Don't die,just talk

Nothing in life is to be feared,it is only to be understood.

Marie Curie 

Last week a shocking & sad news has shook the nation that one of the finest & good looking actors Sushant Singh Rajput committed suicide due to Depression. He was struggling with depression for last 6months. His fans were speculating about the exact reason that why he was so depressed as he was doing good in his career. Now some insiders in Bollywood revealed that he had been deliberately boycotted by some leading production houses. After detailed investigation, some big names of Bollywood might be exposed in this case who intentionally created such conspiracy to threaten this talented actor. Well, this is only one story who came out of the film industry but there are many more to come out from other industries too; as such kind of Bully gang works everywhere right from our school-college to our workplace. But this case is not only about bullying & targeting one person, it is actually a warning for our vulnerable psychological state. Sushant Singh was not only an actor but he was also an all India rank holder student in his academics, he was having deep interest in Astro-physics. But this person with so sharp brain was actually broken in his mind & this condition is called Mental illness. 

But even in this modern time, especially in India people still hesitate to talk about any kind of psychological problem. Because in our country the word mental/psycho is not used in terms of mind rather it's been used for a mad person. In our society mental illness is not considered as a state of mind but it is misinterpreted as a state of being completely out of mind. Even the educated people don't take it as a serious illness & if anyone in their family tries to talk with them about it, they simply ignore it. The illiterate & poor living in the villages take it very seriously & consider it either as a curse of god or they think that the depressed person is possessed by some evil spirit. That's why they take the person to some Ojha/Tantrik to do some black magic to cure the person. In both of the cases situation got worse due to the lack of awareness of family members about this critical disease. 

We can talk about Cancer, Diabetes Paralysis or any other physical disease but we can't talk about Depression/OCD/Schizophrenia or any mental illness. Why? There are two main reasons for that, primary reason is that our society is so prejudiced against mental illness that the sufferer is always afraid of being judged/rejected on the basis of his/her mental condition. The second reason is that we don't consider these mental disorders as serious diseases. Due to these misconceptions, often we leave these mental diseases untreated which later become chronic & very hard to be cured. In cancer the body incurs the pain, same with the mind in depression. In physical diseases we can see the implications in one's body but in the case of mental illness, we can't even imagine the intensity of the struggle continuously going on in one's mind. The people themselves suffering from mental illness generally avoid to go to the therapist for consultation due to the fear of being declared crazy if society knows about their mental condition. Nevertheless foreign countries are pretty much liberal about mental problems but in India, still there is a huge gap of understanding b/w normal people & people dealing with mental sickness. Recently Supreme court of India stated that mental illness must be covered under health insurance. 

Mental disorder is nothing else but the malfunctioning of brain. Depression, Anxiety or Bipolar disorder is not just a "feeling of unhappy", but an imbalance of the happiness hormones in the body. There are four primary chemicals in the brain that effect happiness: Dopamine (Feel good hormone), Oxytocin (Love hormone), Serotonin & Endorphin. Mental illnesses, in general, are thought to be caused by a variety of genetic & environmental factors. Certain factors may increase your risk of developing a mental illness, including a history of mental illness in a blood relative; stressful life situations, such as financial problems, a loved one's death or divorce; traumatic experiences, such as military combat or assault; use of alcohol or drugs; a childhood history of abuse or neglect. About 1 in 5 adults has a mental illness in any given year. Mental illness can begin at any age, from childhood through later adult years, but most cases begin earlier in life. The effects of mental illness can be temporary or long lasting. You also can have more than one mental health disorder at the same time. 

There's no sure way to prevent mental illness. However, if you have a mental illness, taking steps to control stress & to boost low self-esteem may help keep your symptoms under control. First of all, pay attention to warning signs & immediately contact with a Psychologist. Get help whenever you need it; usually people don't tell anyone about their mental condition, sty in silence for years while fighting alone within their mind. This hesitation makes the disorder severe to treat & often leads one to suicide. Except your psychiatrist there must be at least one trustworthy person in your life that might be any of your family member or friend; we can call it a 3:00 AM friend that means he/she is always available to listen you, the one who understands your situation very well, who always tries to inspire you & take you towards the positivity of life. Because talking freely about your mental problem with any of your loved one could be more beneficial to you as compared to any medication. Sometimes you won't even need to book any therapist for the same, only one thing you have to do is just talk about it without any hesitation.

Modern man works in an office, sleeps on a thick foam mattress, travels everywhere in a car, attends parties in nightclub. He uses sleeping pills & all kinds of medicine to get peace & to counteract the negative influence of modern life, but instead of peace, rest & happiness he gets a lot of physical, mental & emotional tension. He can find no way to unburden himself of the frustration & anxieties of society. Is there a way for him to find relief ? Yes, through Yoga. By doing Yogasanas he will be able to free himself from frustration & tension associated with modern civilized life. A Yoga practitioners will have more strength & energy to face the problems & responsibilities of life. In this modern age of scientific inventions, where there are countless aids to comfort in life, it seems a contradiction, yet it is true, that very few people are able to enjoy these luxuries. They no longer have the strength or interest to enjoy life & only remember happiness in their childhood. Yoga will restify this 'non-living' way of life. You can start a new life with more vitality than you have felt for years. Large number of people in recent years, especially young people, have turned to the use of drugs, to find some order & meaning in their lives. Yoga is the perfect way for these people to find new meaning of life. 

I think that the best way to deal with depression or any other mental disorder is to take good care of yourself. Sufficient sleep, healthy eating & regular physical activity like Aerobics or Yoga are very important. Try to maintain a regular schedule. There is an old saying that "An empty mind is a devil's workshop" so try to keep yourself busy in doing different things such as dancing, singing, traveling, painting, cooking, reading, writing, gardening, watching movies, listening music or whatever you like. Stay away from negative people & toxic relationships. Keep engaged in some creative & productive work. 

In this period of Corona outbreak when negativity is widespread all around the world. In these times of uncertainity, people are getting anxious & feeling insecure about their future. Many of the small businesses have been shattered, daily wage workers have become jobless. We are facing a sudden change in our routine life in every aspect. People are going through a tough time. Hence during this period of international lockdown cases of committing or attempting suicide have been increased rapidly. 

These days everybody has become concerned about the physical hygiene due to Covid19 virus, but what about your mental hygiene? You may be a successful person in your life having a permanent job, property & a good family, but you will not be able to enjoy any of these if you have surrendered to the negative thoughts continuously popping up in your mind, such people develop suicidal tendency. Author J.K. Rowling is the perfect example for all the depressed people out there, the lady who fought with depression after going through a marital trauma but later became the first person to become a billionaire by writing books. A great man once said that "If your life is full of problems that means you are actually living otherwise you are dead"; just like the straight line in ECG represents death of the patient. I think my life will be too boring without problems. The most worthy view comes after the hardest climb, so real beauty of life appears after handling the most problematic situations & then we actually realize the value of happiness. Sometimes problems come with the biggest opportunities of life. It is said that Where there's a will, there's a way so never lose hope because solution for each & every problem exists but Suicide never can be the solution. It is nothing but a coward step taken by a defeated person, defeated by his own mind so never allow yourself to do this level of stupidity. You just have to be calm in every situation of life, handle all your issues with a zeal & smile on your face and always BE POSITIVE.

International Yoga Day

Yoga is the word commonly used by foreigners for Indian traditional concept of Yog. As clear from the word itself, Yog means addition i.e. Yog means the experience of oneness or unity with your inner being. This unity comes after dissolving the duality of mind. Yoga was originated in Indian sub-continent & the word was first mentioned in the oldest sacred texts, the Rigveda. According to the tradition & scriptures, Lord Shiva is the founder of Yoga. It is said that there were originally 84 Lakhs asanas, which represent the 84 Lakhs incarnations every individual must pass through before attaining liberation from the cycle of birth & death. Throughout the centuries these asanas have been modified & reduced in number so that there are now no more than a few hundred known. Of these only thirty or so are commonly thought of as being useful to modern man.

The first historically recorded exponent of Yoga was the great Yogi Gorakhnath. In ancient times, a sage named Patanjali wrote a book in Sanskrit named "Yogsutra" in which he thoroughly described about all the forms of Yoga, the methods & it's benefits. Swami Vivekananda & Mahatma Gandhi are the two most prominent names among the followers of Yoga. Swami Vivekananda had written many books on Yoga along with the adaptation of Patanjali's Yogsutra in Hindi. All the books became instant success & were highly influential in the western understanding of Yoga, thus he introduced Yoga to the western world. Gandhiji also used to do Yoga practices & meditation on a daily basis.
As a consequence of slavery of 200 years to the Britishers, after independence Indian people started following western culture blindly. Especially in educated societies of urban India, people used to feel shame in performing traditional rituals & practices of Indian culture without knowing their scientific importance. By doing so they were willing to look modern. Thus, stuff like Yoga, Ayurveda, Classical dance/music, Traditional attire along with Vegetarian food became so old fashioned at that time. Foreign culture of late night parties, alcohol & junk food steadily invaded in our lifestyle. During this time when Indians were busy to change their routine life as per western standards, people in west were looking towards India & it's ancient culture in search of a subtle inner peace, as there was no such means available for this in western culture. Therefore they explored Indian yoga & found it like a magic in their straggling lives.
As a result of living such unhealthy lifestyle, Indians were getting Diabetic & Obese and struggling with mental illness too. Then Indian Yog had returned to it's origin after many decades with International fame & name of Yoga. For Indians, anything with international label is considered the guarantee of a quality product or service. In our country, intelligence is not measured by a person's knowledge but his/her ability to speak English. So after getting appreciation around the globe, Indian Yog passed the test of Indian quality standards & again comprised in our life. Credits must be given to Baba Ramdev for the revival of Yoga in India.
Nowadays Yoga is not only the necessity of the modern world but has become a fashion statement too, especially for those who do Yoga only for 1 day just to capture themselves doing it so that they could upload it in the social media. Some daily practitioners also do so but for creating awareness towards health & fitness, such people inspire many others to wake up early in the morning & to do some physical activity. Yoga is not a body building technique, it is not designed specifically to develop huge, unnecessary muscles. Gymnastic exercises, weight lifting & other cardio activities are not suitable for everyone. A sick or weak person, small children or old people certainly can't do them. Furthermore, they don't provide the relaxation which people need. For these heavy physical exercises either you need a well equipped gym near by your home or you have to buy those costly cardio machines to install at your home, you pay a handsome amount to your gym instructor despite that often you miss the gym due to tiredness of your heavy workout or late night working. Sometimes you get bored with your monotonous workout routine although your gym trainer tries to engage you with the loud party music playing in the gym but it becomes so annoying at times. One more lesser known fact about gyming is that it could be only effective when you follow strict diet plan prepared as per your BMI (Body mass index). Generally boys join the gym just to get giant Biceps & 6 or 8 pack Abs and girls do so to get a slim figure. But as soon as you discontinue your body building practices for even a month, you will start rapidly accumulating fat in place of your overdeveloped muscles.
People leave their favorite food, spend most of their time & money in the gym just to get a physical resemblance to an actor/actress & this physical appearance is misinterpreted as fitness. Gyming is good enough for this kind of short term goal of fitness because it can give you the desired results within a short period of time. But beyond this physical obsession if you really want a long lasting overall good health along with the additional benefits of a fit body & stable mind then you must invest your time & energy in Yoga. Yoga has a deeper significance value in the development of the physical, mental & spiritual personality. It can be done by both healthy & unhealthy people, young & old. Have you noticed that in the gym, you do physical exercise that involves heavy breathing & sweating; you are running on a treadmill in an air-conditioned hall accompanied by many others who are also breathing, sweating, sneezing & coughing at the same time in that place and you are inhaling the same impure air. That's why Gym is considered one of the most vulnerable places for germs. These days when contagious Corona virus has captured the planet & now we are learning to live in the New normal with the formula of SMS (Sanitizer, Mask, Social distancing) then the concept of gym has become outdated. I know that engaging ourself in some physical activity is very much essential in this period to boost our immunity but we just can't ignore the fact that the machines & tools used in the gym could be the carrier of this dangerous virus. Here our ancient Yoga comes to save our lives which strengthen our immune system without contacting any infected surface. We can do Yoga in an open area in the fresh air by easily maintaining social distancing.
Meanwhile i am writing this article, all news channels are broadcasting the shocking news that one of the leading actors Sushant Singh Rajput has committed suicide because of Depression. As I have said earlier that exercising in the gym could only give you a physical satisfaction of looking good, but Yoga has the capability to give you mental satisfaction of being good. Yoga acts like a bridge b/w the body, mind & soul and creates a beautiful balance among these three. Yoga doesn't encourage us to leave this world & become Sanyasi to achieve happiness rather it teaches us the method of how to detach ourselves from temporary emotions of the outer world by enlightening our conscience. Yoga makes one's mind strong enough to endure pain & unhappiness. The power of determination & concentration are developed. You will be able to face the sorrow, anxieties & problems of the world with peace, without being disturbed. Stability of mind is developed, life becomes easy & difficulties become stepping stones to perfect mental health.
I had been doing gym for 2.5 years consisting Aerobics & Cardio and i was pretty much satisfied about my physique, but later on i had realized an urge to find something better. Somewhere in my mind i was actually searching a technique that could control my emotions. As being a working professional i needed something which could help me to reduce my stress, worries, anger, frustration, insecurities regarding my future, something that could improve my concentration level along with physical benefits as well. As I had been doing Surya namaskar since my teen age, so i have decided to join Yoga class nearby my home which i had continued for next 1year. During this time, i have experienced something that i have never experienced before in the gym & that was the mental stability. I was feeling immense pleasure while dealing with complexities of my life, this never happened before to me. I started feeling confident & optimistic towards my life. Since then i have been doing Yoga at my home only & this is the best part with this that unlike the gym, you can discontinue your Yoga class after learning it & then you can start doing it at your home on daily basis.
Now, in this modern age, Yoga has spread in all over the world. Our PM Mr. Narendra Modi also has been promoting Yoga frequently on various occasions. One of the fittest bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty is like an unofficial brand ambassador of Yoga. Many doctors & scientists are advocating the practice of Yoga as it's been medically proved that health of the Yoga practitioner can be wonderfully improved & many diseases, even the so-called incurable ones can be eliminated. Now people have realized that Yoga is not only for sages who have gone into seclusion; it is for everyone.
Hence it is proved that YOGA SE HI HOGA.

सेना के पराक्रम की कसौटी

जब भी सीमा पर तनाव होता है अगले दिन हमें दोनों तरफ़ के सैनिकों के मौत के आंकड़े देखने-सुनने को मिलते हैं। कल ख़बर आई कि चीनी सैनिकों के साथ मुठभेड़ में 20भारतीय जवान शहीद हो गए और उसके तुरंत बाद से ही चीनी सैनिकों की मौत के आंकड़े को लेकर आशंकायें जताई जाने लगीं,फ़िर आज अमेरिकी खुफ़िया एजेंसी ने लगभग 40चीनी सैनिकों के मारे जाने की पुष्टि की है। आज अचानक मन में विचार आया कि क्या होता अगर 40की जगह सिर्फ़ 10चीनी सैनिक ही मरे होते,उससे भी बदतर अगर हमारे जवान शहीद हो जाते और एक भी चीनी सैनिक के मारे जाने की पुष्टि न होती तो हमारी प्रतिक्रिया क्या होती? क्या हमारे देश की सेना के प्रति हमारा सम्मान केवल मृत दुश्मन सैनिकों के आंकड़े पर निर्भर करता है? कल अगर 40चीनी सैनिक न मरे होते तो हमारी सरकार को निकम्मा घोषित कर दिया जाता। आज हमारी मानसिकता केवल और केवल तात्कालिक प्रतिशोध लेने पर आधारित हो गयी है, क्या सेना को अपनी सारी रणनीतियां ख़ून का बदला ख़ून से लेने की लघुकालिक नीति के अनुसार बनाना चाहिए? हमारी सेना दुश्मन को ईंट का जवाब पत्थर से देना जानती है और तत्कालीन नेतृत्व ने भी सेना को अपने हिसाब से काम करने की छूट दे रखी है। पहले की सरकारों की तरह शांति-सद्भाव के नाम पर हमारी सेना के हाथ अब बंधे हुए नहीं हैं। लेकिन हमारे देश में विपक्षी नेता सिर्फ़ सरकार को घेरने के लिए सेना की कार्यवाही का विश्लेषण करने लगते हैं,विरोधी सेना को हुए नुकसान का सबूत मांगने लगते हैं। क्या हमेशा जान हथेली पर रखकर चलने वाले सैनिकों का शौर्य सिर्फ़ इस पैमाने पर मापा जा सकता है कि उन्होंने कितने दुश्मन सैनिकों को मारा? क्या नेता,आप और हम उन विषम परिस्थितियों का आंकलन करने के लायक भी हैं जिनका सामना करके ये बहादुर सैनिक देश की सीमाओं की रक्षा करते हैं? लेकिन हाल के कुछ वर्षों में जो ये परंपरा चल पड़ी है कि सैनिकों के शहीद होने पर हम बिना कूटनीतिक स्थितियों को जाने सेना को प्रतिशोध के लिए उकसाने लगते हैं, ज़ाहिर है कि हमें सीमा पर जाकर नहीं लड़ना है इसलिए बोलना हमारे लिए बहुत आसान है कि सेना को बदला लेना चाहिए। सैनिकों की शहादत पर हमारे ख़ून में उबाल आना स्वाभाविक है,लेकिन सिर्फ़ कुछ किताबें पढ़कर या केवल फेसबुकिया ज्ञान के दम पर घर बैठे सेना की गतिविधि का पूर्वानुमान लगाना हास्यास्पद है। दुनिया की कोई भी सेना भावावेश के अतिरेक में नहीं बल्कि एक पूरी रणनीति बनाकर दुश्मन पर हमला करती है और मामला और भी संवेदनशील हो जाता है जब दुश्मन हमसे अधिक मज़बूत हो। युद्ध छिड़ने पर दोनों ही तरफ़ का नुकसान होता है इसीलिए कोई भी देश प्रत्यक्ष रूप से युद्ध नहीं चाहता और हम जानते हैं कि जंग होने पर हमारी सेना किसी भी देश की सेना से लोहा लेने में सक्षम है,लेकिन दुश्मन को सबक सिखाने के नाम पर देश को युद्ध में झोंकने की लोगों की ये मानसिकता देश की सुरक्षा के लिए बहुत ही घातक है।
सोनल"होशंगाबादी"

ओ गंगा

ओ गंगा स्वर्ग की सरिता,
अविरल तेरा पावन जल बहता,
शंकर की जटाओं में तुम समायी,
धरती पर जीवन दायिनी कहलाई
भागीरथ तुम्हे धरा पर ले आये
अपने पूर्वजों का तारण पाए
फिर पृथ्वी पर लगी तुम रहने
धवल शीतल चंचल जल पहने
जैसे तुम थी कोई स्वर्ग की अप्सरा
सबको मोहित करती तेरी जलधारा
तेरे जल से सब पाप अपने धोने लगे
और तेरी शुध्दता हरने लगे
पापमोचिनी नाम बन गया तेरे लिए एक अभिशाप
मानों स्वयं तूने भी पिछले जन्म में किया हो कोई पाप
जिसके फल से कलियुग में प्रारंभ हुई तेरी दारुण कहानी
पापनाशिनी से तू अब बन गयी मैला-वाहिनी,
स्वर्ग की इस नदी की धरती पर हुई दुर्गति,
जाने कब श्वेता से श्यामा हो गयी भागीरथी,
गंगा मैया के चरणों में लोग पुष्प-नारियल चढ़ाने लगे
और गंगा नदी के जल में कूड़ा-करकट डालने लगे
और सरकारें इस जल-स्रोत पर बांध बांधने लगीं
गंगा-जमुना का संगम हमारी संस्कृति की पहचान है
और गंगा में नालों का संगम हमारे शहरीकरण का प्रमाण है
कई छोटी नदियों को जिस गंगा ने जीवनदान दिया,
अपशिष्ट उगलते कारख़ानों ने उस गंगा का जीवन छीन लिया
चिर यौवना गंगा समय से पहले ही बूढ़ी हो गयी
सरकारों का कोई योजना-लेप उसकी झुर्रियों को कम न कर पाया
हम होशंगाबादी तो माँ रेवा की गोद में जन्मे हैं
लेकिन गंगा की दुर्दशा से हमारा मन भी पसीजे है
अपने पुत्र भीष्म की तरह गंगा भी मृत्यु-शय्या पर है
किंतु मृत्यु के लिए नहीं, स्वअस्तित्व के लिए संघर्ष करती
फ़िर किसी भागीरथ के आने की प्रतीक्षा में रत है
किंतु इस बार सगर-पुत्रों के लिए नहीं, अपने उद्धार की बाट जोहती
सतत चलती रहती है गंगा-सागर की ओर
किंतु इस बार वापिस स्वर्ग में जाने को मचलती!
सोनल"होशंगाबादी"की क़लम से
अंत में गंगा दशमी की शुभकामनाएं..