I have been observing my office housekeeping since many days and I realized that they work more than me, more number of days and have no value at all!

My office is not very big in size, so we have just two housekeeping members, one lady and one man. Both of them do not know Hindi, they speak Telugu. Lady must be between 40-45 age and man must be around 30-35. When I come to office the lady says “Namaste” to me and on my reply the same way, she feels good and gives a pleasant smile. The man says “Good Morning” when I come. They do the same to all who come to office in the morning. Lady doesn’t talk to many since not many reply to her wishes and looks kind of scared among office people. Since I keep talking to them frequently so the lady now has started talking to me freely without hesitation. She asks me if I have had my breakfast/lunch on respective times.

One day when I was taking coffee in pantry, both the housekeeping members were there, then suddenly lady asked me,

“What is your salary?”

I was feeling uncomfortable within myself on being asked this question from the lady since I knew that my salary would be 10-15 times more than what they are getting and if I tell them my exact salary right away then they might feel low or might start considering me very high or might feel uncomfortable to talk to me next time, so to make the situation lighter I asked them another question without myself answering theirs,

“When do you come to office? And when do you leave?”

She said, “I come by 7:30 and go back by 7 or 8 in the evening”.

“How much do they pay you?” I asked

She said, “I get 3 thousand and this man gets 4.5 thousand”.

I was shocked! It was less than my expectations.

They work for around 12-13 hours a day and that also 6 days a week and get paid just 3-4 thousand!

I work for 8 hours a day and 5 days a week and get paid 10-15 times more than them!

Their work involves a lot of physical work also and in my work I just in front of a computer do some coding.

I asked them to which places they belong, they named a few villages in Andhra. I asked them then why did they come to Hyderabad, they said, for job and their kids do not want to do work in villages. In their jobs they have a lot of insecurity too. I remember the time when our last office boy was expelled from the office without mentioning any reason.

It was not the first time when I was seeing all this. This happens daily and everywhere around us.

After reading what I have written probably most of us would think, “What’s wrong in it? This is how things happen; intellect is paid and valued more than physical labor”. This is the kind of system we live in. This is a servant owner system. If I do not own any natural resource then I am a servant of one or the other. Whatever thing is assumed to be “valuable” in the system, people in production of those things are “valued” and they earn a lot and others are exploited. Now those who are being exploited want to become like those who are exploiting. In this system I can make production in my house continuous only when my kid is also servant or owner of something in the market and is able to earn money and is ready to feed me when I am old. Since in this system there are a lot of insecurities involved so to get rid of those insecurities I am bound to accumulate, continuously and more and more accumulation, which causes many other problems of production and distribution. Now the question which comes is why the thing which is “valued” in the system is “valued”? The stuff which I produce (i.e. Software in my case) is valued in the market and I am earning. Who is the market? Who is creating the market? I am the market and I am creating it. I am making those things valuable in the market which I am making myself and others to produce them for me.

This is really a very big issue and I just mentioned a microscopic glimpse of it. A bigger picture of it can be found at following link

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

It is the missing purpose in every aspect of our life which makes those things valuable in the system which do not have any value really. And if we ask ourselves if we are happy with the system we are living in? If we feel secure in the system we are living in? If we are able to ensure continuous happiness for ourselves in the system we are living in? Then answer comes as NO!

If I myself am not able to make me happy in the system I created then I need to recheck what am I doing? Where am I going? Is there any direction or it has no direction?

Ultimately the question comes what is the root cause of all this which is happening? And the answer comes that root cause is Understanding. It is the understanding which can make the purpose of life clear, it is the understanding which can make purpose of everything clear, it is the understanding which makes a person self-organized, it is the understanding which develops absolute self confidence in every individual, it is the understanding which makes relationships stronger which ultimately leads to prosperity in every family, it is the understanding which can thus bring fearlessness in the society and peaceful co-existence in nature. This all starts with understanding at the level of individual, because individual is the basic entity of world, nation, state, society, family.

]]> http://excogitativedev.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/housekeeping-in-my-office-%e2%80%a6/feed/ 1 enigmaticdev http://excogitativedev.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/%e0%a4%85%e0%a4%a4%e0%a5%83%e0%a4%aa%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a4%e0%a4%bf/ http://excogitativedev.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/%e0%a4%85%e0%a4%a4%e0%a5%83%e0%a4%aa%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a4%e0%a4%bf/#comments Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:03:19 +0000 Devansh Mittal http://excogitativedev.wordpress.com/?p=55 ]]>

समाज के भय से अपने असल स्वरुप को,
वह ज़माने की नज़रों से छिपाए रखता है,
जाने कितनो का अपने ख्यालों में बलात्कार किया करता है,
वह कहता है की वह सज्जन आदमी है!

अपने गुस्से को मन में ही दबाकर वह,
मानता है की मैं क्रोध को जीत चुका हूँ,
अपने ही अन्दर ही घुट घुट कर जिया करता है,
वह कहता है की वह सज्जन आदमी है!

एक सीमा तक सज्जनता को ढोता है,
और घुटन सहन ना होने पर फ़ेंक देता है मुखौटा,
हर क्षण ख़ुद ही को धोखा दिया करता है,
वह कहता है की वह सज्जन आदमी है!

ख़ुद भी एक चूहा बनकर वह सज्जन,
दूसरे चूहों से निरंतर आगे रहने का चित्रण किया करता है,
भागना बुरा है साथ ही यह भी कहा करता है,
वह कहता है की वह सज्जन आदमी है!

स्वयं को सही मानकर वह सज्जन,
पूरी दुनिया को गाली गलौच किया करता है,
साथ ही मानवीयता का गुणगान भी किया करता है,
वह कहता है की वह सज्जन आदमी है!

सबीज होते हुए भी वह सज्जन आदमी,
निर्बीज होने का दावा किया करता है,
अनुकूल वातावरण के मिलते ही वह अंकुरित हो जाया करता है,
वह कहता है की वह सज्जन आदमी है!

सापेक्षता में जी कर भी वह सज्जन आदमी,
निरपेक्षता के दावे किया करता है|
अपनी परतंत्रता से अंजान हो कर वह,
स्वतंत्रता के गीत गाया करता है,
वह कहता है की वह सज्जन आदमी है!

I hated her as I was ashamed of her

She was a cook in the school cafeteria where I studied.

One day, when I saw still in a primary class,

She came to visit me to see for herself that I was all right.

I was very upset, how dare she do this to me?

After that incident I ignored her & looked on her

Only with hateful eyes….

The next day, a fellow-student told me,

“oohhh, your mother has only one eye!”

At that moment, I wanted to crawl under the floor

And that my mother would be out of my life completely.

The next day I went to meet her & to tell here:

” because of you I am the joke at school,

Why don’t you die and go away!?

But, she did not respond….

I wasn’t thinking and did not know what I was saying,

I was very angry.

I could not imagine

How she would react to my remarks.

And, I left town.

I studied relentlessly and obtained a scholarship

to continue my studies abroad.

In fact, I completed my studies, got married, bought a house and set up my family.

I lived a happy and a peaceful life.

One day, my mother comes to visit me.

It has been many years since she had disappeared,

She had never met here grand-children.

She remained at the doorstep

While my children were making fun of her

I shouted at her: ” How date you come all the way here and frighten my kids?!

With a calm voice she responded:

“I apologize, I am at the wrong address.”

And she disappeared.

One day, I received an invitation from my hometown school to attend a reunion under the ” close family ties ” topic

I lied to my wife and made her believe that

I was traveling for business.

After the reunion I stopped by the house

where I grew up

The neighbours informed me that

my mother had passed away.

I did not shed even one drop of tear!!!

The neighbor handed me a letter

that my mother had left for me

“My Dear son, I always thought of you.”

I regret having visited you abroad

And frightened your kids

…I was very pleased when I heard that

you would come to attend the reunion

…The only thing was that I could not get up

from my bed to come and see you….

… I am broken-hearted that I brought

shame to you on numerous occasions…

…Did you know that when you were a baby

you had an accident and lost your one eye?…

… and, as any other mother would,

I would not let you grow up with only one eye….

So. I gave you my eye……..

I was very proud and happy to know that my son would be able to see the world with my eye

… with all my love…

…Your mother….

]]> http://excogitativedev.wordpress.com/2008/05/07/a-mother-with-only-one-eye/feed/ 2 enigmaticdev http://excogitativedev.wordpress.com/2008/04/04/trying-to-sculpt-my-self/ http://excogitativedev.wordpress.com/2008/04/04/trying-to-sculpt-my-self/#comments Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:43:06 +0000 Devansh Mittal http://excogitativedev.wordpress.com/?p=36 ]]>

Trying to understand the real meaning of Swatantrata.

Swatantrata is understanding of harmony within oneself and living according to it. It is the state of effortlessness.

टिन के बने राक्षसों पर सवार,
जान हथेली में लिए,
जाने कहाँ से आ रहा है,
वो देखो वो भागा जा रहा है|

बस में बैठा वो बेहोश आदमी,
आसपास की चीखों से मुह मोड़कर,
जाने कौन सा खजाना खोदने जा रहा है,
वो देखो वो भागा जा रहा है|

ऑटो चलाता वो आदमी,
दूसरे ऑटो वाले से,
आगे निकलने को पागल हुआ जा रहा है,
वो देखो भागा जा रहा है|

चौराहे के बीच में खड़ा वो आदमी,
भागने के लिए तत्पर खड़े उन लोगों को,
लगाम देने की कोशिश किए जा रहा है,
वो देखो वो भागा जा रहा है|

भागने को ही प्रगति,
और संघर्ष को ही धर्मं मानकर,
जिया जा रहा है,
वो देखो वो भागा जा रहा है|

कोई आकर रोके इन्हें,
और बताये कि,
भागने से थकान के अलावा,
कुछ हासिल नहीं कर पा रहा है,
वो देखो वो भागा जा रहा है|

The kind of Innocent Smiles they give.

The kind of expression of Unconditional Trust they have.

The kind of Simplicity they manifest.

The kind of feeling of In-Differentiation they posses.

The kind of Respect they give to Humanity.

The way they show their enthusiasm towards Learning Everything in Existence.

The way they Help each other.

The way they Enjoy the games without any feeling of competition.

The way they manifest the real meaning of “Freedom” or “Swatantrata”.

Yes, It is not only true with the kids in AshaKiran but with every kid we have ever seen. It is just the glimpse of what a Natural Human Conduct is, what Relationships are, what Trust is, what the craver of Knowledge is, what the expression of Happiness is.

I was teaching Hindi to kids in AshaKiran this Saturday. There were 4 kids all of less than 4th standard. They do not know Hindi. They just know some English and Telugu. One girl in them has good english. Her english is even better than what I knew after joining IIIT-H in first year. She is in 4th standard. Her name is Ramani. She was helping me in communicating with other 3 kids. I was talking to her in English and she in turn was explaining other 3 in telugu. Ramani studies in HCU campus school. Other kids study in some other school somewhere in Gachibowli. These kids come from the slums near IIIT-H.

We were studying below “Jagruti Tree” near the main gate of IIIT-H. I was just telling them about what the things around are called in Hindi. Like, a Tree in hindi is called “Ped”, a Pen is hindi is called “Kalam”, a leaf in hindi is called “Patti” etc. After a study of around 15 minutes Ramani said, “Teacher this grass ….”. She took one grass leaf out of ground and was trying to prick that into her hand and was showing me how it is making them uncomfortable to sit on the ground. She did not know how to express this in english.

We sat on the boundary wall of the tree. We discussed many a things. One girl among them, Anitha, was feeling shy or probably inferior to speak since she did not know English. I told Ramani to tell Anitha that “Telugu is a good language and she can speak in telugu itself. There are no restrictions on you all here, you can do whatever you like”. She started speaking in Telugu which I could not understand, but I was happy that she was speaking. After a study of around 30 minutes, Ramani asked “can we play teacher?”. I said, “Yes, you can play, you can sing, you can do whatever you like”.

They started playing “Bhagam-Bhag” (running and chasing). I was just observing them. The expression of Happiness they had, the kind of Simplicity they were manifesting. It was really magnificent. Those few moments took me to imagine a dream world in which every person on earth posses such qualities and is every actively happy.

After some time they came back to me, “Teacher shall we play Antakshari?”. I said, “OK lets play”. They first sang some song in telugu to decide who will sing first, then they sang many songs and also danced. I also sang with them.

After that they started swinging on the tendrils of Banyan tree. They were very happy. They were saying “Bye-Bye” to every other person passing by, and like this we spent around one hour playing, swinging, dancing and singing.

The kind of natural behavior these kids manifested, reinforced my knowledge about the goodness of a human being.

The way these days children are brought up, they are given daily doses of being competitive, being selfish, to differentiate between people, to mistrust and disrespect people. These doses are given regularly on the name of being “Practical”. The effect of these doses is so much that ultimately a human being is neither happy within nor he is able to make others happy. The feeling of insecurity a person lives in makes him to search for security in everything and in everybody, but since everybody is given the similar kind of doses from the beginning so there is nobody whom he can Trust or who can Trust him. A person remains deprived. Deprived of relationships, deprived of facilities, deprived of everything. This feeling of deprivation or feeling of insecurity within him makes him unhappy. To get rid of this deprivation a person uses various tactics, various shrewdnesses with the assumption that this will make him prosperous. When even shrewdness doesn’t work then he uses violence with the assumption that it will make him prosperous. But it doesn’t!

It creates such an environment which we see now. It forces parents to give “doses” to their children and to make them “Practical” and ultimately this chain continues.

Welcome to the real world!