Watching the world go by - On Dewali's Eve!

" There are heroes in the seaweed,
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love,
And they will lean that way forever."
- Leonard Cohen

Riding back home from a small photo ops on my favourite, the Xtreme was a sad experience today. You know why? Small children, like this one, were nowhere to be seen. I mean, not this side of them atleast. Little hands held little weapons! Pocket bombs were being hurled at each other's feet, cracker pistols were being brandished. We really catch them young don't we? Violence and the power of arms is ingrained into our systems that early.

As the sun faded away, huge crackers leapt up into the sky! Their amazing colours somehow justifying their insane levels of pollution and astronomic levels of cost. A poor woman sleeps by the roadside, abandoned by the stock exchange and it's believers. Nobody has anything to give her, while a school going child steps out and buys a few thousand bucks worth of paper and chemicals, which will burn off in a matter of few hours and leave the world a more toxic place.

We all live for the moment. Individuals and corporations. We plan only as far as we can see. As long as this lifetime goes by in peace and prosperity. Like Ostriches, we are blinding ourselves instead of tackling the problems that can end our very existence. Love? I am still trying to figure out what it means. Love is probably what you feel when you see the picture of a large drop of dew on a lotus leaf, or a V- Max cornering gracefully. All the rest has a reason, which can be argued as being selfish in one way or another.

It was a disturbing ride. I got home and slept off for a while. Will be meeting a friend at night who is coming back to town after a year. I guess it will feel good, great even. And ill use a little time when I am with her, to convince her not to spend any money on firecrackers this time!

- Rahul