Pillars of Glory

When a Magi Sees No Sign

A Christian website has characterised Herod as-
Herod was a crafty individual with a silver tongue. This type of person is common in every business, government, and church. He or she is someone who is sweet and polite but decaying on the inside. Now that Herod had discovered where the child was to be born, he set the trap.
Even as many a Herods rule the world on a permanent basis, instances of Star shining forth are few and far between. Historians put Christian revivals that happened so far under certain broad categories such as Contents [hide]
1 17th century
2 18th century
2.1 American Colonies
3 19th century
3.1 Britain
3.1.1 Australia
3.2 Scandinavia
3.3 United States 1800–1850
3.4 Europe: Le Réveil
3.5 1850–1900
3.5.1 1857–1860 Revival in America
3.6 Britain and Ireland
4 20th century
4.1 Wales

The ironny is that scholars find it convenient to study revival efforts of missionaries as a component of empire expansion of Contemporary kings and Governments.
Thus the apostle Paul in his second epistle to Timothy has written:
...But continue thou in those things which thou hast learned, and which have been committed to thee: knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

And because from thy infancy thou hast known the holy scriptures, which can instruct thee to salvation, by the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice,

That the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work

Blonds and the Biharis

You are witness to the never ending spectre of Biharis milling in every industrial and construction site, every railway station, every city and everywhere across the globe. Even as speculations about possible extinction of people with the beautiful blond hair is making headlines, the population of Bihari speaking people are swelling like the river Kosi in monsoon. It is estimated that the number of Biharis in India alone have crossed a whoopping 82 million as per the 2001 census. Besides the Bihar Industries Association is said to have estimated the number of Biharis outside India at a staggering 20 million, which is almost a quarter of the state’s population.
There is no estimate of the blond population in the world. But the blonds seem to have by nature preferred small family and in certain cases, no child norm. Speculations about extinction of the blonds may not be true. But one thing is clear. The blond’s population lags behind in one crucial aspect-multiplication. Compared with others like the Biharis.
The blonds are naturally beautiful. The world may have millions of efficient, intelligent and able-bodied Asians, Blacks or Hispanic. But a blond is a blond. The only competition comes from another blond.
Ironically the bonds population is not multiplying like others like the Biharis. A stagnant population means that the level of inter-blond competition will either remain stagnant or come down eventually. A time may come when a blond hair is preserved in museums. If you have the nerve, imagine the day when a black man will take the role of a 007 top British Spy in the Hollywood thriller series.
And if such a day comes, your brothers from Bihar may become even more assertive than merely being a bhelpuri seller in Mumbai streets.
Someday you may hear a Bhojpuri accent from some barefooted Bihari lasses in James bond movies. Or some progenies of Shatrugan Sinha might be contesting for the role of the British top spy. After all reports from some British tabloids have never rubbished such a possibility.
And if a Bihari plays a leading role in a James Bond movie, even a Zomi from the far eastern corners of India might as well grab a role in the next movie. Yes there is no dearth of talent and determination against odds like ‘discrimination’. You have world champions in boxing and MMA, which is short for maximum martial arts, if I am not mistaken.
If some day a Zomi MMA champion takes the role of a villain in a bond movie, he is most likely to invite bond to an exotic locale in the banks of Tuivai. A game of cards between heroes from East and the West.
In India, a 90 mm frame with a casino, aclub hall or a bar seldom discounts an item number.
So, you will find a thatched roof hall well adorned with light works of Uptown cable and a bollywood item from a scantily clad punjabi girl descending the illuminated steps with a Chaiya Chaiya remix with toppings in traditional mizo by some Aizawlian.
Then only commences the game. James Bond on the one side and a Zomi kungfu master on the other, eclipsing the rest- a Chinese noodles tycoon, an Arab businessman, mafiosos of Italian or Russian origin, etc. gracing the desk.
The dialogue may easily be like “a putting (not ‘a put’)” if James Bond is a Bihari.
The villain, in deep trouble would be asking, “Exkiuuse mee?”
“Putting, Putting,sunna? you hear?” repeats Bond.
This'd hardly clear the confusion. The Zomi has to ascertain if that’s a put.
“Do you meeen a Put mister Bawwn”. Suddenly Bond'd lost Patience.
And he would say, “Arre same yaar, put ya putting. Mung dekta saala!”
…
Thus an era of Indian Istyle commences in the world post blond domination.

A Simple Work of Art

Some man feel a sense of class
Focussed in the company of page three people,
On a creation utterly useless and sickening.
Have a knack of appreciating,wasting time,
Objects that seem to have born by mistake,
Asserting their intelligence through vocabulary,
Abstractness as a benchmark for learning.
For them is there no ploughing jobs, nor monsoon woes,
Lives of the giants, a story scripted, they believe,
Is an ideal way, a high yielding crop, to sow,
As long as another loser good-for-nothing ear,
Register them in the network of the conglomerate,
Baptised a fiction to dissipate.
Guaranteed a bumper harvest is, a reputation destroyed,
For they that sweat not and had lost frugal appetites,
Long for a diet perverter than mere vegetables,
Spoons and plates, relics for them have appealed like,
They need pipes and needles, things that suck!

sweet hitch hiker

That I am not a cab driver, no question there is,
Nor have I plans for a switover of profession.
Reach I the workshop driving my own car,
Never look for passengers to earn side income,
Nor have inclinations to offer lifts,
The good samaritan instict, being an exception.

In a wilderness of office goers jamming the traffic,
Riding a car meant for four, I do play a part.
Then a companion gracing the windscreen, I noticed one day,
My favour,someone that had never earned.
Its warm to have a companion, here ofcourse,
Than not having one living creature at all,
And being all alone.

Amidst plastics, metals and glasses,
Things that don't breath, only respond to commands,
A sense of connection, you do feel,
With a single living being, close by.
Communication unspoken, a peculiar flow,
The atmosphere so calm, pervades.

Un-honored prediction

It could have been the voodoo, peculiar charms, amulets or things like that. Destiny seemed to have been twisted beyond imagination. Something you just can't believe. First you thought that the likely teams of the FIFA WC final match is a forgone conclusion. You just can't think of a squad capable of defeating Brazil before reaching the finals. Similar fate seemed imminent for teams standing in Argentinas way. That was how things appeared at first glance.
It happened one night when you didn't even feel like watching the match that the saffron clad team slotted the jabulani past Barzilian goal keeper. Dunga's boys had to wait for another 4 years to retain the trophy home when the FIFA World Cup is held in their own country. Then there was another shocker. That's when the the fraternity of football lovers all over the world witness the unmatched team spirit and fitness level of the German squad. And you are tempted to believe that it's the German blitzkreig not Maradona's passion against the Dutch team that's on offer Sunday night. It's not, however, over till it's over. And the Spanish Armada was calm and composed just before the start of the second semifinal match. That was Wednesday night. I had predicted a 4-0 win by Germany. As the clock ticks in, I started losing confidence in the Germans. Because if the Germans have a fast-paced style and lethal counter-attacking instincts, coach Vicente Del Bosque's team left not a space for a golf ball to pass let alone a jabulani. And yes my apprehension came true. Germany just couldn't make it into the finals. And worst, the horse I have been bagging for, Mario Gomez was let loose at the fag end of the game.
That's a lost match for the Germans. And that's a manifestation of poor prediction as well.

World Cup and an MUV

The World Cup Football Extravaganza in South Africa has come about at a time my head was buzzing with vuvuzelas of financial related worries. Huge amounts of money are outstanding against me from my bankers. Being roasted in my hire-purchased, non-ac car, I have been nurturing the dream of owning a compact car since long. The paradox is that if I have Rupees five hundred thousand today, it would be more prudent to pay off my home loan than go for a new car. I am looking forward to sweating inside my old car for some years to come. Suddenly I wanted to get rich.
Lotteries and reality shows benefit a handful of happy-go-lucky middle class families at the cost of the entire patrons. I had never even tried winning a KBC (Indian version of ‘Who Wants to Become a Millionaire’). Draw results of Petroleum Companies have never been made public to petrol customers. May be someone has ever won a car, or may be not. Heaven only knows. I have given up hope of getting fast buck. That’s a long time back.
The FIFA World Cup has once again set me on my feet. On the one hand, it has offered an exciting array of 63 live football matches. On the other hand there is a chance of winning a Mahindra Xylo- Multi Utility Vehicle(MUV). The cost of the MUV may come at around 800 thousand Indian Rupees. All you have to do is complete some formalities in the website , contribute an ad line for the MUV, choose five world cup football players, and count the number of goals scored by your chosen players.
The hype and hoopla of any world cup football is taken by the two favourite teams of South America- Brazil and Argentina.
Germany had performed exceedingly well in their group matches. There was something in me that say, ‘the Germans are unstoppable’. Even the Netherlands had given a good show in their group matches. Indeed even the pre-world cup highlights of the sports TV channel-ESPN had focused heavily on the potential of the Dutch players. But due to the general madness about the South American teams, pervading the media, I ended up picking a perpetual substitute from the German squad and no one else from the entire continent of Europe.
My major picks came from Brazil and Argentina. And I started to look heavenward.
Instead of bagging better horses from more reliable teams of Germany, Netherlands and Spain, I exhausted my quota of five players (horses) with Messi and Higuain (Argentina), Ramires and Robinho (Brazil) and Mario Gomez (some one who seldom showed up in the first line-up of German squad).
Brazil and Argentina were beaten, nay, HUMILIATED! And I have only one horse left to earn me an MUV- a certain mister Mario Gomez from the German squad. And the horse is not very often picked by Joachim Loew to play. The match is being held at midnight of July 7, 2010 (Indian Standard Time). One man carrying the entire weight of an MUV behind him. One man normally benched by the Coach. One man who has not scored a goal in the entire tournament. One man who has earned a yellow and a red.
And I am looking forward to redemption of my financial burden.
May be I believe in miracles.