Netaholic....

This just defeats me. The amount of time spent - both wasted and utilized - on the internet by people. Foremost amongst such people, will be me. A day without mail checks seems to be highly difficult and there is that nagging sense of a void and incompleteness for that entire day. Surprisingly, such feelings often tend to be unjustified too.

Who has the time to e-mail these days? Gone are the days of snail-mail. Now, e-mails might become extinct too. Often, a day results in umpteen senseless e-mail checks. What is even more surprising is that there are so many people who have a similar addiction.

Then, there is www.orkut.com. We do have www.blogger.com too. All potential time-wasters? But, I believe blogging has helped me in more ways than one. www.orkut.com is also a fun place to be. Plus, we have the chat clients... Is talking to friends and acquaintances a waste of time? No, right... you are perfectly right.

So, what does one do if one becomes a netaholic? How does not checking emails for 10 days sound as a medicine? Is this possible? But, then what happens if that one important email - be it academically, professionally, or personally does come in?

Hmm... a post about nothing specific this time. Just felt like keying in a few words.. and what better topic than this. :)

May the netaholics in the world unite...

PS: To the greatest surprise of the author, there do exist people, whom he would treat as weird specimens, who check their mails twice a day - as the first and last tasks of the day. Who are specimens - us or them or both?

PS: An interesting quote from Calvin - "Reality continues to ruin my life".

Human Relationships....

How many of us are sensitive to the people around us?

How many of us celebrate the successes of the other?

How many of us are able to share the pain of the other?

How many of us forgive the other for all of his/her faults?

A special thanks to all the people in my life, who made me realise the importance and value of human relationships, in their own sweet little ways.

Limited Experiences...

Why do we associate the good and bad times with our limited experiences? Why do we often delve onto the past? Why is nostalgia painful? Why should a particular song (be it a popular Illaiyaraja tune of the 80's, those days of experimentation with western contemporary music beginning with Backstreet Boys and Boyzone, the various people recommending their favourite pieces, etc.) remind one of all the events of the past that just go by in a flash? Why do we associate so many of the events of the past with such simple things? Why are we not able to forget the past?

Interactions with people; and the ideas, opinions and values of theirs that we seem to cherish or remember clearly make us discriminate between the various people in our lives. Why do we subconsciously grow to be dependent on them? People who were always there for us during the thick of times, who gradually opened up, who welcomed us into their circle of lives (albeit after a lot of hesitation and cynicisms), who loved us for what we were, ... Why do they go away? Rather, why do we go away from them. Why do separations become so real and inevitable?

Why does life always offer such transitions? Why cannot "change" be temporary instead of permanent. As we move on in this journey called life, we venture out of a place called heaven in search of another heaven. What we thought of as heaven ceases to be heaven for long. We begin to crave for a different kind of atmosphere and heaven. Inevitably, the new heaven also ceases to be heaven. No place is perfect. We take time to make our friends. And in no time whatsoever, friends separate. Why should so many people come into our lives only to give us lessons and go away?

People are so generous when it comes to giving those invaluable lessons. They come as omens with a specific purpose. When we look back in retrospection, we owe everything that we are for to the various people in our lives. Sadly, we often take such important people for granted and fail to acknowledge their value; until it becomes too late. Solitude is painful. Being with people is also painful. So what can one do? Why does life always seem to be a paradox? A life of opposites. A tension of opposites.

As usual so many questions with no answers.

PS: I dedicate this post to all the people in my life. Of particular emphasis, are the people at Texas A&M University, College Station. They thankfully put up with all the idiosyncracies of the author. As the author mentally prepares to leave this heaven, in quest for who-knows-what, he simply acknowledges the role played by each and every individual out here. Pain, happiness, anger, frustration, fear, devotion, heroism, patriotism, sportsmanship, adventure, naughtiness, tears, sleepless nights, endless discussions, relating to so many people, friendships for life, and what not.

PS2: A&M shaped me, changed me, and made me realise so many lessons. How to make a home far away from home, how to relate to people, how to appreciate the beauties in life, how to look for the best in everything despite the emotional, financial, and academic issues, and what not. This by no means means that the learning is complete. It is just a small, but significant step in that direction. I love you, my dear A&M. A simple thank you for everything that you provided me with. You nurtured me like a loving mother. I couldn't have asked for more.

All you need is Love....

The world moves around on the basis of love. Love of various kinds. Love between a mother and a child, a father and a child, a sister and a brother (and other associated types), a friend and a friend, a person and his/her passions, self-love, a person and his teacher, a teacher and his disciple, and the last,.... but definitely not the least - and the least understood and most devastatingly beautiful of them all - yes, the love between a man and a woman. It merits mention that each is beautiful in its own way and that all kinds of love provide the basic reason for sustenance and existence.

What surprises the author is the presence of this red-letter day, known as Valentines Day and the hype around it. The crass commercialization and vulgar manifestation of present day romance will definitely shock the purists (not necessarily the RSS/Shiv Sena). Media advertisements, Special offers for sale, materialization of love courtesy the numerous gifts available around, make the world believe that it is this day or never. How many of us truly understand what love is? Love - the oldest and most sublime of all emotions.

Just imagine how love has continued to exist in this world. Love for one's own well-being lead to many wars. Love for the people in one's life made the man/woman behave in highly selfish ways. Imagine the music around in this world - the love ballads, the yearnings for love, the songs of the so-called loser, etc. For that matter, Hindustani music is entirely based on love and romance. The concept of Raagas and Raaginis embellishes the concept of love and all the associated emotions of yearning, hurt, despair, pain, frustration, bliss, tranquillity, pathos, heroism, joy, etc.

For the people in love, all the very best for making the relationship more meaningful and beautiful. For the people trying to understand what love is, all the very best in this journey. For the people hurt in love, all the very best for everything. Lastly, I would like to conclude with this quote of Richard Bach

"We are the bridge across forever, arching above the sea, adventuring for our pleasure, living mysteries for the fun of it, choosing disasters, triumphs, challenges, impossible odds, testing ourselves over and over again, learning love, love and LOVE".

PS: This post is dedicated to my very good friend Saurav, for urging me to write more frequently.

PS2: The topic chosen is primarily and entirely due to the occassion of Feb 14.

Circle of Life...

Have you ever wondered about the important people in your circle of life? How many such people exist in your life who have given you the liberty to love and hurt too? How many people come to your help in times of desperate need, no matter what? How many people exist in the world who celebrate your life along with that of theirs? (A world where your successes mean a lot to them and who are truly, madly and deeply happy for you because it is you). How many people can share and experience your pain? I am sure that there must be a very very small number of people in your circle of life who are the answers to the above questions.

Yes, we are like that. We open up to only a certain few. We have our own deep secrets, worries, frustrations, dreams, desires, fetishes, that only a few are aware of. In some cases, no one knows what is happening deep inside. Why, not even the body, mind and heart of a person knows what its soul is undergoing? There are some people who have crossed that threshold of trust. Yet, there are some who misuse that trust. Ironically, the capacity to hurt in the domains of space and time when it would hurt the most is subconsciously given by us.

Why are we like this? What stops us from being an open book? Why is our soul a precious commodity to be shared only with another soul, who importantly understands more than appreciates. Do soulmates exist. Isn't it foolish to believe in that one person who is the answer to our very own life? Is there only one person who provides that answer? How can we make such dramatic acknowledgements when we all live in a world of limited experience. Let us forget the supreme concept of a soulmate for the moment.

Consider our friends. Don't we discriminate between them? How can we again, make the claim of a few understanding us, when in fact, we know not much about the umpteen acquaintances in our lives? What stops us from making friends out of acquaintances. Relationships progress to beautiful stages when there is a mutual disclosure of thoughts, ideas and opinions. Yet, we have only a limited set of relationships and experiences. Nevertheless, the circle of life is complete by itself (thankfully!), no matter how small or big it might be.

PS1: This post is dedicated to all the arcs in my circle of life; agreed a limited number. Nevertheless, a circle is the perfect epitome of the concept of infinity.

PS2: Ideas borrowed from varied sources, ranging from contemporary "spiritually-inclined" authors to interpretations of the ancient scriptures. We are the answers to our very own questions called life. Here's wishing all the very best to everyone in his/her journey called life.... and in his/her quest towards the meaning of life.

PS3: I have freely used the word "soul".. I must admit, that I do not know much about it. Further, I must admit that I do not have any answers to the questions posed above. :)

PS4: When the author means "you, us, we, ...", it includes me.

PS5: Likewise, I am sure that there must be a very very small number of people who would include us in their circle of lives.