Time Machine

Let me hasten to assure you that this is not going to be a belated review of H.G.Well’s timeless classic. Who am I, a dim-witted amateur writer, even to attempt such a venture? Let us not, therefore, disturb a soul that is probably traveling back and forth in Time. Having said that, we must admit that traveling in Time has been our greatest fantasy right from the days of Adam and Eve. Or probably not so far into the past as Adam and Eve, because if those two had only foreseen the gloom that would be created in the planet by their having a bite of The Forbidden Fruit and resisted their temptation, we would continue to be living in earthly paradise. It was the costliest temptation that man has ever succumbed to though similar temptations of no less a magnitude have taken their toll on us down the line in history like Samson laying his head on Delilah’s lap and causing wholesome destruction. This has been beautifully summed up by Benjamin Franklin in his inimitable style as “Samson, with his strong body had a weak head, or he would not have laid it on a harlot’s lap”! But then, this is no time to cry over the spilt milk!

The British actor Jeremy Irons said, “All of us have two wonderful Time Machines. One is called ‘Memory’ that takes us back in time and the second is called ‘Dreams’ that takes us on a futuristic voyage”. Unfortunately we do not make use of these machines to launch ourselves on a flight of fantasy but only to travel back and forth within the short time span of a hundred years or so. It is like using the world’s most sophisticated aircraft to shuttle between Chennai and Arakkonam! Let us take this Time Machine called ‘Memory’. How many of us use it for a longer haul than a visit to our childhood? And even there, we use it only to revisit the incidents that caused us hurt, disappointment and anger. We are not aware that at the flick of a button, this vehicle can transport us back to the courts of Vikramaditya and Asoka. It can take us to witness the construction of the Big Temple by Raja Raja Chola. We can see the great emperor doing small errands for the awesome architects to ensure that their concentration does not get impaired in the absence of the errand boys. We can witness great poets in action. We can witness the glories of a thousand years and take pride in our lineage.

And what do we do with the vehicle that can take us ahead by a few thousand years? We use it only to see where we will be in our professional hierarchy or what kind of persons our children will turn out to be. Our concept of future just stops with debating if Man Mohan Singh will survive the ‘no trust motion’ or how our boys will tackle the Mendis menace during the tour of Srilanka. Even our flights of fantasy are severely restricted by our perception of mortal time span. Most of us seem to think that as we may not live to see the turn of the century, there is no need to think of a future beyond that. We have been told that Saints like Tirumoolar lived for 3000 years and more but even bits of awesome information like that do not stir us into taking up a travel that far into the future.


I have a friend who keeps telling me during our morning walks that none of us would be alive a hundred years hence! It may be a sobering thought to start the day with but he does not realise that Time does not stop with our exit. It will move on as ever and more and more history will be created. I can not help quoting Anton Chekhov here:

“Time will pass, and we shall go away for ever, and we shall be forgotten, our faces will be forgotten, our voices, and how many there were of us; but our sufferings will pass into joy for those who will live after us, happiness and peace will be established upon earth, and they will remember kindly and bless those who have lived before.”

The faculty of fantasizing is exclusively a human attribute. It is a pity that most of us have no time to fantasise and some even think that it is waste of time. When a great scientist like Albert Einstein proclaims that “When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.”, we need to entertain no further doubt about it. So, take a flight of fantasy straight away and share with us your experience!

Dear Sri,

You are so right, that we will be forgotton after we are gone.And yes we don’t think beyond what our children will become when they grow up.We are limited in our thinking.


I have often wondered, what if God granted me a wish, that kamal u will live for ever, healthy, rich, and never grow old.Then what would happen I wonder ?

Surely I would live, rather outlive my family, friends, Cheeniya, and everyone.Say after 200 years, my great grandchildren would eb watching a movie, and I would tell them aree Sharukh Khan 200 years back was better than this lousy actor.Every one would be fed up of me, as all my talks would be of this generation which is a few hundred years back.HAHA.


So better to go in front of my loved ones, and why think that far.Remember that Doris Day song “ que Sara Sara, whatever will be , will be, the Future is not ours to see, Que Sara Sara .

Regards.kamal

Originally Posted by Kamalji

Dear Sri,

You are so right, that we will be forgotton after we are gone.And yes we don’t think beyond what our children will become when they grow up.We are limited in our thinking.


I have often wondered, what if God granted me a wish, that kamal u will live for ever, healthy, rich, and never grow old.Then what would happen I wonder ?

Surely I would live, rather outlive my family, friends, Cheeniya, and everyone.Say after 200 years, my great grandchildren would eb watching a movie, and I would tell them aree Sharukh Khan 200 years back was better than this lousy actor.Every one would be fed up of me, as all my talks would be of this generation which is a few hundred years back.HAHA.


So better to go in front of my loved ones, and why think that far.Remember that Doris Day song “ que Sara Sara, whatever will be , will be, the Future is not ours to see, Que Sara Sara .

Regards.kamal

Dear Kamal
The greatest blessing that God has bestowed on all living beings is that our stay here is strictly time bound. Even in spit of that, how egoistic we get in that limited time frame! If we are granted perpetual existence, we would be replicating some of the Asuras like Hiranya Kasibu! I dont mind if Kamalji is granted that boon for he is such a sweet chap who would easily merge with any generation but if a megalomaniac like Hitler is granted such a boon?
Sri

Dear Sri,
This is a very interesting concept, you have written about.
Now, time machine flies back:
Hinduism does not have a founder! The essential basic format is the “wisdom science of the Rishis”. It is not a Religion, but basically a System of Teaching.
Before Kali Yuga began, Gods visited the earth, coming in fluorescent flying vehicles called Pushpaka Vimanas!! We read in Ramayana that Rama flew over the seas to reach home back Ayodhya, using it.
A Trans-oceanic bridge was built by Rama; the flying of “vanaras” to Varius continents and other planetary systems, the frequent references to surgery (Gods Aswins gave an iron leg to replace an amputated leg!), artificial legs and embryo transplants referred to in the puranas – all too clearly present a long past “Space Age”- an age when the Gods visited the earth to transplant man on to earth and to see man’s evolution.
Sage Agasthya wrote a book called Shakti-Tantra which deals with an energy by name Vidyut-Shakti, which is roughly equivalent to electricity, but it is not the same. So it shows there is still an energy unknown to modern sciences.
That book also describes a kind of physics – like magnetism of the mind!

All these only prove that the time-machine will unravel all these mysteries in the future.
Can you believe there is a book, according to our puranas, dedicated to the “futurity” called Bhavishya purana. It contains all world events extending far into the 21^st century.

Our fantasies will traverse just a century or two. But, I think, it is more fascinating to rewind the time-machine!!
Love,
Chithra.

Dear Cheeniya Sir,

I do fantasize and dream in my free time which I have in plenty. It is one of those few things that we do not have to pay for. I do not wish to stay for ever or be remembered. Neither do I wish to leave footprints on the sands of time as Longfellow said. My fantasies are just plain and ordinary.

My fantasies take me to arenas where I bash up my enemies, especially the enemies who in real life I will not dare to confront. I dream of standing shoulder to shoulder with great personalities who line up to shake my hands and have a glimpse of me. I dream of being a Robin Hood saving children from the clutches of monstrous teachers. I dream that the pots, pans and cookers in my home will start cooking by themselves just by reading my mind. My vacuum cleaner will simply start cleaning up the carpet every Sunday and once done it will position itself in its place. The iron box will straigten up all those hard creases on my husband's wrinkled shirt without me having to fret......all this while I hop around the internet from one site to another reading Bollywood and Hollywood gossip.

Originally Posted by Chitvish

Dear Sri,
This is a very interesting concept, you have written about.
Now, time machine flies back:
Hinduism does not have a founder! The essential basic format is the “wisdom science of the Rishis”. It is not a Religion, but basically a System of Teaching.
Before Kali Yuga began, Gods visited the earth, coming in fluorescent flying vehicles called Pushpaka Vimanas!! We read in Ramayana that Rama flew over the seas to reach home back Ayodhya, using it.
A Trans-oceanic bridge was built by Rama; the flying of “vanaras” to Varius continents and other planetary systems, the frequent references to surgery (Gods Aswins gave an iron leg to replace an amputated leg!), artificial legs and embryo transplants referred to in the puranas – all too clearly present a long past “Space Age”- an age when the Gods visited the earth to transplant man on to earth and to see man’s evolution.
Sage Agasthya wrote a book called Shakti-Tantra which deals with an energy by name Vidyut-Shakti, which is roughly equivalent to electricity, but it is not the same. So it shows there is still an energy unknown to modern sciences.
That book also describes a kind of physics – like magnetism of the mind!

All these only prove that the time-machine will unravel all these mysteries in the future.
Can you believe there is a book, according to our puranas, dedicated to the “futurity” called Bhavishya purana. It contains all world events extending far into the 21^st century.

Our fantasies will traverse just a century or two. But, I think, it is more fascinating to rewind the time-machine!!
Love,
Chithra.

Dear Chithra
Thanks a lot for all that awesome info about references to the hitherto untapped areas of science and technology in our puranas. I believe there are references to technolgy that would make air travel possible even in the oldest Veda.
But let me come to your concluding sentence about rewinding the Time Machine being more fascinating. I have talked to several people about this and most of them would prefer a travel backwards. Is it the fear of the unknown that inhibits them from taking a time-travel forward? Is it because they feel a lot more comfortable about the known pastures of the distant past that they prefer a journey backwards?
Yes

Dear Sri,
Yes, you hit the nail on the head.
It is always a relief to munch (or mull?) over the past, since that is done with.
Today, in my class, my teacher was talking about time-machine. ( Now, don't ask me if all learned men belong to the same category, discuss same topic, etc!!).
He said in future, things that are likely to come up are
Orbit-tour
Escalator to the sky!
I have enough problems every time with the escalator in Chennai Citi Centre & Spencer Plaza!! Need I ask for more, tell me!!
Love,
Chithra.

Originally Posted by nivedi

Dear Cheeniya Sir,

I do fantasize and dream in my free time which I have in plenty. It is one of those few things that we do not have to pay for. I do not wish to stay for ever or be remembered. Neither do I wish to leave footprints on the sands of time as Longfellow said. My fantasies are just plain and ordinary.

My fantasies take me to arenas where I bash up my enemies, especially the enemies who in real life I will not dare to confront. I dream of standing shoulder to shoulder with great personalities who line up to shake my hands and have a glimpse of me. I dream of being a Robin Hood saving children from the clutches of monstrous teachers. I dream that the pots, pans and cookers in my home will start cooking by themselves just by reading my mind. My vacuum cleaner will simply start cleaning up the carpet every Sunday and once done it will position itself in its place. The iron box will straigten up all those hard creases on my husband's wrinkled shirt without me having to fret......all this while I hop around the internet from one site to another reading Bollywood and Hollywood gossip.

Dear Nivedi
That is fantasising of the creamiest variety! I have no doubt that these things will be a reality before the turn of the century except of course the iron box. I say so because I am not really aware how wrinkled your hubby's shirt can get after a day's wearing. Right now I hold the Guinness record for it!

Even the internet may not have a keyboard and a mouse and it will be totally mind-reactive. Jokes apart, I was talking to a foreign visitor in Manali(Kulu) where I was inspecting a local branch of State Bank of India in the 1970's. At that time, ATMs were unknown in India and the foerigner was telling me how refreshing it was to deal with people in the Bank for cashing a cheque etc. He remarked that he always felt like a zombie dealing with mechanised services!
Sri

Dear Cheeniya,
I read this article as soon as you POSTED. You see i decided to go back into the timeless past and of course from there right into my dreams of the future.
(The British actor Jeremy Irons said, “All of us have two wonderful Time Machines. One is called ‘Memory’ that takes us back in time and the second is called ‘Dreams’ that takes us on a futuristic voyage”. )
Just landed back with a thud! I did see many a thing from the future! Of course still could not SEE anything on the Manmohan Singh front! But i did see a BOOKER PRIZE flying through the air trying to find the author of such seemingly simple , Senile Ramblings!
Now you cannot blame me for being away sooo long on my Flights of fancy , can you! I had to take up on the words of Guruji and being a good shishya i just did that.....

"So, take a flight of fantasy straight away and share with us your experience! "
And must say it was a wonderful experience and planning to do that on an everyday basis! Now if i get kicked out from home, will try to justify and blame it on You know Whom!

Originally Posted by sudhavnarasimhan

Dear Cheeniya,
I read this article as soon as you POSTED. You see i decided to go back into the timeless past and of course from there right into my dreams of the future.
(The British actor Jeremy Irons said, “All of us have two wonderful Time Machines. One is called ‘Memory’ that takes us back in time and the second is called ‘Dreams’ that takes us on a futuristic voyage”. )
Just landed back with a thud! I did see many a thing from the future! Of course still could not SEE anything on the Manmohan Singh front! But i did see a BOOKER PRIZE flying through the air trying to find the author of such seemingly simple , Senile Ramblings!
Now you cannot blame me for being away sooo long on my Flights of fancy , can you! I had to take up on the words of Guruji and being a good shishya i just did that.....

"So, take a flight of fantasy straight away and share with us your experience! "
And must say it was a wonderful experience and planning to do that on an everyday basis! Now if i get kicked out from home, will try to justify and blame it on You know Whom!

Dear Sudha
Did you hear this announcement wafting across the Time?
"Ladies and Gentlemen,
In a few moments from now you'll be landing back to the drudgery of your present. Those of you who are scheduled to travel back into the past will remain seated as the passengers bound for their present routine leave the Time Machine with care and distress written all over their faces.
For your information, the outside morale is equally low with people twiddling their thumbs about the future of the present Government. Please contact our travel desk if you need any assistance to travel into the city. Please be informed that the mode of travel is still the rickety cars. We strongly advise you that all the astounding transport vehicles that you saw in future be put back in your memory as the relics of the future!
We hope you enjoyed our Flight of Fantasy. We wish the passengers continuing their journey to 10000 B.C., a pleasant journey"

It is a pity that you did not travel into the past. Many shuttlers inform me that past is past and the future is no patch on the past!
Sri