Three Days Walk

Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." -Genesis 22:3-5

The place Abraham saw on the third day was the Mount of Moriah, where he was supposed to give his only begotten son, Isaac in sacrifice to God, which was purely between him and God, no third party involvement, no publicity. That's Abraham the friend of God, a no seeker of admiration from fellow human beings. He left everything behind to carry out the command of God. Firstly he left behind his wife, Sarah and other household things, then he left his attendants at a distance and went all alone for executing the ultimate act God had called upon him to do. At a distance of Three Days Walk.

Cross Border Harmony

The man that hath no music in himself,Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds,Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils;The motions of his spirit are dull as night,And his affections dark as Erebus.Let no such man be trusted.—William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

Why let the moment slip away? I asked myself. That's when a visiting member of Tears Ministry, founded by Rev. Lang Do Khup belted out the song “Suahtakna la sa ning” to the congregation in EBC Church, Delhi. That was one of my favorite numbers from the Agape’s, the gospel music band from Myanmar. And that prompted me to peel off my 2-mega-pixel camera phone and capture the moment. That was an absolute moment of nostalgia.
The music cassettes released in packets of about 10 songs at every interval came through the porous Indo-Burmese borders like Moreh and Henglep in Manipur, on both sides of which their fans live.

Such were the times when contraband tape-recorder virtually replaced Philips radios brought in by army men, as a status symbol. Since the Agape’s were the sole music band that I knew of then, I believed that the popularity of contraband tape-recorders during the same time (also smuggled from Burma) was a case of down stream effect (as a consequence of the popularity of the Agape's).
For the sons of the not-so-rich fathers, the love of music exercised a peculiar kind of swing. A friend of my brother's had a black and white picture of the Agapes affixed in a corner of an almirah that stood facing their living room. I fixed long glances at the band of guitar slung, longhaired guys in the act of performing a concert I'd never seen in real life.As much as I heard and enjoyed the Agape music by sitting in the verandah of or walking past the house of some government servant families, I had the urge to have another look at the picture. The irony is that the household with the still photo of the music band was not in possession of a tape-recorder. Every time I saw the picture, I used to feel that I heard their music that had lingered on in my memory. Again whenever I listen to the music I saw the picture in my mind's eye. I decided that my brother's friend, who was relatively well off than my family, really need to have a tape recorder. In the meanwhile I appreciated the muted photo that was ruthlessly blurred by the refractive designs of the glass panel.
I fell in love with the song, "Huih aw hong nung in" by the Agapes when a cousin burrowed a walkman and other peripherals like sound box and an Exide battery from some of his friends from Lamka, the district headquarters. The words mean "Oh wind, blow in my direction" I was overwhelmed with emotion because of the tune plus the words. Since a moving wind is indispensable in flying a kite, I was able to identify with the song that invokes the wind. It requires wind to fly a kite. Someone had to lift up the kite and some one had to pull the line. But when there is no wind blowing about, it's no use pulling the line. You have to run, and perhaps stumble over the checks in the paddy field or even run onto some marshy corner of the field. We used to whistle to entice the wind. May be it's due to the effect of the whistle or may be out of sheer coincidence, the wind really blew sometimes. Due to lack of sufficient chance to intently listen to, and being unable to understand the song other than words 'huih aw hong nung in', I used to inquire from my friends about the import of the song. My enquiries that used to spark off hot debates over what the song really must have been about, led us to no substantial conclusion. As such I just assumed the song to be Agape's expression of deep devotion to the favorite past time of ‘kite flying’. And an ardent flyer of kites myself, I felt emotional with the sound of the song.
One fine day while I was admiring the picture of the Agape’s, my brother's friend came chattering and making noises. As much as I felt disgusted with the noise, I wished that he opened the almirah so that I might see the picture clearly. Instead he bent down and kissed a corner of the glass panel and he exclaimed, 'Surely, this lovely lady loves me, you know there’s something about me that senses'. And when I returned to the glass panel, I spotted the picture of a young lady. Then his sister, who was weaving handloom, questioned the wisdom of worshipping someone who didn't care what happened to 'poor and jobless guys like you'. Suddenly I was awakened to the fact that it would be a long time before my brother's friend could purchase a tape recorder and I knew that I had to contend with the tape recorders available elsewhere.
It was during the early 1980s that I got a break. A neighbor of ours vacated their house in favor of a just married off daughter. The makpa- sungkhum (a term used to refer to husbands who subscribed to in-laws’ ways and sways) had a stereo tape-recorder. The house with the tape-recorder was swarmed with youngsters, some playing cards, some chitchatting, and some even drinking at some corners. I used to wait for my favorite music band being played by the DJs in the house, which wore a semblance of a club hall.
One night when most peers left the club I hadn't heard any track from the Agape's. May be the house-in charge had had enough of Agape's. He played western rockers like the BoneyM, ABBAs the lyrics of which even himself didn’t understand.
It’s true that even I understood very little of the Agape's lyrics. At least I could say for sure that the writer of, 'Huih aw hong nung in' wants the wind to blow. And this newly married man, who lived on the bounty of his in-laws, sure knew very little English. And still he played songs sung in English. It's shame on him to ignore the fact that a good neighbor of his mother-in-law’s was waiting for his favorite number!

A young lad, the sole (uninvited) guest apart from me gambling on the music had lucked out when the makpa sungkhum switched over from the rocking westerns to a series of Hind film songs from All India Radio, Guwahati. As for me I had to admit bad luck and walk out with the music of a song that shoved me out all the way from where I was seated though the door, the flights of steps and through the gate - 'Aajare, ajare o mere dil bari aja, dil ki pyase bhujhajha, o ajare ooo noorie, noorie'.
I missed out on the company of my friends and still not hear the Agape's? So I made up my mind. Closing the gate carefully, I picked up a stone, hurled it on to the direction of the tin roof house that sheltered the newly married couple, and I sped off into the darkness.

Peace

Is it prosperity that comes with peace?

Or is it prosperity that succeeds peace?

Peace by itself is a state of mind,

It is positive peace which yields prosperity,

But I call negative a peace,

That's idyllic ond lazy,

But it's said that man is productive,

If subjected to peace between intervals,

Of work related stress.

Supposing that I am a rich man's progeny,

What else would I have done,

But lazing around in idyllic locales,

My soul to find peace,

Perhaps I'd spend a fortune in adventures.

As I study the pages of history,

I was told that Alexander had to cry.

Why? Because there was a stage,

Where he had no more worlds to conqueror.

Now coming back to the issue,

Of not having money to splurge,

I .. .. don't have much to spare,

Beyond the frugal elements of life,

Like food, clothing and shelter,

Naturally I have a wish,

Say atleast a five figure bank balance,

At any one point in time,

First I have to find me some work,

And put in some extra labour,

In ten years I may save enough,

And the next ten years, another strategy,

And in a life time chances are that,

Very few income earners like me,

Would be reaching an Alexander-like situation,

And not cry like he did, in any case,

Which, I suppose, is a positive state of being,

Even if it falls short of being a peaceful state,

So all workers of the world, SMILE!

From RX100 to R15

The usefullness of the Yamahas RX 100 and other Japanese bikes of the early 1980s, were restricted within the four walls of the 100cc vacuum. As such youngsters who dreamt of roaring past 4-wheelers safely and in style, ended up marveling the antics of the Rajdoot 350, the Indian version of Yamahas RD 350.
The Rajdoot 350, which at a price of about Rs. 26,000/- and a poor mileage, failed to strike commercial success, was however awe-inspiring. As a matter of fact Rajdoot 350 had enjoyed a cult status in India with owners clubs and organized rides being held even after the production was stopped in 1990.
For nine years the thirst for speed remained unquenched which, of course allow the Indian households to enjoy an epoch of relative peace. That peace, however, was not destined to last long; taking cue from the infatuation of young India with the Rajdoot 350, Hero Honda Motors Ltd (HHML) had been working non-stop to throw in the bait.
During the early part of 1999 it so happen that every Indian household turned into hot spots of rebellion with unprecedented intensity. The demand: Hero Honda CBZ, the 150 cc bike, the budget: Rs. 55,000/-. Soon the CBZs dominance of Indian roads with a mileage of about 45 kmph, changed the status quo.
The people in Bajaj Motors had had sleepless nights over the absence of an appropriate make in their stable to take on the CBZ. Even erstwhile models that had propelled the Company to great heights like the Kawasaki Caliber, had lost popularity. The same disquiet dampened the chambers of TVS Motors. Even LML Motors, so far known for the scooters they had been selling, was harboring the hope of cornering a portion of the market for 150cc bikes. The proverbial Pandoras Box had burst open.
Bajaj and TVS could wait as late as 2000, whence the two bike makers launched their respective impoverished (by today’s standards) 150cc bikes viz Pulsar and Fiero respectively, priced slightly lower than the CBZ. TVS Motors soon followed this up with the Fiero F1 and then the Apache, which put the company in good stead since 2005.
Similarly LML Motors came up with its Graptor, which had a minimal presence in the roads, and Beamer, remembered best for the ad film of an empty road, a speed camera, the approaching sound of a motorcycle and the whizzing past of an invisible bike. Incidentally, no Beamer has so far been visible on the roads.
Apart from the prominent warlords in the 150cc category, major players have been diversifying their products of engine displacements below 150cc, which are the actual major earners of income. The HHMLs, for example, has supplemented their 100cc Splendour, the worlds largest selling motorcycle, with other models like the Dawn, the Passion, the Glamour and even in the 150cc category they offer two options to customers viz, Ambition and Achiever. Similarly Bajaj, TVS and LML Motors also have devised their respective strategies to woo customers. All this while Yamaha Motors had not asserted its presence as intensely. Naturally the silence was taken as a sign of weakness. There were, however, die-hard fans of Yamaha, who waited with half expectation and half disappointment.
Human wants are unlimited. In a diverse country like India, capacity to pay for something one fancy is also diverse. While the large mass of the income earners, who have mentally just overcome a pious allegiance towards the idea of a multi utility scooter-with-pouches-front-and-rear, were still contented with the performance of the 100 cc bikes, there were also deep pockets ready and able to pay more for a bike that has potential to fire their imagination. Pawan Munjal, the MD of HHML, knew exactly what he wanted when his company launched the 223cc engine motorcycle, the Karizma, with a price tag of Rs. 79,000/-.
Bajaj Motors, on its part, chose to take the upgrading path. Thus the hot seller Pulsar had to undergo multiple surgeries for enhancement of design, technology and engine displacement. And the model is now available in 150cc, 180cc, 200cc and 220cc variants. It’s the latest variant, the Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi (short for Digital Twin Spark- Fuel Injection) that threatens the territory of Karizma. At times one is tempted to believe that the Pulsar 220 has all the trappings of being a landmark bike what the CBZ did some years ago. But that’s an expectation. And the time of launch of the Pulsar 220 is unfortunate. An old warhorse had been in obscurity for too long.
The Yamaha Motors Company, in April 2008, unveiled the YZF R15, which, though equipped with an engine displacement of just 149.8cc, can dash off to a maximum speed of 145 Kph, way ahead of the 126 Kph mark achieved with the 223cc Karizma. Also, somethings about the R15 are different than the existing bikes; the bike’s engine has a cylinder made of die-cast aluminium-silicon alloy, which means advantages of lightweight and efficient heat dissipation and is equipped with forged pistons and six-speed gearbox. The R15 also gets disc brakes with tubeless tyres front and rear. At a maximum retail price of Rs. 97,425/- only, the fancy bike cannot be dismissed as a status symbol of the ultra-rich. Today a good number of Indian middle class families are habitual spenders of holidays at exotic locales and for them Rs. 1,00,000/- comes well within affordable range. And for sons of the wealthy, who worship bikes, a feeling of superiority will come only at prices ranging from Rs. 15,00,000/- to Rs 50,00,000/- the cost of imported Ducati bikes. For the rest of the bike lovers a masterpiece of Yamaha motors is on offer at less than Rs. 1,00,000/-.

Ladies and Gentlemen, here is introducing the R-One-Five !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXyV8JUj8m0&feature=related

Different Facets of Lamka

In a town that was so fashion conscious, it’s not very pleasant emerging from the outskirts sweated and sullen. I remember having to walk on foot to sell some quantities of yam to Zenhang Bazar. I had gone through tumultuous times fetching LPG cylinder from Lamka. Sometimes you have to fight your way through the wilderness of bus conductors, which entailed some delays and, of course, a visit to the police outpost. These are not uncommon when you live in the outskirts of Lamka. Nor did every resident of Lamka, who felt better off than us, feel pampered; even they had to walk on foot throughout the length and breath of the town. Unless they have the money to pay the auto rickshaw drivers.
The situation has not improved much. But a short visit to the town has made me believe that the Lamka of today is different than that of yesterday.
Public transport between Lamka and Imphal has been made more inclusive than what happened in the past. Jeeps carrying passengers between Lamka and Tollen Village or even through Kangvai, has been pressed (or did it happen spontaneously?) into service. Some of the Jeep Operators can even be negotiated into entering nearby villages on payment of extra cash, something unimaginable ten years ago when conductors of Imphal-Lamka line buses, eyeing only for long distance passengers, considered us a menace to their business.
And inside Lamka, townbus service has covered the entire populated areas like Tuibuong, NewLamka, Mualkawi, Pearsonmun, Bungmual, Chiengkon, etc. Thus someone who has no vehicle of his/her own can now rely on small and swift town buses. Besides, going to Saikot is now made easy with the introduction of enlarged auto rickshaws that shuttle between Rengkai and Saikot, perhaps even beyond that point, I don't know.
Therefore, in spite of the rusts and the dusts that covers the once glamorous Lamka, function has has gradually taken precedence over form.
A question arises as to why now and not then? Is there something behind the scene that has been working at cross purposes. Preparing the ground for the D-Day? Another D-Day? A different strategy?
During my college days the atmosphere of Lamka and the ramparts was charged with hatred and all around there was 'tension', an English word every illeterate knew.
Even as tension was building up slowly but surely, no one seemed willing to take serious note of the turn of events beyond issuing diktats in terms of do's and don'ts. The fact that the devil was right at the doorstep was proved beyond doubt, yet people from the corridors of power told the helpless citizens that 'groups of armed men had been watching over them'. On such and such nights. At other times some young men carrying worn out M-16s paid visits to satellite villages, had sumptuous meals. And then left with their guns. I wondered whether propoganda rumours were all that had been manufactured for defence of the vulnerable. Another day gone by, with news about kidnappings and murders. Innocents died one by one. And when the ultimate struck, some people dismissed the victims as 'that community of gamblers'. Ironically it was they themselves, who had to stand face to face with the devil, the very next moment. A musical tract by Ana Johnson in the West some years later, aptly describes the situation that prevailed then, and is apparently returning in greater proportion now, in a place the artist doesn't know, and may never know in her lifetime unless one of the perpetrators of the imminent threat, introduces it to her:

"We Are"

See the devil on the doorstep now (my oh my)

Telling everybody oh just how to live their lives

Sliding down the information highway

Buying in just like a bunch of fools

Time is ticking and we can't go back (my oh my)

What about the world today

What about the place that we call home

We’ve never been so many

And we've never been so alone

[Chorus]

You keep watching from your picket fence

You keep talking but it makes no sense

You say we're not responsible

But we are, we are

You wash your hands and come out clean

Fail to recognise the enemies within

You say we're not responsible

But we are, we are, we are, we are

One step forward making two steps back (my oh my)

Riding piggy on the bad boys back for life

Lining up for the grand illusion

No answers for no questions asked

Lining up for the execution

Without knowing why

[Chorus]

It’s all about power then

Take control

Breaking the rule

Breaking the soul

They suck us dry till there’s nothing left

My oh my, my oh my

What about the world today

What about the place that we call home

We' ve never been so many

And we've never been so alone.... So alone

[Chorus]

It’s all about power then (we are)

Take control (we are)

Breaking the rule (we are, we are)

Breaking the soul (we are)

They suck us dry till there’s nothing left (we are, we are)

My oh my, my oh my

We areWe are (its all )

We areWe are, we are (take control)

We areWe are

It’s all about power

Then take control

click here to watch the music video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jQEnt8aJ84

The Green Green Grass of Home

Moonlight Ministry

Even at the moment of their inferiority over angels, human beings have the rare privilege of being ordained to rule the world. As a result Lucifer ( known previously as ‘The Morning Star’), had a mighty grumble. And the favourite messenger of God gave up allegiance to his master, that left the entire universe shaken. God was broken hearted. But the rebel had left - to rule the world. And he still rules the world.

That is a story of God's love for human beings. A reason that makes personal failures, lack of talent, being discarded by fellow human beings, being unsuccessful in once's quests and even living on a paltry sum of money, seem trivial to human beings who have a full understanding of the Love of God.