When dreams are unreal

Right, so last night, I dreamed that I was in Delhi, staying at a Hotel somewhere near Defence Colony in New Delhi. Why would I stay at a hotel, when I have a home in Delhi? Good question! I have no answer.

I was with Maa, and I dragged her out to a huge open Drain that passes nearby, just to show it to her, because I wanted her to experience New Delhi, the city in which I grew up and so on and so forth.
Why would I have to show Maa New Delhi??!! She’s only lived in it for 5 more years than I have, and many more adult years than that!

Later in the dream, at which time I was standing in my folks’ bedroom in my own house in Delhi, and not a godforsaken hotel, Mom had asked me to accompany her to a Keertan or some religious occasion of the kind, which I declined stating my atheist beliefs. In real, she doesn’t respond really. At the worst, she would say “This is not how I brought you up” and I would reply that she did indeed not, and that she did her job; and that I was an adult now and had to make these decisions myself. But in the dream, she started screaming really really loudly at me, and I was screaming back about religious fanaticism, and about how I’d been talking about embracing atheism all along, which she would’ve known sooner had she paid attention and not dismissed it as immature talk.
I do believe that neither of my parents think that I actually intend to remain an atheist, and that it’s not a “passing phase”. Or maybe they do understand and consider it as my own personal choice, that only I have a right to make… Ha, fat chance!
Either way, they’ll get a jolt in a few years, and maybe then, mom will scream really really loudly as she did in my dream. And I would shout back.

Currently Reading…

Wow! I think this is happened for the first time, over here.
Nonetheless, I’m truly enjoying reading again. It’s been a very long while, but it had to happen I suppose. I was quite an avid reader through most of childhood; such habits should never die.

Either way, I suppose the reinstatement of my interest in books is quite temporary… until my exams end! There’s something about examinations that fuels the old passion again. Once the exams have passed, it is marked by a return to benightedness.

So what am I reading anyway?

Well, two books actually. (If the first doesn’t interest you, scroll down to the second. That everyone must read about!)

One that I read in the library (which I take breaks from now and then, to study) is a collection of plays by Agatha Christie. I know, I know. Very 17-year-old. But, well, I did not read them while I was seventeen, and I don’t want to lose out for that reason!
I completed “An Appointment With Death” yesterday, and was appalled to discover that they have actually changed the conclusion in the play. As in, they literally changed the murderer! Why would anyone do that? Just so that it would be easier to dramatise? Rather disturbing. Next up is “The Hollow”. I’m afraid to move on to the play-version of “And Then There Were None”, should they have spoiled that somehow as well.

At home, au contraire, I’m reading something far removed from AgathaC. I wish I could carry this to the library, but that would mean carrying my laptop with, as it’s in PDF format.
Yes yes, I know! Piracy! Shame on me 😦 But I don’t think this author is too bothered about making money off his book. He’s more concerned about spreading the message, because the cover explicitly says “Please Support the site from where you got this book”. Now whatever is that supposed to imply!)

Anyhow, the book was recommended to me by Jack, who I was having a quick chat with the other evening. Noting my atheistic inclinations, he thought this book would concur with my thoughts. It was awfully sweet of him to recommend this book, because his own opinion on the matter tends to differ.
Oh yes, the goddamn book is called “The God Delusion” and it’s by Richard Dawkins. Until a few weeks ago, though I felt that religion was definitely not for me, I comfortable with other people instilling full faith in old dusty books and dressed-up dolls, as long as they kept it confined to their homes. But after all the Hinduism-inspired violence that’s ensuing in the country at present, I’ve slightly modified that to “Religion can be done away with, altogether. Thus, I hope that all the fundamentalists who’re spreading terror somehow end up killing their own believers and leaving this country a little less insane than it already is.” I know it’s wrong to wish mass-killings, but if mass-killings are happening anyway, I’d rather it targeted those that are causing or supporting it.

Yes, I’m becoming a bit intolerant myself. Intolerant of religion. Not Hinduism, Islam, Christianity etc. but of religion. I think I despise them all equally. Though maybe not Buddhism so much… those are peace-loving fellows as far as I know (but something tells me one of you are going to disillusion me on that!)
Anything that inspires a person to slaughter lots of other people cannot be good for anyone. So yes, Religion is not very different from the-T-word. So I might just become, besides a gay-rights activist, a messenger of Peace, aka Atheism. And if people want something to unite them, bring them together… they can use Nationalism instead. Hell, use regionalism if you absolutely must be evil, or linguism, but not religion!

Oh yes, on the book. The preface made promises of convincing me that my earlier beliefs on religion (that I was questioning) were actually untrue. Unfortunately, I was already convinced that most of them were. Nonetheless, I shall enjoy reading his reasonings and being able to use it when I spread the word.
I also was beginning to fancy myself as an agnostic, just so that I could believe that there is something unknown and interesting out there, but it seems he’s taken up the challenge of convincing me I’m an atheist. I shall see where that leads me!

Anyway, I shall continue with the book at the moment, and will share my opinion on the same at a later date. If you guys are questioning too, or are already convinced, I think you should check the book out as well. If you wish, drop me a message in my inbox and I’ll email you a copy.
Oh, but the cover says you must support the site where you got the book from, so you’ll have to support me (hehe!) I’m thinking Hugo Boss 😉