Truth Vs Lies and Deception

Truth is a small word but how many of us really "value" it in today's world? When I was a kid, we were taught that it was not okay to tell lies or deceive people. The value of telling the truth was drilled into us in most of our lessons, be it about Mahatma Gandhi or reading various story books that had the same moral in it in many different ways. The Enid Blyton books were filled with such stories, and she was one of my favorite authors at that time and age. I still love reading them.

The effect of all this education has made an honest person out of me. Too Honest! I found that I just couldn't tell a lie without being caught, as guilt would be clearly written all over my face. But, as the growing up process teaches us lots of things in life, I soon learned or should I say "Unlearned" that it was "okay" to tell lies, at times. In fact, it becomes almost necessary to lie or deceive sometimes as certain situations demand it of us.

One needs to only look and observe the people and society, including the world at large to realize that "truth" seems to have become an outdated term. If you look carefully at your own family, you will soon realize that there are so many things that are just superficial or "not exactly the truth". The world survives on lies and deception. Marketing any product is done through a series of lies that are essential in order to sell the product to people. False promises by politicians has become the need of the hour to gain votes. The newspapers are filled with only half-truths. They will let you know only what they THINK, you should know.

With the advent of the computer age, it has now become mandatory to lie. Most people register online in various websites with false identities. We are being pushed towards telling lies. Nobody knows the truth anymore. Does the truth even exist in today's world?

Seeing all the changes that are happening all around the world and with technology that is pushing humans further away from "reality", it is only natural that we will soon be living in a world of delusions or deceptions and soon a day may come, I fear, when we may not be able to distinguish between "Reality" and "Deception". In fact, "Deception" will become the "Reality" of tomorrow.

Therefore, I think, It is okay to tell lies!

India Celebrates Janmashtami With Dahi Handi Ceremony

India is celebrating the Hindu festival Janmashtami today (24th August '08). This is the day that Lord Krishna was born and is marked as one of the important festivals of India. Lord Krishna was born as the 8th child and was adopted by Yashoda and Nandrai so that he could escape the wrath of King Kansa who was after his blood.

The day is celebrated all over India with the famous Dahi Handi ceremony in which a human pyramid is formed in order to break the pot that contains Dahi (Butter Curd). According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna was very fond of milk and milk products, especially the butter that used to be churned by his mother, and he would do anything to steal the pot that his mother would take great pains to hide from him. She would try and tie the pot as high as possible so that he would not be able to reach it. But, clever kid that he was, he would collect all the kids from the neighborhood and form a human pyramid and climb on top of them all to reach he pot, break it and eat the butter, much to the amazement of his mother.

Following this tradition, the breaking of the Dahi Handi is considered very auspicious even today. Places like Maharashtra and Pune specifically are well known for the exact performance of traditional Dahi Handi ceremony.

The Celebrations 

Dahi Handi is generally celebrated on the second day of Janmashtami, in which an earthen pot containing a mixture of milk, dry fruits, ghee is hung around 20-30 feet high in the air with the help of a rope.

At times even money is put in the pot or on the rope,which is later distributed as prize to the winners. Young devotees of Lord Krishna called "Govinda" come in groups and try to break the "Dahi Handi" by making human pyramids by standing one on top of the other, trying to break the pot.

The onlookers make it more interesting and difficult by throwing water on the young men in order to prevent them from breaking the pot. Breaking of the pot is followed by prize distribution. Devotees believe that the broken pieces of earthen pot will keep away mice and negative powers from their homes.

In the city of Mumbai the slogans of "Govinda Ala Re" are heard reverberating the streets all over where there is a Dahi Handi. It is an event worth seeing.