
Might turn out to be a mile long

I guess, sometimes I just wish to runaway
Only to be found

-SR

PS: May The Force Be With You !!

You Are The Reason

Everything happens for a reason
You make up afterwards

How we always feel it was planned
But choose to ignore that only we did it

It won't move until we move
But we pin it on a Superpower
That the wheels were already in motion

It is what we do that defines us
Not what you can be or what you are beneath

Each setback if it leads to introspection
Then the process to carve a new path
Has already begun

It is essential to stay humble in success
Coz success and respect don't come together
They are mutually exclusive

But in the dark corners of the room
Where you cried once when chips were down
Do pat yourself, for your own efforts

-SR.