Dreaming of a World without Borders

i seldom follow the lives and lines of international or national movie stars, but a recent quote that i came across got me thinking and did tempt me to pen down my views.  

“I am the kind of person who doesn't recognize borders. I don't understand why we think it is okay to keep someone within one border when they are unable to feed their family when they could be getting help somewhere else. I don't see people as different so I don't understand the idea of borders in this world.”

These words by Angelina Jolie make so much sense today with countries combating poverty, hate crimes and militants, all at one go. It is appalling to know children are dying out of hunger and disease in some part of the world for the only reason that they were born in the wrong country; that a hapless government, with its own set of international debts and internal agitations, hasn’t got funds enough to feed its people.  How fare is it that while one country strives to put together these funds to feed and nurse its ill, another spends billions on putting together ammunitions for the Armageddon?

Couldn’t there be a way that the United Nations or the World Bank probably, like many other international regulations, makes it mandatory that every developed nation puts aside a fixed sum of money for the les misérables of the world. When the good-fortuned can glide past physical boundaries of a country to fix their businesses and salaries, why shouldn’t there be some way that the ill-fortuned get treatments, food, or even shelter across borders at minimum expenses. 

Picture epitomising our world today

When there’s no census on how many birds flew past the border and how many remained in the country, i wonder why we bother to have the same for humans. When nature doesn’t confine itself within borders, why then would a part of the desert be India and the other Pakistan! Why should one end of the road be in the US of A and the other in Mexico, while they could have rather been a part of one unified nation, that which belonged to the whole mankind. Couldn’t the world tread along in the direction set by the European Union?

From the current standing of the nations of the world, visa regulations to travel from one part of the moon to another, could soon be the norm, even before we decide who’s gonna travel next to the moon. On a lighter note, if this was a world without borders, i could be an Indian and still be saved from the months-long visa process to travel abroad for a vacation! True, that wouldn't be called travelling “abroad”, then!

Let the divine lamp light the lives of one and all! Happy Diwali all!

This Diwali, when it’s time to celebrate the festival of lights, i pray for a world without borders, one that would bring life, light and peace to all, across borders, religions and ethnicity. i pray for a world that is united in a mission, to bring smiles on the faces of the less-fortuned.

The Essence of 'i'

Ever wondered why in English the first person is referred to in caps, as 'I' and not as 'i', like we do in the second and third person (you, him/her). The literal history suggests, the German for first person, 'ich', was trimmed and made the English 'i'; and to prevent this little word to be mistaken as a part of the preceding or the following word, was capitalized in usage. Thus the 'I' came into existence, so is said.

The literal 'I' though seems to have entered our minds figuratively, that 'i' is capitalized to show the superiority of one's individuality. And the same is the reason why people point fingers at others while they still happily ignore the ones he/she has erred. Take this, there's a brand new rare crystal show piece you bought. And your bro/sis/kid breaks it in the process of admiring its beauty. Whoosh! There it goes into pieces! How mad would you not get at him/her! And keep the entry in your mind for quite a few years for sure. And if it were you who broke it, would the spite still remain in your mind few years down the lane?

Courtesy: Google Images

In Indian philosophy 'i' has been a subject of abundant discussion, teachings, learning and epics. In the Mahabharatha, Lord Krishna speaks of ‘aham’ the Sanskrit synonym of ‘i’, the illusion called ego. He says, "The self alone is a friend of him who has conquered it and an enemy who has not." He who has won over the 'self' has gotten to the Supreme. 

An article in one of India's leading national dailies, The Times of India (TOI), first sowed the seeds of this thought in my mind, while in college. The newspaper had published an interesting article on ego and the letter 'I'. Although i don't recollect much of the article’s content, what i do remember is that every edition since then, the daily made it a point that its guest writers do use 'i' rather than 'I' while speaking in first person. Check out some article on their editorial page, and how most of the authors refer to themselves.

May sound like a 'copycat', but then is when i felt “this seems true”, and started writing with a small 'i'. People may disagree and say "you eat, sleep, read, work, all for yourself, and then you speak of ego being an illusion!?" Well, i am no saint or philosopher! Yet, i do believe that it is important for one to know that it is not the ’me’ that is doing stuff. There’s a higher force that is driving each of us do what we’re doing. That does bring one question to my mind. If i’m being driven by someone/something else then why should i be held accountable for it later! May be someday i would get an answer to that.

All said, it is true, i consider, that ego could take you places, sometimes where you didn’t want to see yourself. How we approach it, is what counts, we could either be friends with it or be shattered by it.

Hey! The spell checker’s changing all my ‘i’s to ‘I’s! Well, that’s how the world wants it to be, I guess! Sigh…there it goes again!

“One may understand the cosmos, but never the ego; the self is more distant than any star!” 

- G. K. Chesterton, English born essayist, novelist

With love, to Enid Blyton

Picture Courtesy: goodreads

When life revolved around the adventurous George, Timothy and her cousins, life was beautiful and seemed ever-exciting. The mere thought of coming across another book on their adventures, on those wooden shelves in the school library brought bliss to my mind. And getting to know of a new mystery series altogether, i considered, was like the ultimate success i could achieve in my life.

Picture Courtesy: YouGov

I wished for my share of "ginger-ade" and apple pies, going around cycling,on sunny mornings, along the picturesque country-side, greeting people on my way. Camping in unfamiliar places and cooking breakfast in the tent, drinking water from crystal clear mountain streams. I fancied getting away to a moor on a cool moon-lit night looking for thieves and treasures. Exploring mysterious old castles and dark, cold, sinister dungeons. Ohh! My heart cringes thinking of these adventures when it felt i was one of the Famous Five!

I remember the girl who first introduced me to this author as 'Gnid Blyton', thanks to the signature on the front-cover where the 'E' looked more like a 'G'. This was one evening in the school bus, as we discussed the books we'd recently borrowed from the school library. And then to our surprise one day, we found out that 'Gnid Blyton' was actually ' Enid Blyton', and more; it was a 'She', and not a 'He' we'd been assuming the author to be, all this time! The book belonged to one of Blyton's lesser known adventure series, The Five Find-Outers. I read this new book and immediately loved this set-up of kids my age solving mysteries in small-town England. And thus began a journey of never-ending adventures set up in twentieth-century British towns, islands and country-side.

At the end of every story, a new mission was in hand - to look for more books in the series. Reading these books were now turning out to be my passion, favourite pass-time and slowly hysteria, when i couldn't find a book. Those days were thus spent when Blyton's books went hand in hand with Math and Science text books.

I still bear in my heart that secret desire to go to that remote part of Britain in search of George and Julian and the Kirrin Island, to meet the Secret Seven and that Naughty little girl and many others who made my school days so colourful and fun to live! I wish to have beside me each of those books, read and re-read them word-by-word, and re-live those wonderful adventures, and once again be a part of the plot! Oh how i sometimes long.., long to go back to those beautiful days, when life had much different priorities. When life was about school and friends and a fantasy world filled with loads and loads of excitement and fun, life was liveable in the true sense then! 

Thank you dear Ms. Enid Blyton, for giving me and many others like me such a wonderful childhood! Cheers!