Ritchie Rich

MONEY IS SWEETER THAN HONEY

There was a time when people were satisfied and content with what they had. However off lately everyone seems to be in the rat race of acquiring maximum wealth , material aspirations so to say. The sudden rise in global economy and western transition has given rise to expensive vanity. The pomp and show continues to grow and the brand labels are thriving in each and every household. 

The Richie rich with their extravagant lifestyle are subconsciously creating peer pressure on the mediocre strata subtly persuading to them to ape them. This further constitutes fashion labels, holiday destination, extravagant parties and what not. Regardless all the material acquisitions one could possibly have on this earth does that really substantiates with peace of mind, satisfaction and happiness one can have after acquiring all that in the world . And The answer is NO! It simply doesn't. Many of the Ritchie riches have confirmed the state of being unhappy and dissatisfied despite being on the top of the billionaire list. But that doesn't stop us, Every one is still queuing rapidly to acquire that position however the fact remains that it's not even worth it. Like they say - everything comes with a price. Many commit suicide or are in depression when are  unable to achieve such goals. Why waste one's life then to prove to others what you are not. Richard Slaivin- Radhanath Swami - an American spiritualist rightly said " if you are not happy with something then you won't be happy with everything". In this age when every one of us is constantly compared with each other  what are we suppose to do. Either be in the rat race and continue to built those millions and billions and if not that then pursue your dreams, enjoy every bit of each stage of your life and continue to do ones dharma / duties righteously. At the end it's just the coffee that we drink matters and not the type of cup (the container) which holds the coffee. 

In country like India where there is so much income disparity how much of the Ritchie riches are doing charity. They have to lead by example and when wealthy or famous people does something the common masses follow it. There is absolutely no culture of charity in India as compared to what they do in the west however the scriptures do enunciate that. So, where will the poor masses and common man go to meet their basic necessities. Why then exploit such strata to amass the wealth, isn't that so much of greed?

There is no harm in acquiring  finances but they are not necessarily acquired by genuine means. There is always some sort of subtle cheating involved in the process. But such finances then needs to be purified - "Dhan shuddhi" by doing Charity in the mode of goodness - to right people for the right cause. 

You can't buy love, you can't buy happiness, you can't buy good health, you can't buy time. Why then compete within the same family, put others down, and do all sorts of unwarranted acts just to make few more billions. And we forget that in the whole process karma is playing its role. 

Beauty, intelligence, strength, fame, wealth etc comes to any individual because of  their past life karma. The Lord is not impartial to make one very ugly and other very beautiful, one poor and other rich. So whatever good karma one has it leads to better material prospects. However, there is end to everything and once their is decline in the good karma one starts suffering on various levels. So in one sense all the Ritchie riches have had past life good karma which has helped then to enjoy the fruits of their karma in this present life. Hopefully they continue to create good fortune whilst they are aware of their duties.

With everything great in this world comes with a greater responsibility. But nothing is everlasting, not even ones life. So much endeavour for material acquisitions which would stay here after one departs the mortal world, what are we depositing in our spiritual bank accounts. The one who focuses and endeavour on this aspect is the real richie rich as he is creating eternal spiritual credentials.

Who Am I ?

Did you ever wonder if someone asked you- who are you? What would you answer and where would you point yourself. This was a little excersise which was done in the west few years back and it was funny to watch how many came up with different things. Like someone pointed towards their chest and said I am Robert, when they were asked are they referring to their heart or hand or other body part tone them. And literally they were zapped to assimilate where the conversation was going.

At another instance whilst in London i have observed many visitors would pass through the Govinda's restaurant and keep looking at one of the clay statutes depicting the various stages of birth and death cycle. Likewise  everyone knows the common factor that a person is born and then dies at some point regardless their nationality,gender,race etc.

Well there are two approaches we can think of to determine the WHO are you factor. One is the theistic and the other is atheistic. When I say theistic, I would refrain from considering any mental concoction and in most objective manner. An individual is bound by many things such as nation, religion, culture etc. So does that mean that the WHO am I part would change on the basis of above factor? Well if we look at it logically then No and the reason I say  it because regardless the above factors the pain and pleasure an individual suffers is the same. Their are universal principles which are applicable to everyone out here on this planet earth. Only we start to perceive them differently on the basis of our experiences. So if I have to deduce the theistic approach further I would then like to consider the Guru- Spiritual Teacher, Holy Scriptures etc aspect. As we all know the bonafide  Guru being more experienced, knowledgeable, full of wisdom has ability to guide us. And holy scriptures are like  manual for this human body. So what does these two has to say about my existence - 1) I am a soul 2) I am a child of the Lord 3) I have to go back to the kingdom of the Lord 4) by establishing the connection with Lord one can reach him etc.

Now the atheistic would claim that they don't believe any bit of these statements. They believe in themselves and are controllers of their own destiny. But their beliefs are not going to change the eternity. They have free will and by such have every right to exercise it. Likewise, if you haven't been to America doesn't mean America doesn't exist as there is still population that exists out there. So, our lack of experience or lack of knowledge not necessarily should deny  the existence of certain things. Even if we would be able to control many things however how much control do we have when it comes to birth, death,old age and disease. At the end we succumb to time factor at some point in the form of death thats the existence of theism.

Then why not consciously use our conscience and by little proactive approach try to know Who we are? What is our purpose? Are we fulfilling our purpose ? Beyond Dharma - Artha - Kaam and Moksha.


There is higher realm beyond this earth. Lets not be complacent and just focus on being a good citizen, by doing charity etc. We as humans have higher intelligence to enquire and assimilate the knowledge and then put it in to practise in our daily life. So please value this human life and make the most of it rather than wasting it in eating, mating,sleeping and defending.

Relationship Saga

We are nearly heading towards 2020 in few years time. To begin, with this article is written solely for the purpose to raise awareness. There is no intention to offend or malign any individual in person or a group of people. There is no statistical backup or evidence to support the claims however they are not imaginary either.

Every person in this world is looking to form that relationship with deemed someone special. It's very difficult to justify the expectations as every individual has a different barometer. In Indian context most of the relationships formed are on the basis of external appearance and status of the person. Can we progress beyond the skin deep. Unlike in the west where they actually value the person and their beliefs.The whole thing called as relationship is also coined as complicated. There was a time back in the days when the thing called love was very simple people would just write letters to each other or talk on the phone or sometimes dare to meet in person. It was an innocent feeling.

When I look around I either hear people talking about how many people exploit the relationship. Women are more open to have an extra marital affair despite being married. Men as compared to women have had such Casanova stances on many occasions. The plethora of cheating on at various levels is prevalent and now widely accepted. The man and woman both have equal stance of what to and what not to choose. The physical need is so strong that an individual can go to any extent to satisfy it. But then the whole essence of love is lost and what remains is just lust which is only for bodily enjoyment.Are we so weak that we are allowing the immorality to creep in. Every relationship is on the basis of give and take which is the bitter truth. The so called teen relationships are also fragile where the foundation is the physical needs and external appearance. Wife swapping, partner exchange etc are modernised version of cosmopolitan society. Perhaps the culture is just getting lost in haywire direction of modern civilisation. If you ask me to be non judgemental then the onus of moral policing lies on everyone else.

Why not just instill few virtues in the coming generation who would be the so called future of our nation. And in the first place it depends on wether we or the generation want to adopt bit of morality. Free will and freedom of speech liberates one in their action however the karma cycle plays its role. You are free to do what you want to do however please be ready to bear the consequences then. There won't be an ideal world but surely few ideal people to look up to. Please choose what would you like to portray !

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WESTERNIZED INDIANS

Dear Folks,

Well!  you must be thinking why I chose this topic to blog on. However the  reason behind this choice is my observation and experience of Indians whilst in India. I would like to make a disclaimer  in the beginning that this is not a  pre intended  discriminatory or racial article and the sole motive of this piece  is not to offend anyone. It is purely based on my perspective and I would appreciate if you could respect my freedom of speech and take it in a lighter way.

I remember in the year 2007 I had a friend of mine who had visited India from the US. I happened to meet him and  I kind of had a night out with the gang. We visited couple of places like the hawaaiin shack and other two clubs on that day. I kind of was in a  transition of my lifestyle as I was recently introduced towards spirituality so, I didn't enjoy that much of the night life as otherwise would have been the case. The friend happened to be boasting about his life in the US and cursing every little thing in India. I didn't like his attitude a the patriotic in me. I just couldn't get that and I thought to myself that - Dude you grew up all your life in India and what made you change so much. Well, I left that thought there and continued with my life.

It happened  that a turning point came in my life and  that I myself decided to go to the UK and pursue my master's degree. And with all that beam in my eyes I flew to the UK in 2009. It was a complete different experience living in the UK right from the lifestyle,etiquette, Food,Uni Life etc. But I was loving every bit of the transition that I was going through. Over the period of few years I could see myself thinking and acting like a English person. I think I had changed a lot as a person with more liberal thinking, wider thought process, open minded and a bit mature. I guess I became a bit of - COCONUT ( A termed used in the west to describes a desi born who is brown from outside however their thoughts are white - like a westerner). I had a set lifestlye, a comfortable living a descent job in the city and lot of spiritual activities to engage in.

My first visit to India happened to be in the year 2012 since I had left the country. Well, the first thing that happened was the mosquitoes at the Mumbai Airport when I had arrived post midnite. My family was very happy to see me as it was a surprise visit to them. Whilst coming home in the taxi I had literally  forgotten the way to my house from the airport but I managed to reach. I was happy with the food and sunshine in the initial few days. I couldn't dare to get in a crowded local train. I couldn't stand the honking noise of the cars and also couldn't cross the road. I had dust allergy and my voice literally changed. There were many such instances and situations that were appalling to me. My cousins had to remind me that this is India and not UK. I started to get irritated at little things, the system in India etc. I couldn't comprehend a life for myself in India. This was exactly the point when I realized how back in the days my friend was acting. I really couldn't  make my family or friends or cousins understand exactly how I was feeling or going through. It was difficult as you can only feel certain things in a certain way until you yourself experience it. But in the hind sight I have a patriotic heart and I chose to ignore other factors.

In terms of lifestlye I could say that I did grew up or atleast or had accustomed to a very modern way of living whilst my university days as I studied and lived in south Bombay who are known to be little snobs. I did go to clubs often with my friends and did all crazy things possibly. There was not much that I hadn't experience in Mumbai before going to the UK except the gentlemen's club (I haven't been there myself but yes I have few Uni friends who have been there). Well! people in India try to ape so much of the western culture. And yes I do agree I myself did it. But I am happy to also know the good side of the west which people in India unfortunately cannot experience unless they live there for a good while. I mean  we want to follow the western lifestlye but not certain good principles. I really don't get that. But then I really cant blame as many haven't experience that side of the life. If you live in the west its very difficult to live back home. You can still adjust with the lifestyle but its very difficult to live with the Indian sort of mentality. I find people in India so rude and impolite. I mean there is no courtesy at all. In my little experience I also find the corporate clads also very unprofessional about the way they talk or behave. If that's the case with the sophisticated class then what do I expect from the other masses. With due respect to all its really very annoying when people receive us in a very different way. I wouldn't even blame the NRI's  for not contributing to their home country and instead choosing to live in the west. The reason being that even if we would want to contribute to the nation, the system,the culture and the corporate sector is such that it will be very hard to live with it. I have many appalling stories of my friends who have had trouble working in India. I wouldn't want to generalise the whole lot but yes in majority instances that is what has been experienced. People please look at the brighter side of it - and could you please refrain from asking questions such as- You been away from the country for x no. of years how would you fit in ? but pls look at the other side where a person with international experience can definitely add value by getting the best experience gained in the west. In my opinion if  people can be successful in the west then definitely they can contribute in their homelands. Don't stick to the rusty management practices but be open minded in this global age. I guess more than the west in India there is lot of discrimination on the basis of caste, colour,creed, state,gender, mother tongue etc. Also all the so called Indian elite class should really learn from the west. These people need to stop accumulating loads of money and pocketing money by finding invasive loopholes in the system and instead do more of charity. The income disparity that they create is really really unbelievable. My heart really breaks when I see very old people begging on the streets, homeless people, little children selling stuff on traffic signals etc instead of going to the school. They are just deprived of their basic right to live a descent life.I am not sure what I can do about it but I would like to take few steps donno how! I mean we are the so called tax payers of the country but I don't see in any way the tax money is been distributed to the citizens. The poor people are just left in some corner. Yes I did grew up seeing all  these my life and people do accept and live with this fact  but for me  only living in the west made me so much more sensitized. I never wrecked my nerve when I paid taxes whilst working in the west because whatever amount that I paid I really got the benefits  despite being not the citizen.  There is so much I would want to rant about but I would stop it here. Sigh!