Interview : Let's Rock with Prithvi !

Prithvi formed in late 2004 , is a Delhi (Noida) ,India based four man Hard rock band led by frontman Arjun Kaul as band's lead vocalist / guitarist , Bhim Kaul as drummer / backup vocalist, Sahil Mehta as bass guitarist / backup vocalist and Akshat Bhardwaj on keyboards / backup vocalist.They have around 100 live concerts - college festivals, professional and promotional shows to their credit. Prithvi's concerts and special appearances have been telecasted by NDTV, Headlines today, Zee News, Sahara, DD1, DD Sports and published in leading dailies like Times of India,The Tribune and Indian Express.

Prithvi's Band members are established professional in diverse arena, Arjun Kaul is a Software Engineer working as an Instructional Designer with Kaplan India, Bhim Kaul is an Electrical Engineer working as business analyst with Sheffield Haworth, Akshat Bhardwaj is pursuing Mass Communications studies at IIMC and Sahil Mehta is a commerce graduate from Sriram College of Commerce as a Chartered Accountant with Grand Thornton

They are popular among college crowds and their live shows are entertaining , delivering an unforgettable experience.The main drive behind Prithvi is their passion for music.

Please tell us your inspiration behind starting “Prithvi” Band and when was it formed?
 Arjun: The band was formed in 2004. I decided to start the band as a means to start playing rock music with other like minded people.

  Who are the band members and how did you find each other?
Arjun : The band members are:
Arjun: Voice and Guitar
Bhim: Drums
Akshat: Keyboards
Sahil: Bass
Bhim is my brother. Akshat and Sahil were childhood friends of Bhim.
I had already been playing rock and guitar for about 4 years. So when I decided to start the band, I decided to fill in the empty positions with people who were nice. So we found these guys and I trained them to play rock music


How did you come up with the band's name "Prithvi"?
Arjun: We were chilling out in the park outside my house in Sector 34, Noida.

We were trying to come up with a name for the band. I looked at the earth beneath or feet, the earth that sustains and holds our darkest desires, secrets, joys, sorrows, the earth unto which we're born and into which we shall go. PRITHVI was all I cold think of.


  What is “Prithvi” all about?
 Arjun: Prithvi is all about people coming together and experiencing the wonder of life, love, mystery, and passion in person.


  What was the initial struggle of forming the band like?
 Arjun : There was never a struggle. I always thought we were great. It just took some time for other people to listen and realize the same :)
We learnt a lot of how the music business works and we did everything ourselves. Rather than depending on event management firms and the like to do shows for us, we planned, organized, and held our own shows, found our own sponsors. It was a very fulfilling rewarding and enriching experience.

   Feelings about Rock music and how it is different from other music genres.. 

Arjun :Rock music is:
spontaneous
sincere
expressive
personal
emotional
energetic
joyful
inspiring
genuine

Other forms of music wish they could have the same aura, attitude, and reputation that rock music has.Rock music is and has always been a revolution. It's not unlike the coming of the Lord.
It kills stagnation and mediocrity.

Rock music is rare. Bollywood and pop music is aplenty.
The reason for this is simple.
To play rock music, you need tremendous patience, passion, training, and talent.
It's a lot easier for people to play and perform in Bollywood style settings.
It's also about culture and upbringing. It's actually a bohemian way of life. It's very spiritual and yet its world shaking.

What helps you maintain proper balance between your passion and work? Also, besides music what are you all involved with?
Arjun : A clear sense of purpose helps us keep that balance. We know that our work lives are important for us to maintain our present living standard. At the same time, it's our music that is our true love. Our jobs help us kill time while gearing up for shows.
Although we're all well established professionals:
Arjun: Software Engineer working as an Instructional Designer with Kaplan India
Bhim: Electrical Engineer working as business analyst with Sheffield Haworth
Akshat: Pursuing Mass Communications studies at IIMC
Sahil: Commerce graduate from Sriram College of Commerce. Chartered Accountant with Grand Thornto.

Tell us about your parents support in your passion.....
Arjun : All our parents are very proud and share in our passion for music. We're grateful to them for their blessings and support.


 What do you think of the current scene of Rock Music in India and how easy/hard has it been to get exposure for the band?
Arjun : Things are better than ever. It's easier than ever for a band to form and get noticed. The only problem is that a lot of the people out there, who would want to have a rock band play for them, want it for free or cheap. It's an Indian endemic. People want things for free.


   Various rock concerts and platforms in India you perform in? We have done about a 100 shows all over India. The full list is available on our website.

 Future Plans for prithvi.....
Arjun :To write Music that is unique, expressive, and fun. We also plan to tour abroad and basically take our music to new places and people.

Message to the youth worldwide...
Arjun : Live healthy and congruently, invest in yourselves, know that your destiny is completely in your won hands.
Links of “prithvi” band..
* Webpage : http://www.freewebs.com/prithvirocks/
* MP3s : http://www.mp3.com/artist/prithvi3/summary/* Video : http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=arjunkaul
* Blog : http://prithviforces.blogspot.com/ Musicians that inspire you.....Arjun : There are many:
Guns'n'Roses, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Steve Vai, Megadeth, Bands of the NWOBHM, Kings X, Sufi Music, etc

Additional Information about The Band

PRITHVI, based in Noida, India is a four man Hard Rock outfit that has won audiences around
the world with its music.This is one of the coolest and most different Hard Rock acts out there.
Led by frontman Arjun Kaul, PRITHVI plays a unique style of hard rock that has the perfect
balance of eclecticism and street-cred.
The sound of PRITHVI embodies soaring vocals, majestic guitar playing, swinging rhythms, and
memorable melodies. It fuses mystic exotic rhythms and melodies with the energy and frenzy of
Rock'n'Roll.


Musical Influences
Each brings a unique style to the band.
Akshat: Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, and Moby. His influences help create an aura of sound that is
layered and textured.
Sahil: 80s Metal: Van Halen Whitesnake and Pakistani Rock.He has a keen sense of melody and
rhythm with a penchant for creative emotion.
Bhim: Megadeth, Slayer, and Guns'n'Roses. His influences have blessed us with one of the
grooviest and hardest hitting percussion sections in the country.
Arjun: Steve Vai, Soundgarden, Robert Johnson, and Queen. His influences are unmistakable in
his operatic singing and guitar playing ability.


Live Shows


PRITHVI are a sight to behold live. One of the best live acts you'll ever see, a PRITHVI show is
an unforgettable experience. An experience you will cherish forever. Given the coolness and appeal of the band, PRITHVI have become icons for college and school going youth in Delhi. PRITHVI is now synonymous with talent, coolness, and sex appeal. Versatile and entertaining, PRITHVI are the perfect choice for special events, product launches, parties, and corporate events. PRITHVI have played over a hundred shows.


Releases

• Creepy EP (EP)
• Live Like a Real Live Thing (EP)
• Live at Bennigan's CD and DVD
• Live at Chicane (DVD)
• Live at Centrestage (VCD)

PRITHVI Mini News Feed
Professional:

• Promoted Maruti Swift for two seasons. That resulted in record Swift sales during 2005-2006
• Played at the Prestigious Noida Golf Course various times including a rocking New Years Ball 2008
• Launched Jameson Smooth Irish Whiskey in India on 21st Dec 2007.
• Have played at ALL major bars and pubs in Delhi: Tabula Rasa, Club Odyssey,Turquoise cottage, Café Morrison, Chicane, Rock Café, Saffire etc
• Played at JAM Magazine’s JAM CAT concert
• Have promoted the following brands: Sandpiper, Seagrams, Fosters, and DSP Black.
• Have performed for Meow FM's Anniversary Celebrations at Lutyens, MG Road, New Delhi, June08
• Headlining College Festivals:
  • Punjab University's Goonj '06
  • Kamla Nehru College's Journo Junction '06
  • SRCC Crossroads '06
  • SPA Utopia '07

Televised Shows:

• Concerts and special appearances on:
  • NDTV
  • Headlines Today
  • DD1
  • Sahara NCR - Full Length Interview
  • DD Sports – Live Pre-International Tennis Match Show
  • Zee news – Live for World Music Day

In Print:

• Covered by leading dailies like:
  • The Times of India
  • The Indian Express
  • The Tribune and tabloids like
  • The Campus Paper
  • Today – Mid Week
  • Outlook
  • Express, JAM Magazine & First City Magazine

Miscellaneous•
Have shared the stage with leading Indian bands: Parikrama, Zero, Moksha, Nakshatra, Prestorika, Bandish and Bobby Cash.
• Played at the Dhanaulty Rocks Music Festival in 2005 and 2006
• Have been acclaimed as one of the best “Guns n’ Roses” cover bands on international forums (check webpage for
source)
• Our composition “Mistaken” is a frequent play at “Hard Rock Café” – Dublin, Ireland.
• Our “Guns n’ Roses” tribute night at Chicane sports lounge, Noida had a turn out of over 350 people, the highest
ever there.
• Over 80 shows in just over 3 yrs.


Competitions:• Winner of DNA Networks Rockilution Competition. Represented Delhi at Hard Rock Café, Mumbai.
• Runners Up at IIT Roorkee's Rock Competition '06,WINNING Best Guitarist and Best Drummer
• 2nd Runners Up at IIT Kanpur Synchronicity '06
• Finalists at SPA Utopia '06
• Best Band, Best Guitarist, Best Vocalist Awards at Amity – New Delhi, Decibel '06
• Runners Up at NIFT U'TH QUOTIENT '07


Costing (Inclusive of sound and light charges)
Rs 50, 000 for Bar/Pub gigs
Rs 1,00,000 for College festivals, special events etc.


The Bottom Line
The band embodies powerful charismatic performance, soulful Music, and great stage presence.
These are what make a great rock n’ roll act. The sheer energy and joy can be seen and felt from
our live acts. We have won audiences everywhere we have played and leave people gasping for
more. The experience that is remembered for times to come.

Interview : Maximo Park !

 






















While seeking contributions for our “Spirit of Youth“ section in January, we received an email titled “My Brother’s Bravado” from a young lady, Meghna Tiku. The content of the email was brief but it beautifully conveyed the sense of happiness and pride that a sister had for her brother’s achievement as a musician (rockstar) . Through this email, the team at Shehjar was thrilled to gain access to a recognized talent in our community ,“Archis Tiku“, base guitarist for the Newcastle-English Indie band “Maximo Park”. We specially thank Meghna Tiku for sharing her brother’s achievement with us, fellow community members. The team at Shehjar is pleased to present the readers with an interview of Archis Tiku and his family. We would like to thank Archis and his family for being very co-operative throughout the interview.

“Archis Tiku” was born in Mumbai and migrated to England with his parents, Mr. Ram Tiku and Mrs. Aparna Tiku when he was a year old. He was passionate about guitar since the age of six and dreamed of being a rock star since then. He is qualified as a medical doctor from the prestigious university in England and soon after his graduation, his band Maximo Park was signed by Warp Record Label. The band has released two albums Certain trigger and Earthly pleasures and is recording their third album this year. They have sold nearly a million albums all over the world. The band has played with the famous group Rolling Stones in Norway and Sweden, with Killers in Washington and Wisconsin and at around 120 gigs all over the world, including at many festivals.

This interview was deemed necessary, not just for presenting a special talent within our community but also to set a spark of inspiration in our aspiring musicians. People dream and carry passion for a reason; it is to experience an ecstatic sense of happiness and fulfillment. We hope that the commitment of Archis and his family towards his passion- music will inspire parents to encourage their children towards arts or any other field that they choose to excel in.

Archis's interview

1. Archis, please let us know your inspiration behind being a musician and starting Maximo Park Band?

I grew up listening to all kinds of music ranging from Indian film and classical to indie-rock on the radio. I learnt guitar from a friend at 6th form college and was asked to join a band on starting university. That is when I met Duncan the guitarist and a few years later we formed Maximo Park.

2. Please tell us your family's role in building you up as an individual and as a musician?

My family was very supportive from the beginning and they had a wide variety of music tastes which opened my mind to possibilities in music. Home life was fun with lots of family get-togethers and great food. We also enjoyed great holidays to places such as France, India and USA

3. What is Maximo Park Band all about and what is your role in the band
I am the bass guitarist in the band. Maximo Park as a band is about democracy and the freedom to write and create music in any style.

4. Please tell us something about your band members?

There are five people in the band:

Tom English- drums
Paul Smith- singer
Lukas Wooller- keyboard
Duncan Lloyd- guitarist and myself on bass guitar.

5. What were the initial stages of the band like and what were the challenges that you faced from the inception phase till now?

Initially in our careers we played a lot in our home town of Newcastle. We played as a support band and we also did several tours across the UK of small venues whilst staying in budget hotels. It took a while for us to progress but that period improved our ability to play and perform. Looking back we worked hard but it felt easy at the time.

6. You have a demanding job that requires extensive travel. What makes you maintain a proper balance between your work, social activities and family members?

I am close to my family and see them whenever we are free. I have a good group of close friends whom I have known for a long time. That stability keeps life in perspective and keeps me grounded.

7. You are qualified as a doctor, so how do you explain this transition from a doctor to a musician (rock star) and what do you associate yourself more with a doctor or a musician (rock star)?

I would say that I associate more with being a musician. There was no real transition between medicine and music as I was doing both hand in hand throughout university. I had always hoped for success in music so when the time came to put medicine on the shelf the decision was easy.

8. At a personal level how will you describe yourself, your hobbies and how do you spend your leisure time?

I am quite laid-back and in my spare time I like to play football, go to gigs, see friends and go out to eat.

9. Which musicians are your inspirations?

The musicians and bands that inspire me include: Led Zepellin, Crosby Stills and Nash, the Byrds, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, the Go-Betweens, the Strokes, Bob Dylan and Indian classical musicians such as Bhimsen Joshi, Zakir Hussain and Ravi Shankar.

10. Please let us know about your past and recent albums.

 Our first album A Certain Trigger had an edgy new wave feel and our second most recent album Our Earthly Pleasures was more of an alternative rock album. We are writing new material at the moment for the third record so there is only a scattering of gigs lined up.

11. Tell us about your past, recent events, upcoming performances and future plans of Maximo Park Band?

We will be going to Australia for a week in March to do a festival and a few gigs and during the summer we will play at festivals around Europe including Summercase (Barcelona), Hurricane (Germany) and V (UK).

12. Any special message for the youth worldwide.

My advice to anyone who has musical ambitions is to believe in yourself and try and try again till you reach your goal. Also make your musical dreams a reality.

13. Links for the band website.
There is a maximopark my space and http://maximopark.com/ is the webpage.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.....

A holiday celebrated on Oct 31st , on the eve of "All saints day" (previously know as "All Hallows day") , which is celebrated on Nov 1st .The origination is linked to remnant and extension of a pagan festival "Samhain" , celebrated in Ireland which latter got introduced to the rest of the parts of America and Europe.

It is assumed that on this day , spirits try to get in touch with the material world , hence to ward off , impersonate and pacify the phantoms of the parallel world, people conceal themselves within layers of costume and masks.It is a celebration of many traditional merriment activities like costume parties , trick-or -treating , playing special halloween games and visiting haunted houses.

One of the event that fascinates and excites everyone , are the Costume Parties , which strikes the atmosphere with vivid energy and exuberance.

The best part about custome parties is that , it gives everyone the opportunity to:
*Be freaky.
*Unleash your wicked side.
*Break the monotony of life and be incognito for a day.
*Impersonate our fascinations ,aspirations and adorations.
*Discover a different facet of your and comrade's existence.
*Stimulate Fun and Frolic with friends
*Jump with joy
*Get surprised and excited
*P articipate in the nation wide Fancy dress competition.
*Display your assets.
*Finally , to maintain the sanctity of this tradition , in few cases , Ward off SPIRITS!!..

Kudos to such traditions!!

An Evening with Kiran Bedi

Some people have a power to make a difference and she definitely is one of them.

I had heard about her in media and from people but meeting her in person, made me more certain , that she is an amazing personality with a positive aura and immense capacity to inspire people. It was a Sunday , on 3rd Oct 2004 , at Wilde Auditorium in Hartford-Connecticut , where kiran bedi was welcomed on behalf of a women’s group SNEHA, to make a difference in people’s life. I went with an excitement of meeting and knowing her more. Many people gathered outside the auditorium to meet her.She entered the room with grace and a beautiful smile, wearing a black full sleeve shirt and a grey half sleeve coat over it, with grey pants and black shoes. She is ready all the time, be her career or such occasions.Everyone around, got a chance, to interact and click pictures with her.I did the same ,purchased a book authored by her “I DARE” and requested her to sign it up for me.She was available to everyone with a welcoming smile and warmth.
She received many compliments from guests gathered in the conference. One of the guest ,an American delegate , inquired the meaning of the word "KIRAN" , Kiran replied "SUN SHINE ", she noted it down and then latter commented in her welcoming speech for Kiran , that she knows why it is shinning today because "KIRAN" is here. Indeed ,some people have the capability of turning around the environment and atmosphere into warmth and compassion.

The Guest speakers spoke about kiran’s achievements and accolades. Every speech made me more impatient to listen to her speech. She was welcomed by Dr.Vohra,a reputed person in the field of POLITICAL SCIENCE , subject mastered by Kiran Bedi and an appropriate person to welcome her.She walked on the podium with vigour, took the mike and moved away from the dias. She wanted to be completely transparent and started the speech by thanking people who invited her for this occasion. She spoke about her family, birth, sisters, schooling, subjects, career and challenges she faced in her life.
She ventured into a male dominated profession , without doubting her conviction and brought changes in the society and police department . She changed the entire picture of policing by culturing and training people under her. The sales liquor went down under her supervision , and the scene of TIHAR JAIL changed completely. She spoke about her life , without pride, but more of modesty and humility and fire of striking the unjust. She faced a lot of challenges and politicians made several attempts to transfer her but nothing could deter her conviction , their efforts were futile. Every sentence delivered by her , represented a clear picture of her high standards in morals, education, conviction and conscience. Her speech had depth, gravity and attraction.

She presented a succinct and poignant documentary , out of one of her many social programs ,in TIHAR JAIL . Women prisoners ,while serving their sentence in tihar jail , could legitimately,take the custody of the child, resulting in the child being a captive with his mother .She considered this situation as a primal case , and benevolently started a program to provide the children with proper food, education, clothes, sanitation and counselling. The children are admitted , later on, to the mainstream schools, where they are provided with good facilities like an appropriate hostel for accomodation and good education. They are given counselling, encouraging them to become a productive citizen of the society.This disclosed the subtle side of Kiran bedi, a thoughtful , benign and a role model for the society.

After her speech , there was a Question and Answer round. Everyone got a chance to ask her questions and thus learn from her. The round was fabulous and she had answers for all. She was questioned about politics, terrisom, education, society and physcology and she answered all of it so well. Her knowledge and vocabulary is profound and diversified and her answers were terse and to the point. She gave many good suggestions and right on the spot.

One of the student, congratulated and requested her to give advice to the present youth.Kiran replied spontaneously, " MAKE YOUR CAREER A CAUSE". This line is concise but complete and self explanatory.

I admire and revere her fearless resolute and a complete belief in herself . She loves challenges and her fearless attitude , got her acknowledged , as the recipient of the MAGASAYSAY award and ambassador of UN.She is currently deployed in a project at Haiti where she is providing solutions in the policing department for the UN.

We all should be a learner in life and learn from people like KIRAN BEDI that life is way beyond family,career,money and self. It is more of giving than taking. If we educate our children from their formative years ,that giving is everything , then we can develop into a compassionate society.Current generation , has role models as public entertainers and their negligence in morality , is a great loss of principles. The essence of life is forgotten when we choose them as our inspiration. We drift away from the right track, if we don’t have an ideal role model, a person who inspires us to do a lot for others.

Lets us learn and be of service to people around us and people in distress.
Let us Dare like KIRAN BEDI to pass hurdles of life and emerge as a winner.

----Reply from Kiran Bedi:
On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 Kiran Bedi wrote :
thanku Bhumika....i have really liked the article...and am grateful to you for thinking this way....i am honoured..... who have you written this for?....and tell me more about u...are u a regular writer...?..with love kiran .

UnderEstimated Love !

A plain tete-a- tete with a collegue at work developed into an argy bargy on a cliche motif -Politics at work.

The discussion was on two managers at work fighting with each other for a single post,consequently maligning each other's reputation among all the levels of ramification -seniors , co-workers and subordinates.

My collegue adamantly pressed the point that Human Nature tends to stub one's reputation to reach higher levels of hierarchy which is inevitable and largely visualized in organizations everywhere .I contradicted that such nature may bring some accolade and promotion to person in charge but will sure detriment his reputation and more importantly that the essence of human Nature does not comprise of hatred.


After the discussion in draw , I drifted for a while within myself and few questions kept reverberating in my consciousness. Does human Nature tend to get derogatory in such a trivial competition ? Aren't we suppose to be higher forms than all the creatures on this planet? If hatred is a part of our human nature then why does unconditional love exist when people FALL in LOVE? Why is there a undeniable presence of unconditional love between child and a mother or father?

It may survive in few moments but it does exists.So why do we not feel the same about all people around us? What is lacking ?

I tried to seek answers within myself and credited it to lack of belongingness in us .We all live in complete ignorance and tend to underestimate our essence , existence comprising of pure love. We extend and offer ourselves completely to people we feel live in our territory of meaningful co existence and remaining set of people exits outside the circle, in zone of negligence.

In other words we under estimate and limit the amount of unconditional love that exist within us.

A brief personal anecdote to highlight this point -- I had joined a beautiful ART OF LIVING course named "DSN -Divya Samaj Ka Nirman " last year which made me realise that we indeed constitute love .All the entrants had to engage in a drill , which entailed walking to each and every participant posing hands in Namaskar and looking into the eyes and conveying gratitude , it had to be done without speaking and through actions .Initially I smirked on this exercise and took it with less intensity but as I got involved , it cracked open a ravine of emotions in my heart.

A mystical music in the background encompassed the space within the room with
light sprightliness and as participants encountered each other, looked into each others eyes with affection and implying the presence of godliness in all of us , thanking each other for everything with namaskar and bowing down to each others soul and higher form of conciousness .It felt not like an interaction at physical level , it was soul bowing down to the other soul in recognition of existence of our form as an energy.The ambience metamorphised completely, there was melting of ego , ignorance, robust attitude and immergence of love. Every single person felt the wave of belongingness in the room and was overflowing with emotions and everyone cried.In a moment the atmosphere changed and we all realised the amount of love and gratitude that exists wiithin us which was so underestimated , our territory of belongingness had proliferated widely.

I had to run out of the room as I could not hold myself with this newly discovered reality and wept buckets .I remember that I forgot myself for a second and let the tears drain relentlessly. Everyone felt the wave of love ,belongingness and everyone cried and like me and mused about this alteration in emotions and ambience.

The whole point to bring this issue was that we are basically comprised of love and belongingness only we need to realise it. We need to meet every one with reverence and seek godliness in everyone around us . This may seem impractical and we may divert many times to ignorance but if we have a knowledge and realisation of it then we may drift back on the right track.

So even if you are competing with someone for the same post , do it with same reverence , belongingness and love. Let the person best entittled for the post win.Do your best , keep a healthy competition and you will see yourself exceeding beyond your limitation and emerging as a new discovery to your ownself. 

The Essence of hinduism

This is a common question, I have encountered, by many curious onlooker of Hindusim,that
Why are Hindus polytheistic?

This is my retort , No, they are not!

And why ?

*According to Sanatana Dharma:

1.There is only one unseen force , formless, absolute energy, called “Brahman” , everything within our perception is its extension.We cannot define god , as we have not seen it , hence we create epithets to define its existence in various forms of God and Goddesses (like ganesh, laxmi, saraswati etc) ,same supreme one with various names.It is different representation of the absolute supreme power as a bestower of gifts , like, for bestower of wealth we represent the same absolute energy as Goddess Laxmi , for bestower of wisdom we represent the same absolute energy as Goddess Saraswati , for bestower of success we represent the same absolute energy as God Ganesha, etc.Again , we pray to the existence of absolute energy in these forms and not the idols itself and they represent different ways to fulfill one's spiritual quest.There is no mention of myraid gods and goddesses in the holy scriptures.

In Vasistha's Yoga , the concept is explained in simple terms, from a single element gold(creator) we create many ornaments like rings, chain, bracelet, ear rings(created) etc of different shapes and names, one precious metal gold alone has assumed these distinct forms to accomplish different functions or serve different purposes of the buyer(worshipper).

To simplify it even further : We too , have different names and personality, at school we have a formal name/persona, at home we have a nick name/persona , with friends we have a jovial name/persona , but we are the same person.

2.Also , as human mind is an unstable form of energy, we require a point of concentration (in this case an idol) , to accumulate all energies in a single point, in order to amplify our stability.Again, it is not compulsory to pray with an idol in front of us and it is fine if one can do without it.

3. We also venerate the creation of god , since its essence pervades in all its creation like trees, birds , plants ,rivers etc.

Explained in Vasistha's Yoga , The created (like a Gold bracelet)is the same substance as that of the creator(Gold).

Hence , no harm is inflicted on us if we bow down in reverence to its creation , animate or inanimate existence or further more , create an idol with devotion and love , indicating the presence of supreme energy pervading in all its creation .If God created plants, then there is no harm in bowing down to a Basil plant , or its idol , as a part of the ritual .Doesn't it denote humbleness and respect for the existence of essence of god in it ? Or are plants , just an entity on our dinner platter , to satify our intermittent appetite.

People who define god's existence, are
either humans or exalted humans (prophets) .Isn't it? .No one has seen God , only seen its creation, in abundance and our veneration towards any of it's manifestations are practices to accomplish and fortify our faith , equanimity and spiritual quests.

As Lord Krishna says in Geeta: "Whatever deity or form, a devotee worships, I make his faith steady".

~With Aum

A Guess Game...

Clean, mean, sheen act of deception.
Mortals envisage me, initially ,with a mistaken perception.

Exploiting human weakness and virtues with nimble maneuvers,
Fleecing them off and bequeathing them with tomfoolery as souvenirs.

Playing my cards skillfully,I break trust and abandon my fans dolefully,
Ensuing, an act of disappearance, into oblivion, nonchalantly.

Laundering money of innocent and greedy with flimflam.
Winning is my attribute by masking my identity with a sham.

You must have guessed me by now.
I know , you must have , and don’t ask me how?

I’m a Con Artist, swindling is my essence and I thrive on others paraphernalia,
I’m a victim of confused identity, emotions ,indifference and unpredictable schizophrenia.

~ With Om