Atheism- Not So Easy

I had just read an article by Jug Suraiya in the Times of India e-paper(which sadly isn't free anymore) which deals with how people had decided to be 'chelas' of an all-powerful person named God and used to make deals with him to fulfill their personal ambitions. One particular fact the article pointed out which astonished me was that there was a high degree of correlation between corruption and 'religious' nature of people of a country.I suddenly reflected on how I myself had been a sycophant of 'God' to get many personal desires fulfilled,though I never know how much he was actually involved in them.

It was then that I decided to make a switch and try being an atheist. I kicked off proceedings by boycotting an 'important puja' at home which was aimed at bringing prosperity to family members.I stopped going to temples altogether(much to the dismay of my mother).I decided that I shall decide and shape my own life instead of leaving it at the mercy of a fictitious person named God.Some days passed, nothing happened.Few more days passed, nothing good happened.A week later, horrible things happened and life became miserable.I tried my best not to relate any of these to my new found atheist practices but in the end, I finally relented.

I learnt that it is much easier to believe that there is someone who can influence events in your life and make miracles happen rather that hold the reins and take charge of your own life.May be one fine day, when things are going fine and look to remain the same for some more time, I might try it again.But definitely not for now.

Passport Blues

My country just loves me so much that it doesn't want me to leave it,ever.So much so that it is not willing to even consider my passport application.Six visits to the Mumbai passport office, and phew, I am so overwhelmed by the compassion that my dear country is showering upon me that I have almost given up on the very thought of applying for an Indian passport.Time after time , my application was summarily rejected on one ground or the other despite my 'meticulous' preparation and compilation of all necessary documents almost a month before my first visit(all this to avoid a second visit, and look at the result, I went five times more!!)

The biggest revelation of this whole episode, however, was that I don't have a proper birth certificate till date.Which means that there is no record of me being born in India at any municipal office across the country.It was a shocker.My proof of birth so far was a yellowish parchment which says in poor Tamil handwriting that some child was born on the 28th of December 1989.It doesnt even have my name nor does it have any official seal/signature.I just wonder how my parents managed to get me into school using that.

So basically, there is one thing standing between me and my passport- A birth certificate.There is this stupid rule that those born after 26.01.1989 can submit only a municipal birth certificate as proof of birth.I still fail to understand the logic behind it.When there are tonnes of documents- my school leaving certificate, my voter ID etc. all of which say I was born at so-and-so place on so-and-so date, why are they hell bent on obtaining a certificate which can anyway be forged by a bribe of less than INR 1000?One might wonder then why am I not paying the bribe and obtaining one.Well, at the very outset,I had decided to do things the honest way, for some reason.May be a sense of awareness against the evils of corruption or may be just the exciting prospect of bragging rights on how I went the right way and that things are still good in the country(It no more sounds exciting).I decided to go as per procedure and have shelled out more than INR 3000 and the birth certificate is not even remotely in sight.

The entire sequence gave me some valuable insights into how tough life can be if one tries not to take the crooked and the shorter path.From the very beginning, I was clear that I would not be in a hurry and wrap up the process as per ' official procedure'.I even got an address proof for my hostel room, when many of my friends staying in Mumbai insisted that this information can be hidden to get things quickly done.But then there was one friend who almost ended up in prison for misrepresenting information and had to stoop down to the level of a chai-wallah for escaping (Yeah, he bought chai and biscuits from a shop and served it to the policeman to get things cleared).I decided to be honest and went as per procedure,providing all details.The result- he got a passport whereas my application still waits to be seen.

Quoting Dempo, " It is strange that one needs to spend less to get some things done the crooked way than going straight. Obtaining a passport is one of them."