Dad

I was in my 2nd standard, probably sometime in September,1993.My Half-Yearly exam Results were going to be out. A couple of months ago my dad had asked me to concentrate on Maths. He wanted me to score 100.

Sister Gomes, one of the senior-most teachers of St.Mary's Convent came to our class-room. She started distributing the report cards in the order of merit.Some fifteen minutes later, I got my card. It had a red mark. I couldn't score 100. I could manage just 14.

Dad was gonna hit me for sure. I could bet my pocket-money on this. I decided to act smart. I took my pencil out.

At 3, mom came down to receive me. She didn't ask me my percentage. She simply said, "Son, how much did you score in Maths?". I could bet another day's pocket money on that my dad had trained her to ask this. "100", I said.

Mom read from my face that I was lying. She asked me to show my report card. I did. The red '14' had been replaced by a gray '100'.

"Who did this?"

"I...I was shocked to see just 14 marks after I had done so well. So, I asked sister to check my marks. That's when she found that I had actually got 100. I asked her to change my marks, but she permitted me to change it myself ".

"Say 'God Promise' ", said Maa, who knew how powerful this promise meant to us. I said, "Goat Promise". Mom couldn't believe that I had started lying even in the name of God.

In the evening, dad came early. I could now bet my third day's pocket money on 'Why?'

I tried to get up from the study table and escape. He showed me his eyes and I was asked to sit down. I did.

Dad had something to say. "It's okay if you can't solve Math problems. I can help you with those. I can find time. But it's not okay if you lie. It's not okay if you cheat. It's not okay if you are not honest".

A year and a half later,I scored a 100 in Maths in the 3rd standard finals.

However, what's more important is that I never forgot those words of my dad. Whatever i am today is because of the way they brought me up. Cheers to him. Cheers to mom.

Divine Raaga

I am being brought up really well. My Mother has taught me all the time that there is ONE GOD. However, there's this Singhasana at home that houses at least twenty gods. Dad says GOD is the manager. He has just delegated his work to the smaller gods. I like that concept.

Today, I write for an Indian band named 'DIVINE RAAGA'....

No we don't make the Hare Krishna Hare Rama stuff. We also don't try to make worship sound cool by making Rock versions of Devotional songs. We have our own concept. We relate GOD to everything one does. We believe in the concept of 'ONEISM'. It's a simple concept. There is ONE GOD and each of us is ONE; and therefore should be ONE(united).

There's no point fighting in order to prove whose GOD is Supreme, as He is ONE. Allah is God.God is Eeshwar. Eeshwar is Allah.

Mathematically
If x=1, y=1 and z=1....
then there's no point fighting over which '1' is greater.
Its obvious.... x=y=z
This is 1ism. Lets follow this Religion. Lets follow Peace.

(For more...type Divine Raaga in Google)