Stay Hungry ...

Today is 'samvatsari', one of the many pious days observed by Jains in India and across the world. Its supposed to be a day on which everyone requests forgiveness from each other for occassions in the year where they might have hurt the other person, either intentionally or by oversight.

Most jains also observe a fast on this day. A jain fast unlike many others isn't all fun and games. It rules out any meals through out the day ... not a single morsel of food. And after sunset, no water either. Beats me how they do it or why they do it!

Jains have religious reasons for fasting. To the best of my knowledge, God Mahavir, when he was meditating for several years in a forest, did not eat. The draw from that is "you don't eat and become a holy man overnight". Quite silly if you ask me!

But this is a problem that all ancient religions face. Over a long period of time there are misguided interpreters of religion who gain following. They end up establishing wierd customs and somehow make the religion illogical for people to follow. This happens to all religions and even cultures. Hindu religion and culture is full of examples of this happening. So is Islam and Christianity. Incidentally, the amount of such absurdity is quite linked to the age of a civilization and inversely linked to the extent of scientific education amongst the people. Maybe its just coincidence, but I think not. Christianity has a much lower % of such customs actively followed. Hinduisn has a higher % and Islam the highest %. By age Hinduism should have more such customs followed than Islam, but then the Hindu populace is on an average better educated than the Islamic population across the world. Individual pockets if observed however, will show a very different story.

Anyway, I decided today to try out one of these fasts. Not for any religious reasons, but just to see what its like and what a person goes thru.

I find it to be an absolutely amazing method to develop self control and will power. Throughout the day even without realising we bow down to a million desires. Conscious thought might actually convince us of not doing some of them, but we can't resist our impulsive urges. Through today, I've passed tea vendors, chat stalls, pav bhaji restaurants, places serving the tastiest pizza and other most delicious foods. I have obviously been starving. In fact in this state, even plain bread and sauce would look delicious! Even so, I had to walk away.

Its not all that bad. But yes, its an amazing exercise in discipline. People who are compulsive eaters and end up munching away on junk even without noticing it should definitely do it once in a while.

I think the discipline created through such fasts not only applies to our food habits, but the basic self control learnt would help us in other walks of life as well. Maybe it does make sense to build them into our lifestyle. Not from a religious standpoint at all, but from a lifestyle standpoint, where it would help us resist the urges that marketeers keep inventing to dupe us.

Apart from that, you really enjoy something only if you experience its absence. I know that I will enjoy what I eat tomorrow morning more than anything else I've ever had!

Cheerio!

Ye VS Naipaul paagal hai kyaa?

This post comes based on me seeing the cover of 'The Week'. The cover captured some statements made by Naipaul.

One said, "The Indians don't understand Gandhi". Another said "Indian writtings don't capture the true India". Can't recall the others, but all of them were along similar lines, mentioning Indians' inability to clearly understand their past, present and plan their future.

Somehow the cover immediately reminded me of the argument used by the English to rule over India in the first place in the 18th century. The argument based on skin color and saying that Indians were not fit to rule/govern themselves and therefore required the English to govern their country.

The only thing thats changed on the face of it is that mentioning skin color is a huge taboo these days. But the essence of Naipaul's writtings capture the same feelings.