K M Mathew, Chief Editor of Malayala Manorama, the doyen in the field of Journalism, passed away at the ripe age of 93 in early morning of the 1st of August 2010. Respected by both friends and foes, he was a sincere newspaper editor and an astute business man. Under his leadership, Malayala Manorama grew multi fold, spreading its tentacles both at the vertical and horizontal space around it. His was a Midas touch, for whatever he started, grew into huge success.
I have had some interactions with him. When I was the Honorary Secretary of Kerala Management Association (KMA), we chose him for the KMA Management Leadership Award for the year 2001. I remember hearing from the Award Committee Chairman Mr. KT Chandy (Founder Director of IIM Calcutta & Former Director Hindustan Lever Limited) who was speaking very high of Mr. KM Mathew. “He excelled in all forms of Leadership, more so in man management” said Mr. Chandy. It is indeed true, in this extremely competitive journalism field, the loyalty displayed by Manorma employees is something exceptional. Only a true, selfless, considerate leader could rise to the level of commanding this organizational loyalty from its employees.
While receiving the award from the then Kerala Chief Minister Shri. A K Antony, he simply said that he did nothing but allowed people to work. He nostalgically remembered himself starting the career in Bomaby as a Balloon salesman (balloons were manufactured by his brother’s fid gelling company; Madras Rubber factory – Presently, the well Known MRF Ltd.) and the circumstances that lead him to come over to Kottayam to assist his Brother Mr. K M Cherian in the running of the Newspaper and later taking over the mantle in 1973, when his brother passed away. Yes, by simply allowing the people to work and by utilising their creativity, he grew the Malayala Manorama Group into a great newspaper empire. Heavy dose of application of technology gave the group unattainable leadership – It is known that Manorama group was the first Asian media company to have implemented SAP ERP solution, more than a decade back.
Later when I became the President of KMA, I requested him to be the Chairman of KMA’s Management Leadership Award Selection Committee for the year 2004, which he agreed. With the nominations in hand, along with the other committee members, I went to meet him at his office in Kottayam. Though we were to meet him at 9.30 AM, we could only reach his office 15 minutes late. I knew his reputation to be a person who keeps perfect time. To my apologies of delay, I remember receiving a minor chiding from him “yes it is always the traffic or the roads, but the fact is that you are late”. However he did not carry forward the irritation in to the job of evaluating the credentials of the candidates to choose an appropriate winner for that year.
In my interactions with him he came through as a simple, straight forward and considerate person. I found it difficult to take that he is the one who grew the enterprise many fold, because his attire and actions defied any businessman propositions. I realize now that perhaps his success was in keeping everything very simple. And being considerate must have attracted people towards him. In the simple attire of a white dhoti and Jubba, there existed a splendid human being whose discipline and work ethics must have invigorated the thousands around him to work hard and take the organization to still greater heights. And that indeed was his success.
Journalism, the mighty forth estate, is at the cross road today. The lure of visual electronic technology is very tempting. There are the challenges such as paid news etc. The specific agendas of the News barons in other forms of business are another greater challenge (Compare a News Editor having a diversified area of business interest, say, real estate!). In this melee the essence of people like KM Mathew is extremely significant. He was the Colossus in the field of Journalism. He maintained values and discipline. Five to six decades of legacy that he had created in the organization will stay put for ever, one is hopeful.
Here is final PRANAMS to him. May the noble soul rest in eternal peace.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
WORLD CUP FOOTBALL 2010
The curtains came down for World cup Football 2010 with the finals played between Netherlands and Spain at Soccer City, Johannesburg in South Africa. Spain won the match and became the World Champions for the first time. It is third time disappointment for Netherlands in the World cup football finals. An extra time goal almost at the very end of the match by Andres Iniesta sealed the fate of Holland in a match where physical supremacy took the lead over football skills. Holland had eight of its players booked for foul on the opponent, with one of them getting the red card. Without being partial or judgemental, while both teams had ample chances to win, one felt that Spain deserved to win the match as they were clearly the better of the two (in football terms) having kept the possession of ball with it for close to sixty percent of the time, through short passes.
Personally, though I did try several times, I just could not fully see the last matches of the day of the tournament for the whole season, except for the finals that got over yesterday. Starting right atthe middle of the night, to be fully awake for the next two to two and half hours had been an arduous task. However I could make it yesterday. Though the match did not rise to high level, it had its own charm as the finals.
Football had changed a lot. It had gone through various phases of its growth. From total football to percentage football to possession football, every edition of world cup sees a new avatar in the methodology of the way the game is played. One remembers, in the olden days, it was long passes that thrilled the audience. Thereafter, it was short passes and then short passes combining with high speed. The game had become quite defensive now with high percentage of mid field paly. Rather than attack, it is the counter attacks that yield more goals now. The fear of losing looks to be more paramount than the happiness of winning in the minds of players of the nations. In the whole match yesterday, there were no long shots tried at the goal by both parties. The goals looked more ‘opportunistic’ than power goals. Also, a team like Spain scores the minimal goals and then spends the rest of the time to defend it – all through its matches. Like in Tennis where touch play had given way to powerful and quick, serve and volley game (which one finds really boring), in football it is now the boring mid field oriented possession football. For people who are ageing, it may not give any happiness watching such games.
This edition of World cup finals saw the real end of Super teams and Super stars. Brazil, Italy, France, Argentina and Germany bit dust. Wayne Rooney, Kaka, Robinho, Messi, Christiano Ronaldo and Torres went away as nobodies. Youngsters came up to show their mark but did not rise to high level of excellence (Except may be, Muller, Villa & Suarez). Some countries made a mark in this edition and caught the imagination of the people around the World. (Ghana & Uruguay).
From players of the World cup 2010, my vote goes to Xavi of Spain (What an incredible playmaker!) and Forlan of Uruguay (for the never say die spirit and his ability to score from any angle). I am sure we will hear more about them in time to come.
The host country South Africa proved that in spite of all its problems of lawlessness, political upheavals within and poverty, it could conduct the highest universal spectacle of an event on the planet earth with the gaiety and élan that the show required. Full marks to them! The country of Spain proved that in spite of great internal rift between the regions inside it, the players of competing regions could play in unity as a well oiled machine. The coaches of Spain and Holland proved that you do not have to be high profile individuals but need brains to do the job.
Yes, despite all its shortcomings, Football is getting richer and richer, in every term (not only financial, that is).
I will say cheers to that!
Personally, though I did try several times, I just could not fully see the last matches of the day of the tournament for the whole season, except for the finals that got over yesterday. Starting right atthe middle of the night, to be fully awake for the next two to two and half hours had been an arduous task. However I could make it yesterday. Though the match did not rise to high level, it had its own charm as the finals.
Football had changed a lot. It had gone through various phases of its growth. From total football to percentage football to possession football, every edition of world cup sees a new avatar in the methodology of the way the game is played. One remembers, in the olden days, it was long passes that thrilled the audience. Thereafter, it was short passes and then short passes combining with high speed. The game had become quite defensive now with high percentage of mid field paly. Rather than attack, it is the counter attacks that yield more goals now. The fear of losing looks to be more paramount than the happiness of winning in the minds of players of the nations. In the whole match yesterday, there were no long shots tried at the goal by both parties. The goals looked more ‘opportunistic’ than power goals. Also, a team like Spain scores the minimal goals and then spends the rest of the time to defend it – all through its matches. Like in Tennis where touch play had given way to powerful and quick, serve and volley game (which one finds really boring), in football it is now the boring mid field oriented possession football. For people who are ageing, it may not give any happiness watching such games.
This edition of World cup finals saw the real end of Super teams and Super stars. Brazil, Italy, France, Argentina and Germany bit dust. Wayne Rooney, Kaka, Robinho, Messi, Christiano Ronaldo and Torres went away as nobodies. Youngsters came up to show their mark but did not rise to high level of excellence (Except may be, Muller, Villa & Suarez). Some countries made a mark in this edition and caught the imagination of the people around the World. (Ghana & Uruguay).
From players of the World cup 2010, my vote goes to Xavi of Spain (What an incredible playmaker!) and Forlan of Uruguay (for the never say die spirit and his ability to score from any angle). I am sure we will hear more about them in time to come.
The host country South Africa proved that in spite of all its problems of lawlessness, political upheavals within and poverty, it could conduct the highest universal spectacle of an event on the planet earth with the gaiety and élan that the show required. Full marks to them! The country of Spain proved that in spite of great internal rift between the regions inside it, the players of competing regions could play in unity as a well oiled machine. The coaches of Spain and Holland proved that you do not have to be high profile individuals but need brains to do the job.
Yes, despite all its shortcomings, Football is getting richer and richer, in every term (not only financial, that is).
I will say cheers to that!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT
A mini story
The just born baby girl was left in the cradle in front of the orphanage in early morning by someone. May be by an unwed mother or some relatives, who knows. Here, nobody asks……
As usual, the orphanage took care of the baby. Registered her in the books. Took her to the doctor and got the certificate. Gave her a name. She became part of it. Like in any orphanage……
As her luck would have it, within six months, a couple, a south Indian husband with a north Indian wife, issueless for more than ten years, adopted her, of course, through legal means. Her name was changed again as per the wishes of the couple. The man was an upcoming entrepreneur.
Years went by. The business boomed. The baby lived in full opulence with an ostentatious lifestyle, for, her dad had become the biggest industrialist in the country in the business vertical that he was in.
She did her schooling in Mayo School, the undergraduate studies London, and the MBA from the world’s top university in the US.
By then her dad’s company had grown on to become a transnational organization, spreading all over the world.
The baby, who was orphaned and destituted when born, went on to get listed by the leading world finance magazine as one of the topmost heiress of the companies of of the World……………
Yes, as luck would have it………
TEST YOUR STRENGTH
A mini story
On an evening, I was at the shop that sells most of duty paid imported stuff, to buy the blade cartridge for my shaving set. Just near me, I saw this lady, a fair one but with careless dressing. Her face said something, a sad look with a hazy expression. She way buying nylon rope and was checking with the salesman whether the rope is strong enough.
“Madam, you can even hang yourself in this. Will not break, very strong imported nylon,” the salesman reassured her.
Everyone in the shop had a hearty laugh at the comment of the salesman.
“Oh I see, It is that strong. Then give it to me” said the lady, who was indeed embarrassed.
We both went our ways after the purchase.
Three days later, while reading the local daily in the early morning, I saw a photo of a woman who died by hanging on the previous day. A strong tremor spread through my body. I wanted to vomit.
It was her………… The fair lady in the unkempt dress with a hazy sad look……………………………….
On an evening, I was at the shop that sells most of duty paid imported stuff, to buy the blade cartridge for my shaving set. Just near me, I saw this lady, a fair one but with careless dressing. Her face said something, a sad look with a hazy expression. She way buying nylon rope and was checking with the salesman whether the rope is strong enough.
“Madam, you can even hang yourself in this. Will not break, very strong imported nylon,” the salesman reassured her.
Everyone in the shop had a hearty laugh at the comment of the salesman.
“Oh I see, It is that strong. Then give it to me” said the lady, who was indeed embarrassed.
We both went our ways after the purchase.
Three days later, while reading the local daily in the early morning, I saw a photo of a woman who died by hanging on the previous day. A strong tremor spread through my body. I wanted to vomit.
It was her………… The fair lady in the unkempt dress with a hazy sad look……………………………….
Friday, June 11, 2010
AN EXPERIENCE OF A TRAIN JOURNEY
Day before yesterday while travelling between Cochin and Chennai by train, I came across this couple. They looked sufficiently old (to be in their seventies) but there was this aura of positivity around them. I saw them talking between each other on various people (it seems, about relatives). Though it was not prudent to listen to the conversation between people, inquisitiveness got the better of me and listen I did. In as much as the conversation that I overheard, I haven’t heard them speaking anything negative about people. I found it strange, as normally in such personal conversation about people, particularly by Malayalees, one always hears some comment about others that is not always positive, to say the least. I liked them instantly but did not get across to them as it was dinner and sleep time inside the train.
Next day morning I did have an opportunity to talk to the couple. It was one Mrs. & Mr. Simon, Malayalees, originally from Kunnamkulam, Trichur but settled in Chennai. They went to Kottayam to attend the marriage of the son of Mr. Simon’s younger sister. Some references to Kunnamkulam warmed up Mr. Simon to me and we talked.
Mr. Simon is an Engineer who had worked both in India (Chennai) and Sharjah, UAE. He has two daughters, one a doctorate in Biochemistry and the other, a Teacher by qualification. Both are employed in UAE where they stay with their husbands, who are also well employed. Two of their grand children are in Chennai studying for Engineering while staying at the hostel and they visit the Simons on every week end.
Mr Simon is about seventy Five years old and Mrs. Simon, two years his junior. They are in Chennai for close to half a century staying in the same apartment but on rental. Mr. Simon looked always in control of situation. Asked why he didn’t build a home his answer was simple. Having two daughters, he didn’t deem it fit to build a house. If he had a son, he would have done so. Being daughters, giving them a house is unnecessary, as girls would go away to husband’s home. Whatever saving he has, would go to them eventually. He is very happy to stay continuously in the rented apartment particularly because his land lord was very co-operative and didn’t want them to move out.
I was surprised to see him working still. He works as an engineer consultant to 5 hospitals looking after the instrumentation in the hospitals. It is his responsibility to keep the hospital equipments, particularly testing and monitoring instruments in proper working condition. He works for 3 hours in one hospital per day. He earns sufficiently to make a living and still drives the car to work. He says he is very happy. He doesn’t want to disturb anyone and do not want anyone to disturb him either! Life is peaceful for him and he is yet to be troubled by any major geriatric diseases.
Mrs. Simon on the other hand is a diabetic. She has other troubles of Blood Pressure, Joint pains etc and takes plenty of medicines everyday. Things are generally under control but with occasional bouts of illness, sometimes necessitating hospitalisation. She had been a home maker throughout and is happy and contented. Children are well settled. Life went as per their plan and what more can she ask for? God has been kind. She reads her Bible everyday, goes to Church every Sunday and keeps writing something or the other on Bible thoughts, only for her own consumption.
Mrs Simon was more talkative that Mr. Simon. “One day soon, we will go away. We have no regrets. God was good to us” was her parting statement. When the train reached Chennai, I helped them alight. Mr. Simon shook hand and they went away. We never exchanged any addresses or phone number but simply were happy to have met each other and talked. We may or may not meet again; as nothing is sure in this world.
I was very impressed by their attitude to life, their independence, their positivity and of course, their non-complaining nature. In this materialistic world where people are never satisfied with whatever they had earned, here is a couple with such a value system being happy about whatever they had achieved.
No wonder nature had been extremely kind to them and let them live their life with happiness intact.
I was very happy. It was a good, simple learning. May God be with them…
Next day morning I did have an opportunity to talk to the couple. It was one Mrs. & Mr. Simon, Malayalees, originally from Kunnamkulam, Trichur but settled in Chennai. They went to Kottayam to attend the marriage of the son of Mr. Simon’s younger sister. Some references to Kunnamkulam warmed up Mr. Simon to me and we talked.
Mr. Simon is an Engineer who had worked both in India (Chennai) and Sharjah, UAE. He has two daughters, one a doctorate in Biochemistry and the other, a Teacher by qualification. Both are employed in UAE where they stay with their husbands, who are also well employed. Two of their grand children are in Chennai studying for Engineering while staying at the hostel and they visit the Simons on every week end.
Mr Simon is about seventy Five years old and Mrs. Simon, two years his junior. They are in Chennai for close to half a century staying in the same apartment but on rental. Mr. Simon looked always in control of situation. Asked why he didn’t build a home his answer was simple. Having two daughters, he didn’t deem it fit to build a house. If he had a son, he would have done so. Being daughters, giving them a house is unnecessary, as girls would go away to husband’s home. Whatever saving he has, would go to them eventually. He is very happy to stay continuously in the rented apartment particularly because his land lord was very co-operative and didn’t want them to move out.
I was surprised to see him working still. He works as an engineer consultant to 5 hospitals looking after the instrumentation in the hospitals. It is his responsibility to keep the hospital equipments, particularly testing and monitoring instruments in proper working condition. He works for 3 hours in one hospital per day. He earns sufficiently to make a living and still drives the car to work. He says he is very happy. He doesn’t want to disturb anyone and do not want anyone to disturb him either! Life is peaceful for him and he is yet to be troubled by any major geriatric diseases.
Mrs. Simon on the other hand is a diabetic. She has other troubles of Blood Pressure, Joint pains etc and takes plenty of medicines everyday. Things are generally under control but with occasional bouts of illness, sometimes necessitating hospitalisation. She had been a home maker throughout and is happy and contented. Children are well settled. Life went as per their plan and what more can she ask for? God has been kind. She reads her Bible everyday, goes to Church every Sunday and keeps writing something or the other on Bible thoughts, only for her own consumption.
Mrs Simon was more talkative that Mr. Simon. “One day soon, we will go away. We have no regrets. God was good to us” was her parting statement. When the train reached Chennai, I helped them alight. Mr. Simon shook hand and they went away. We never exchanged any addresses or phone number but simply were happy to have met each other and talked. We may or may not meet again; as nothing is sure in this world.
I was very impressed by their attitude to life, their independence, their positivity and of course, their non-complaining nature. In this materialistic world where people are never satisfied with whatever they had earned, here is a couple with such a value system being happy about whatever they had achieved.
No wonder nature had been extremely kind to them and let them live their life with happiness intact.
I was very happy. It was a good, simple learning. May God be with them…
Thursday, June 10, 2010
AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!
And finally the Bhopal gas tragedy case came to a verdict. After some 28 years of trial and after some 18 judges presiding over it, one after the other. Mind you, this is only a lower court. All the accused are big and powerful enough to appeal against it and probably capable of influencing the judgement at the higher courts or at least prolong the case in the higher courts for another quarter century. By then, all the accused would be dead and gone! What a speed at which justice get delivered in our country! Looking at it, It was very evident, as way back in 1994, the Supreme court was involved in diluting the case by registering it under reduced charges of Section 304 A of IPC instead of Section 304.
Now coming to the sentence. For killings thousands of innocent people overnight and for deforming another ten of thousands later, the accused had been sentenced for TWO years. Glory be for Indian justice!
Touted as the biggest industrial disaster of the last century, that had happened due to the absolute callousness of the management of the company; Union Carbide Ltd, that made many families lose its breadwinners and the near and dear in Bhopal, this sentence underwrites the power of money and muscle in Indian Polity. It is found on investigation that the tragedy was waiting to happen for year as the safety standards of storing the killer Methyl Iso Cynite gas (MIC) was absolutely below par.
The Worldwide Chairman of Union Carbide, Warren Anderson went out scot-free from India when he visited the country soon after the tragedy. His name was not in the accused list and it never figured anywhere in the verdict. The Indian Chairman of the company Keshub Chandra Mahindra and Vice Chairman Gokhale got the lightest sentence possible of two years and so was the case of another six senior managers of the company. Thus, the verdict of the tragedy finally whimpered off. And the MNC practically came out unscathed by paying paltry compensation to the victims (another matter, if it ever reached them?) for having caused the damage, much to the chagrin of the victims concerned.
Public memory is normally very short. However in this case it wasn’t that short. So many agitations, representations, complaints and sit-ins had happened in this case across Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh and the rest of the country. But what is the result? Money and Muscle power won, eventually.
Some left and other political parties raised hue and cry after the judgement, but even that was half hearted. Looking at it, one can understand as to how deep money would have gone into to silence the political parties, whether left, right or centre.
Whether they empathise with the victims or not, the verdict had now become just another sensational story for the media, particularly the electronic one. We now see statements from former bureaucrats, officials and ministerial authorities on how Warren Anderson got scot-free and on how Ministry of External Affairs decided not to seek his extradition from United States etc. There will be some more breaking news, debates and accusations before everything get forgotten, soon.
And proudly we say, ‘equal justice for all’ which is guaranteed by our constitution. How many politicians and industrialist had gone behind bars so far in India for the heinous crimes that had committed?
You don’t even need to count your finger tip!
None, practically……………
Now coming to the sentence. For killings thousands of innocent people overnight and for deforming another ten of thousands later, the accused had been sentenced for TWO years. Glory be for Indian justice!
Touted as the biggest industrial disaster of the last century, that had happened due to the absolute callousness of the management of the company; Union Carbide Ltd, that made many families lose its breadwinners and the near and dear in Bhopal, this sentence underwrites the power of money and muscle in Indian Polity. It is found on investigation that the tragedy was waiting to happen for year as the safety standards of storing the killer Methyl Iso Cynite gas (MIC) was absolutely below par.
The Worldwide Chairman of Union Carbide, Warren Anderson went out scot-free from India when he visited the country soon after the tragedy. His name was not in the accused list and it never figured anywhere in the verdict. The Indian Chairman of the company Keshub Chandra Mahindra and Vice Chairman Gokhale got the lightest sentence possible of two years and so was the case of another six senior managers of the company. Thus, the verdict of the tragedy finally whimpered off. And the MNC practically came out unscathed by paying paltry compensation to the victims (another matter, if it ever reached them?) for having caused the damage, much to the chagrin of the victims concerned.
Public memory is normally very short. However in this case it wasn’t that short. So many agitations, representations, complaints and sit-ins had happened in this case across Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh and the rest of the country. But what is the result? Money and Muscle power won, eventually.
Some left and other political parties raised hue and cry after the judgement, but even that was half hearted. Looking at it, one can understand as to how deep money would have gone into to silence the political parties, whether left, right or centre.
Whether they empathise with the victims or not, the verdict had now become just another sensational story for the media, particularly the electronic one. We now see statements from former bureaucrats, officials and ministerial authorities on how Warren Anderson got scot-free and on how Ministry of External Affairs decided not to seek his extradition from United States etc. There will be some more breaking news, debates and accusations before everything get forgotten, soon.
And proudly we say, ‘equal justice for all’ which is guaranteed by our constitution. How many politicians and industrialist had gone behind bars so far in India for the heinous crimes that had committed?
You don’t even need to count your finger tip!
None, practically……………
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
THOUGHTS AROUND THE C E R N EXPERIMENT
The Scientists at CERN are back at it again. The Hadron Collider has been repaired to resume the experiment. Yes, to know more of the beginning of the universe. To simulate the Big Bang and to understand what all happened post big bang, including beginning of life, to understand matter and antimatter, understanding the unification of waves and particles…. So many intricacies can come to light.
There are many sets of belief about the genesis of the world. Major religions ascribe that the earth is only around 10,000 years old and God created Life in it where as the big bang theory postulates that it happened eons ago (some thirteen billion years at that!). The findings of CERN can question the religious beliefs with much more authenticity and proof. How faith and science can co-exist with minimum level of understanding, will be a question that one seriously asks.
Inspite of so much of explorations and investigations, we are yet to find a planet or a Galaxy where some form of life exists. The more we try to know about the origin of life, the more intriguing it becomes. The dividing line between science and philosophy vanishes at some point. Things become very hazy and confusing on what is right and what is not. Science more or less stops there and philosophy takes over. The CERN experiments will move the cause of science forward. How far? Difficult to predict but one thing is sure, there will be more clarity.
The VEDAs says that before genesis (srushti), there was nothing, No earth, no water, no air, no atmosphere, no nothing…. Then it all starts (the big bang?), Light (agni) comes, then water, single cell life, then multi cellular small beings. Then there is the ‘dashavatara’. First the fish, then the amphibian, then the strong animal, then the man animal, then the small man, thereafter the strong man, then the refined (cultured) man, then the God man so on…
Something similar is said and predicted by Aurobindo Ghosh. He called the new being as supra mental beings, a being which will put all the intelligence and the technologies together into it. A cyborg sort of a being, with very high intelligence that can communicate huge input in relatively small time frame, swiftly. Looking back at the evolution, there is a possibility for all these to happen. And, there is miles to go……. And eons to go.
There is this theory of Adwaita, a situation of no two ness but oneness. All into one. Everything will go into one. The God and his prajas (his creations) unite, man and woman unite, matter and antimatter unite, wave and particle unite, and everything will converge into the oneness. Into the bindu, the dot - he smallest of thing that one can visualize. Everything will go into it. Then it will be Shunyata! Sheer nothingness, simple vacuum……..
Then, it will start all over again, the dot will burst. Another Big bang, another universe, another form of life. Its manifestation in multitudes……
The creation and destruction thus, will continue….. Eternally.
Famous Malayalam poet, Ulloor Parmeshwara Iyer wrote;
“Anantam ajnatam avarnaneeyam, ee lokagolam tiriyunna margam
Atingelangandoridatirunnu nokkunna martyan kathayenthu kandu?”
(Infinite, unknown, indescribable is the way the world moves. To what extent can the man, who is sitting on a far of corner of it, understand the story?)
Is it the truth or Illusion….. Who knows?
There are many sets of belief about the genesis of the world. Major religions ascribe that the earth is only around 10,000 years old and God created Life in it where as the big bang theory postulates that it happened eons ago (some thirteen billion years at that!). The findings of CERN can question the religious beliefs with much more authenticity and proof. How faith and science can co-exist with minimum level of understanding, will be a question that one seriously asks.
Inspite of so much of explorations and investigations, we are yet to find a planet or a Galaxy where some form of life exists. The more we try to know about the origin of life, the more intriguing it becomes. The dividing line between science and philosophy vanishes at some point. Things become very hazy and confusing on what is right and what is not. Science more or less stops there and philosophy takes over. The CERN experiments will move the cause of science forward. How far? Difficult to predict but one thing is sure, there will be more clarity.
The VEDAs says that before genesis (srushti), there was nothing, No earth, no water, no air, no atmosphere, no nothing…. Then it all starts (the big bang?), Light (agni) comes, then water, single cell life, then multi cellular small beings. Then there is the ‘dashavatara’. First the fish, then the amphibian, then the strong animal, then the man animal, then the small man, thereafter the strong man, then the refined (cultured) man, then the God man so on…
Something similar is said and predicted by Aurobindo Ghosh. He called the new being as supra mental beings, a being which will put all the intelligence and the technologies together into it. A cyborg sort of a being, with very high intelligence that can communicate huge input in relatively small time frame, swiftly. Looking back at the evolution, there is a possibility for all these to happen. And, there is miles to go……. And eons to go.
There is this theory of Adwaita, a situation of no two ness but oneness. All into one. Everything will go into one. The God and his prajas (his creations) unite, man and woman unite, matter and antimatter unite, wave and particle unite, and everything will converge into the oneness. Into the bindu, the dot - he smallest of thing that one can visualize. Everything will go into it. Then it will be Shunyata! Sheer nothingness, simple vacuum……..
Then, it will start all over again, the dot will burst. Another Big bang, another universe, another form of life. Its manifestation in multitudes……
The creation and destruction thus, will continue….. Eternally.
Famous Malayalam poet, Ulloor Parmeshwara Iyer wrote;
“Anantam ajnatam avarnaneeyam, ee lokagolam tiriyunna margam
Atingelangandoridatirunnu nokkunna martyan kathayenthu kandu?”
(Infinite, unknown, indescribable is the way the world moves. To what extent can the man, who is sitting on a far of corner of it, understand the story?)
Is it the truth or Illusion….. Who knows?
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