Storehouse

 

Look at this globe

As long it's moving

There's glory

There's hope. 

Beautiful minds! 

If you focus 

On this magical ball

You'll be surprised

With its enormous, 

Undiscovered space

That'll emerge from

The waters and the sands, 

Much more than what you found

In the Moon and in the Mars. 

Population can never fathom

How miraculously it stands

How attractive, how handsome, 

How unexplored is it still

How unimaginable is its skill!

It'll roam at ease for 

Millions of years and more

With love and grace;

To check for yourself

What the house has in store, 

Take care to toil with its soil

Until your intelligence cracks, 

Until your brains find the track, 

Until your soul finds solace.

©Supratik Sen

মনের কাছাকাছি

এই কোবিড ১৯ এর দৌলতে আমরা অনেকেই যেমন বাড়িতে থাকতে শিখেছি, আমি তেমন আমার মনের সাথে থাকতে শিখেছি। মানে শিখছি, ইটস এন অনগোয়িং জার্নি। 

আগে খেয়ালি করতাম না, ভাবতামই না।  দেখ না দেখ মন হয় এক কোণে বসে আছে, ডুকরে ডুকরে কাঁদছে, 'আমার দ্বারা কিছু হবে না বলে', নয়তো অনর্গল কারুর না কারুর সাথে ঝগড়া করে চলেছে, সতেরো বছর আগের ঝগড়া, এখনো চালিয়ে যাচ্ছে! বাবা বাছা করে তাকে ফিরিয়ে এনে  বসাই ধ্যানে, বলতে বলি আমি আত্মা, কাকুতি মিনতি করে বলি আমার সাথে থাকতে, এদিক ওদিক না যেতে, খানিকক্ষন থেকেই আবার পালিয়ে যায়, আবার ধর ধর ওই পালালো ধর ধর.... সারাদিন এখন এই চলে!

তোমরা যারা ভাব তোমাদের কোনো কাজ নেই, ঘরে বসে বোর হোচ্ছ, যারা ভাবা কাহাঁতক আর টিভি দেখা যায়, বা হোয়াটস্যাপ করা যায়, তারা যদি একবার এই নেশায় মাত  তাহলে দেখবে কোথা দিয়ে হু হু করে কী সুন্দর ভাবে সময় কেটে যাচ্ছে! 

আমি আমার কথা বলতে পারি, আমি এখন অনেক শান্তিতে আছি, কোনো পরনিন্দা পরচর্চা নেই, কোনো বিষন্নতা আমাকে আর গ্রাস করে না, নিজেকে অন্যের সাথে তুলনা করে কষ্ট পাই না, মন এখন আমার পরম বন্ধু। আগে ছিল আমার সবচাইতে বড় এনিমি। মনের ভিতরে থাকতো রাশি রাশি আবর্জনা, কিছুই হচ্ছে না, কিছুই হবেনা, আবার কাজে যেতে হবে, আবার খাটতে হবে, এ আমাকে অপমান করলো, ও আমাকে ঠকালো, সারাদিন শুধু এইভাবে নিজেকে প্রহার করে যেতাম, ভাবতামিই না এই চিন্তাগুলো আমার নিজের পক্ষে কতটা ক্ষতিকারক!

তোমাদের মন যদি আমার মত বেয়াড়া হয়, তাহলে ভেবে দেখতে পারো, মনের ওপর কাজ করবে কিনা, এতে আলসামিও কমবে আর কখনো মনে হবেনা কি করি কি করি। এ এক্কেবারে টোয়েন্টিফোর বাই সেভেন অকিউপেশান।  মন একটা শিশুর মতন, কেবল ছটফট করছে আর যা করার না, যেদিকে যাবার না, তাইই করে চলেছে, হা! হা! হা!

এর জন্য দরকার মন্ত্র, মানে মনের অস্ত্র!

মন্ত্র খুব সহজ, অনেকরকম মন্ত্র আছে, যেমন সংস্কৃত মন্ত্র, যার অর্ধেক মানেই বোঝা দায় , আবার সহজ মন্ত্রও আছে, যেমন

আমি পবিত্র আত্মা,

আমি শক্তিশালী আত্মা,

আমি কেবলমাত্র এই তুচ্ছ দেহ না,

আমি অসীম ক্ষমতাশীল আত্মা।

এগুলোর কোন একটাই যদি আওড়ে যাওয়া যায়, তাহলে দেখবে মনের অশান্তি কমে যাচ্ছে, সারাক্ষন নিজের থেকে নিজে পালিয়ে বেড়ানোর ইচ্ছে আর হচ্ছেনা, অন্ধকারকে, বা নিজের পিছনদিকটাকে আর ভয় করছে না, অনেক হালকা, চনমনে লাগছে, এ এমন নেশা দেখবে, সিগারেট বা মদ খেতে আর যেন ইচ্ছাই করছে না, সব সময় মনে হবে কেউ যেন তোমাকে জড়িয়ে ধরে আদর করছে, তা বাইরের জগৎ তোমাকে যতই অপদার্থ, অকর্মন্য, দুশ্চরিত্র, বা শয়তান বলুক না কেন, এই মন্ত্র রত্নাকরের 'মরা মরা' মন্ত্র, প্রহ্লাদের 'নারায়ণ নারায়ণ' মন্ত্র, পীরদের পরম পবিত্র 'আল্লা হু আকবার' মন্ত্র। কাজে লাগিয়েই দেখো না একবার, যীশুর গুরু জন, বা লাহিড়ী মহাশয়ের গুরু বাবাজিকে দেখলেও দেখতে পারো।

এবারের মহামারী যেমন আমাকে আমার আত্মীয়স্বজনের কাছে এনে দিয়েছে, যেমন মনের মানুষগুলোর সাথে লুডো খেলার, কেরাম খেলার আর নির্ভেজাল আড্ডা মারার অবসর করে দিয়েছে, ঠিক তেমনই আমাকে আমার মনের সাথে মনের কথা বলারও সুযোগ করে দিয়েছে, আমাকে আমার মনের কাছাকাছি এনে দিয়েছে।

Three counterproductive thoughts

Thinking out of the box

If thoughts are things, then we need to revisit the three most counterproductive thoughts that are causing imbalance, inequality, and injustice throughout the world. 

1. Wars as positive checks

We have never challenged this. It's amazing how horrendously a negative phenomenon is ingrained in human minds. We don't need wars to control population. Nothing positive can be attached with wars. Sorry Malthus.

2. Survival of the fittest

This has gone into the subconscious of the world through generations. Even though we talk of win-win today, but we invariably fall prey to the win-lose model because of this thought. It is not only wrong, but it's irrelevant as well. Now, it is survival of the wisest. Sorry Darwin.

3. The 80-20 rule

How has the modern world accepted this phenomenon I wonder. If 80% of the world's population are below the poverty line and 20% are rich, then can we say we have delivered? In business, if 80% of our products or services were to be of a mediocre quality, would such businesses survive? Then how can we underestimate people and processes like this? This notion is the basis of all our evaluation process. Sad. 

We cannot say we have delivered until we reach 100%. All leaders of the world, business houses, reformers, philanthropists, have their concurrence on this wrong pattern of thinking that's not only leading us into mediocrity, but is also causing havoc in the world. Sorry Richard Koch.

I sincerely believe that if we want to change the world, we need to change the way we think. It's time we put 'thinking out of the box' in practice. 

Shifting the focus from the obscure to the concrete

Given my stupidity, I'd request all scientists to focus on the concrete lands we have on the planet earth, rather than concentrating on the obscure outer space.

For instance, imagining the impossible; creating fertile lands in the middle of the Sahara desert, it's so big that a small country can be founded, making acres of inhabitable lands of Australia habitable, sterile lands of the third world fertile.

Just imagine if all lands became fertile, if fruits and flowers would hang from every branches of the trees, if we didn't have to buy vegetables, fruits, and waters, can poverty ever have a chance to survive?

For this, real intelligence needs to shift its focus.

©Supratik Sen

Proposing death education

Proposing death education

Our education system worldwide does not teach students about death. Teaching about its inevitability, its importance, its beauty, and the necessity to conquer the fear of death can go a long way in stopping global intolerance and bad breath.

Like sex education, proposing death education into the scholastic curriculum.

©Supratik Sen

The new business

The new business

Saying, staying, and being positive is the key to let leaders do what they're condemned to do. 

Saying positive things has suddenly become a growing business. Millions of followers and 'likes' make the person concerned richer and richer. Countless videos displaying heartwarming bonhomie and camaraderie float around the space.

Industries, leaders from all over the world praise such positive minded people because they serve their purpose. Thanks to them they can continue with their win-lose models, their destructive constructions, their  underhand activities. No citizen of the world has the power to stop such disastrous, violent activities. 

India and Pakistan will continue to fight, there's no one who can stop this nonsense from happening, Jerusalem will continue to be the apple of discord, no one will dare to alter the fate with understanding and affection, love will continue to be sold in words, while in action, hatred and animosity will sell like hot cakes.

©Supratik Sen

Disappointed with Kutchina products and, above all, their service.

I bought Kutchina water purifier and Kutchina chimney on May 29, 2019. Within three months, the tube of the water purifier Dewdrop DLX stopped functioning. I reported it to Unique Water Purifier Pvt. Ltd. They came and immediately replaced it. I was happy, but still, I asked the service engineer how it was possible that within three months I had a problem with the water purifier. He gave me a wise smile and went away. It was okay this far. In April this year, during the lockdown, the water purifier started malfunctioning again. I tried their toll-free number 1800 419 7333, it said, ‘the number doesn’t exist’. I called a sales executive by the name of Satyajit (82936 26621) who said all the products of Kutchina are full of complaints. Since this was helping me at all, I tried another sales executive Ajay Mondal (90641 9808) who said he couldn’t help me anyway because of the lockdown, but he also suggested that I write an email to them so that it stays on the record. I immediately wrote to Unique Water Purifier (uwp.pvt.ltd06@gmail.com) with cc to Kutchina’s Customer Care (customercare@kutchina.com) on 26 April stating clearly what the problem was. Since I didn’t get any response, I sent several emails in English and Bengali pleading them to contact me. They were silent. Even this far, it was okay, because the whole city was under lockdown.

I called Urban Clap twice because it was difficult for me to survive without clean water, even today I am boiling water and storing, difficult for an old man who stays all alone by himself. I got the water purifier in order to avoid this in the first place. Both the Urban clap mechanics said that the problem was with the PCB board and that it can only be replaced by Kutchina, by none else.

The true picture was revealed when their office (Unique Water Purifier) reopened on Monday 1 June 2020. The lady who spoke to me at 98310 88903 (also their WhatsApp number) was very cordial and was trying to be helpful. She said we can send an engineer but you have to pay for one year has passed. When I narrated my sad story, of how I tried to contact, how I sent them mail after mail. She stopped for a while and said that she did not receive any mail from me. Had she received my mails, she would have definitely rectified it for free. I asked her to check because none of the emails I sent at uwp.pvt.ltd06@gmail.com bounced. She said it could be because their internet wasn’t up and about, that she’ll get back to me as soon as the internet is restored. I called, wrote on WhatsApp to check if she could dig through the mail. She called me and asked me to forward the mail. Since it would be easy for me to search, I asked her about their email address. ‘Why’, she snapped, ‘sir you are telling us that you wrote us, then you should be able to find it.’ Saying this, she did hang up. Was she trying to tell me I was lying? Okay she might have a point, so I tried to search, and I got back the total mail-trail, sent to them on 26 April till 13 May! I called her immediately, she asked me to forward which I did.

After quite some time, I get her call. This time around, she was very polite. ‘Sir, I spoke to my sir, I know you wrote within the period, but nothing we can do, sir said, you have to pay for the PCB board.’

I stopped and told myself I will not spend one rupee as a matter of principle. As customers, they say we are at the helm of affairs, but at the time of crisis, it just the opposite, we are the worst sufferers. I know nothing can be done now. I told her I will escalate, but then I thought there was no point. Kutchina will NOT listen to me once I have become their customer; they will do anything I ask for when I am their prospect. I am disappointed not only with their products but also with their service and with their culture.

Please do not buy any Kutchina products, and if you do, you will face the music, soon.