IS DOPING THE ONLY WAY TO ATTAIN MOKSHA???

The 60s saw an influx of hippies coming to India in search of nirvana who brought with them the dope culture! Whether they achieved nirvana or not remains a mystery but the influence of dope stayed, which is catching up with the youth of today.

EVER SINCE the 60s rock music has closely been associated with dope. A walk down the memory lane will take us into a phase that has witnessed numerous revolutions in a quest to search for freedom. Today, a number of youth are falling prey to dope, reflecting the revival of a hippy's culture in some way.

Doping is considered to be trendy. It is becoming a big time fad in urban areas. What is it that lures people into doping? Why do a number of composers think that they can come up with their best works under its influence? What do they feel? How do they react?

The sixty’s saw the culture of rock ‘n’ roll emerge as a phenomenon that sparked off a reason to celebrate music. The scene of listening to rock bands like The Beatles, Dylan, and Doors was compounded with the experience of being high.

The Hippies and Yankees soon sprung up in various parts of the world. They were known for their carefree lifestyle. Rock bands soon began to be taken as symbols of individualism and were known for their unique lyrics and illuminated revolutionary ideas among the youth.

It was not long before music began to be produced for those sitting in their bunks,etc smoking dope and cherishing new albums. This led to the birth of a brand new culture together with music and psychedelics.

Nelly, 32, is doing research on different cultures. She says, “The hippie fad hit the middle class because The Beatles were a band that originated from Liverpool and portrayed rebellious ideas. Nothing was absolutely right or wrong. Kids attempted pot and acid even before they heard about new drugs like heroin, cocaine or crack.”

This was in the 60s but the trend is reviving in this era with great speed. There is immense unrest in the minds of the present day youth. The culture has shifted to rave parties and music. Some blame it on the multinationals while others on the killer rat race.

Dope is the latest trend, the latest fashion. The present generation is all set to find enlightenment.According to Nelly the justification one of the dopers gave her "When maharishis and munis get to smoke it in order to attain nirvana, we have every right to it too. Even we want to find the truth.”

Chirag,18, one of my friend, seems to know everything about dope. Its forms, what it does and how it works. It is like slow poison that will familiarize you with your end. Chirag went on,"you can have a positive trip or negative trip.If you have a positive trip it is fine but in case you get jumbled up in your own thoughts or phobias you can have a negative trip as well which can even result in a heart attack.”

Dope is destruction. It can ruin you. The after effects of drugs are extremely harmful. Many youngsters are trying stuff that they don’t even know about, and which is readily available with the local pan wallahs.

Many foreigners come to India looking for dope. They feel that it is a part of our cultural heritage. They get the notion from sadhus and monks who meditate on the Himalayan peaks.”

Substance abuse leads to a number of health problems in human beings. It is a fast developing phenomenon that needs to be curbed. We need to generate awareness among our youth about its adverse effects. Doping is not a fashion it is a curse.

India and the race for Soft Power

Earlier i.e. pre Cold War period nations are compared on the basis of quantitative metrics such as population, concrete military assets, gross domestic product[GDP] and many more.But post Cold War an Harvard University professor Joseph Nye introduced a term 'soft power'' which compare nations on the basis of culture,traditions,music,literature,sports,etc.

These days a lot of talks is going on this topic[soft power] throughout the world.But India is making the most of this so-called soft power.This is because of rich cultural heritage,traditions,diverse society that this land inherits.Hard power is necessary but it has got limitations.Afghanistan and Iraq has taught us that the side with large army does not always win,but a land with more diverse culture always have an upper side than these big guns.

This is not new.When France lost war in 1870 to Prussia,one thing that French did was rebuild their cultural heritage and art to prove their worth which is appreciated in entire world today.

India is leading in the same path.Indian dance,art,music,fashion,movies have the same effect in the world.This is evident.Bollywood is already making its presence felt in global scenario through entries in Oscars and many more international awards ceremonies.It is Indians who had won beauty pageants maximum times.A.R. Rehman had taken Indian music to another level.Zakir Hussain,and many more through their contributions to classical music made India proud in global stage.

In recent time,Indians also registered their names in Booker and Pulitzer Prizes.F.M Hussain,S.H. Raza dominated the field of art in international level.Even in the field of sports India is tightening its nuts and bolts.

India has the largest poll of engineers,doctors,and scientists throughout the world.Even U.S.A Presidents once asked his people to start learning Mathematics and Science so that Indians does not acquire their jobs.IITS and IIMS made their presence felt.Though MIT,STANFORD,OXFORD are best in world but still IIT entrance paper is considered toughest in the world.

All these indicate that India is heading in the right direction and will be able to create a new image for itself as a responsible power.

way to go India.......